offroadspeedway Archives

Points leaders, lists take shape at Off Road

By Randy Pospishil sports@norfolkdailynews.com NORFOLK, Neb. (June 3, 2023) – The racing season may be just one-third of the way toward completion, but the points lists and the respective leaders in each of the various divisions are already taking shape at Off Road Speedway. Even at this early stage of the season, every point earned contributes to a potential track championship. Cory Dumpert, for example, entered Saturday night’s regular night of racing with a narrow three-point advantage over Devin Johnson and Chase Osborne in the IMCA Sunoco Late Model division. Dumpert will be able to add to that margin, albeit slightly, after his feature win, while Johnson was black flagged during the race and Osborne finished third. Dumpert patiently moved from deep in the field, with a starting position five rows back from the leaders then, after gaining momentum exiting turn two, cut sharply down the track entering turn three to secure the lead from Justin Bertschinger just before the race’s second caution and restart with four laps remaining. Dumpert’s win is his second of [Read More]

Just 14, but Beau already knows how to win in an IMCA Late Model

PLAINVIEW, Neb. (May 27, 2023) – A high school freshman-to-be finished first in the IMCA Sunoco Late Model class Saturday night at Off Road Speedway. Rookie Beau Johnson started outside the front row and led start to finish of the 25-lapper, taking the checkers ahead of Nelson Vollbrecht and four-time and defending national champion Cory Dumpert. “The car just got better and better,” said Johnson, who had broken while leading with nine laps left the night before at Boone County Raceway. “We caught a lapped car near the end and were able to win by about four car lengths.” One of, if not the youngest feature winner in division history, Johnson is still a month shy of 14 and a half. He’ll be a ninth grader this fall at Plainview High School and has already graduated to the Late Models from go karts, running at the track adjacent to the big oval at Norfolk. “It’s a big step up but I got in three (non-sanctioned) starts at I-80 last year,” said Johnson, who wheels a [Read More]

Off Road drivers take advantage of track conditions for wins

By Randy Pospishil sports@norfolkdailynews.com NORFOLK, Neb. (May 20, 2023) – Saturday night’s track conditions at Off Road Speedway allowed as many passing options as a three-lane highway. Those drivers who guided their cars into victory lane took full advantage, sometimes using all three lines during a single lap. In the Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod feature, Tyler Afrank recorded his second Off Road Speedway win of the season. The Norfolk driver needed just four laps to move from the inside of the third row to the front of the field, passing leader Ronnie Grass on the inside of turn four. With no cautions to benefit the other drivers, Afrank gradually established a straight away lead while Wes Hochstein and Cameron Meyer competed for second place behind him. Hochstein’s car had skidded higher on the track exiting turn two during three straight laps, and when it happened again during the final lap, Meyer took advantage, passing on the inside and charging down the backstretch in sole possession of second. Rusty Glosser also seized the opportunity to squeeze [Read More]

Off Road checkers fly for Wilkinson, Bruhn

By Randy Pospishil sports@norfolkdailynews.com NORFOLK, Neb. (May 13, 2023) – While their starting spots differed, Kyle Wilkinson and Anthony Bruhn both ended their night Saturday in the same place. Victory lane at Off Road Speedway. Making the longest journey to the front was Wilkinson in the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car feature. Wilkinson traveled quickly from the fifth row into contention while, for the first few laps, a cluster of six cars jockeyed for position. Although he got into the lead by passing Nate DeSive, Wilkinson had just one lap as the leader before the race’s first caution grouped DeSive and Tejay Mielke, as well as Cameron Wilkinson, close behind. That tight grouping maintained itself for another handful of laps before Kyle Wilkinson pulled away by several car lengths and, despite three laps of three-wide and side-by-side pursuit, so did the cars behind him. Wilkinson then maintained his advantage, leading his brother Cameron and Mielke to the finish line during the final 10 laps and earning his first Off Road Speedway win of the season. The [Read More]

Afrank aces Off Road IMCA Northern SportMod finish

By Randy Pospishil sports@norfolkdailynews.com NORFOLK, Neb. (May 6, 2023) – Feature winners during Saturday night racing at Off Road Speedway typically came from a group of cars that broke away from the field early, then dealt successfully with challengers down the stretch. The Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods, for example, saw a group of four cars, led by Terry Kester, pull away. As drivers maneuvered on both the high and low side of the track, seeking the best line, Tyler Afrank threatened to pass Kester while Cameron Meyer and Colby Langenberg competed for third place behind them. With five laps remaining, Afrank used the low side of the track to pressure Kester as Langenberg threatened Meyer on the high side. Both Afrank and Langenberg were briefly able to pass, but neither were able to hold position. On the final lap, Afrank edged Kester at the finish line in the battle for first and second, and Meyer pulled ahead of Langenberg to take third. In the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock feature, the breakout group established itself following [Read More]

IMCA point season begins at Off Road Speedway

By Randy Pospishil sports@norfolkdailynews.com NORFOLK, Neb. (April 29) – The first night of points racing began at Off Road Speedway Saturday night. In the Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod feature, Colby Langenberg took full advantage of his starting position on the pole to lead all 15 laps and lead by a significant margin during the final seven laps for the win. Jonathan Jensen took his shot at getting by Langenberg for eight laps, before Cameron Meyer slipped past in turn three and took his turn at pursuing Langenberg for the final five laps. Meyer finished second despite checking up his car coming out of turn four for safety reasons, while Jensen took third. IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks ran 18 laps with three cautions before Tanner Uehling secured the win. Uehling took the lead following the restart after the first caution, getting by early leader Mark Arduser, but had to battle various challengers following the next two restarts. Dakota Spann gave chase for three laps after a second caution before Dustin Jackson took the second spot [Read More]

First-time winners earn late-season trips to victory lane at Off Road

By Randy Pospishil sports@norfolkdailynews.com NORFOLK, Neb. (Aug. 20, 2022) – With just two “memorial” nights of racing remaining to wrap up the 2022 racing season at Off Road Speedway, the Lynn Langenberg Memorial night on Saturday, which includes Championship Night hardware for those drivers at the top of the points lists in each of the four divisions, and the Bob Haase Memorial celebration on Sept. 3, three drivers made their first appearance in victory lane as feature winners, with Cory Dumpert the only repeat winner. Derek Sehi led a “Neligh sweep” of the first three places in the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car feature, leading most of the race while Cameron Wilkinson, Nate Desive, Tejay Mielke and others competed for second place behind him. Ultimately, with no cautions forcing restarts after the first few laps, Sehi wasn’t threatened until Cameron Wilkinson, who finished second, closed on the outside during the final lap. Kyle Wilkinson’s steady progress through the field resulted in a third-place finish. Likewise, in the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock feature, first-time winner Tanner Uehling [Read More]

Late leads pay off in Off Road features

By Randy Pospishil sports@norfolkdailynews.com NORFOLK, Neb. (July 30, 2022) – Getting the lead early wasn’t an advantage in any of the four features Saturday night at Off Road Speedway. The winners in each, the IMCA Sunoco Late Models, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks and Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods, didn’t obtain the lead until at least midway through their respective races, but all made it to victory lane. Matt Haase, for example, needed 13 of the Late Models’ 25 laps to move up from his middle-of-the-field starting position, but when he got to the front he took full advantage of the opportunity, earning his first Off Road Speedway win of the season. Haase, who had only one other top five finish in eight feature performances, passed Devin Johnson in turn four of the first lap following a caution, then sped away from the rest of the pack and also effectively handled lapped traffic to win handily with second-place finisher Cory Dumpert unable to make up ground. Chase Osborne grabbed third. Cameron Wilkinson [Read More]

Points leaders in strong position at Off Road Speedway

By Randy Pospishilsports@norfolkdailynews.com NORFOLK, Neb. (July 9, 2022) – With just five regular nights of points racing remaining in the 2022 season at Off Road Speedway, four drivers have established leads in their respective divisions, and three of those four won again Saturday night. Cory Dumpert secured his fourth IMCA Sunoco Late Models feature win of the season at the Norfolk track, needing just three laps to move up from a starting position on the outside of the fifth row to the front of the 16-car field. The three-time defending national champion promptly forged a straightaway-length lead over Joey Haase and Kyle Prauner for the next 18 laps but neither finished among the top three. Ben Sukup, who had started alongside Dumpert and spent numerous laps in a battle over fourth place with Eric Vanosdall, exchanging slide jobs seemingly at every corner, joined the leaders after passing both Vanosdall and Prauner. Sukup then inherited second place after Haase’s car broke down, which also caused a caution and restart with four laps remaining; however, Sukup couldn’t [Read More]

Wilkinson Express keeps rolling at Off Road Speedway

By Randy Pospishilsports@norfolkdailynews.com NORFOLK, Neb. (June 25, 2022) – The Cameron Wilkinson Expressed rolled to victory lane for the sixth time in eight starts this season at Off Road Speedway. Wilkinson hurried to the front of Saturday’s IMCA Sunoco Stock Car field from deep in the starting lineup, this time from the sixth row, requiring just six laps to take the lead from Justin Berschinger, who had inherited the front position after early leader Ron Pettitt left with car trouble. Austin Brauner took second place and Tejay Miellke finished third. James Roebuck won a Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod feature for the third time at Off Road Speedway by wresting the lead from Wes Hochstein coming out of turn four with 12 laps left. Roebuck then held off pressure from eventual second-place finisher Colby Langenberg and Mitch Coble.