Estevan's Kyle Fedyk has been itching to get some winged sprint cars into the Estevan Motor Speedway for some time.
That mission was accomplished Saturday, with the side benefit being him actually winning the race of Western North Dakota sprint cars over Minot driver Greg Nikitenko.
“I started racing sprint cars in 2006,” said Fedyk. “Since then, the only think I dreamed of doing, pother than racing professionally... and to win a sprint race at my home track in Estevan. I'm ready to cry. All I want to do is hug my family and celebrate. It's just a dream come true. This car is a rocket ship. It's a pleasure to drive and when they're that good it's almost easy.”
It was Fedyk's brainchild to have the race once again at the track.
“I just proposed it to the (EMS) board, give them the purse and then tell them I'll do my best to round up cars and once they give the approval, I just start phoning guys and tried to get them up here,” Fedyk said.
“The group we bring here are the local sprint car drivers,” he said. “All the fans are sprint car fans and know all of us. So we get a pretty good following and we know some of the fans. They cheer extra hard for us.”
Fedyk led the race, the last feature race Saturday night, for most first three quarters of the until a caution hit. While he was leading by over half a lap over Nikitenko at the time, there was no concern that the restart would cause the two to race closer for the final four laps.
While those racers were running a quick, collision-free race, that wasn't the case for many on the weekend. Several local drivers were knocked out both days due to collisions and spinouts, forced and otherwise.
Devon Gonas of Midale won the Hobby Stocks feature race after starting eighth. Kenmare, North Dakota's Riese Dignan was disqualified after a collision three laps in knocked out both Jaice Gibson and Colin Hall, who had started third and fourth from the pole.
“It was getting kind of frustrating because you'd pass a couple of guys and then a caution would come out and you'd be back in your original position,” said Gonas. “It ended up working pretty good.”
Later, spins by Kruz Wilson and Blair Hanson at various points in the race sent them back in the field and Gonas held on with his consistent ride for the win.
“I'm pretty pumped about it,” said Gonas of the win. “I ended up going down low and getting passed by two guys on the topside there. I was pretty content getting third but they ended up spinning out. I'll definitely take a feature win.”
He started 16th in the feature race Friday and ended up placing eighth.
Saturday's other feature winners were: Mason Big Eagle (A Modifieds) and Austin Daae (Street stocks). Friday's feature winners were Jett Big Eagle (A Modifieds), Riley Raynard (Hobby Stocks) and Gregg Mann (Street Stocks).
