Frederick takes streets feature

Some drivers have tried for decades to win the Jamestown Speedway Stock Car Stampede.

It’s an accomplishment that brings bragging rights, and in some cases brings validation to a career that might not ever feel complete without it.

There’ll be some drivers who will never know what it’s like to hoist the trophy at Jamestown’s signature event, and that’s a pretty intense realization for a 23-year-old driver in the dawn of his street stock racing career.

In just his third year behind the wheel of a WISSOTA Street Stock, Zach Frederick, of Richardton, N.D., held of Lisbon’s Duffy Froemke by 34 thousandths of a second on Saturday and was crowned a Jamestown Speedway Stock Car Stampede champion.

“This was one of the goals of my life. This early, I never thought I would be able to do it,” Frederick said. “I’ve always wanted to win a feature in Jamestown, much less the Stampede.”

The WISSOTA Street Stocks comprised 49 of the record 317 cars and drivers in attendance for the 41st annual Stampede over the weekend. Frederick won the second of five heat races on Friday, and lined up on the pole position for Saturday’s 24-car, 20-lap feature event.

Fargo’s Rick Schulz assumed the lead after starting second, but with 10 laps left Frederick went on the offensive underneath Schulz and the two battled door-to-door until Frederick’s low line gave him the lead with four circuits left.

But Froemke made sure Frederick would have to earn his first Stampede victory. Froemke, who won last year’s Street Stock Stampede title and took the Jamestown Speedway points title this season, was all over Frederick’s back bumper on the bottom over the final two laps.

Froemke started the race in eighth, and coming to the checkered flag he was able to pull alongside Frederick, but the Richardton native had just enough steam to beat Froemke to the line by inches.

“(Froemke) didn’t have anywhere to go,” Frederick said. “Stuck on the bottom there, that’s where he wanted to be and that’s where I stayed.”

Schulz finished behind Froemke in third, while Sykeston’s Trent Grager finished fourth and Horace’s Royce Jawaski rounded out the top five.

“It was an awesome track, like it usually is down here. You know, fast,” Frederick said. “The car was kind of tight, but we got it figured out.”

Super Stocks

A trend has started for South Dakota’s Ross Dixon.

The Ramona native finished second at the WISSOTA 100 last year, and then rolled on to best the WISSOTA Super Stock field at the Jamestown Speedway Stock Car Stampede.

Dixon finished second yet again at the 100 last weekend, so guess where he finished the Stampede on Saturday?

Dixon started the 20-lap Super Stock feature from the outside pole and led every circuit to win his second consecutive Stampede title.

“It’s a pretty good feeling. This is a pretty sweet little event they put on up here,” Dixon said. “It’s fun to come out here.”

Dixon held off Aberdeen’s Shane Brick, who started on the pole, lap after lap down the stretch. Brick was able to pull even with the leader in turns one and two, but Dixon was able to ride the rim up top and win the drag race down the backstretch to keep Brick behind him.

“I was afraid (Brick) was going to get by me in one and two. My brakes were failing a little bit at the end and I couldn’t get into one near as hard as I wanted to,” Dixon said. “But I knew if I could beat him off of two it was the preferred line through three and four up high.

“He could have thrown some slide jobs at me and could have done some dirty stuff, but he didn’t. It was a good clean, fun race. I got lucky to draw No. 2 tonight and help me out a little bit.”

Brick was forced to settle for second, as Dixon rolled on to his 15th feature win of the season. West Fargo’s Brian Bernotas finished third, while Lisbon’s Todd Carter took fourth and Aberdeen’s Shawn Malsam finished fifth.

The Super Stocks brought in 29 cars for the Stampede.

“I love this place. I wanted to come up this year just get a shirt that had my name on the back of it,” Dixon said. “That’s pretty cool.”

Sun sports writer Michael Savaloja can be reached at (701) 952-8461 or by email at msavaloja@jamestownsun.com

Tags: auto racing, sports, speedway