The Emo Speedway held its first ever title race Saturday, as the first-annual Piston Ring Mid-Season Summer Shootout saw Brian Nelson hammer out an important win and Don Smith further cement his place at the top of the heap.
Nelson got out in front in the modifieds feature that capped the night early and while the four cars behind him changed places often in a bid to get ahead, Nelson never gave up his lead.
“Competition was tight,” Nelson shrugged after the race. “We seemed to get the lead right off the bat.”
Once he was out in front, all he needed to do was “take as straight a line as you can get and hope for the best.”
While Nelson’s early lead wasn’t relinquished, that isn’t to say it wasn’t challenged. Jason Anderson was close behind at points and Gavin Paull crept up close to Nelson’s number 8N car before falling to third place.
The International Falls native insisted he wasn’t worried. “I don’t get nervous anymore,” he said. “Too old! Take what we get, be happy.”
Don Smith of Grand Rapids, MN looked every bit of the Midwest modifieds season leader, with long, easy leads in both his heat and the feature. The win added to his point total and further distanced himself from the season standings pack.
“Just got lucky. Just got lucky, that’s all,” Smith said humbly. “Especially some of those guys run out there. Just got lucky.”
He insisted that winning the mid-season championship and cementing the season title wasn’t crucial. “I’ve won about 50 track championships and mid-season championships. I just wanna race.”
Winning the street stocks feature was Don Craig of Thunder Bay. Craig an unfamiliar face to many, as he hadn’t raced in Emo since last year’s Emo Fall Fair, and not for years before that.
Craig said he was impressed with the race put on at last year’s Fall Fair, and “ever since then I always liked coming.” His races closer to home usually conflict with any opportunities to come to Emo. “Otherwise, I’d be here every week.”
He was looking forward to racing at the Speedway when his Saturday night was freed up on short notice, he said.
The Piston Ring title race—complete with special awarded trophies for the event—is one of the last major races of the year. Originally slated as a proper mid-season event, it was postponed from its July 14 date due to sudden torrential rains. The weather was no issue this time, and the sky couldn’t have been clearer on the warm Saturday night.
The race also served as a bit of a preview for this weekend’s Emo Fall Fair, with the prospective Fair Queens introduced to the grandstand audience before the race. The Rea Memorial races, which run both Friday and Saturday during the Fall Fair, make up one of the most anticipated Speedway events of the year.
Even with the wins, both Smith and Craig admitted they’re unsure if they’ll make it out next weekend due to other races on the calendar. Craig said it’d most likely take a rainout for him to head to Emo, but Smith figured he’d “flip a coin” to decide where he went Friday night.
Races begin an hour early both days, with hot laps running at 6 p.m. and heats beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
