Southwest Speedway mid-season championships

• Kendall Booke

Purestocks Kendall Booke, Gladstone
• Jeff Decker

IMCA Modifieds Jeff Decker, Dickinson
• Derek Nitschke

Thunder 4 Derek Nitschke, Dickinson
• Travis Ulmer

Wissota Street Stocks Travis Ulmer, Mandan

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Auto racing at the Southwest Speedway reaches the halfway point of its season tonight, when the track crowns its mid-season champions. Here’s a quick look at who’s leading each class, how their season has gone so far and who is chasing them in the point standings.

IMCA Modifieds

Jeff Decker, Dickinson

Sometimes, the old dogs still have their days. Decker hasn’t won a Modified feature in four tries this season, but he’s always there at the end of the race — he has two runner-up finishes — and it has him sitting seven points ahead of the field in the class going into Mid-Season Championship night. Decker hasn’t won a track title of any kind since winning the Season Championship in 2008. Chasing him down in the track’s fastest class are Dickinson drivers Travis Olheiser and Eric Paul.

1, Jeff Decker (11D), Dickinson, 145.

2 (tie), Travis Olheiser (27), Dickinson, 138.

2 (tie), Eric Paul (27), Dickinson, 138.

4, Darrell Bauer (54), Mandan, 136.

5, Tracey Domagala (96), Bismarck, 134.

Wissota Street Stocks

Travis Ulmer, Mandan

This season has been so far, so good for Ulmer in the Wissota Street Stocks. The veteran racer has used two feature victories (June 2, June 30) to climb to the top of the standings. However, the Street Stocks are arguably the deepest class at the Southwest Speedway this year, meaning that one false move tonight could send him tumbling one, two or even three spots and out of the Mid-Season title race.

1, Travis Ulmer (3), Mandan, 214.

2, Josh Olheiser (39), Dickinson, 208.

3, Allan Frederick (5), Richardton, 202.

4, Zach Frederick (5F), Richardton, 199.

5, T.C. Shelhamer (81), Plevna, Mont., 195.

Pure Stocks

Kendall Booke, Gladstone

The rookie Pure Stocks driver claimed the lead in the point standings after a second-place finish in the June 16 feature and a fourth-place finish and a heat victory June 30. Booke raced two seasons in the Thunder 4 class, winning the inaugural title in 2010. The field is crowded behind the rookie, who doesn’t have much of a lead. He is up one point on veteran Shaun Olheiser and seven points on last year’s track champion Chad Jahner.

1, Kendall Booke (2X), Gladstone, 209.

2, Shaun Olheiser (03), Dickinson, 208.

3, Chad Jahner (28), Dickinson, 202.

4, Cole Lewis (33L), Dickinson, 199.

5, Roye Erickson (1E), Bismarck, 197.

Thunder 4

Derek Nitschke, Dickinson

Nitschke has been nothing short of dominant in the Thunder 4 class since the beginning of last season. Last year’s track champion has won the last three feature races after taking third in the season opener and is showing no signs of letting up.

1, Derek Nitschke (18), Dickinson, 224.

2, Cory Reisenauer (2C), Dickinson, 212.

3, Cody Hulse (69), Dunn Center, 208.

4, Steve Jahner (36), Dickinson, 194.

5, Scott Hagemeister (03s), Dickinson, 190.

Tags: southwest speedway, sports, racing