Dickinson race car drivers Eric Paul and Travis Ulmer fought for position all Saturday night in the WISSOTA Street Stocks at the Southwest Speedway.
However, Paul came out on the winning end when it mattered most.
Ulmer held off Paul to win their heat. Paul then edged Ulmer for second place in the trophy dash. But their most heated battle came in the feature, where Paul moved into the lead in the fifth lap and held off Ulmer and Bismarck's Randy Meyer. Ulmer and Meyer essentially battled for second place after lap eight, when Paul began lengthening his lead.
Paul said sticking to the high side helped him build the lead.
"I took the high line around and stayed out in front," Paul said. "You can keep your speed up up there."
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Ulmer just laughed at Paul's win in the feature.
"I got stuck between a couple of cars in the beginning," Ulmer said. "From there on, I kind of followed him."
Jerry Praus of South Heart won his second consecutive Pure Stocks feature after finishing just third in his heat and last in the trophy dash - and he did it on little sleep.
Praus, who works at the coal mines in Beulah, woke up at 3 a.m. Saturday morning and took home the feature title around 9:10 p.m.
"It helps to get up at 3 a.m. and start thinking about the feature," Praus said with a laugh.
Praus took the lead after a caution on the fifth lap and built a tremendous lead. A tight pack of four cars was nearly a half-lap behind Praus when he crossed the finish line. James Miller held off Zach Frederick and Terry Zastoupil for second.
"It feels good to win two features ... two weeks in a row," Praus said. "I hope to see more of them."
Shawn Strand was helped out by several cautions en route to his first win in the IMCA Modifieds at the Southwest Speedway. Strand, from Bismarck, was at the Speedway as part of the traveling points fund between the Dickinson, Mandan and Minot race tracks.
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"I'm just trying to get my nights in for that," Strand said.
Drivers must race at Dickinson twice and Minot and Mandan three times during the season to qualify for the traveling fund.
"I like racing here," Strand said.
Notes: Rookie driver Josh Olheiser won the first race of his career, holding of Paul and Ulmer on the final turn of the WISSOTA Street Stocks trophy dash. Olheiser was a long-time pit man for Brad Meidinger. The two have now flipped jobs with Meidinger leading Olheiser's pit team. ... Marlyn Seidler, who had won the first two Modified features of the season, pulled out of Saturday's feature race after busting a rotor. ... Fran Martin, third in the Modified points standings, encountered engine problems in his heat race. Darrell Bauer of Mandan, who finished third in the Modified feature Saturday night, will likely move into the points lead.
