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The crowd was an immense one for the Championship Feature races and they dug deep in their pockets to help out for various causes. Several drivers went through the stands with helmets outstretched to collect for the family of Scott Engfer and when the calculations were completed, the total was well over $12,000.

The opening ceremony was touching, as several folks key in the WISSOTA organization who have been lost since the last 100 were honored. The Parade of Champions that leads off the five feature races was also special, with the water truck that Scott Engfer called his office for most of the summer leading the field of more than 160 race cars that qualified for the Championship Feature.

Some of the drivers complain about the parade because it takes some time and is tedious for them to line up for. But drivers need to understand how the fans respond to this special happening — they love this part of the show and it never gets old, as they take pictures year after year. And, check out who is lining the fence as you drive around the track. That is our next generation of race fans. Best treat them nicely or you’ll end up racing for a bag of potatoes or 50 pounds of beans like the old days.

Other large amounts of money were doled out over the course of the evening. The Split the Pot was more than $20,000, an amount even the folks at Thunder City Speedway would be impressed by.

Structural Buildings WISSOTA Late Model Challenge Series Champion Dave Mass also made quite the haul. He was officially presented to the crowd on Saturday as the winner of the series for 2025. Among his prizes was a check for $12,000 for topping the series points. When he picked himself as the winner of the vacation trip that was also a part of the series’ benefits this year, I figured he was on a roll and would also win the 50/50 and probably the Late Model feature. Neither happened, but I think Mass was still pretty happy with the way his weekend went.

One of WISSOTA's treasures, who is probably not that well known to most fans, is “Wood Tick.” Wood Tick is known to every driver and pit person throughout most of the organization’s reach.

Wood Tick works mostly at tracks in South Dakota and indeed is a resident of that state, but at the end of the year he works many of the special events held in the region, including the 100. When the 100 was held in Huron, he directed traffic at the intersection where the race cars crossed the street. When Orv got a street sign made up that proclaimed the section as “Wood Tick’s Corner,” he was in his glory.

Saturday night, as the drivers pulled off the track at the conclusion of the Parade of Champions, he was high-fiving each driver as they came by him, one by one.

There was very clever decorating done this year in the campsites for the competition that was held, with winners announced on Saturday. Next year's theme is a 1980s one.

The driver's meeting on Saturday is always the most attended of the weekend and for good reason. Twenty-four drivers in each class are locked in through qualifying on the first three nights. Another six are added through the Last Chance race in each class. But the last three starting spots in the 33-car fields for each of the five main events are selected from the nonqualified drivers in each class who have raced all three nights. Three per class are chosen through a drawing. The driver must be in attendance to either say yes or no to taking the spot. If they say no or aren't in attendance, WISSOTA officials move on and select another driver.

There were also two drivers who had qualified for feature races but weren't racing for various reasons and in those two classes, seven drivers moved on from the Last Chance to the main.

The three-wide starts for the main events still are one of the most spectacular sights in short track racing. When this idea was first hatched by the WISSOTA board there were many who wanted to launch a mutiny against the board. But, everything has gone smoothly that first year and has continued to do so.

As for the feature races themselves, all were entertaining with a couple surprises. Only one winner started on the pole and he was the third driver to lead that race before he finally secured the top spot. Three winners came from the front row and two from row two, so it was definitely important to start the race in the first couple of rows. Only one driver led from start to finish in his main event but even that race featured a final-corner challenge that came up just short of upsetting the apple cart. The middle lane, “meat in the sandwich,” didn't produce any winners in 2025.

Jim Gullikson was the winner of the Street Stock feature and the only driver to lead from start to finish in his main event. However, his lead was small and he had both Kyle Dykhoff and Justin Vogel dogging his every move from start to finish that 30-lapper.

A slowing car led to a one-lap dash to the checkers, with Dykhoff throwing a slider at Gullikson on the final corner. Dykhoff left room for Gullikson to race past him on the top side, which he did to hang on for the win.

The Midwest Modified feature had three different leaders, with James Trantina III leading the early laps over Matt Schow and Brennan Weight. Nick Koehler joined the top five early, with Blake Adams also joining what turned into a five-car battle for the lead.

On lap 18, Weight was able to take over the lead but Koehler was working the low side of the track and moving in as a serious contender.

On lap 22, Koehler took over the lead but the yellow spoiled that effort. One lap later he made the same move stick and he drove into the lead. Weight refused to roll over and continued to challenge Koehler to get the top spot back while Trantina III was still there to challenge also.

Trantina III rode the top side to get back to second and proved to be a stiff challenger but Koehler held on for the win. In a wild three-car scramble to the line, Adams came through to take third.

Josh Zimpel, who won the Challenge Series race on Wednesday night and earned the pole, led the opening five laps of the feature. But in a shocking development, Zimpel lost control while leading the race and spun by himself in turn two, triggering the yellow and sending himself to the back of the pack. He could only work his way back up to 20th in the remaining 44 laps.

The race was then a two-car battle between Chad Becker and Cole Searing as they marched away from the pack. Becker was setting a blistering pace but Searing was able to stay close, challenging a couple times for the lead.

However, when the leaders hit lapped traffic it became much more challenging for them. Becker made some great moves to get past slower cars and those maneuvers were what allowed him to rebuild a lead that was just large enough to hold off Searing for the win.

Dylan Nelson led the first pair of laps in the Super Stocks but when the yellow waved for a slowing car, Nelson headed for the hot pit for work for mechanical issues. He returned to the tail of the pack and was able to work his way back up to 12th by the finish of the race.

This turned the lead over to Curt Myers and he then led the majority of the race, with both Shane Sabraski and Dexton Koch putting heavy pressure on him for the top spot. Sabraski was all over Myers, trying both high and low, but Myers fended off all advances. This continued to the halfway point and into the later laps of the race.

A long green flag run put a priority on corner handling and when Myers' car started to get a bit loose and he was forced to readjust his line, this opened up the track for Sabraski. On lap 34 he was able to drive under Myers and take over the lead.

A late yellow that set up a one-lap sprint to the finish, really scrambled the running order. While Sabraski was able to hold off the challenge of Koch and take the win, Myers' handling issues were worse as he faded back. His son Alex won a wild sprint to the line to claim third ahead of Dylan Kromschroeder.

Alex Myers revealed in victory lane that he blew the motor in his car during hot laps, but with the help of his father and some other crews from his area, they were able to change the motor with the results proving to be more than worth the effort.

A moment to give the track team their due — this track has taken five straight nights of pounding by literally hundreds of race cars but even for the final feature race in the Modifieds, the drivers were able to run multiple lines, high and low and everywhere in between. There were no signs of a groove locking down and no dust for us the spectators.

Kudos for their efforts as they continued to do their jobs despite heavy hearts after the unthinkable occurred on Wednesday late afternoon.

In the early going, it looked like Brandon Dolman was going to pull off the upset of the year as he got the jump on Ryan Gierke and Joey Thomas to lead the first 13 laps of the feature. He continued to use his unusual line of starting low in the corners and then drifting right up to the wall, and then powering down the chutes.

However, as the laps started to unwind, Thomas picked up the pace and on lap 14 he grabbed the lead. Dolman later dropped out of the race but he sure put on a show both Friday and Saturday night.

Speaking of a show, both Gierke and Brandon Beckendorf were doing their share of exciting driving. Gierke was all over Thomas for the lead while Beckendorf and Shane Sabraski went wheel to wheel for the longest time.

Gierke continued to pressure Thomas and on lap 24 he made an inside pass to take over the lead, as the Modifieds continued at their torrid pace. The first five drivers were still right together, even more remarkable considering there was still not a yellow flag at this point.

Finally that yellow happened with 29 laps complete and Sabraski was up to second at this point. Once the green came back out, it was Sabraski who put the moves on Gierke, sliding him several times for the lead. Each time Gierke was able to cross him back over and hold the top spot.

Almost unnoticed, Dusty Bitzan, who started 12th and was using a low line that no one else was, cracked the top five. He then continued to press forward.

During the final laps Sabraski continued to push for the lead but Gierke was in control as he drove as fine of a race as he has, coming home the WISSOTA 100 champion. Sabraski finished a close second and with three podium finishes including a win in the three classes he races, it was more than just a successful night. He needs two wins to reach 1,000 and I predict that happens next weekend, no matter which track he ends up racing at.

And with perhaps the fastest car on the track at the finish and an open line, Bitzan just needed a few more laps and he might have been the winner. He settled for third ahead of another late charge from Bryce Sward, and Beckendorf finished fifth.

You knew that it was a good night of racing when virtually everyone in the crowd stayed until the last checkered flew, no matter what class or driver they favored. That is the hallmark of a good program and show.

It was a grueling week of racing and the list of folks to thank is oh, so long. Whether they be WISSOTA board members or track employees, all gave this event their finest effort. With broken hearts they somehow soldiered on for the drivers, the fans and for the organization itself. I can only thank them all for their efforts and hope that they know how much they are appreciated by all of us, race fans who just can't get enough of dirt track racing. It's in our blood, too.

A couple of suggestions on procedural issues I hope might be considered for future 100s. It doesn't seem correct to me the same cars should be racing in heats all three nights because as we know, not all heats are of equal strength and racing the same cars. Even if they aren't lined up the same, it doesn't seem quite right.

Passing points are by far the fairest way of establishing feature race lineups. However, if someone earns the most points by their performance in a heat, they should get the pole. It doesn't seem fair to redraw the top six in each class and let luck play a part in who starts where when it was performance that got them that position. As we have seen all week, just starting on the pole doesn't guarantee a win anyway. You still have to go out and beat the competition.

And speaking for the Street Stock drivers, I know there always has to be a class that may start the show on a slightly slicker or heavier track than the others race on. That is inevitable. But it shouldn't have to be the Street Stock drivers who do it every day. There is no reason that the running order can't be shifted around so that other classes have to shoulder their portion of the burden, so to speak.