South Dakota driver earns top starting spot for Seitz race

GRAND FORKS — Chad Becker has raced a few times at River Cities Speedway. He’s done well during his trips to The Bullring.

His latest trip, however, could prove to be his best.

Becker won Friday night’s 15-lap pole dash at the 18th annual John Seitz Memorial Late Model Invitational, a win that places him on the pole for the event’s 92-lap feature that pays $9,200 to win.

The Saturday night feature will cap another season of late model racing in Grand Forks. And Becker, who races regularly in Aberdeen, S.D., could score one of his biggest wins during his 25-year career.

Becker started sixth in his heat race and finished second. He drew the No. 2 position among the top eight drivers after the heat races and quickly grabbed the lead from pole-sitter Mike Greseth to earn the top starting spot for the 92-lap feature.

“The car has been good,” said Becker. “We rolled around there and tried stuff we knew we needed to do. Hopefully, we’ll be in business.”

Becker has raced the Seitz a handful of times. Last season, he started 20th and finished second.

Does he have RCS figured out?

“I hope but you can never say that too loud,” he said.

He likes the track. “It’s fun,” he said, “It’s elbows-up, which I enjoy.”

Greseth finished second in the dash, followed by Aaron Turnbull, Dustin Strand, Cole Searing, Scott Ward and A.J. Diemel and Lee Grosz.

Turnbull and Diemel are past Seitz champions. Strand, the dominant late mode driver at RCS this season, is looking for his first title.

There is always more pressure starting on the pole.

“There is always pressure starting on the pole,” said Becker. “We just have to maintain. We’ll have to have eyes in the back of our head for a little while. But we’ve done this long enough. It’ll be what it will be.”

There were 196 cars in the pits Friday night, up 13 from Thursday night’s program, which was the unofficial start to the Seitz weekend.

Two other features were held. Tyler Peterson won his second-straight modified feature, which was called the Big Al Delaine Memorial.

Peterson started ninth in the 35-lap event but took the lead by passing Dale Ames down the back straightaway with 29 laps to go. He won by 3.638 seconds over Jason Strand. Ames was third, followed by Blake Jegtvig and Kevin Adams.

WISSOTA super stocks also raced at RCS. Sauk Rapids, Minn., driver Jordan Henkemeyer took the 25-lap feature. Dave Mass was second, followed by Trevor Nelson, Terran Spacek and Jeremy North.