After the Dirt Shootout introduced some new race classifications and competitors to Fairbanks racing last weekend, the events at Mitchell Raceway (dubbed “the northernmost dirt track in the world”) returned to the championship series on Friday, June 28. That meant the A Stock, Mini Stock and Modified divisions were the Friday focus. Each race featured three rounds or heats, with the first two being 10 laps and the third (15 laps) being worth nearly twice as many points (35 for the winner compared to 20 in the other races).
The Mini Stock division got the event underway on Military Appreciation Night. In a start that portended a strong night for him, Zachary Bodenstadt’s red No. 64 car pulled away from his two competitors.
Steven Hunter (white No. 54) and Steph Gonzalez (orange No. 99) dueled for runner-up placement.
The latter finished second, but Bodenstadt won the race by half a lap. Gonzalez turned the tables on Bodenstadt in the second round by building a considerable early lead en route to her second win of the year. Bodenstadt finished runner-up ahead of Hunter.
In the third race, Bodenstadt found early pace and opened up a considerable lead over the longer distance before cruising to a win ahead of Hunter and Gonzalez, respectively. Bodenstadt, who tallied 73 points on Friday with his first two-victory night of the season, now sits a single point behind Hunter (207-206) in the season long Mini Stock Championship standings through three weekends of racing. “I’.