Richard Keech Photography No. 71X Jake Bruns of Redwood Falls,  , Jordan Rogotzke of Sanborn  and No. 21 Joey Domeier of Redwood Falls race.

REDWOOD FALLS — Early afternoon rain and a humid, cloud-covered night couldn’t dampen the high-octane action for Kids Night at Redwood Speedway.

Despite challenging conditions, the track crew did an incredible job prepping the racing surface, setting the stage for a spectacular night of racing at “The Big House.”

Larson edges Hesse in sportmod thriller

The feature events kicked off in dramatic fashion with the Danube Auto Works Sportmod Division. A competitive field of 12 cars took the green flag, treating the fans to one of the most thrilling races of the evening.

Alex Barnes of Redwood Falls jumped out to an early lead in the No. 18 car. By the halfway point, Barnes had built a commanding lead and looked well on his way to securing his first career victory. However, dirt track racing is unpredictable, and a series of late-race caution flags bunched the field back together, erasing his comfortable advantage.

The chaos opened the door on Lap 10. Cole Hesse, piloting the No. 11 car out of Gibbon executed a flawless restart. Hesse powered around Barnes in turn two and immediately tried to check out from the rest of the field.

But the race wasn’t over yet. Eric Larson, driving the No. 7L out of Madison Lake sliced his way through the field to challenge the leader. Larson and Hesse went door-to-door, waging an intense side-by-side battle for the final two laps.

In a dramatic finish that brought the crowd to its feet, Larson edged ahead to take the checkered flag. Hesse crossed the line in a hard-fought second place, while James Richert rounded out the podium in the No. 5R car.

Feature Results: Danube Auto Works Sportmod

1. Eric Larson (No. 7L — Madison Lake)

2. Cole Hesse (No. 11 — Gibbon)

3. James Richert (No. 5R)

First-time winner highlight of hobby stock feature

The action kept rolling as the Evolution Ag Hobby Stocks took to the track, ultimately delivering a career milestone for a local driver.

Tyler Kerkhoff of Morgan started the feature on the outside of the front row and wasted no time making his move. Kerkhoff jumped into the early lead in the No. 98 car, setting a strong pace at the front of the field. Brad Jones, piloting the No. 17 out of New Ulm, locked himself into the second spot and kept the leader in his sights.

While the front two cars tried to break away, the real chaos was happening right behind them. Jorey Prescott of Morton put on a masterclass in defensive driving in the No. 43 car. Prescott fought hard to hold off a relentless pack of cars as the field went three-wide through the corners for most of the race.

Up front, Kerkhoff never wavered. He finished the night strong, hitting his marks to take the checkered flag and secure his first-ever career victory in the Hobby Stock division. Jones maintained his steady run to cross the finish line in second, while Austin Jahnz of Lewisville put on the passing clinic of the night, charging all the way from his 10th-place starting position to round out the podium in third.

Feature Results: Evolution Ag Hobby Stocks

1. Tyler Kerkhoff (No. 98 — Morgan) — First Career Win

2. Brad Jones (No. 17 — New Ulm)

3. Austin Jahnz (Lewisville) — Started 10th

Heartbreak and triumph in dport compact feature

The IMCA Sport Compact feature brought high stakes and absolute heartbreak, proving once again that a race isn’t over until the checkered flag drops.

Justin Schelitzche of Chaska put on an absolute clinic early in the night. Piloting the No. 14 car, Schelitzche completely dominated the field from the drop of the green flag, building what looked to be an insurmountable lead.

But “The Big House” can be cruel. On Lap 9 of the 12-lap main event, disaster struck for the leader. The tire on the No. 14 car finally had enough, popping under the strain and ending his dominant run.

The late-race misfortune blew the field wide open, handing the lead over to Gary Schumacher of Maplewood. Schumacher, driving the No. 51X, seized the opportunity, hammering the throttle on the restart and never looking back to capture a dramatic victory. The hard-fought win marked Schumacher’s first feature victory of the year at Redwood Speedway behind the wheel of his new car.

Behind him, Brandon Louwagie in the No. 28X and Chris Vande Kieft in the No. 28C navigated the late-lap chaos to round out the podium finishers in second and third.

Feature Results: IMCA sport compacts

1. Gary Schumacher (No. 51X — Maplewood) — First Win of the Year in New Car

2. Brandon Louwagie (No. 28X)

3. Chris Vande Kieft (No. 28C)

Bruns puts on a clinic in “Too tough to tame” stock cars

The IMCA Stock Cars–widely known as the class “too tough to tame”–sponsored by J&S Trucking and the Vesta Bar, were put on notice.

Shaun Bruns of Danube put on an absolute clinic in the No. 71D car. Taking the green flag and immediately checking out, Bruns led wire-to-wire in a dominant performance. He checked out on the rest of the field, capturing the feature win with a massive 6.2-second lead by the time the checkered flag dropped.

While Bruns dominated the front, the race for second was a thrilling battle of patience and passing. Curt Lund of Redwood Falls earned hard charger honors in his No. 87 machine. After starting back in the seventh position, Lund methodically worked his way through the pack. With just two laps left in the feature, Lund made his final move, executing a pass on Dakota Robinson of Arlington, in the No. 34 car to claim the runner-up spot. Robinson crossed the line to finish a strong third.

Feature Results: IMCA Stock Cars (Sponsored by J&S Trucking & Vesta Bar)

1. Shaun Bruns (No. 71D — Danube) — Led Wire-to-Wire

2. Curt Lund (No. 87 — Redwood Falls) — Hard Charger (Started seventh)

3. Dakota Robinson (No. 34 — Arlington)