A rarity will take place Friday at River Cities Speedway.
Someone other than Mark Dobmeier will roll his sprint car into Victory Lane. Not once, but twice.
It's double sprint feature night at RCS, and the two races will be held without Dobmeier -- who will be racing at the Knoxville 360 Nationals.
His absence opens the door for a number of drivers.
The field of sprints at RCS this season has been strong. The car count has been over 20 for most nights this season, but Dobmeier -- one of the top drivers in the country -- has won every sprint feature this season.
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However, things don't become automatically easier for the RCS regulars with Dobmeier's No. 13 sprint absent from the field.
"Everything has to be on, just like always," said Wade Nygaard, who has won 244 features during his career, including one this season at the Jamestown Speedway. "The driver has to be on; the car has to be on; and the track has to be nice."
Nygaard is second in the NOSA season points race. Austin Pierce is the NOSA leader heading into tonight's twin features.
Last week, NOSA drivers made a statement during the All Star Circuit of Champions race at the Buffalo River Speedway in Glyndon, Minn.
Thomas Kennedy won the All Stars feature, beating regulars Tim Shaffer and Dave Blaney. Cory Mack, another RCS regular, started on the front row and finished fourth.
Kennedy, however, won't be at RCS tonight. He, too, is trying his luck at the Knoxville 360 Nationals.
Still, a field of 20 or more sprints is expected for the double features, which resulted from rain wiping out a scheduled feature earlier this season.
In RCS points, Dobmeier is the leader. Nygaard is in second, nine points behind Dobmeier and likely will take over the lead after tonight's races.
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Casey Mack and Mitch Mack are third and fourth while Cory Mack and Chris Ranten are tied for fifth.
Last week, Dobmeier won another feature, finishing nearly half a lap ahead of Casey Mack. Nygaard was third.
"It makes it a little easier without Mark being there," said Nygaard. "But it's still hard."
Nelson reports on sports. Call him at (701) 780-1268; (800) 477-6572, ext. 1268; or send e-mail to wnelson@gfherald.com .
