July 18, 2026 - Elko, MN
By Jason D Searcy
The heat of summer has arrived at Elko Speedway and a Canadian wildfire smoke-filled Eve of Destruction took place on the third Saturday night of July.
The NASCAR divisions all raced double features, 14 Late Models took to the track with #18 Michael Ostdiek from Lakeville (MN) winning for the third time in the 2026 season. Ostdiek raced side by side with #94 Hunter Paine for numerous laps but Ostdiek came out on top by 0.15 seconds. Paine finished second, #8 Billy Mohn was the fast-timer with a lap in qualifying of 14.853 seconds, he raced up from his 6th starting position to finish third, #52 Chad Walen was fourth and #3 Chris Marek finished fifth.
The second 25 lap feature event for the Late Models was won by defending Champion #3 Chris Marek from Lakeville (MN). Marek slipped past #6 Owin Giles on lap two and led all the other laps, winning by 0.86 seconds at the finish line. It was the third win of the season for Marek. Owin Giles finished second place, ultra consistent #52 Chad Walen was third, #8 Billy Mohn finished fourth and #14 Grant Brown was fifth during this caution-free race.
Chris Marek and Chad Walen are in a great battle for the points title, only a handful of points separate the two veteran drivers for the top spot as we cross the midpoint of the season.
The NASCAR sanctioned Thunder Cars raced two 20 lap feature events Saturday night during Eve of Destruction at ELKO. Todd Kamish #5 from Lakeville (MN) won his first feature of the year at Elko Speedway, he took the lead off the start and led the majority of the race, he was passed by #07 Dillon Sellner with just a few laps remaining, Sellner crossed the finish line first but was Disqualified in post-race technical inspection. Kamish was awarded the win, it was the first time he has been in victory lane at ELKO since a Big 8 race in 2016. #83 Julie Jorgenson finished in second place, #89 Allen Royle third place, #29 Tom Sorem fourth and #41 Ben Gannon fifth of the 12 cars in attendance. Six-time Champion #99 Brent Kane had mechanical problems and did not finish the race. Dillon Sellner was the fastest in qualifying with a lap time of 15.362.
The second Thunder Car main event had #09 Matt Wiebusch lead the first couple laps before #41 Ben Gannon from Dundas (MN) took over the top spot. Gannon then led the rest of the laps and won by 0.861 seconds, it was the first win of the season for Gannon at ELKO. Allen Royle finished second place, Dillon Sellner raced up from 11th to finish third in this cautionless race, Todd Kamish finished in fourth and Julie Jorgenson finished fifth. Brent Kane raced the #8 Taylor Goldman car and finished 9th. Legend Car Champion Ayrton Brockhouse made his first Thunder Car start of the season but mechanical problems ended his race early.
The NASCAR sanctioned Power Stocks raced two 20 lap feature events. The first race was marred by a chain reaction type wreck that ended with four of the thirteen cars entered dropping from the race on lap six. Brock Westermayer #14 got the worst of the damage as he was sandwiched between two other cars and received damage both to the front and rear. Alexis Montour #18 led the first lap and #57 Jesse Fischer then took over the top spot until he was passed on lap eight. Fourth row starting #14 Clayton Dorner from Hastings (MN) grabbed the lead just before mid-race and held on to win by 0.57 seconds, it was the third win of the season for Dorner. Defending Champion #08 Mike Stoer finished second, Jesse Fischer third, #3 Jimmie Jorgenson received damage in the big wreck but raced back to finish fourth and Alexis Montour was fifth. Mike Stoer was the fast timer in qualifying with at lap time of 17.046 seconds.
The second Power Stock feature was won by #3 Jimmie Jorgenson from Lakeville (MN), he started up front, led every lap and won by 1.413 seconds during this caution-free race, it was his fifth win of the season at ELKO. Mike Stoer finished second place again, Clayton Dorner was third, Jesse Fischer finished fourth and #46 Adam Gerlach was fifth across the finish line.
A new division of racing at Elko Speedway for 2026 is an entry level division of bone-stock cars called the Crown Vic’s. Five cars were racing on this night. Danny Mann #10 from Elko (MN) is a former Bandolero Champion at ELKO, he has also raced a Late Model, High School Racing Association car and even currently races in the Legend Car division and he is just 18 years old. Danny Mann can add Crown Vic winner to his resume as he led all 15 laps and won 1.175 seconds, it was his first win of the season at ELKO. Doug Brown #14 finished second place, #62 Tom Doten third, #47 John Kabat fourth and #05 Mike Brew fifth. Doug Brown had the fast lap in qualifying with a 18.159 second lap.
Veteran racer Tom Doten #62 from St Paul (MN) won the second Crown Vic 12 lap main event. Doten is a former Power Stock Champion from 2016, he led every lap and won by 0.619 seconds. It is the second win of the season for Doten at ELKO. Danny Mann started fourth and finished second place, Doug Brown was third, Mike Brew fourth and John Kabat fifth.
For this release all information is unofficial, get full results and points at ElkoSpeedway.com
Kenneth and Steven Bell from Clearwater Florida thrilled the Eve of Destruction crowd with a car crushing Monster Truck named Ain’t Bee Havin’ and a Tank named Twisted Terror.
On the concourse some of the top Action Athletes in the North performed high flying stunts with Mega Jump BMX. The classic circus act called Globe of Death also had the crowd on their feet with excitement. Troy Smalls who is famous for performing with Nitro Circus entertained the crowd on a trials bike as well as British fabricator Lord Atom Anable who rode the record setting MonoWheel.
Up next at Elko Speedway is an INEX event with Legend cars and Bando’s on Saturday afternoon July 25th. HSRA and the Crown Vic’s will also be racing during that event. Get more information at ElkoSpeedway.com <http://elkospeedway.com> or follow Elko Speedway on social media.
Elko Speedway is a NASCAR sanctioned 3/8th mile asphalt race track with stadium seating located just 30 minutes South of the Twin Cities in Elko-New Market Minnesota. Get more information at ElkoSpeedway.com <http://elkospeedway.com>
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