After a good draw, Skyler started second row outside in his heat, and with some fast cars pressing hard, he settled for 3rd place.  One of the fastest cars, the white No 6 driven by Conrad Schwin, edged out Skyler for second place, and it was clear that the feature held excitement to come.  Skyler and yellow No. 42, driven by Brian Bourquin of Grand Rapids, were neck and neck atop the Bemidji Speedway points standing.  Skyler's goal is to win his home speedway's Mod Four class, so No. 42 was the car to beat--along with No. 6.

After the green flag dropped, Skyler kept his nose clean and No. 16 out of tight, banging traffic in turn one.  By the second lap he was running 4th on the outside--which suited him nicely.  He stayed close and let the lead drivers make mistakes.  Conrad Schwin, trying to take the lead, went up in smoke, which drew the yellow flag.  Schwin's engine blew apart big time, and took him out of the race. On the restart, Skyler found some good lines, but still kept biding his time.  Soon he was running second (No. 42 faded several places), and Skyler and the lead car drag-raced down the far straight-away.  With a calculated move to the high side, Skyler drew the lead car up, then dove down on the low side, making the pass in front of the grandstand and a cheering crowd.  He stretched his lead nicely through the white flag to the checkered.

Several other drivers--including No. 42's--stopped beside Skyler in victory lane to give him a thumb's up.  We all appreciate this kind of sportsmanship.   Speaking of which, once a driver starts to win, his car comes under increasing scrutiny for cheating.  Track officials from the WISSOTA racing organization gave No. 16 a thorough "teching" after the race. Crew Chief Bill Smith had to remove the carburetor and exhaust header  (see photos).  This allowed the official (in the green vest) to see inside the engine and measure key parts with a caliper.  We passed with flying colors.  Our win tonight was further proof that Bill has the car set up just right, and that Skyler is in top form as its driver.  

Skyler is now points leader in his Mod Four class at Bemidji Speedway.  You can find all the standings at Allthedirt.com.