offroadspeedway Archives

Johnson brothers square off in Norfolk feature

By Randy Pospishil sports@norfolkdailynews.com NORFOLK, Neb. (July 27) – When racing returned to Off Road Speedway Saturday night after a two-week hiatus, results included a battle between brothers, a pair of first-time winners, and a sixth trip to victory lane for a driver in the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock division. In the IMCA Late Model feature, brothers Jim and Chris Johnson pulled away from a 15-car field to wage a two-car competition, which dated back several years, according to Jim. “We’ve raced against each other a lot of times in 31 years, but going head-to-head like this hasn’t happened a lot of times, but enough times,” Jim said. “We used to share a stock car back in 1988; he’d run at Hartington, and I’d race it at Riviera. When Hartington’s track closed we each had to have our own cars.” The brothers continued to race stock cars for a number of years, until eventually switching over to compete in the Late Model division. Jim, who is two years younger than his brother, burst into the [Read More]

Big night for Vollbrecht, Wilkinsons

By Randy Pospishil sports@norfolkdailynews.com NORFOLK, Neb. (July 7) – Parker Vollbrecht has spent a number of laps chasing Ramsey Meyer of Pierce around race tracks. In fact, Vollbrecht also trailed Meyer in the Mach-1 Sport Compact standings by 11 points entering Sunday night’s special Lynn Langenberg Memorial. But during the main event on Sunday, Vollbrecht led for seven-straight laps, then re-passed Meyer during the last lap of a green, white, checkered finish for his second Off Road Speedway win of the season, and gave Meyer Racing Team much of the credit. “Since 2017, when I won my first feature here, this is (Meyers) car; not many people know that,” Vollbrecht said. “Besides that, I blew up a motor in Albion (Boone County Speedway) maybe three weeks ago, and they helped me fix it. I wouldn’t be here without them; every time I break something they’ll fix it.” With the lead in hand for those seven laps, Vollbrecht was headed for the finish line until a caution forced the three-lap race to the finish, which also [Read More]

Johnson collects Late Model win at Off Road Speedway

By Randy Pospishil sports@norfolkdailynews.com NORFOLK, Neb. (June 29) – Jim Johnson raced to his second IMCA Late Model victory in as many nights, coming out ahead of a four-car battle for the lead at Off Road Speedway. Travis Dickes, Ben Sukup and Chris Johnson battled Johnson most of the race. Ultimately, Sukup was able to pass Dickes for second place with two laps remaining, but fell just short of catching Jim Johnson at the finish line. Also the Friday winner at Boone County Raceway, Johnson is hoping the two wins might be a turning point. “It’s been a rough start, with a new car and new chassis. I’m finally getting it figured out,” he said. “I finally loosened the car up, and it’s been better the last couple of nights; tonight I just drove the wheels off it.” With a dozen laps remaining, the leaders caught up to lapped traffic but Johnson was able to avoid losing his momentum. “I was running the bottom, saw the lapped traffic and knew I’d have to be up high [Read More]

Off Road checkers fly for Meyer

By Randy Pospishil sports@norfolkdailynews.com NORFOLK, Neb. (June 22) – Cameron Meyer earned his first win of the season at Off Road Speedway and second victory overall in Saturday’s Karl Kustoms Northern SportMod feature, after a battle with Wes Hochstein in the race’s final five laps. The two started the race side-by-side in the third row and chased last week’s feature winner Jonathan Jensen for nine laps before Hochstein took over the lead. Meyer then passed Hochstein coming out of a caution and restart with five laps left, but Hochstein returned to the front with three laps remaining, holding on until Meyer picked up momentum on the inside coming out of turn two and again as he moved through turns three and four on the final lap to grab the win. Meyer said he benefited in multiple ways from his third-place finish a week ago in a car borrowed from Colby Langenberg. “To replace the motor in the car, it came down to time and people first of all,” Meyer said. “We picked up the new [Read More]

Pospisil enjoys unexpected Off Road Speedway victory

By Randy Pospishil sports@norfolkdailynews.com NORFOLK, Neb. (June 1) – An IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock rookie enjoyed an admitted unexpected victory Saturday night at Off Road Speedway. Shannon Pospisil picked up his first win in the division, moving up this season after several years in the Mach-1 Sport Compact class. Winning this early in the season was ahead of schedule but after starting on the outside of the front row, Pospisil was able to remain among the first three cars of the 16-car field until securing and holding onto the lead with seven laps left. “It feels great; I wasn’t expecting anything like this until maybe next year,” Pospisil said. “It’s nice to start up front.” Jason Wilkinson won the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car feature.

2019 racing season begins at Off Road Speedway

By Randy Pospishil sports@norfolkdailynews.com NORFOLK, Neb. (April 20) – Ninety cars were on hand and late-lead changes were the norm on opening night Saturday at Off Road Speedway. The best race of the night may have been the Karl Kustoms Northern SportMod feature where Colby Langenberg overcame a starting assignment on the inside of the fourth row and a significant lead by Jeremy Gnat and Robbie Thome before securing the win on the final lap of the 20-lap event. “I kind of got caught up with a couple guys that were running side-by-side, so I couldn’t go anywhere,” Langenberg said. “Finally they separated, and I was able to shoot through. I got to third, but the leaders were a long ways out there, so I knew I was going to need a caution.” That caution, the only one that occurred other than an initial restart, gave Langenberg the chance he needed with just three laps left. “With about five to go, I could tell I was faster than those guys and was starting to reel [Read More]

Late Models become fifth IMCA division racing Saturdays at Off Road Speedway

NORFOLK, Neb. – IMCA Late Models will have another regular weekly home in the Cornhusker State. The newly sanctioned division joins four other IMCA classes on Saturday programs at Off Road Speedway. “We’ve been looking for an organization with solid motor and tire rules,” said promoter Jerry Pospisil, who met with IMCA President Brett Root and Vice President of Operations Jim Stannard before announcing his decision to sanction. “IMCA has a complete set of rules that are pretty well cut and dried.” The 1/3-mile dirt oval in Norfolk had been part of a Late Model series with other tracks in eastern Nebraska and Western Iowa. While Norfolk drivers fared well in that tour, Pospisil pointed out that they’ll now have the opportunity to race close to home, earning point fund shares while competing in national, state and local track levels. “There’s already a very strong field of Late Model drivers at Off Road Speedway,” noted Stannard, “and I expect those numbers to grow with the new sanctions at Norfolk as well as [Read More]

Meyer resumes winning ways at Off Road

By Randy Pospishil sports@norfolkdailynews.com NORFOLK, Neb. (Aug. 18) – In front of the largest crowd ever at Off Road Speedway, national Mach-1 Sport Compact point leader Ramsey Meyer returned to his winning ways with a narrow victory over Parker Vollbrecht on Saturday night. After starting at the back of the field, the two held a race-long battle for the lead before Meyer secured his 10th win in 11 nights at Norfolk. Jeremy Hoskinson, won his second straight IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock feature. The victory was his third locally of the season and concluded a 15-lap race affected by several cautions, including one that forced the repeat of a green-white-checkered finish in which Hoskinson held off Cameron Wilkinson at the finish line. Eric Haase battled Karl Brewer for the lead during the first dozen laps of the Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMod main before Brewer broke. On the ensuing restart, Robbie Thome took the lead coming out of turns three and four, then held it for the final eight laps to notch his second win of the [Read More]

Poessnecker makes long-awaited return to victory lane

By Randy Pospishil sports@norfolkdailynews.com NORFOLK, Neb. (Aug. 4) – It’s been a long time between wins for Dusty Poessnecker. So his excitement was no surprise after his win in the Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMod feature Saturday at Off Road Speedway. A family-comes-first decision in 2013, to establish a local business in his hometown of Atkinson, put Poessnecker’s racing career on hold for four years until this season. “It was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do,” he said. “But I needed to concentrate on my family and the business, a hometown body shop which I bought from my uncle.” So this rseason, with the business underway and with the help of Dale Bittner of Big Daddy Racing, Poessnecker – who began racing when he was 11 years old – is back on the racetrack. “I couldn’t have done it without Dale. He put me back in a racecar,” Poessnecker said. “I got back into racing this season in the Hobby Stocks (division), where I’ve had some success over the years, with four or five [Read More]

Lightning, record crowd at Off Road Speedway

By Randy Pospishil sports@norfolkdailynews.com NORFOLK, Neb. (June 23) – Lightning provided a fitting background display to the south of Off Road Speedway during Saturday night’s races, contended in front of well over 1,000 fans, believed to be the biggest crowd ever at the Norfolk oval. Colby Langenberg earned his long-awaited first Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMod win of the season, after starting five rows back in the field. Langenberg secured the lead with six laps remaining, darting between Joey Haase and Troy Bruns, then winning by several car lengths. “It’s been a struggle. We started the year down at Beatrice and had a heck of a car, ran second and third down there, then struggled for about five weeks with motor and carburetor issues,” Langenberg said. “It felt good to finally get the monkey off our back and get a win this year. I had four wins last year and have been trying to get that first one this year.” Cameron Wilkinson returned to victory lane for the fourth time in seven IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock [Read More]