Four races into the 2026 season, nobody has found an answer for Joe Chisholm.

The St. Cloud, Minnesota resident, originally from Osage, Iowa, continued his early-season dominance Friday night, winning the Dick Johanneck King of Dirt at I-94 EMR Speedway and remaining a perfect four-for-four in Kevko Racing USRA Northern Lights Modified Series presented by Real Racing Wheels competition.

The victory came in the night’s 30-lap Pannell Chipping A-Main and further strengthened Chisholm’s grip on the series championship battle as the tour opened its three-race Minnesota swing.

The evening began with Deatherage Opticians Qualifying, where Joe Horgdal established himself as the Overall Quick Qualifier with a lap of 17.248 seconds. Heat race victories later went to Brady Gerdes in the Rick Bebee Heating & Air Conditioning Heat Race, Dustin Bitzan in the Smith Equipment Company Heat Race, and Chisholm in the Kevko Racing Products Heat Race.

When the green flag waved for the feature, Chisholm rolled from the pole position and quickly established control while Brandon Dolman settled into second. For much of the race’s first half, Dolman appeared to be the driver most capable of ending Chisholm’s winning streak. Lap after lap he closed the gap and appeared poised to mount a serious challenge near the midpoint of the race.

Those hopes came to an abrupt end on lap 19 when a caution flag flew and Dolman was forced to retire with power steering issues.

With his closest pursuer sidelined, Chisholm controlled the restart while an intense battle developed behind him between Brady Gerdes and Rodney Sanders. The pair had already been swapping momentum before the caution and resumed their fight for second as soon as racing returned.

Just behind them, Dustin Bitzan, Ryan Gierke, Alex Williamson, Tyler Peterson, and Justin Froemming were locked in a fierce battle for positions inside the top five. The competition between the Northern Lights regulars and the weekly WISSOTA competitors created one of the race’s most entertaining storylines.

A second and final caution with three laps remaining gave Sanders one last opportunity to challenge for the lead. Diving aggressively to the inside entering turns one and two, Sanders briefly pulled alongside Chisholm. Utilizing the preferred upper groove, Chisholm fought back around the outside exiting turn two and reclaimed complete control of the race.

From there, the outcome was never again in doubt.

Chisholm raced away over the final laps to collect his fourth consecutive Northern Lights victory, with Gerdes finishing second and Sanders completing the podium. Bitzan crossed the stripe fourth while Gierke rounded out the top five.

Friday’s results also highlighted just how evenly matched the USRA and WISSOTA competitors may be throughout the weekend. The top six featured a perfectly even split, with Chisholm, Sanders, and sixth-place finisher Williamson representing the USRA contingent while Gerdes, Bitzan, and Gierke carried the WISSOTA banner.

Adding another layer of intrigue to the weekend, sponsor Keith Hammett contacted series officials moments before the feature to announce a potential $5,000 weekend sweep bonus, courtesy of Keith Hammett Trucking, for any driver capable of winning all three races during the Minnesota swing. Unbeknownst to competitors as they rolled onto the speedway, the bonus immediately became one of the weekend’s biggest storylines.

Following Friday night’s victory, Chisholm is now the only driver still eligible to claim the bonus. Should he complete the sweep at Viking Speedway and Granite City Motor Park, it would mark his second $5,000 weekend sweep bonus of the season after accomplishing the feat, then presented by Wehrs Machine, during May’s Dairyland Showdown at Mississippi Thunder Speedway.

One of Friday night’s most impressive drives belonged to Lucas Rodin, who earned PEM Racing Gears & Drivetrain Hard Charger honors after advancing 11 positions from his 24th-place starting spot to finish 13th.

The Kevko Racing USRA Northern Lights Modified Series presented by Real Racing Wheels now heads south to Viking Speedway in Alexandria, Minnesota for night two of the three-race weekend before concluding Sunday evening at Granite City Motor Park in Sauk Rapids.

May 29, 2026 | I-94 EMR Speedway (Fergus Falls, Minnesota)
Kevko Racing USRA Northern Lights Modified Series presented by Real Racing Wheels | 25 Entries

A Feature (30 Laps) – Pannell Chipping: 1. Joe Chisholm 2. Brady Gerdes 3. Rodney Sanders 4. Dustin Bitzan 5. Ryan Gierke 6. Alex Williamson 7. Tyler Peterson 8. Justin Froemming 9. Bryce Sward 10. Travis Saurer 11. Parker Hale 12. Zach Brom 13. Lucas Rodin 14. Austin Chyba 15. Bryce Borgen 16. Joe Horgdal 17. Harley Dais 18. Avery Anderson 19. Taton Hansen 20. Joseph Thomas 21. Landon Atkinson 22. Brandon Dolman 23. Brian Haben 24. Tyler Kaeter

PEM Racing Gears & Drivetrain Hard Charger: Lucas Rodin (+11)

Heat 1 (8 Laps) – Rick Bebee Heating & Air Conditioning: 1. Brady Gerdes 2. Zach Brom 3. Alex Williamson 4. Avery Anderson 5. Justin Froemming 6. Brian Haben 7. Austin Chyba 8. Joe Horgdal

Heat 2 (8 Laps) – Smith Equipment Company: 1. Dustin Bitzan 2. Rodney Sanders 3. Tyler Peterson 4. Landon Atkinson 5. Harley Dais 6. Joseph Thomas 7. Bryce Borgen 8. Tyler Kaeter

Heat 3 (8 Laps) – Kevko Racing Products: 1. Joe Chisholm 2. Brandon Dolman 3. Ryan Gierke 4. Travis Saurer 5. Bryce Sward 6. Parker Hale 7. Taton Hansen 8. Lucas Rodin

Qualifying – Deatherage Opticians: 1. Joe Horgdal (17.248) 2. Dustin Bitzan (17.286) 3. Joe Chisholm (17.315) 4. Zach Brom (17.325) 5. Landon Atkinson (17.350) 6. Brandon Dolman (17.378) 7. Alex Williamson (17.383) 8. Rodney Sanders (17.391) 9. Travis Saurer (17.449) 10. Brady Gerdes (17.451) 11. Harley Dais (17.485) 12. Ryan Gierke (17.503) 13. Justin Froemming (17.518) 14. Tyler Peterson (17.521) 15. Bryce Sward (17.544) 16. Avery Anderson (17.580) 17. Joseph Thomas (17.586) 18. Lucas Rodin (17.615) 19. Austin Chyba (17.677) 20. Bryce Borgen (17.721) 21. Taton Hansen (17.801) 22. Brian Haben (17.874) 23. Tyler Kaeter (18.381) 24. Parker Hale (18.381) 25. Darwin Karau (18.381)

The Kevko Racing USRA Northern Lights Modified Series presented by Real Racing Wheels would like to recognize and thank our 2026 season long partners. Please thank them, with your patronage for their support.

Gold Partners – Central Spray Foam & Cement Lifting, Day Motor Sports, Deatherage Opticians, Dirt Track Specialist, Dylan Scott Entertainment, Hochatown Saloon, Kevko Racing, Midwest Sheet Metal, Mel Hambelton Ford Racing, Pannell Chipping, RacinDirt.com, Real Racing Wheels, Rick Beebe Heating and Air Conditioning, Smith Equipment Company, Swift Springs, VP Racing Fuels Heartland, Wehrs Machine & Racing Products

Silver Partners – American Racer Tires, Buck Monson Photos, Bulletproof Tees and Racewear, Duvall Electric, Integra Shocks, JRT Trucking, Keyser Manufacturing, Midwest Automation, Photos By Boyd, Scotty Dogg’s Hideout

Bronze Partners – Bryke Racing, Fast Shafts, Freight Logistics Inc., KS Engineering, Maxima Racing Oil, Milburn Acreages by Tillison Enterprises, PEM Racing, Premier Lubricants, Schoenfeld Headers, Service Plumbing of Wichita, Transmissions Unlimited, Wagdog Spices, Wilwood Disc Brakes, Yeoman Race Engines

2026 Point Funds (ARMS, HMT, NLMS)
1. $7,500
2. $4,500
3. $3,500
4. $3,000
5. $2,500
6. $2,400
7. $2,300
8. $2,200
9. $2,100
10. $2,000
*80 Percent attendance required to remain point fund eligible

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