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Jul. 10—GRAND FORKS — Andy Pake first tried auto racing in 2022.
He had a 305 sprint.
His father, Brad, a River Cities Speedway Hall of Famer, suggested that instead of practicing, he should jump into a race.
"My dad said the best way to practice is to race," Pake said.
They went to Rock Rapids, Iowa.
"I made it through hot laps," Pake said. "I got about five laps into the heat race, I hit the wall and I flipped. That's how that started."
But the Felton, Minn., driver is quickly figuring it out.
He won a 305 sprint feature later that year. He moved to a 410 sprint last year and is now becoming a contender at The Bullring.
Last week, he nearly won his first feature at River Cities Speedway, pushing Grand Forks driver Jade Hastings to the end. Pake came close to passing Hastings on the last lap, but settled for second place — tying his best feature finish in Grand Forks.
"I got close," Pake said. "I could tell I had a decent pace at the end of the race. We had a few cautions. We never got to just race. I thought I might have a chance (on the last lap), but it wasn't quite enough. Jade knows what he's doing around that place.
"I've run a couple seconds. I've been close. I haven't finished it out. I'm hoping to get a win up there one of these times just to get the first one out of the way."
Pake, 22, hasn't needed much time to figure out racing.
Last year, in his first year of driving a 410 sprint, he won a feature at Buffalo River Speedway in Glyndon, Minn., on Aug. 4. Pake finished ahead of Mark Dobmeier, Brendan Mullen and Hastings that night.
Three weeks later, he challenged top sprint drivers in back-to-back World of Outlaw shows.
On Aug. 23 in Grand Forks, he took 11th in the feature.
The next night in West Fargo, Pake qualified second, won a heat race and took sixth in the feature, finishing ahead of World of Outlaws points champion David Gravel and sprint racing legend Donny Schatz.
"It's always fun to race the Outlaws when they come to town," Pake said. "There were a lot of friends and family watching."
Pake said he frequently gets advice from his dad, who raced sprints from 1995-04 and won 27 NOSA features.
"I'm glad my dad started me in a 305 just to get experience driving a car before having the big motor," Pake said. "Because when I ran the 410 last year, they have crazy power."
Pake also said he's learning by watching and competing against the accomplished field at River Cities Speedway.
"I've had some good races and some bad races," Pake said. "It's been up and down. It's tough with the competition. The 410s are a lot to handle, just learning how to drive them. It definitely takes experience to know how to run one, especially in a longer feature when the track is changing. It's an experience deal and I'm trying to learn up in Grand Forks."
When: 7 p.m.
Where: River Cities Speedway.
Classes: Sprints, late models, 305 sprints, Midwest modifieds, streets.
Continue reading...
He had a 305 sprint.
His father, Brad, a River Cities Speedway Hall of Famer, suggested that instead of practicing, he should jump into a race.
"My dad said the best way to practice is to race," Pake said.
They went to Rock Rapids, Iowa.
"I made it through hot laps," Pake said. "I got about five laps into the heat race, I hit the wall and I flipped. That's how that started."
But the Felton, Minn., driver is quickly figuring it out.
He won a 305 sprint feature later that year. He moved to a 410 sprint last year and is now becoming a contender at The Bullring.
Last week, he nearly won his first feature at River Cities Speedway, pushing Grand Forks driver Jade Hastings to the end. Pake came close to passing Hastings on the last lap, but settled for second place — tying his best feature finish in Grand Forks.
"I got close," Pake said. "I could tell I had a decent pace at the end of the race. We had a few cautions. We never got to just race. I thought I might have a chance (on the last lap), but it wasn't quite enough. Jade knows what he's doing around that place.
"I've run a couple seconds. I've been close. I haven't finished it out. I'm hoping to get a win up there one of these times just to get the first one out of the way."
Pake, 22, hasn't needed much time to figure out racing.
Last year, in his first year of driving a 410 sprint, he won a feature at Buffalo River Speedway in Glyndon, Minn., on Aug. 4. Pake finished ahead of Mark Dobmeier, Brendan Mullen and Hastings that night.
Three weeks later, he challenged top sprint drivers in back-to-back World of Outlaw shows.
On Aug. 23 in Grand Forks, he took 11th in the feature.
The next night in West Fargo, Pake qualified second, won a heat race and took sixth in the feature, finishing ahead of World of Outlaws points champion David Gravel and sprint racing legend Donny Schatz.
"It's always fun to race the Outlaws when they come to town," Pake said. "There were a lot of friends and family watching."
Pake said he frequently gets advice from his dad, who raced sprints from 1995-04 and won 27 NOSA features.
"I'm glad my dad started me in a 305 just to get experience driving a car before having the big motor," Pake said. "Because when I ran the 410 last year, they have crazy power."
Pake also said he's learning by watching and competing against the accomplished field at River Cities Speedway.
"I've had some good races and some bad races," Pake said. "It's been up and down. It's tough with the competition. The 410s are a lot to handle, just learning how to drive them. It definitely takes experience to know how to run one, especially in a longer feature when the track is changing. It's an experience deal and I'm trying to learn up in Grand Forks."
When: 7 p.m.
Where: River Cities Speedway.
Classes: Sprints, late models, 305 sprints, Midwest modifieds, streets.
Continue reading...
