There were fireworks aplenty at Black Hills Speedway on a warm Fourth of July Saturday night, and that didn't count the actual display of pyrotechnics after the races.
The second night of the Independence Day auto racing double-header produced some flared tempers in at least a couple of feature races, all completed under a pall of smoke from unofficial fireworks displays as well as a major structure fire upwind of the speedway in Rapid Valley.
Troy Murner kept his main event win streak in the Grand National Stock Car division intact at eight after a controversial tangle with Jamie Stanton.
Stanton, driving his former No. 10 Chevy normally shared by Scott Brownell and Troy Anderson, gave Murner all he could handle until Murner's No. 22 clipped Stanton's car coming off of
Turn 4.
Both Stanton's car and Murner's machine spun, with Stanton's car sustaining front-end damage after slamming the wall.
Murner was sent to the back of the pack, but quickly found his way back to the front after Stanton's ill-handling machine tangled with the 166 of James Stands III in Turn 4.
Murner went on to win, but Stanton was fuming afterwards.
"I guess if he can't win, he'll drive right through you," Stanton said of Murner.
"I should have given him more room, but I didn't," Murner said. "It was the right call putting me to the back. I didn't want to win eight in a row running over somebody."
Chris Walker, of Spearfish, kept trouble behind him in the Super Stock finale, withstanding a slew of restarts to earn his second feature win of the season.
"Just stay consistent and bring her home," Walker said of his strategy.
Second-place John Lefler, Jr. and third place Mike Stadel had words with each other after a pair of run-ins during the race.
Allen Locken, of Gillette, won his third Wissota Midwest Modified feature over Friday night's winner, Troy Leiker. Leiker duplicated Friday night's win in the
A-Modified division.
John Bey, of Sturgis, claimed the feature win in theWissota Late Model class with Matt Heinzerling, of Belle Fourche, winning the 360 Sprint Class feature for the second consecutive night.
Heinzerling won his race after a power outage plunged the speedway into darkness with the cars still out mixing it up on the track.
Randi Miller, of Rapid City, was sidelined after a heat race flip in on the final lap. Miller's No. 4M was badly damaged after touching wheels with D.J. Brink and tumbling in Turn 2.
Speedway manager Bill Keester also announced a change from six classes of racing down to four starting next Friday night. Running each week will be the Grand National Stock Cars, Wissota Modifieds and Wissota Super Stocks.
Alternating each week will be Wissota A-Modifieds, Wissota Late Models and the 360 Sprints.
