Drivers hit the tracks of the local raceways

MAT-SU — Drag racers in the Butte and stock and sprint car drivers in Willow hit the road over the weekend for the first time this summer.

On Saturday at Capitol Speedway in Willow, Jeff Wallace was the big winner, sweeping all three heats in the 300 sprints. Greg Markee didn’t have a bad day, either, winning three of four races in the mini-stock class, including the main event.

Other main event winners Saturday included Ralph Gobert in the stocks and Paul Thompson in the pick-up truck class.

Capitol is planning a full weekend of racing action this weekend, with stocks and sprints set to get underway at 6 p.m. Saturday. On Sunday, racing begins at 2 p.m., and will include the track’s first demolition derby of the season.

The speedway is located at Mile 75.5 of the Parks Highway. For more information, visit www.capitolspeedway.org.

Alaska Raceway Park

PALMER — In the Butte, Alaska Raceway Park also held its first official races of the season under sunny skies Sunday, with dragsters in five classes roaring down the quarter-mile asphalt.

Palmer’s Nathan Thornsley turned in the fastest run of the day, reaching 161 miles per hour in his brand-new dragster to win the Top ET class. Other winners included Palmer’s Phil Hubbard in the Mod ET class; Palmer’s Harold Pigott in the Super ET class; Gene Lengenfelter of Anchorage in the Open Air class; and Chugiak’s Carl Reimann in the Junior Dragsters.

Racing is scheduled at the track, which is located at Mile 10.4 of the Old Glenn Highway, for the entire Memorial Day weekend. On Saturday, King of the Street and Money Bracket races will be held beginning at 2 p.m. Then on Sunday and Monday, the two-day Anchorage Chrysler Dodge Prockish Memorial Top Eliminator and Top Dragster races will be held, with gates opening up at 10 a.m.

For more information, visit www.akracewaypark.com.

North Star Speedway

WASILLA — Also this weekend, Wasilla’s North Star Speedway will get its stock car racing season underway Saturday and Sunday. Gates open Saturday at 2 p.m., with the first GCI Saturday Night Thunder racing action set to start at 5 p.m. On Sunday, gates open at Noon, with racing set to start at 2 p.m.

The asphalt oval track is located

For more information, visit www.northstarspeedway.com.

Capitol Speedway

Stocks and Sprints

Saturday

STOCKS

Trophy Dash — 1. Robert Potter; 2. Dean Nelson; 3. Michael Kriger; 4. Steven Vial

Heat 1 — 1. Kriger; 2. Ralph Gobert; 3. Nelson; 4. Vial; 5. Howie Fox

Heat 2 — 1. Nelson; 2. Gobert; 3. Vial; 4. Kriger; 5. Fox

Main Event — 1. Gobert; 2. Nelson; 3. Vial; 4. Fox; 5. Kriger

MINI STOCKS

Trophy Dash — 1. Greg Markee; 2. Dave Burke; 3. Cory Madson

Heat 1 — 1. Markee; 2. Burke; 3. Madson

Heat 2 — 1. Burke; 2. Markee; 3. Madson

Main Event — 1. Markee; 2. Madson; 3. Burke

300 SPRINTS

Trophy Dash — 1. Jeff Wallace; 2. Jake Baker; 3. Royal Cutway

Heat 1 — 1. Wallace; 2. Baker; 3. Cutway

Main Event — 1. Wallace; 2. Baker; 3. Cutway

PICK-UPS

Trophy Dash — 1. James Ross; 2. Corbin McKinley; 3. Paul Thompson; 4. Brian Madson

Heat 1 — 1. Madson; 2. Ross

Heat 2 — 1. Ross; 2. McKinley; 3. Thompson

Main Event — 1. Thompson; 2. McKinley; 3. Ross

Alaska Raceway Park

Drag Racing

Sunday

TOP ET

Winner: Nathan Thornsley, Palmer, 8.20, 8.2038, .0620, 161 mph

Runner-Up: Ron Bowerman, Anchorage, 8.57, 8.5739, -.0179, 149 mph

MOD ET

Winner: Phil Hubbard, Palmer, 9.81, 9.8760, .0110, 135 mph

Runner-Up: Robert VanDenBerg, Eagle River, 10.78, 10.7628, .1091, 120 mph

SUPER ET

Winner: Harold Pigott, Palmer, 12.76, 12.8372, 102 mph

Runner-Up: Jeff Floyd, Anchorage, 17.00, 17.1651, 84 mph

OPEN AIR

Winner: Gene Lengenfelter, Anchorage, 13.77, 13.9870, .1810, 91 mph

Runner-Up: Roy Rank, Wasilla, 10.44, 10.8271, .0709, 132 mph

JUNIOR DRAGSTER

Winner: Carl Reimann, Chugiak, 8.46, 8.4822, .7957, 76 mph

Runner-Up: Johnny Vest, Anchorage, 9.60, 9.6700, -.0061, 64 mph