Shane Edginton Shakes Up Late Model Racing This Summer

GRAND FORKS — Last Friday, Dustin Strand surged ahead on the back straightaway with just half the race remaining, a scenario that has often signaled victory at River Cities Speedway. Over the past two summers, Strand has been a dominating force in the late model division, clinching 16 out of his 21 races at The Bullring. Tyler Pederson is the only other driver to secure more than one win during this period. However, this summer, Shane Edginton is bringing a new level of excitement to the competition.

Edginton managed to close in on Strand, who fell behind due to lapped traffic, ultimately passing him with only two laps left to capture the win. This victory marked Edginton's second feature triumph at River Cities Speedway in just three races this season. "I got to second and saw there were 11 laps to go," Edginton stated, having started the race in eighth position. "With about five or six laps to go, I could see visually that I was catching up to him and he was in lapped traffic. A couple of lapped cars played into my favor."

Originally from East St. Paul, Manitoba, Edginton competed in 19 features at The Bullring over the last two years without a single win. His last feature victory was at the 2023 John Seitz Memorial race. This summer, however, he has already notched two wins and a second-place finish at River Cities Speedway. "We've tried a couple of different setups here," he explained. "I was driving a Longhorn for a guy in Watertown, S.D., Scott Ward, and I learned a couple of things from that car that translated to mine. I think we finally figured something out."

Despite Edginton's recent success, Strand remains a formidable competitor. Just one night after Edginton's victory, Strand reversed their fortunes in Devils Lake, overtaking Edginton, who was again caught in lapped traffic. "Dustin has been on a tear here the last two or three years," Edginton remarked. "It's nice to be able to compete with him. We've had some good races. He got one on me Saturday night."

This week, late models will be the highlight at River Cities Speedway, as the sprints will not compete due to High Limit Racing events at I-94 Speedway in Fergus Falls, Minnesota. The late models will share the spotlight with street stocks, modifieds, and Midwest Modifieds. On Saturday, they will head to Devils Lake, where they will race alongside pure stocks, Midwest Modifieds, and street stocks. "We struggled here the last couple of years," Edginton noted about River Cities Speedway. "We were close a lot of times, a lot of seconds. We just couldn't get it done. I think we definitely have a car this year."