HURON — Aberdeen’s Chad Becker became just the third driver to claim multiple Challenge Cup titles at Dakota State Fair Speedway. He accomplished the feat during Challenge Cup XXII presented by Olympic Motor Sales on Saturday.

Becker, who now has a total of 28 career victories at the Huron track, earned a starting spot on the outside of the front row for the 25-lap feature race by virtue of earning passing points during a pair of heat races. He moved from fifth to second in his first heat race and then when the starting lineup was inverted for the second set of heat races, he started third and earned the win so start alongside pole sitter Blair Nothdurft of Renner in the feature.

The two drivers, who started on the front row were neck and neck after the opening lap of the main event, but using the high side of the track, Becker was able to establish control on the second trip around the half-mile oval.

With the first 13 laps of the race going caution-free, Becker was able to hold a comfortable margin until reaching slower traffic on eighth lap.

The lone yellow flag of the race flew on lap 14 as Josh Skorczewski of Aberdeen, who had claimed the feature win on Thursday at DSFS, jumped the cushion had made heavy contact with the wall entering turn four.

While the caution did little hamper Becker’s bid for the $5,000 top prize, it did create an opportunity for other drivers further back in the field to make up some ground.

Scott Ward of Watertown, who started seventh, capitalized on the restart and was able to wrestle the second spot away from Nothdurft.

He trailed Becker for the next 11 laps waiting for an chance to earn his second Challenge Cup victory, but it didn’t materialize. In fact, a last-ditch effort to secure the win cost him a spot on the final lap, as Tad Pospisil of Norfolk, Neb., powered alongside of him as they came out of turn four and barely beat him to the finish line to claim the runner-up finish.

Nothdurft would finish fourth, followed by Kent Arment of Aberdeen, who rallied from the 13th starting spot.

Charlie Olsen, the 16-year-old driver from Hendricks, Minn., who had a victory stripped from him Thursday at DSFS when he came up 20 pounds light at the scales, was sixth.

Corey Zeitner of Omaha, Neb., was seventh, followed by Gary Brown Jr. of Renner; Lee Grosz of Watertown and Trevor Anderson of Watertown.

Tri-Sate Late Model Series rookie Chase Alves of Sioux Falls earned the Hard Charger Award. After advancing through the B-main to secure the 23rd starting spot for the feature race, He moved up 10 spots to finish 13th.

Tyler Myers of Sioux Falls claimed the win in the 10-lap B-main event, while others securing a transfer spot were Nick Schmidt of Florence and Blake Swenson of Watertown. Earning the provisional start in the feature race was 71-year-old Mike Benson of Wakefield, Neb.

Nothdurft claimed a pair of Tri-State late model heat, while the other heat winners were Brown Jr.; Grosz; Benjamin Chukuske of Welcome, Minn.; Skorczewski; Pospisil; Chase Gelling of Aberdeen; Curt Kranz of Watertown and Becker.

Also in action Saturday were the WISSOTA Midwest modifieds.

After earning his first feature win at DSFS earlier this season, Jayme Peterson of Highmore was able to double his win total with a victory in the 15-lap main event on Saturday.

Peterson started seventh in the 19-car field and pounced on the opportunity to challenge for the lead during a restart eight laps into the race.

Nick Perry of Huron, who started on the outside of the front row, led the first five laps before Tracy Johnson of Lake Preston used the high groove in turn four to move to the front of the field. A lap later the field was slowed for the second caution of the race, setting up Peterson’s run for the victory.

After chasing Johnson for another lap, Peterson moved to the front and led the final six laps to secure the win.

Johnson would finish second, followed by Matt Heinzerling of Spearfish, Perry and Scott Hansen of Garden City.

Recording Midwest modified heat wins were Peterson, Hansen and Heinzerling.

The Tri-State Late Model Series will return to Dakota State Fair Speedway for the Bauman Agency Harvest of Champions on Aug. 17.

Joining the late models will be the WISSOTA street stocks, Midwest modifieds, super stocks and modifieds.

Challenge Cup XXII
Dakota State Fair Speedway, June 8

WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds
Heat 1: 1, Jayme Peterson, Highmore; 2, Tracy Johnson, Lake Preston; 3, Lorin Johnson, Miller; 4, Dawson Zabel, Selby; 5, Brock Hess, Sioux Falls; 6, Kyle Bertram, Dallas; 7, Kurtis Clark, Madison.
Heat 2: 1, Scott Hansen, Garden City; 2, Taylor Schmidt, Bath; 3, Nick Perry, Huron; 4, Luke Johnson, Miller; 5, Camden Rassel, Woonsocket; 6, Shawn McFarlane, Miller.
Heat 3: 1, Matt Heinzerling, Spearfish; 2, Jake Wranek, Sioux Falls; 3, James Embree, Rapid City; 4, Trevor Ryan, Highmore; 5, Logan Redlin, Watertown; 5, Paxton George, Rapid City.

Tri-State Late Models

Heat 1: 1, Gary Brown Jr., Brandon; 2, Tad Pospisil, Norfolk, Neb.; 3, Charlie Olsen, Hendricks, Minn.; 4, Jared Jelsma, Springfield; 5, Brandon Sprinkel, Pierre; 6, Jayke Glanzer, Bridgewater; (did not start) Chris Palsrok, Estherville, Iowa.
Heat 2; 1, Lee Grosz, Watertown; 2, Kent Arment, Aberdeen; 3, Trevor Anderson, Watertown; 4, Chase Gelling, Aberdeen; 5, Tyler Myers, Sioux Falls; 6, Layne Saathoff, Bruce; 7, Corey Bosma, Ocheyedan, Iowa.
Heat 3: 1, Blair Nothdurft, Renner; 2, Scott Ward, Watertown; 3, Dustin Arthur, St. Lawrence; 4, Nick Schmidt, Florence; 5, Alissa Palsrok, Estherville, Iowa; (did not start) Chase Alves, Sioux Falls; Dyllan Ricks, Boyden, Iowa.
Heat 4: 1, Benjamin Chukuska, Welcome, Minn.; 2, Cody Martin, Mitchell; 3, Justin Boomsma, Huron; 4, Curt Kranz, Watertown; 5, Shane DeMey, Denison, Iowa; 6, Blake Swenson, Watertown; 7, Mike Benson, Wakefield, Neb.
Heat 5: 1, Josh Skorczewski, Aberdeen; 2, Chade Becker, Aberdeen; 3, Chuck Swenson, Watertown; 4, Corey Zeitner, Omaha, Neb.; 5, Morgan Ward Grosz, Watertown; 6, Justin Karlen, Howard; 7, Colby Klaasseen, Little Rock, Iowa.
Heat 6: 1, Pospisil; 2, Olsen; 3, Brown Jr.; 4, Glanzer; 5, Sprinkel; 6, Jelsma; (did not start) C.. Palsrok.
Heat 7: 1, Gelling; 2, Anderson; 3, Grosz; 4, Arment; 5, Myers; 6, Saathoff; 7, Bosma.
Heat 8: 1, Nothdurft; 2, Ward; 3, Arthur; 4, Schmidt; 5, Alves; 6, A. Palsrok; (did not start) Ricks.
Heat 9: 1, Kranz; 2, Martin; 3, DeMey; 4, Boomsma; 5, Chukuske; 6, B. Swenson; 7, Benson.
Heat 10: 1, Becker; 2, Zeitner; 3, Ward Grosz; 4, Skorczewski; 5, C. Swenson; 6, Karlen; (did not start) Klaassen.
B-Main event: 1, Myers; 2, Schmidt; 3, Alves; 4, B. Swenson; 5, Karlen; 6, Glanzer; 7, Benson; 8, Saathof; (did not finish) 9, A. Palsrok; (did not start) Sprinkel; Ricks; C. Palsrok; Klaassen; Jelsma; Bosma.
Main event: 1, Becker; 2, Pospisil; 3, Ward; 4, Northdurft; 5, Arment; 6, Olsen; 7, Zeitner; 8, Brown Jr.; 9, Grosz; 10, Anderson; 11, Arthur; 12, Martin; 13, Alves; 14, Kranz; 15, Gelling; 16, Chukuska; 17, Ward Grosz; 18, DeMey; 19, Boomsma; 20, Schmidt; 21, Myers; 22, B. Swenson; (did not finish) 23, C. Swenson; 24, Skorczewski; 25, Benson.