FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Ben Shelton (msrmafia@gmail.com)
January 18, 2017

Dustin Strand Earns First Win of ’17 in Arizona

Grand Forks, North Dakota (01/18/17) – Dustin Strand got his first win of the season earlier than ever before by topping a $2,000-to-win Modified feature during the 11th annual Keyser Manufacturing Wild West Shootout at Arizona Speedway. The victory came in his RealTruck.com #71 Flagstaff Nissan and Subaru/ Millenium Race Car.

“I’ve won bigger paying races in my career, but I’m not sure I’ve won an event that held more meaning and prestige for my team and I,” noted Strand. “This competition is so tough out here, and this event gets so much attention that it is really something special to start the season by winning an event of this magnitude.”

Dustin Strand opened the 2017 racing season on Saturday, January 7 by traveling to Arizona Speedway (Queen Creek, Arizona) for the 11th annual Keyser Manufacturing Wild West Shootout presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts. The opening round found him winning his heat race in both his Super Late Model and his Modified. Feature action saw Strand finishing 10th in the Super Late Model ranks, while bad luck while running 2nd in the Modified relegated him to a 16th-place finish.

On Sunday, January 8 Dustin powered his way to another heat race win in the Modified division from the 4th-starting position. Earning the 2nd-starting position for the $2,000-to-win A-Main, Strand jumped into the lead on the drop of the green flag and never looked bad. Leading all 25-laps, Dustin Strand picked up his first victory of the 2017 campaign, outdueling David McDonald, Matt Leer, Matt Gilbertson, and Shane Sabraski.

Following the 2nd-quickest time in his Super Late Model qualifying group, Dustin locked his spot into the A-Main with a runner-up finish behind Chris Simpson in his heat. Starting in 10th for the $5,000-to-win show, Dustin suffered a flat right-rear on the opening lap bringing a disappointing end to his night in the Late Model division.

Wednesday’s program found Strand finishing 11th in his Modified and 14th in his Late Model. On Friday, January 15 Dustin raced to a 14th-place finish in his Late Model and a 5th-place finish in his Modified.

Unfortunately the final two rounds fell victim to rain on Saturday and Sunday.

“I feel like we may have had a chance at another win or two, but they just slipped away from us,” commented Strand. “Even at that, it was an amazing start to our year to go out there and perform so well in both cars against really talented fields. It’s got me and the entire ream really excited about this season!”

For full results from these events, please visit www.WildWestShootout.net.

Dustin had planned to compete in the inaugural Short Track Shootout at Southern New Mexico Speedway (Las Cruces, New Mexico) this weekend, January 20-22 but Mother Nature forced officials to postpone the event until March.

Strand Racing is currently unsure of when they will next return to action. Please keep your browsers pointed to www.StrandRacing.com for the latest team news and notes.

Dustin Strand would like to thank all of his sponsors including RealTruck.com, Q&Z Plumbing & Heating, Schill Construction, Anderson Brothers Body Shop, Flagstaff Nissan and Subaru, McCaughen Builders, Generations Salon & Spa, Bemidji Welders Supply, RH Rebel Storage, Ben Adams Racing Engines, Forest Flying Service, Altru’s Sports Advantage powered by EXOS, Parallel Technologies Inc., Troy Pecka Trucking, R-n-R Stix, and MSRMafia.com Marketing Services.

For more information on Dustin Strand, please visit his official internet home at www.StrandRacing.com .