Father’s Day race night at Bemidji Speedway crowns five first-time winners

Five first-time winners turned Father’s Day at Bemidji Speedway into one of the most notable race nights of the early summer, with dads on the track and in the stands helping fill out a strong holiday crowd. The regular race night at 1831 Sunnyside Road SE in Bemidji drew a great field of cars and an excellent crowd on Sunday, June 21, making the evening feel like both a community outing and a competitive milestone.

The June 21 program opened with pits at 2:00 p.m. and racing at 5:00 p.m., and the card stretched across Bemidji Mini Stocks, Wissota Midwest Mods, Wissota Hornets, Wissota Pure Stocks, Wissota Modifieds, Wissota Mod Fours and Wissota Super Stocks. That mix gave smaller classes and higher-powered divisions a chance to share the spotlight on the same night, and the result was a race program heavy on local participation and breakthrough finishes.

The five first-time winners matter because Bemidji Speedway has long depended on a steady pipeline of local drivers, crews and families to keep its weekly shows fresh. A first win at the track is the kind of result that tends to stick with a driver and the fans who follow the standings, and it is more unusual when it happens five times in one night. Bemidji Speedway’s own history shows that those moments remain memorable even when they are not rare, including Tyler Kroening’s first Wissota Pure Stocks feature win at the track in 2019.

The Father’s Day card also fit into a busy 2026 stretch for the speedway. Women in Motorsports Night was scheduled for May 31, followed by a regular race night on June 7 before the holiday program. MyRacePass lists a full 2026 schedule and points standings page for Bemidji Speedway, underscoring that the track is running a complete summer slate and keeping weekly competition in front of local fans.

For Beltrami County’s racing scene, that combination of strong turnout, a busy class lineup and five new winners points to more than one good night. It shows Bemidji Speedway still works as a place where new names can break through in front of a home crowd and where a holiday race can still deliver a fresh local storyline.