4 Wide at Red River Valley Speedway. (Photo by Doug Johnson)
- Track Size: 1/2 Mile High Banked Dirt
- History - Opened in 1972
- Previous "A" Feature winners: Track phone: (701) 282-2200 Take I-94 west of Fargo to exit 343, then go .7 miles east on I-10 (on the Red River Valley Fairgrounds) http://www.redrivervalleyfair.com/ One-lap record: Previous "A" Feature winners: 2002 - Donny Schatz on July 6; 2001 - Craig Dollansky on July 7; 2000 - Sammy Swindell on July 8; 1999 - Steve Kinser on July 10; 1998 - Sammy Swindell on July 11; 1997 - Stevie Smith on July 12; 1996 - Sammy Swindell on July 7; 1995 - Sammy Swindell on July 8; 1994 - Steve Kinser on July 10; 1993 - Johnny Herrera on July 10; 1992 - Steve Kinser on July 12; 1991 - Doug Wolfgang on July 6; 1990 - Doug Wolfgang on July 7; 1989 - Jeff Swindell on July 8; 1988 - Doug Wolfgang on July 9; 1987 - Steve Kinser on July 11; 1986 - Steve Kinser on July 12; 1985 - Steve Kinser on July 13; 1984 - Steve Kinser on July 14; 1983 - Sammy Swindell on July 9; 1982 - Steve Kinser on July 14; 1981 - Sammy Swindell on July 13
- Tires - "No track takes rubber faster than West Fargo." - Andy Hillenburg
- Fargo! Racer's Racing Series points to be had on the high banks - By Bobby Gerould - June 30, 2005. ...Red River Valley Speedway is one of America's finest dirt tracks. The high banked 1/2-mile is no place for the timid. This weekend the World of Outlaws head to the hometown of Donny Schatz for their annual Duel in the Dakotas. The top 15 finishers in Saturday's feature will earn Racer's Racing Series points. Craig Dollansky, Jason Meyers, Danny Lasoski, Steve Kinser, Kraig Kinser, and Schatz are the highest rated WoO drivers in the RRS points to date. However, the season of big races for the winged aces is just now beginning. The Duel in the Dakotas leads to the Brad Doty Classic at Attica, OH, then the Kings Royal at Eldora, and the Silver Cup at Lernerville Speedway (Sarver, PA.).
- 2002 - Postivity column: BUGGIN' IN FARGO... Actually, that's WEST Fargo to you, California Boy. ...Yes, the bugs are bad. No joke even, but not so bad that you can't enjoy a slice of the Fargo vibe. The hair is a little bigger than in California, and they cook steak with pitch forks. Other than that, Fargo was cool. ...The track itself is always a thriller. This is not a place for timid racers. The Red River Valley Speedway is high-banked with low walls. No way are we veterans of watching races at Fargo, we've now seen 15 nights of racing over five years, and the track always keeps the crews guessing. Thursday, the opener of the Duel in the Dakotas, saw rain hit the raceway for two hours. The soaked track was not ready for qualifying until well after 11:00 PM. (Californian's - there are no curfews in Fargo). The track record fell to Craig Dollansky, the defending race champion who turned the half-mile in 14.786 seconds. Needless to say, the track was ultra fast Thursday. Friday was exactly opposite, with rubber being laid down so bad, that tires and passing were at a premium. Saturday, the track was racy. ...The highlight of the weekend was P.J. Chesson's victory celebration on Friday. Chesson did 'donuts' on the front-chute, then climbed the fence after sprinting from the cockpit to the top of the wall in move that would have made Santa proud. The enthusiasm of the first-time WoO winner was a tremendous shot of energy for the televised taping (to be aired on Speed, July 18, 2002 at 8pm Pacific). ..."That impressed the sh*t out of me", a smiling Steve Kinser said after Chesson's donuts with a low gear.
...The Schatz Family hosted two great events during the weekend. The family responsible for paved pitting at RRV, had a Saturday reception for Donny Schatz fans. The feed, and raffle at the track was emceed by DeAnne Schatz, one of Donny's two sisters. ...Pitch Fork Fondue was a new thing for us. Literally, the cook at the reception was hoisting huge chunks of cow into a batch of bubbling oil. Quite tasty. ...After the races, the Schatz Family (or was it Shane Anderson?) invited the entire pit area to their home less than three miles from the track. The new compound features a race-shop in progress, a beautiful home, lots of land, and an airstrip. The hospitality was topnotch, especially the potato salad. ...Trevor Green of Australia wants all Americans to know that Aussies don't drink Fosters down under. ...Jac Haudenschild will run the Oskalossa $30,000 to win race. ...VIP's Ron Shaver, and Kenny Woodruff were in the house, and found time to fill us in on the SCRA race report from Tulare. Shaver correctly identified Mike Faria as the top finishing Golden State Challenge driver at the non-wing show. Faria earned $500 from Don Sharp.
Davey Whitworth and Joey Saldana ran strong all weekend, with Joey taking the July 4th (actually 5th, since it ended at 2:15 am.) win. ...We hyped Stevie Smith as #3 in the world last week, but Smith struggled a bit at West Fargo. Still riding on Goodyear Tires, Smith and the #11h, are good when the track stays heavy, but have trouble keeping up with the Hoosiers on a dry surface. ...Kenny Woodruff, and Sammy Swindell stayed with Goodyear as long as anyone, and even they have been running Hoosiers in 2002. ...Daryn Pittman reports he has been free of pain since a back/neck injury this Spring. ...Joe Gaerte raced Ohio Speedweek with a Gaerte/Mopar engine. Most Mopar's are built by Gary Stanton. ...Johnny Herrera is out of motors. He says he will most likely park the Billy Wilburn #2w until the Kings Royal. ...Scott Young broke the C-3 vertebrae in a violent flip Thursday night at Fargo. The Air Force F22 sprinter looked good until the unfortunate shunt on the frontchute. ...Roger Rager still mashes. He raced in both the 360, and WoO divisions.
