Stock Car Racing: Father's memory drives Troy Jordan at North Central Speedway

By Joe Lindholm

July 01, 2018 at 6:12 PM

BARROWS - Dirt track racing is a family sport. Behind every driver you will find a support network that includes family and friends.

One of the special relationships is between a driver and his father and their shared love of racing that brings them together.

Northern Sport Modified driver Troy Jordan has had a successful career and is a past track champion, but his win June 23 was an emotional one as he was on the winners podium without his father, Dick, there to see him.

"My dad passed away and he has been a racer most of his life and he followed me wherever I went," Troy Jordan said. "He was a No. 1 fan and No. 1 help for me. Losing him was hard and it made it emotional for me in the win there."

Troy Jordan is now getting the opportunity to race with his son Jacob, and he also had that opportunity early in his career with his dad in Street Stock cars.

"My dad raced with his brothers and they started in the 70s," Troy Jordan said. "My first three years in the Street Stock my dad raced with me so we had that time and then he gave it up and started running with me the whole time."

It has been a successful start to the season in which Troy Jordan is back racing full time after dropping to just racing part time in the last few years. He finished in fifth place Saturday behind winner Mark Martini.

Troy Jordan has five top five finishes in seven feature races, and he is tied with 2017 track champion David Siercks for the top spot in points after Saturday's race. Siercks finished third in the feature and Jordan finished fourth.

"We are going after it pretty hard on our Saturday night program, and we are leading in points, but we did scale back on what we were doing with the car and trying to keep it more reasonable and have fun out here this year. And, with racing against my son Jacob, it has been pretty fun," Troy Jordan said.

"The cost has gone up tremendously and the economy crashing hurt everyone," Jordan added. "I have a $5,000 car, and some guys have a $15,000 car, but you can win with the IMCA racing car tire and it kind of keeps everyone together if you get your car working good."

Sport Compacts: Corey Mehrwerth secured his first win of the season in the 15-lap feature. Mehrwerth got a fifth row start in the feature and took the lead on the second lap after Travis Roush spun out in turn four.

Devin Dustin-Flannigan also gave the crowd a moment of suspense as his car went up on the wall on the front straightaway before coming to rest on its side. Flannigan walked away from the wreck.

Hobby Stocks: Tim Siercks overtook points leader Tim Gonska on lap 12 of the 15-lap feature and went on to grab his second win of the season.

Gonska holds a 19 point lead over Joe Gonska.

Mod 4: Jess Geesey and Matt Halls traded the top spot twice in what was the most exciting feature race of the night.

Geesey took the lead from Halls on lap two only to have Halls take the lead back from him on lap 11 of the 15-lap feature. That didn't last for long as Geesey took it back on lap 13, and he went on to edge Halls by a car length at the checkered flag.

It was the second win of the season for Geesey who built a 19-point lead over Keith Roush in the points race.

Scott Blood walked away from a scary moment in his heat race as his car went up and almost over the wall on the back stretch.

Super Stock: Dexton Koch started from the front row along with Dylan Nelson and held the lead for the first two laps until Nelson took it from him on lap three.

The race was over after that as Nelson ran away from the field in the 20-lap feature.

It was the third win of the season for Nelson who trails points leader Jake Goetze by just six points.

Modified: Erick Thiesse survived two late caution flags and held off the charging Shawn Fletcher for his first win of the season in the 20-lap finale.

Thiesse took the lead from Seth Kramer on lap eight, and was able to build a small lead over Justin Jones.

With five laps left, Aaron Johnson brought out a caution flag from the sixth position. With three laps to go, Adam Johnson, running at the end of the field, brought out another flag as he ran into trouble in turn four.

Both times Thiesse was able to hold his top spot on the restart and he held off Fletcher at the finish.

Aaron Johnson holds a 1-point lead over Fletcher and is nine points ahead of Thiesse.

IMCA Sport Compacts:

Feature: 1-1-Corey Mehrwerth, 2-Dustin Virkus, 3-Zachery Schreder

Heat 1: 1-Zachery Schreder, 2-Dustin Virkus, 3-Branley Theel

Heat 2: 1-Derek Stanoch, 2-Corey Mehrwerth, 3-Peewee Kuhnau

IMCA Hobby Stocks:

Feature: 1-Tim Siercks, 2-Timothy Gonska, 3-Chris Seidel

Heat 1: 1-Michael Nelson, 2-Joe Gonska, 3-Timothy Gonska

Heat 2: 1-Chris Seidel, 2-Tim Siercks, 3-Dylan Cash

NCS Mod 4s:

Feature: 1-Jess Geesey, 2-Matt Halls, 3-Gerry Nohner