Driven by Legacy

The roar of the cheering crowd, the revving of the cars’ engines, and the smell of gasoline and burning rubber fill the speedway. Since he was young, Dustin Strand has lived a racingcentered life. Before he was the driver behind the wheel, his father was the one racing.

Strand is a business owner and race car driver from Grand Forks, North Dakota. He has been racing since 2002.

“I got my start when a customer came into my dad’s shop with a car, a 78 Impala, pure stock, and he wanted me to race it,” Strand said.

Before Strand gets in his car to race, he is nervous.

“I’m thinking about where I’m going to start, or what’s happening with the track, and trying to get the car right,” Strand said. “Even in line my nerves bother me.”

But once the green flag waves and the race is a go, those nerves melt away.

“Once you get on the track, you forget about everything and you’re just focused on what you’re going to do next with the steering wheel,” Strand said.

The race cars enter the track lined up in rows. In the formation, Strand’s black and orange car stands out beside the light-colored vehicles. Heavy metal music blares as the vehicles round the track.

The announcer’s voice is almost an indiscernible mumble lost in the cacophony of noise that fills the air. The race begins and the engines roar as the race cars fly down the dirt track.

At the beginning of Dustin’s racing career, his father knew his own career had to end.

“My dad said ‘if you want to race, you know where the tubing is, go build yourself a car.’”

Since then, Strand’s father has made a point of going to each of his son’s races, cheering him on from the stands. While Strand’s father is wholly supportive of his son, it is nerve wracking to see his son race.

“My dad hardly ever races anymore but he’s always said ‘I think it’s harder watching my own kid race than racing myself,’” Strand said.

Strand, like his father, relishes in sharing his love for racing with his family. Strand describes himself as a very family-oriented man. He and his wife Savannah have three children (Paisley, Kaidence and Tate) and racing brings them closer together. Nearly every time Strand races, his family is in the stands.

“I was being interviewed after my win, and the crowd started going wild,” Strand said. “I turn around to see what the ruckus was about, and my daughter was standing on the roof of my car and they

were cheering for her. Now it’s a tradition for my kids to climb on the roof of my car after races.”

Strand’s daughters race snowmobiles in the winter, and his son loves going to the shop with him.

Children often look up to their fathers, and while Strand loves that his daughters like to race, he shares his father’s idea.

“When my daughters race snowmobiles, I feel like I’m more nervous than they are, and more excited,” Strand said.

Strand and his father both share a lot of passion for the sport of racing. Both are heavily involved in the sport and their collaboration has brought them closer together. When he was younger, he would accompany his father to the shop just as his son does with him now. Strand hopes that his son, Tate, will continue the racing legacy when he is old enough. Strand’s family life is seamlessly intermixed with his professional life.

Strand’s biggest supporter is his wife. Before meeting Strand, Savannah had never been to a race before. Her father was a racing fan and is now a big supporter of Strand’s, however Savannah was initially apprehensive about the idea. Fortunately, she fell in love with the sport.

“She keeps us all going pretty good and she keeps my spirits uplifted when I’m down,” Strand said. “I appreciate everything she’s done for me.”

Savannah watches the children when Strand is away racing and she wrangles their herd while in the race stands. Strand’s wife cuts hair in the same building as his shop, so they’re always together throughout the day.

The support of his loved ones is unfortunately not enough to deter the dangers of racing. Like every sport, there are risks involved. There are special risks involved in racing, as a driver is flying down the track at an average of 90 miles per hour. In a race, it is not uncommon for cars to lose control, collide with other vehicles and wipe out.

When Strand was still a spectator watching his father race, he witnessed his father crash. It was a roll-over accident in which his car flipped 40 feet in the air.

“There’s a picture somewhere of my dad’s car in the air, straight up and down,” Strand said.

Fortunately, he was not injured too badly, and continued to race after recovering from the accident.

History repeated itself when Strand was in his own roll-over accident. When he emerged from his wrecked vehicle, his father was the first one by his side.

“People always say that when something like that happens, everything slows down,” Strand said. “It’s true, it was like I was in slow motion.”

The accident occurred at the beginning of the race. Strand was hit by another driver that had lost control of his vehicle. Strand’s car was completely totaled.

Fortunately, a concussion was the most severe injury in his accident. Race cars have a multitude of safety equipment built-in to keep the driver safe in the event of an accident. The crash cage in Late Model cars is suspended just a few inches above the driver’s head, and Strand hit his head on it on the way down.

“My dad said one of my eyes was bugged out,” Strand said. “It was wicked.”

After the accident, Strand began wearing a neck restraint that would hold him to his seat if the event were to ever repeat itself. He did not initially wear a neck restraint because not all series mandate the safeguard. Although he began racing without one, Strand was shaken up by the accident and figured it was better safe than sorry.

Thankfully, Strand’s passion wasn’t deterred by the accident.

“The accident did shake me up a little bit, but not enough for me to consider quitting racing,” Strand said.

Strand followed the example of his father and continued racing after his recovery.

A lot has changed since racing the ‘78 Impala. Now, Strand races in two classes: NLRA Late Model and WISSOTA Modified. He uses the Millenium SRT Chassis and his engine is from Ben Adams Automotive. He proudly displays his number, 71, on his car.

Late Model cars are vehicles that are built for racing; they are typically the latest model. Late model vehicles are the highest class of car raced in the United States. WISSOTA Modified, as the name suggests, are vehicles that have been modified – these vehicles are the most common race cars.

Drivers often race with organized groups. Strand often races with the The Northern Late Model Racing Association (NLRA), a group of professional drivers that race Late Model stock cars. The NLRA was founded by drivers from Manitoba, northwestern Minnesota and northeast North Dakota. The group was founded in 1998, and since then race tracks and businesses have joined the coalition.

The River Cities Speedway, a race track in Grand Forks, North Dakota, is affiliated with the NLRA. The River Cities Speedway is hailed as one of the top five race tracks in the country. Strand frequently races at his local speedway. At River Cities Speedway alone, Strand has achieved over 100 feature wins between all classes. He estimates his all time win count to be somewhere in the 400s.

The racing season in North Dakota takes place in the summer months, but there are off-season races to partake in. In Arizona, the racing season is year round and Strand travels to participate. The most memorable moment of his career took place in Arizona when he won the Wild West Shootout Championship at the Arizona Speedway.

Since the beginning of Strand’s racing career, he has accumulated over 28 NLRA series wins, the second most NLRA series wins of all time. He hopes to one day hold the title of the driver with the most NLRA series wins.

Racing is not the only thing that Strand learned from his father. Strand was also given the business by his father. Fastlane Racing Equipment/Millenium Chassis is a race car repair shop that also builds cars. For Strand, business is the priority while racing is a hobby.

Every car created by Strand’s company is virtually the same. Through trial and error, Strand has been able to create cars that fit the needs of his clients. In the builds, Strand uses Mullins Racing Chassis Manufacturing’s frame but they build everything else.

“The most rewarding part of working is making something that looks nice,” Strand said.

Strand’s father often stops by the shop to help out.

“I love working side-by-side with my dad, I’m very grateful for the relationship we have,” Strand said.

Running a race car fabrication shop was not Strand’s initial life plan; he got a welding degree from a technical institute which was the career path he thought he would take. Luckily, the cards worked in his favor and he is able to make a living doing something he is passionate about.

Passion runs rampant in the racing community. Drivers pour a lot of time, energy and money into their sport. For them, racing is an addiction. Strand has been in the racing community since he was young and it hasn’t changed since then.

Racing careers average to be around 20 years long. Strand’s father raced for 27 years before he tapered off and began supporting his son. Strand has no plan to quit racing.

“I’ll probably stop racing whenever Tate’s ready to take over the wheel,” Strand said.

In the meantime, Strand is hopeful that he will be able to continue his own racing career for many years to come.

The race ends when the checkered flag is waved, which is followed by the addicting rush of victory or the sting of defeat. Practice makes perfect, and each race is experience under a driver’s belt.

While racing is something Strand does for fun, it is more than just a hobby. It is a passion that has been instilled in him since childhood, it is a legacy passed down through generations. Racing is clearly in the Strand blood.

Story by Katrina Kenton, Photography by Alec Butterfield.