Pospisil Completes Nebraska Weekend Sweep with Hometown Win at Off-Road
Tad Pospisil put together another successful homecoming with the Malvern Bank Super Late Model Racing Series in the tour’s Saturday night return to Norfolk, Nebraska’s Off-Road Speedway.
The sixth Dual Series race of the year brought both East and West competitors to the high-banked quarter-mile oval on the Off-Road Ranch in Norfolk to pay homage to Bob Haase, a long-time promoter and ambassador for auto racing in Northeastern Nebraska. Off-Road Speedway also marked the final time in 2026 the Best Late Models in America’s Heartland would race in the Cornhusker State.
The night kicked off with the Keyser Manufacturing Top Qualifier award go to Jake Neal but by a mere .002 seconds over Jesse Sobbing. Neal laid down the fastest lap in group 3 with a 13.739 second lap to Sobbing’s 13.741 second time in group 2. The opening group on the night was topped by Jason Hahne when he stopped the clock at 13.809 seconds.
The three heat races on the night were won by Jadyn Friesen, Tad Pospisil and Blair Nothdurft. Nothdurft would later return as the top point earner, and he took on the challenge as the Skyline Materials Lucky 6th Place Starter. If the East and West Series point leader could’ve won, he would’ve added $3,000 on top of the $5,000 top prize.
A field of 24 cars took to the speedway at the end of the night for the 30-lap Bob Haase Memorial main event. Pospisil started on pole position and was quick to take to the early lead and establish dominance at the front of the pack.
Multiple cautions stalled the early laps of the feature. The first to fall victim was Jesse Sobbing. The Reigning West Series Champion cut a tire on lap 3 and made a change of rubber in the hot pit and spent the remaining laps battling back through the field. He would make it back up to finish 9th.
The next incident came on the ensuing restart when Jason Hahne lost power which in turn stacked up Jadyn Friesen, Kale Kosiski, Kyle Berck, and Corey Zeitner. Hahne would be a retiree on the night while the other four drivers were able to continue. Berck, however, would have to make several trips to the hot pit in the early laps, but the 7-Time Series Champion rallied back to finish 10th.
When racing resumed after the final caution of the night on lap 11, Pospisil continued to lead while Dylan Sillman and Blair Nothdurft waged war for second. Further behind them was another close battle between Jacob Hobscheidt and Jake Neal for fourth. Sillman ultimately won the battle for the runner-up position while Hobscheidt faded behind Neal in the closing laps.
As many drivers continued to work through the field, Bill Leighton Jr. was one of said drivers. Leighton, who has four SLMR wins at Off-Road Speedway, started 18th and worked his way up the order to land himself in 8th earning him the Hoosier Tire Hard Charger Award on the night.
Meanwhile, after 30 laps around Norfolk, Tad Pospisil would not put a foot wrong. He navigated lapped traffic when he needed to and led every lap to secure the $5,000 payday. It was his fourth Series victory of the 2026 season making him the winningest driver on the tour so far and also completed the weekend sweep after he won at Thayer County Speedway in Deshler, Nebraska the night prior. Pospisil’s win also made him the winningest SLMR driver on his home track with his now fifth victory. Pospsil’s triumph also marked his 53rd all-time with the SLMR Series further cementing his spot in second on the all-time win list.
Dylan Sillman recorded his best finish of the year with a second-place run while Blair Nothdurft came in third. Jake Neal came in fourth while Andrew Kosiski rounded out the top five.
Furthermore, Off Road Speedway Regular Beau Johnson nabbed a $300 bonus from Renegade Stores for his 11th-place effort which made him the highest running weekly late model racer in the main event. He edged out a pair of Norfolk natives Ben Sukup who finish 14th and Junior Coover who took 18th.
With the Bob Haase Memorial in the record books, up next is the final weekend of action in the month of August for the Malvern Bank SLMR Series. The West tour has a pair of races coming up on August 14th and 15th. On Friday the 14th, it is the Bill Kirk Memorial at the Park Jefferson Speedway in North Sioux City, South Dakota followed up by the second and final visit of the year to the Shelby County Speedway in Harlan, Iowa.
Credit: Anthony Ainslie
