Some had to fight off the competition, while others found their way around it during feature races Friday night at Brown County Speedway, Aberdeen.

Dylan Zabel won his first feature at the local oval in nearly four years by taking the checkered flag in the Modified division. The Selby driver was glad that the win came at his home track.

“This the track that I want to win at the most,” Zabel said. “I grew up here watching my dad (Duane) race, so this is where I want to win at the most out of any track, and it just feels good to be back.”

Zabel fought off a hard-charging Mike Stearns of Aberdeen to stay in front throughout the race. Zabel ran the high side of the track, despite the risk of potentially going over the top.

“My last car I rolled really bad unto the cushion. … That was kind of psychological thing where you’d be going to the top and lap after lap it would come up in your mind,” Zabel said, “and I think it’s just finally starting to go away.”

Meanwhile, Trevor Nelson of Warner found his away around the leader to take the regular Super Stock feature on the evening. Nelson trailed Nathan Grehl of Hitchcock for the majority of the race, before taking the lead with five laps remaining.

“I didn’t know really what the track was doing,” Nelson said. “I kind of made the middle work there for a while. The top was the place to be. I knew once I got the lead I probably had to get back up.”

Nelson was also chasing Grehl in the make-up feature earlier in the evening, but wasn’t able to catch him.

“We were good in that first feature,” Nelson said. “Our right front tire was going down throughout the race and that’s why we kind of fell back, but we were pretty good.”

And by the time the second feature rolled around, Nelson was even better.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve been that fast on this track,” Nelson said. “It was really get up and go.”

Earlier in the evening, Grehl won the first Super Stock feature. It helped to erase a bit of frustration from previous events where Grehl had chances but came away empty.

“We actually had two deals that were here that just got away from us,” Grehl said. “This definitely helps. Another one later tonight will help some more.”

Grehl, who started on the outside pole in the first feature, started on the inside pole in the second main event. While those are prime positions, Grehl said he would prefer to be back a row or two.

“I’d almost rather start second or third row than front row,” Grehl said, “because you just never know where to be and the 71 (Nelson) is always lurking back there somewhere.”

Brennon Weight of LaMoure, N.D., was lurking in the background of the Midwest Modified main event and when he saw his chance he pounced on it.

Weight took advantage of a late-race restart to surge into the lead.

“We were just patiently waiting, but yet you’ve got to go, because the guys behind you are trying to get around you, too,” Weight said. “Actually, we were patiently waiting there and let another guy get around us, so now we were third, but you’ve got to be patient on these deals.”

Interestingly enough, Weight almost didn’t even come to the races because of rain in North Dakota during the day.

“We had no intention of coming down here,” Weight said. “We were actually going to go to a concert instead.”

Jayden Bogh of Huron made an early lead stand up on the way to winning the Street Stock feature. While he never trailed in the event, he had to try to figure out the best way around the oval.

“I just paid attention on our parade laps. I knew the bottom was going to be good. It was pretty brown,” Bogh said. “I was getting pretty loose on three and four, so I figured I’d try the top just once. When I had to go around the laps cars on one and two, I was up top and I noticed it was pretty dirty, and the car just didn’t like it.”

Chad Becker of Aberdeen won the Late Model feature after starting on the outside of the fourth row.

Racing continues at 7 p.m. Friday.

To see complete results, click on the following link:

https://www.myracepass.com/events/526083/races