Brainerd International Raceway hoping fans drive up to watch races from safety fence

Brainerd International Raceway, which has hosted spectator-free races for the past month, is inviting fans back for its Fan Appreciation Weekend on July 11-12.

The free drive-in-style event will feature the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli and the Sports Car Club of America. The weekend finale will be a pair of 100-mile, 40-lap races on Sunday.

Fans will be able to drive up next to the safety fence and watch the races from their cars. The road course is 2.5 miles long, which gives fans many vantage points.

The Trans Am Series also will provide six hours of live streaming on Sunday on its free app.

Wednesday night's racing at Canturbury Park ended with the largest pick-5 payout in track history, $85,340— a record that stood only one day. Long shots again came in Thursday and the pick-5 paid $98,908.20.

Lilfeatheredindian paid $94 to win in the fourth race to start the pick-5, and Son of Poseiden paid $74 in the fifth race.

Two former Gophers, receiver Tyler Johnson and defensive back Antoine Winfield Jr., were named to Big Ten Network's All-Decade Big Ten football team.

Johnson played in 49 games and made 213 career catches (second in school history) for 3,305 yards (first in school history) and 33 touchdowns (first in school history).

Winfield was named the Big Ten's Defensive Back of the Year in 2019 after tying a school modern-era, single-season record with seven interceptions.

The St. Paul Saints will play the Sioux Falls Canaries at 7 p.m. Friday in their American Association at the Canaries' stadium, the Birdcage.

The Saints are not playing any of their early games at home this season until crowd restrictions because of COVID-19 — now at 250 for outdoor events — are eased in Minnesota.

Edina defenseman Haley Maxwell, who will be a junior this season, committed to Ohio State, according to the Youth Hockey Hub.