ELKO NEW MARKET, Minn. (October 17, 2018) – Everyone calls Mark Noble a rookie, but he's a rookie in name only.
Noble, wrapping up his first year in the Minimizer Bandit Big Rig Series finally captured that elusive feature win at Elko Speedway Saturday night.
"We've been trying to get (to Victory Lane) all year, and we finally made it," Noble said.
Noble has more than 600 career wins on the dirt track, but the 2018 season is his first go-round with the Bandits.
"I have a lot of respect for Mark," Ricky Rude said. "He races me clean, and he had a great race."
Rude fell short of the feature win, finishing second, but he picked up his second straight season points championship at the end of the night.
"I'm tickled to death," Rude said. "I hope I can make it three in a row (in 2019). That's my goal."
Elko Speedway, the site of a packed house back in August, witnessed the return of Dave ‘Heavy D' Sparks. Sparks piloted the #51 truck for the second time this year, while Diesel Brothers castmate and friend ‘Diesel' Dave Kiley made his Bandit debut driving the #98. "This is one of the wildest forms of racing I've ever been a part of," Sparks said.
The Bandits will take the winter to tune and tinker with their trucks, but next year's schedule is expected to be released in the coming months.
As for the ‘rookie' Noble, he expects to be back driving for Kruckeberg Motorsports when the green flag flies for the first time in 2019.
"I have to thank God for this," Noble said. "I'm just an old guy having fun, and fortunate enough to do it."
