Bemidji Speedway Hosts 5th Annual Michael Fullerton 500 Race

The biggest race on Sunday, July 6th at the Bemidji Speedway came early in the evening with the fifth annual Michael Fullerton 500.

The race is named for Michael Fullerton, a young man who has both cognitive and physical disabilities, but that hasn’t stop him from pursuing his passion of racing. He usually rides with his favorite driver Josh Berg in the #35B car, but this year he rode with Josh’s son Alex in the #18B.

Before the race began, the drivers left the pole position open to honor Michael’s grandfather, a former racer who passed away in December.

Then, it was off to the races. Despite falling behind early, the duo of Fullerton and Berg were able to find their way to the front of the pack and edged out second-place finisher Brandon Bahr in the #29X and Michael’s father Matt in the #1, who finished in third.

Afterwards, Michael received a standing ovation as he waved the checkered flag in the winners circle, and then went into the stands to shake hands and take pictures with the fans.

For more information about the race, here’s a story we did on the Michael Fullerton 500 last year: https://lptv.org/bemidji-speedway-holds-4th-annual-michael-fullerton-500-race-on-unified-special-olympics-night/