Feature

Long tows pay off with IMCA Dakota Tour Nodak Speedway wins for Dotson, Madrid

By Rebecca Rattei MINOT, N.D. (July 11) – Ethan Dotson’s IMCA Modified success in the Midwest continued on Sunday, as the Corral Sales Dakota Classic Tour moved to Nodak Speedway for night two. Dotson got the best of Tripp Gaylord in a back-and-forth battle, regaining the lead on the last lap and then pulling away to the $2,000 IMCA Modified victory at the North Dakota State Fairgrounds oval. “The Dakota Tour has always been a big deal. It’s pretty cool to finally be able to win one of these races,” the California driver said. “There were a lot of good cars from a lot of states here.” Minot’s own Steven Pfeifer led the field to the green flag and raced side-by-side with Dotson who eventually grabbed the lead 10 laps into the 30-lapper. Gaylord used a series of mid-race cautions to his advantage in catching Pfeifer for second. As the laps wound down, Gaylord was all over Dotson’s rear bumper before pulling ahead. “I chose the wrong line with about three to go,” Dotson said, [Read More]

Results

Nodak to host IMCA Dakota Tour on two nights as U.S.-Canadian border remains closed

MINOT, N.D. – With the restriction on non-essential travel between the United States and Canada extended into mid-July, Nodak Speedway will host a second Corral Sales Dakota Classic Tour event. Touring IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars are at Minot on Sunday, July 11 and now Monday, July 12 as well. Estevan Motor Speedway in Saskatchewan would have been the site of the Monday show had travel restrictions, imposed last March due to the Covid-19 pandemic, been eased. “Due to this fact that we have no control over, the Corral Sales Dakota Classic Modified Tour will revert to Plan B with Nodak Speedway in Minot taking the Monday, July 12 date in place of Estevan,” said Tour Director John Gartner, also noting that fully vaccinated Canadians may have an easier time traveling by air to the U.S.  The 32nd annual tour starts Saturday, July 10 at Jamestown Speedway. Following the two Minot dates are events on July 13 at Williston Basin Speedway, July 14 at Southwest Speedway in Dickinson and July 15 at Dacotah Speedway [Read More]

Events

IMCA Dakota Classic Tour point funds total $10,000

MANDAN, N.D. – Point funds totaling $10,000 will be paid to IMCA Modified and IMCA Sunoco Stock Car drivers in top 10 point standings for the upcoming Corral Sales IMCA Dakota Classic Tour. Courtesy of Hoosier Tire and IMCA, point fund amounts increase from $2,000 to $6,500 for the Modifieds and from $1,000 to $3,500 for the Stock Cars. The Modified champion earns $1,600, with $1,150 for second, $850 for third, $700 for fourth, $550 for fifth, $450 for sixth and $300 for seventh through 10th places. The Stock Car champion gets a $850 share of the point fund, with $625 for second, $475 for third, $400 for fourth, $325 for fifth, $225 for sixth and $150 for seventh through 10th. All Modified features pay $2,000 to win and are qualifying events for the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot. Stock Car features pay $1,000 with winners becoming eligible to qualify for the B & B Chassis All-Star race. Opening night for the 32nd annual tour is Saturday, July 10 at Jamestown Speedway. From there it heads to [Read More]

Feature

Nodak show sees Thornton, Zevenbergen win again

MINOT, N.D. (July 12) – The battle was for second place on night three of the Dakota Classic Modified Tour. Ricky Thornton Jr. started on the pole and stayed in front every time around the Nodak Speed­way oval, earning $2,400 for his latest IMCA Modified tour checkers. He was catching up with the back of the field just after midway when the caution came out and took traffic temporarily out of the equation. The top five pulled away after the ensuing restart and while Thornton was lapping cars the final five circuits, Austin Arneson, Jason Wolla, Eddie Belec and Spencer Wilson could not catch the leader and followed him across the stripe on that order. Elijah Zevenbergen ran his streak to three straight IMCA Sunoco Stock Car tour checkers. Chanse Hollatz and Dalton Flory took turns at the point before Zevenbergen gained the lead 10 laps in. Feature Results Modifieds – 1. Ricky Thornton Jr.; 2. Austin Arneson; 3. Jason Wolla; 4. Eddie Belec; 5. Spencer Wil­son; 6. Robert Hellebust; 7. John Corell; 8. Billy Kendall [Read More]

Feature

Thornton steals the show at Nodak

By Jackson Braun MINOT, N.D. (July 7) – Ricky Thornton Jr. may have had the worst redraw of the IMCA Modified heat race winners at Nodak Speedway, but he maneuvered his 20RT machine through the field and grabbed a cool $2,400 check in Sunday’s second installment of the Kupper Chevrolet Dakota Classic Tour. The 2015 tour champion started outside row four alongside the winner of the opener at Jamestown, Tom Berry Jr. Chris Schroeder and Iowa wheelman Justin O’Brien led the field to green. O’Brien tried to get a jump on Schroeder, but Schroeder took the field by surprise and powered his machine below O’Brien’s back into the top spot.  Racing action was fierce in between the cautions. Lucas Schott challenged O’Brien for second early on. Schott and O’Brien had a handful of cars to fend off, as the likes of Thornton, Berry, Jason Wolla, Hunter Marriott and Robert Hellebust contended for top five positioning. On a restart after the halfway point in the race, Thornton got a couple good runs in the corners and [Read More]

Events

30th annual Kupper Chevrolet Dakota Classic Tour starts Saturday in Jamestown

JAMESTOWN, N.D. – IMCA Modified and IMCA Sunoco Stock Car drivers from 12 states and Can­ada have already pre-registered for the 30th annual Kupper Chevrolet Dakota Classic Tour. The tour starts its six consecutive day run Saturday, July 6 at Jamestown Speedway. The Tour then goes to Nodak Speedway at Minot on Sunday, July 7. On Monday, July 8, the series travels across the international border to Estevan, Sask., Motor Speedway.  Williston Basin Speedway is the next stop on Tuesday, July 9. The series then heads to South­west Speedway in Dickinson on Wednesday, July 10. Dacotah Speedway in Mandan hosts Champion­ship Night on Thursday, July 11, and the Corral Sales Legendary 50 on Friday, July 12. All Modified features pay $2,400 to win and are qualifying events for the 2019 Fast Shafts All-Star Invi­tational ballot, while all Stock Car features pay $800 to win. The Legendary 50 pays a record $10,004 to win the IMCA Modified feature, another 2019 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot qualifier. More than $120,000 in payout is offered for the tour [Read More]

Feature

Marriott goes back-to-back with Nodak win, Zevenbergen rules Dakota Tour Stock Cars 

By Mike Spieker MINOT, N.D. (July 8) – Hunter Marriott looks poised to back up last year’s Kupper Chevrolet Dakota Classic IMCA Modified Tour championship. The Brookfield, Mo., driver claimed the $2,454 IMCA Modified win Sunday at Nodak Speedway for his second win in as many nights. Things heated up at halfway as both Ricky Thornton Jr. and Marriott got a run on leader Michael Greseth down the backstretch, which made for a three-wide race for the lead into turn three. Marriott went from third to the point as Thornton drifted up out of turn four and caught the wall. Greseth returned the favor on Marriott with a big slide job in turns one and two, but Marriott was able to regain the lead down the backstretch.  Once out front, Marriott checked out from the rest of the field. Behind him, a torrid battle for second continued. On lap 18, Tim Ward drove from fifth to second after getting a run off turn two. Greseth, Wolla and Thornton went three wide for third into turn three, [Read More]