Estevan fans cheer Scholpp to IMCA.TV Dakota Tour checkers

Feature, Modified, Stock Car

Kody Scholpp defended his home track and raced to his IMCA.TV Dakota Classic Tour career first win, topping Monday’s Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature at Estevan Motor Speedway. (Photo by Byron Fichter)

ESTEVAN, Sask. (July 10, 2023) – Fans at Estevan Motor Speedway cheered one of their own to the checkers Monday night, when the IMCA.TV Dakota Classic Tour returned to Canada.

Hometown driver Kody Scholpp led all but one lap of the 30-lap Friesen Performance IMCA Modified  main event, taking his first-ever tour win, good for $2,000, ahead of Jason Wolla and Tim Ward.

“I’ve never done that great on the tour,” said Scholpp, who had a career-best third place finish the previous night at Minot. “This was my main goal for the tour this year. I wanted to win at Estevan and defend my home track.”

“It’s amazing,” he added. “I’ve raced here for 19 years and in a Modified since 2008. The fans here support me so well.”

Scholpp was fast from the get-go, taking charge from his outside front row starting spot and running three seconds ahead of Ward before he got into lapped traffic at halfway.

Ward, who’d won Sunday’s opening night feature Sunday at Jamestown, was in front briefly following a lap 18 restart but Scholpp answered with a pass of his own and was not challenged the last 11 times around the track.

Wolla had started ninth and fell further back before rallying to the top five by lap 20 and to second on lap 27.

Following Ward across the stripe were Ricky Alvarado, Travis Hagen and hard charger Marcus Tomlinson, who had started last in the field of 26.

A Border Challenge winner at Estevan in May, Scholpp was already eligible to qualify for the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational.

Monday’s 34th annual Dakota Tour event was the first held in Canada since the pre pandemic 2019 season. Scholpp had led much of the way before ending sixth in the Modified feature that evening in Estevan.

Rob VanMil and Trent Grager repeated their 1-2 finish from Jamestown in the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car feature.

Defending tour champion Grager led the first five laps. VanMil was half a car length ahead on the higher line when lap six was scored and led the last 19 circuits for another $1,000 payday.

Rob VanMil celebrated a second IMCA Sunoco Stock Car win in three IMCA.TV Dakota Classic Tour starts Monday at Estevan Motor Speedway. (Photo by Byron Fichter)

Jordan Zillmer, Daniel Eckblad and Shawn Strand rounded out the top five. Texan Shelby Williams charged from 17th starting to sixth.

Williston Basin Speedway is the Tuesday, July 11 destination for Modified and Stock Car drivers following the tour, with the final two shows July 12 at Southwest Speedway and July 13 at Dacotah Speedway.

IMCA.TV broadcasts each night of the tour.

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