Two of the best in the west are IMCA.TV Dakota Tour winners at Southwest

Feature, Modified, Stock Car

Jerry Flippo led the last half of Wednesday’s Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature at Southwest Speedway for his career first IMCA.TV Dakota Classic Tour triumph. (Photo by Byron Fichter)

DICKINSON, N.D. (July 12, 2023) – Drivers from, or with close ties to the West Coast have enjoyed their share of success and then some over the course of recent IMCA.TV Dakota Classic Tours.

That trend continued Wednesday night at Dickinson, when Californian Jerry Flippo and Arizonan Zachary Madrid made trips to Southwest Speedway’s victory lane.

Flippo caught Drew Janssen for the lead following a restart at midway then led to the end of the Friesen Performance IMCA Modified 30-lapper, dogged to the $2,000 checkers  by Kyle Strickler.

2021 tour champion Madrid, meanwhile, led all but the first circuit in the 25-lap, IMCA Sunoco Stock Car main, keeping the handle after inadvertent contact with second running and two-time tour winner Rob VanMil late in their battle for a $1,000 payday.

Flippo’s win was his tour career first and second since returning to IMCA action in the Midwest in early May. He’d started fifth and got the best of a four-car battle for second before the fateful lap 15 restart. Janssen and Tanner Black both ran in second before Strickler.

Strickler was able to cut into Flippo’s lead but ran out of laps, finishing 1.4 seconds behind Flippo and just over a tenth of a second in front of Black at the finish. Dan Roedl and 20th starting Tim Ward completed the top five.

“It was awesome,” said Flippo, who had been Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifying eligible since winning the Rage Chassis Race of Champions at last September’s IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. “We’ve been working real hard on this car and that’s paid off.”

In front early, Madrid led Stock Car pole starter Adam Goff before the only caution of that feature waved on lap eight.


2021 champion Zachary Madrid won his first 2023 IMCA.TV Dakota Classic Tour feature, outrunning Rob VanMil in an IMCA Sunoco Stock Car thriller Wednesday at Southwest Speedway. (Photo by Byron Fichter)

VanMil was in second when the next circuit was scored and the two-car battle up front would be a dandy as Goff, Dan Mackenthun and Angel Munoz ran 3-4-5 behind them.

The front pair traded paint coming to the line with six to go. Madrid probably held his breath for a second or two before holding off VanMil to the finish.

“We were really good and Rob was really good tonight,” said Madrid, glancing back to see if his left rear tire had gone flat. “I love winning these things. They’re super fun.”

The B & B Racing Chassis All-Star Invitational qualifying eligible win was Madrid’s fourth. Hard charger Shelby Williams raced from 17th starting to sixth.

All five nights of the 34th annual Dakota Classic Tour  are broadcast by IMCA.TV. Modified and Stock Car championships will be decided in the finale Thursday, July 13 at Dacotah Speedway in Mandan.

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