By Ben Deatherage
MINOT, N.D. (Aug. 10, 2025) — Westhope’s Gabriel Deschamp topped the inaugural John Gaule Memorial at Nodak Speedway on Sunday night, pocketing $4,000 in the biggest Karl Chevrolet IMCA Northern SportMod race in North Dakota. The 40-lap main event honored the late John Gaule and drew a talent-packed field from all over the state and abroad for its first running.
Three-time Estevan Motor Speedway champion and 2025 Tougher Than Dirt Tour titlist Leevi Runge paced the opening laps after starting from the pole. Reigning North Dakota State champion Keenan Glasser powered into the lead on lap nine, but just three circuits later it was 2025 Nodak Speedway champion Chad Stratchen taking over. The trio traded positions through the middle stages, with Deschamp — the two-time Tougher Than Dirt Tour champion and reigning Thunder Mountain and Estevan Motor Speedways title holder — joining the fray by the halfway mark.
A three-wide tangle among the leaders with less than 10 laps to go shook up the order and gave Stratchen the lead for a late restart. Deschamp surged back to the front on lap 32, then nailed the final restart after a red flag to secure his 17th SportMod victory of the season and third at the North Dakota State Fairgrounds 3/8-mile oval. Stratchen settled for second while Iowa’s Josh Appel charged from 17th to round out the podium.
Hagen Hustles to Modified Main Event Win
Travis Hagen returned to victory lane at Nodak Speedway on Sunday night, leading all 25 laps of the Friesen Performance IMCA Modified main event. The win came over a strong field that kept the pressure on through multiple restarts.
Hagen, an eight-time Williston Basin Speedway champion, jumped to the early lead while Steven Pfeifer — a three-time Nodak titleholder who won the championship this year and last season — and Kody Scholpp — a five-time and defending Estevan Motor Speedway track champion — battled for second. Scholpp took the spot on lap nine and began chipping away at Hagen’s advantage as the leaders worked lapped traffic. A lap 16 caution closed the gap, but Hagen kept Scholpp at bay on the restart.
One final yellow with three laps left set up a sprint to the checkers. Pfeifer’s move to challenge Scholpp for second allowed Hagen to pull away and secure the victory. Scholpp held onto the runner-up spot with Pfeifer finishing third.
Hughbanks Hauls in Sport Compact Checkers
Minot’s Zach Hughbanks scored his 10th win of the season, and sixth at Nodak Speedway, in Sunday night’s Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compact feature. The victory added to an already stellar season for the 2025 track champion.
Hughbanks led from the drop of the green and looked untouchable for most of the 12-lap race. A lap five caution brought two-time defending North Dakota State champion Krys Yost to his back bumper, but Hughbanks quickly pulled away on the restart. Brooklyn Tomlinson made a late move to take second, with Yost rounding out the podium.
The event was broadcast live on IMCA TV. Catch every lap again with the IMCA TV Replay Subscription, available for just $24.99/month. Don’t miss Season 2 of the Boone Docuseries, now streaming exclusively on IMCA TV.
