June 7, 2025

Runge Rules in SportMod Main at Southwest Speedway

Feature, Hobby Stock, News, Northern SportMod

SPM Leevi Runge VL PB MAK'n Photography — Leevi Runge collected the Karl Chevrolet IMCA Northern SportMod feature win during the June 4 Tougher Than Dirt Tour stop at Southwest Speedway in Dickinson, N.D. (Photo by MAK’n Photography)

By Ben Deatherage

DICKINSON, N.D. (Jun. 4, 2025) — Leevi Runge turned in a dominant performance to win the Karl Chevrolet IMCA Northern SportMod feature during the Tougher Than Dirt Tour stop at Southwest Speedway.

Ryder Raynard took the initial lead in the 25-lap main event, but reigning Junior National champion Payce Herrera, of Utah, made an early move to the front on lap two. Herrera’s bid for victory came to an end a few laps later when his car came to a stop, handing the lead to Runge.

Runge, a three-time Estevan Motor Speedway SportMod champion from Lampman, Saskatchewan, took off from there and only had to withstand a lap 22 caution for debris to seal the win. The triumph marked his first of the season and first career victory with the series.

Cole Hanshew recovered from an early-race incident to finish second, with Taylor Stenvold rounding out the podium in third.

Heaton Hustles to First Career Tour Win in Hobby Stocks

Taylor Heaton made a statement in the Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stock 20-lap feature, earning his first career Tougher Than Dirt Tour victory on his adopted home turf.

The Baker, Mont., driver — who considers Southwest Speedway his hometrack, located just two hours away — started sixth and took the lead around lap five, charging past early leader and defending track champion Kyler Satran.

Once out front, Heaton pulled away from the field and never looked back. The reigning Williston Basin Speedway champion picked up his third win of 2025 in the B&B Racing Chassis Northern Region, each at a different North Dakota facility.

Morgan Olmstead, the defending Tougher Than Dirt Tour champion from Nebraska, claimed second, while Kaiden Tuchscherer, the 2022 Estevan Motor Speedway champion, finished third.

Taylor Heaton was the winner of the Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stock feature during the Tougher Than Dirt Tour event at Southwest Speedway in Dickinson, N.D., on June 4. (Photo by MAK’n Photography)

The event was broadcast live on IMCA TV affiliate DARN TV. Catch every lap again with the IMCA TV Replay Subscription, available for just $24.99/month. And don’t miss Season 2 of the Boone Docuseries, now streaming exclusively on IMCA TV.

Feature

Tougher Than Dirt Tour Returns for 10th Annual Run Through North Dakota and Saskatchewan

By Ben Deatherage VINTON, Iowa (May 27, 2025) — The 2025 edition of the Tougher Than Dirt Tour is set to launch into its 10th season with six straight nights of high-powered IMCA racing, spotlighting the Karl Chevrolet IMCA Northern SportMods and the Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stocks. The tour kicks off Monday, June 3 and runs through Sunday, June 8, offering some of the most competitive racing for these divisions in the Northern Plains. The action begins at McLean County Speedway in Underwood, North Dakota on June 3, followed by a stop at Southwest Speedway in Dickinson on June 4. Williston Basin Speedway hosts round three on June 5, with the lone Canadian date coming at Estevan Motor Speedway in Saskatchewan on June 6. Thunder Mountain Speedway in Bottineau welcomes racers on June 7, before the finale on Sunday, June 8 at the historic Nodak Speedway in Minot. “I’m really looking forward to this week because it’s a great series of races for the local racers around these parts while also attracting some drivers from out [Read More]

IMCA Stock Cars new to Saturday shows at Southwest Speedway

DICKINSON, N.D. – Fans at Southwest Speedway can look forward to seeing IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars on a more regular basis. The Class Too Tough To Tame, a staple during annual Dakota Classic Tour visits for the past decade, joins Saturday night race programs at Dickinson beginning this season. IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing point season for the sanctioned Stock Cars, IMCA Modifieds, Karl Kustoms Northern SportMods and Mach-1 Sport Compacts runs from May 2 to Aug. 29. “We’re pretty amped up and ready to run the IMCA Stock Cars,” said promoter Luke Krogh. “We have a lot of fans who have only been able to see them once a year and I know the drivers are excited about it, too. The Stock Cars are one of the most competitive divisions out there.” “There are a lot of very good Stock Car drivers out there,” he continued, “from all over North Dakota to Estevan.” Stock Car points earned at Southwest Speedway figure toward IMCA EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region standings. The Tougher Than Dirt show is [Read More]

Southwest Dakota checkers fly for Thornton, Zevenbergen

DICKINSON, N.D. (July 14) – Ricky Thornton Jr. returned to the 31st annual Moritz Sport & Marine Dakota Classic IMCA Modified Tour presented by Bismarck Motor Company feature ranks to claim yet another feature win Tuesday at Southwest Speedway. Starting from the inside of row two, Thornton made quick work of polesitter Ryan Gaylord, claiming the lead early on. A handful of cautions scattered throughout the race did not deter Thornton on his way to the $2,400 checkers. Jake O’Neil, Tripp Gaylord, Jason Wolla and Austin Arneson rounded out the top five. Matt Speckman looked like he had the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car feature handled but became the victim of circumstance when second running Cole Trickle checked up and caught Speckman in the left rear, sending Speckman up and over and ending both of their nights.The winner in the situation turned out to be tour dominator Elijah Zevenbergen, who took command of the field with 11 to go and only faced a brief challenge from Dalton Flory before motoring to his fourth win of the [Read More]

Hobby Stock

Speedway Motors IMCA Weekly Racing National Point Standings through June 5, 2025

Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds – 1. Izac Mallicoat, Boone, Iowa, 855; 2. Spencer Diercks, Davenport, Iowa, 788; 3. Owen Barnhill, Milton, Florida, 747; 4. Chaz Baca, Mesa, Ariz., 731; 5. Trevor Fitz, Bondurant, Iowa, 702; 6. Todd Shute, Norwalk, Iowa, and Katelynn Robertson, Reno, Nev., both 699; 8. Logan Anderson, Eddyville, Iowa, 671; 9. Chris Zogg, New Liberty, Iowa, 659; 10. Luke Silber, Laveen, Ariz., 627; 11. Tyson Blood, Tumwater, Washington, 595; 12. Cody Laney, Fort Dodge, Iowa, 584; 13. Clifton (C. R.) Eisenzimer, Cascade, Montana, 581; 14. Logan Veloz, Colona, Ill., 577; 15. Austin Stamm, Orangeville, Ill., 570; 16. Marcus Tomlinson, Turtle Lake, N.D., 563; 17. Jeremy Mills, Clear Lake, Iowa, 549; 18. William Gould, Calera, Okla., 546; 19. Shane Paris, Muscatine, Iowa, 542; 20. Eston Whisler, Otis, Oregon, 539. IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars – 1. John Oliver Jr., West Burlington, Iowa, 766; 2. Shelby Williams, Bonham, Texas, 742; 3. Johnathon D. Logue, Boone, Iowa, 690; 4. Bobby Eubanks, Concordia, Kan., 661; 5. Mike Albertsen, Audubon, Iowa, 659; 6. Casey Murdoch, Surprise, Ariz., 635; [Read More]

Feature

Curtis and Tiffany Towns: Together in Victory on a Fairytale Night

By Ben Deatherage COTTAGE GROVE, Ore. (Jun. 6, 2025) — May 17 was more than just a night of racing at Cottage Grove Speedway. For Curtis and Tiffany Towns, it was magic — a shared dream realized. Racing in front of their hometown crowd, both husband and wife picked up wins in their respective IMCA divisions: Curtis in the Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds, and Tiffany in the Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compacts. It marked Tiffany’s first career feature win, and for the Towns family, it was unforgettable. As she climbed out of her car and pumped her fists into the air, the crowd roared. Within seconds, Curtis sprinted into victory lane, wrapped her in a hug, and raised her arm in triumph. “I said once that my biggest dream was to win on the same night as Curtis,” she said. “To have it actually happen still doesn’t feel real.” A Journey From Skybox to Speedway Curtis began his racing career in 2006, following in the tire tracks of his uncle Don Muth — a local legend at [Read More]

Feature

Deschamp Doubles Up with Tougher Than Dirt Tour at Williston

By Ben Deatherage WILLISTON, N.D. (Jun. 5, 2025) — Gabe Deschamp mastered restarts and lapped traffic at Williston Basin Speedway to win Thursday’s 25-lap Karl Chevrolet IMCA Northern SportMod feature during the Tougher Than Dirt Tour at the Upper Missouri Valley Fairgrounds. Tanner Conlin paced the field early, only for the previous night’s winner, Leevi Runge, to take command the next lap. Two-time defending tour champion Deschamp got past Runge on lap three, but a caution reverted the lead back to Runge. Runge, the three-time Estevan Motor Speedway track champion, had to deal with multiple restarts. On the final green flag run, which began on lap seven, Deschamp applied heavy pressure and eventually grabbed the lead on lap nine. Despite encountering lapped traffic on lap 13, Deschamp, from Westhope, mastered the conditions to secure his second win of the week, his second straight at Williston, and his eighth career tour victory. It was his sixth overall win of the season in the SportMod ranks. Runge held on for second, edging out the 2006 McLean County and [Read More]

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