By Ben Deatherage
ESTEVAN, SK (July 20, 2025) — The second night of Riley Raynard’s Dirt Wars brought drama, dominance, and down-to-the-wire action to Estevan Motor Speedway. Despite weather threats, fans were treated to thrilling performances across six Speedway Motors IMCA Weekly divisions, with Diezel Raynard stealing the show in the Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stocks.
The evening kicked off with a makeup Hobby Stock feature from Saturday. Brody Singleton paced the opening circuits, withstanding early pressure from Tyson Grinstead. A series of cautions interrupted the flow, but reigning Dirt Wars champion and 2025 Tougher Than Dirt Tour titleholder Diezel Raynard methodically carved his way forward from mid-pack. Following a lap 14 restart, Raynard surged into the lead and never looked back, holding off Kaiden Tuchscherer and Singleton to score the win.
Raynard wasn’t finished. In the scheduled Sunday finale, Nick Martin and Grinstead initially traded the lead before Grinstead emerged out front on lap two. Raynard quickly entered the picture and battled Grinstead amid lapped traffic by lap six. A caution on lap eight proved decisive—Raynard capitalized on the restart, with Grinstead and Cash Saxon tangling in a fierce second-place battle that let Raynard build breathing room.
A late caution set up a dramatic conclusion, but Raynard was flawless in the green-white-checkered dash. The Lampman native completed the sweep and became just the second driver since 2017 to win Dirt Wars twice. It was his fourth win at Estevan this year and seventh overall in the B&B Racing Chassis Northern Region in 2025.
Pfeifer Nips Saxon in Modified Photo Finish
In Friesen Performance IMCA Modified action, Dexter Saxon led from the drop of the green and looked unbeatable until veteran and two-time Dirt Wars champion Steven Pfeifer began reeling him in. On lap 18, the seventh-starting Pfeifer dove low, and the two battled side-by-side to the white flag. In a thrilling drag race to the finish, Pfeifer edged ahead by inches to score a spectacular win—his fourth of the season in the Razor Chassis North Central Region and the first time he has north of the border in 2025. Estevan regular Aaron Turnbull, also a two-time track champion, completed the podium in third.
Hortness Holds Strong in Stock Cars
The Sunoco IMCA Stock Car feature saw Estevan’s own Chris Hortness take over the lead on lap two and fend off relentless pressure in the closing laps. Kyle Scholpp clawed into second and reeled in the 2022 track champion during green flag action. The two encountered lapped traffic with under ten laps to go, and Scholpp nearly pulled off a last-lap upset, but Hortness powered off the final corner to win by half a car length. Hortness started fifth and earned his second win of the EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region season. Gabe Deschamp finished third.
Mayer Masters Glasser for SportMod Win
The Karl Chevrolet IMCA Northern SportMods put on a barnburner as Dustin Mayer, who took the lead on lap two, had his hands full with relentless attacks from Keenan Glasser. A would-be pass by Glasser on lap 11 was erased by a yellow flag. Glasser—reigning North Dakota State and Williston Basin Speedway champ—continued to pester Mayer on the restart, but the Frobisher racer never flinched. Mayer, who started sixth, hung on by inches to earn his first win of 2025. Newly crowned Tougher Than Dirt Tour champion Leevi Runge rounded out the podium in third.
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.
