By Becca Pelkey
MANDAN, N.D. (May 8, 2026) — Fans were on their feet during a wild Sunoco IMCA Stock Car feature that saw Geoff Hellman emerge victorious after a chaotic and action-packed Friday night battle at Dacotah Speedway.
Travis Ulmer and Brennor Grinstead fought fiercely for the lead in the early stages while defending track champion Hellman carved his way through the field from 12th starting position.
The trio eventually raced three-wide for the top spot, occasionally making contact while thrilling the crowd with an intense battle for supremacy.
A caution with seven laps remaining tightened the field, and more drama unfolded on the restart when contact between Hellman and Grinstead sent Grinstead spinning in front of the pack, collecting Andrew Jochim. Grinstead was sent to the rear following the incident.
On the final restart, Jochim, who had started 10th, mounted one last challenge for the lead, but Mandan’s Hellman held him off at the stripe to collect his second straight feature win and second EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region victory of the season.
Jochim finished second while Jeremy Engelhardt crossed the line third. Matt Dosch advanced from 11th to fourth, and Ulmer rounded out the top five.
Schmitz Charges to Modified Victory
Logan Schmitz tracked down Marcus Tomlinson late in the race and surged to victory in a thrilling Karl Kustoms IMCA Modified feature.
Racing veteran Mark Dahl paced the field early before Tomlinson reeled him in and took command on lap nine after a spirited side-by-side battle.
As the leaders dueled, Washburn’s Schmitz closed the gap in a hurry. After taking second away from Dahl, Schmitz challenged Tomlinson for the lead before slight contact with the inside wall forced him to regroup.
Schmitz quickly gathered himself and resumed the chase. With seven laps remaining, he completed the winning pass on Tomlinson and pulled away to secure his first Dacotah Speedway victory and second Razor Chassis North Central Region triumph of the season after starting fifth.
Tomlinson later came under pressure from Jamestown’s John Corell, who made a late-race move to finish second. Tomlinson settled for third while points leader Travis Tooley advanced from 13th to fourth. Crist Pittenger completed the top five.
The event was broadcast live on IMCA TV. Catch every lap again with the IMCA TV Replay Subscription, available for just $25.99/month. And don’t miss Season 2 of the Boone Docuseries, streaming exclusively on IMCA TV.
