By Ben Deatherage
MINOT, N.D. (June 12, 2026) — Consistency proved just as valuable as race wins during the 2026 T&A Tong and Indicator Tougher Than Dirt Tour presented by Schatz Performance, as Payce Herrera and Diezel Raynard emerged with championships after five nights of competition across North Dakota and Saskatchewan.
Payce Herrera of Price, Utah, claimed the Karl Kustoms IMCA Northern SportMod title by just four points. Herrera opened the tour with a runner-up finish at McLean County Speedway, scored his first career tour victory at Williston Basin Speedway, finished second at Estevan Motor Speedway, third at Thunder Mountain Speedway, and capped the week with another runner-up effort at Nodak Speedway.
Minot’s Chad Strachen finished second in the standings. His tour included a fourth-place finish at McLean County Speedway, runner-up efforts at Williston Basin Speedway and Thunder Mountain Speedway, a third-place run at Estevan Motor Speedway, and another podium finish with third at Nodak Speedway.
Estevan, Saskatchewan’s Keenan Glasser ended the week third in points despite winning four of the five features. Glasser charged from sixth to win the opener at McLean County Speedway before suffering a DNF at Williston Basin Speedway. He rebounded with victories at Estevan Motor Speedway, Thunder Mountain Speedway, and Nodak Speedway.
Lance Lochthowe of Minot claimed fourth in points. Lochthowe opened the tour with a sixth-place finish at McLean County Speedway before encountering trouble at Williston Basin Speedway and ending up 12th. He rebounded with an eighth-place run at Estevan Motor Speedway, followed by a ninth-place finish at Thunder Mountain Speedway and another eighth-place effort in the Nodak Speedway finale.
Rounding out the top five was Jayden Pavlicek of Casselton. After a DNF in the opener, Pavlicek rebounded with finishes of third at Williston Basin Speedway, fifth at Estevan Motor Speedway, 13th at Thunder Mountain Speedway, and seventh in the Nodak Speedway finale.
Completing the top 10 in Northern SportMod points were Tim Goodwin, Quentin Skjerdal, Cole Hanshew, Stan Tomlinson, and William Van Hook Jr.
Lampman, Saskatchewan’s Diezel Raynard secured his second consecutive Tougher Than Dirt Tour championship by eight points. Raynard finished second at McLean County Speedway, third at Williston Basin Speedway, then rattled off back-to-back victories at Estevan Motor Speedway and Thunder Mountain Speedway before concluding the tour with a sixth-place finish at Nodak Speedway.
Lampman, SK’s Diezel Raynard captured his second consecutive Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stock championship in the 2026 T&A Tong and Indicator Tougher Than Dirt Tour presented by Schatz Performance. Raynard earned the crown after collecting two feature wins during the five-race swing across North Dakota and Saskatchewan. (Photo by MAK’n Photography)
Nathan DeRagon of Peoria, Arizona, finished second in the standings. DeRagon swept the opening two nights at McLean County Speedway and Williston Basin Speedway before recording a third-place finish at Estevan Motor Speedway. He recovered from adversity at Thunder Mountain Speedway to finish sixth and closed the tour with a 10th-place run at Nodak Speedway.
Pat Smith of Ninga, Manitoba, earned third in points. Smith opened the tour with an eighth-place finish at McLean County Speedway before recording back-to-back runner-up efforts at Williston Basin Speedway and Estevan Motor Speedway. He followed with a fifth-place run at Thunder Mountain Speedway and concluded the week seventh in the Nodak Speedway finale, giving him top-10 finishes at all five events.
Cash Saxon, also from Lampman, finished fourth in the championship chase. Saxon began the tour with a third-place finish at McLean County Speedway, followed by ninth at Williston Basin Speedway and fifth at Estevan Motor Speedway. He added a seventh-place effort at Thunder Mountain Speedway before ending the week with a runner-up finish at Nodak Speedway.
Minot’s Kyler Satran completed the top five. Satran finished sixth in the opener, fourth at Williston Basin Speedway, 10th at Estevan Motor Speedway, third at Thunder Mountain Speedway, and third again in the Nodak Speedway finale.
Rounding out the top 10 in Hobby Stock points were Tyson Grinstead, Brody Beeter, Colby Patterson, Sage Borud, and Ethan Beckedahl.
The entire series was broadcast live on IMCA TV affiliate DARN TV. Full replays are available with the IMCA TV Replay Subscription for $25.99/month. Don’t miss Season 2 of the Boone Docuseries, streaming exclusively on IMCA TV.
