Feature Stories

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, [Read More]

By Ben Deatherage SPENCER, Iowa (Jun. 4, 2025) — Kelly Shryock completed his dominance of the Sunoco IMCA Stock Car features during the IMCA Summer Nationals at Clay County Fair Speedway, winning Wednesday’s $5,000-to-win 30-lapper in dominant fashion. Texan Jeffrey Abbey, the 2016 Smiley’s Racing Products IMCA Southern SportMod National champion, jumped to the early lead. But Shryock, the defending Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s winner, was on the move from eighth. Piloting the Lake Mills Motorsports No. 3 owned by Mike Hauan, Shryock powered into the lead on lap five, overtaking Abbey at the stripe. The Fertile, Iowa, native pulled away from the field and never looked back, even while navigating lapped traffic in the closing circuits. The victory was Shryock’s second of the week at Spencer and his sixth of the season in the EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region. Abbey held on to second while Braden Richards rallied from 14th starting to finish third. Braaksma Dominates for Summer Nationals Modified Title Ethan Braaksma returned to form in the Friesen Performance IMCA [Read More]

By Ben Deatherage UNDERWOOD, N.D. (June 3, 2025) — Cash Saxon brought the crowd to their feet at McLean County Speedway, pulling off a thrilling late-race pass in the Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stock feature during the opening leg of the 2025 Tougher Than Dirt Tour. The 20-lap feature opened with Kaiden Tuchscherer getting the early advantage. Despite a handful of cautions in the first half, Tuchscherer — the 2022 Estevan Motor Speedway champion — controlled the pace. Suddenly, Diezel Raynard found speed on the bottom line and made a run at the lead. Raynard took over on lap 11, but Tuchscherer fought back and regained the top spot just two laps later. Raynard wasn’t done, though, and wrestled the lead away again on lap 15. But with just two laps to go, Saxon — from Lampman, Saskatchewan — made a brilliant move around both frontrunners to take over and never looked back. Starting third, Saxon earned his first win of the season in the B&B Racing Chassis Northern Region and his first career Tougher Than Dirt [Read More]

By Ben Deatherage WEST FARGO, N.D. (May 31, 2025) — The 3rd Annual Danny Schatz Memorial drew an event-record 26 RaceSaver IMCA Sprint Car entries at Red River Valley Speedway, where Tye Wilke became the third different winner in as many editions of the prestigious event. Jeremy Kerzman jumped to the early lead in the 20-lap, $1,515-to-win feature and quickly distanced himself from the field. By lap four, lapped traffic began to factor in, and Laela Eisenschenk — granddaughter of the race’s namesake — started reeling him in. But the driver on the move was Wilke, the two-time defending North Dakota State champion from Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, who started fifth and made the bottom groove work to perfection. He grabbed second on lap 13 and slipped past Kerzman one lap later for the lead. From there, Wilke sliced through heavy traffic and never looked back, pulling away in the non-stop main event to score his fifth win of the season and third triumph of 2025 at Red River Valley Speedway. Kerzman held on for second, while [Read More]

By Ben Deatherage SPENCER, Iowa (Jun. 2, 2025) — The Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stocks were in their final night of Summer Nationals competition at Clay County Fair Speedway on Monday night, and the $1,500-to-win 18-lap main event delivered an absolute thriller. Blake Luinenburg, the reigning track champion at both Murray County and Worthington Speedways, launched from the outside pole and immediately took command using the high groove. A caution on lap five bunched up the field, allowing Tyler Smith and 2022 National Hobby Stock champion Dillon Richards to close in on the restart. Luinenburg built another strong lead, but Richards — who started 14th — began methodically searching the track for speed. He found it, and by lap 12, he was at the leader’s door. Richards worked the bottom while Luinenburg held firm up top. The two exchanged the lead before a caution flew just after Luinenburg reclaimed the spot. On the restart with five to go, Richards pulled even and took the lead for good on lap 15. Luinenburg mounted one last-lap charge, but the [Read More]