dacotahspeedway Archives

Jochim Wins Mandan Meltdown Finale; Carter Claims First Career Stock Car Victory on Friday

By Becca Pelkey MANDAN, N.D. (May 3, 2025) — Andrew Jochim was the Saturday night star in the Sunoco IMCA Stock Car feature, outdueling a stacked field on the final night of Dacotah Speedway’s Mandan Meltdown doubleheader. Pole sitter Shawn Strand and Geoff Hellman swapped the lead in a spirited side-by-side battle until a lap eight caution regrouped the field. Strand cleared Hellman on the restart, but found himself under siege from Kalvin Kesselberg, Matt Dosch, and Andrew Jochim in a thrilling four-car battle for second. Contact shifted the running order, putting Jochim into the runner-up position. With ten laps to go, Jochim passed Strand and led the rest of the way, despite a determined charge by Strand, who searched for speed in the closing laps. Jochim crossed the line for his second win of the season at Dacotah and in the EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region. Kesselberg finished third. Todd Carter found victory lane on Friday night in the weekend’s opening IMCA Stock Car feature. He and Jason Berg exchanged the top spot early before [Read More]

Jochim Wins Thrilling Stock Car Feature to Kick Off Dacotah Speedway Season

By Becca Pelkey MANDAN, N.D. (Apr. 25, 2025) — For only the third time in Dacotah Speedway history, the track hosted its season opener in the month of April, kicking off the 2025 campaign with action-packed IMCA racing. Headlining the night was a thrilling Sunoco IMCA Stock Car feature, where Andrew Jochim delivered a late-race slide job to claim his first-ever Dacotah Speedway victory and first win of 2025 in the EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region. Adam Goff and Jeremy Engelhardt led the field to the green flag in the IMCA Stock Car feature. A series of early cautions regrouped the field, allowing Shawn Volk to enter the mix and make it a three-car battle. Running the high side of the track, Volk surged into the lead, but he soon had company in the form of a hard-charging Andrew Jochim. The two drivers battled intensely for the top spot. With three laps remaining, Jochim threw a perfectly timed slide job underneath Volk to take the lead and never looked back. Volk settled for second, while Brock [Read More]

Hughbanks scores sixth straight at Mandan

By Becca Pelkey MANDAN, N.D. (Aug. 16, 2024) – There’s no doubt about it, Zach Hughbanks is on a roll. The Minot hotshoe won his sixth straight Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compact feature Friday at Dacotah Speedway. Defending track champion Krys Yost led early as Alex Thompson, Benjamin Burke and Hughbanks raced hard for second place. Hughbanks shuffled into the third position and quickly challenged Thompson for second. Hughbanks passed Thompson and set his sights on the leader. On lap five, Hughbanks passed Yost for the lead as Yost fell into the clutches of Thompson and Burke. As the laps wound down, Burke patiently worked his way toward the front, passing Yost for third and Thompson for second. Unfortunately for Burke, he ran out of time and had to settle for second place ahead of Thompson and Yost. Kevin Purdue held off Harrison Schwartz for fifth. Jeremy Keller held off Shawn Strand for the Friesen Performance IMCA Modified victory. Jason Wolla made a last-lap pass to finish third ahead of Chris Tushcherer and Marlyn Seidler. Scott [Read More]

Dacotah Stock Car checkers are first for Gartner

By Becca Pelkey MANAN, N.D. (Aug. 2, 2024) – It was a super hot Friday night at Dacotah Speedway on Friday and the night kicked off with the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car make-up feature from June 28. Dylan Herner and Jason Meidinger led the field to the green flag. Meidinger took the early lead but Shawn Strand quickly worked his way to the front to challenge. They raced door-to-door for several laps before Strand slipped by on lap four. Meidinger then fell into the clutches of Hunter Domagala. As they raced hard for second, Shawn Volk made it a three-car battle. While racing for second, Domagala got loose and spun in front of the field with six laps to go. On the restart, Todd Carter passed Volk for second and was all over Strand’s rear bumper. When the checkered flag waved, Strand held off Carter for the victory. Volk finished a season-best third. When the green flag waved in the Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compact feature, it was a three-car battle for the lead between Alex [Read More]

Governor’s Cup checkers fly for Turnbull, Domagala, Hughbanks

By Becca Pelkey MANDAN, N.D. (July 27, 2024) – Rain did its best to wreak havoc but couldn’t wash away all of the North Dakota Governor’s Cup Auto Races at Dacotah Speedway. Saturday checkers would ultimately fly for $1,500 Friesen Performance IMCA Modified winner Aaron Turnbull, $1,000 IMCA Sunoco Stock Car winner Hunter Domagala and $400 Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compact winner Zach Hughbanks. Tim Perkins and Mark Dahl led the field to the green flag in the Modified main event, the final feature of the weekend. Cautions were frequent as drivers struggled to get laps in but despite the yellows, the seventh starting Turnbull stealthily moved through the field. Restarts helped him grab the lead by lap four but cautions continued to fall. As the Canadian driver led the field back to line, he would quickly pull away from the field. It was now a race for second between Dahl, Quentin Kinzley and Jeremy Keller. Keller used the cautions to slip by Kinzley and Dahl to take second. Dahl and Kinzley continued to race hard [Read More]

Seidler scores first IMCA Stock Car win on Hall of Fame Night at Mandan

By Becca Pelkey MANDAN, N.D. (July 19, 2024) – Hall of Fame Night Friday brought Hall of Famers to the track, to watch future Hall of Famers race at Dacotah Speedway. Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds had a make-up feature from June 28. Jacoby Traut and Crist Pittenger led the field to the green flag. Traut led early while Pittenger had his hands full with Quentin Kinzley. Although Kinzley appeared to be faster, he struggled to get around the young driver. They battled door-to-door for second place until Kinzley took the position and set his sights on Traut. Once again, Kinzley struggled to get around Traut but practiced patience on the young driver. With 12 laps to go, Kinzley overtook the top spot and pulled away. Kinzley went on to win his third straight victory at Dacotah Speedway. Shawn Strand finished second ahead of Mark Dahl. Zach Hughbanks wasted no time going to the front in the Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compact feature field. Hughbanks quickly distanced himself from the pack while Kyrs Yost and Alex Thompson [Read More]

Win at Mandan is record-setter for Berry, Braaksma clinches IMCA Dakota Tour title

MANDAN, N.D. (July 11, 2024) – Tom Berry Jr.’s second win of the week was one for the record book. Ethan Braaksma’s third runner-up finish was good for a championship. Berry led every lap of Thursday’s Dakota Classic Modified Tour powered by Industrial Electric main event at Dacotah Speedway, his career 10th Friesen Performance IMCA Modified victory breaking the previous record held by Ricky Thornton Jr. and dating from 2006, when IMCA resumed sanctioning the tour. “It’s pretty incredible, to know what Ricky has done in his career and to pass a record like that,” Berry said. “I know he holds a lot of ‘em and we’re trying to break them. I’m kind of like his little brother, I guess. We’re just trying to do the best we can and make it somewhere in life.” Also first to the checkers Monday at Estevan and the only repeat winner in either division following the tour, Berry led Braaksma the first four times around the track before the only caution of the night – just the second in [Read More]

Early entry list is “stacked’ for 35th Dakota Classic IMCA Modified Tour

JAMESTOWN, N.D. (July 1, 2024) – After looking over the names, new co-promoter Byron Fichter could have used any number of words to describe pre-entry lists for the upcoming Dakota Classic IMCA Modified Tour. But it turned out he only needed one: “Stacked.” Fichter and partner Aaron Turnbull take over at the helm of the 35th annual tour, which travels to six tracks in North Dakota and Saskatchewan July 6-11. Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds race for $2,000 to win, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars for $1,000 to win each night Saturday, July 6 at Jamestown Speedway with following dates Sunday, July 7 at Nodak Speedway in Minot; Monday, July 8 at Estevan Motor Speedway; Tuesday, July 9 at Williston Basin Speedway; Wednesday, July 10 at Southwest Speedway in Dickinson; and Thursday, July 11 at Dacotah Speedway in Mandan. “We’ve got former tour champions, former national champions and former Super Nationals champions pre-registered,” said Fichter, listing the likes of four-time tour king Hank Berry, 2023 tour champions Tim Ward – also champion at Super Nationals – and Rob [Read More]

Kinzley repeats at Dacotah Speedway

By Becca Pelkey MANDAN, N.D. (June 14, 2024) – Quentin Kinzley collected his second Friesen Performance IMCA Modified victory in as many weeks Friday at Dacotah Speedway. Jordan Braun and Elijah Puckett started on the front row, however, it was veteran Marlyn Seidler who quickly took the lead when the green flag waved followed by Kinzley. The front pair quickly caught the tail end of the field. As Kinzley tried to pass Seidler for the lead, lapped traffic took his racing line around the ⅜-mile track. As the leaders continued to battle in lapped traffic, it allowed defending track champion Mark Dahl to close in. With five laps to go and with a clear race track, Kinzley slipped into the lead and pulled away. Seidler finished second while Dahl was third. Caden Roberts finished a strong fourth place and Jason Wolla rounded out the top five. Zach Hughbanks started on the pole for the Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compact feature. He led early as they raced three-wide for second behind him between Alex Thompson, Harrison Schwartz [Read More]

IMCA Dakota Classic Tour history made in 35th season

JAMESTOWN, N.D. (May 31, 2024) – Byron Fichter and Aaron Turnbull have been part of the Dakota Classic Tour for maybe more years than they’d like to admit. This year, they’ll be in charge of it. The two are new co-directors of the tour for Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, set to visit six tracks in North Dakota and Saskatchewan from July 6-11. “We have big shoes to fill,” Fichter said, acknowledging the efforts of founder and director John Gartner over the tour’s first 34 years. “People who come on the tour know the tracks in North Dakota and Canada are good hosts. We’re proud of our racing facilities and our racing communities.” “We have a lot of history, including 34 years of history as the best traveling series for Modifieds in North America.” The 35th annual tour opens Saturday, July 6 at Jamestown Speedway with following dates Sunday, July 7 at Nodak Speedway in Minot; Monday, July 8 at Estevan Motor Speedway; Tuesday, July 9 at Williston Basin Speedway; Wednesday, July [Read More]