dacotahspeedway Archives

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]

IMCA Stock Car win shocks ex-street stocker Domagala

By Becca Pelkey MANDAN, N.D. (May 10, 2024) – A driver with admittedly low expectations for his rookie IMCA Sunoco Stock Car season was a feature winner in his first start in the new division. Hunter Domagala won the first weekly feature for the Stock Cars at Dacotah Speedway, taking advantage of a late-race caution and miscues by the two cars running ahead of him following the ensuing restart. “We had very little expectations. I’m kind of shocked we won,” said Domagala, the WISSOTA Street Stock champion the last four years that class ran at Mandan. “There’s a whole new learning curve with this class and I told my crew we were going to try to learn something new every night. Our end of the year goal was to win once, with all the competition, a whole new car (a 2022 Medieval by DeVilbiss) and a whole new set of rules.” Nineteen cars were entered Friday and Domagala started seventh and finished fourth in his heat. After a complete restart in the main event, pole [Read More]

Sale of Dakota Classic Modified Tour announced

MANDAN, N.D. (Dec. 5, 2023) – Dakota Classic Modified Tour owner John Gartner has agreed to sell the long-time running series to a promoters’ governing group that represents the six tracks currently hosting the tour. The tour for Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars will be held during the previously agreed upon dates next July starting with Jamestown Speedway on Saturday, July 6; Nodak Speedway in Minot on Sunday, July 7; Estevan Motor Speedway on Monday, July 8; Williston Basin Speedway on Tuesday, July 9; Southwest Speedway in Dickinson on Wednesday, July 10; and Dacotah Speedway in Mandan on Thursday, July 11. No significant changes are planned to be made with tour payouts, fees or procedures. The governing group will be selecting a tour director/promoter at some point in the future. The new governing board members and promoters of each track state that that “Words cannot do enough to describe our gratitude to John for his commitment to this tour over the years. This tour would not exist without him. As we move [Read More]

First IMCA.TV Dakota Tour feature wins go to Hagen, LaBatte in finale at Mandan

MANDAN, N.D. (July 13, 2023) – Travis Hagen and Brendon LaBatte won first-ever IMCA.TV Dakota Tour features Thursday at Dacotah Speedway. Tim Ward and Rob VanMil, meanwhile, wrapped up tour titles during the aptly billed Championship Night show in Mandan. Hagen led the last 26 of 30 Friesen Performance IMCA Modified laps, earning $2,000. And LaBatte came out on top of what might have been the best race of the 34th annual tour, regaining the lead on the last lap and beating Dan Mackenthun to the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car checkers by a tenth of a second. That win was good for $1,000 and put LaBatte on the B & B Racing Chassis All-Star Invitational eligible list. Ninety-one cars representing 16 states and two Canadian provinces saw action in the finale for the tour, title sponsored and broadcast by IMCA.TV. Runner-up in both the first two shows of the week, Hagen became the fifth different winner in as many Modified tour features at the end of a race that ended with a 28-lap green flag run. Spencer [Read More]

IMCA.TV bonuses paid to Dakota Tour Modified drivers defending home tracks

JAMESTOWN, N.D. (July 7, 2023) – Modified drivers defending their home track(s) earn almost $2,000 in bonuses during the upcoming IMCA.TV Dakota Classic Modified Tour. The top three finishing drivers appearing in local track standings coming into the night at July 8-13 tour events each receive $110 IMCA.TV DCMT Defender Awards. Where they finish in the feature doesn’t matter: The sole requirement is that they have competed and earned weekly points at that track/or tracks this season. Bonuses totaling $330 will be paid each night. Checks will be mailed from the IMCA office when results are official. The 34th annual Dakota Classic Tour for Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars opens July 8 at Jamestown Speedway and travels to Nodak Speedway in Minot on July 9, Estevan Motor Speedway on July 10, Williston Basin Speedway on July 11, Southwest Speedway in Dickinson on July 12 and Dacotah Speedway in Mandan July 13. IMCA.TV broadcasts each of those race programs. Modifieds race for $2,000 to win along with Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifying eligibility [Read More]

34th IMCA.TV Dakota Classic Modified Tour starts Saturday in Jamestown

JAMESTOWN, N.D. (July 6, 2023) – Online entries continue to come in for the 34th annual IMCA.TV Dakota Classic Modified Tour. The six consecutive night tour for Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Sunoco Stocks Cars is again an international series with Estevan Motor Speedway in Saskatchewan back after a three-year absence due to the Covid pandemic. At this point, drivers have pre-registered from 15 US states and a healthy contingent from Canada. Modifieds will be running for $2,000 to win and $300 to start their 26-car features, along with Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifying eligibility. Stock Cars will be paid $1,000 to win their 24-car feature events with B & B Racing Chassis All-Star qualifying eligibility awarded as well. More than $140,000 in payout for the series will be paid and there is a $10,000 point fund between the two divisions for the top 10 in tour points. In addition, over $25,000 in contingency prizes will be awarded to the top 25 in Modified and top 20 in Stock Car tour points. All six race [Read More]

Keller takes care of IMCA Modified business at Dacotah’s Iron Man

MANDAN, N.D. (June 3, 2023) – Jeremy Keller followed his game plan to the letter Saturday night at Dacotah Speedway. As a result, the two-time race runner-up became the first-time winner of Mandan’s 100-lap Iron Man main event for Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds. “It was a long race but it went by fast. It was a big night for us, that’s for sure,” Keller said following the career-best $5,000 checkers. “We were determined. We tested stuff this spring to see how we could be most competitive at the end. Run hard, be in front and not get passed late was the game plan.” From Bismarck, Keller had led much of the 2021 and 2022 Iron Man marathons before finishing second to Kollin Hibdon. He’d been runner-up to Marlyn Seidler in their Friday qualifying feature and started fourth in the big show on Saturday. Keller fell back a spot early, got back in the top four and then into the lead following a lap 20 caution. Hard charger Aaron Turnbull made his way from 23rd starting to [Read More]

IMCA Dakota Classic Tour will be ‘back to normal’

JAMESTOWN, N.D. (June 1, 2023) – For the first time in what’s been years, the guy who’s been around for all the years of the Dakota Classic Tour powered by Industrial Electric believes things will be back to normal. And normal is good. The 34th annual tour takes Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars to six different tracks in North Dakota and Saskatchewan over the course of its July 8-13 run. Modifieds run for $2,000 to win, Stock Cars for $1,000 to win each night. “Finally, it seems like we’re getting back to what feels normal,” said John Gartner, director of the tour since day one. “We haven’t had to deal with tornadoes, or flooding, and there’s no pandemic, which means we’re back to being an international series.” After dates July 8 at Jamestown Speedway and July 9 at Minot’s Nodak Speedway, the tour returns to Canada and Estevan Motor Speedway on July 10. “The tour hasn’t been north of the border since 2019, the year before COVID,” Gartner said. “I made the [Read More]