dacotahspeedway Archives

Dacotah checkers fly for Kinzley, Hanson

By Becca Rattei MANDAN, N.D. (June 12) – IMCA winners Friday night at Dacotah Speedway were Quentin Kinzley and Braydee Hanson. Pole sitter Hank Berry quickly pulled away early in the IMCA Modified feature. Berry’s large lead was erased by a lap seven caution, however, and Kinzley passed Mark Dahl for second and challenged Berry for the lead following the restart. They briefly raced side by side until Kinzley took charge on lap eight. Kinzley started to pull away as Marlyn Seidler started to close in on Berry. Kinzley made it look easy as he cruised to victory lane to win his second career feature victory. Berry held off Seidler to finish second while Jeremy Keller finished fourth. Spencer Wilson rounded out the top five. Ken Sandberg grabbed the lead from pole sitter Stan Thompson in the Mach-1 Sport Compact feature. As Sandberg started to distance himself from the field, Thompson and Hanson battled for second. A caution regrouped the field with four laps to go. On the restart, Hanson was all over Sandberg’s bumper. [Read More]

Green flag flies for Dacotah Speedway’s 30th anniversary season

MANDAN, N.D. (June 5) – Shawn Strand was the IMCA Modified winner and Braydee Hanson led the way to the Mach-1 Sport Compact checkers on the 30th annual opening night Friday at Dacotah Speedway. After a complete restart, Travis Olheiser and Strand raced side-by-side for the lead in the Modified feature as Jeremy Keller lurked in third. An early race caution reset the field and on the restart Strand found speed along the high side. He passed Olheiser for the lead and quickly pulled away. As the laps wound down, Jason Wolla passed Keller for third place and started to chase down Olheiser. However, Wolla ran out of time as Strand cruised to victory. After winning the last two Sport Compact season openers, Andy Reed started on the pole. A couple of complete restarts regrouped the field before he pulled away. Brayden Urlacher and Hanson battled hard for second place before Hanson cleared Urlacher and chased down Reed for the lead. They race side-by-side briefly before Hanson took the lead with five laps to go. Hanson [Read More]

Strand ends season with win at Oktoberfest

MANDAN, N.D. (Sept. 27) – Shawn Strand ended September with the IMCA Modified feature win at Dacotah Speedway’s Oktoberfest special. Strand caught Marlyn Seidler late in a 30-lapper that stayed green after two early cautions for the $1,000 checkers and Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot berth. “It was my last race of the year and I had a good car. It was a good way to put her away for the season,” he said. Seidler ended in second. Rounding out the top five were Travis Olheiser, 14th starting Travis Tooley and hard charger Jeremy Keller, who’d started 17th. Seidler had gotten out to a four to five car length advantage over the fourth starting Strand, maintaining that advantage while working lapped traffic. Strand then found the speed he needed on a higher line, catching the leader with six circuits left. The win was his fourth of 2019, his second of the season at Mandan and IMCA career 74th. Oktoberfest doubled as a Tri-City Modified Series event. Zach Frederick beat eighth starting Robby Rosselli and Kelly Jacobson [Read More]

Dacotah Speedway hosts July 26, 27 Governor’s Cup

MANDAN, N.D. – IMCA Modifieds race for $800 to win, Mach-1 Sport Compacts for $250 to win both nights of Dacotah Speedway’s Friday and Saturday, July 26 and 27 Governor’s Cup. IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National, E3 Spark Plugs North Dakota State and track points will be awarded in both divisions. Modifieds also earn Side Biter Chassis North Central Region points. There is no entry fee and pit passes are $30. Grandstand admission is $20 for adults, with $1 off when advance tickets are purchased at any Red Carpet Car Wash location. Kids 12 and under get in free. Pit gates open at 3 p.m. both days. The grandstand opens at 5 p.m. and racing starts at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. The grandstand opens at 4 p.m. and the first green flag flies at 6 p.m. on Saturday. More information about the Governor’s Cup is available by calling 701 391-6211.

Arneson makes like lightning in bolt to Legendary IMCA Modified checkers

MANDAN, N.D. (July 12) – Austin Arneson was almost as fast as the lightning on the horizon Friday night at Dacotah Speedway. Arneson led all 40 laps of the fourth Corral Sales Legendary main event, earning a career-best $10,004 payday, a $500 bonus as the leader at midway and a berth on the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot. He’ll join younger brother Casey, runner-up in both the Legendary and Thursday’s Kupper Chevrolet Dakota Classic Tour finale at Mandan, on the All-Star ballot. “I’ve raced all over the country with the biggest names in the Modified division,” said Arneson, who took the checkers in front of a number of those drivers. “Winning the race was pretty exciting, but what was even more exciting was running 1-2 with my brother.” Ricky Thornton Jr., Hunter Marriott and Lucas Schott rounded out the top five. Dakota Classic Modified Tour champion Tom Berry ran second most of the way before breaking late. After the initial green flag was delayed by a light rain shower and work on the racing surface, [Read More]

Marriott and Flory see checkers in Mandan, Berry and Thornton are Dakota Tour champs

By Jackson Braun MANDAN, N.D. (July 11) – A great week of racing for the 30th annual Kupper Chevrolet Dakota Classic Tour was wrapped up by a nail-biting finale at the Dacotah Speedway that included one of the closest finishes in recent memory. Jeff Taylor and Ricky Thornton Jr. led the IMCA Modified field to green for the final 30 laps on the tour. Coming into the night, Thornton had a 14-point deficit to make up. Three-peat champion Hunter Marriott did not come across his usual luck this season but heated up towards the end of the tour as the Brookfield, Mo., racer took advantage of a starting spot inside of row 2. Taylor got a jump off of the start as Marriott advanced into second. Marriott was able to set his car through the corners smoothly around the rim of the speedway and to pull alongside Taylor. A good run off turn four gave Marriott the momentum to take the lead. As Thornton faded, his hopes of sweeping the your championships came to a [Read More]

30th annual Kupper Chevrolet Dakota Classic Tour starts Saturday in Jamestown

JAMESTOWN, N.D. – IMCA Modified and IMCA Sunoco Stock Car drivers from 12 states and Canada have already pre-registered for the 30th annual Kupper Chevrolet Dakota Classic Tour. The tour starts its six consecutive day run Saturday, July 6 at Jamestown Speedway. The Tour then goes to Nodak Speedway at Minot on Sunday, July 7. On Monday, July 8, the series travels across the international border to Estevan, Sask., Motor Speedway. Williston Basin Speedway is the next stop on Tuesday, July 9. The series then heads to Southwest Speedway in Dickinson on Wednesday, July 10. Dacotah Speedway in Mandan hosts Championship Night on Thursday, July 11, and the Corral Sales Legendary 50 on Friday, July 12. All Modified features pay $2,400 to win and are qualifying events for the 2019 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot, while all Stock Car features pay $800 to win. The Legendary 50 pays a record $10,004 to win the IMCA Modified feature, another 2019 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot qualifier. More than $120,000 in payout is offered for the tour [Read More]

Berry is best at Dacotah Speedway

MANDAN, N.D. (June 7) – After finishing runner-up twice the week before, Tom Berry led the final five laps for his first IMCA Modified feature victory of the season at Dacotah Speedway. Jordan Huettl led the Friday night field to green. Jeremy Keller reeled in the leader and took the front spot before a lap 11 caution. On the restart, Spencer Wilson slipped by Huettl, bringing Marlyn Seidler with him. Seidler looked under Wilson and grabbed second before yet another caution regrouped the field. When the race resumed, Berry passed Wilson and then caught Seidler for second with six laps to go. As Keller started catching lapped traffic, Berry used the slower traffic to his advantage and motored by Keller with five laps to go. Keller had to settle for second while Seidler held off Wilson. Mark Dahl rounded out the top five. Contact among the leaders allowed Ken Sandberg to slip into the lead when the green flag waved in the IMCA Sport Compact feature. Sandberg pulled away before coasting across the finish line [Read More]

Thornton proves mettle at Dacotah’s Iron Man 100

MANDAN, N.D. (June 1) – Ricky Thornton Jr. proved his mettle in Saturday’s 100-lap Iron Man main event for IMCA Modifieds at Dacotah Speedway. As a result, he took home $5,000 from his latest Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot qualifying victory. In a replay from their opening night qualifying feature finish, Thornton and Tom Berry Jr. ran 1-2 in the finale at Mandan. Marlyn Seidler, Robert Hellebust and Casey Arneson rounded out the top five. Thornton had driven away from the rest of the field from his outside front row starting spot but his huge lead was erased by a lap 21 caution. Berry slipped by Thornton following the restart and pulled a disappearing act of his own before the mandatory lap 50 caution. When the race resumed, Thornton retook the lead and pulled away. Seidler made a late-race pass of Hellebust to grab third. Kelly Henderson started 11th and finished first in the opening night feature for Karl Kustoms Northern SportMods following the 2Strong Summer Dirt Series. Chase Conway battled Henderson before ending in second. [Read More]

$5,000 is top IMCA Modified prize at Dacotah Speedway’s Iron Man special

MANDAN, N.D. – IMCA Modifieds will race 100 laps with a top prize of $5,000 on the line at Dacotah Speedway’s May 31-June 1 Iron Man 100. Qualifying for the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot qualifier begins Friday, May 31 with heat races and two $1,000 to win qualifying features. ‘B’ features complete the main event field for Saturday, June 1. There will be a mandatory pit stop at midway for fuel and tearoffs. IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National, Side Biter Chassis North Central Region, E3 Spark Plugs North Dakota State and track points will be awarded that evening. Completing the Saturday program will be the 2Strong Karl Kustoms Northern SportMod Series and Mach-1 Sport Compacts. SportMods race for $1,222 to win, Sport Compacts for $100 to win. Pit passes are $30 and driver registration is $150 for the Modifieds. Tickets are $20 at the gate for adults while kids 12 and under are free. Camping is available at the track but space is limited; reservations can be made online at www.dacotahspeedway.net. Discounted hotel rates [Read More]