dacotahspeedway Archives

‘Something different,’ Dacotah Iron Man 100 features $5,000 top prize for IMCA Modifieds

MANDAN, N.D. – Mandan Stock Car Association board members were looking for “something different” when they came up with the idea of a 100-lap race for IMCA Modifieds. Now they’re looking forward to the same great things when Dacotah Speedway hosts its second annual $5,000 to win Iron Man 100 on Friday and Saturday, June 4 and 5. Presented by Jerome Distributing and Coors Light, the Iron Man 100 starts with heat races and a pair of 25-lap $1,000 to win qualifying events on opening night. Saturday’s big 100-lap, Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot qualifying main event will be stopped at midway for fuel and tearoffs. “We’re expecting a strong field of home state drivers and some out-of-state travelers,” said board director Mike Christiansen, noting the run to the checkers by Ricky Thornton Jr. in the 2019 Iron Man slowed by just two cautions. “When we started talking about this as a board, we agreed we wanted something different,” he explained. “When we had it two years ago (last year’s even was canceled because of [Read More]

IMCA Dakota Classic Tour point funds total $10,000

MANDAN, N.D. – Point funds totaling $10,000 will be paid to IMCA Modified and IMCA Sunoco Stock Car drivers in top 10 point standings for the upcoming Corral Sales IMCA Dakota Classic Tour. Courtesy of Hoosier Tire and IMCA, point fund amounts increase from $2,000 to $6,500 for the Modifieds and from $1,000 to $3,500 for the Stock Cars. The Modified champion earns $1,600, with $1,150 for second, $850 for third, $700 for fourth, $550 for fifth, $450 for sixth and $300 for seventh through 10th places. The Stock Car champion gets a $850 share of the point fund, with $625 for second, $475 for third, $400 for fourth, $325 for fifth, $225 for sixth and $150 for seventh through 10th. All Modified features pay $2,000 to win and are qualifying events for the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot. Stock Car features pay $1,000 with winners becoming eligible to qualify for the B & B Chassis All-Star race. Opening night for the 32nd annual tour is Saturday, July 10 at Jamestown Speedway. From there it heads to [Read More]

Seidler, Sandberg keep winning at Mandan

By Becca Rattei MANDAN, N.D. (May 21) – Marlyn Seidler and Ken Sandberg continued their winning ways Friday at Dacotah Speedway. Scott Gartner led from the pole in the IMCA Modified feature. As Gartner stretched his lead over second place Crist Pittenger, Seidler cracked the top five after starting eighth. Seidler passed Chris Welk for fourth and when Michael Hartigan got loose, Seidler slipped by for third place as well. Wasting no time, Seidler quickly caught and passed Pittenger for second and set his sights on the leader. Once Seidler caught Gartner, he struggled to get around the young driver. Switching his line to the high side, Seidler found some extra speed to get around Gartner and take the lead on lap 10. Seidler pulled away as Gartner had his hands full with a speedy Zach Frederick and Jeremy Keller. It was a three-car battle before Keller slipped by to take second. As the laps wound down, Seidler started to catch lapped traffic but it didn’t slow him down any as he pulled away to [Read More]

Restart opens door for Strand at Mandan

By Rebecca Rattei MANDAN, N.D. (May 7) – Shawn Strand took advantage of a restart in winning the IMCA Modified feature on a chilly Friday night at Dacotah Speedway. Fans packed the grandstands and saw veteran Marlyn Seidler, coming back from a rollover the previous week, in the lead early. He pulled away early before a caution erased his large lead over second place Strand. On the restart, Strand flew by on the highside, leaving Seidler to fend off third place Quentin Kinzley. It didn’t take long for the leaders to start catching lapped traffic. Using the slower cars to his advantage, Kinzley slipped by Seidler for second. A late-race caution erased Strand’s large lead over the field. On the final restart of the race, Jeremy Keller slipped by Seidler for third as Mark Dahl had his hands full with a speedy Spencer Wilson. Coming to the checkered flag, Spencer Wilson made a last lap pass over Mark Dahl to finish fifth. Tanner Hofer led the field to the green flag in the Mach-1 Sport [Read More]

Keller, Sandberg score opening night wins at Dacotah Speedway

By Rebecca Rattei MANDAN, N.D. (April 30) – Dacotah Speedway kicked off its 2021 racing season with more than 110 cars from all over the Midwest checked in to officially kick off dirt track racing in North Dakota. Jeremy Keller was the IMCA Modified winner and Ken Sandberg scored the Mach-1 Sport Compact main event victory. After a complete restart in the Modified feature, pole sitter Mark Dahl and Quentin Kinzley battled for the lead. Kinzley grabbed the lead before an early caution regrouped the field. On the restart, Kinzley pulled away while Mark Dahl, Marlyn Seidler and Shawn Strand raced hard for second. Dahl got loose off turn four which resulted in Dahl turning into Seidler and sent him rolling down the front stretch. Seidler was OK but his night was cut short On the restart, Kinzley and Strand made contact racing for the lead. The contact broke Strand’s right front tie rod which drew a caution. On the final restart of the night, Keller dove low under Kinzley. They raced side-by-side until Keller [Read More]

Seidler, Sandberg celebrate on Anniversary Night at Mandan

MANDAN, N.D. (Aug. 14) – Dacotah Speedway celebrated its 30th anniversary and Marlyn Seidler and Ken Sandberg celebrated IMCA feature wins Friday night. Crist Pittenger passed pole sitter Tony Marsh for the lead in the IMCA Modified feature, then was pressured by Scott Gartner and Seidler. Gartner briefly took the lead on lap seven but that was short-lived as Seidler slipped by to take the lead on lap 11. Gartner then started to fade through the field, losing positions to Spencer Wilson, Shawn Strand and Travis Olheiser. Strand passed Wilson who then fell into the clutches of Olheiser. Making a late-race pass, Rusty Kollman finished fifth behind Wilson. Ohleiser finished third while Strand finished a distant second. Seidler was in another zip code as he cruised to victory lane to his 97th career IMCA Modified feature victory. JayDe Satcho and Levi Ensz battled for the initial lead in the Mach-1 Sport Compact feature. Satcho led in front of a four-car battle for second between Ensz, Sandberg, Paul Schuh and Alex Thompson. Sandberg shuffled into the second [Read More]

Gaylord finds glory at Dacotah, Zevenbergen wins 5th

MANDAN, N.D. (July 15) – When Tripp Gaylord drew the pole position for the IMCA Modified “A” feature on the Moritz Sport & Marine Dakota Classic Tour presented by Bismarck Motor Company at Dacotah Speedway, the real test began. A week with many frustrations for the Colorado racer finished out with a feeling of euphoria. Gaylord did double duty in the Modified and Stock Car all week long until Dacotah Speedway, handing the reins over to brother Ryan in order to focus on the Modified. He had made every feature in both classes until that point. Gaylord was a rocket from the drop of the green flag in Mandan, leading by over three seconds at one point and maneuvering lapped traffic to grab the $2,400 win. Already on the Fast Shafts Al-Star Invitational ballot, Gaylord was followed across the stripe by Jake O’Neil, Robert Hellebust, Shawn Strand and Alex Stanford. Consistent Austin Arneson captured the tour championship. Elijah Zevenbergen is the best accomplished IMCA Sunoco Stock Car driver the tour has seen, winning for the [Read More]

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]