dacotahspeedway Archives

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]

Wolla, Hanson are IMCA winners at Mandan

MANDAN, N.D. (May 10) – Jason Wolla went back-to-back, with another Friday night IMCA Modified win at Dacotah Speedway. Andrew Bargmann and Rusty Corneliusen started on the front row and Corneliusen led the first couple laps before Wolla muscled his way into the lead on lap three. Jeremy Keller then passed Corneliusen for second, bringing Myles Tomlinson and Tom Berry with him. Wolla’s big advantage started to shrink as Keller turned some of the fastest laps on the track and was starting to close in. A caution with 13 laps to go reset the field but once more Wolla pulled away. With only a few laps remaining, Keller cut into Wolla’s lead again and challenged for the win before the yellow flag waved again. On the final restart of the night, Wolla held off Keller to win back-to-back races at Mandan. Myles Tomlinson hung on to finish third over Tom Berry while Mark Dahl rounded out the top five. Pole sitter Alex Thompson led the field to the green flag in the IMCA Mach Sport [Read More]

Seidler, Reed race to Dacotah Speedway checkers

MANDAN, N.D. (April 26) – Opening night checkers flew Friday night at Dacotah Speedway for Marlyn Seidler. Seidler and Tyler Peterson had led the IMCA Modified field to green, then pulled away as Quentin Kinzley and Jason Wolla raced for third while Tom Berry lurked in fifth. It was a three-car battle until Wolla shuffled into third postion, bringing Berry with him. It didn’t take long for Seidler to catch lapped traffic, which allowed Peterson to cut into this large lead. A caution with eight laps to go erased Seidler’s lead and on the restart, Wolla passed Peterson for second. Wolla, going for more, dove low under Seidler but slipped up the track and into the leader. Seidler held onto the lead as Wolla cut a tire, ending his night early. Seidler pulled away as Peterson, Berry and Kinzley raced three-wide for second. Seidler dominated to win the feature as Peterson held off Berry and Kinzley for second. Travis Peery rounded out the top five. Andy Reed was the winner in a nailbiter finish for [Read More]

Berry drives from 11th at Dacotah

MANDAN, N.D. (Aug. 17) – Tom Berry Jr. drove from 11th starting to first at the finish of Friday’s IMCA Modified main event at Dacotah Speedway. Travis Tooley grabbed the initial lead but quickly had his hands full with the speedy Travis Peery, who took the front spot away before an early caution reset the field. Twelfth starting Jason Wolla then challenged Peery and passed for the lead on lap 13. Peery spun while battling Berry for second. Berry then held strong with Wolla. With only a few laps to go, Wolla’s car was starting to tighten up. Wolla had difficulty driving off the corners, which allowed Berry to close in. They briefly raced side-by-side before Berry took the lead with four laps to go. Berry cruised to victory over the defending national champion while 10th starting Shawn Strand finished third. Jeremy Keller made a late-race pass over Marcus Tomlinson for fourth. Tim Perkins charged all the way from 21st starting to sixth. Craig Kastner held on to win his fourth local Mach-1 Sport Compact [Read More]

Seidler takes Dacotah checkers with late pass

MANDAN, N.D. (Aug. 10) – Two was the magic number Friday night for Marlyn Seidler, as he scored his second IMCA Modified feature win of the season at Dacotah Speedway with a pass for the lead with two laps to go. Travis Peery started to pull away from the field early on, but cautions came early and often and worked in Seidler’s favor as he quickly moved through the field from ninth starting to second. Drivers calmed down after a lap eight restart and a fantastic battle for the lead played out between Peery and Seidler. They raced side-by-side until lapped traffic forced Seidler to follow Peery through the slower cars. Contact between Peery and a lapped car reset the field for a four-lap shootout. Another yellow regrouped the field with three laps to go but on the final restart of the night, Seidler looked to the outside of Peery. Finding speed, they again battled side-by-side for the win and with two laps to go, Seidler passed Peery for the lead. Peery quickly felt pressure [Read More]

Dahl rules Governor’s Cup standings at Dacotah Speedway

MANDAN, N.D. (July 27-28) – Casey Arneson and Jeff Taylor were $800 feature winners while Mark Dahl’s consistency made him the overall IMCA Modified champion at Dacotah Speedway’s Governor’s Cup special. Arneson captured the Friday night victory ahead of Travis Hagen and Dahl. Taylor pulled away in collecting the Saturday win, with Jeremy Keller, Dylan Goplen and Dahl next across the stripe. Arneson caught Marcus Tomlinson for the lead early in the opening night show, then pulled away as Tomlinson started to fall into the clutches of Dahl and Hagen. Dahl passed Tomlinson, bringing Hagen with him. Hagen grabbed the second position with 10 laps to go and began reeling in Arneson as the leader dealt with lapped traffic. Arneson ultimately used that traffic to his advantage, however, holding off Hagen for his first feature victory at Mandan. Dahl held the Saturday advantage until Keller took advantage of a restart and took the lead away with 10 laps left. Another caution set up what proved to be an eight lap shootout. On the restart, Goplen [Read More]