dakotaclassictour Archives

Braaksma Repeats as Dakota Classic Modified Tour Champion; Munoz Breaks Through in Stock Cars

By Ben Deatherage VINTON, Iowa (July 11, 2025) — The 2025 Wolla Trucking Dakota Classic Modified Tour powered by Industrial Electric wrapped up with 82 Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds competing across six nights of thrilling action. In the end, Ethan Braaksma of Newton, Iowa rose to the top once again, securing his second consecutive tour title. Driving the Danny Meier and Trent Guest-owned no. 111, Braaksma built a consistent and commanding week: runner-up at Jamestown, third in Estevan, back-to-back wins at Williston and Dickinson, and a seventh-place finish at Mandan despite a blown engine in the finale. His ability to finish strong each night proved pivotal in defending his crown. California’s Cody Laney was a hard-charging runner-up in the standings. The Torrance native battled through adversity all week, coming out of B Mains in four of five features and posting finishes of ninth, fifth, seventh, sixth, and third, respectively. Justin O’Brien of West Union, Iowa took third in the Modified points chase. O’Brien put together a steady week, including a second-place finish at Jamestown, a third [Read More]

Strickler Wins Dakota Tour Finale at Mandan; Braaksma Repeats as Tour Champion

By Ben Deatherage MANDAN, N.D. (Jul. 10, 2025) — Two-time Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s champion Kyle Strickler of Mooresville, North Carolina, scored a dramatic win in the final Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature of the 2025 Wolla Trucking Dakota Classic Modified Tour powered by Industrial Electric. Driving the Cade Dillard-owned no. 8, Strickler secured his first win of the season in the Razor Chassis North Central Region and second career tour victory in the Dacotah Speedway finale. Defending tour champion Ethan Braaksma of Newton, Iowa, overcame a last-lap engine failure to coast across the line in seventh and lock up his second consecutive Dakota Classic Modified Tour title. Wisconsin’s Brandon Schmitt led early in the Jack Jones-owned no. 20, fending off pressure from 10-time Dacotah Speedway track champion Shawn Strand. Schmitt regained the lead after briefly losing it and began pulling away, but a caution with a dozen laps left stacked the field. Braaksma, who restarted eighth, methodically rolled the bottom groove in the Danny Meier and Trent Guest-owned no. 111 and [Read More]

Braaksma Wins Thriller at Dickinson, Becomes First Repeat Modified Tour Winner

By Ben Deatherage DICKINSON, N.D. (Jul. 9, 2025) — Ethan Braaksma emerged victorious from an epic 30-lap Friesen Performance IMCA Modified main event during night five of the Wolla Trucking Dakota Classic Modified Tour powered by Industrial Electric at Southwest Speedway. Braaksma became the first repeat winner of the 2025 tour and collected his seventh win of the season, including six in the Razor Chassis North Central Region. A sensational back-and-forth duel unfolded in the early going between Braaksma and Tom Berry Jr., two heavyweight drivers in the Speedway Motors IMCA Weekly Racing scene. Berry, a two-time Dakota Tour champion, 2020 National Modified champion, and 2022 Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s winner, set a strong early tone. But Braaksma, the 2025 IMCA.TV Winter Nationals champion, kept pace in the Danny Meier and Trent Guest-owned no. 111 entry. The two pilots traded the lead more than a dozen times, with seven official lead changes scored at the stripe before Braaksma took control for good on lap 13. He held steady through two restarts and [Read More]

Braaksma Bests the Field in Thrilling Williston Modified Main

By Ben Deatherage WILLISTON, N.D. (Jul. 8, 2025) — Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds headlined another exciting night at Williston Basin Speedway during the fourth round of the Wolla Trucking Dakota Classic Modified Tour powered by Industrial Electric. With packed grandstands and 30 laps on the docket, fans were treated to a thrilling late-race finish as defending tour champion Ethan Braaksma charged to victory to become the third different winner in as many race on the 2025 tour. Braaksma, the 2025 IMCA.TV Winter Nationals champion, started fifth in the Danny Meier and Trent Guest-owned no. 111 and patiently worked the bottom of the track throughout the second half of the race. With just three laps to go, he made the decisive move in turn three to slip past longtime leader Jason Wolla. Wolla made one final attempt to reclaim the lead but couldn’t close the gap, as Braaksma pulled away to score his second career Dakota Tour win, his first at Williston, and sixth victory of the 2025 season, including five in the Razor Chassis North Central [Read More]

Scholpp Scores Emotional Tour Win at Home Track in Estevan

By Ben Deatherage ESTEVAN, Sask. (Jul. 7, 2025) — Kody Scholpp gave the hometown fans a night to remember, fending off repeated challenges to win Monday’s Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature at Estevan Motor Speedway, night three of the Wolla Trucking Dakota Classic Modified Tour powered by Industrial Electric. With a packed grandstand cheering him on, Scholpp turned in a flawless performance that electrified the Estevan faithful. Drew Christianson, the 2014 Nodak Speedway track champion, led the opening lap, but Scholpp—who started seventh—quickly made his way to the front and claimed the top spot on lap four. The five-time defending Estevan track champion wasn’t going to be denied on home soil, even as a trio of mid-race cautions brought the field back to his rear bumper. Iowans Justin O’Brien and defending tour champion Ethan Braaksma in the Trent Guest and Danny Meier-owned No. 111 both took shots at Scholpp in the second half of the race, but none could unseat him. Scholpp held strong up top to secure his second career Dakota Tour victory—and his first [Read More]

Hibdon Storms to Jamestown Victory in Dakota Classic Modified Tour Opener

By Ben Deatherage JAMESTOWN, N.D. (Jul. 5, 2025) — Kollin Hibdon used the high side of Jamestown Speedway to perfection to score the opening night victory of the 2025 Wolla Trucking Dakota Classic Modified Tour powered by Industrial Electric. The Pahrump, Nevada, native led the final 23 circuits of the 30-lap Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature to earn his second career tour win at Jamestown, fourth career Dakota Tour triumph, sixth win of the season overall, and fifth in the Razor Chassis North Central Region. Justin O’Brien grabbed the early lead before a lap four caution reset the field. Hibdon quickly went to work on the top groove, charging to the point on lap seven. Another caution on lap 12 gave defending tour champion Ethan Braaksma a shot at Hibdon, and he put the Danny Meier and Trent Guest-owned No. 111 into second on the restart. But Hibdon was consistently strong up top and never faltered, even while navigating lapped traffic. Braaksma would finish second with early leader O’Brien ending the night third. Richey Awarded Stock [Read More]

Dakota Classic Modified Tour Set for 2025 With Strong Pre-Entry Fields

By Ben Deatherage VINTON, Iowa (Jun. 18, 2025) — With a rich history dating back to 1998, the Dakota Classic Modified Tour remains the longest running and largest IMCA-sanctioned tour in the nation. For 2025, the tour continues its exciting new chapter in its second year under the leadership of Saskatchewan Modified standout Aaron Turnbull and renowned motorsports photographer Byron Fichter, who took ownership of the series in 2024. The tour recently announced a new naming rights partnership as it becomes the Wolla Oilfield & Trucking Dakota Classic Modified Tour powered by Industrial Electric. This collaboration brings together two passionate entities with a shared commitment to growing the sport in North Dakota and the surrounding area. The 2025 edition will feature Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds and Sunoco IMCA Stock Cars, traveling across North Dakota’s premier tracks. Originally launched as a three-race series at Dacotah Speedway, Jamestown Speedway, and Nodak Speedway, the tour founded by John Gartner, expanded in 1991. It has been consistently IMCA-sanctioned since 1998. While the Modifieds have been part of the event since [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]

IMCA Dakota Tour checkers at Dickinson are first for Braaksma

DICKINSON, N.D. (July 10, 2024) – That great big sigh of relief you heard in victory lane at Southwest Speedway Wednesday night came from Ethan Braaksma. The Newton, Iowa pilot chased Kyle Strickler the first 20 laps, finally found his way to the front and led the last 10 times around the 3/8-mile clay oval at Dickinson for his career first Dakota Classic Modified Tour powered by Industrial Electric feature win. “It definitely takes a lot of weight off my shoulders,” said Braaksma, who had run second, second and then third in the three previous Friesen Performance IMCA Modified tour outings. “We’ve been itching to get this win. We finally got it and now we’re ready to get another one.” Strickler had won the Tuesday night main event with a last-lap pass at Williston Basin Speedway and looked like he had the car to go back-to-back with, leading Travis Hagen and then Braaksma through a fast-paced opening 12 circuits. Braaksma peeked inside a couple times before the front pair encountered a five-car pack running at [Read More]

IMCA Dakota Tour win at Williston as good as it gets for Strickler

WILLISTON, N.D. (July 9, 2024) – He’s won a lot of big races in his career and Kyle Strickler has to rank his first Dakota Classic Modified Tour powered by Industrial Electric victory among them. Strickler stalked and caught up with long-time leader Kollin Hibdon, finally making the pass to the front on the 30th and final lap in winning Tuesday’s Friesen Performance IMCA Modified main event at Williston Basin Speedway. “This is about as good as it gets,” Strickler said after taking the $2,000 checkers six tenths of a second ahead of Hibdon, who’d won the opening night show Sunday at Nodak Speedway. “Kollin is really, really good on the top. He showed everybody that on night one,” he continued. “I tried being as patient as possible and actually rolled right through the middle. Some crumbs were getting thrown there and that helped me out. I could put right up next to him.” Ninth starting Ethan Braaksma, Brady Bjella and Cody Laney completed the top five. Strickler was already eligible to qualify for the Fast [Read More]