dakotaclassictour Archives

Estevan is back on schedule for 2023 IMCA Dakota Tour

JAMESTOWN, N.D. (Dec. 19, 2022) – History teacher turned tour director John Gartner channeled his inner Douglas MacArthur when he promised a return to Estevan Motor Speedway. And like the general who made good on his promise to return to the Philippines, Gartner and the IMCA Dakota Classic Modified Tour will return to the Saskatchewan track in 2023. “I’m a history major and always talked to kids about MacArthur’s promise,” he explained. “The tour hasn’t been to Canada since 2019, the year before COVID, and I told people we would go back as soon as we could.” “We made that promise and we’re going to keep it,” he continued. “We will be back in Estevan on July 10.” Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds run for $2,000 to win, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars for $1,000 to win each night of the July 8-13 tour. Opening night is Saturday, July 8 at Jamestown Speedway. The tour is at Nodak Speedway in Minot on July 9 and Estevan the next night. Williston Basin Speedway hosts the July 11 show. [Read More]

Point fund checks, IMCA.TV bonuses awarded to Dakota Tour drivers

VINTON, Iowa (July 28, 2022) – Point fund checks totaling $10,000 and another $1,980 in IMCA.TV DCMT bonuses were mailed this week to Friesen Performance IMCA Modified and IMCA Sunoco Stock Car drivers competing in the July 9-14 Corral Sales IMCA Dakota Classic Tour. Top 10 drivers in both divisions receive point fund monies from IMCA and Hoosier Race Tire while top three finishing local Modified drivers each night of the tour receive $110 bonuses from IMCA.TV. Tom Berry Jr. earned the lion’s share of Modified purses, winning all six features and $12,000 during the week, complementing that amount with a $1,600 share of the $6,500 point fund for that division. Second and $1,150 went to Travis Hagen. Third in points paid $850 to Ricky Alvarado, Tanner Black earned $700 for fourth and a third place feature finish during the week gave Eddie Belec the tie breaker nod for fifth and $550. 2021 tour champion Tim Ward’s best finishes were a pair of fifths and he got $450. Jeff Taylor, Dakota Sproul, Jake McBirnie and [Read More]

He’s perfect: Berry races to record sixth IMCA Modified Dakota Classic Tour win

By Becca Pelkey MANDAN, N.D. (July 14, 2022) – Tom Berry Jr.’s race for perfection ended in victory lane Thursday night. Berry led all 30 laps of the Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature at Dacotah Speedway in winning the Corral Sales Dakota Classic Tour finale, his record sixth victory in as many starts during the week of the 33rd annual tour. “Unbelievable,” Berry said afterwards. “We focused but we had fun. Too serious will burn you out. We had a few beers every night, hung out with fans and talked to people, got to bed at two or three in the morning and then drove to the next track to grind it out.” “Here we are six races later and we won all six,” he continued. “That’s pretty unbelievable.” Steve Arpin had won every night in racing to the 2007 crown, when a rainout pared the tour to five events. Berry’s sixth win came from the pole as he pulled away quickly at the start, caught heavy lapped traffic early and then tip-toed his way through. A [Read More]

Berry now one win from IMCA Dakota Classic Tour perfection

By Becca Pelkey MANDAN, N.D. (July 13, 2022) – Tom Berry Jr. is just 30 laps from unprecedented Corral Sales IMCA Dakota Classic Tour perfection. Berry won his fifth Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature and $2,000 in as many nights Wednesday at Dacotah Speedway, matching Steve Arpin’s 5-for-5 tour in 2007. He’ll chase that record-breaking sixth win when the tour concludes Thursday at Mandan. “We’ve been good. I don’t know what else to say. We’ve been up here every night,” Berry said from victory lane. “Luck’s been on our side. I’ve got a lot of good help backing me and that makes it all go around.” “It was overall a good night. Now we’ve got one more night.” Hometown driver Shawn Strand led early from the pole with Berry moving quickly toward the front from his sixth starting spot. The 2019 tour and 2020 national champion Berry caught and passed Strand before a lap three caution regrouped the field. On the restart, Berry ran away with the lead, quickly putting cars a lap down. The [Read More]

Berry makes run at IMCA Dakota Tour record book tonight

By Becca Pelkey DICKINSON, N.D. (July 12, 2022) – Tom Berry Jr. will make his run at the Corral Sales IMCA Dakota Classic Tour record book Wednesday night in Mandan. Berry won a fourth consecutive Friesen Performance IMCA Modified tour feature Tuesday at Southwest Speedway. Those checkers, good for $2,000, put him in position to match Steve Arpin’s perfect 5-for-5 tour campaign in 2007. Ricky Alvarado led the Modified field to green, but yellows came early and often and helped Berry move quickly through the field from his 10th starting spot. While battling to stay in the top spot, Alvarado had a mechanical failure and handed the lead over to Berry. Although cautions continued to slow the pace, Berry pulled away on each restart to win in front of the 11th starting Dakota Sproul, former national champion Jason Wolla, Eddie Belec and Tanner Black. Four different drivers, the most recent of them Ricky Thornton Jr. in both 2019 and 2020, had won three Modified features on tour since 2009. While Berry continued his string of perfection, consistent [Read More]

Berry three-peats, Speckman tops Stocks in IMCA Dakota Classic Tour at Williston Basin

By Becca Pelkey WILLISTON, N.D. (July 11, 2022) – Tom Berry Jr. went back-to-back-to-back and Matt Speckman went back to the winner’s circle for the first time since 2019 when the Corral Sales IMCA Dakota Classic Tour traveled to Williston Basin Speedway on Monday night. Berry raced to a third $2,000 Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature win in as many tour starts. Speckman’s $1,000 IMCA Sunoco Stock Car checkers were his career 89th in the division and earned him B & B Racing Chassis All-Star Invitational qualifying eligibility as well. Entries again topped 90 with 13 states and Canada represented in the Modified main event. Veterans Ed Turnbull and Hank Berry started on the front row in the Modified feature. Turnbull led from the initial green flag as Lucas Lambreries, Ricky Alvarado and Berry tussled three-wide close behind him. Using the high line around the speedway, Berry grabbed the second position and quickly caught Turnbull. He took over the top spot on lap nine and pulled away from the field, dominating from that point to win [Read More]

Berry, Klein repeat IMCA Dakota Classic Tour wins at Nodak

By Becca Pelkey MINOT, N.D. (July 10, 2022) – Same story, different track. Tom Berry Jr. and Randy Klein were Sunday night Corral Sales IMCA Dakota Classic Tour winners at Nodak Speedway, duplicating their checkered flag runs from Saturday’s opener at Jamestown. Berry, the 2019 tour and Minot track champion, collected his second $2,000 Friesen Performance IMCA Modified paycheck in as many nights while Klein scored another $1,000 IMCA Sunoco Stock Car victory in his first Nodak visit. Fifty-nine Modifieds and 34 Stock Cars saw tour action at The Playground of Power. “Minot has been good to me in the past,” Berry said. “A lot of people can get through (turns) one and two really well. Three and four are real hair pinny. I felt really comfortable there and was able to get grip off four and get super good runs.” Shawn Strand led the Modified field to the green flag and led early before Kollin Hibdon slipped by on lap four, bringing the fifth starting Berry with him. Berry stayed on Hibdon’s rear bumper and [Read More]

Berry is very good in IMCA Dakota Tour opener at Jamestown

By Becca Pelkey JAMESTOWN, N.D. (July 9, 2022) – Tom Berry Jr. raced his way back to a familiar locale on opening night of the Corral Sales IMCA Dakota Classic Modified Tour Saturday at Jamestown Speedway. Hooked up and flying from the start of the 30-lapper for Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds, Berry led every time around the oval in collecting the $2,000 checkers and his seventh Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifying victory already this season. More than 50 IMCA Modified drivers traveled from across the United States and Canada to compete in the prestigious six-day tour. Drivers from 11 states and Saskatchewan made up the main event field. Former tour champion Berry, who’d previously raced out of North Dakota and already well acquainted with victory lane at Jamestown, didn’t take long to catch lapped traffic after each early restart. He was extra cautious passing each car, which allowed second place running and defending Jamestown race winner Kollin Hibdon to reel him in. A caution with two laps to go reset the field and Hibdon gave [Read More]

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

MANDAN, N.D. (July 7, 2022) – Modified drivers defending their home track(s) will earn nearly $2,000 in bonuses during the upcoming Corral Sales IMCA Dakota Classic Tour powered by Industrial Electric. The top three finishing drivers appearing in local track standings coming into the night at July 9-14 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 33rd annual Dakota Classic Tour for Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars opens July 9 at Jamestown Speedway and travels to Nodal Speedway in Minot on July 10, Williston Basin Speedway on July 11, Southwest Speedway in Dickinson on July 12 and Dacotah Speedway in Mandan July 13 and 14. Modifieds race for $2,000 to win along with Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifying eligibility each night. Stock Cars run [Read More]

It’ll be a classic: 33rd IMCA Dakota Tour starts Saturday at Jamestown

MANDAN, N.D. (July 6, 2022) – Guaranteed to be a classic, the 33rd annual Corral Sales IMCA Dakota Classic Modified Tour powered by Industrial Electric opens this Saturday at Jamestown Speedway. Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds race for $2,000 to win, $300 to start and Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifying eligibility each night July 9 at Jamestown, July 10 at Nodak Speedway in Minot, July 11 at Williston Basin Speedway, July 12 at Southwest Speedway in Dickinson, and July 13 and 14 at Dacotah Speedway in Mandan. IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars run for a top check of $1,200 at Jamestown and $1,000 to win the next five nights, plus $100 to start and B & B Racing Chassis All-Star Invitational qualifying eligibility. IMCA and Hoosier Race Tire provide the $10,000 tour point fund, paying $6,500 to top 10 Modified drivers and $3,500 to top 10 Stock Car drivers. “The tour is just about ready to go,” noted Director John Gartner. “More than a dozen states and two Canadian provinces are now represented by the Modified entries and [Read More]