jamestownspeedway Archives

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]

Hansen Scores First Career IMCA Modified Win at Jamestown

By Becca Pelkey JAMESTOWN, N.D. (Jun. 14, 2025) — Pole sitter Lindsay Hansen led the field to the green flag in the Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature at Jamestown Speedway. A lap one caution regrouped the field, but Hansen quickly pulled away on the restart. Another caution flew on lap six, bringing the field back together. On the restart, Scott Gartner passed Matthew Duchscherer for second, but a series of mid-race cautions would continue to reset the field. While battling for the lead with seven laps to go, Gartner made slight contact with John Nord, which allowed Hansen to slip away once again. Racing legend John Corell passed Nord for second with four laps to go but ultimately had to settle for the runner-up spot. Hansen earned his first-ever IMCA Modified feature win, marking also his first victory in the Razor Chassis North Central Region. Nord rounded out the podium in third.

Kinzley Captures First 2025 Win in Don Gumke Memorial Thriller

By Becca Pelkey JAMESTOWN, N.D. (June 7, 2025) – Jamestown Speedway hosted the 6th Annual Don Gumke Racers Memorial on Saturday night. Gumke, a racing legend from the Jamestown area, competed for many decades across the country before tragically passing away in January of 2020 while working on his race car. The Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds honored his legacy by battling for a $2,222 top prize in one of the region’s competitive events. When the green flag waved, Marcus Tomlinson and Jordan Sours traded early sliders in a spirited duel for the lead. An early caution regrouped the field, and on the restart, Quentin Kinzley found momentum along the high side of the track. He surged past both Tomlinson and Sours to take command before a string of cautions disrupted the flow. Kinzley then came under fire from racing veteran John Corell, who was just as fast running the bottom groove. As the two navigated lapped traffic, Corell slipped by to take the lead with nine laps remaining. But a caution with six to go reshaped [Read More]

Dakota Classic Mod Tour Set to Bring Six Nights of Intense Racing Action to the Northern Plains

By Ben Deatherage VINTON, Iowa (May 16, 2025) — The 2025 Dakota Classic Mod Tour is set to bring six straight nights of high-octane competition across North Dakota and Saskatchewan, featuring the Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds and Sunoco IMCA Stock Cars. The tour kicks off at J-Town on Saturday, July 5 at Jamestown Speedway, where fans will get their first look at this year’s competitors. From there, the tour heads to the Playground of Power at Nodak Speedway in Minot on Sunday, where the stakes intensify on the fast 3/8-mile oval. On Monday, the series crosses the border into the Land of the Living Skies in Saskatchewan, stopping at Estevan Motor Speedway for what is always a fan-favorite event. Following the Canadian leg, the tour returns to North Dakota on Tuesday for a stop at Williston Basin Speedway, where drivers will go Racin’ at the Basin on the tight and demanding bullring. The penultimate night of the tour takes the field to Southwest Speedway in Dickinson on Wednesday, with the grand finale set for Dacotah Speedway [Read More]

Hibdon gets his name on T-shirt with bucket list win at Jamestown

JAMESTOWN, N.D. (Sept. 21, 2024) – Kollin Hibdon wasn’t just happy about the bucket list win. He was happy about getting his name on the T-shirt. Hibdon led all 25 laps of Saturday’s Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature at Jamestown Speedway’s Stock Car Stampede, earning $3,069 and Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifying eligibility along with the bucket list checkers. Plus, he’ll see his name on the souvenir T-shirt sold at the 54th annual Stampede next September. “We’ve been in North Dakota for a few years now and it seems like we’ve won just about every special but this one,” said Hibdon, a Nevada native who just celebrated his 21st birthday late last month. “It means a lot to me to be able to win this race and I’m excited to get my name on the T-shirt.” The first 20 laps ran green; Travis Hagen and Zach Frederick headed the pursuit of Hibdon but never challenged and finished 2-3 behind him. Hibdon is headed back to his home state shortly. He’ll do some racing out west with his [Read More]

Early entry list is “stacked’ for 35th Dakota Classic IMCA Modified Tour

JAMESTOWN, N.D. (July 1, 2024) – After looking over the names, new co-promoter Byron Fichter could have used any number of words to describe pre-entry lists for the upcoming Dakota Classic IMCA Modified Tour. But it turned out he only needed one: “Stacked.” Fichter and partner Aaron Turnbull take over at the helm of the 35th annual tour, which travels to six tracks in North Dakota and Saskatchewan July 6-11. Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds race for $2,000 to win, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars for $1,000 to win each night Saturday, July 6 at Jamestown Speedway with following dates Sunday, July 7 at Nodak Speedway in Minot; Monday, July 8 at Estevan Motor Speedway; Tuesday, July 9 at Williston Basin Speedway; Wednesday, July 10 at Southwest Speedway in Dickinson; and Thursday, July 11 at Dacotah Speedway in Mandan. “We’ve got former tour champions, former national champions and former Super Nationals champions pre-registered,” said Fichter, listing the likes of four-time tour king Hank Berry, 2023 tour champions Tim Ward – also champion at Super Nationals – and Rob [Read More]

IMCA Dakota Classic Tour history made in 35th season

JAMESTOWN, N.D. (May 31, 2024) – Byron Fichter and Aaron Turnbull have been part of the Dakota Classic Tour for maybe more years than they’d like to admit. This year, they’ll be in charge of it. The two are new co-directors of the tour for Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, set to visit six tracks in North Dakota and Saskatchewan from July 6-11. “We have big shoes to fill,” Fichter said, acknowledging the efforts of founder and director John Gartner over the tour’s first 34 years. “People who come on the tour know the tracks in North Dakota and Canada are good hosts. We’re proud of our racing facilities and our racing communities.” “We have a lot of history, including 34 years of history as the best traveling series for Modifieds in North America.” The 35th annual tour opens Saturday, July 6 at Jamestown Speedway with following dates Sunday, July 7 at Nodak Speedway in Minot; Monday, July 8 at Estevan Motor Speedway; Tuesday, July 9 at Williston Basin Speedway; Wednesday, July [Read More]

Oh baby, what a race on opening night at Jamestown!

JAMESTOWN, N.D. (May 25, 2024) – Jamestown Speedway is the track where Becca and Jessup Pelkey met, where they got engaged, and where they spend most of their Saturday nights during the race season. So when it came time to hold the gender reveal to announce whether their first child, due in early fall, would be a boy or girl, Jamestown was the obvious location. Close friends Scott Gartner, who drives a red Friesen Performance IMCA Modified, and Chris Ritter, driver of a blue WISSOTA Street Stock, agreed to help with the reveal, held during the May 25 opening night show. The Pelkeys got a card, with the baby’s gender written on it, in a sealed envelope from their obstetrician. They gave that envelope to Gartner and Ritter, who had a day to script out the three-lap race they’d run during intermission Saturday at Jamestown. Becca, a co-announcer and race writer for the Jamestown Speedway, took to the microphone to tell fans about the race before watching from victory lane. Jessup was perched in the [Read More]

Schmitz scores IMCA Modified first in opener at Jamestown

By Becca Pelkey JAMESTOWN, N.D. (May 25, 2024) – Logan Schmitz raced to the first win of his Friesen Performance IMCA Modified career, on the first night of the new season at Jamestown Speedway. Three-time and defending track champion John Corell started on the pole and led the field to the green flag in the Saturday night finale but outside pole sitter Schmitz, wasted no time grabbing the lead. Kollin Hibdon, who started ninth, quickly climbed his way through the field and challenged Schmitz for the lead. Contact between the front pair brought out the first yellow on lap six and resulted in Hibdon getting charged with the caution. Schmitz was able to continue but cautions then slowed the feature. The ensuing restarts allowed Nord to charge through the field and battle for the win. As the cautions helped him early, the cautions hurt him at the end of the race. On the final restart with six laps to go, Nord was slow to hit the gas and allowed Logan Schmitz to cruise to his [Read More]

Sale of Dakota Classic Modified Tour announced

MANDAN, N.D. (Dec. 5, 2023) – Dakota Classic Modified Tour owner John Gartner has agreed to sell the long-time running series to a promoters’ governing group that represents the six tracks currently hosting the tour. The tour for Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars will be held during the previously agreed upon dates next July starting with Jamestown Speedway on Saturday, July 6; Nodak Speedway in Minot on Sunday, July 7; Estevan Motor Speedway on Monday, July 8; Williston Basin Speedway on Tuesday, July 9; Southwest Speedway in Dickinson on Wednesday, July 10; and Dacotah Speedway in Mandan on Thursday, July 11. No significant changes are planned to be made with tour payouts, fees or procedures. The governing group will be selecting a tour director/promoter at some point in the future. The new governing board members and promoters of each track state that that “Words cannot do enough to describe our gratitude to John for his commitment to this tour over the years. This tour would not exist without him. As we move [Read More]