nodakspeedway Archives

Appelt Outduels Field to Capture Inaugural $4,000-to-Win Bonnie Beeter Memorial at Nodak

By Ben Deatherage MINOT, N.D. (Aug. 24, 2025) — Caden Appelt of Minot pocketed $4,000 in the 40-lap Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stock feature at Nodak Speedway, winning the inaugural Bonnie Beeter Memorial. The victory was his 11th of the season in the B&B Racing Chassis Northern Region, with eight of those coming at the North Dakota State Fairgrounds 3/8-mile oval. Appelt got the jump from his third-place starting position to lead the opening lap, but 2022 Estevan Motor Speedway champion Kaden Tuchscherer quickly applied pressure on the high side. Tuchscherer took the point on lap 12 following several laps of side-by-side battling with Appelt, whose preferred low line eventually gave way. The two checked out from the field and resumed their duel again by lap 22. A lap-23 caution reset the field, and Appelt regained the lead on lap 28 with a slider in turn two. Two-time Nebraska State champion Travis Landauer closed in with a run on the bottom, while 2022 McLean County Speedway champion Trever Haas battled him for second. That fight allowed Appelt [Read More]

Hagen Surges Late to Win Monte Lundy Memorial at Nodak

By Ben Deatherage MINOT, N.D. (Aug. 17, 2025) — McGregor’s Travis Hagen powered from eighth starting to win the Second Annual Monte Lundy Memorial for the Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds, pocketing $4,014 on Sunday night at Nodak Speedway’s “Playground of Power.” The victory was Hagen’s 10th of the season in the Razor Chassis North Central Region and his sixth at Minot. 2014 Nodak Speedway title winner Drew Christianson led the opening laps before cautions slowed the early going. 2017 IMCA national kingpin Jason Wolla — also a two-time North Dakota State and former Nodak Speedway titlist — applied pressure on the restart, while four-time reigning Estevan Motor Speedway track ruler Kody Scholpp used the outside groove to grab the lead on lap six. Christianson briefly regained the point after a lap 14 restart, but Scholpp battled back on the high side. Defending Monte Lundy Memorial winner Aaron Turnbull, the 2013 Dakota Classic Modified Tour titlist, soon entered the fight, with multiple cautions — including one on lap 23 — keeping the leaders tight. In the closing [Read More]

Deschamp Claims $4000 John Gaule Memorial Glory at Nodak

By Ben Deatherage MINOT, N.D. (Aug. 10, 2025) — Westhope’s Gabriel Deschamp topped the inaugural John Gaule Memorial at Nodak Speedway on Sunday night, pocketing $4,000 in the biggest Karl Chevrolet IMCA Northern SportMod race in North Dakota. The 40-lap main event honored the late John Gaule and drew a talent-packed field of 48 entries from across the state and beyond for its first running. Three-time Estevan Motor Speedway champion and 2025 Tougher Than Dirt Tour titlist Leevi Runge paced the opening laps after starting from the pole. Reigning North Dakota State champion Keenan Glasser powered into the lead on lap nine, but just three circuits later it was 2025 Nodak Speedway champion Chad Stratchen taking over. The trio traded positions through the middle stages, with Deschamp — the two-time Tougher Than Dirt Tour champion and reigning Thunder Mountain and Estevan Motor Speedways title holder — joining the fray by the halfway mark. A three-wide tangle among the leaders with less than 10 laps to go shook up the order and gave Stratchen the lead [Read More]

Nelson Nabs $4,000 Inaugural Ole Olson Memorial in Nodak Nailbiter

By Ben Deatherage MINOT, N.D. (Aug. 3, 2025) — Jake Nelson of Williston outdueled a loaded field to win the inaugural Ole Olson Memorial at Nodak Speedway on Sunday night. The 40-lap feature for the Sunoco IMCA Stock Cars headlined a program that drew 47 entries to the 3/8-mile at the North Dakota State Fairgrounds. Nelson’s $4,000 triumph marked his fourth win of the season in the EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region and second of the weekend, following a victory at McLean County Speedway on Friday. It was also his first career win at the Playground of Power. Saskatchewan’s Gary Goudy Jr. set the pace early, running strong along the low groove until a lap five caution bunched the field. Three-time Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stock track champion Brock Beeter reeled in the leader around lap 10 but was unable to make a move. That opened the door for two-time Tougher Than Dirt Tour champion and 2025 Iowa Spring Nationals winner Gabriel Deschamp to challenge Beeter for second. Their intense battle allowed Goudy to stretch his advantage [Read More]

Nodak Speedway’s “All-Stars of August” Promises Big Payouts Every Sunday Night

By Ben Deatherage MINOT, N.D. (July 18, 2025) — Nodak Speedway is set to launch the inaugural All-Stars of August series, featuring four consecutive Sunday specials at the 3/8-mile clay oval on the North Dakota State Fairgrounds. Each night will spotlight a different IMCA division racing for $4,000 to win and $400 to start the main event. The Sunday night action begins August 3 with the Ole Olson Memorial for Sunoco IMCA Stock Cars, a B&B Racing Chassis All-Star Invitational qualifier. The series continues August 10 with the inaugural John Gaule Memorial for Karl Chevrolet IMCA Northern SportMods, followed by the second annual Monte Lundy Memorial for Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds on August 17, a Fast Shafts All-Star Modified Invitational qualifier. The final event on August 24 will be the inaugural Bonnie Beeter Memorial for Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stocks. Each of the four feature races will pay $4,000 to the winner, with second place earning $2,000, third $1,800, fourth $1,300, and fifth $1,200. All starters in the main event will receive a minimum of $400 to start. Drivers [Read More]

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]

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]

Feature

Tougher Than Dirt Tour Returns for 10th Annual Run Through North Dakota and Saskatchewan

By Ben Deatherage VINTON, Iowa (May 27, 2025) — The 2025 edition of the Tougher Than Dirt Tour is set to launch into its 10th season with six straight nights of high-powered IMCA racing, spotlighting the Karl Chevrolet IMCA Northern SportMods and the Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stocks. The tour kicks off Monday, June 3 and runs through Sunday, June 8, offering some of the most competitive racing for these divisions in the Northern Plains. The action begins at McLean County Speedway in Underwood, North Dakota on June 3, followed by a stop at Southwest Speedway in Dickinson on June 4. Williston Basin Speedway hosts round three on June 5, with the lone Canadian date coming at Estevan Motor Speedway in Saskatchewan on June 6. Thunder Mountain Speedway in Bottineau welcomes racers on June 7, before the finale on Sunday, June 8 at the historic Nodak Speedway in Minot. “I’m really looking forward to this week because it’s a great series of races for the local racers around these parts while also attracting some drivers from out [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]

Beeter Battles to Second Nodak Stock Car Win

By Ben Deatherage MINOT, N.D. (May 4, 2025) — The Sunoco IMCA Stock Cars thrilled fans Sunday night at Nodak Speedway, the 3/8-mile oval located at the North Dakota State Fairgrounds. Former Williston Basin champion Chris Tuchscherer led early until a lap 6 caution reset the field at the “Playground of Power” and opened the door for a challenge. That opportunity came from Minot’s own Brock Beeter, a three-time North Dakota State Hobby Stock champion and 2023 Karl Chevrolet IMCA Northern SportMod track titlist. Beeter rolled the inside to perfection and edged ahead of Tuchscherer on lap 7. A late caution erased his sizeable lead, but Beeter nailed the restart and held strong to the checkers for his second EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region win of the season. Tuchscherer held off two-time defending track champ Will Scheresky for second after a long battle. Gabe Deschamp slipped by Scheresky at the line to claim third. Wolla Rallies Late for Nodak Modified Victory The Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds also brought the crowd to their feet with a thrilling [Read More]