southwestspeedway 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]

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]

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]

33rd IMCA Dakota Classic Tour primed for July 9-14 run

MANDAN, N.D. (June 13, 2022) – The 33rd annual Corral Sales IMCA Dakota Classic Modified Tour powered by Industrial Electric has made a few changes to its format but the core mission of the Tour, to bring the best from IMCA to North Dakota each July, remains the same. Grant Oskvig will be the new tour flagman and IMCA.TV will be live streaming all six nights of the tour. All tracks have agreed to start at 7 p.m. for the first time and once again, IMCA rules will be used at all tracks in both the Friesen Performance IMCA Modified and IMCA Sunoco Stock Car divisions. The series starts its six-night consecutive run on Saturday, July 9 at the quarter-mile, high-banked Jamestown Speedway. They have pit parking for over 300 vehicles and camping right next to the track. Minot and Nodak Speedway host round two on Sunday, July 10. Nodak is a 3/8-mile high-banked facility on the North Dakota State Fairgrounds. On Monday, July 11, the tour heads west to Williston Basin Speedway and a quarter-mile, [Read More]

Dates, locations announced for 2022 Corral Sales Dakota Classic Tour

MANDAN, N.D. – Plans have been finalized for the Corral Sales Dakota Classic Tour with IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars after a recent meeting with the six host tracks. Due to mandated Covid vaccination requirements at the international border, Estevan, Sask., Motor Speedway has decided not to take a tour date despite an open border. This decision meant one track would be allowed to take an additional date to keep the traditional six consecutive date series format that has been popular with drivers and fans over the tour’s long history. Dacotah Speedway in Mandan stepped up to take the extra date. The tour will start in Jamestown on Saturday, July 9, 2022 at Jamestown Speedway. The series then heads north to the North Dakota State Fairgrounds and Nodak Speedway in Minot on Sunday, July 10. Drivers and fans next head west on US Highway 2 for Williston and Williston Basin Speedway on Monday, July 11. Southwest Speedway in Dickinson is next on Tuesday, July 12. The Tour wraps up in Mandan at Dacotah [Read More]

Déjà vu on Night 5 of IMCA Dakota Tour as Laney is IMCA Modified winner at Southwest

DICKINSON, N.D. (July 14) – Almost five years to the day he first won at Southwest Speedway, Cody Laney raced his way back to victory lane at the lightning-quick North Dakota oval. Laney topped the fifth installment of the Corral Sales Dakota Classic Tour IMCA Modified feature, adding to his tour point lead with the $2,000 checkers. The California driver had also been the winner of the July 13, 2016 event at Dickinson, his only previous tour victory. “That’s the only other time I’ve raced here,” said Laney, noting that track prep for the Wednesday night show fit his driving style. “Last year was the first time we’d raced the tour since then. We had motor problems and I only raced the first three nights.” “Following the tour is a lot of work but it’s a really cool deal,” he continued. “The tour has been around a long time and has a lot of prestige. There are a lot of good drivers – the locals are really good.” Former tour champion Troy Cordes led much [Read More]

IMCA Dakota Classic Tour point funds total $10,000

MANDAN, N.D. – Point funds totaling $10,000 will be paid to IMCA Modified and IMCA Sunoco Stock Car drivers in top 10 point standings for the upcoming Corral Sales IMCA Dakota Classic Tour. Courtesy of Hoosier Tire and IMCA, point fund amounts increase from $2,000 to $6,500 for the Modifieds and from $1,000 to $3,500 for the Stock Cars. The Modified champion earns $1,600, with $1,150 for second, $850 for third, $700 for fourth, $550 for fifth, $450 for sixth and $300 for seventh through 10th places. The Stock Car champion gets a $850 share of the point fund, with $625 for second, $475 for third, $400 for fourth, $325 for fifth, $225 for sixth and $150 for seventh through 10th. All Modified features pay $2,000 to win and are qualifying events for the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot. Stock Car features pay $1,000 with winners becoming eligible to qualify for the B & B Chassis All-Star race. Opening night for the 32nd annual tour is Saturday, July 10 at Jamestown Speedway. From there it heads to [Read More]

Southwest Dakota checkers fly for Thornton, Zevenbergen

DICKINSON, N.D. (July 14) – Ricky Thornton Jr. returned to the 31st annual Moritz Sport & Marine Dakota Classic IMCA Modified Tour presented by Bismarck Motor Company feature ranks to claim yet another feature win Tuesday at Southwest Speedway. Starting from the inside of row two, Thornton made quick work of polesitter Ryan Gaylord, claiming the lead early on. A handful of cautions scattered throughout the race did not deter Thornton on his way to the $2,400 checkers. Jake O’Neil, Tripp Gaylord, Jason Wolla and Austin Arneson rounded out the top five. Matt Speckman looked like he had the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car feature handled but became the victim of circumstance when second running Cole Trickle checked up and caught Speckman in the left rear, sending Speckman up and over and ending both of their nights.The winner in the situation turned out to be tour dominator Elijah Zevenbergen, who took command of the field with 11 to go and only faced a brief challenge from Dalton Flory before motoring to his fourth win of the [Read More]

IMCA Stock Cars new to Saturday shows at Southwest Speedway

DICKINSON, N.D. – Fans at Southwest Speedway can look forward to seeing IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars on a more regular basis. The Class Too Tough To Tame, a staple during annual Dakota Classic Tour visits for the past decade, joins Saturday night race programs at Dickinson beginning this season. IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing point season for the sanctioned Stock Cars, IMCA Modifieds, Karl Kustoms Northern SportMods and Mach-1 Sport Compacts runs from May 2 to Aug. 29. “We’re pretty amped up and ready to run the IMCA Stock Cars,” said promoter Luke Krogh. “We have a lot of fans who have only been able to see them once a year and I know the drivers are excited about it, too. The Stock Cars are one of the most competitive divisions out there.” “There are a lot of very good Stock Car drivers out there,” he continued, “from all over North Dakota to Estevan.” Stock Car points earned at Southwest Speedway figure toward IMCA EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region standings. The Tougher Than Dirt show is [Read More]

Another Dakota double down for Thornton, this time at Dickinson

By Jackson Braun DICKINSON, N.D. (July 10) – Ricky Thornton Jr. looks absolutely unbeatable right now. The Iowa racer, transplanted from Arizona, found Kupper Chevrolet Dakota Classic Tour victory lane at Southwest Speedway in both the IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Stock Cars for the second event in a row. The last time any other driver found victory lane on tour was all the way back on Sunday when Matt Speckman held off Thornton in the Stock Car portion of the evening. Thornton has won six out of a possible eight features between the two classes. An all-North Dakota front row of Robert Hellebust and Travis Hagen led the 28-car field to the Modified green flag. Hellebust jumped out to the lead early as Thornton loomed behind him from the fourth starting spot. Hellebust was able to make the high line work and get enough momentum to keep his car in the top spot by as little as two-thousandth’s of a second for a few laps in the early running. Several bobbles by Thornton helped Hellebust [Read More]