southwestspeedway Archives

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]

30th annual Kupper Chevrolet Dakota Classic Tour starts Saturday in Jamestown

JAMESTOWN, N.D. – IMCA Modified and IMCA Sunoco Stock Car drivers from 12 states and Canada have already pre-registered for the 30th annual Kupper Chevrolet Dakota Classic Tour. The tour starts its six consecutive day run Saturday, July 6 at Jamestown Speedway. The Tour then goes to Nodak Speedway at Minot on Sunday, July 7. On Monday, July 8, the series travels across the international border to Estevan, Sask., Motor Speedway. Williston Basin Speedway is the next stop on Tuesday, July 9. The series then heads to Southwest Speedway in Dickinson on Wednesday, July 10. Dacotah Speedway in Mandan hosts Championship Night on Thursday, July 11, and the Corral Sales Legendary 50 on Friday, July 12. All Modified features pay $2,400 to win and are qualifying events for the 2019 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot, while all Stock Car features pay $800 to win. The Legendary 50 pays a record $10,004 to win the IMCA Modified feature, another 2019 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot qualifier. More than $120,000 in payout is offered for the tour [Read More]

Thornton wins Dakota Tour thriller at Dickinson, Zevenbergen cruises to another Stock Car win

By Mike Spieker DICKINSON, N.D. (July 11) – Winning streaks by both inclement weather and Hunter Marriott came to an end Wednesday night at Southwest Speedway. Ricky Thornton Jr. picked up the Kupper Chevrolet Dakota Classic IMCA Modified Tour win at Dickinson, ending both the streak of two straight wins by two-time defending champion Marriott and then back-to-back rainouts. R.C. Whitwell and Shawn Strand made up the front row for the 30-lap main event. Whitwell grabbed the lead before Thornton got a run to go from fourth to second on lap two, getting by both Strand and Ethan Dotson. The top three distanced themselves from the rest of the field at the halfway point. With 14 to go, Whitwell found himself in lapped traffic and had to move away from the preferred bottom groove, which allowed Thornton to reel him in. Thornton dove to the inside with 10 to go to take the lead but Whitwell didn’t go down without a fight. The Arizona driver battled back to go three wide with Thornton along with a [Read More]

Feature

Southern SportMod Super Nationals Set for Kennedale Speedway Park on September 4–6

By Ben Deatherage KENNEDALE, Texas (July 29, 2025) — The IMCA Southern SportMod Super Nationals return to Kennedale Speedway Park on September 4–6, with three full nights of racing and more than $25,000 in total purse money. Now in its fourth year at KSP, the Southern SportMod-exclusive event has become a premier destination for top-tier talent in the division from across the region. The road to the Super Nationals begins with the Prelude presented by Mike Frieri on Friday, August 9, an event paying $2,000 to win and $125 to start. While held nearly a month before the main event, the Prelude offers drivers a key opportunity to qualify for the All-Star portion of Super Nationals week. There is no online registration – competitors simply need their 2025 KSP season registration pay card and must pay a $30 draw fee at check-in. Drivers who either compete in the Prelude or have won a 2025 IMCA-sanctioned Southern SportMod feature will be eligible for the All-Star qualifying heats on Thursday, September 4. The top 20 finishers will lock [Read More]

Feature

Loverude Wins Modified Thriller by Inches at Arlington

By Susan Allen ARLINGTON, Minn. (July 26, 2025) – The Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature had the fans at Arlington Raceway on the edge of their seats with five different leaders in a race packed with drama. Jason Schroeder led the opening lap, but Todd Stinehart, who started eighth, wasted no time and took over on lap two. Trent Loverude, racing with a broken foot, worked his way into the battle by lap six, trading the lead back and forth with Stinehart. Clint Hatlestad was also right there, making it a thrilling three-way contest. A caution on lap 14 flew when Wayne Govig spun and collected J.J. Reimers. On the restart, Hatlestad powered around Stinehart, setting up a showdown with Loverude. The two exchanged the top spot three different times on the final lap alone. Coming out of turn four, Hatlestad appeared to have it—but at the line, it was the fifth starting Loverude scoring the win by mere inches. It was his sixth Razor Chassis North Central Region win of 2025, five of which have [Read More]

Feature

Spangler Family Sweeps SportMod Podium at Cortez

By Suzan McCoy CORTEZ, Colo. (July 26, 2025) — The Dove Creek-based Spangler family stole the spotlight Saturday night at Cortez Fairgrounds Speedway, sweeping the podium in the Karl Chevrolet IMCA Northern SportMod division with an unforgettable 1-2-3 finish. Aaron Spangler was the class of the field, charging from the seventh starting position and methodically working his way to the front. Once there, he never looked back, holding off his younger family members with veteran savvy. The win marked Aaron’s fourth of the season and second at Cortez, and it adds to his growing success in the 2025 campaign. Brody Spangler, who started second, kept things steady and fast all night to secure the runner-up spot. Camron Spangler completed the family sweep with a fantastic drive from 10th to third, thrilling the home crowd. Seidel Scores Modified Victory Troy Seidel of Cheyenne, Wyoming, delivered a commanding performance in the Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature. Starting third, he quickly found his rhythm and drove to his fourth win of the year—but his first in the 2025 Shaw [Read More]