tougherthandirttour Archives

Runge, Raynard Crowned 2025 Tougher Than Dirt Tour Champions

By Ben Deatherage MINOT, N.D. (Jun. 12, 2025) — With rain washing out the finale at Nodak Speedway, the 2025 Tougher Than Dirt Tour wrapped up following Saturday night’s action at Thunder Mountain Speedway in Bottineau. The tour saw five nights of racing across North Dakota and one in the province of Saskatchewan. For the first time in the 10-year history of the series, both champions hailed from the “Land of the Living Skies,” making it a landmark year for Canadian competitors. Runge Earns First SportMod Title Leevi Runge from Lampman, Saskatchewan, claimed the Karl Chevrolet IMCA Northern SportMod championship after a consistent and powerful week. He kicked things off with a 10th-place run at McLean County Speedway on June 3, then earned his first-ever Tougher Than Dirt Tour win the following night at Southwest Speedway. Runge followed with back-to-back runner-up finishes at Williston Basin Speedway and Estevan Motor Speedway, before closing the week in triumph by winning the $2,000-to-win Robbie Conway Memorial on June 7 at Thunder Mountain Speedway. Chad Strachen, of Minot, finished second in [Read More]

Deschamp Ties All-Time Tour Win Record With Estevan Triumph

By Ben Deatherage ESTEVAN, SK (Jun. 6, 2025) — Gabe Deschamp handled a string of restarts and major pressure to come out on top in Friday’s 25-lap Karl Chevrolet IMCA Northern SportMod feature at Estevan Motor Speedway, part of the Tougher Than Dirt Tour. The Westhope, North Dakota, driver adjusted his line following a lap seven caution and mastered the 3/8-mile oval the rest of the way. As the battle for second unfolded behind him, Deschamp pulled away for his third straight win at Estevan with the tour, second at the track in 2025, third victory of this year’s tour, and ninth career tour win – tying him with Erik Laudenschlager for most all-time. Deschamp started second. Three-time Estevan SportMod champion Leevi Runge was the runner-up, while the 2006 McLean County and Geographical Center Speedway Stock Car champion completed the podium. Raynard Awarded First Career Tour Win in Hobby Stocks Diezel Raynard was officially declared the winner of Friday’s 20-lap Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stock Tougher Than Dirt Tour main event at Estevan Motor Speedway. Raynard led [Read More]

Deschamp Doubles Up with Tougher Than Dirt Tour at Williston

By Ben Deatherage WILLISTON, N.D. (Jun. 5, 2025) — Gabe Deschamp mastered restarts and lapped traffic at Williston Basin Speedway to win Thursday’s 25-lap Karl Chevrolet IMCA Northern SportMod feature during the Tougher Than Dirt Tour at the Upper Missouri Valley Fairgrounds. Tanner Conlin paced the field early, only for the previous night’s winner, Leevi Runge, to take command the next lap. Two-time defending tour champion Deschamp got past Runge on lap three, but a caution reverted the lead back to Runge. Runge, the three-time Estevan Motor Speedway track champion, had to deal with multiple restarts. On the final green flag run, which began on lap seven, Deschamp applied heavy pressure and eventually grabbed the lead on lap nine. Despite encountering lapped traffic on lap 13, Deschamp, from Westhope, mastered the conditions to secure his second win of the week, his second straight at Williston, and his eighth career tour victory. It was his sixth overall win of the season in the SportMod ranks. Runge held on for second, edging out the 2006 McLean County and [Read More]

Runge Rules in SportMod Main at Southwest Speedway

By Ben Deatherage DICKINSON, N.D. (Jun. 4, 2025) — Leevi Runge turned in a dominant performance to win the Karl Chevrolet IMCA Northern SportMod feature during the Tougher Than Dirt Tour stop at Southwest Speedway. Ryder Raynard took the initial lead in the 25-lap main event, but reigning Junior National champion Payce Herrera, of Utah, made an early move to the front on lap two. Herrera’s bid for victory came to an end a few laps later when his car came to a stop, handing the lead to Runge. Runge, a three-time Estevan Motor Speedway SportMod champion from Lampman, Saskatchewan, took off from there and only had to withstand a lap 22 caution for debris to seal the win. The triumph marked his first of the season and first career victory with the series. Cole Hanshew recovered from an early-race incident to finish second, with Taylor Stenvold rounding out the podium in third. Heaton Hustles to First Career Tour Win in Hobby Stocks Taylor Heaton made a statement in the Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stock 20-lap feature, [Read More]

Saxon Charges Late for Hobby Stock Tougher Than Dirt Tour Opener Win

By Ben Deatherage UNDERWOOD, N.D. (June 3, 2025) — Cash Saxon brought the crowd to their feet at McLean County Speedway, pulling off a thrilling late-race pass in the Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stock feature during the opening leg of the 2025 Tougher Than Dirt Tour. The 20-lap feature opened with Kaiden Tuchscherer getting the early advantage. Despite a handful of cautions in the first half, Tuchscherer — the 2022 Estevan Motor Speedway champion — controlled the pace. Suddenly, Diezel Raynard found speed on the bottom line and made a run at the lead. Raynard took over on lap 11, but Tuchscherer fought back and regained the top spot just two laps later. Raynard wasn’t done, though, and wrestled the lead away again on lap 15. But with just two laps to go, Saxon — from Lampman, Saskatchewan — made a brilliant move around both frontrunners to take over and never looked back. Starting third, Saxon earned his first win of the season in the B&B Racing Chassis Northern Region and his first career Tougher Than Dirt [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]