willistonbasinspeedway Archives

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]

IMCA.TV bonuses paid to Dakota Tour Modified drivers defending home tracks

JAMESTOWN, N.D. (July 7, 2023) – Modified drivers defending their home track(s) earn almost $2,000 in bonuses during the upcoming IMCA.TV Dakota Classic Modified Tour. The top three finishing drivers appearing in local track standings coming into the night at July 8-13 tour events each receive $110 IMCA.TV DCMT Defender Awards. Where they finish in the feature doesn’t matter: The sole requirement is that they have competed and earned weekly points at that track/or tracks this season. Bonuses totaling $330 will be paid each night. Checks will be mailed from the IMCA office when results are official. The 34th annual Dakota Classic Tour for Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars opens July 8 at Jamestown Speedway and travels to Nodak Speedway in Minot on July 9, Estevan Motor Speedway on July 10, Williston Basin Speedway on July 11, Southwest Speedway in Dickinson on July 12 and Dacotah Speedway in Mandan July 13. IMCA.TV broadcasts each of those race programs. Modifieds race for $2,000 to win along with Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifying eligibility [Read More]

34th IMCA.TV Dakota Classic Modified Tour starts Saturday in Jamestown

JAMESTOWN, N.D. (July 6, 2023) – Online entries continue to come in for the 34th annual IMCA.TV Dakota Classic Modified Tour. The six consecutive night tour for Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Sunoco Stocks Cars is again an international series with Estevan Motor Speedway in Saskatchewan back after a three-year absence due to the Covid pandemic. At this point, drivers have pre-registered from 15 US states and a healthy contingent from Canada. Modifieds will be running for $2,000 to win and $300 to start their 26-car features, along with Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifying eligibility. Stock Cars will be paid $1,000 to win their 24-car feature events with B & B Racing Chassis All-Star qualifying eligibility awarded as well. More than $140,000 in payout for the series will be paid and there is a $10,000 point fund between the two divisions for the top 10 in tour points. In addition, over $25,000 in contingency prizes will be awarded to the top 25 in Modified and top 20 in Stock Car tour points. All six race [Read More]

IMCA Dakota Classic Tour will be ‘back to normal’

JAMESTOWN, N.D. (June 1, 2023) – For the first time in what’s been years, the guy who’s been around for all the years of the Dakota Classic Tour powered by Industrial Electric believes things will be back to normal. And normal is good. The 34th annual tour takes Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars to six different tracks in North Dakota and Saskatchewan over the course of its July 8-13 run. Modifieds run for $2,000 to win, Stock Cars for $1,000 to win each night. “Finally, it seems like we’re getting back to what feels normal,” said John Gartner, director of the tour since day one. “We haven’t had to deal with tornadoes, or flooding, and there’s no pandemic, which means we’re back to being an international series.” After dates July 8 at Jamestown Speedway and July 9 at Minot’s Nodak Speedway, the tour returns to Canada and Estevan Motor Speedway on July 10. “The tour hasn’t been north of the border since 2019, the year before COVID,” Gartner said. “I made the [Read More]

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 three-peats, Speckman tops Stocks in IMCA Dakota Classic Tour at Williston Basin

By Becca Pelkey WILLISTON, N.D. (July 11, 2022) – Tom Berry Jr. went back-to-back-to-back and Matt Speckman went back to the winner’s circle for the first time since 2019 when the Corral Sales IMCA Dakota Classic Tour traveled to Williston Basin Speedway on Monday night. Berry raced to a third $2,000 Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature win in as many tour starts. Speckman’s $1,000 IMCA Sunoco Stock Car checkers were his career 89th in the division and earned him B & B Racing Chassis All-Star Invitational qualifying eligibility as well. Entries again topped 90 with 13 states and Canada represented in the Modified main event. Veterans Ed Turnbull and Hank Berry started on the front row in the Modified feature. Turnbull led from the initial green flag as Lucas Lambreries, Ricky Alvarado and Berry tussled three-wide close behind him. Using the high line around the speedway, Berry grabbed the second position and quickly caught Turnbull. He took over the top spot on lap nine and pulled away from the field, dominating from that point to win [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]

Black’s IMCA Dakota Tour struggles end, Flory continues Stock success at Williston

By Rebecca Rattei WILLISTON, N.D. (July 13) – Tanner Black saw his string of tough outings end Tuesday night with his career-first Corral Sales Dakota Classic IMCA Modified Tour win at Williston Basin Speedway. He swapped the lead with Tim Ward in the green, white, checkered conclusion to the $2,000 to win main event. “We’ve struggled really bad this week,” said Black, who had 13th, 20th and 26th place finishes to show for three tour starts leading into Williston. “We got a better draw this time, had a good heat race and were able to get into the redraw. Dominic Ursetta had drawn the pole and quickly pulled away from the field quickly, but Black found the fast line up top and passed Ursetta for lead seven laps in. Heavy lapped traffic allowed a number of challengers to stay close and a couple late-race cautions helped the eighth starting Ward make his charge to the front. After Ward made his way to the front, Black again used the higher line to get the lead, then drove to [Read More]