willistonbasinspeedway Archives

Rain Washes Out Williston Features; Wednesday’s Round Four Moved to Mandan

By Ben Deatherage WILLISTON, N.D. (July 7, 2026) — Rain disrupted the third round of the 2026 Dakota Classic Modified Tour powered by Industrial Electric on Tuesday night at Williston Basin Speedway and has forced a schedule change for the remainder of the week. Tuesday’s program at Williston Basin Speedway completed all heat races and B Mains before heavy rain arrived just prior to the start of the Sunoco IMCA Stock Car feature, preventing the remainder of the evening’s racing program from being completed. Continued rainfall and saturated grounds have forced the fourth round of the Dakota Classic Modified Tour, originally scheduled for Southwest Speedway in Dickinson, to be moved to Dacotah Speedway in Mandan on Wednesday, July 8. Dacotah Speedway will also host the previously scheduled fifth round of the tour on Thursday, July 9, giving fans two consecutive nights of Dakota Classic Tour action at the 3/8-mile Mandan oval. Tour officials encourage fans and competitors to follow the Dakota Classic Modified Tour Facebook page for the latest schedule updates and additional event information. Fans [Read More]

Glasser Outduels Herrera in Williston SportMod Thriller

By Ben Deatherage WILLISTON, N.D. (July 3, 2026) — A pair of teenage stars put on a show Friday night at Williston Basin Speedway as 18-year-old Keenan Glasser and 17-year-old Payce Herrera traded sliders and crossed the stripe separated by mere hundredths of a second before Glasser emerged victorious in the Karl Kustoms IMCA Northern SportMod feature. Fifteen-year-old Sladen Pfeifer won a thrilling side-by-side battle with Tanner Conlin to lead the opening lap. Conlin briefly took the top spot exiting turn two on the next circuit before Pfeifer crossed back underneath entering turn three to reclaim the lead. A caution on lap four bunched the field and allowed 2024 Williston track champion and North Dakota state champion Glasser to move into second on the restart. Pfeifer maintained command while Glasser and 2026 Tougher Than Dirt Tour champ, Herrera, battled for the runner-up spot before another caution slowed the pace on lap nine. Herrera charged around the cushion and nipped Pfeifer at the line to lead lap 10 before Glasser reclaimed second three circuits later. Another caution [Read More]

Dakota Tour Set to Launch July 5 with Six Nights of Racing

By Ben Deatherage VINTON, Iowa (June 26, 2026) — One of IMCA’s premier summer tours returns to the Northern Plains when the 2026 Dakota Tour roars to life with six consecutive nights of racing from July 5-10. The popular swing features Karl Kustoms IMCA Modifieds and Sunoco IMCA Stock Cars competing at six tracks across North Dakota and Saskatchewan, testing competitors on a variety of bullrings and high-banked ovals in pursuit of tour championships. The tour opens Sunday, July 5, at Nodak Speedway in Minot before crossing the border to Estevan Motor Speedway in Estevan, Saskatchewan, on Monday, July 6. Racing returns to North Dakota on Tuesday, July 7, at Williston Basin Speedway before continuing to Southwest Speedway in Dickinson on Wednesday, July 8, Dacotah Speedway in Mandan on Thursday, July 9, and concluding Friday, July 10, at Jamestown Speedway. A strong contingent of former champions, state titlists, and touring standouts has already committed to compete. The Karl Kustoms IMCA Modified field is led by two-time defending Dakota Tour champion Ethan Braaksma, who also won the [Read More]

Herrera Breaks Through for First Tougher Than Dirt Tour Victory

By Ben Deatherage WILLISTON, N.D. (June 4, 2026) — Seventeen-year-old Payce Herrera raced to his first career T&A Tong and Indicator Tougher Than Dirt Tour presented by Schatz Storage victory in the Karl Kustoms IMCA Northern SportMods at Williston Basin Speedway. The Price, Utah driver led the opening lap before a caution immediately slowed the pace. On the restart, Herrera and reigning Nodak Speedway track champion Chad Stratchen separated themselves from the rest of the field as the 2024 Junior National champion established himself as the driver to beat. A pair of cautions just before the midway point kept the field close. Buffalo River Speedway’s defending track champion Jayden Pavlicek mounted several challenges on the high side, but Herrera remained composed while Stratchen and Pavlicek battled intensely for second. The leaders encountered lapped traffic on lap 18, but Herrera never wavered and drove away in the closing laps. The victory was his first career tour triumph and eighth win of the 2026 season at four different racetracks. Stratchen finished second. Pavlicek narrowly beat Tanner Conlin to [Read More]

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Tougher Than Dirt Tour Roars Back June 3-7 Across North Dakota and Saskatchewan

By Ben Deatherage VINTON, Iowa (May 21, 2026) — The Tougher Than Dirt Tour is set to roar back to life this June with five straight nights of Speedway Motors IMCA Weekly Racing competition across North Dakota and Saskatchewan, featuring strong point funds, unique awards, and some of the top Karl Kustoms IMCA Northern SportMod and Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stock drivers in the region. The 2026 tour schedule opens Wednesday, June 3 at McLean County Speedway in Underwood, North Dakota before heading west to Williston Basin Speedway on Thursday, June 4. The tour then crosses into Canada on Friday, June 5 for a stop at Estevan Motor Speedway in Estevan, Saskatchewan. Thunder Mountain Speedway in Bottineau hosts the Robbie Conway Memorial on Saturday, June 6 before the tour wraps up Sunday, June 7 at Nodak Speedway in Minot. Tour director Brandon Beeter expects another strong field of competitors from across the Upper Midwest and Canada. “We’ve had some outsiders already sign up like Payce Herrera and Nathan DeRagon,” Beeter said. “But we’ve got a really strong [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]

Braaksma Bests the Field in Thrilling Williston Modified Main

By Ben Deatherage WILLISTON, N.D. (Jul. 8, 2025) — Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds headlined another exciting night at Williston Basin Speedway during the fourth round of the Wolla Trucking Dakota Classic Modified Tour powered by Industrial Electric. With packed grandstands and 30 laps on the docket, fans were treated to a thrilling late-race finish as defending tour champion Ethan Braaksma charged to victory to become the third different winner in as many race on the 2025 tour. Braaksma, the 2025 IMCA.TV Winter Nationals champion, started fifth in the Danny Meier and Trent Guest-owned no. 111 and patiently worked the bottom of the track throughout the second half of the race. With just three laps to go, he made the decisive move in turn three to slip past longtime leader Jason Wolla. Wolla made one final attempt to reclaim the lead but couldn’t close the gap, as Braaksma pulled away to score his second career Dakota Tour win, his first at Williston, and sixth victory of the 2025 season, including five in the Razor Chassis North Central [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]

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]

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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]