North Dakota has had a rather mild winter and for fans and drivers that's great news! With the great weather, there are a few different tracks across the state that are looking to have an April opening race. So let's take a look at what the race season has instore for 2021.
We're going to start with the Western tracks of the state in this article and breakdown what is looking to be an extraordinary race season.
Dacotah Speedway:
Dacotah Speedway looks to continue building off a solid 2020 season and doesn't look to be slowing down anytime soon. The 2021 season is bolstered by some of the top modified specials in the state. Standout races for the year will be the North Dakota Governor's Cup, The Ironman, Oktoberfest, and the Dakota Classic Modified Tour championship night. The interesting nights for the year are the return of the Ironman and the two day season ending Oktoberfest. Highlights from Dacotah Speedway's 2020 season were holding the highest car count every Friday throughout the season, a strong points battle in most of it's classes, and successfully hosting Kenny Wallace. Look for more great point battles throughout the classes this year as a new bunch of drivers join the field. Your defending track champions are Shawn Strand (IMCA modifieds), Hunter Domogala (Wissota street stocks), Donavin Wiest (INEX legends), Chris Welk Jr. (hobby stocks), and Ken Sandberg (IMCA sport compacts).
Nodak Speedway:
The Playground of Power had an excellent 2020 season when it came down to point battles. With almost every class coming down to championship to determine who would walk away with the track championship, one class even ended in a tie and had to be determined by the tracks tie breaker contingencies. One factor that Nodak Speedway has that many tracks wish they could have is their incredibly strong/large fanbase. This advantage is one that many drivers appreciate and enjoy racing in front of. For the fanbase the 2021 season looks to be a great one as there is a strong lineup of races for fans to enjoy Some highlight races for race fans are the Tougher than Dirt Tour, The Dakota Classic Modified Tour, the NLRA late model special, several appearances from the Renegade wingless sprints, and the Motor Magic weekend. The defending track champions are Robert Hellebust (IMCA modifieds), Mike Hagen (IMCA stock cars), Robby Rosselli (IMCA sport mods), Andrew Bertsch (IMCA hobby stocks), and Christopher Zenz (IMCA sport compacts).
Williston Basin Speedway:
The furthest western based track in the state has another solid season lined up for their race fans. Williston Basin Speedway has had some of the most interesting moments of racing in the past couple years with one moment being a modified going through a gate and into the parking lot a few years back. One other interesting aspect fans can look forward to is the extremely high quality of drivers that the fans will see. Not to say that the other tracks have lower quality drivers, but the IMCA stock car division has some of the best in all of IMCA. Pairing the interesting aspects of their generally good racing and close point battles the fans will have a lot to look forward to this year. The standout races and weekends for the track will be their double header season opener, the Tougher than Dirt Tour, the Rock the Races evening, the Dakota Classic Modified Tour, and the Fall Round Up. The track defending champions are Travis Hagen (IMCA modifeds), Dalton Flory (IMCA stock cars), Daren Medler (IMCA sport mods), and Andrew Bertsch (IMCA hobby stocks).
Southwest Speedway:
There is a general buzz surrounding the arrival of the 2021 race season in regards to the Southwest Speedway. The buzz starts by the acquisition of the speedway by new owner Brad Hartigan. Hartigan a standout racer out of Dickison took the reigns of the track and looks to bring some stability that will attract both the drivers and fans to return to the track. The schedule is highlighted by a some standout events such as the Tougher than Dirt Tour, the Richard Jordan Memorial, the Dakota Classic Modified Tour, and the return of the Harvest Shootout (2 nights). All of these races will attract strong fields of cars and some extremely competitive races. The drivers defending their track championships are Travis Olheiser (IMCA modifieds), Travis Ulmer (IMCA stock cars), Zach Frederidk (IMCA sport mods), Brandon Anderson (INEX Legends), and Casey Vernon (hobby stocks). As of now it appears the tracks final IMCA sport compact champion will be Brayden Urlacher.
Estevan Motor Speedway:
Last but not least is our friends from north of the border. There is something electric about the Estevan Motor Speedway that just brings out the best in the competition that dares to cross the border. Some call it national pride, some may be pure ego, but one thing is for sure and that is Estevan has a great track crew and a great track surface. 2020 saw the border be shut down in a year that the track was supposed to host two nights of the Dakota Classic Modified tour. 2021 looks to be presenting the same issue as 2020 brought; dumb politician's keeping the border shut down. However, they still have an excellent schedule laid ahead for them in 2021. The season will be highlighted by double header weekends all year. The late models will make a return to the track and the season ends with the ever so popular Dirt Wars. The track champions who will be defending their turf this year are Kody Schlopp (IMCA modifieds), Chris Hortness (IMCA stock cars), Leevi Runge (IMCA sport mods), Connor Hansen (IMCA hobby stocks).
This will conclude part one of three as we take a look of the upcoming 2021 racing season. Next will be the central portion of the state and we will look at Jamestown Speedway, Thunder Mountain Speedway, Tri-County Speedway, and McLean County Speedway.
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