It's that time of year again. Time to look back and see what caught the attention of the Prairie Dirt Reporter in 2025. It's been a different kind of year. Sometimes life gets in the way of having fun, but we make the best of what we are given. That being said, let's begin...
Canadian Open Wheel Racing
If you were to ask me in 2009 what I thought about the status of open wheel racing across Canada, I probably would have said that it's showing the potential for growth and that there was genuine excitement about it's future, especially in the West.
How times have changed.
Somewhere along the line, that thought hit a wall. In 2025, while sprint car racing appears to be relatively healthy in Eastern Canada, sprint car racing West of Southern Ontario is almost nonexistent.
To the West, the Alberta Extreme Sprints remain the constant series at Edmonton's Rad Torque Raceway which once was the home for 360 sprint car racing, including the prestigious Gold Cup.
Manitoba used to have a reasonably healthy open wheel scene, which has now been nonexistent for almost 10 years.
I started paying more attention to the open wheel racing scene in Ontario this year. What started out as watching the racing from Ohsweken Speedway, featuring 360 and crate sprints, on GForceTV, turned into following the Southern Ontario (360) Sprints and then finally, posting results from the Ontario Traditional Sprints. The OTS was a nice tie-in with the North Dakota-based Western Renegade Non-Wing Sprintcar Series.
The traditional sprint car movement appears to be slowly showing growth and that's a good thing. Both the Western Renegades and the Ontario Traditional Sprints promote themselves as the affordable option of sprint car racing. In a time where sponsorship dollars are at a premium, car classes such as these are a good way for new teams to get involved.
While 410 outlaw sprint cars will always be considered the "elite" class of open wheel dirt track racing, those who dismiss or make light of other classes under the same umbrella are short-sighted in scope, which does little to promote the growth of sprint car racing in the bigger picture.
As we have witnessed countless times over, the car class a driver starts in is not necessarily the class he or she stays in.
Estevan Motor Speedway
Only one date was circled on the calendar for Estevan this season. That was the inaugural visit of the Western Renegade Non-Wing Sprintcar Series in August. Unfortunately the event was cancelled due to rain. Let's hope the traditional sprint car group and the speedway work towards making it happen in 2026.
Redhead Racing Returns to Dirt
After a brief stint with pavement racing, Redhead Racing is returning to the dirt tracks. Criss Jeffries announced plans to return to dirt track racing full time again. Expect to see her competing in the IMCA Northern SportMod division at Estevan Motor Speedway in 2026.
Resurrection of the Church of Dirt
Chris Unrau has done a masterful job of turning Morden's Dead Horse Creek Speedway into a premier destination for dirt track racing in Manitoba. From the beginning his message was very clear, "Built by Community FOR the Community" and everyone responded in kind. Feedback has always been positive and by the number of cars pitted and fans attending, the formula is a successful one.
Victory Lane Speedway Moving Forward
Glad to see that Victory Lane Speedway received the support needed to continue operating next season and beyond. With the possibility of closure, the Manitoba racing community answered the call. The speedway is also being expanded into a multi-use facility with the addition of an outdoor screen, to be used as a drive-in movie theatre.
All in the Family
When reviewing the weekend results, one name was always very prominent in Manitoba racing. The name was Audette. On any given evening, the Super Truck division would bolster anywhere up to four members of the Audette family. For the record, and in no particular order, Team Audette is comprised of Nick (also WISSOTA Midwest Mod), Chris, Hayden, Robert and Taylor. They truly embody the phrase, "the family that races together stays together".
Speaking of Audette Racing, their Wide Open Wednesdays segments on social media have been quite enjoyable to watch this past season. Looking forward to seeing more of them in 2026.
Derek Pollock
After 26 seasons, Winnipeg's Derek Pollock called it a career at the end of 2025. Behind the wheel of the 2T Pure Stock, Derek went out on top with an incredible 80 wins. Over time I have written about his involvement in the racing community, but it wasn't until more recent years that I got to know him a little better. Derek Pollock lived and breathed racing. He promoted the sport of dirt track racing, his racing team and his sponsors as enthusiastically as anyone I have ever know. Further to this, he cared about the people in racing.
I once had the opportunity to listen to Derek explain his thought process when he was on a dirt track and why he made certain decisions during a race. I've always found this to be an interesting subject and receiving some insight from this seasoned veteran was a blessing.
Prairie Dirt Racing Association
The PDRA completed their 2025 tour of four Saskatchewan dirt tracks (Kindersley, Swift Current, Outlook, and Tisdale) and from all accounts had a good turnout. The newest car class addition, Kidmods, showed a bit of growth.
I'm always interested to see introductory car classes for young racers just getting their feet wet in the sport.
While karting and more recently slingshots have been the more traditional routes, Kidmods offer a new alternative through the Prairie Dirt Racing Association. Looking forward to seeing more from them next season.
Sammy at Seventy
Sammy Swindell just turned 70 years old and he was still wheeling a sprint car competitively in 2025. While he hasn't been in the running for Outlaw championships as in the past, it's great to still see him racing and winning on occasion at this stage of life.
Advertising Partners
I can't thank my new advertising partners enough for coming on board with me in 2025. You'll be hearing more about them in the new year. Thanks once again to Mook Fabrics and Dahlin Powersports & Auto for their support. They make something good that much better.
Success and Thankfulness
Success in dirt track racing is not necessarily measured in dollars and cents, nor trophies. Very few of us have the privilege of earning a living in racing.
Rather, dirt track racing is rewarding by simply being a part of it, by achieving a personal best, by experiences from the season, friendships that were made and/or renewed and fellowship.
Perhaps it's even as simple as a photograph, a poster of an event, or something that you contributed with no expectations.
Racing has been and continues to be good to me. I cannot overstate that enough.
This year alone, I've experienced random acts of kindness, phone calls from old racing friends, invitations and more.
A friend once asked me what my day would look like if I was to retire from my job tomorrow. After some thought, one of the things that kept recurring was this blog, Dirt from the Stands. I still enjoy blogging and sharing, whether it's a lengthy piece like this or simply posting the weekend's results.
That being said, I could never do this alone. The support of photographers, people sharing news and results, advertising partners and my racing family have made this season, this journey, fulfilling.
Time
One thing about time is that it stops for no one. This year my time was divided into many pieces. Some of it was once again dedicated to motorsports and will be again next year. How much time is still up in the air. One thing is certain, I'll be back for another season in 2026.
Holiday Season
As we close out 2025, let us take time to slow down, relax, and reflect during the holidays and think about what could be in the new year.
Until next time, race fans... Take care and God Bless. 🏁
