Sprint Car Racing Returns to Canadian Prairies

 

Western Renegade Non-Wing Sprintcar Series
Samantha Tomlinson photo

When the green flag drops to start the 2026 dirt track racing season, two Canadian prairie race tracks will include the long-awaited return of sprint car racing on their schedules.

Victory Lane Speedway and Estevan Motor Speedway will be hosting the Western Renegade Non-Wing Sprintcar Series this summer.  Both are sanctioned events.

The Renegades will pay their first visit to Manitoba's Victory Lane Speedway on Thursday, July 16th which will kick off WRSS Speedweek which includes dates in Grand Forks ND (Friday) and Devil's Lake ND (Saturday).

Manitoba racer, Eric Guyot, shared his thoughts about racing at home.  "After racing pretty much on the road, I'm really looking forward to coming home and putting on a great show for our local fans and sponsors.  Victory Lane Speedway has been the site of many of my best racing days over the years. As we've witnessed from past events, Winnipeg loves their sprint cars. It'll be awesome to show them what a good field of traditional sprints can do. The WRSS averaged over 17 cars per night last year."

Victory Lane Speedway, a high-banked 4/10ths mile oval, is also the largest dirt track on the Western Renegade's schedule.

The Renegades will then make a second attempt to race at Estevan Motor Speedway on Saturday, August 15th.  The traditional sprints were to debut in 2025, however rain forced the cancelation of their event.

The wide, sweeping corners and straightaways of this high-banked 3/8 mile oval make for fast-paced action at the Southeast Saskatchewan dirt track.

Minot, North Dakota's Dusty Lawson shared his enthusiasm to see both Winnipeg and Estevan on the schedule.  "I'm very excited to see the WRSS expand north of the border. It's great to see sprint cars returning to Estevan Motor Speedway for the first time since 2018, when I picked up my first sprint car win.  Winnipeg will be a night of great racing. I know Eric Guyot has been working very hard with Myles Tomlinson to make that event happen."

Western Renegade Non-Wing Sprintcar Series owner, Myles Tomlinson echoed the sentiments of both drivers Guyot and Lawson.   "We're excited to get to race at both Canadian tracks this season. It will be fun to go to both areas and see if we can continue to grow sprint car racing in the region."

Established in 2020, the Western Renegade Non-Wing Sprintcar Series set out with a goal to create a Premier class for the average working person with an economically-based, fast, and family-friendly atmosphere to help bring the enjoyment of racing to all.

For more information about traditional sprint car racing, check out the WRSS website here, or go to their Facebook page.

PDRA Western Expansion, Open Wheels & More

 

As the old expression goes, Go West Young Man.

That's exactly what the Prairie Dirt Racing Association has done for the upcoming 2026 season.

From it's beginnings as a dirt track touring group across most of Saskatchewan plus Manitoba (Swan River) in 2023, the PDRA has moved forward with an ambitious schedule covering 3 Western Canadian provinces from Saskatchewan to British Columbia in 2026.

Tracks previously booked that will be stops for the tour include Outlook Stockcar Track, Flatlanders Speedway (Kindersley), and Swift Current Speedway.

New to the 2026 tour will be Alberta tracks Dinosaur Downs Speedway (Drumheller), and Rad Torque Raceway (Edmonton).  British Columbia tracks scheduled are Taylor Speedway, and Rocky Mountain Speedway (Valemount).

To cap it off, there will be a special running of the Street Stock and Hobby Stock classes at Saskatoon's Sutherland Automotive Speedway on September 12th for the A&W Street Stock 100 event.  The Saskatoon event is on a paved oval, one of two in the province of Saskatchewan.  The other paved track is Kings Park Speedway in Regina.

Side Bites

The Dakota Classic Modified Tour released their 2026 schedule.  The tour will run from July 5th to 10th including its annual Canadian stop at Estevan Motor Speedway on Monday, July 6th.

Swan Valley Speedway (Swan River, MB) will be celebrating their 40th anniversary this season.  There are 5 weekends scheduled including their annual Invitational on August long weekend.

The biggest midget event of it's kind , the 2026 Chili Bowl Nationals, kicked off the new season in Tulsa, Oklahoma as over 400 competitors attempted to capture the coveted Golden Driller trophy.

This year's victor was Emerson Axsom of Franklin, Indiana, driving the 39a Kevin and Jo Swindell midget.

On a local note, some members of the Northern and Western Renegade participated in this year's Chili Bowl Nationals.  They included Myles Tomlinson, Cam Schafer, Jori Hughes, Jack Berger, Ryan Bowers, Matt and Bill Johnson, and Manitoba's Eric Guyot.

Speaking of Eric, his first attempt at midget racing, though exciting, was short-lived as he completed 3 laps of his first heat race before his car flipped. Although that was it for his Chili Bowl racing, I am told that he's already looking forward to 2027.

Speaking of open wheel racing, be sure to watch for upcoming racing schedules including the Western Renegade Non-Wing Sprint Car Series and the Ontario Traditional Sprints.  Slowly but surely, the traditional sprint car movement is taking hold as a popular economic alternative in open wheel dirt track racing.

Before I sign off, I would like to thank our advertising partners Mook Fabrics and Dahlin PowerSports & Auto for their continued support of Dirt from the Stands.

Until next time, race fans.  Take care and good racing. 🏁