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. 🏁

Time, Change and Life in 2025, A Year In Review

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. 🏁

Dinner Jacket Classic, Swan Valley Invitational and Victory Lane Results

4-Cylinder winner, Madoc Mulholland

Lake of the Woods Speedway, Kenora, Ontario, August 3 Dinner Jacket Classic Night 2

WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds (10 cars) Feature: 3H Keelan Hall, 14 Edward Bell, 07HD Jesse McKuski, 07HD1 Stan Dueck, 20 Nick Audette, 17 Christopher Leek, 88 Paul Veert, 28 Brodie McGowan, 177 Dustin Alcock, 38 Nick Hooper

Heat Winners: 3H Keelan Hall, 20 Nick Audette

Super Trucks (6 trucks) Feature: 2 Nick Audette, 5H Keelan Hall, 27 Hayden Audette, 10 Kyle Swaffer, 9 Taylor Audette, 20 Robert Audette

Heat Winner: 2 Nick Audette

Limited Stocks (13 cars) Feature: 80 Jesse Pederson, 14 Logan McDonald, 07HD Aiden McKuski, 46 Michael Copp, 91 Morgan McDonald, 45R Dave Rogers, 13 Wade Barkley, 17 Matt Taylor, 57 Darrin Rea, 27 Jamie Tates, 08 Lucas Elias, DNF), 44 Tyler Brooks (DNF), 18M Bryson McDonald (DNF)

Heat Winners: 46 Michael Copp, 80 Jesse Pederson

4-Cylinders (12 cars) Feature: 71 Madoc Mulholland, 17 Kamea Mulholland, 81A Alexander Farr, 177 Dustin Alcock, 55 Jeremy Wall, 88W Dustin Wowk, 13T Taylor Strong-McCauley, 203 Wanda Marshall, 4A Anthony Bailey, 07HD Bentley McKuski, 705 Riley Tesarski, 25M Melanie Alcock

Heat Winners: 81A Alexander Farr, 55 Jeremy Wall

🏁

WISSOTA Midwest Modified winner, Brandon Rehill

Lake of the Woods Speedway, Kenora, Ontario, August 2 Dinner Jacket Classic Night 1

WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds (11 cars) Feature: 3H Brandon Rehill, 14 Edward Bell, 07HD1 Stan Dueck, 20 Nick Audette, 07HD Jesse McKuski, 88 Paul Veert, 17 Christopher Leek, 28 Brodie McGowan, 38 Nick Hooper, 177 Dustin Alcock, 18 Tim Wiebe (DNS)

Heat Winners: 88 Paul Veert, 3H Brandon Rehill

Super Trucks (8 trucks) Feature: 27 Hayden Audette, 2 Nick Audette, 17 Lars Vos, 71 Nico Vos, 9 Taylor Audette, 5H Keelan Hall, 10 Kyle Swaffer, 20 Robert Audette

Heat Winner: 2 Nick Audette

Limited Stocks (12 cars) Feature: 18M Bryson McDonald, 46 Michael Copp, 14 Logan McDonald, 45 Jeff Copp, 08 Lucas Elias, 17 Matt Taylor, 57 Darrin Rea, 27 Jamie Tates, 80 Jesse Pederson (DNF), 07HD Aiden McKuski (DNF), 44 Tyler Brooks (DNF), 91 Morgan McDonald (DNF)

Heat Winners: 14 Logan McDonald, 91 Morgan McDonald

4-Cylinders (12 cars) Feature: 71 Madoc Mulholland, 17 Kamea Mulholland, 177 Dustin Alcock, 55 Jeremy Wall, 88W Dustin Wowk, 13T Taylor Strong-McCauley, 705 Riley Tesarski, 07HD Bentley McKuski (DNF), 81A Alexander Farr (DNF), 80HD Jason Fehr (DNF), 203 Wanda Marshall (DNF), 4A Anthomy Bailey (DNS)

Heat Winners: 55 Jeremy Wall, 71 Madoc Mulholland

🏁

Swan Valley Speedway, Swan River, Manitoba, August 3 Invitational

B-Mods Feature: 27M Darin Bednarski, 10K Brandon Klechyn, 18 Steve Bednarski, 15 Nick Baskier, 75 Marcus Pinder, 59 Rick Geluschuk, 85 Stu Bauman, 07 Lonnie Pinder

Street Stock Feature: 44 Ryan Atkings, 66 Tyler Holian, 8 Dustin Randall, 249 Liam Griffin, 58 Lenny Holian, 42 Graydon Burghart

Pure Stock Feature: 8 Brody Singleton, 30K Brian Bellew, 44 Jen Atkings, 09 Ashley Ashdown, 12 Everett Griffith, 37 Robert Wicks, 3 Arden Baskier, 27 Clint Baskier, 15 Kyla Harris, 99 Kathleen Walsh, 26 Dylan Chernyk

4-Cylinder Feature: 88 Damian Chernyk, 51 Kennedy Baskier, 343 Brendan Cristensen, K02 Kyle Paupst

🏁

Swan Valley Speedway, Swan River, Manitoba, August 2 Invitational

B-Mods Feature: 27M Darin Bednarski, 15 Nick Baskier, 18 Steve Bednarski, 59 Rick Galuschuk, 75 Marcus Pinder, 60 Barry Woodson, 10K Brandon Klechyn, 85 Stu Bauman, 07 Lonnie Pinder

Street Stock Feature: 44 Ryan Atkings, 8 Dustin Randall, 77 Carson Crowe, 58 Lenny Holian, 6 Darryl Woodson, 249 Liam Griffin, 66 Tyler Holian, 42 Graydon Burghart

Pure Stock Feature: 30K Brian Bellew, 44 Jen Atkings, 8 Brody Singleton, 09 Ashley Ashdown, 99 Kathleen Walsh, 12 Everett Griffith, 3 Arden Baskier, 27 Clint Baskier, 26 Dylan Chernyk, 37 Robert Wicks, 88 Rodney Rosenthal

4-Cylinder Feature: 88 Damian Chernyk, 88 Cory Chernyk, 343 Brendan Cristensen

*Notation: Not shown in the results, Criss Jeffries of Redhead Racing ran in the B-Mod class over the weekend.  Her next scheduled race will be at Flatlanders Speedway in Kindersley, Saskatchewan on August 16 and 17 as part of the Prairie Dirt Racing Association touring series.

🏁

Victory Lane Speedway, St. Adolphe, Manitoba, July 31st Results

WISSOTA Midwest Modified winner, Austin Hunter

WISSOTA Modifieds (7 cars) Feature: 1R Rick Delaine, 39 Shawn Teunis, 5G Scott Greer, 88 Tanner Williamson, 15 Tony Konold, 4B Brandon Rehill, 7 Danny Staff

Heat Winner: 1R Rick Delaine

WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds (15 cars) Feature: 44 Austin Hunter, 77X Dylam McCaughan, M47 Malachi Klassen, 24JR Rebecca Stutsky, 47K Memphis Klassen, 24 Victoria Stutsky, 20 Nick Audette, 12 Jeff Rempel, 88 Paul Veert, 83X Garett Veldman, 07HD1 Stan Dueck, 14 Lindsay Durocher (DNF), 54 Lance Relf (DNF), 07HD Jesse McKuski (DNF), 72 Rudy Peters (DNF)

Heat Winners: 24 Victoria Stutsky, 20 Nick Audette, 12 Jeff Rempel

Mid-Canada Stock Cars (17 cars) Feature: 46 Michael Copp, 00 Shawn Perdonic, 07HD Aiden McKuski, 2T Derek Pollock, 45R Dave Rogers, 17K Kaden Labute, 8 Caitlyn Somack, 19X Corey Werbicki, 927X Taylor Christian, 37T Taylor MacKenzie-Boisjoli, 5F Tyler Fehr (DNF), 73 Steve Redman (DNF), 207 Justin Krause (DNF), 22 Michael Weremchuk (DNF), 1 Evan Marchand (DNF), 40 Owen Anderson (DNF), 80 George Darling (DNF)

Heat Winners: 5F Tyler Fehr, 00 Shawn Perdonic, 2T Derek Pollock

Super Trucks 14 trucks) Feature: 17 Lars Vos, 2 Chris Audette, 5 Gerry Poirier, 3 Jason Somack, 44 Rob Reese, 38 Dan Klim, 57 Tyler Tkachyk, 27 Hayden Audette, 9 Taylor Audette, 10 Kyle Swaffer, 20 Robert Audette, 13 Braeden Dick (DNF), 71 Nico Vos (DNF), 53 Jack Larner (DNS)

🏁

Side Bites

Although it was not reflected in the posted results, Criss Jeffries of Redhead Racing ran in the B-Mod class over the weekend at Swan Valley Speedway.  Her next scheduled race will be at Flatlanders Speedway in Kindersley, Saskatchewan on August 16 and 17 as part of the Prairie Dirt Racing Association touring series.

🏁

Advertising Partners

Thanks to our awesome advertising partners, Dahlin PowerSports & Mook Fabrics. 

And remember folks, please support the businesses that support racing.

Renegade, Estevan Season Openers and More Dirt

The month of May means different things to many people, but what it means to the dirt track faithful is the kickoff to a new season of dirt-slinging action at their local race tracks.

A beautiful sunny sky and warm temperatures were in stored for Estevan Motor Speedway during their season opener on Saturday night.  The same conditions were enjoyed just south of the border by the Western Renegade Non-Wing Sprintcar Series as they were part of opening weekend at Devil's Lake Speedway.

Western Renegade winner, Myles Tomlinson in victory lane.
Samantha Tomlinson photo

Myles Tomlinson held off a hard charging Steve Nordrum to win the Western Renegade Non-Wing Sprintcar Series season opener on Saturday night.  Nordrum started in the 11th position and was closing on the leader by the end of the 20 lap feature.

Devil's Lake Speedway, Crary, North Dakota May 3rd Results

Western Renegade Non-Wing Sprintcar Series (17 cars) Feature: 15T Myles Tomlinson, 37 Steve Nordrum, 21 Cory Palm, 25 Eric Guyot, 96 Jeremy Lizakowski, 21N Bryan Nordrum, 85 Brenton Wiesz, 8 Parker Vilandre, 15B Doug Mccambridge, 2T Mike Tomlinson, 5F Rick Fabian, W5 Shawn Wedge, 38 Xander Coleman, 52 Emma Sobolik, 95B Dan Edwards (DNF), 5H Nick Shirek (DNF), 18 Paul Tharalson (DNS)

Heat Winners: 25 Eric Guyot, 85 Brenton Wiesz, 15T Myles Tomlinson

Next scheduled event for the Western Renegade Non-Wing Sprintcar Series is May 22nd, McLean County Speedway, Underwood, North Dakota

IMCA Stock Car winner, Kyle Scholpp in victory lane.
Mason Eisenzimmer photo

Some notable moments in Estevan as Kyle Scholpp of Lampman, Saskatchewan started in 13th position and charged his way to victory lane in the IMCA Stock Car 20 lap feature.   

Gabriel Deschamp from Westhope, North Dakota pulled double duty, running in 2 car classes.  Gabriel won his heat plus the feature in the IMCA Northern Mod. He then went on to win his heat before settling for a 2nd place finish in the IMCA Stock Car class.

Estevan Motor Speedway thanks Peyton Beeter for assisting with running victory lane last night.

🏁

Estevan Motor Speedway, Estevan, Saskatchewan May 3rd Results

IMCA Hobby Stocks (16 cars) Feature TOP 5: 96R Diezel Raynard, 99 Cash Saxon, 8 Brody Singleton, 41 Ty Saxon, 22 Kyler Satran

Heat Winners: 22 Kyler Satran, 99 Cash Saxon

IMCA Northern SportMods (18 cars) Feature TOP 5: 21D Gabriel Deschamp, 25R Leevi Runge, 95 Rylan Raynard, 18 Ryder Raynard, 89 Tim Goodwin

Heat Winners: 0 Robby Rosselli, 22 Keenan Glasser, 21D Gabriel Deschamp

IMCA Stock Cars (20 cars) Feature TOP 5: 2 Kyle Scholpp, 21D Gabriel Deschamp, 21C Chase Davidson, 68 Jeremy Swanson, 44A Ryan Atkings

Heat Winners: 21D Gabriel Deschamp, 21C Chase Davidson

IMCA Modifieds (10 cars) Feature TOP 5: 21 Aaron Turnbull, 02 Kody Scholpp, 11 Steven Pfeifer, 29 Les McLenehan, 5T Marcus Tomlinson

Heat Winners: 02 Kody Scholpp, 21 Aaron Turnbull

Slingshots (12 cars) Feature:221E Eli Turnbull, 50 Gunner Raynard, 195 Hudson Mann, 16 Jase Skjerdal, 8 Tatum Singleton, 3 Dane Skjerdal, 44 Owen Atkings, 21CH Halle Turnbull, 53 Sophie Skjerdal, 9 Karter Fichter, 19J Jake Skjerdal, 14 Kolby Fichter (DNF)

Heat Winners: 221E Eli Turnbull, 50 Gunner Raynard

Next event scheduled for Estevan Motor Speedway, Saturday May 17th

Musings

Victory Lane Speedway

In the previous writing, I had talked about the possibility of Victory Lane Speedway ceasing operation at the end of this racing season.  Well since then, the local dirt track community has come out in full support of helping to keep the facility going.

In addition, Victory Lane is pulling out the stops to attract families to their Thursday night show. Included this year will be a kids trophy giveaway and the always popular candy toss.

Not only has the speedway been the home of Thursday night racing in the Winnipeg area for decades, but the loss of Victory Lane could be a logistic nightmare for some racing teams in the province.  Currently, the closest dirt track to Victory Lane is Morden's Dead Horse Creek Speedway which is running 6 weekends this season.  To the North is Swan Valley Speedway in Swan River which currently has 5 weekend scheduled between June and August.

East of Winnipeg, two popular destinations are Kenora, Ontario's Lake of the Woods Speedway and Emo Speedway.

Let's hope that Victory Lane has a successful season of racing and will continue to operate going forward.  If not, the racing scene in Manitoba will take on an entirely different look in 2026.

Prairie Dirt Racing Association

The PDRA is set to kick off it's new season.  The series is running further West in Saskatchwan this season as it will make stops at Tisdale Motor Speedway, Outlook Stockcar Track, Flatlanders Speedway (Kinderlsey) and Swift Current Speedway.

In addition to Modifieds, Hobby Stocks and Street Stocks, the PDRA is introducing a new introductory class, KidMods.  KidMods Canada is a dirt racing league for young people between the ages of 10 and 16 and will serve as a transitional series for those aspiring to continue racing as they get more experience.

Fun With Food

Estevan Motor Speedway will be featuring a concession food item special each race night. Just looking at the menu makes a person hungry. I couldn't help but to notice the August 9th special of wings night for the Western Renegade Non-Wing Sprintcar Series.  Chicken wings for a non-wing show.  Oh, the IRONY!  Looking forward to the Renegades' visit to Saskatchewan AND very first sanctioned race in Canada!

We will have more about wingless "wings" night, and a whole lot more in the near future.

Please be sure to follow @SaskDirtRacing on X for more racing information and fun.

Until next time, take care and good racing.