When fans bought their tickets to the Kupper Chevrolet Dakota Classic Modified Tour for Monday at the Estevan Motor Speedway, they likely didn't think they'd get two days of racing.
But with two separate rain storms shortly after the stock car heats started, the track at the speedway became muddy and patchy, leading to well over an hour of track officials working on the track to get it ready for the drivers again. Racing that went under the green flag shortly after 7 p.m. Monday lasted under nearly 1 a.m. Tuesday.
But the fans who stuck it out – and there were still a lot of them for the modified feature race – saw some new faces pick up the trophies at the end. Johnny Scott of Arroyo Hondo, New Mexico won the modifieds race and Ricky Thornton Jr. - normally a modifieds driver – won the stocks race.
Scott was the leader shortly after the green flag flew on the feature race for the modifieds and he was able to keep his lead the whole time.
“With the rain, the track turned out awesome for the feature,” he said. “You could race all over it. We're just lucky we drew good and lucky to keep it up all night. It's pretty cool to come up to Canada and get a win. It's the first time I've ever raced over here. It's pretty good.”
The tour goes through several stops in North Dakota, with Estevan being the lone Canadian spot on the short, intense tour. Scott finished third the first night and second the second night earlier in the tour.
“I've never raced this tour before,” he said. “I like to meet new people and when the kids come down to get autographs, it's just cool.”
While his friend Thornton, Jr. wasn't able to win the modifieds race, he did take the checkered flag in the street stocks – in a car he hadn't driven before. Thornton, Jr. was able to drive it in the heat just before the rain delay.
“I started sixth and ended up getting the lead the first lap,” he said.
“I kind of rode along the bottom in the (feature race) for awhile, I'd say, probably the first seven or eight laps and then I moved up to the top. We were running down the leader (Matt Speckman) and drove up to him, and really couldn't get around him.”
Lapped traffic got in the way but Thronton, Jr. got on the right line and ended up taking the lead. Thronton Jr. has also noticed a great crowd reception for the modifieds tour.
The next event at the speedway is the Border City Dirt Wars July 21-22, which will feature two rounds of hobby stock racing. In addition to the usual array of racing, the second day of racing is scheduled to have the Goudy Transport Slingshots.
