The Estevan Motor Speedway has announced it will be hosting the biggest event in its history in 2020.
The organizing committee of the Dakota Classic Modified Tour has selected the Estevan Motor Speedway (EMS) as the first and only two-day stop on the 2020 tour.
The announcement was made at a press conference Thursday morning at the Days Inn Estevan. Now in its 30th year, the Dakota Classic Modified Tour is making Estevan its featured and opening location.
“This is a very proud day for the Estevan Motor Speedway, for the City of Estevan, Saskatchewan and Canada,” said Estevan Motor Speedway president Byron Fichter. “This two-day event on July 11th and 12th will bring 80 to 100 race teams to our city, province and country – some as far away as California. The best racers across North America, including ones from our own backyard, will compete for some highly sought-after payouts.”
“We are so fortunate to have this event come to our city,” said Estevan Mayor Roy Ludwig. “The organizing committee will be adding supporting events that really define what Estevan is. From sporting events to shopping and family-friendly activities to our great culinary experiences, this will truly be a weekend for our community to remember.”
Estevan has hosted a double-header for the tour on a couple of occasions, but not on a weekend. It also hasn't hosted a tour stop on a weekend, either, as the speedway usually has its stop on a Monday. This is the first time in the championship’s history that it has started with a doubleheader.
Past winners of the tour have been big names in the racing industry, including Ricky Thornton Jr. and Steve Arpin. Estevan’s Ed Turnbull won in 2002 and his son Aaron Turnbull captured it in 2013.
The Dakota Classic Modified Tour started in a crowded conference room in Daytona Beach, Fla., in February 1990, during the Racing Promoters Monthly Conference. Since then, the tour has seen many changes, adding cities, drivers, rules and sanctioning with IMCA.
Next week's edition of the Mercury will have more on this story.
