Introduction | Nominees | Induction Process | Vote | Inductees 

Introduction

2022 marked the start of the 70th  season for the Nodak Racing Club. The club is believed to be the longest running un-interrupted race club in the nation. After World War II came to an end, the United States was trying to get back to life as we knew it before the wars. In the 1950s Auto Racing started to grow all over the Country.  The club was started by a handful of young racing enthusiasts that enjoyed tinkering on and racing their cars against each other. However doing so on city streets and state highways was frowned upon by the local law enforcement groups, so they started looking for a place where they could race. The group of guys found an open area of land and quickly made it into an impromptu race track, which today is the location of the Nash Finch warehouse on Burdick and 16th Street.  Later that year in 1951, they headed east just a little bit, where Jim Hill and Magic City Campus are currently located. The two areas were used to get together and “hot rod” around; they were not under an organized race format on a designated race track at that time.

In 1952 some of the past years racers along with a few new drivers decided they wanted more direction and organization. They made the decision to create a club, The Nodak Racing Club.  The Nodak Racing Club was chartered in a local house on Burdick Expressway, the current location of the M&H Gas parking lot. Doug Amundson, Don Berg, Jim Bergo, Bill Delong, Lehre Evenson, Dave Hammer, Claude Hanson, Al Hochsprung, Andy Nikitenko, Gary Olson and Bob Rittgers became the founding fathers and the Charter Members of the club.

With the help of one of its members, C. Morris Anderson, the race club had a place to race. He provided a spot on North Hill just west of the current North Hill Bowling Alley. The first real organized season of Auto Racing in Minot was ready in the summer of 1953 on the North Hill Track. The Markle and Thompson Construction Company helped build the track, and Lehre Evenson became the first President of the race club.

After their incorporation as a group they drew up the first rules of racing for the track, from car and engine specifications to the organized race format itself. The members used old coupes and cars from the 30’s and 40’s. Many of the race cars had oil barrels for seats, and some had wood for wheels and doors, and it was not a surprise to see ropes as seat belts. The club ran a Class A and a Class B division in the early years.  The A class being the large 8 cylinder motors, and the Class B being 8 cylinder flat heads or 6 cylinder motors. The first four seasons there was even a C Class for new racers.

The club members decided that to grow the club, they needed a grandstand to put fans in instead of having them watch from the hood of their cars. Thus after one year on the North Hill Track, the club decided to strike a deal with the Fairgrounds for the 1954 season. They had a wood grandstand and horse race track already in existence, and had also held Auto racing at the track previously. Horse racing went away from the fairgrounds and track was then changed to two separate tracks for racing. They had a quarter mile track for regular shows, and a half mile track for large race events, such as the popular races during the State Fair. The State Fair was not designated the North Dakota State Fair until 1965. To this day the Nodak Speedway is still located at the fairgrounds.

This period of time was known as the Golden Years of racing at the speedway, when the auto racing was at its high point in the state. A new second-generation state of the art metal grandstand was built in 1958, and was packed to the rafters every week for the races.

In 1963, after years of coupe style cars, the club adopted the Super Modifieds and the Hobby Class as their two classes of cars. The club making the jump to open wheel race cars as one of the divisions was the largest changes to date for the Nodak Speedway. The Hobby Class consisted of 1950 model cars, and the Super Modified was what looked like a sprint car without wings. These classes remained steady until 1969, when a Super Sprint category was added to the show. The name tag of Super Modifieds went away the following year, leaving the Super Sprint class as the only open wheel class in the club format.

In 1971, the club went to a new generation of car bodies changing the Hobby Stocks to a Modified Stock class. Since that 1971 season, many more classes of race cars have come and gone to what the club runs now. A Late Model division appeared in 1972, which were cars that had been produced in the 60’s and 70’s. In 1978 the club made another huge change by changing to just one track, a 3/8 of a mile track that at the time was advertised as the “fastest track in America.”

As the club continued to grow to become one of the largest race clubs in the Midwest, a lot of different types of classes ran at the track, including Street Stocks, Super Stocks, Mini Stocks, Thunder Trucks, and the debut of the open wheel Modifieds in 1985. The club ran a Wissota Modified and Dakota Modified division, and now in 2022, the classes of Modifieds are IMCA Modifieds and Sport Modifieds. Legend cars were added to the regular program in 2005, but were voted out 10 years later in 2015. IMCA Sport Compact were added to the program as a part time class in 2017, which was the last class of cars added to date at the track. The classes going into the season of 2022 are IMCA Modifieds, Sport Mods, Stock Cars, Hobby stocks, and Sport-Compacts.

To this day many drivers will still say that the Nodak Speedway still boasts the best competition level of all tracks in the state. Because of that it is one of the hardest places to win a championship at, or even one feature race. The Board of Directors of the club today are excited for the upcoming season and the continuing tradition of the Nodak Race Club. With car counts normally over 100 cars per night, the annual World of Outlaw sprint car show, and numerous special nights like the annual Dakota Classic Modified and Stock car tour, the club races into the future.  A brand new third-generation state of the art grandstand is the new crown jewel of the fairgrounds. It has more available seating by far over the previous two grandstands, and is also a large bonus as the race club heads into the next decade of racing.

– Larry McFall, Nodak Hall of Fame Inductee

FAN VOTE

2023 FAN VOTE WILL START MAY 2023

induction process

INDUCTION PROCESS – DOWNLOAD

Induction Process

Last Amended 1/9/2023

Mission Statement:
The Nodak Speedway Hall of Fame celebrates excellence and strives to preserve the history of the Nodak Speedway and those who have been influential in areas including; competition, advancements, entertainment or dedicated volunteering.The ultimate goal of the Hall of Fame is to keep the history alive for generations to come. 

NOMINATION PROCESS

Nominating

Nominees must meet all criteria listed below for their respective achievements. Formal Nominations can be accepted by any Nomination Committee member. Nominations should include a complete bio along with a supporting photo of the Nominee. 

Nominee Criteria

Drivers

• Participated in competition for minimum of twenty-five (25) years
• Must be retired for three (3) years
• If driver has raced for forty-plus  (40+) years, they do not need to be retired 

Car Owners

• Has had a car in competition for minimum of twenty-five (25) years

Pitmen

• Has to have wrenched for a minimum of twenty-five (25) years

Board Member

• Must have served the maximum terms set forth according to the current Nodak Speedway Bylaws
• Has held a minimum of two (2) different Board positions
• Has advocated of advancements and made a  significant mark on Nodak Speedway’s history

Volunteer

• Must have volunteered their time for the club for a minimum of twenty-five (25) years
• Must be retired for three (3) years
• Volunteer must have made a significant mark on Nodak Speedway’s history
• If a volunteer has committed their time for thirty-five-plus (35+) years, they do not need to be retired

Employees

• Must have been employed for a minimum of twenty-five (25) years
• Must be retired for three (3) years
• Employee must have made a impactful mark on Nodak Speedway’s history
• If an employee has been employed for thirty-five-plus (35+) years, they do not need to be retired

Sponsors/Donors

• Must have sponsored or donated  to the Nodak Speedway for a minimum of fifteen (15) years

Fan

• Must have attend the Nodak Speedway races for a minimum of thirty (30) years 
• Must be a Super-fan of the Nodak Speedway that has made a significant mark on Nodak Speedway’s history

All Nominees

• Must have held a Nodak Speedway membership
• Must be minimum of fifty (50) years old
• Individuals may also be considered who made significant achievements in the sport, but left the sport early due to a variety of circumstances

Nomination Committee Panel Duties

A 13-person Nominating Committee will meet between the months of January to March to select the list of up to, but no more than 8 nominees for the Driver category, and up to, but no more than 8 Car owners, Pitman, Board member, Volunteer, Employee, Sponsor/Donor, and Fan category.

Committee Panel Members

The Nomination Committee panel will consist of the Hall of Fame Director, President of the Nodak Speedway, an elected Board Member of the Nodak Speedway, eight (8) Hall of Fame Members, and two (2) General members of the Nodak Speedway.

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VOTING PROCESS

Induction Committee Panel Duties

The Induction Committee will come together in July to discuss all Nominees and bios and vote. There will be a fourteen (14) person Induction Panel with a Fan Vote. Collectively the Induction Committee will consist of a fifteen (15) person panel.

Committee Panel Members

The Induction Committee panel will consist of the Nomination Committee members; the President of the Nodak Speedway, the elected Board Member of the Nodak Speedway, ten (10) Hall of Fame Members,  two (2) Past Nodak Speedway Presidents, and one (1) collective Fan vote.

Induction Guidelines

The Nominee list will be split into two (2) separate categories. The first category will be the Entertainer Category, consisting of Drivers and the second category will be the Dedicated Category, consisting of Car owners, Pitman, Board members, Volunteers, Employees, Sponsor/Donors, and Fans category.

The Nodak Speedway HOF Director will be responsible for organizing the Induction meeting, They will direct the Committee panel to discuss each Nominee and initiate the ballot voting. The HOF Director will outsource a vote counter. The vote counter will be carefully picked to have little to no ties to the racing community. Number of votes of Nominees will not be announced or disclosed to the Committee. The appointed vote counter will provide only the Nominees that received 75% of the vote. The Committee will call for the ballots to be destroyed by the vote counter. 

If any member of the Nominating Committee or Induction Committee appears on the current year’s ballot, these individuals will be recused from participating in the nominating and induction  process for as long as he or she appears on the ballot. If the individual is inducted, he or she will be automatically reinstated to participate on the committee the following year.

Nominees can appear on the ballot for up to three (3) consecutive years. If the Nominee does not receive enough votes to be inducted on the third consecutive year, they will be ineligible to be Nominated for two (2) years after.

No more than one Nominee that is directly related to a Committee member can be considered on the ballot. If any Committee members are related to a Nominee, they will be recused from the voting process for as long as their relative remains on the ballot.

If the HOF Director is unable to fill all Committee member positions, the Committees may operate at a minimum seven (7) person Committee. If the Committee is unable to meet the seven (7) person capacity, Hall of Fame Nominating and Inducting will cease for that season, and reinstate the following year.

Fan vote

Fan voting will run May through June. Running poll results are not official. Results will be reviewed and duplicate votes will be thrown out. The top three (3) Nominees from the Entertainer Category will be taken, and top three (3) Nominees from the Dedicated Category will be taken.

The Entertainer Category
Drivers

Each committee member will vote for three (3) Nominees of their choice. Nominees with 75% of the vote will be Inducted into the Nodak Speedway Hall of Fame.

Fifteen (15) person panel, with 75% of the vote, a Nominee would require 11 votes to be Inducted. 

The Dedicated Category
Car owners, Pitman, Board members, Volunteers, Employees, Sponsor/Donors, and Fans

Each committee member will vote for three (3) Nominees of their choice. Nominees with 75% of the vote will be Inducted into the Nodak Speedway Hall of Fame.

Fifteen (15) person panel, with 75% of the vote, a Nominee would require 11 votes to be Inducted. 

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COMMITTEE MEMBER SELECTION

Hall of Fame members

The HOF Director will contact each Hall of Fame member via mail, email, Facebook, call or text each year requesting their interest in serving on the committee. 

General members

The HOF Director will post the General member opening for the Nominating committee on Facebook in January of every year. General members interested in serving on the Nominating committee may also contact Kadi Ruby via email at kadiruby@gmail.com or message the Nodak Speedway Hall of Fame page.

Current Nodak President and current Board member

The HOF Director will attend al Nodak Speedway Board meeting to request a Board member to be selected to represent the Nodak Speedway on the Nominating and Induction Committees

Past Nodak Speedway Presidents

The HOF Director will contact Past Presidents  via mail, email, Facebook, call or text each year requesting their interest in serving on the committee. 

Position Selection

If there is more interest than committee member positions, the HOF Director will take all names and randomly draw to fill positions. The following year those committee members will be recused from participation on committees, unless the interest is not there, then they are eligible to participate. The names that did not get drawn will have first priority the following year. 

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If you are a Hall of Fame member or Past President and not receiving a committee interest request, please email kadiruby@gmail.com or message the Nodak Speedway Hall of Fame Facebook page.

**Last updated 2/27/23**