The Nodak Speedway Hall of Fame Class of 2023 were recognized on Saturday as part of Motor Magic Weekend with a luncheon as well as during the evening’s race program. The class is composed of inductees in two categories: the Dedicated and the Entertainers.

The Dedicated is composed of long-time volunteers at the track, and this years’ inductees are Jesse and Bonnie Kluck, Tom Carson and Mike Coughlin.

The Entertainers category is for the drivers at the track. Joren Boyce, Nathan Burke and Wayne Johnson make up this years class in that category.

Jesse Kluck spent time racing at Nodak Speedway in the street class during the late 1970s before acting as a pit steward and running the main gate. Bonnie helped at the pit window for several years before managing the pit window solo, barring the occasional special event. According to Nodak, their son Dorian Anderson was one of the youngest ever officials at the track, first wearing the officials shirt at twelve years old. The family remained active at the track until health issues made it difficult for Jesse to continue in the late 1990s. Bonnie retired in 2002.

Carson moved to Minot shortly after graduation where he found his passion as a mechanic, and he carried that interest to the Nodak Speedway where he spent over 20 years volunteering as a wrecker driver for the race club. Carson also served on the board of directors. A notable accomplishment for Carson during his time at the track was building two ‘last chance cars’ that were used as fundraisers for the club by allowing fans a chance to try out driving.

After realizing that driving wasn’t for him, Coughlin became a car owner before becoming a track inspector for Nodak, where he spent fourteen years in the role. In addition to working at Nodak, Couglin also served as a tech across North Dakota, and he became an expert in both Wissota and IMCA rules. He maintained an open invitation to tech at the IMCA Super Nationals in Boone, Iowa. In total, Coughlin spent 40 years at the track, holding every position except president.

Burke got started driving in 1993 after going to races as a child. In his time driving street stock, IMCA Stock, Sport Mod and Modified, he won nine track championships, a record among Nodak drivers. He also won numerous Driver of the Year awards, as well as awards for most wins in a season. Burke lists winning a 50-lap Stock car feature and a 100-lap Modified race in the same night as a milestone of his career. He retired after winning the 2018 Stock car championship.

Joren Boyce got involved in racing by watching his father Butch Boyce, who is also in the Nodak Hall of Fame. However, Boyce started racing on two wheels, doing motocross for eight years before moving to dirt track racing in 1984. Boyce won four track championships and six track runners-up. He also was named driver of the year in 2001 and was named the top Modified driver on the first 50 years in 2002. He also has three wins at the Dakota Classic Modified Tour. In total, he has over 350 feature wins and 45 track championships. Last year, Boyce was inducted into the Estevan Motor Speedway Wall of Fame in Estevan, Saskatchewan.

Wayne Johnson’s father was a wrecker at Nodak Speedway in the early 1970s, and Johnson began pitting for John Gaule, a driver at Nodak. Johnson, who graduated high school along side fellow inductee Boyce, began his racing car by winning his first heat race in 1984 which helped propel him to winning Nodak Speedway’s Rookie of the Year. He continued to race Super Stocks before moving to Dakota Modified and later Wissota Modified. He won his first IMCA Modified feature in 1997, a class he continued in until his retirement this year.

In total, Johnson won nine track championships across North Dakota during his forty-year career, including 2001 and 2003 at Nodak, as well as 111 features. He also qualified for the 2000 Race of Champions at the IMCA Super Nationals in Boone, Iowa. He also won the 2007 North Dakota State Championship.

Johnson served on the board of directors in 1989 and 1990.

This year’s class will be inducted into the hall of fame during Nodak Speedway Fall Banquet on October 21.