January 13, 2025

Long opens Summerfest with IMCA Modified win

By Brian Neal

DONNELLSON, Iowa (Aug. 3) – Michael Long took the lead on the eighth circuit and held off Cayden Carter in the late going to win the IMCA Modified feature Thursday at Lee County Speedway.

The Summerfest opening night checkers paid $1,000 and put Long on the ballot for the 2018 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational

Abe Huls worked his way up from eighth starting to the $1,000 IMCA Sunoco Stock Car checkers, besting Johnny Spaw and Damon Murty.

Also working his way up from a mid-pack starting spot was Austen Becerra, who pocketed $1,000 for the Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMod victory. Carter VanDenBerg and Tony Dunker rounded out the top three.

Josh Barnes topped the $300 to win Mach-1 Sport Compact main.

Feature

Jake Smith Holds On to Earn SportMod Glory at Winter Nationals

By Ben Deatherage (Photo Courtesy of Pixel Boss Productions) Casa Grande, Arizona (January 11, 2025)—A packed crowd at Central Arizona Speedway was thrilled by an incredible Friesen Performance IMCA SportMod feature where Jake Smith fended off fierce competitors to claim victory during the fourth round of the 2025 IMCA TV Winter Nationals presented by Pitt Stop Motorsports. This win marked Smith’s first triumph during the Winter Nationals, and he faced a challenging path to victory lane. The twenty-lap finale began with North Dakota’s Gabe Deschamp surging to the front from the initial start. Deschamp set a steady pace, but as the race continued, the top three competitors began to cluster together around the midway point. Smith and Taylor Kuehl were the two contenders trying to catch the leader. On lap fourteen, the man from St. Joseph, Minnesota, Smith, executed a brilliant double overtake, diving under Kuehl and Deschamp to take control of the top position. Kuehl managed to pass Deschamp and entered second place, putting pressure on Smith from the high [Read More]

Feature

Thompson Outduels Richards to Win Night Three of Winter Nationals

By Ben Deatherage (Photo Courtesy of Pixel Boss Productions) Casa Grande, Arizona (January 10, 2025)—The third event of the 2025 IMCA TV Winter Nationals, presented by Pitt Stop Motorsports, had an exciting race in the Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stocks, showcasing once again the “Dillon & Dillon Show.” In the end, Dillon Thompson emerged victorious in a nail-biting finish. The twenty-lap race began with Thompson leading, closely followed by Dillon Richards in second place. The non-stop feature saw the top two drivers pull away from the rest of the field, racing around the track bumper-to-bumper at time. As the race approached its final five laps, lapped traffic became a critical factor. Tension escalated when Richards pulled out of line and dove under Thompson as they approached the white flag. The two drivers found themselves neck and neck, racing three-wide with a lapped car in the mix as they crossed the finish line, only to have one more lap to battle it out. Thompson gave it his all on the final lap to maintain his lead and [Read More]

Feature

Heinrich Captures Stock Car Winter Nationals Glory with Last Lap Pass

By Ben Deatherage (Photo Courtesy of Pixel Boss Productions) Casa Grande, Arizona (January 9, 2025) — Todd Heinrich brought the Central Arizona Raceway crowd to its feet by winning the race to the finish line in the Sunoco IMCA Stock Car feature during the second night of the IMCA TV Winter Nationals presented by Pitt Stop Motorsports. The veteran driver from Fargo, North Dakota, who started in third position, earned his first career Winter Nationals feature victory. The 25-lap contest kicked off with Heinrich outpacing Gary Pesicka to lead the initial lap. From there, the two drivers engaged in a thrilling cat-and-mouse battle on the 3/8-mile clay oval. Pesicka’s patience paid off when he finally passed Heinrich on the eleventh lap. However, Heinrich refused to let him pull away and regained the lead with ten laps remaining. Not to be outdone, Pesicka reclaimed the lead once again on lap seventeen. The climactic moment came when Heinrich powered up beside Pesicka, with the two drag racing down the back stretch on the final lap. The outcome [Read More]