December 7, 2025

Repeat winners are Saturday story at Canyon

By Tony Steele

PEORIA, Ariz. (March 17) – Repeat winners were the story Saturday at Canyon Speedway Park.

Jason Noll wasted no time following a Leading Edge IMCA Modified restart and made what proved to be the race-winning pass of Ryan Roath to the inside when the green flag flew. Chaz Baca had a strong run going until a misstep allowed Joey Moriarity to get by to the inside, putting both MRT Racecar teammates on the podium.

For the first time in almost a full year the race fans at Canyon were treated to a full Allscapes IMCA Stock Car battle between Cody Center and George Fronsman. It seems between the two it’s been one of them having some type of mechanical problem over the last six or so races. At last, both cars held up to full strength and the fight raged on.

Much of the race was led by Fronsman on the low side while Center continued to chip away on the cushion. Center finally got the run he needed to get by Fronsman and did look back.

For the third time this season, Joe Peterson recovered from an early trip to the hot pits en route to victory lane in the Desert Restorations IMCA Hobby Stocks.

Billy Ayres Jr. captured his second win of the year in the brand new Mach-1 Sport Compact division.

Next up at Canyon Speedway Park on Saturday, March 31 will be the Easter Eggstravaganza, featuring the Leading Edge IMCA Modifieds and Arizona Differential IMCA Northern SportMods.

canyonspeedwaypark

Baca, Noll notch Winter Challenge wins while Duggins is double winner at Canyon

By Tony Steele PEORIA, Ariz. (Feb 1-2) – Chaz Baca raced to his second Winter Challenge feature win Saturday while at Canyon Speedway Park while Jason Noll took home the Sunday IMCA Modified checkers. Both main events at Peoria paid $1,250 to the winners and both Baca and Noll were already Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot candidates. Alex Stanford looked to have the opener in hand before Baca made a late challenge for the lead. Baca closed a large gap, making his move in turn one after the white flag flew to the inside of Stanford. As the leaders raced off turn two, Baca edged ahead on his way to take home the trophy for the second time in as many weeks. Stanford was second, ahead of Ryan Roath. Justen Yeager paced the Sunday show, battling hard through traffic until Noll drove inside and took hold of the top spot as lap 17 came to a close. Noll led the final nine laps en route to the win ahead of Yeager and Zachary Madrid. Andy [Read More]

Spring Showcase set March 8, 9 at Canyon

By Tony Steele PEORIA, Ariz. – The Spring Showcase will kick racing action off once again at Canyon Speedway Park for the 2019 season Friday and Saturday, March 8 and 9. The IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing point season will begin for the IMCA Modifieds, Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMods and IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars with the big doubleheader. Defending champions Chaz Baca Jr. (Modifieds), Speedy Madrid (SportMods) and George Fronsman (Stock Cars) will all look to get a jump start at defending their crowns. On Friday, the gates are scheduled to open at 5 p.m. with the first green flag at 7:30 p.m. Saturday will see gates at 5 p.m. and first green flag at 7 p.m. Admission prices are $25 for adults. Seniors (60+) and military are $20 and children 11 and under are free! All-access pit passes are $40 for adults while ages 7-11 are $20 and six and under are free. All minors under the age of 18 must have a minor release form filled out and notarized prior to entry into the [Read More]

Thornton scores second IMCA Modified Winter Challenge Series win

By Tony Steele PEORIA, Ariz. (Jan. 27) – Ricky Thornton Jr. rolled through the middle of the track and around Hunter Marriott on his way to capturing his second IMCA Modified win of the Winter Challenge Series at Canyon Speedway Park. After a three-wide start to the race that lasted more than a full lap, Marriott battled his way into the lead position early in the Saturday feature ahead of Thornton and Chaz Baca. As the race approached halfway, Thornton began to show his nose to the inside of Marriott, finally pulling up alongside. With Thornton pressuring to the inside, Marriott changed his line just enough for Thornton to go to the middle of the track and drive around the leader on the outside. Thornton, already on the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot, secured the $1,000 win while Marriott began to fade, making way for Tim Ward to grab the runner-up spot in his first race back in his home state of Arizona. Marriott held onto third ahead of Cody Laney and Jeremy Payne. George Fronsman [Read More]

Divisions

Taylor Heaton: Long Roads, Long Nights, and a New Beginning

By Ben Deatherage BAKER, Mont. (Nov. 25, 2025) — The highway out of Baker runs straight and lonely, a ribbon of asphalt cutting through open prairie and endless sky. It’s the kind of road where you measure distance not in miles, but in hours — the kind that every racer from eastern Montana knows by heart. Most weekends, Taylor Heaton and his family point their rig toward North Dakota, chasing laps across the badlands, putting in three-, four-, even five-hour hauls just to race. For Heaton, that long road is part of the deal. It’s where the thinking happens, where the nerves settle, where the excitement builds. It’s where the weekend begins. This is the landscape that shaped him — wide, rugged country where nothing comes easy and every mile matters. It’s where his family put down roots, where racing first sparked to life, and where that spark carried him from off-road machines to the no. 11H Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stock. Now, as he prepares for 2026, those same long miles are leading him into a [Read More]

Feature

Shane Butler: A Second Chance at Speed

By Ben Deatherage GLIDDEN, Iowa (Nov. 24, 2025) — The open country between Scranton and Glidden is quiet in the fall, corn stubble rolling out beneath a November sky that feels wider than the world. Out here, farm towns don’t hide their history. These towns were built by people who kept going no matter the obstacles, and in that way alone, they fit the life of Shane Butler. Butler returned to racing in 2025 after nearly four years away, climbing back into a Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stock at Boone Speedway. The comeback was more than a restart. It was a declaration that life had finally given him back the one thing he had lost — his health, his freedom, and the chance to chase the sport that runs in his family’s blood. The Road Back Butler had raced since he was 17, when his father Rodney built him his first Hobby Stock. Racing was a Butler family constant. His dad had raced Hobby Stock–type cars for three decades beginning in 1985, often carrying the number 37 [Read More]

Modified

Inaugural Texas Showdown Set for Jan. 7–10 at I-37

By Ben Deatherage PLEASANTON, Texas (Nov. 12, 2025) — The first-ever Texas Showdown will take center stage at I-37 Speedway January 7–10, 2026, featuring four consecutive nights of Speedway Motors IMCA-sanctioned action for the Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds and Sunoco IMCA Stock Cars. A practice session on Tuesday, January 6 will precede the racing program, followed by a free BBQ gathering for all competitors and crews. Each night’s IMCA Modified feature will serve as a Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifier, while the IMCA Stock Cars will race for B&B Racing Chassis All-Star Invitational qualifying status Thursday through Saturday. Drivers earning those wins will be added to the eligibility list to qualify for their respective All-Star Invitational events to be run at the 2026 Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. The IMCA Modifieds will race for escalating purses across all four nights: $1,000 to win Wednesday, $1,250 Thursday, $1,500 Friday, and $2,000 to win Saturday. The IMCA Stock Cars will chase $750 to win Wednesday, $1,000 Thursday and Friday, and $1,500 to win Saturday. Each [Read More]

Related Articles