March 21, 2026

Central Arizona winners are Mecl, George

M-Tyler-Mecl-VL — Tyler Mecl scored the win in Saturday’s IMCA Modified feature at Central Arizona Speedway.

By Jeff McSpadden

CASA GRANDE, Ariz. (May 12) – Persistent Tyler Mecl and a very fast Jason George were IMCA winners Saturday at Central Arizona Speedway.

Mecl used the outside of the speedway to surprise Jeremy Thornton and take over the lead coming to the stripe to complete the ninth lap of the IMCA Modified main.

From there, Mecl weathered one last caution on lap 12 to take the checkered flag by more than two seconds over Thornton and Trevor Mille.

Jason George shot from fifth to first, somehow going lower on the speedway than the three-wide trio of Gerry Glenn, Mark Farnes and Chris Tipton on the first lap of the Karl Chevrolet Northern Sport Mod feature.

George pulled away to a full straightaway lead by the halfway mark and simply checked out over the last 10 laps of the race. George crossed the finish line almost nine seconds ahead of Glenn.

centralarizonaspeedway

Madrid storms past Summer Shootout foes

By Jeff McSpadden CASA GRANDE, Ariz. (July 14) – With monsoons threatening the surrounding areas all evening, and a light sprinkle during intermission, Zachary Madrid proved to be too much for the weather and his competition to stop in the headlining IMCA Modified division during Saturday’s Summer Shootout at Central Arizona Speedway. Madrid bolted to the low side of the high banks entering turn one to start the IMCA Modified feature and went from fifth to second in the first two corners behind pole sitter Dan Radcliffe. Madrid then stayed low coming off the fourth corner to complete lap one and swept by Radcliffe for the lead entering turn one. Chaz Baca Jr. was also on the move from the ninth spot, jetting by Radcliffe to take the runner-up position by the end of the second lap. Jeremy Thornton entered the fray following an early restart, taking third away from Radcliffe and stalking the duo of Baca and Madrid. Thornton would high side hustle his way past Baca and Madrid in one corner on lap seven, but Madrid got his elbows up and [Read More]

Thornton adds Arizona IMCA Modified Tour win to resume

By Mike Spieker CASA GRANDE, Ariz. (Feb. 12) – He already has wins at many of IMCA’s biggest events on his resume. Ricky Thornton Jr. added another when he took the $1,500 Karl Performance Arizona IMCA Modified Tour checkers Monday night at Central Arizona Speedway. Thornton started outside of row two and quickly made his way to the front. By lap four of 25 circuits, Thornton had reeled in leader Ryan Gaylord. Thornton executed a perfect slide job in turns three and four to take the lead while Casey Arneson ran within striking distance in third. Once out front, Thornton set sail and checked out from the field throughout the remainder of the caution-free main event. Further back in the top five, Arneson and Hunter Marriott, battled for third. The door opened for Marriott when Arneson pushed up the track in turn two. Marriott took the position and set his sights on Gaylord for the runner-up spot. Marriott quickly erased Gaylord’s advantage but had trouble maneuvering by the no. 7R in lapped traffic. With six to [Read More]

Baca, Thornton, Thompson get tour wins in Sunday afternoon show at Central Arizona

CASA GRANDE, Ariz. (Feb. 9) – Chaz Baca, Ricky Thornton Jr. and Cody Thompson all raced to second wins in their respective divisions, in the third IMCA Arizona Dirt Track Tour event of the weekend. Baca led the way to the $2,000 IMCA Modified checkers while Thornton collected the $750 IMCA Sunoco Stock Car checkers Sunday afternoon at Central Arizona Speedway while Thompson returned to Casa Grande for another impressive Karl Kustoms Northern SportMod victory, also good for $750. After a rough start to the 25-lapper, Baca led the distance in the Modified main. Already on the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot, he was chased every time around the track by Tim Ward while Thornton made his way from 17th starting to third before a lap 14 caution. The race stayed green to the finish from that point. Thornton, Jeff Taylor and Casey Arneson rounded out the top five. Back-to-back yellows just after midway were all that slowed Thornton in his drive to the Stock Car win. Brendon LaBatte, Zachary Madrid, 10th starting Arron Hetrick and Chanse [Read More]

Hobby Stock

Speedway Motors IMCA Weekly Racing National Point Standings through March 19, 2026

Karl Kustoms IMCA Modifieds – 1. Jared Maupin, Helotes, Texas, 331; 2. William Gould, Calera, Okla., 326; 3. Luke Silber, Laveen, Ariz., 319; 4. Kollin Hibdon, Pahrump, Nev., 314; 5. Dylan Thornton, Belle Plaine, Iowa, 300; 6. Steven Whiteaker, Robstown, Texas, 287; 7. Jonathan Mawhinney, Las Vegas, Nev., 285; 8. Brandon Beckendorf, Danube, Minn., 280; 9. Dean Abbey, Boyd, Texas, 271; 10. Ethan Braaksma, Newton, Iowa, 270; 11. Troy III Morris, Waterloo, Iowa, 264; 12. Chaz Baca, Stanhope, Iowa, 260; 13. Bryson Yeager, Green River, Wyoming, 234; 14. Jeff Larson, Freeport, Ill., 216; 15. Gage McCaughan, Scottsdale, Ariz., 210; 16. Justin Erickson, Glendale, Ariz., 208; 17. Spencer Hughes, Meridian, Mississippi, 193; 18. Cole Szlauko, Shell Beach, Calif., 190; 19. Tim Ward, Harcourt, Iowa, 189; 20. Steve Askew, Valley View, Texas, 182. Sunoco IMCA Stock Cars – 1. Shelby Williams, Bonham, Texas, 561; 2. Cameron Starry, Robstown, Texas, 558; 3. Curt Lund, Redwood Falls, Minn., 470; 4. Blake Clark, Joshua, Texas, 413; 5. Dillon Richards, Wymore, Neb., 403; 6. Mike Albertsen, Audubon, Iowa, 400; 7. Kaden [Read More]

Feature

Rob Gallaher: From Racer to Promoter and Building Watsonville Speedway’s Future

By Ben Deatherage WATSONVILLE, Calif. (Mar. 19, 2026) — A new era is underway at Watsonville Speedway, and Rob Gallaher is leading the charge. The longtime racer and successful businessman has taken over as promoter of the ¼-mile clay oval at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds, a facility long known to fans as Ocean Speedway. With a blend of fresh ideas, deep racing roots, and strong community backing, Gallaher is determined to build on the track’s legacy while pushing it forward. “I’m enjoying this,” Gallaher said. “There’s a lot to do in a short amount of time, but the support from the sponsors and the community has really fired me up and created a lot of energy for me to do the best job I can.” A Storied Facility With a Strong Foundation Watsonville Speedway has been a cornerstone of California dirt track racing since opening in 1960. The track crowned its first Karl Kustoms IMCA Modified champion in 2004, when Kenny Nott put his name into the record books. Nott went on to become one [Read More]

Feature

Jerry Schram: Not Done Yet

By Ben Deatherage VANCOUVER, Wash. (Mar. 18, 2026) — For years, Jerry Schram lived on borrowed time. Three days a week, four hours at a time — sometimes far more — he sat connected to a dialysis machine, waiting for it to do what his body no longer could. When the treatments ended, the exhaustion didn’t leave with him. It followed him home. “Dialysis is tough on you,” Schram said. “You start to think it’s killing you slowly — but it’s better than the alternative.” For nearly six years, that was life. Until March 3. That’s when everything changed. A Fight That Took Years Schram’s battle with kidney disease didn’t begin with a dramatic moment. It started quietly in November of 2017 during a routine physical, when doctors discovered blood in his urine. Follow-up testing revealed he was already in end-stage renal disease, operating at just 35 percent kidney function — something he hadn’t even realized. The seriousness of it didn’t fully hit until March of 2018, when he underwent hip replacement surgery and doctors warned [Read More]

Related Articles