​DeYoung cruises at Crystal

CRYSTAL, Mich. (Feb. 15, 2023) – Looking back at the end of one era and the beginning of another, Ron Flinn hopes to be remembered for the respect he showed the drivers, race teams and fans.  It’s a good bet he’ll be remembered for his height and his sense of humor, too.  Owner and promoter Flinn and his wife Mary Jane have announced the sale of Crystal Motor Speedway, Michigan’s longest continuously sanctioned Friesen Performance IMCA Modified track. The Flinns and son Ryan have handed the keys to Jake LeBaron, Steven Vernon and Brian LeBaron and will help the new ownership team in the transition.  “It’s been a long and treasured ride for sure. I have been so blessed,” said the 81-year-old Flinn, the tallest promoter in IMCA at 6-8 and a regular in senior basketball action across the country when not at the track. “I have been blessed by my racing families and my basketball families, to say nothing about my personal family. They are all near and dear.” Now a Michigan Motorsports Hall [Read More]

CRYSTAL, Mich. (Feb. 27, 2023) – He’s already been a race car driver and owner, but Brian LeBaron sees a childhood dream come true this season as the new promoter and general manager at Crystal Motor Speedway. “One of the things I love most in life is dirt track racing. This is something I always hoped would happen,” said LeBaron, who takes over the helm of the 3/8-mile Michigan clay oval now owned by his brother Jake and childhood friend Steve Vernon and purchased from long-time owners Ron and Mary Jane Flinn. “It’s something we started talking about at the 2021 awards banquet. It has taken a while but it finally happened.” “I know there are big shoes to fill, literally, and Ron left us an incredibly good product,” he continued. “I love the family atmosphere at Crystal and look forward to seeing my racing family again.”  Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds have run at Crystal, the longest continuously sanctioned track in both Michigan and the Eastern Region, since 1988. Saturday night IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly [Read More]

CRYSTAL, Mich. (May 18, 2024) – Myron DeYoung might have raced his way into the IMCA record book Saturday night but he’ll be the first person to tell you he didn’t get there all by himself. DeYoung became the first driver to win a Friesen Performance IMCA Modified weekly feature in 30 consecutive seasons, topping the May 18 main event at home track Crystal Motor Speedway. “Winning the regional championship last year was big, but this was an even bigger accomplishment once I started thinking about it,” he said the next day. “It’s humbling to think about all the people who have helped so I can go out and win races. I didn’t do this by myself.” DeYoung earned the first of what is now 144 career victories in the class in 1995. There have been some lean seasons since but he’s added at least one IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing win every year since. Along with the 2023 DeVilbiss Racing Chassis Eastern Region crown, DeYoung has also compiled nine track titles – eight of [Read More]