November 29, 2025

Shipley scores in photo finish at Sheyenne

IMCA.com-#72-Shipley-Celebration---Sheyenne-Speedway-Lisbon-ND — Dave Shipley was the IMCA Modified winner during the 45th anniversary race program at Sheyenne Speedway.

By Tom Berg

LISBON, N.D. (July 1) – Dave Shipley was the photo finish winner when IMCA Modifieds returned to Sheyenne Speedway as part of the track’s 45^th anniversary night.

John Nord led early but was soon overtaken by rookie Jesse Skalicky.

Skalicky was fast on the high side and built a nice lead, but the car on the move was the ninth starting Shipley’s.

He used an effective low line, steadily moved through the field and took over second, then started closing the gap on Skalicky.

As the laps wound down, Shipley got closer and closer and eventually got beside Skalicky as the two ran side-by-side the final few laps. The two raced to the line, where Shipley won a thriller by just .049 of a second in a true photo finish.

Nord had a nice run to finish third, followed by Randy Klein and Tyler Peterson.

sheyennespeedway

Memorial Day season debut for IMCA Modifieds at Sheyenne Speedway

LISBON, N.D. – IMCA Modifieds make their appropriate season debut at Sheyenne Speedway on Memorial Day. The race program at Lisbon gets underway at 6 p.m. Monday, May 27. The VFW Color Guard will present and then raise the flag before the National Anthem, there will be a four-wide salute on the track and the National Guard will be on hand with a Hummer as the pace vehicle. “Memorial Day has and always will be a very special day as we remember those we have lost and thank those who serve to keep us safe in this great country,” said promoter Benjie Froemke. “Lisbon is also home to the North Dakota Veterans Home and we pay tribute to those who have served by recognizing them and thanking them for their service while remembering those who have lost their lives in preserving the many freedoms we enjoy.” Remaining IMCA Modified dates at Sheyenne are June 30, Aug. 4 and Aug. 11.

Sheyenne Speedway ends first IMCA Modified season on Sunday

LISBON, N.D. – Sunday’s Battle at the Boneyard wraps up the first season for IMCA Modifieds at Sheyenne Speedway. Track, North Dakota state, Jet Racing Central Region and IMC Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National points are at stake at the Sept. 30 show. Just four points separate the top four drivers going into the finale. Start time is 3 p.m.

Skalicky is best in Battle at the Boneyard

LISBON, N.D. (Sept. 30) – Jesse Skalicky wrapped up his IMCA Modified rookie campaign with a flag-to-flag run at the front of Sunday’s Battle at the Boneyard field at Sheyenne Speedway. The victory was Skalicky’s third of the season. He had the fastest car on the higher line in the second set of turns and took the checkers ahead of John Nord and Zach Dockter. “We’re really satisfied with this year. We knew there would be a big learning curve but hoped we could finish consistently in the top 10,” Skalicky said. “This was our fourth year with a Fury (Chassis) so I was confident getting into the Modifieds.” He was a regular at Red River Valley Speedway, Norman County Raceway and Buffalo River Race Park. Skalicky’s previous best finish at Lisbon had been second in the July 1 show. Feature results – 1. Jesse Skalicky; 2. John Nord; 3. Zach Dockter; 4. Billie Christ; 5. Randy Klein; 6. John Corell; 7. Tim Perkins; 8. Rusty Kollman; 9. Randy Gordon; 10. Jarrett Carter; 11. Bryce [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]

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