November 30, 2025

Ritchie records first Shawano IMCA Modified win

By Scott Owen

SHAWANO, Wis. (Aug. 18) – Justin Ritchie has won a number of features at Shawano Speedway, but the former late model track champion scored his first IMCA Modified feature Saturday night.

Cautions plagued the start of the event, but once the race got going Tim Rothe took the lead. Ritchie pursued Rothe until lap three when he made an inside pass to take the lead.

As Ritchie led, the action was hot and heavy behind him as Jason Czarapata, Lance Arneson and Wyatt Block all came from deep in the field to battle for second and third. In the end it was Ritchie making his way to victory lane followed by Czarapata, Block, Arneson and Konnor Wilinski.

Mitch Stankowski returned to victory lane after some time away from the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car division. Lucas Lamberies raced to his seventh local Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMod victory of the year ahead of Tyler Sobiesczyk, who finished a career-best second.

shawanospeedway

Shawano pays Saturday night tribute to Weisnicht

By Brandon Reichenberger SHAWANO, Wis. (Aug. 5, 2023) – Mother Nature provided a beautiful night for racing at the legendary half mile Shawano Speedway on Saturday. Opening ceremonies kicked off the action honoring long-time track worker and former racer Scott Weisnicht with “One Final Lap” as he carried the checkered flag in is no. 53 Camaro. Scott was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year and to honor him and his contributions, Spectator Eliminators returned to compete in “One Lap for Weisnicht.” Travis Welch and Trent Nolan led the field to the green flag for the 20-lap IMCA Sunoco Stock Car feature. Nolan quickly took the lead with Shawn Wagner following Nolan through to second. Jeremy Christians made the pass on Welch to maintain third place. Behind them a fantastic three-car battle between Dylan Stedjee, Dan Michonski and Travis Van Straten was taking place. Lap after lap, they raced three-wide at both ends of the speedway, trading spots back and forth and putting on a show. A mid-race caution stacked the field up and set up [Read More]

Block, Van Straten capture first Shawano features of season

By Dave Buss SHAWANO, Wis. (May 29) – The Memorial Weekend brought cool temperatures and hot action to the Shawano Speedway along with the unofficial start of summer. Wyatt Block, Travis Van Straten and Tyler Sobiescyk got their summers off to the best start of everyone with feature wins. Early action saw Jerry Wilinski jump to the lead in the IMCA Modified main and begin to build a big advantage. The caution would fly on lap four and bring the field to his bumper. On the restart, Wilinski scooted away only to have a debris bring out another yellow. Block and Andy Karl filled the second row on the lap six restart. Wilinski again extended his lead with Karl and Block fighting it out for the runner-up spot. Block took the second spot and begin to reel in the Wilinski machine at halfway. On lap 15, Block moved past Wilinski and into the lead. Block cruised to victory with Wilinski second. Jordan Bartz charged to third with Karl fourth. Josh Mroczkowski powered to the early lead in the [Read More]

Rich Shawano Stock Car checkers fly for Michonski

SHAWANO, Wis. (Aug. 11) – Sometimes it all just comes together. Nary a caution flag flew all night Saturday at Shawano Speedway as fans were treated to top-notch, on-track action. Dan Michonski brought home his third feature win to obtain the big $1,000 payday before a stout IMCA Sunoco Stock Car field full of multi-feature winners, track champions and national champions. Michonski was the class of the field, though, and led every lap en route to victory. The racing behind Michonski was hot and heavy with Travis Van Straten finishing second, Trent Nolan third, Gary Kasperek fourth, and Shawn Wagner fifth. Lance Arneson advanced 10 spots for his second IMCA Modified feature win of the year while Lucas Lamberies scored Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMod win number six, holding off Kyle Raddant to accomplish the feat.

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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