April 23, 2026

Mullen denies Andersen weekend sweep

By Edward Anschutz

SEYMOUR, Wis. (Aug. 19) – J.J. Andersen went into the Sunday night IMCA Modified event at Outagamie Speedway seeking a weekend sweep but Brian Mullen had other ideas.

The winner Friday at Luxemburg Speedway and Saturday at 141 Speedway, Anderson jumped to the early lead and appeared to be well on his way to completing the 3-for-3 weekend. Mullen raced from row four into the runner-up spot on lap five.

With Andersen and Mullen both running the top groove, it looked as if that’s how they would finish but a caution on lap eight changed everything. With Mullen restarting down low, Andersen switched to the bottom of the track and allowed Mullen the preferred line up top.

Mullen took the lead, going unchallenged the remainder of the event for the win. Andersen ended in second. Tyler Wilson, Johnny Whitman and Benji LaCrosse completed the top five.

Brandon Czarapata checked out in winning the caution-free IMCA Sunoco Stock Car feature while Jason Ebert was never challenged in racing to his second straight Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMod victory.

Cody Booth scored his first Mach-1 Sport Compact win of the season.

outagamiespeedway

Parker, Van Ooyen, Miller motor to wins at Outagamie

By Edward Anschutz SEYMOUR, Wis. (July 5) – First-time 2019 winners were the story Friday at Outagamie Speedway. Adam Reed took the lead away from Chase Parker early in the IMCA Modified feature. Parker moved to the top groove, retaking the front spot on lap five. Parker continued to lead as Wyatt Block Jr. and newcomer Cody Schroeder gave pursuit. Parker was up for the challenge, holding off all challengers to score his first win of the season. Block was second while Schroeder took third in only his third night in the class. In IMCA Sunoco Stock Car action, it was Mike Schmidt leading the first half of the feature. That’s when Chas Van Ooyen found traction up top, racing around Schmidt for the lead with six laps remaining. Josh Mroczkowski hounded Van Ooyen all the way to the checkers. For Van Ooyen it was his first feature win of the season. Travis Rhoades was in command of the Karl Kustoms Northern SportMod feature, building up a straightaway advantage over Bernie Miller. While navigating lapped traffic Rhodes had an altercation with a [Read More]

Hansen begins title defense with Outagamie checkers

By Edward Anschutz SEYMOUR, Wis. (May 20) – One hundred and twenty-nine cars checked in to do battle for the first point night of the season Sunday at Outagamie Speedway. Defending champion Travis Hansen dominated the Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMod feature, leading every lap en route to the victory. Lucas Lamberies was second and Robby Thiel placed third. Josh Long paced the IMCA Modified field until Mike Mullen took the top spot away on lap eight. Long’s hope to regain the lead went up in smoke as his car broke and coasted to the infield. Mullen pulled away, capturing the win with a clean sweep of the night. Benji LaCrosse had to settle for second while Brian Mullen was third. Eric Arneson led the caution-slowed IMCA Sunoco Stock Car feature until Mike Coel slipped by down low on lap 10 to secure the top spot. Coel withstood heavy pressure the remainder of the event but stood strong collecting the win. Arneson was second and Rod Snellenberger took third. There were 32 IMCA Modifieds, 32 IMCA [Read More]

Hebbe conquers IMCA Stock Car competition at Outagamie Speedway

By Edward Anschutz SEYMOUR, Wis. (June 11) – Larry Karcz Jr. held court early in the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car feature Friday at Outagamie Speedway as he ran the top groove with Kevin Hebbe giving chase. Midway through the contest, Hebbe pulled even with Karcz. The duo battled door-to-door with Hebbe taking the top spot on lap 12. Karcz stayed within striking distance but in the end, it was Hebbe besting a solid field of cars for his first win of the season. Karcz had to settle for second at the pay window. Brandon Czarapata was third, Rod Snellenberger took fourth and Logan Leary completed the top. In the IMCA Modifieds, Lucas Lamberies threaded the needle from his second row starting spot to make a three-wide pass for the lead on the opening lap. Lamberies pulled away from the field, dominating the event. When the checkers fell it was Lamberies taking home the win by a margin of eight seconds. Marcus Yarie was second, Tim Robbins had his best finish of the year to place third, Cody [Read More]

Feature

Oliver Wins Thrilling Stock Car Race at Independence

By Christine Rublack INDEPENDENCE, Iowa (Apr. 21, 2026) — A Tuesday night full of exciting racing at Independence Motor Speedway saw John Oliver Jr. take home the victory by the smallest margin of the night in the Sunoco IMCA Stock Cars, edging Kodey Miles by just 0.051 seconds. Kodey Miles took the lead early, with Tanner Allen and Tom Schmitt in pursuit. Oliver began working the low groove as the duo in front of him battled for second. Schmitt moved into second while Oliver continued to work underneath him. With a couple laps to go, Oliver closed in on Miles for the top position and, as the checkers waved, took the win. It was the first win of 2026 for the West Burlington veteran in the EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region after starting fourth. Miles and Schmitt finished second and third, while Gage Neal and Tanner Allen completed the top five. Kolin Hibdon dominated the Karl Kustoms IMCA Modifieds. Hibdon quickly pulled away as Joel Rust moved into second, and the pair began to distance themselves [Read More]

Feature

Christina and Matt Ratzlaff: From Separate Paths to the Same Track

By Ben Deatherage MONTE VISTA, Colo. (Apr. 21, 2026) — Out in southern Colorado, where the land stretches wide beneath towering mountain ranges and the air sits thin at more than 7,500 feet above sea level, racing isn’t just something you do—it’s something you carry with you. The San Luis Valley is one of the most unique places in the country—an expansive, high-altitude basin carved by the Rio Grande and surrounded by peaks. Agriculture drives life here, from cattle to potatoes to barley fields, and the distances between towns are measured in miles, not minutes. Monte Vista sits at the heart of it all, a town established in 1884 along the railroad, its Spanish name meaning simply “mountain view.” It’s here where Christina and Matt Ratzlaff have built both a life—and a race team. Two Drivers, One Team On any given night, the Ratzlaffs roll into the pit area as a two-car operation in the Karl Kustoms IMCA Modifieds with Christina in the No. 15 and Matt in the No. 16. Their journeys to this point [Read More]

Feature

Jim ‘Cowboy’ Kennedy: A Life Remembered

By Ben Deatherage EVERETT, Pa. (Apr. 21, 2026) — RaceSaver IMCA Sprint Car racer Jim “Cowboy” Kennedy never needed much to go racing — just a car, a wrench, and a reason to keep going. For nearly seven decades, the Pennsylvania native carved out a place in sprint car racing that few could ever match, continuing to compete well into his 90s before his passing on April 2 at the age of 91. But long before the tributes, the Hall of Famer had already told his story — in conversations with reporters, at racetracks, and in the quiet, in-between moments that defined a life spent chasing the next green flag. A Life That Spanned Generations Kennedy was born on August 7, 1934, into a world far different than the one he would come to know behind the wheel of a Sprint Car. The United States was deep in the Great Depression, with President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the early years of his first term, working to steady a nation searching for its footing as parts of [Read More]

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