November 2, 2025

Foul forecast washes out Batesville

BATESVILLE, Ark. – Forecasts for too much rain and not enough drying time before the weekend have forced Batesville Motor Speedway to call off the March 20 and 21 Arkansas Spring Nationals.

The event will not be rescheduled.

BatesvilleMotorSpeedway

Moore Steals Wimp Reed Spring Nationals Opener in Final Laps Thriller

By Ben Deatherage BATESVILLE, Ark. (Mar. 28, 2025) — The opening night of the Wimp Reed Spring Nationals at Batesville Motor Speedway delivered a dramatic finish in the 31-lap, $1,500-to-win Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature. The race, held in memory of longtime tech man and former driver Wimp Reed, came down to a near last-lap move by Jonesboro 17-year-old Grayson Moore. It is his first win in the Jet Racing Central Region this year. John Waugh led the opening lap before Brandon Smith charged into the lead. A fierce battle for second between Ashton Wilkey and Waugh allowed Moore to make a slick double pass and jump to second. Smith pulled away up front until a lap 11 caution slowed the field. The yellow proved costly for 2023 Arkansas State Champion Wilkey, who suffered right-front damage while attempting to avoid a spinning car. Smith was strong on the restart, but another caution kept the pack tight. 2012 IMCA Super Nationals winner Jeff Taylor moved into third and battled Moore for second. Once Moore got clear, he [Read More]

Thornton is $20,000 richer after Race For Hope 74 victory

By Mike Spieker BATESVILLE, Ark. (Sept. 30) – Ricky Thornton Jr. captured the inaugural Race For Hope 74 title Saturday night at Batesville Motor Speedway. Thornton took the lead on lap 28 of 74 before going on to score the $20,000 IMCA Modified payday. “This one is definitely at the top of my list of races I’ve ever won, honestly,” said Thornton in victory lane following the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot qualifier. “It’s definitely the most money I’ve ever won. It’s pretty cool to get it done in Larry Shaw’s backyard.” Preliminary night feature winners Kyle Strickler, Justin Kay, and Jordan Grabouski led the 27-car field to the green for the three-wide start. Strickler grabbed the lead on the opening lap while Grabouski settled into second. Kay and Thornton both moved by Grabouski on the low side on lap four to take second and third, respectively. By halfway of the first 40-lap segment, Kay remained within five car lengths of Strickler, as the lead duo distanced themselves from the rest of the field. Thornton found [Read More]

At home at Batesville, DeVilbiss sweeps IMCA.TV World Stock Car Championship

BATESVILLE, Ark. (Oct. 13-14, 2022) – He might have to travel 1,100 miles to get there but Zane DeVilbiss still feels right at home at Batesville Motor Speedway. The New Mexico long tow topped Thursday and Friday night IMCA.TV World Stock Car Championship features at the Arkansas speedplant, earning $4,000 for each IMCA Sunoco Stock Car victory. “I feel like Batesville is a cross between Desert Thunder Raceway (in Utah) and Fairgrounds Speedway (in Colorado), two of our home tracks. It has the shape of price and the dirt consistency of Cortez,” said the two-division star and 2021 Race For Hope 71 Modified winner, newly eligible to qualify for the B & B Racing Chassis All-Star Invitational. “It kind of fits the skill set I have growing up on those two tracks or, as Jeff Taylor would say, where I cut my teeth on.” DeVilbiss drew the pole start for the Thursday show and led all 40 laps, winning ahead of Peyton Taylor, Chanse Hollatz, T.J Herndon and Jeffrey Abbey. That checkered was the first [Read More]

Feature

Lagroon Has All The Right Answers to Modified Questions in IMCA Central Region Rookie Quest

By Bill Martin SALINA, Kan. (Oct. 31, 2025) — There was never a question that Cale Lagroon would race a Friesen Performance IMCA Modified. The 16-year-old from Salina, son of long-time hotshoe Corey Lagroon, needed just a single season to prove his own skills in the sanctioning body’s premier division, motoring to both Rookie of the Year and runner-up honors in the Jet Racing Central Region. The Kansas State champion was second in the points race at hometown track Salina Speedway, where he made half of his 30 2025 starts. Lagroon had one win and another 15 top five finishes to show for those outings. “I always looked up to dad, watching him race while I was growing up,” he said. “Racing a Modified has pretty much been the plan my whole life.” “We didn’t plan to run the Modified that much this year, because I also race a micro sprint and we were going to split it up more,” added Lagroon, who turns most of his laps in that class in Oklahoma, Missouri and [Read More]

Feature

Michigan’s Kay Merits Rookie Honors in IMCA’s Eastern Region for Modifieds

By Bill Martin MERRITT, Mich. (Oct. 31, 2025) — Tylor Kay started his first Friesen Performance IMCA Modified season with two goals. First, win rookie of the year in the Devilbiss Racing Eastern Region. Second, run against the big names to do it. The Merritt, Mich., speedster made good on both objectives, edging Fred Dow Jr. by just five points, the smallest margin to decide any regional rookie race in 2025. “Winning rookie of the year was our goal from before the season even started. We wanted to try to go after it,” said Kay, who counted seven top five finishes in 33 starts. “We’re proud that we were able to achieve that, and that we were able to do it running against a lot of really tough guys every week.” Runner-up to Cody Goodwin at Mt. Pleasant Speedway, he was sixth in points at home track Merritt Speedway and in Michigan State standings, and eighth in the regional title chase. An occasional visitor to Crystal Motor Speedway, Kay had all of three partial seasons [Read More]

Feature

Plans Made in 2024 Become Reality in 2025 as Gaston Rules Southern SportMod Rookie Race

By Bill Martin WEATHERFORD, Texas (Oct. 31, 2025) — The planning for Christian Gaston’s 2025 rookie of the year run started early the season before. Younger brother Cameron topped point standings for first-year Smiley’s Racing Products IMCA Southern SportMod drivers in 2024. As was their goal, Christian made it two straight rookie crowns for Team Gaston this season, besting fellow Texan Colton Birmingham in a title chase that went all the way into September. “It would have been hard, my brother and I both racing for rookie the same season,” said Gaston, 23 years old and from Weatherford. “We had been just racing and having fun. Our grandfather Langston Layne is from the dirt track racing world and knew how this rookie of the year thing worked. He helped us set it in motion. Camo would run for it in 2024 and I’d run for it this year, it all worked out and we won back-to-back titles.” The Oklahoma State champion and eighth nationally, Gaston was runner-up to his brother at Southern Oklahoma Speedway. He [Read More]

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