March 19, 2026

Wet weather will win Junction’s Spring Thaw

McCOOL JUNCTION, Neb. – Junction Motor Speedway’s Mike Chapin Memorial Spring Thaw becomes the latest casualty of a cold, wet forecast.

The Saturday, March 21 special at McCool Junction will not be rescheduled.

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Nunnenkamp Memorial this weekend at Junction Motor Speedway

McCOOL JUNCTION, Neb. – Junction Motor Speedway hosts the Barb Nunnenkamp Memorial McCool 100, with six IMCA divisions on the weekend card. IMCA Sunoco Late Models run for $1,000 to win, IMCA Modifieds for $775 to win, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars for $675 to win, Karl Kustoms Northern SportMods for $525 to win and IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks for $500 to win Friday, Sept. 24 and Saturday, Sept. 25 at McCool Junction. Saturday’s Mach-1 Sport Compact feature pays $200 to win. IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National, regional and KMJ Performance State points will be awarded both nights. Pit gates open at 1 p.m., the draw closes at 6 p.m. and racing starts at 7 p.m. Friday. On Saturday, pit gates open at noon, the draw closes at 5 p.m. and racing starts at 6 p.m. Pit passes are $30. Spectator admission is $15 for adults, $6 for kids ages 6-12 and free for five and under. Both nights of the Barb Nunnenkamp Memorial McCool 100 will be broadcast by IMCA.TV.

$250 Sunoco bonus at Junction Motor Speedway this weekend

VINTON, Iowa – The payday gets even better this week for the IMCA Sunoco Late Model feature winner at Junction Motor Speedway in McCool Junction, Neb. The final opportunity in the Midwest to earn a $250 Sunoco bonus is on the line this Saturday night. Sunoco bonuses are being presented at IMCA Late Model sanctioned weekly tracks this year. Drivers are eligible for only one bonus during the 2020 racing season. If the feature winner is a previous Sunoco winner, the bonus moves to the next eligible position. 2020 winners have been Jeff Aikey at Independence Motor Speedway, Matt Ryan at 34 Raceway, Joel Callahan at Dubuque Fairgrounds Speedway, Eric Pollard at 300 Raceway, Justin Kay at Davenport Speedway and Dalton Simonsen at Marshalltown Speedway. Ben Sukup, Cory Dumpert and Jim Johnson claimed the bonus money with successive wins at US 30 Speedway, Boone County Raceway and Off Road Speedway respectively. Dustin Griffin garnered the win at Pepsi Lee County Speedway, Don Beckstrom at Shelby County Speedway, and most recently Andy Nezworski at the Bullring [Read More]

Junction Motor Speedway hosts Sept. 25-26 Nunnenkamp Memorial

McCOOL JUNCTION, Neb. – IMCA Sunoco Late Models chase $1,000 top checks on both nights of Junction Motor Speedway’s Sept. 25 and 26 Barb Nunnenkamp Memorial McCool 100. IMCA Modified run for $775 to win both nights, Karl Kustoms Northern SportMods for $675, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars for $525 and IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks for $500. First place in Saturday’s Mach-1 Sport Compact main event pays $200. IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National, regional and KMJ Performance State points will be awarded at the draw/redraw special. Pit gates open at 3 p.m., the grandstand opens at 5 p.m. and racing starts at 7 p.m. on Friday; gates open at 1 p.m., the grandstand opens at 4 p.m. and the first green flag flies at 6 p.m. on Saturday. Grandstand admission is $15 for adults, $5 for kids ages 6-12 and free for five and under. Pitt passes are $25 on Friday and $30 on Saturday. More information is available at www.junctionmotorspeedway.com and on Facebook.

Feature

Brian McCaughan: Chasing Gold in the Yukon and Racing for the Moments

By Ben Deatherage SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (Mar. 18, 2026) — In the Yukon, the air is so clean you can drink from the streams. The country stretches wide and wild, with mountains on the horizon, deep cuts in the earth, and wildlife moving through a landscape that still feels untamed. In that far-north world, where long days of summer labor are measured against cold, distance, and the uncertainty of what lies beneath the ground, Brian McCaughan has built a life chasing one of the planet’s oldest prizes. Gold. It is a life shaped by risk, patience, hard work, and wonder. Some days the earth gives something back. Other days, after moving millions of tons of dirt, there is almost nothing to show for it. But for McCaughan, the beauty of the Yukon and the challenge of making a living there have become part of who he is. Maybe that is why getting back into racing made sense. The driver of the no. 2D Karl Kustoms IMCA Modified once raced Modifieds and Late Models regularly and made a [Read More]

Feature

Bitting Charges from Rear to Win Saturday Hobby Stock Show at Central Arizona

By Rowdy Briggs CASA GRANDE, Ariz. (Mar. 14, 2026) — A strong field of 24 Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stocks answered the call for the $1000 to win feature at Central Arizona. Matt Rice and Joel Magee led the field to green, with Magee taking the early lead. Steve Bitting Jr. spun on lap two and was sent to the rear but mounted an impressive comeback. Up front, Magee and Anthony Madrid battled, for the lead until lap 18, when Bitting charged past both drivers to take over the top spot. Bitting went on to score the win over Magee, Madrid, Charles McDaniel Sr., and Hannah Miller. He stated in his post-race interview that he lost brakes early but kept his car on the bottom and worked his way through the field. Ty Warner and Steve Bitting Jr. led the 18-car field to the green for Friday’s 20-lap feature. Bitting led the opening six laps before Anthony Madrid took over in the Rick Thornton Sr. machine. Madrid pulled away while Bitting battled Joel Magee for second. Madrid [Read More]

Feature

Saathoff Delivers Hometown Victory on Final Night of Beatrice Spring Nationals

By Ben Deatherage BEATRICE, Neb. (Mar. 14, 2026) — Jaxon Saathoff delivered a thrilling hometown victory in the Karl Kustoms IMCA Modified feature on the final night of the 33rd annual Spring Nationals at Beatrice Speedway. The Beatrice driver charged from ninth to win the 25-lap, $2,000-to-win main event, which served as a Fast Shafts All-Star Modified Invitational qualifier for the 2026 Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s and placed him on the eligibility list to attempt to qualify. The triumph marked Saathoff’s first Jet Racing Central Region win of the season and his first career Spring Nationals title — exactly 30 years after his father Johnny captured the event in 1996. Shawn Harker, last year’s Jet Racing Central Region and Nebraska State champion as well as the reigning Eagle Raceway track titlist, initially shot to the lead on the opening start. Bryson Yeager, a two-time Sweetwater Speedway champion, wrestled the top spot away on the backstretch and led the opening lap. A caution slowed the field on lap four, but Yeager executed the [Read More]

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