IMCA 115th for Alvarado, firsts for Johnson and Schrader

Feature, Modified, Northern SportMod, Stock Car

Ricky Alvarado led every lap in racing to Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature win number 115 Friday at Central Arizona Raceway’s Ernie Mincy Early Thaw. (Photo by Ron Pelton Jr.)

CASA GRANDE, Ariz. (Jan. 26, 2024) – Ricky Alvarado raced to his 115th IMCA feature win on the same night Tyler Johnson raced to his IMCA first.

Popular visitor Ken Schrader had the Central Arizona Raceway crowd on its feet as well on Friday, night five of the Ernie Mincy Early Thaw.

Alvarado, from Hotchkiss, Colo., led every lap in topping the caution-free Friesen Performance IMCA Modified main, earning $1,000 and Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifying eligibility while the 14-year-old rookie Johnson led the distance in the $750 to win feature for Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods.

Schrader’s first IMCA Sunoco Stock Car checkers were good for $750 and made him eligible to qualify for the B & B Racing Chassis All-Star Invitational.

“We raced here 11 years ago – it’s been a long time – and I ran second and third that weekend in one of Tommy Fain’s Modifieds,” recalled Alvarado, who pitted next to his Stock Car driving friend from Abilene, Texas, at Casa Grande. “This has been a good start to the year for us.”

“It’s good any time you can get away from the cold, run with good competition and get a win.”

Alvarado had a coupe third-place finishes in the first half of the Early Thaw, then caught a flight and worked three days in Bakersfield, Calif.

After a fifth place run on Thursday, he won ahead of Jeff Taylor and Spencer Wilson.

From Laveen, Johnson weathered a couple early restarts, held off the mid-race challenge from Boddie Parker and then pulled away from the pack in a one-lap shootout to the checkers.

“I started on the pole and protected from there. It was kind of crazy,” said Johnson, a former micro sprint driver at home track Central Arizona. “We got a handful of starts in this class last year and I definitely like the challenge of driving a SportMod. The setup is very different than a micro sprint.”

Parker was second, Clay Erickson third.

A former IMCA Modified and IMCA Late Model winner, Schrader made a rare Stock Car start pay off with his first victory in The Class Too Tough To Tame.

Runner-up was Jason Rogers and hard charger Bo Partain motored from 16th starting to third.

“It feels good,” Schrader said post-race. “We won here once before but that was a long time ago. I love coming out here.”

Related Articles

Feature

Stoked for sure, Woodie celebrates first win at Ernie Mincy Early Thaw

CASA GRANDE, Ariz. (Jan. 25, 2024) – There was no shortage of adjectives following Kaden Woodie’s career-first Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod feature win Thursday at Central Arizona Raceway. The long tow from Milaca, Minn., topped the final feature of the Ernie Mincy Early Thaw show, ahead of Cam Reimers and Clay Erickson. “It was awesome. It was exhilarating for sure,” said Woodie, who made the trip from north of the Twin Cities with his dad Paul and crewman Shawn Hess. “My team and I have been putting in the work. I was stoked, for sure.” He led all 20 circuits from the pole, building an advantage of 5-1/2 seconds and catching up with the back of the field before a lap 14 caution. Two more cautions came out before the race ended green, white, checkered. “It was definitely run being out front and lead. I’d checked out before the first caution,” said Woodie, twice a runner-up during the season-opening IMCA.TV Winter Nationals at Cocopah Speedway. “I could hear Cam behind me after the last [Read More]

Events

Top billing for IMCA Modifieds at Central Arizona’s November Grand Re-reopening, Showdown specials

CASA GRANDE, Ariz. (Oct. 28, 2022) – IMCA drivers will be Central Arizona Raceway bound for a pair of rich November specials.      First is the Saturday, Nov. 5 Grand Re-reopening at Casa Grande, when fan favorite Ken Schrader joins the Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds running for $2,000 to win. Then it’s the Nov. 18-20 Showdown, highlighted by a $3,000 to win feature for the Modifieds on the final night. IMCA.TV broadcasts both specials.    IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars and Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods both chase $1,000 top checks, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks run for $600 to win and Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compacts for $300 to win at the promoter Brad Whitfield’s Grand Re-reopening show. An open practice runs from 6-9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4. Pits open at 3 p.m. and the front gate opens at 5 p.m. and the first green flag flies at 6 p.m. on race day. Admission is $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and military and free for kids ages 12 and under.      Friday and Saturday [Read More]

Hobby Stock

One-man tour takes Thomas to first IMCA Hobby Stock win

CASA GRANDE, Ariz. (June 3, 2023) – John Thomas’ one-man tour took him to victory lane Saturday night. The leader in national and Big Daddy Race Cars Southern Region rookie points won for the first time in his IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock career, hauling from ninth in the checkered flag run at Central Arizona Raceway. The win came in his 22nd start of the season, after three straight second-place finishes and, best of all, on girlfriend Meghan Aden’s birthday. “We’re calling this my You Only Die Once, You Live Every Day Tour,” explained Thomas, who turns 58 at the end of July. “I got back into racing this year following a health scare. I told Meghan this was something I wanted to do, she said ‘Do it,’ so I did.” “I’ve always been a fender guy,” added Thomas, most recently a winner circa 2007 in the pure stock class at West Valley Speedway. “This was something I did way back when and I never got away from it. I’m really glad to be racing again.” The Arizona native [Read More]

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply