By Susan Allen
ARLINGTON, Minn. (May 3, 2025) — The 45th season opener at Arlington Raceway roared to life with six Speedway Motors IMCA divisions on the card and a hard-fought Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stock feature that set the tone for an unforgettable night. Blake Luinenburg held off a furious late-race charge from Cory Probst to pick up his first win of the season on a new track surface.
Jordan Robinson paced the field on lap one before a caution slowed the action. That opened the door for Luinenburg, making his debut in a newly built car, to charge to the front. Probst and Chad Volk sliced through the field from the third row to contend for podium spots, with Probst eventually overtaking Volk for second.
In the final three laps, Probst reeled in Luinenburg and the duo charged through lapped traffic. Luinenburg stayed composed and edged Probst at the line for a crowd-pleasing win, his first win in the B&B Racing Chassis Northern Region. Volk settled for third. Brad Becker was awarded the Hess Technology Best Appearing Car Award.
Serbus Seals Sprint Car Victory with Late Move
Multiple cautions early in the RaceSaver IMCA Sprint Car feature made for a disjointed start, but Jeremy Snow maintained the lead through each restart. Trevor Serbus bided his time in second before capitalizing after a mid-race restart, using a textbook diamond move out of turn two to seize the lead.
Brandon Allen and Brett Allen joined the mix in the closing circuits, but Serbus was unstoppable in clean air. He led the final laps to secure the win, with Snow hanging on for second and Brett Allen finishing third. Serbus was also awarded the Hess Technology Best Appearing Car Award.
Trevor Serbus won the RaceSaver IMCA Sprint Car main event, earning his first victory of the year. (Photo by Sarah Moriarty)
Mackenthun Avoids Late-Race Chaos to Win Stock Car Feature
The Sunoco IMCA Stock Cars produced plenty of excitement, including a red flag incident after Mark Zimmerman’s car rolled on lap 4. Once racing resumed, Matt Schauer briefly led until Dan Mackenthun muscled into the top spot on the restart.
Mackenthun pulled away late despite heavy lapped traffic and chaos in front of him on the final lap. He steered clear of the carnage and claimed his first win of the season at Arlington but his second in the EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region after a win at South Dakota’s Park Jefferson Speedway the night before. Daniel Eckblad finished second, followed by Matt Looft in third. Looft also earned the Best Appearing Car honor in the class.
Dan Mackenthun claimed the Sunoco IMCA Stock Car victory, marking his second win of the 2025 campaign. (Photo by Sarah Moriarty)
Beckendorf Dominates Modifieds After Early Duel with Menk
The Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds saw a strong early battle between Dan Menk and Brandon Beckendorf, but it was Beckendorf who powered into the lead after a lap 2 miscue by Menk. Once in control, Beckendorf opened a massive advantage through the mid-stage of the race.
A couple of late cautions tightened the field, but Beckendorf remained unbothered on the restarts and cruised to his first win of the new season in the Razor Chassis North Central Region. Trent Loverude climbed to second, with Todd Stinehart completing the podium. Clint Hatlestad was honored with the Best Appearing Car Award.
Brandon Beckendorf dominated the Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds for his first win of the season. (Photo by Sarah Moriarty)
Enter Untouchable in SportMod Runaway
Broddy Enter made the most of his pole position draw, pacing the Karl Chevrolet IMCA Northern SportMods from start to finish. A brief caution on lap one was the only break in the action as Enter pulled away while the racing behind him raged.
Matthew Looft emerged from a tight midfield battle and eventually took second, with Zac Davis third. Looft also earned the Best Appearing Car Award for the division.
Broddy Enter went flag-to-flag to win the Karl Chevrolet IMCA Northern SportMod feature, his first of the year. (Photo by Sarah Moriarty)
Schumacher Wins Sport Compact in a Wild Finish
Gary Schumacher led all 12 laps of the Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compact feature in a non-stop race. While traffic bunched the field late, Schumacher kept his pace and sealed a flag-to-flag win to kick off his 2025 campaign.
A late surge from Justin Dose netted him second place over A.J. Schelitzche in a photo finish. Dose also took top honors in the Best Appearing Car category.
Gary Schumacher won the caution-free Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compact feature, scoring his first victory of 2025. (Photo by Sarah Moriarty)
The event was broadcast live on IMCA.TV affiliate Dirt Race Central. Missed the action? Don’t worry — you can relive every lap with an IMCA.TV Replay Subscription, available for just $24.99/month. Plus, Boone Docuseries Season 2 is now streaming exclusively with your subscription.
