Ford Credited with SportMod Win at Marysville

By Troy Hennig MARYSVILLE, Calif. (Mar. 29, 2025) — Mike Ficklin Jr. of Oroville held off multiple challengers to score a hard-fought victory in the 20-lap Karl Chevrolet IMCA Northern SportMod main event at Marysville Raceway’s ¼-mile clay oval. Ficklin jumped out to the early lead before the race was slowed by a caution on lap two. On the restart, two-time California State champion Trevor Clymens made a strong run on the high side to challenge for the top spot and got around, but a yellow flag negated the pass. When racing resumed, Tyler Rodgers applied pressure to Clymens for second and took the position on lap five. Rodgers, a former track champion at both Quincy and Diamond Mountain Speedways, then set his sights on the leader. Another caution bunched the field on lap six, and Rodgers resumed his charge on the inside. He stayed glued to Ficklin’s rear bumper until lap 10, when the leader got sideways exiting turn four. Rodgers made contact, allowing Clymens to pass both drivers for the lead. However, the contact [Read More]

By Troy Hennig  MARYSVILLE, Calif. (Mar. 15, 2025) — Mark Garner secured the win in the 2025 Karl Chevrolet IMCA Northern SportMod season opener at Marysville Raceway. Leading all 20 laps at the ¼-mile clay oval, the Antioch, California, veteran managed traffic and challenges to claim victory. Garner built a solid lead early while Jason Ryan Jr. and Jace Wright battled for second. By lap six, lapped traffic allowed Ryan to close the gap and briefly pressure Garner. A caution flag soon after gave Garner a clear track, helping him maintain control. On the restart, Wright overtook Ryan for second. Garner again encountered traffic but handled it more effectively. Late cautions provided additional clean-track opportunities, and Garner capitalized to cruise to his first win of the season. Wright stayed close but couldn’t overtake Garner, settling for second. Ryan crossed the line in third. The event was broadcast on IMCA TV affiliate Nor Cal Speed.

By Ben Deatherage MARYSVILLE, Calif. (May 11, 2024) – The stars of the Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod division invaded Marysville Raceway on Saturday and Antioch veteran Mark Garner shined the brightest in the May 11 show. The first few laps were a wild and wacky affair. K.C. Carpenter jumped out to the lead but got sideways around lap two and Phillip Shelby took over the top-place position. Shelby got the field back to green but was struck with horrible luck when his powerplant expired shortly after the restart. Garner became the third different leader in the two completed laps. Despite a brief period when he was under a bit of pressure, Garner put on a clinic for the rest of the distance. He went on to claim his first victory of the season and bounced back from a rough outing the night before at Silver Dollar Speedway.  The race for second remained a nail-biter. Jimmy Ford was constantly challenged for the runner-up position. Ray Lindeman made several attempts to overtake Ford but unfortunately both got into a [Read More]