Late Model News

VINTON, Iowa (May 9, 2024) – Twenty-two IMCA rookie drivers have already raced to career-first feature wins this season. Each receives a $50 gift card from Speedway Motors. IMCA Modified rookies winning first features have been J.C. Wilson at Southern Raceway on Feb. 3, William Bartlett at Southern Raceway on April 6 and Blaise Lewis at East Moline Speedway on April 21. April 12 saw a pair of first-year IMCA Late Model drivers in victory lane, Tyler Iverson at Junction Motor Speedway and Mitch Morris at Davenport Speedway. Stock Car rookies racing to coveted first feature wins were Cutter Spalding at Heart O’ Texas Speedway on March 1, Tate Elkins at Two Dollar Pistol Motor Speedway on March 30, Nick Posey at Central Arizona Raceway on April 13 and Colby Fett at Clay County Fair Speedway on April 15. Payce Herrera paced the Feb. 17 Hobby Stock headliner at Mohave Valley Raceway. SportMod winners included Tyler Johnson at Central Arizona Raceway on Jan. 26, Blaine Smith at Kennedale Speedway Park on March 30, Barry Halley [Read More]

By Jerry Mackey MAQUOKETA, Iowa (May 4, 2024) – The 2024 racing got underway Saturday at the Maquoketa Speedway quarter-mile dirt track located on the Jackson County Fairgrounds. A whopping 139 teams took part.  The IMCA Sunoco Late Model feature was the headliner of the night. Local standout … and four-time national champion … Justin Kay started on the pole and led the main event flag to flag. Defending track champion Andy Nezworski kept Kay in his sights but was unable to mount a serious challenge in taking second ahead of third place finisher Travis Denning who had started 10th.  Defending Friesen Performance IMCA Modified track champion Jeff Larson scored the opening night win, his second in as many nights after pacing the Friday show at Lafayette County Speedway. Larson started fourth and took the lead early, wrestling the point position away from Jake Morris. Larson went on to race under the checkers ahead of Mitch Way and Jason Schueller.  The IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars saw an outstanding field of 23 drivers sign in. The Class [Read More]

Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds – 1. Chaz Baca, Mesa, Ariz., 979; 2. Troy Morris III, Bakersfield, Calif., 902; 3. Kollin Hibdon, Pahrump, Nev., 608; 4. William “Bill” Miller, Yuma, Ariz., 598; 5. Tim Ward, Harcourt, Iowa, 520; 6. Grey Ferrando, Stayton, Ore., 446; 7. Owen Barnhill, Milton, Fla., 419; 8. Devon Reed, Woodland, Wash., 389; 9. Tyson Blood, Tumwater, Wash., 373; 10. Braxton Yeager, Green River, Wy., 372; 11. Jerry Flippo, Osage, Iowa, 363; 12. Spencer Wilson, Minot, N.D., 361; 13. Michael Leach, Sun River, Mont., 341; 14. Jonathan Mawhinney, Las Vegas, Nev., 336; 15. Chuck Grohnke, Mesa, Ariz., 326; 16. Bryson Yeager, Green River, Wy., 316; 17. Austin Kuehl, Cave Creek, Ariz., 311; 18. Izac Mallicoat, Boone, Iowa, 307; 19. Spencer Diercks, Davenport, Iowa, 296; 20. Trevor Fitz, Marshalltown, Iowa, 295. IMCA Sunoco Late Models – 1. Evan Miller, Silvis, Ill., 142; 2. Dylan Schmer, Aurora, Neb., 117; 3. Jesse Sobbing, Malvern, Iowa, 115; 4. Jesse Bodin, Silvis, Ill., 110; 5. Mitch Morris, Long Grove, Iowa, and Christopher Lawrence, Colona, Ill., both 109; 7. Jacob Kubicka, [Read More]

MENTONE, Ind. (May 1, 2024) – The focus is on state champions during Landrum Performance Spring’s 20th season as an IMCA sponsor. Nearly 100 Friesen Performance IMCA Modified, IMCA Sunoco Late Model, IMCA Sunoco Stock Car, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock, Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod and Smiley’s Racing Products IMCA Southern SportMod state champions, plus top five finishers in Stealth Racing IMCA STARS Mod Lite state standings, receives a buy one spring, get a second of equal value free certificate from the Mentone, Ind., manufacturer. “It’s been several years since we but the original awards program together with IMCA and it’s been a good deal,” said Landrum General Manager Curtis Caldwell. “The racers like it and it has benefitted us as a company, too. It’s worked out pretty good.” Landrum also gives a set of four springs to the STARS Mod Lite national champion and buy one/get one certificates to top three finishers in standings at each track sanctioning Mod Lites weekly. “IMCA has different levels of championships drivers can run for and I think that’s [Read More]

By Jerry Mackey MAQUOKETA, Iowa (April 27, 2024) – The 2024 Maquoketa Speedway season opener scheduled for April 27 was postponed due to impending severe weather slated to move into the Jackson County area late on Saturday afternoon.  Maquoketa Speedway will now be slated to see the IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing season opener on Saturday, May 4. IMCA Sunoco Late Models will headline the racing program which will also include Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods and IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks. Also in action will be the 4 Cylinders and the INEX Legend Cars.  Maquoketa Speedway will see hot laps get underway at 6 p.m. with racing to follow on Saturday.

JEFFERSON, S.D. (April 25, 2024) – Fans at Park Jefferson Speedway got to see one of their own in victory lane when IMCA Sunoco Late Models made their triumphant return to South Dakota. Sioux Falls native and now Silvis, Ill., racer Evan Miller passed Jesse Sobbing and then Keegan Nordquist late in Thursday night’s 25-lapper to earn the $1,000 Titan Clash payday. The checkers came in the first IMCA Late Model event held in South Dakota since 2007, the summer before Miller started second grade. “It’s pretty awesome,” said Miller, who’d taken the day off work to make the almost 400 mile tow and became the national points leader with the win. “We’d started thinking about making this race right after Park Jefferson posted about it and we really wanted to come back and race in front of family and sponsors we have here.” The win came in his fourth start of the season. Miller had made 19 starts, with one feature win and eight top five finishes at seven different tracks as a rookie [Read More]

Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds – 1. Chaz Baca, Mesa, Ariz., 974; 2. Troy Morris III, Bakersfield, Calif., 893; 3. Kollin Hibdon, Pahrump, Nev., 608; 4. William “Bill” Miller, Yuma, Ariz., 564; 5. Tim Ward, Harcourt, Iowa, 520; 6. Grey Ferrando, Stayton, Ore., 446; 7. Owen Barnhill, Milton, Fla., and Devon Reed, Woodland, Wash., both 389; 9. Tyson Blood, Tumwater, Wash., 373; 10. Braxton Yeager, Green River, Wy., 372; 11. Jerry Flippo, Osage, Iowa, 363; 12. Spencer Wilson, Minot, N.D., 361; 13. Michael Leach, Sun River, Mont., 341; 14. Jonathan Mawhinney, Las Vegas, Nev., 336; 15. Bryson Yeager, Green River, Wy., 316; 16. Austin Kuehl, Cave Creek, Ariz., 311; 17. Izac Mallicoat, Boone, Iowa, 307; 18. Chuck Grohnke, Mesa, Ariz., 298; 19. Spencer Diercks, Davenport, Iowa, 296; 20. Trevor Fitz, Marshalltown, Iowa, 295. IMCA Sunoco Late Models – 1. Evan Miller, Silvis, Ill., 142; 2. Dylan Schmer, Aurora, Neb., 117; 3. Jesse Sobbing, Malvern, Iowa, 115; 4. Jesse Bodin, Silvis, Ill., 110; 5. Mitch Morris, Long Grove, Iowa, and Christopher Lawrence, Colona, Ill., both 109; 7. Jacob Kubicka, [Read More]

By Jerry Mackey MAQUOKETA, Iowa (April 23, 2024) – The IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing season opener at Maquoketa Speedway scheduled for Saturday, April 20 fell victim to wet grounds and cold temperatures. The 2024 season will now be set to get underway on Saturday, April 27. The racing program will include sanctioned races in the Friesen Performance IMCA Modified, IMCA Sunoco Late Model, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock and Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod divisions, along with INEX Legends and the 4-cylinder compact class. Hot laps take to the quarter-mile Maquoketa Speedway, located on the Jackson County Fairgrounds at 6 p.m. with hot laps and racing will follow this Saturday.

By Greg Soukup             EAGLE, Neb. (April 19, 2024) – Eagle Raceway got the first night of its Ice Breaker Challenge in for the first time since 2019 and Chad Andersen won for the first time at the special that starts the season at America’s Home Track on Friday night. The defending track champion scored the $1,000 Friesen Performance IMCA Modified victory in the final event of the evening, outrunning Jordan Grabouski, Ryan Jenkins and Drew Janssen. “We’ve come to the Ice Breaker Challenge ever since I started racing a Modified and we’ve been close, but we‘d get a third or a second and never seemed to have enough to lead the final lap,” said Andersen, newly eligible to qualify for the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational. “We came up with a game plan after the heat race because we felt really good. I just wasn’t quite as comfortable as I wanted to be in the heat so we made a couple of changes for the feature and it felt like the car came to life.” “Hopefully, that means [Read More]

Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds – 1. Chaz Baca, Mesa, Ariz., 965; 2. Troy Morris III, Bakersfield, Calif., 883; 3. Kollin Hibdon, Pahrump, Nev., 608; 4. William “Bill” Miller, Yuma, Ariz., 564; 5. Tim Ward, Harcourt, Iowa, 520; 6. Grey Ferrando, Stayton, Ore., 407; 7. Devon Reed, Woodland, Wash., 389; 8. Jerry Flippo, Osage, Iowa, 363; 9. Spencer Wilson, Minot, N.D., 361; 10. Owen Barnhill, Milton, Fla., 353; 11. Michael Leach, Sun River, Mont., 341; 12. Jonathan Mawhinney, Las Vegas, Nev., 336; 13. Tyson Blood, Tumwater, Wash., 334; 14. Austin Kuehl, Cave Creek, Ariz., 311; 15. Chuck Grohnke, Mesa, Ariz., 298; 16. Braxton Yeager, Green River, Wy., 297; 17. Ethan Braaksma, Des Moines, Iowa, 290; 18. Mike Dimond, Rapid City, S.D., 278; 19. Jake Pike, Pahrump, Nev., 268; 20. Eddie Belec, Arvada, Colo., 267. IMCA Sunoco Late Models – 1. Tom Svoboda, David City, Neb., 78; 2. Dylan Schmer, Aurora, Neb., 77; 3. Austin Svoboda, David City, Neb., 76; 4. Christopher Lawrence, Colona, Ill., 75; 5. Mitch Morris, Long Grove, Iowa, and Jesse Bodin, Silvis, Ill., both 73; [Read More]

VINTON, Iowa (April 15, 2024) – IMCA drivers will still be allowed to compete in specified, multiple divisions this season. What they won’t be doing, however, is changing divisions multiple times, especially when it comes time to racing in high-paying specials. Both general rules and divisional rules posted on the IMCA website now specify which divisions drivers can compete in when purchasing licenses in two or more classes; what’s spelled out in black and white is the time they’ll have to wait when switching between restricted divisions. “For example, if a driver with a Modified license switches to a Northern or Southern SportMod, they have to stay in the new division for 12 calendar months from the date they changed divisions,” said IMCA President Brett Root. “What we’ve seen primarily is drivers making that switch to race in higher-paying specials held prior to or after the end of the point season. In no way is it fair for SportMod drivers who support their weekly tracks during the season to race against Modified or Late Model [Read More]

EAGLE, Neb. (April 9, 2024) – Drivers in six IMCA divisions have a chance to put a check on their bucket list with feature wins at Eagle Raceway’s Ice Breaker Challenge. Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds and Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods are on Friday, April 19 and Saturday, April 20 race cards, and the driver in either division who can win both nights earns a $1,000 Twice is Nice Challenge bonus from event presenting sponsor Auto Trans Matic. Modifieds race for $1,000 to win, $250 to start on Friday and $2,000 to win, $270 to start on Saturday. Modified winners also earn Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifying eligibility. Northern SportMods run for $800 to win, $150 to start each night. Friday features for IMCA Sunoco Late Models and IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars also pay $800 to win, with the Stock Car winner becoming B & B Racing Chassis All-Star Invitational qualifying eligible. On Saturday, IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Cars race for $1,000 to win, and a minimum of $270 to start, while the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock feature pays [Read More]

McCOOL JUNCTION, Neb. (March 21, 2024) – Randy Wulf Jr. still remembers helping load up a race car for the first-ever opening night at Junction Motor Speedway years ago. He’ll remember the excitement surrounding the opening night show at McCool Junction this season from an entirely different perspective. Wulf is the new promoter at Junction, where IMCA Sunoco Late Models, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks, Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods and Mach-1 Sport Compacts fill Saturday night race cards. “Promoting a race track is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time,” said Wulf. “I have been taking to (Junction owner) Delmar Friesen and jumped at this chance.” Co-owner with brother Chad of Prowler Chassis, Wulf is “a dirt guy by trade” and will handle track prep for the 3/8-mile dirt oval personally. “I want to get the track as smooth as I can,” he said. “We’ve been trying to make sure the crew coordination is there and everyone knows their job, and make this a good place for lots of [Read More]

DAVENPORT, Iowa (March 20, 2024) – Jeff Struck puts a check on his bucket list this season, as the new promoter at Davenport Speedway. The former driver and now Davenport business owner takes charge at the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds venue, where IMCA Sunoco Late Models, Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks and Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods will run on Friday nights. The 2024 point season at Davenport runs from April 12 to Aug. 23. “I’ve been impressed by the number of local drivers and local businesses that support racing,” Struck said. “The community has shown that Davenport is a racing staple, locally, regionally and nationally.” Sanctioned Late Models have proven to be a weekly staple there since 1998, joined by Modifieds in 2009, Northern SportMods in 2013 and the Hobby Stocks this season. “What I like most about IMCA is that their rules keep everyone on the same level. I think IMCA racing is closer than open-style racing,” said Struck. “Open-style does have its share of good, side-by-side racing but it seems more [Read More]

VINTON, Iowa (March 6, 2024) – A few clicks on the keyboard is all it will take for drivers in any IMCA division to make themselves eligible for contingency awards to be given for the 2024 race season. Drivers can click here to go to the form, which is also on the IMCA website using the forms menu, to complete the process in a matter of minutes. Drivers will be asked to indicate the make of cylinder head, shock and spring they compete with this season, and attach a picture of their car displaying required decal placement. “This is a quick and easy one-stop process,” said IMCA Marketing Integration and Sponsorship Director Carson Becker-Gramm. “No paperwork is involved and drivers can make themselves eligible for point fund shares and contingency awards and then focus on racing.” Decal packets are mailed from the IMCA home office daily.