Dan Engledow

Raffurty, Griggs star in Mod Lite RoC heats at Boone

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 4) – Missouri speedsters Dillon Raffurty and Ed Griggs were IMCA STARS Mod Lite race of champions heat winners to kick off the Saturday Wild Rose Casino and Resort Prelude at Boone Speedway. Tonight’s entry numbers total 294 with 130 IMCA Modifieds and 115 IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars both running a dozen heats at Iowa’s Action Track while 49 STARS Mod Lites run six heats in their first IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s qualifying outing. Six “B” features complete grids for Modified and Stock Car main events. Two qualifying features are on the card for the STARS Mod Lites. Complete programs for Northern SportMods, Hobby Stocks and Sport Compacts, and qualifying and the main event for Mod Lites are on the Sunday Prelude card at Boone. Both nights of the Prelude and the Sept. 6-11 Super Nationals are broadcast by IMCA.TV.

New NY-Penn IMCA Modified Series opens with May 30 Sean Lias Memorial at Penn Can

SUSQUEHANNA, Pa. – The inaugural Sean Lias Memorial kicks off the new NY-Penn IMCA Modified Series this Sunday, May 30 at Penn Can Speedway. IMCA Modifieds race for $1,037 to win their Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot qualifying feature, with $137 paid to start the 37-lap main event. Nearly 30 drivers from New York, Pennsylvania and Michigan have pre-registered to be part of the new series. Lap money now totaling $1,850 will be paid as well on Sunday. Bonuses of $50 will be paid to leader of laps three and seven, and $100 bonuses go to the lap 18 leader, the last place driver on lap 19 and the driver making the longest haul. A $237 hard luck award, a set of custom Sean Lias Memorial cornhole boards and IMCA special events contingencies will also be given, along with a $50 Ron Lias Award to the winning team’s crew chief. Held in honor of the eight-time IMCA regional champion, the Sean Lias Memorial is co-sponsored by Barucky Brothers Sale & Service LLC of Carbondale and [Read More]

Shelby County reschedules Swanson Memorial

HARLAN, Iowa – After more than a little rain fell in Harlan and much of the surrounding area, Shelby County Speedway will reschedule its inaugural Dale Swanson Memorial. What was to have been the season-opening special on Saturday night, April 10 will now be held Saturday, June 26. More information about that evening’s race program is to be announced.

King of the Highbanks rained out

MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa – Rain and the resulting wet track conditions are officially winners of The King of the Highbanks special for IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars at Marshalltown Speedway. IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks, Karl Kustoms Northern SportMods and IMCA STARS Mod Lites join the Stocks on the April 16 card at Marshalltown. Driver Appreciation Night has been moved to April 23.

Schaeffer’s Oil and IMCA partner to reward drivers across the nation

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – History-rich Schaeffer’s Specialized Lubricants makes new history this season with a three-year sponsorship agreement with IMCA. Newly designated as Official Lubricant of IMCA, Schaeffer dives right in with product packages going to each of the 100-plus state champions to be crowned concluding 2021-2023 race seasons. Champions at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s and RaceSaver Nationals will also receive cases of racing oil, gear lube and Penetro lubricant. “This gives the opportunity for a lot of different drivers to be rewarded and experience the product advantages,” said Schaeffer’s Central Director Will Dehne, noting that IMCA drivers/teams may also receive product awards at events attended by company representatives as well. “Racing has always been in our DNA and we’ve anxiously kept the door open to do something of this scale with IMCA. The goal is to help bring excitement to drivers and fans alike, attending IMCA events!” “Schaeffer has several representatives who are or were racers in IMCA, and a couple of them suggested a program like this. Most IMCA tracks [Read More]

Thornton outruns Aikey in epic Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 12) – The seventh time was a charm as Ricky Thornton Jr. put another check on his IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s bucket list Saturday night. Making his career seventh start in the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational, Thornton chased down Jeff Aikey in traffic, leading the last eight times around the track in taking a fast-paced IMCA Modified feature. The win paid $1,675. Thornton previously posted a race career best third place finish in 2016 and was already a candidate for next year’s Invitational. Nineteenth starting Jason Wolla, 16th starting Tim Ward and Ethan Dotson rounded out the top five. Aikey rocketed from sixth starting to the front on the initial green flag, following the high side of the track and scored ahead of Mitchell Hunt and Thornton, who’d started 10th, following the only caution of the contest on lap two. Much accomplished at Boone Speedway himself, Aikey took off again and led Thornton and defending race winner Joel Rust into traffic by midway. Thornton cut into Aikey’s lead and [Read More]

Multi-tasker DeGroft brings Modified to Super Nationals

BOONE, Iowa – Timothy DeGroft Jr. will multi-task at the 2020 IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. The IMCA Modified rookie from Elwell, Mich., comes to Boone Speedway looking to get in some more laps on the Pierce-owned 2020 Hoffman H3 ride while promoting suicide awareness. DeGroft owns success in both pro stock and street stock classes in his home state. He’s still looking for his first win in the IMCA division after the unexpected late start to his season. “We’ve been pretty happy with the car,” he said. “Probably the biggest difference what I’d driven before was the handling, You’ve got to ride the brake quite a bit and there were nights I struggled with that, but the car has been pretty since the end of July, early August.” He’ll line up outside row two in the 19th heat for Modifieds Saturday afternoon. “We want to get laps in on the car. Everyone’s goal is to make the show. We’re happy to make a qualifier,” DeGroft said. “They’ve done a great job on [Read More]

Fain brings Stock Car quest to Super Nationals

BOONE, Iowa – He’s been Paw Paw to granddaughter Addison for four years. He’s been The Fan Man since he started selling Super Sucker Fan blades two years ago. What Tommy Fain hopes to be known as next is a first-time qualifier for the Stock Car main event at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. The long-time driver of the God is Awesome car and owner of first-year IMCA sponsor Abilene Race Rads has three wins this season, just his second in the division after a distinguished career in the Modifieds. “I’ve raced more than 20 years and had watched the Stock Cars. They looked fun with a lot of side-by-side racing,” said Fain, a frequent runner at Abilene Speedway, Kennedale Speedway Park, Southern Oklahoma Speedway and Boyd Raceway. “They don’t take as much time and that gives me more Paw Paw time with my granddaughter.” Fain’s son Tyler runs a Smiley’s Racing Products Southern SportMod and the two are regular travel companions. David Ries has helped Fain in the shop and at the [Read More]

Believe it! Hale races from 29th into Modified main event

BOONE, Iowa – When he lined up 29th for the start of Thursday’s second Modified qualifying feature at Boone Speedway, Clay Hale wanted to get in some laps, pass as many cars as he could and get as many of those valuable points as possible. What he did instead was race all the way to third and qualify for his career first IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s main event. “When I rolled out, I wanted to go half the race before deciding if I’d get up on the wheel,” said Hale, from Cameron, Mo. “I started driving harder, the car came in and the next thing I knew we were passing cars.” “When I crossed the finish line there was disbelief at first. I would have never believed that we could start 29th and end up in the tech tent,” he continued. “I was so excited because I knew we got the transfer.” A former Northern SportMod entrant at Super Nationals, Hale had a state championship to his credit in the first JBR Chassis [Read More]

First Super Nationals Modified qualifiers go to Laney, Thornton

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 10) – A quick Californian and a driver who already has an impressive collection of IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s hardware were qualifying feature winners Thursday at Boone Speedway. Cody Laney of Torrance, Calif., started 12th and led the last half of the first qualifier for IMCA Modifieds, winning ahead of Trent Loverude, Steven Bowers Jr. and Matthew Meinecke. Ricky Thornton Jr. also raced from outside row six, catching Kevin Ramey for the front spot just before midway and taking the checkers ahead of Justin O’Brien, hard charger Clay Hale and James Goodson in the second show. The top four finishers from each qualifier represent six different states and will advance to the inside row for the main event grid. Jesse Skalicky and Trent Loverude led in the opener before Laney took charge. He kept Loverude in check following the final restart with four laps left. Thornton, the 2016 Modified champion two-time and now two-time defending Late Model king, was able to pull ahead as the nightcap ended with nine [Read More]