Ryan Clark

Souder Trades Two Wheels for Four on Way to GRT Race Cars South Central Rookie Honors

By Ben Deatherage GORDONVILLE, Texas (Oct. 30, 2026) — A decision between purchasing another dirt bike or trying something different led 24-year-old Austin Souder to the 2026 GRT Race Cars South Central Region Rookie of the Year award in the Karl Kustoms IMCA Modified division. Souder becomes the 32nd Texas driver to earn South Central Region Rookie of the Year honors since the award’s inception in 1993, extending the state’s streak to 15 consecutive seasons. The Gordonville, Texas, driver spent much of his life racing motocross before climbing behind the wheel of the N2 Enterprise/Souder Appliance Repair/Cam’s Auto/Gould Race Cars entry for his first full season on four wheels. “I didn’t really know what I was getting into,” Souder admitted. “I raced motocross my whole life. I slowed down on the dirt bikes and just rode for fun.” His introduction to dirt track racing came through friend James Nicholson, who began competing in 2025. After attending several races with Nicholson, Souder considered purchasing a race car rather than another motorcycle. A connection with two-time IMCA Modified [Read More]

Fulton Makes Successful Return to Racing with Close Racing Supply Eastern Region Rookie Honors

By Ben Deatherage ROME, Pa. (Oct. 22, 2026) — More than two decades after stepping away from racing, Charlie Fulton has found his way back behind the wheel and into championship recognition. The 54-year-old Rome, Pa., driver earned the 2026 Close Racing Supply Eastern Region Rookie of the Year award in the Karl Kustoms IMCA Modified division, completing a successful return to the sport he first became involved with nearly 30 years ago. Driving the Fulton Automotive/TL Powell Transport/Ed Carley Motorsports No. M64, Fulton recorded two feature victories, four podium finishes, 16 top fives, and 26 top-10 finishes in 29 feature starts across 33 events attended. Both victories came at The Hill Speedway, where he visited victory lane June 19 and Aug. 7. Fulton’s interest in racing began through his sister and brother-in-law, who have owned Modifieds for more than 30 years. He started competing around 1998 before stepping away in 2000, eventually returning in 2024 to race in the local Stock Car division. “I used to race a long time ago and got out of [Read More]

Dody Turns Unexpected Points Chase into Jet Racing Central Region Rookie of the Year Honors

By Ben Deatherage CLAFLIN, Kan. (Oct. 22, 2026) — Paxton Dody entered the 2026 Karl Kustoms IMCA Modified season hoping to gain experience and collect a few respectable finishes. By the end of September, the 19-year-old from Claflin, Kan., had earned the Jet Racing Central Region Rookie of the Year honors and the Kansas State championship. Dody became the ninth driver from Kansas since 1995 to earn the Central Region rookie award and the second consecutive Kansan to claim the honor. Driving the Cates Parts City/Janousek Transportation/Abrams Trucking-sponsored No. 09 for Janousek Racing, Dody recorded five podium finishes, 14 top fives, and 24 top-10 finishes in 34 feature starts across 38 events at 13 different facilities. “This year we started like most rookies do and started with low expectations and just be really happy if we got any top tens or top fives,” Dody said. “We went out and our first race was the Sunflower Classic at RPM Speedway in Hays and ended up making the show there and being pretty decent.” After several encouraging performances, [Read More]

Frank Overcomes Difficult Start to Earn EQ Cylinder Heads Southern Region Rookie Honors

By Ben Deatherage LORENA, Texas (Oct. 22, 2026) — Cody Frank’s pursuit of a national rookie championship nearly ended before it began, but the 38-year-old Lorena, Texas, driver overcame a difficult start to capture the 2026 EQ Cylinder Heads Southern Region Rookie of the Year award in the Sunoco IMCA Stock Car division. Frank became the 21st Texas driver to earn the Southern Region rookie honor since 2001 and the first since 2024, completing a comeback season that included two feature victories in 34 starts. “The year started off we were going to try for the national rookie but our first seven races we had six DNFs so that put a hurtin’ on things and ended up tearing some stuff up and that put a halt on that,” Frank said. “We kept pushing at it and started reeling off some top fives and had a couple of wins here and there and string some good runs and finished on a high note.” Frank finished the season with six podium finishes, 17 top fives, and 26 top-10 [Read More]

Eckrich Turns First Full Modified Season into Razor Chassis North Central Regional Rookie Honors

By Ben Deatherage OXFORD, Iowa (Oct. 22, 2026) — What began as a season focused on gaining experience turned into a championship campaign for Jace Eckrich, who earned the 2026 Razor Chassis North Central Region Rookie of the Year award in the Karl Kustoms IMCA Modified division. The 18-year-old Oxford, Iowa, driver also captured the track championship at 34 Raceway, while collecting five feature victories during his first full season in the division. “We came out not really running for points at all and just concentrating on a few tracks,” Eckrich said. “We wanted to run Burlington on Saturday nights because it’s always been a fun track for us. We ended up racing twice a week with the tracks close to home, won the championship at Burlington, and won a handful of races this year. It was a ton of fun.” Driving the Bob Harrington-owned No. 50 Performer Chassis, Eckrich recorded five victories, 18 podium finishes, 24 top fives, and 35 top-10 results in 40 feature starts across 41 events attended. Three of his victories came [Read More]

Madrid Carries Four Generations of Racing Tradition to B&B Racing Chassis Southern Region Rookie Honors

By Ben Deatherage PEORIA, Ariz. (Oct. 30, 2026) — Racing has been part of Drew Madrid’s family for four generations, and the 15-year-old from Peoria, Arizona, added another chapter to that history by earning the 2026 B&B Racing Chassis Southern Region Rookie of the Year award in the Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stock division. Madrid became just the second Arizona driver to earn Southern Region Rookie of the Year honors since the award began in 2007, joining Nathan DeRagon, also from Peoria, who captured the title in 2019. Behind the wheel of the Westside Les’s Too/Landshark Gates/Huey Automotive/Championship Martial Arts No. 15M Charger Chassis, Madrid continued a family tradition that began with his great-grandfather Richard and continued through his grandfather Rene, father Rene Jr., and mother Brandy. “Racing has always been a part of my family,” Madrid said. “My great-grandfather raced, my grandfather raced, my mom and dad raced as well, and I think everyone knew it was a matter of time before I got behind the wheel.” “I grew up around racing, and so moving into [Read More]

Up to Stock Car Challenge, Miles Races to National and Northern Region Rookie of the Year Titles

By Bill Martin BERNARD, Iowa (Oct. 26, 2026) – Overcome by the emotions of the occasion, Jordan Miles had to search for the right words after his career-first Sunoco IMCA Stock Car feature victory. He’s had plenty of opportunities to hone his interview skills since, following a season that saw him earn national and EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region honors, as well as the Maquoketa Speedway track championship. The 20-year-old from Bernard, Iowa, was also seventh in national points and 10th in regional standings, racing out of the family shop with father Jerry and brothers Jared, Kodey and Karter. “I wanted a challenge, I wanted to try something different and that’s what led us to our new adventures in a Stock Car,” said Miles, who moved up following two very different campaigns running a Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stock. “The stars kind of aligned, I picked up some wins early in the season and I’m proud of what we were able to accomplish this year.” “In my opinion, Stock Cars are the toughest division in IMCA. There’s stout [Read More]

Racing Journey Takes Griffin to National Late Model Rookie of the Year

By Bill Martin QUINCY, Ill. (Oct. 29, 2026) – Jake Griffin brewed up something special during the latest season of his racing journey. The Quincy, Ill., driver earned national Sunoco IMCA Late Model rookie of the year honors, after getting an unexpected ride just weeks before the season started. He made the most of his opportunity, with three feature wins and 16 top five finishes, and an eighth place finish in national points. “I didn’t have any expectations. I thought we’d start off better than we did but when everything came together it was great,” said Griffin, owner of the Roost Coffee Co., the online coffee company with the slogan Fuel For The Driven in Quincy. “We’ve been together as a team for a while and knew we could do it, we just had to stick it out.” Behind the wheel of the Warner Racing-owned 2023 Barry Wright Chassis, he was third in standings at Quincy Raceway, fourth at Lee County Speedway and eighth at 34 Raceway. “Late Models are just so racy. I’ve run just about everything [Read More]

Patterson Makes Hobby Stock History with National and EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region Rookie Honors

By Ben Deatherage MINOT, N.D. (Oct. 24, 2026) — Colby Patterson entered the 2026 season with little experience behind the wheel of a race car. By the end of the year, the 17-year-old from Minot, N.D., had become the first North Dakota driver to earn both the National Rookie of the Year and B&B Racing Chassis Northern Region Rookie of the Year honors in the Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stock division. Patterson’s first full season produced three feature victories, 17 top-five finishes, and 27 top-10 results in 33 starts. He also recorded nine podium finishes while competing at six different racetracks across North Dakota, Minnesota, and Saskatchewan. Driving the JH Seed and Soil Service/Schock’s Safe and Lock Services/Optimum Ag Services-sponsored No. 12X Charger, Patterson steadily improved throughout the season. “There was a big difference from the start of the year to the end of the year,” Patterson said. “This is only my first year racing. There was a lot of learning where to go on the track and getting the feel of the car.” Much of that [Read More]

Racing for Fun, Cox Collects National Rookie Award for Stealth Racing IMCA Mod Lites

By Bill Martin NORWALK, Iowa (Oct. 25, 2026) – A couple starts in the class was all it took for Brandon Cox to get hooked on the Stealth Racing IMCA Mod Lite division. Cox made 28 starts this season, racing and making new friends at eight different tracks in four states. Those travels paid off with the national rookie of the year award. “We started off at the IMCA TV Winter Nationals in Arizona racing just to have fun. When we left there, we were leading rookie national points. We kind of had that in the back of our mind all season, but we were really racing for fun,” he said. “We wanted to experience different tracks and track conditions, race against different competitors and get the most points as we could.” “Around Iowa, it’s arguably racing against many of the best of the best drivers. We wanted to race at some smaller tracks down south this year too, had a lot of fun and made some new life-long friends doing that.” The Norwalk hotshoe had [Read More]