Ryan Clark

Abilene’s Southern Challenge boasts $2,500 checks for IMCA Modified, Stock Car, Southern SportMod winners

ABILENE, Texas (Sept. 29, 2022) – Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars and Smiley’s Racing Products Southern SportMods all race for $2,500 top checks at Abilene Speedway’s 28th annual Ryan Bard Memorial Southern Challenge Friday and Saturday, Oct. 14 and 15. The Modified feature pays a minimum of $300 to start with the winner becoming eligible to qualify for the 2023 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational; both Stock Car and SportMod features pay a minimum of $200 to start, with the Stock Car winner eligible to qualify for the 2023 B & B Racing Chassis All-Star Invitational. Each of those features will be 30 laps and tow money in all three divisions is $100. Mach-1 Sport Compacts run for $1,250 to win and $100 to start their 20-lap main event. Drivers can register online at abilenespeedway.com. Early registration for Modifieds, Stocks and Southern SportMods is $85 and $65 for Sport Compacts if paid by Oct. 1 through the www.abilenespeedway.com website or $100 and $80 after that date. Pit gates open at 2 p.m. and the grandstand [Read More]

A first for Arkansas as Peyton Taylor paces Race for Hope

BATESVILLE, Ark. (Sept. 22-24, 2022) – The goal Peyton Taylor set back in January was achieved on the final weekend of the 2022 IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing point season. Taylor won two of the weekend’s three Race For Hope 71 Friesen Performance IMCA Modified features at hometown Batesville Motor Speedway, earning $11,000 in all, along with Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifying eligibility. More importantly, however, he became the first home state driver to win the Race For Hope crown. “It was just a solid weekend,” said Taylor, runner-up to brother Jeff in Thursday’s opening night show and the winner Friday and Saturday. “Any time you do the points thing it can be stressful but to be the first Arkansas-based team to win this championship is big for our Andrews Autosport team.” Taylor collected $4,000 for each of the wins, $2,000 for Friday’s runner-up finish and a $1,000 bonus for the three-night high points finish. He led every lap but the last one on Thursday, losing the lead on the 30th and final circuit and ending [Read More]

Online registration begins for IMCA Clash on the Coast

BAKER, Fla. (Sept. 29, 2022) – IMCA Speedweek returns to Florida in 2023 and Friesen Performance IMCA Modified drivers can now go to www.theclashonthecoast.com to register for the inaugural tour. Presented by IMCA.TV, the Clash on the Coast pays $1,000 to win each night and opens with Feb. 27 and 28 features at Northwest Florida Speedway in Baker, then travels to Southern Raceway in Milton for March 3 and 4 shows. Clash on the Coast winners become eligible to qualify for the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational, while second place each night pays $900, third pays $800, fourth pays $700 and fifth pays $600. Nightly purses total $7,500 with a minimum of $100 paid to start and $50 tow. Drivers competing all four nights are eligible for shares of a $10,000 point fund. The top driver in points earns $2,500 with $1,500 for second and $1,000 for third. Finishing in the top 20 in points will be good for a minimum of $200. Entry fee each night is $25 with IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National, Dirt Works [Read More]

IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars Batesville bound for Oct. 12-15 World Championship & Mid-America Championship shows

BATESVILLE, Ark. (Sept. 28, 2022) – Four rich nights of racing for IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars are on the fall schedule at Batesville Motor Speedway, beginning with the second annual World IMCA Stock Car Championships Oct. 12-14 and ending with the $10,000 to win Schoenfeld Headers Mid-America IMCA Stock Car Championship on Oct. 15. Feature events Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, Oct. 12-14 each pay $4,000 to win, $2,000 for second, $1,250 for third and $1,000 for fourth. Minimum start money is $400 and non-qualifier pay is $100. Winners become eligible to qualify for the 2023 B & B Racing Chassis All-Star Invitational and the top driver in points for the three nights earns a $1,000 bonus. Pre-entry fee is $150 by Oct. 8 or $200 after that date. Drivers can enter at www.batesvillemotorspeedway.com or call 870 613-1337. The pit gate opens at 1 p.m. on Wednesday with the registration and draw at 4 p.m. Pits open at 4 p.m. Thursday and Friday. The grandstand opens at 5:30 p.m. and racing starts at 7 p.m. each night. Spectator [Read More]

Incredible and amazing: Strand, Krogh share superlatives after Stock Car Stampede wins

JAMESTOWN, N.D. (Sept. 24, 2022) – Shawn Strand became a two-time champion while Luke Krogh was a two-time winner at Jamestown Speedway’s 51st annual Stock Car Stampede. Strand added a bookend trophy to the hardware he took home in 2020 and earned $3,000 for his Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature win. Krogh won the first-ever Stampede main event for IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars and the Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod main, collecting $2,000 for each. One hundred and eleven IMCA cars ran in Jamestown’s traditional season-ending special. “This was incredible,” said Strand, who passed Wayne Johnson for the lead and then outran hard charger Kollin Hibdon in the race to the Modified checkers. “This is our most prestigious race in North Dakota. To get the first (trophy) on my shelf was amazing. To get the second one … I’m almost speechless.” “Since the Stampede went IMCA we’ve run pretty well,” continued Strand, who sat out last year’s event after selling his car. “Just the last couple years we’ve had even better success.” He’d started the 25-lapper [Read More]

Bowers Memorial West Coast Nationals slated this weekend at Antioch

By Candice Martin ANTIOCH, Calif. (Sept. 28, 2022) – This weekend marks the biggest race of the year for the IMCA sanctioned divisions at Antioch Speedway. It’s the third running of the Bill Bowers Memorial West Coast Nationals. The popular Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds, Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods and IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars will be competing on the 3/8 mile clay oval. The race pays tribute to long-time engine man Bill Bowers. He and JD Willis teamed up for many wins through the years and both are members of the Antioch Speedway Hall of Fame. Bill continued to be involved with son Billy’s team, which has won several more championships, including five with driver Troy Foulger. When Bill passed away, long-time employer and new promoter Chad Chadwick decided to rename the West Coast Nationals in his honor. The event is as much a gathering of racing friends as it is a competition itself. To highlight that, Thursday night will be the pit party, complete with a pizza feed, cornhole tournament and karaoke. The drivers [Read More]

Morris has whale of a weekend at Ocean with Pettit Shootout IMCA Modified sweep

WATSONVILLE, Calif. (Sept. 23-24, 2022) – Troy Morris III had a pair of DNQ’s to show for his first Pettit Shootout outings in 2020. He has a pair of Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature wins to show from his second trip to Ocean Speedway’s season-ending special. The Bakersfield driver led every lap of Friday’s $1,003 to win main event and the last 18 circuits while checking out in Saturday’s $3,006 to win 53-lapper. “I was super pumped,” said Morris, who won ahead of Bobby Hogge IV and Cody Burke on night one, and was six seconds in front of Nick DeCarlo and then Burke on night two. “I was feeling good after Friday but to be able to win again on Saturday was really special.” “I grew up watching my dad race there and his birthday is the week after the Pettit,” continued Morris, who celebrates his 19th birthday in early October. “It was fun to go up there and win for him.” Morris started outside row one on Friday and had Hogge, a double winner [Read More]

Raffurty wraps up 30-win season with checkers at father’s IMCA STARS Mod Lite memorial race

GRAIN VALLEY, Mo. (Sept. 24, 2022) – Dillon Raffurty’s 30th win of the 2022 IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing season will be the one he’ll treasure most. Raffurty put the wraps on the IMCA STARS Mod Lite campaign with the $2,064 checkers at Valley Speedway’s inaugural David Raffurty Memorial, held in honor of Raffurty’s late father and fellow driver, who died in January. “This is the one I wanted to win most of all,” he said. “All kinds of friends and family were there and it was a great show. Winning Super Nationals and the race of champions again was amazing but this win was closer to home.” The checkers were his 16th straight since July 9 and 17th in as many Grain Valley starts this season. After his uncle Rick piloted his father’s racer as the pace car, Raffurty started the 20-lapper from seventh. Following multiple cautions in the early going, he was in the lead by lap five and then had his hands full with challenger Brandon Freeburg, running side-by-side with the Illinois challenger after midway. [Read More]

Denning, Veloz, Wauters are IMCA winners at East Moline

By Rob Hinckley EAST MOLINE, Ill. (Sept. 25, 2022) – Travis Denning sped to the Friesen Performance IMCA Modified 20-lap checkers Sunday at East Moline Speedway, beating Brandon Durbin, B.J. Jackson, Anthony Guss and Jim Sandusky. The Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods have become the class with excitement and diversity over the last few weeks. Even after two weeks off due to weather, Logan Veloz continued that trend with the 15-lap win. He passed Quincy visitor Logan Cumby on a green, white, checkered finish for the victory. David Engelkens, Keith Wiersema and Ryan Reed followed. Daniel Wauters passed Randy Lamar and cruised to the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock 12-lap win. Lamar, Tucker Richardson, Billy Stanford and Keith Lilly followed. The 2022 season concludes with a two-day special Oct. 8 and 9. Details will be announced. Sunday, Oct. 9 also will be Hall of Fame induction for the 2022 honorees.

Natural Bridge checkers are second of season for Leavell

By Jim Haines NATURAL BRIDGE, Va. (Sept. 24, 2022) – A clear autumn race night had an unexpected rain delay but it didn’t slow Joe Leavell from jetting to the front to take his second Virginia Sprint Series win of the year Saturday at Natural Bridge Speedway. Fan Appreciation Night at Natural Bridge had a fan meet and greet, after which a rain delay had the IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Cars run a feature-only event. Caleb Harris and Bill Rice paced the field to green. Rice shot out front up high on the start and had Harris and Mike Leraas chasing. The track surface had changed from warmups after the shower and it was lightning fast as Rice continued to fly out front. Leavell, winner of the May 28 feature at Natural Bridge Speedway, found a groove and was closing in getting to second. Right before halfway, Leavell was there and not long after into the lead with Rice keeping up with him as they entered traffic in the closing laps. Lerass made it to third and was [Read More]