Ryan Clark

Champions to be crowned this Sunday at Benton County Speedway

VINTON, Iowa (Aug. 16, 2023) – The IMCA Weekly Racing points season comes to an end this Sunday at Benton County Speedway. Season championship racing will be held in all six divisions August 20, with points champions decided by night’s end at The Bullring. A number of close points battles will highlight Sunday night action, including three drivers who hold leads of fewer than five points. Leah Wroten holds a three point edge over defending track champion Kaden Reynolds in the IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars presented by Christie Door Company. Wroten, the 2018 Hobby Stock track champion, is looking for her first Stock Car title on the Vinton oval. Also maintaining a three point edge is Sam Wieben in the Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods presented by Houdek Auto Center. Wieben, in search of his first track title at The Bullring, holds the slim advantage over five-time track titlist Tony Olson. Joren Fisher is in search of his second title in three years in the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks presented by Vermedahl Logisitcs. Fisher, who [Read More]

First Arlington wins of season for Becker, Schumacher

ARLINGTON, Minn. (Aug. 12, 2023) – New cars in victory lane gave the fans some exciting races Saturday for the Northfork Custom Meats Back to School Kids Night. Almost 200 kids received some awesome prizes donated by Arlington Raceway, fans and race teams. Brad Becker led the entire caution-free IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock feature from his pole start to win his first main event of the year. Fighting behind him were Jordan Robinson, Taylor Manderfield and Cory Probst. The three cars exchanged positions throughout the race but on the white flag lap, Probst got around Manderfield to take second. Gary Schumacher led the distance as he won his first Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compact feature of the year. Cars were four-wide around the track and got together causing a yellow on lap seven, which sent Justin Dose to the pits. With only one lap remaining, Schumacher pulled off the win with Alan Lahr and David Marshall right behind. Gary Schumacher led the distance Saturday in earning his first Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compact feature win of the [Read More]

First IMCA checkers for Van Straten fly at Shawano

SHAWANO, Wis. (Aug. 12, 2023) – On a beautiful August evening Saturday, Mother Nature allowed Shawano Speedway to host the first annual Retro Night. Several teams put together a few throwback schemes from yesteryear and oh did it bring back a lot of emotional memories of the cars and stars that once raced at the legendary half mile. In the Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod feature, pole sitter and former limited late model champion Dave Lytie and Andrew Engels, who had his dad’s no. 33 on the side of his usual no. 29 machine, set the pace for what would become a caution-plagued feature. Taylor Sorenson used his fourth place starting spot to jump out to an early lead. Michael Springborn was on the move to contest for a bid for the win as well. The hot shoes of Tyler Sobiesczyk and Jeffery Teske found their way to the front. As Sobiesczyk grabbed the lead the top four of Sobiesczyk, Teske, J.J. Vanderloop and Bryce Clements started to break away from field. As the laps ticked away, [Read More]

Larson rolls out banner for 100th IMCA Modified win

FREEPORT, Ill. (Aug. 13, 2023) – Jeff Larson was beginning to wonder if they’d ever get to roll out that Friesen Performance IMCA Modified 100 Wins banner. The answer became a resounding yes on Sunday night. From Freeport, Larson became the 69th driver in division history, and the first from Illinois, to reach the 100 career win mark Sunday night at East Moline Speedway. “We weren’t running for points at the start of the season. I knew we were getting close but didn’t know how close we were until IMCA called me,” Larson said following his 14th checkers of 2023 in a TCE Team car. “Once we found out it became a goal we wanted to get to.” “Getting 100 IMCA wins was not ever a goal back when we started,” noted Larson, who’d become a first-time IMCA Modified winner in 2016. “We never kept track of all our wins when we started racing. Now I wish we would have.” The wins started to accumulate with 15 in 2019. He followed with 22 checkers and the national [Read More]

Services for Bill Haglund are Aug. 29

DES MOINES, Iowa – Funeral services for racing writer, historian and hall of famer Bill Haglund will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 29 at Iles Westover Chapel, at 6337 Hickman Road in Des Moines. The editor of Hawkeye Racing News and IMCA executive secretary during a long and distinguished career that covered journalism, racing and all subjects related passed away Aug. 10 at the age of 79. Visitation will be from 6-8 p.m. Monday, Aug. 28 at the Westover Chapel. Burial will be Tuesday afternoon at the Iowa Veterans Cemetery. A complete obituary will be posted when all that information is available.

Bound for Boone? Be part of Boone Bound promotion

BOONE, Iowa (Aug. 14, 2023) – Bound for Boone and the 41st annual IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s? Let your fans, friends and all of the IMCA Racing Nation know by getting in on the Boone Bound promotion. Send a high-quality on-track photo of your car along with your name, hometown, division and the name of the photographer to boonebound@imca.com and it will be posted on the IMCA Facebook page. Car photos of drivers who have pre-registered for the Sept. 4-9 Super Nationals are posted in the order they’re received. “Boone Bound is a great way to let everybody know you’re going to be a part of the biggest dirt track racing event on the planet,” said IMCA President Brett Root. “And we are doing our very best to keep up with submissions. The sooner they’re sent in the better.” “Byron Fichter originated the Boone Bound idea and continues to do all the work on it,” continued Root. “We can’t thank him enough for everything he’s done to promote IMCA, our drivers and the IMCA [Read More]

Maquoketa Speedway hosts season high 135 race teams

By Jerry Mackey MAQUOKETA, Iowa (Aug. 12, 2023) – Saturday night, the Maquoketa Speedway hosted 135 race teams on Kinion Auto Sales Season Championships for the IMCA Sunoco Late Models. The Late Models took the green with 20 drivers in attendance on the quick ¼-mile oval. The battle was on at the dropping of the green between the two high point drivers, Andy Nezworski and Dalton Simonsen. Nezworski was recorded as the leader on lap one before Simonsen took over the top spot. Simonsen has been a top five car all year but was yet to record a win. Saturday night saw the Fairfax driver’s fortune change as he battled Nezworski the entire race and went on to record a very impressive win. A late-race caution set up a dash to the finish and Bryce Garnhart was able to nip Nezworski at the finish line for second. Nezworski was crowned the 2023 track champion after completing a stellar season. The Friesen Performance IMCA Modified main event was action packed to say the least with a [Read More]

Thornton takes Bald Tire Bash checkers at Benton County Speedway

VINTON, Iowa (Aug. 13, 2023) – Dylan Thornton raced the top groove to a big payday in Sunday’s Bald Tire Bash at Benton County Speedway. The IMCA Sunoco Stock Car special, which required a tread depth of no greater than 5/32 of an inch on any tire, featured a 50-lap headliner at The Bullring that resulted in a $2,500 winner’s share for the Keystone driver. From a row two start, Thornton battled pole-sitter Leah Wroten early for the top spot in the Christie Door Company main event. Working the top side of the fast, smooth quarter-mile, Thornton assumed command just prior to a lap five caution. He maintained the point on the restart and built a five-plus second advantage by the time the race was slowed again just past midway. As Thornton led, Kyle Olson, Kaden Reynolds, Tom Berry Jr. and Dallon Murty pursued. Murty made his way into second before a stoppage that put him on Thornton’s rear bumper for a late restart. While pressuring Thornton with just two laps to go, Murty spun [Read More]

Schmitt crowned king at the King of the Park

By Zack Krueger SUN PRAIRIE, Wis. (Aug. 13, 2023) – Brandon Schmitt was crowned the winner of the Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature, at the end of a grueling 20-lap event Sunday at Angell Park Speedway. Schmitt outdueled his teammate Dan Roedl to pick up the first IMCA sanctioned event in track history and his second Fast Shaft All-Star Invitational qualifier of the season. Twenty cars signed in to run the $1,000-to-win IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National, Razor Chassis North Central Region and Wisconsin State points event. Drivers who have picked up wins at other tracks in the area and made the trip included Schmitt, Jeff Schmuhl, Don Scheffler and Dave Schoenberger. Other drivers competing included Bart Sievert, Doyle Buzzell and even Spencer Diercks all the way from Davenport, Iowa. Matt Rechek found himself running double duty in a Modified and midget. The main event would see Scheffler line up from the pole with Schmitt alongside in second. Schmitt took the early race lead as Scheffler and Roedl battled for the second place spot. [Read More]

Berry doubles up with Watermelon Classic, P1P Challenge wins

By Joyce Eisele BOONE, Iowa (Aug. 12, 2023) – Boone Speedway was back in action on Saturday night with the running of the Watermelon Classic plus the P1P Challenge race for the Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds. It was a draw/redraw night for all classes, with extra money on the line, plus many bonuses and giveaways to the drivers. And of course, all heat winners as well as feature winners were also awarded a watermelon. Tom Berry Jr. made it a clean sweep in two IMCA Modified features, winning both the regular feature and the P1P Challenge race. David Smith came out on top of the IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars and Curtis Veber won in the Friesen Performance IMC Northern SportMods. Andrew Berg saw victory lane in the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks, and it was Josh May returning to the winner’s circle in the Stealth Racing IMCA STARS Mod Lites. The headliner P1P Challenge race for the Modifieds, saw the top 14 drivers qualify through group timing plus earn points in heat races. They ran 15 laps for a [Read More]