Ryan Clark

Stiteler lassoes rookie of the year award for IMCA Sport Compacts

DECATUR, Texas (Nov. 20, 2023) – His interest in a different kind of horsepower explained Stephen Stiteler’s decision to move to Texas. After retiring from rodeo last fall, the racing bug bit and that’s what got Stiteler on the dirt and in an IMCA Mach-1 Sport Compact. “I wish I would have done this sooner,” said Stiteler, national rookie of the year in the 4-cylinder division by virtue of a tiebreaker after finishing the 2023 season tied in points with teammate Callee Gaston. “I’ve never had so much fun.” The Michigan native turned Decatur resident made 50 starts during the season, winning three times and finishing third in the points race at Southern Oklahoma Speedway. He got his first win in the division at Ardmore and the other two at Kossuth County Speedway in Iowa during one of his quick racing vacations. “I had run go karts on dirt before I started rodeoing. I found a niche of people who did that in Michigan but figured I could do better in Texas and moved here [Read More]

Top IMCA Hobby Stock rookie Richardson ends super season with Saturday night start at Boone

MORNING SUN, Iowa (Nov. 20, 2023) – Tucker Richardson began his first IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock season not quite sure what he or his car were capable of. A lot, as it turned out. Richardson wrapped up national and IMCA Northern Region rookie of the year honors along with East Moline Speedway track and Illinois State championships while winning four features and qualifying for the main event at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s … all before celebrating his 17th birthday. “If you’d asked me at the beginning of the season if we’d be racing for rookie of the year, I’d have told you no way. If you’d asked in the middle of the season, I’d have told you maybe,” Richardson said. “Later, when I’d seen that I could compete, I was thinking we needed to go to more races. That’s when we started traveling and getting out more.” He’d turn laps at eight different tracks in all, racing to a flurry of top five finishes in the second half of the season [Read More]

Smith proves up to challenge in race to IMCA Northern SportMod rookie award

FORT MORGAN, Colo. (Nov. 17, 2023) – After much success in his two IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock seasons, Hunter Smith thought the time was right to look for new challenges in a new division. After his first Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod start, he knew that decision was the correct one. Smith, 16 years old and a junior at Brush High School, became the first Colorado driver to earn national rookie of the year honors in his new class. He’d also topped standings for Hobby Stock rookies in 2021. “We bought a 2019 Rage turnkey from Brett Berry on a Saturday. He helped us with setup and we raced it the next day,” Smith said. “The handling is different, but in a way I ended up driving it kind of like my Hobby Stock. “I’d just throw it into the corner, even on a dry slick track.” With Grandfather ‘Papa’ Rich Smith traveling with Hunter every night, his first of 10 wins on the season came in just his second start, at El Paso County [Read More]

Florida star Throop is top IMCA Mod Lite rookie

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (Nov. 16, 2023) – A streak of 12 consecutive feature wins keyed Stevie Throop’s race to the Stealth Racing IMCA STARS Mod Lite national rookie of the year award. But Throop, from West Palm Beach, said his biggest win came during a racing vacation outside his home state of Florida. “We had three top four finishes with the Tennessee Mod Lite Racing Association before winning the Memorial Weekend show at Diamond Park Speedway (in Arkansas),” said Throop, 24. “That was definitely our highlight of the season. To roll out of the box at a track you’ve never seen before and beat people who race there regularly speaks volumes about the program we’ve built in a short time.” Throop was quick to serve notice on his Mod Lite competition that he’d be a contender to be be reckoned with, winning a Sugar Bowl Nationals feature in just his second night out before launching that streak of 12 straight checkers from mid-February and into May at East Bay Raceway Park and Hendry County [Read More]

Opportunity knocks, Spalding answers with run to IMCA Southern SportMod rookie title

ANDREWS, Texas (Nov. 16, 2023) – Opportunity knocked this season for Cutter Spalding, in the form of a Smiley’s Racing Products IMCA Southern SportMod. The 18-year-old from Andrews, Texas, was quick to make the transition from a local street stock class, racing to three feature wins and the national rookie of the year award in the sanctioned division. “Man, these cars are open wheel, they’re fast and they’re such a competitive class,” said Spalding. “Matt Mueller, who is a family friend and who I grew up watching race, called after last season and asked if I wanted to race his hot rod this season. I wasn’t expecting an opportunity like that.” “Of course I said yes.” Spalding made for than half of his 2023 starts at Abilene Speedway, where his first IMCA win came on April 1. He’d end the season third in points at Abilene, fourth in the All Star Shootout standings and seventh nationally. “It was really cool to get my first win there. Some of the best Southern SportMod drivers around, guys [Read More]

Patience pays off as Emerson earns IMCA Modified national, regional rookie awards

WEATHERFORD, Texas (Nov. 15, 2023) – In the fall of 2021, Kaleb Emerson credited the quality of competition he ran against weekly in helping win Smiley’s Racing Products IMCA Southern SportMod national rookie of the year honors. It was more of that good competition, plus fatherly advice and patience that took the Weatherford, Texas, teen to national and GRT Race Cars South Central Region rookie awards for Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds this season. “Unloading the car and racing against guys like Matthew Day and William Gould so many nights definitely made us better. Everything I accomplished this year I had to earn,” Emerson said. “And it helped a lot to have my dad (Jeff, also his crew chief and fellow driver) racing with me. I can ask him almost anything because he’s been to so many different tracks and definitely knew how to help me with setup.” The patience part, however, had to be learned. Emerson needed 20 starts over the first three months of the season before getting his first win, on June 2 [Read More]

First-night RaceSaver winner Rabenberg ends first IMCA Sprint Car season with rookie award

CAMBRIDGE, Minn. (Nov. 15, 2023) – Tyler Rabenberg had two pretty big accomplishments to his credit in just his first month in an IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car. He had an even bigger one at the end of his first season. The 17-year-old from Cambridge, Minn., had two wins and another 13 top five finishes in racing to national rookie of the year honors in IMCA’s winged division. “We started off really good. I definitely never thought I’d win my first start, at Red River Valley Speedway, and to win again just 10 days later at Huset’s Speedway was a huge accomplishment,” said Rabenberg. “We had a tough stretch for a while with some DNFs before we got our momentum back and ended up having a pretty good year.” “There are a lot of second, third and even fourth generation drivers who have a lot of knowledge in the sport but we came into Sprint Car racing blind,” he added. “We had very little knowledge about it so my dad Craig and I spent many hours [Read More]

Final IMCA Modified win of season nets first Jet Racing Central Region title for Nightingale

MAIZE, Kan. (Nov. 15, 2023) – A DNF on opening night of Salina Speedway’s Mid-America Clash had Jake Nightingale thinking seriously about loading up the trailer and ending his season early. He changed his mind and stuck around, winning the night two show and ultimately the Jet Racing Central Region championship. Those Sept. 23 Friesen Performance checkers were Nightingale’s fifth of 2023 and gave him the edge in the race with Anthony Roth for his career first regional crown. “It’s pretty incredible, to say the least,” said Nightingale, who’d previously gone 1,351 days between wins while moving up in classes and before starting his IMCA career four years ago. “Racing was a dream of mine since I was little. Now It’s almost hard to believe, to go from not winning for so long to winning one of five regions.” “I can’t wait to chase the national title. I’m a little bit excited if you can’t tell.” The Dodge City Raceway Park track and Kansas State champion was an RC racer in junior high and started [Read More]

A first for California as Daffern reigns in Southern Region for IMCA Hobby Stocks

BRAWLEY, Calif. (Nov. 15, 2023) – Thomas Daffern borrowed a car when he made his first trip to race in the Midwest this summer. He might have to borrow a trailer to get all the trophies, plaques and championship jackets he’ll be receiving at the upcoming IMCA national banquet back home. The Brawley speedster set the bar high in 2023, finishing ninth in IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock national standings and becoming the first California driver in division history to win the Southern Region title. Along with 17 feature wins, he’d also earn track championships at Barona Speedway, Cocopah Speedway and Deuce of Clubs Thunder Raceway track titles, and both Arizona and California State crowns. “We started off racing hard for national and track championships,” said Daffern, part of a large racing family. “Getting regional and state titles were nice, too.” “We ran the car (a 2013 Reaper) I’d gotten right before the summer break at Cocopah last year all season. I’d picked it up for a fairly good price,” he continued, “ and it worked [Read More]

Clark gets job done in repeat race back to IMCA Stock Car Southern Region throne

JOSHUA, Texas (Nov. 14, 2023) – Blake Clark got the job done in the dirt and on it again this year. A heavy equipment operator by trade, the Joshua, Texas, driver raced to a second consecutive EQ Cylinder Heads Southern Region championship, his total of 11 IMCA Sunoco Stock Car wins giving him the edge over Matt Guillaume after the two finished in a tie at the top of the point standings. “I had to win the last few races or I wouldn’t have won the region so there was a lot of pressure,” said Clark, who scored three wins in his last four home region starts to repeat as king in the South. “We really made the car work those last few nights. It was pretty hard and pretty cool at the same time.” Clark’s travels took him to eight different eight different tracks in Texas and Oklahoma. His first wins of the season came in back-to-back starts March 31 at Boyd Raceway and April 1 at Southern Oklahoma Speedway, shortly before he swapped [Read More]