Ryan Clark

Richards gets serious after spring success chasing national IMCA Hobby Stock crown

WYMORE Neb. (Nov. 22, 2022) – Over the winter, Dillon Richards and his crew laughed about the idea of running for another national championship. Their early spring success got them thinking more seriously about it. Richards, from Wymore, Neb., would become just the seventh driver to win national crowns in different IMCA divisions, adding the 2022 Sunoco Hobby Stock trophy to a collection that already includes the 2017 Mach-1 Sport Compact hardware. “We joked about it over the winter, then we won Spring Nationals at Beatrice, the Dirt Crown Spring Tour at Thayer County and both nights of the Sunflower Classic at RPM Speedway,” he said. “That’s when we decided to get serious and pursue it.” “We really focused on Beatrice Speedway and Eagle Raceway,” added Richards, track champion at both. “We are not a big-time race team. We work out of a two car garage so any time we raced three nights a week, it was a lot of work.” He won 11 times at Eagle and six times in all at Beatrice. Richards’ [Read More]

IMCA young gun, Stock Car fan Clark earns EQ Southern Region Stock Car crown

JOSHUA, Texas (Nov. 21, 2022) – Blake Clark didn’t just emerge as one of the top young guns in the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car division this season. He’s also become a first-rate spokesman for The Class Too Tough To Tame. The 19-year-old from Joshua, Texas, enjoyed a breakout 2022 campaign, winning 19 features and repeated as Boyd Raceway track champion on the way to capturing the EQ Cylinder Heads Southern Region crown. “I love the Stock Car division,” said Clark, who doubled his career win total in his first season behind the wheel of the 2019 Terminator purchased from Leslie Gill that Steffan Carey had won the Southern Region with two years ago. “I love the competition, the setup and the suspension. You can make an IMCA Stock Car work and race door-to-door anywhere on the track.” His father Thomas was the Stock Car champion at Boyd in 2001. Junior mini graduate Clark followed him into the class in 2017, running a homebuilt car and winning what had been a previous season-best 14 times last year. [Read More]

Reynolds makes statements on track with IMCA Stock Car rookie awards, success at Boone

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (Nov. 21, 2022) – They’re going to have to make room in the “little corner” of the race shop where Kaden Reynolds puts his trophies on display. Reynolds took his considerable on-track talent to the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car division in 2022, earning national and EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region rookie of the year awards. He won 14 features and clinched the track title at Benton County Speedway before returning to Boone and impressing at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. “We were real good this year. I was probably most happy with my consistency,” said Reynolds, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. “We raced weekly with some of the best drivers in the division, then went to Super Nationals and made a statement.” “It was pretty cool.” He came to The Class Too Tough To Tame after three seasons in an IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock, winning rookie of the year in 2019, the Junior National Champion crown in 2020 and the national championship last year. “The biggest thing we had to do [Read More]

Nichols overcomes unique challenges for 11th IMCA Stock Car national championship

HARLAN, Iowa (Nov. 21, 2022) – The most unique of Mike Nichols’ 25-plus racing seasons had a familiar conclusion. Nichols earned the 11th national and EQ Cylinder Heads Regional championships of his IMCA Sunoco Stock Car career in 2022. Those achievements, as well as Shelby County Speedway and US 36 Raceway track and Missouri State titles and 600th feature win in The Class Too Tough To Tame, all came despite a June 26 riding lawn mower accident that left Nichols with severe nerve damage in his left shoulder. “It was dumb luck that I was still able to compete,” said Nichols, who ended up underneath the 1,300 pound mower following a hydraulics failure and a wild ride over a nine foot embankment. “My shoulder was essentially paralyzed and there was a learning curve for me from that point.” “I know there are drivers out there who race with one hand. I am not one of those racers. If it had been my right arm, I wouldn’t have been able to shift,” he continued. “I had to pick up [Read More]

Young New Mexico driver good as gold in reaching IMCA Sport Compact rookie goal

FARMINGTON, N.M. (Nov. 20, 2022) – A young driver who made it a point to race with and learn from veteran competition proved to be good as gold is achieving her goal of winning the Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compact rookie of the year award. Miley JoAnn Goldwich-Rhames became the first female driver, and the first from New Mexico to earn national rookie honors in the 4-cylinder division. She totaled 13 feature wins, making 50 starts at 11 different tracks in nine states. “I never thought we’d win that many. We really had to stay focused. We ran with a lot of good drivers everywhere we raced and I got a lot of help,” said Goldwich-Rhames, 14 years old and now a freshman at Farmington High School. “We learned a lot by watching videos and other drivers at the track.” “Every track we went to, drivers gave me pointers and told me I was doing a good job,” she added. “There were drivers who loaned us parts and helped worked on the car when we needed [Read More]

Coopman fires on all cylinders in pursuing fifth IMCA Sport Compact national crown

MANKATO, Minn. (Nov. 20, 2022) – Nate Coopman was the up-and-coming young gun when he won his first Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compact national championship. Now he’s the wise old veteran, the division leader in both career wins and track titles, and five-time national champion in the 4-cylinder class. The Mankato, Minn., driver, all of 30 years old, earned his latest national title, along with Arlington Raceway and Murray County Speedway track and the Minnesota State crown, on the strength on 17 feature wins. “We weren’t sure what the season was going to be like after a DNF on opening night at Arlington,” said Coopman. “We were pretty bummed about it, but we stayed at it and kept getting the wins and top five’s.” “Probably about mid-season we looked at points and figured we still had a pretty good shot at the national championship.” Coopman was quick to right the ship after that early miscue, winning seven of his next eight and eight of his next 10 outings. Racing with his father Jerry, wife Stephanie when [Read More]

What a season! Cogburn races to national rookie award for IMCA Southern SportMods

ROBINSON, Texas (Nov. 18, 2022) – After racing to his career first IMCA Smiley’s Racing Products Southern SportMod feature win, Trevor Cogburn celebrated the Texas way, ordering a Number One at Whataburger. After winning national rookie of the year honors, he’ll celebrate at the IMCA awards banquet in Lincoln, Neb. The 17-year-old Robinson High School senior, a graduate of the local junior limited class, got Southern SportMod win number one midway through the season at home track Heart O’ Texas Speedway, then collected another three checkers on the way to earning top rookie honors. “I wanted to get at least three wins this season. I wanted to be competitive and I wanted my family to be proud of me,” said Cogburn, who followed his father Chris into the division. “We were able to get four wins and numerous top fives.” “Watching my dad is how I got started racing and how I’ve learned,” he added. “He’s helped me out a lot, especially this year. This is the first season he hasn’t raced in 30 years.” [Read More]

White stays close to home in racing to first IMCA Southern SportMod national crown

ECTOR, Texas (Nov. 18, 2022) – All his success close to home this season means Rodney White will drive about as far getting to the IMCA national banquet as he did traveling to win an IMCA national championship. White won 15 of his 23 starts at Grayson County Speedway, just 10 miles from home in Ector, Texas, and made a single foray to Southern Oklahoma Speedway in earning the Smiley’s Racing Products IMCA Southern SportMod national crown. “Winning a national championship is something I always wanted to accomplish but didn’t know if I’d ever be able to do,” admitted White, who juggled work and family activities in becoming IMCA’s sole first-time national champion of 2022. “It hasn’t set in 100 percent yet but I’m sure it will when I’m sitting at the banquet in Lincoln. It sounds like I’m going to be the only (national champion) who doesn’t already know what to do there.” White knew what to do each and every night at the track, finishing outside the top five just twice. He started [Read More]

Alves complements Lady Eagle award with IMCA Northern SportMod track, state titles

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Nov. 17, 2022) – The Lady Eagle award wasn’t even a blip on Shelby Alves’ radar at the beginning of 2022. Now the trophy she’ll get as the top female driver in IMCA this season will be displayed prominently at her new home in Sioux Falls, S.D. “The Lady Eagle wasn’t a goal at the start of the season. We were concentrating on winning the Arizona State championship. That was really our priority at the beginning of the year,” Alves said following her fourth Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod season. “Winning the Lady Eagle means a lot to me, especially when you consider it means competing with drivers in all the divisions. It’s hard enough just competing in the Northern SportMods.” Alves became the first Northern SportMod driver to win the Lady Eagle, and the first in any division from a Western Region state to do so since its inception in 2007. More than 300 drivers contended for the award this year. “It’s so hard to win a title like this racing [Read More]

Winning IMCA Junior National Championship is Smith’s latest Hobby Stock accomplishment

LAKE CITY, Iowa (Nov. 17, 2022) – Born and raised in a racing family where winning IMCA championships is the norm, Mike Smith can now boast of having won a unique one. The IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock driver from Lake City, Iowa is the 2022 Junior National Champion after topping standings for the nearly 400 drivers ages 13-18 who competed in IMCA this season. “It’s a great accomplishment and another one I’m glad I won,” said Smith, who’d become the youngest driver in division history to win the main event at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s last year. “It’s nice to be the first one in the family to win something and I’m always glad when I can click off another championship in a Hobby Stock.” The 20-time feature winner raced to track titles at both Boone Speedway and Kossuth County Speedway and a career-first Iowa State crown as well. “We didn’t shy away from the competition. We ran with a lot of good drivers and they made me work every [Read More]