Ryan Clark

Knutsen goes across country in pursuit of first IMCA STARS Mod Lite national rookie award

ATKINS, Iowa (Nov. 15, 2022) – Darrick Knutsen towed to 10 different tracks in six states and ended up cruising into the IMCA history book. Knutsen became the first STARS Mod Lite driver to earn IMCA national rookie of the year honors, starting the season racing in Arizona and then Florida before concentrating on weekly events in the Midwest, closer to his Atkins, Iowa, home. “My goal from the start of the season was to win rookie of the year and we started out pretty good,” stated Knutsen, at 50 the second oldest driver to earn that award, in any division. “I focused on getting my starts in, especially at Marshalltown, and when we got rained out in Iowa I went to Kansas or Nebraska to race.” “There were a lot of nights,” he added, “when I went to a track eight or nine hours by myself, then turned around and drove home after the races.” Knutsen had crewed for his younger by two minutes twin brother Erick, who had raced both an IMCA Sunoco [Read More]

Raffurty nears perfection in repeating run to IMCA STARS Mod Lite national crown

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Nov. 15, 2022) – Dillon Raffurty made it his mission in his second IMCA season to show the success of his first sanctioned STARS Mod Lite season wasn’t a fluke. He was nearly perfect in proving it. The Kansas City star won 30 of his 35 starts and a second straight STARS Mod Lite national crown in 2022, repeating as winner of the Race of Champions and champion at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s as well. “Last year I felt I had a lot to prove and I kind of raced for myself. This season we dedicated to my dad David, who died in January, and a lot of good things happened,” said Raffurty. “I put his memorial sticker on the left side of the dash so he raced with me all this year.” After a February vacation to Florida for the Sugar Bowl Winter Nationals, a lot of good things happened for Raffurty during two separate streaks of 15 straight wins, from April 15 to June 25 [Read More]

Fast start key to Kirk’s drive to national IMCA Northern SportMod rookie award

SLOAN, Iowa (Nov. 14, 2022) – His fast start to the season surprised even Willy Kirk. The 15-year-old from Sloan, Iowa, had three wins and another eight top five finishes to show for his first 12 starts and stayed fast through the end of September in earning the Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod rookie of the year award. “We were pretty much aiming for the rookie award from the start and we raced as much as we could,” said Kirk, who totaled five feature wins and 35 top five finishes, racing to Wagner Speedway and South Dakota State titles as well. “I had to learn how to drive the car and how to pass, so it was surprising to us, coming out of the gate like that.” “My dad taught me how to drive and gave me some really good setups,” continued Kirk, whose father and crew chief Dirk had raced both IMCA Modifieds IMCA Late Models. “We talked every time before I got in the car and after every race. We always tried to [Read More]

Career fifth IMCA national title one highlight of Looft’s Super Northern SportMod season

SWEA CITY, Iowa (Nov. 14, 2022) – A first-time win became the highlight of the season for one of IMCA’s winningest drivers. Matthew Looft raced to the fifth Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod national championship of his career, winning a single-season best 37 features – including his career 200th – and track titles at Arlington Raceway and Kossuth County Speedway. The career leader in all three divisional categories added another title to his lengthy list of accomplishments in 2022: Champion at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. “That would have to be the highlight of our season,” Looft said of his Sept. 10 drive to the checkers at Boone Speedway. “It was almost unexpected because we started so far back but by the time we were 10 laps in, I knew I had a good shot of winning. The car was just so good that night.” “It was pretty unbelievable, especially because it had been four or five years since the last time we were at Super Nationals,” he continued. “That pretty much [Read More]

The best at Boone, Dumpert races to record 4th straight IMCA Late Model national crown

NEWMAN GROVE, Neb. (Nov. 14, 2022) – Cory Dumpert came into the 2022 season looking to add to his IMCA Sunoco Late Model legacy. He accomplished just that, becoming the first driver from Nebraska to win the Late Model main event at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s before racing to the division’s modern era record of four consecutive national championships. “Everything we accomplished this season was pretty special. It was a lot of hard work,” said Dumpert, from Newman Grove and just the fourth different driver to win Super Nationals and national championships the same season. “We wanted to get that fourth national title but knew how hard it would be. We wanted to do as well as the points as we could without getting too wrapped up in it, then see where we were a month or so before the season ended,” he continued. “And there was a lot of emotion in winning Super Nationals, especially doing it coming out of a ‘B’ feature and starting 11th.” Dumpert won 17 [Read More]

Schram’s season championship night win puts wrap on IMCA Late Model rookie prize

STERLING, Ill. (Nov. 11, 2022) – Dustin Schram was already familiar with the view from victory lane at East Moline Speedway. His latest trip there ranked among the highlights of his IMCA Sunoco Late Model national rookie of the year season. “We decided to do something different this year,” Schram said, after winning a pair of track titles at East Moline along with 28 features over the 2017-2021 course of his Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod career. “Our goal was to win rookie of the year in the Late Model. We did that, we won two features and we even led the national points for a couple weeks.” Wheeling a 2018 MastersBilt purchased from Chuck Hanna – the last Illinois driver to win IMCA Late Model national rookie of the year honors, in 2012 – along with three pickup loads of spare parts, Schram made 34 starts at six different tracks, getting his first win on June 4 at 34 Raceway, just a week after breaking big time at Dubuque Fairgrounds Speedway. “It seemed like [Read More]

Werkmeister goes from starting in back to first in IMCA RaceSaver rookie points chase

ARMOUR, S.D. (Nov. 10, 2022) – Koby Werkmeister went from starting in back getting seat time at the start of the 2022 season to winning the IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car rookie of the year award at the end of it. Along the way, the 16-year-old from Armour, S.D., picked up his first feature win in the winged division, in addition to I-90 Speedway track and South Dakota State championships. “We just went into the year looking to get seat time and a feel for the car. The rookie award was not a goal until we were told about it mid-season,” he said. “We started watching points more closely then and really concentrated on doing our best every night.” “Now I look back and ask myself ‘how did we do this?’” continued Werkmeister, 14th in the national point standings. “I can’t thank my parents and everyone who has helped me enough for everything they’ve done for me. It’s been a lot of fun.” Werkmeister’s prior racing experience had been solely in go-karts, starting at the age of [Read More]

Rare repeat for Clark in drive to national IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car championship

HAMERSVILLE, Ohio (Nov. 10, 2022) – Winning a RaceSaver Sprint Car national championship is a special accomplishment. Winning national championships in IMCA’s winged division in consecutive years even more so and Justin Clark not only accomplished the feat, he did it in a car rescued from the scrap heap. The Hamersville, Ohio pilot defended his 2021 title, outlasting Minnesota rival and friend Trevor Serbus in a close race to the 2022 crown. He was a 14-time feature winner, also repeating as the top driver in Ohio Thunder Sprint Series and Ohio State point standings. “We decided this spring that this would be our final RaceSaver season. Winning our first national championship last year still hadn’t set in and we decided we wanted to run for it again,” he explained. “The start of the season was very good and even when we didn’t win our finishes were really consistent.” Clark reeled off three straight wins to start the year and had just one finish outside the top 10 before starting a streak of six straight victories [Read More]

High expectations become reality as Denning wins Razor Chassis North Central Region title

STERLING, Ill. (Nov. 9, 2022) – A season that began with high expectations ended with Travis Denning winning his career-first Razor Chassis North Central Region championship. Denning more than doubled his career total with 15 Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature wins, while topping East Moline Speedway and Maquoketa Speedway standings. From Sterling, the Illinois State king was fourth in the national points chase. “We started the season wanting to win the East Moline championship, get 10 feature wins and do as well as we could in national points. As far as those go, you never quite know where you’re going to end up,” Denning said. “We knew we were going to be good in our new Performer by Precision Performance car, but we didn’t know we were going to be that good.” “Everybody has high expectations at the start of the season. Ours became reality.” Denning’s seven wins at East Moline included checkers at both the Ron Weedon Memorial and season championship night shows. He also won three times at Maquoketa and at Davenport Speedway, [Read More]

GRT Race Cars South Central Region title is career sixth for working man, racer Gould

CALERA, Okla. (Nov. 8, 2022) – While William Gould’s 28th Modified season was a learning one, he still taught his GRT Race Cars Southern Region foes a thing or two, too. Gould motored to a second straight and career sixth regional championship while collecting 14 Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature wins, along with track titles at Boyd Raceway and Kennedale Speedway Park and the Texas State crown. “The goals we set for ourselves every year are to win the region, two track championships and, depending on how good we are, to see where we are in the point standings,” said the Calera, Okla., hotshoe, third nationally this year behind Jordan Grabouski and A.J. Ward. “You can spend God knows how much money chasing specials, or you can race weekly, then put on a suit and tie and go to the national banquet and get checks for $7,000-$10,000.” “That’s pretty good money for a working man who just likes to race.” Every indication early in the season was that the 2022 season would be a special one. [Read More]