Articles by Ryan Clark

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Dillon Raffurty saw the potential for himself and for the division when IMCA sanctioning of the STARS Mod Lites was announced late last year. He quickly lived up to that potential, winning 28 times and becoming the first national champion crowned in the division. “You can’t ask much more than to win the national championship,” said the Kansas City, Mo., star, who drove a homebuilt car most of the season and incredibly finished outside the top five just once in 37 starts. “It’s always cool to win points, especially when you do it in a car you built. That makes it even more special.”  “I knew I would like the IMCA point structure and being able to race anywhere in the country for points,” added Raffurty, the winner at eight different tracks in four states and KMJ Performance Missouri State champ. “We had a lot of fun going to different places and racing against a lot of different drivers.”  He was an 11-time winner and champion at home track Valley Speedway, [Read More]

NORFOLK, Neb.  – A top five finish here and there would have convinced Kyle Prauner that his first IMCA Sunoco Late Model season was a success.  Prauner far exceeded those aspirations, winning five features along with the track championship at hometown Off Road Speedway and the national rookie of the year award.  “Any expectations we had were blown out of the water,” Prauner said following his 19th season on the track. “We were hoping for a handful of top five’s but the season went way better than we thought it would.” A long-time IMCA Karl Kustoms Northern SportMod driver – he is still fourth on the career wins list for that division with 141 – Prauner had both a growing family and a new job to consider when making his 2021 race plans. “There was some discussion of retirement. I had always wanted to race a Late Model but never felt I would be able to afford it,” he said. “Then IMCA came to town with Late Models and the crate motor. I started perusing ads [Read More]

EXETER, Neb. – A season that saw its shares of highs and lows ended with a new high for Cory Dumpert. Dumpert clinched his third consecutive IMCA Sunoco Late Model national championship with his 17th feature win on the final night of the 2021 campaign. That matches the divisional modern era streaks of three straight by Ray Guss Jr. from 2010-2012 and Justin Kay from 2013-2105. “It’s cool to be one of only three drivers to do that,” said Dumpert. “Winning another national championship wasn’t something we thought we’d be able to do at the start of the season this year. There was a point when we didn’t even know if we’d be racing at all.”  Dumpert was traveling home from an early-spring event when the trailer hitch came off and while his race car was not damaged, the trailer and many of its other contents had to be replaced. “We limped along early but some new sponsors stepped up and really made the season happen for us,” he explained. “Things really started to turn around [Read More]

BUTLER, Pa. – Jarrett Rosencrance made a couple late-season starts last fall to get a feel for his IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car. Late-season starts this year saw him win his career first feature and national rookie of the year honors in the division. “I hadn’t raced anything before the Sprint Car,” said Rosencrance, from Butler, Pa. “Ever since I was little, I always loved Sprint Cars and my dad told me it that if it was something I wanted to do, I should. Two weeks later we bought a car.”  David Rosencrance had raced street stocks, hanging up his helmet after his son was born on Christmas Day in 1997. Twenty-four years later, he was part of the crew that helped Jarrett become the first Pennsylvania driver in any division to earn IMCA national rookie honors. Rosencrance made 23 starts in a 2006 Maxim in his freshman campaign, following the Allegheny Sprint Tour and hitting seven Ohio Thunder Sprint Car Series or Laurel Highlands Sprint Series events, four of which were co-sanctioned with the Allegheny [Read More]