Ryan Clark

IMCA Stock and SportMod national, track champs score Bassett Racing Wheel awards

BURLINGTON, Wis. – National champions and track champions in three IMCA divisions again earn post-season awards from Bassett Racing Wheel. The Burlington, Wis., manufacturer and now 27-year sponsor gives sets of four wheels to IMCA Sunoco Stock Car, Karl Kustoms Northern SportMod and Smiley’s Racing Products Southern SportMod national champions. Track champions crowned in the same divisions receive $60 product certificates. “Bassett Racing Wheel supports IMCA racing because it represents the best weekly racing in the country. The rules package is consistent and affordable for racers who want to demonstrate their driving skills over the length of a season,” stated Bassett Director of Marketing & Sales Brian Gill. “We appreciate the dedication it takes to compete for track championships and look forward to rewarding the champions at the end of the 2021 season.” All Bassett Racing Wheel awards will be presented during the national IMCA banquet this fall or mailed beginning the following week from the IMCA home office. Bassett also returns for a 14th season to national decal programs for the SportMod divisions. All Northern [Read More]

Ryland tames Ocean Speedway for second straight week

By Ben Deatherage WATSONVILLE, Calif. (April 9) – The Karl Kustoms IMCA Northern Sport Mods made their second appearance of the 2021 season at Ocean Speedway Friday evening. On the opening start of the main event, Billy Robertson was the first to pace the field. A caution on the second lap bunched the field up, preventing Robertson from building a large lead. On the restart, Fred Ryland maneuvered his way to the front and was the leader of the third circuit. Once the Brentwood veteran obtained the top place position, Ryland began to check out from the rest of the pack. However, Ryland was not able to construct too large of a lead as an additional five stoppages occurred, which also took out the factor of lapped traffic. Despite the slowdowns and restarts, Ryland, who started eight,h won his fifth Karl Kustoms Northern SportMod feature of the new season. Randy Miller was the runner-up with third place going to Jim DiGiovanni. Adriane Frost placed fourth while Trevor Clymens wound up fifth.

Hogge, Fraser park it at Antioch

By Ben Deatherage ANTIOCH, Calif. (April 10) – Two IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing divisions returned to Antioch Speedway on Saturday, marking the fourth IMCA Modified and fifth Karl Kustoms Northern SportMod events of 2021 at the Contra Costa County Fairgrounds facility. The IMCA Modified main event was predominantly green to checkered. Only one caution took place and there was a total of three lead changes. Josh Combs beat the field to the line to be the leader of the opening circuit. Combs inhabited first place until lap three when Buddy Kniss got around him. Kniss stayed in front much of the race. Martinez regular Nick DeCarlo tried to get around him but with no success. After the lone caution, Salinas veteran Bobby Hogge brought the Paul Gugliemoni-owned entry into the mix and went side-by-side with Kniss and eventually DeCarlo joined the party. Kniss managed to keep back both Hogge and DeCarlo with seven to go. Hogge mounted one last charge to the front. He maneuvered his way to the front on lap 28 [Read More]

Thunderbird opens with Fast Shafts All-Star qualifier

MUSKEGON, Mich. – Opening night at Thunderbird Raceway features a $1,000 to win main event for IMCA Modifieds. The Saturday, April 17 headliner is a qualifier for the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot and is presented by Sprague Auto Parts. Gates open at 3 p.m. and the grandstand opens at 4:30 p.m. Hot laps start at 5 p.m. with racing at 6:30 p.m. Grandstand admission is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors, $5 for kids ages 6-11 and free for five and under. Spectators can bring small coolers only and no glass bottles. They are also asked to wear face masks until seated. Pit passes are $30.

Sawyer, Forster best in IMCA fields at Bakersfield

By Ben Deatherage BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (April 10) – Robby Sawyer and Zack Forster bested their respective IMCA features at Bakersfield Saturday evening. In the IMCA Modified main event, the early goings were dominated by Steve Noland, who held onto first until being overtaken on the fifth lap by Troy Morris III. Morris was the lead element of the field until he was passed on the eighth circuit. The driver to do that was Sawyer. Sawyer then began building a massive lead over the rest of the pack. The 30-lap affair would go non-stop and nothing stopped the fifth-starting Sawyer from collecting his first win of 2021. Ethan Dotson rallied from 19th starting to finish in second place while behind him, in third, was Morris. Making it an all-Bakersfield top five, Jerry Flippo crossed the wire fourth followed by Kyle Heckman in the Bill Henderson-owned entry. Cade Lewis showed the way early in the IMCA STARS Mod Lite feature. A lap one incident bunched the field and prevented Lewis from getting too far from the [Read More]

Towns tops Cottage Grove barnburner

By Stephanie Deatherage COTTAGE GROVE, Ore. (April 10) – Curtis Towns was the winner of a green to checkered IMCA Modified main event Saturday at Cottage Grove Speedway. Matthew Drager set the pace from the get-go but was soon in an exciting battle with Paul Rea. Rea, the long-time racer from Eugene, got around Drager on lap two only for Matthew to reclaim the top spot, on lap seven. Drager held first place for some time until Paul once again got around him on lap 11. Rea paced the field at a rapid pace using the high side of the race track. Slowly but methodically a couple cars gave chase including Towns. On lap 23, Towns worked the bottom of the race track, seizing the top place position and going on to win his first race of the year. Rea ended the night in second with third going to Bricen James. The Karl Kustoms Northern Sport Mods were in the house for the first time in the new campaign. Dustin Comer showed a lot of [Read More]

Bullring opener set for Sunday

VINTON, Iowa – With the annual season-opening Frostbuster special in the books, the weekly points opener is next on the schedule at the Benton County Speedway Bullring this Sunday, April 18. Five IMCA sanctioned divisions are set to do weekly battle on the Bullring throughout the 2021 season, including the 96.5 KISS Country Modifieds, Karl Kustoms Northern SportMods presented by Christie Door Company, Sunoco Stock Cars presented by Albert Auto, Sunoco Hobby Stocks presented by Kwik Star and Mach-1 Sport Compacts presented by Auto Crafters. Pit gate and grandstand both open at 3 p.m., with hot laps at 5:40 and racing to follow. General grandstand admission is $13, seniors and veterans $11 and students ages 6-14 $5. Kids five and under are admitted free with a paid adult. Pit passes are $30. More information is available at bcsbullring.com or @BCSBullRing on Facebook.

Sproul capitalizes, collects $1,000 checkers in headliner at IMCA Havoc on the Hi-Plains

COLBY, Kan. (April 8-9) – Another Thomas County Speedway special ended with Dakota Sproul in victory lane. Sproul paced the Jeff Hartwell Memorial last August en route to earning IMCA Modified national and Jet Racing Central Region rookie of the year honors. He was the winner at Colby again Saturday night, scoring the night two $1,000 Havoc on the Hi-Plains checkers after leader Clay Sellers got caught up with a lapped car near midway. Sproul had started fifth. “We had been fast on opening night and went from ninth to third. The car was really good all weekend,” he said. “The track was pretty good around the bottom. I stayed there and was able to hold my own. It was a good race.” Kyle Rohleder and Tanner Black were next across the stripe. Daniel Gottschalk and Clay Money, the 2019 and 2020 track champions at Thomas County, respectively, were the top two in Friday’s $500 to win Modified feature. Jason Rogers raced from 12th starting to win his IMCA Sunoco Stock Car career 100th feature on Friday. [Read More]

Rogers is first from Kansas to get 100th IMCA Stock Car win

SELDEN, Kan. – They broke out the congratulatory banner and the bubbly Friday for Jason Rogers. Rogers won his 100th career IMCA Sunoco Stock Car feature on April 9, opening night of the Havoc on the Hi-Plains at Thomas County Speedway. The Selden, Kan., driver started that race 12th and beat rookie Tathan Burkhart to the checkers by not much more than the width of his bumper. “I had a fast car. I knew the cautions needed to fall and they did,” said Rogers. “This was a big weight off my shoulders. Getting my 100th win was a goal of mine, especially after last year. If it could break last year, it broke.” After winning just twice in all of 2020, Rogers won his first two starts of 2021 to reach the 100 career mark. He’s the 27th driver in division history, and the first from Kansas, to join the Century Wins Club. Rogers caught the dirt track bug helping and watching friend Nate Schaben’s father Lennie race an IMCA Modified. He enjoyed a brief and successful career in [Read More]

Crump up to Challenge at Diamond Park in IMCA STARS Mod Lites series opener

NASHVILLE, Ark. (April 10) – Titan Crump proved up to challenge Saturday night, topping the opening Challenge Series installment at Diamond Park Speedway and taking home $1,000 for his first IMCA STARS Mod Lite feature win of the season. After tuning up for the 20-lap main event with the $100 dash for cash victory, Crump started from the pole and had his hands full with Blake Wilson near midway before pulling away from the rest of the field. “This is my biggest win. It’s awesome,” said Crump, who followed the middle groove much of the way and used the lower line to work through traffic. “The track was great.” After motor issues in his first start of the season, Crump had run third at home track I-30 Speedway’s Joey Bradshaw Memorial the previous weekend. “The good luck is starting to come back,” he said. Chad Kirkpatrick and 13th starting Chris Tucker completed the top three at Diamond Park.