Ryan Clark

Gaylord finds glory at Dacotah, Zevenbergen wins 5th

MANDAN, N.D. (July 15) – When Tripp Gaylord drew the pole position for the IMCA Modified “A” feature on the Moritz Sport & Marine Dakota Classic Tour presented by Bismarck Motor Company at Dacotah Speedway, the real test began. A week with many frustrations for the Colorado racer finished out with a feeling of euphoria. Gaylord did double duty in the Modified and Stock Car all week long until Dacotah Speedway, handing the reins over to brother Ryan in order to focus on the Modified. He had made every feature in both classes until that point. Gaylord was a rocket from the drop of the green flag in Mandan, leading by over three seconds at one point and maneuvering lapped traffic to grab the $2,400 win. Already on the Fast Shafts Al-Star Invitational ballot, Gaylord was followed across the stripe by Jake O’Neil, Robert Hellebust, Shawn Strand and Alex Stanford. Consistent Austin Arneson captured the tour championship. Elijah Zevenbergen is the best accomplished IMCA Sunoco Stock Car driver the tour has seen, winning for the [Read More]

IMCA Stock Car Shootout this Saturday at Dodge City

By Lonnie Wheatley DODGE CITY, Kan. – Dodge City Raceway Park fires back to action this weekend with the $1,000-to-win IMCA Sunoco Stock Car Shootout presented by Winner’s Circle Feedyards and Factory Direct Fireworks on Saturday night atop the 3/8-mile clay oval in southwest Kansas. Last year’s special event for the Stock Cars evolved into a true “Shootout” with Hill City’s Kyle Pfeifer battling past Jason Rogers in the closing rounds to secure the win. Saturday’s racing action gets under way at 7:30 p.m. General admission tickets for are $12 for adults while children 11 and under are admitted free when accompanied by an adult. Pit passes are $30. Along with the Stock Cars it will also be a full slate of championship chase action for the Hambelton Racing DCRP Sprint Cars, IMCA Modifieds, IMCA SportMod and IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks. Drivers in all classes should note that DCRP will begin using Westhold transponders this Saturday night. Those already with Westhold transponders may use their own while the track will have transponders available for purchase or rent [Read More]

Bowers becomes first to repeat at Springfield

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (July 11) – Steven Bowers Jr. is known as one of the top IMCA Modified drivers in the Jet Racing Central Region. On Saturday night at the Quick-Quarter of Springfield Raceway, Bowers became the first repeat winner in six Bad Boy Mowers IMCA Modified events by taking the top spot from Trevor Drake following a lap nine restart. Bowers started the 20-lap feature from seventh and let the pack start to loosen up before making his charge. Drake had grabbed command on lap four and was trying to put distance between his 12d car and the rest of the field. The caution on lap nine bunched the field together again. Drake continued to ride the extreme top groove on the racy surface but Bowers was a rocket off the bottom side and grabbed the front spot coming off turn two and left the race for the runner-up. In a tight battle behind Bowers, Drake had a constant battle with Jody Tillman and Andrew Smith and Shawn Walsh were in the thick of the battle before [Read More]

Health care heroes theme for best appearing car contest at Super Nationals

BOONE, Iowa – The health care heroes who have given us their all throughout the Covid-19 pandemic will be celebrated at the upcoming IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. Modified and Northern SportMod drivers competing at Boone Speedway during the September dirt track racing spectacular are encouraged to enter cars with the Health Care theme, promoting the contributions made by anyone from individual providers to specific hospitals. “All our lives have been impacted by the pandemic and we owe so much to those who have cared for us, our family and our friends,” said IMCA Marketing Director Kevin Yoder. “Super Nationals is our biggest stage and as such the perfect time to thank all in the health care profession.” Along with $250 IMCA.TV broadcasting bonuses, drivers of contest winning cars in each division receive trophies. Speedway Motors gives $100 gift cards to all drivers entering the contest while Sweet Manufacturing gives a steering box to the Modified winner. Required decals must be part of cars’ overall design. Both winners will be announced during the week [Read More]

IMCA Speed Shift TV Dirt Knights Tour opens with three races in three states

VINTON, Iowa – Three nights to remember take the Speed Shift TV Dirt Knights Tour for IMCA Modifieds to three tracks in as many different states. Park Jefferson Speedway in Jefferson, S.D., hosts its first opening night tour event, paying $1,500 to win the Monday, July 20 show. Events on Tuesday, July 21 at Jackson, Minn., Motorplex and Wednesday, July 22 at Buena Vista Raceway in Alta, Iowa, both pay $1,000 to win. All three races are Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot qualifying events and will feature top drivers from around the Midwest as well as travelers from around the IMCA Nation. The tour has yet to see a repeat champion through its first 10 seasons. While the Tuesday show will be the first tour event held at Jackson, Dirt Knights traveled to Park Jeff each of the last two years and to Alta eight of the last nine. IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National, Side Biter Chassis North Central Region, KMJ Performance State and series points are awarded at all Dirt Knights Tour events, [Read More]

Southwest Dakota checkers fly for Thornton, Zevenbergen

DICKINSON, N.D. (July 14) – Ricky Thornton Jr. returned to the 31st annual Moritz Sport & Marine Dakota Classic IMCA Modified Tour presented by Bismarck Motor Company feature ranks to claim yet another feature win Tuesday at Southwest Speedway. Starting from the inside of row two, Thornton made quick work of polesitter Ryan Gaylord, claiming the lead early on. A handful of cautions scattered throughout the race did not deter Thornton on his way to the $2,400 checkers. Jake O’Neil, Tripp Gaylord, Jason Wolla and Austin Arneson rounded out the top five. Matt Speckman looked like he had the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car feature handled but became the victim of circumstance when second running Cole Trickle checked up and caught Speckman in the left rear, sending Speckman up and over and ending both of their nights.The winner in the situation turned out to be tour dominator Elijah Zevenbergen, who took command of the field with 11 to go and only faced a brief challenge from Dalton Flory before motoring to his fourth win of the [Read More]

Duke is PASS king at Selinsgrove

By Frank Buhrman SELINSGROVE, Pa. (July 11) – This time a year ago, Ken Duke already had five Pennsylvania Sprint Series wins and 10 top-five finishes, on his way to becoming the PASS and IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car national champion. On Saturday night, the effort to make 2020 memorable for the right reasons took a big step forward when the hometown racer took the 20-lap PASS feature at Selinsgrove Speedway. Duke took advantage of starting on the pole and wired the field for his first win of the year, capping his comeback from a slow start – and two months with COVID-19 restrictions putting a stop to racing. “We blew up an engine the first week (of the season) and took a few weeks to get things sorted out,” Duke explained of his start, adding praise for his hard-working crew. “But two weeks ago we ran at BAPS and here and finished in the top three in both races and finally got things going in the right direction.” As for Saturday’s win, Duke kept it [Read More]

$250 Sunoco bonuses highlight features at three Nebraska venues this week

VINTON, Iowa – The paydays get even better this week for a trio of IMCA Sunoco Late Model feature winners. It begins Thursday evening at U.S. 30 Speedway in Columbus as the IMCA Late Model winner pockets an extra $250 courtesy of Sunoco Race Fuels. Friday night the bonus moves to Boone County Raceway in Albion. The final bonus of the weekend will be presented Saturday night at Off Road Speedway in Norfolk. Sunoco bonuses are being presented at IMCA Late Model sanctioned weekly tracks this year. Drivers are eligible for only one bonus during the 2020 racing season. If the feature winner is a previous Sunoco winner, the bonus moves to the next eligible position. 2020 winners have been Jeff Aikey at Independence Motor Speedway, Matt Ryan at 34 Raceway, Joel Callahan at Dubuque Fairgrounds Speedway, Eric Pollard at 300 Raceway, Justin Kay at Davenport Speedway and Dalton Simonsen at Marshalltown. IMCA will announce mid-week before the dates bonuses are to be awarded at each track.

IMCA Modified, Stock, Northern SportMod drivers chase $7,000 in Fox Shocks awards

EL CAJON, Calif. (July 14) – Drivers in three IMCA divisions earn shares of the nearly $7,000 in product certificates to be awarded again this season by Fox Shocks. Top three eligible drivers in each of the five regions for IMCA Modifieds receive product certificates for $300, $250 and $200, respectively while certificates in the same increments go to top three eligible drivers in both IMCA Sunoco Stock Car regions and in national standings for Karl Kustoms Northern SportMods. Drivers in all three divisions are required to display two Fox decals on their race car and compete with four Fox-manufactured shocks and return a completed contingency sign-up form to become eligible for those awards Fox is in its sixth year of IMCA sponsorship. Information about Fox high performance shocks is available at the www.ridefox.com website, on Facebook or by calling 800 369-7469. Fox dealers and distributors include Harris Auto Racing, Jerovetz Motorsports Shock Service and Shaw Race Cars. “The contingency sign-up forms are now available on the IMCA website and we encourage those Fox customers to continue [Read More]

Mike Hagen collects hometown win, O’Neil charges to Williston checkers

WILLISTON, N.D. (July 13) – A day after forgetting to go to tech after winning his ‘B’ main, Jake O’Neil started 14th in the Moritz Sport & Marine Dakota Classic IMCA Modified Tour presented by Bismarck Motor Company feature at Williston Basin Speedway. What ensued after that was a memorable contest for the Arizona racer. Collen Winebarger started on the pole and jumped out to the lead early. Robert Hellebust, made a move around the outside of Winebarger on lap eight but jumped the cushion, allow Hagen and O’Neil to drive under and set their sights on the leader. Hagen shot around the top side, officially taking the lead on lap 12. Hellebust followed as the top line became the preferred line. O’Neil drove around Hellebust, then ripped around the top lane, catching up to Hagen, who was catching the back of the field. On lap 27, O’Neil got spun by a lap car and got his spot back for the restart. The race ended green, white, checkered and O’Neil had a great restart, motoring [Read More]