Ryan Clark

Gustin rewrites record book in topping Arnold Motor Supply Dirt Knights Tour

GILMAN, Iowa – The winningest driver in the 10-year history of the Arnold Motor Supply Dirt Knights Tour became its 10th different champion. Richie Gustin opened the IMCA Modified tour campaign with three straight feature wins and ended with a single-season record five victories. “There were a lot of things that worked out for us this year. We weren’t planning to run for the tour championship,” said Gustin, from Gilman, Iowa. “It had been scheduled to open in Fort Dodge and I didn’t know if I’d have been able to make it there that night because of work.” Rain moved opening night to Marshalltown Speedway, however, and Gustin clicked off wins there and the next two events, at Park Jefferson Speedway and at Hancock County Speedway. “Holding court at Marshalltown, which is my home track, was a big one,” Gustin said. “Park Jefferson was probably the coolest. My wife and daughter and I made the trip with the camper. Taylor was excited because she’d never been to South Dakota before and got to cross that off [Read More]

Swift Springs renews IMCA rookie award program

CHINO HILLS, Calif. – Top rookie drivers in five divisions earn product awards from Swift Springs again in 2020. The IMCA Modified, IMCA Late Model, IMCA Sunoco Stock Car, Karl Kustoms Northern SportMod and Smiley’s Racing Products Southern SportMod national rookies of the year all receive sets of four springs from the Chino Hills, Calif., manufacturer. The other four regional Modified rookies of the year each receive one spring. “Swift Springs is please to be back for 2020 to support the IMCA programs. We believe that while racing is strong, we continually need to attract new racers,” said Swift Springs Motorsports Director Frank Simonetti. “Rookies of the year play a vital part of the future of our sport as well as rewarding the champions who have worked so hard to make it to the top. Swift Springs has been fortunate to see amazing growth the last few years with IMCA and winning numerous national championships and we look forward to an even brighter future together.” The 2020 season will be Swift Springs’ fourth as an [Read More]

Davis is golden in quests for IMCA state, Red River Modified Tour championships

EUNICE, N.M. – Cory Davis went on the road to win one championship. He raced closer to home to win another. The Eunice, N.M., topped point standings for the May 25-31 Red River IMCA Modified Tour, collecting the checkers at Heart O’ Texas Speedway and 281 Speedway and finishing no worse than seventh in five series starts. “I’d followed the tour last year and had raced at all of the tracks except Big O Speedway before. Winning is what we went out there for but I never expected to win back-to-back features,” he said. “Obviously, winning the tour championship meant a lot to us. Being the first person on the tour to win two in a row was neat, too.” Teammate of defending tour champion Chris Elliott, Davis had shown how fast he was getting around the Waco oval in winning the Dirt Dominator and $10,000 last fall. “The competition on the tour is pretty stiff. I like how we get to travel and have fun racing at different tracks,” he said. “A lot of [Read More]

Streaking DeVilbiss speeds to Wild West Modified Tour crown

FARMINGTON, N.M. – The stars aligned again this season for Zane DeVilbiss with the return of the Wild West Tour. DeVilbiss owned a dozen wins and a championship from the tour’s initial 2007-2014 run. He won seven of nine events, including a record six straight in capturing the 2019 IMCA Modified tour crown. “We won the tour in 2010 but I think we were a lot more prepared for a traveling series this year,” said DeVilbiss, from Farmington, N.M. “Everything worked in our favor. The car was really good every night – the consistency of the car was huge – and having raced at all the tracks before is never a bad thing.” DeVilbiss got his first tour win of the season on May 4 at Aztec Speedway, in the 100th event in Wild West history. The record-setting streak came with wins at Diamond Mountain Speedway, Winnemucca Regional Raceway, Battle Mountain Raceway, a doubleheader sweep at Sweetwater Speedway and Idaho Falls Raceway. “Rock Springs has always been one of my favorite tracks and the Idaho Falls [Read More]

Shaw Race Cars renews IMCA Western Region support

BATESVILLE, Ark. – A familiar name in the chassis building business has renewed title sponsorship of IMCA’s Western Region for Modifieds. Shaw Race Cars, owned by Scott and Marlene Mosley in partnership with long-time IMCA Modified driver Jeff Taylor, provides a portion of the $6,000 point fund to be paid to top 10 drivers in 2020 point standings for the region. The Batesville, Ark., builder will be a regional sponsor for a ninth consecutive season and IMCA sponsor for the 13th year. The Western Region includes tracks in Arizona, California, western Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, northern New Mexico, Oregon, Utah and Wyoming. “We are excited to continue sponsoring IMCA’s Western Region for Modifieds,” said Marlene Mosley. “We look forward to a great 2020 racing season.” Shaw was runner-up in the 2019 Manufacturers’ Cup Contest while winning the Western Region crown. More information about Shaw chassis and services is available by calling 870 251-2966, at the www.larryshaw.com website and on Facebook. The regional champion earns $2,500, with $1,250 for second, $625 for third, $325 for fourth and $300 [Read More]

Vacation to Pacific Northwest ends with Chadwick’s 2nd Wild West Shootout title

OAKLEY, Calif. – Kellen Chadwick took his family on another June vacation to the Pacific Northwest and came home with a second Wild West IMCA Modified Shootout championship. Chadwick won two features and was runner-up in another four starts in eight northern California and Oregon tour starts. “This is kind of a cool event. We get a chance to make some money and race a bunch,” said Chadwick, from Oakley, Calif., and also the 2016 tour champ. “I like being able to race for $1,000 to win each night and a point fund share, plus you get a lot of racing in during a week of vacation.” His wins came on night four at Cottage Grove Speedway and in the night eight finale at Willamette Speedway. “Cottage Grove is one of my favorite tracks for sure,” said Chadwick, who also earned one of his four 2016 tour wins at that venue. “We’ve been there six or seven times and won four or five times. Cottage Grove has been very good to us.” He made another [Read More]

Lone Star streak continues as Bevills is latest Texan to pace Mach-1 Sport Compact rookie point standings

GRANBURY, Texas – The third Texas driver to earn national rookie of the year honors in as many seasons, Steven Bevills has already set a goal of becoming the first Lone Star State speedster to win the Mach-1 Sport Compact national crown. From Granbury, Bevills won 10 features and finished a Texas-best fourth in the 2019 national point standings for the 4-cylinder division. Self-funded and with a crew that consisted of himself and sons Christopher and Nicholas, he was track champion at 281 Speedway and Boyd Raceway and the E3 Spark Plugs Texas State king as well. “We have a lot of fast drivers in this class in Texas. There are at least five or six guys who can win on any given night, depending on how they draw,” said Bevills, also third in the points at Heart O’ Texas Speedway and sixth at Kennedale Speedway Park. “We ran with some pretty stiff competition and it looks to be even better next year.” Bevills grew up watching races and helping in the pits at dirt tracks in [Read More]

Tickets available for Jan. 25 Dodge City Raceway Park awards banquet

By Lonnie Wheatley DODGE CITY, Kan. – Dodge City Raceway Park fans, racers and crew members alike will gather to enjoy an evening filled with food, music and awards at the Saturday, January 25, 2020 track awards banquet to celebrate the 2019 racing season. Festivities will take place at the Western Expo Center located adjacent to Dodge City Raceway Park at the intersection of US 56 and US 283 on the south edge of Dodge City. Doors will open at 6 p.m. with dinner served at 7 p.m. and the awards ceremony to follow. Tickets to the event are $25 per person and must be ordered by Jan. 18, 2020 to determine an accurate headcount. Tickets may be ordered by calling Gina Wilson at 620 339-9873 or Tommie Estes Jr., at 405 238-8485. Fans and team members alike are encouraged to join in on the fun. The top ten in points in all five divisions (Precise Racing Products DCRP Sprint Cars, IMCA Modifieds, IMCA SportMods, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars and IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks) will receive trophies [Read More]

Goal accomplished: Richards is youngest to top Karl Kustoms Northern SportMod rookie points

LINCOLN, Neb. – Opportunities to race closer to home and at more tracks got Cade Richards into a Karl Kustoms Northern SportMod. Five feature wins and consistent top-five finishes wherever he raced landed the Lincoln, Neb., hotshoe the national rookie of the year award. “Rookie of the year was our goal from the start,” said Richards, who celebrated his 15th birthday just two weeks before the end of the point season in becoming the youngest driver to win that award in division history. “We raced against a lot of good drivers and that helped us out. We learned a lot from good competition.” The son of IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car driver Matt Richards and a freshman at Lincoln East High School, he made 55 starts at 10 different tracks in four states, finishing third at Park Jefferson Speedway and US 36 Raceway, fourth at Raceway Park and 17th nationally. Richards drove a homemade chassis his dad built 17 years ago, powered by a homebuilt engine he helped maintain. Career win number one came on July 14 at [Read More]

Smiley’s Racing Products Southern SportMod award is Underwood’s second IMCA rookie prize

TEMPLE, Texas – Larry Underwood will add a second IMCA rookie of the year award to his trophy case. The Temple, Texas pilot paced point standings for first-year Smiley’s Racing Products Southern SportMod drivers this season. He’d won rookie of the year in the Big Daddy Race Cars Southern Region for Hobby Stocks in 2016. “When we started racing this year, I put my mind to running for national rookie,” said Underwood, sixth nationally and driver of that sharp-looking ride with the Bradley Poor designed Day of the Dead themed wrap. “I knew I had to be consistent, I knew I had to race twice a week and I had some good people behind me to help me accomplish it.” “The best way to run for points is to run with people you’re running for points against,” added Underwood, who made 22 of his 45 starts in feature fields that included rookie runner-up Austin Moore. He was third in the points chase at 281 Speedway, behind national champion James Hanusch and Lady Eagle winner Taylor Florio, and [Read More]