Ryan Clark

McGaha credits consistency in winning 1st Razor Chassis South Central Region crown

ABILENE Texas – Josh McGaha stayed close to home and stayed consistent throughout the 2018 race season. As a result, he’ll be looking for the best place to show off the Razor Chassis South Central Region championship hardware. The veteran of 18 IMCA Modified seasons won seven features and counted nine second-place showings in just 36 starts, winning the track championship at his hometown Abilene Speedway for the fifth time along with his career first regional crown. “It just kind of happened,” McGaha said of the regional quest. “My kids (Gavin, 13, and Jaxon, 8) were playing baseball so I hung around town more than I have the past couple years. That opened the door for me to race for the region.” “It’s an awesome feeling to have won it,” he continued. “I’ve been close before but it never unfolded the way we needed it to. This is definitely a milestone in my career.” The Modified is the only division of race car McGaha has competed in. He began racing against the likes of Henry [Read More]

Season filled with highlights sees Ward win third consecutive IMCA Eastern Region title

IONIA, Mich. – A.J. Ward brought a “win everything” mindset into the 2018 IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing point season. He almost did. Ward became the first driver from Michigan to win three Dirt Works Eastern Region championships with his third consecutive title. His 22 IMCA Modified feature victories included his career 100th in the division and came during an Aug. 26 doubleheader sweep at I-96 Speedway. The Ionia ace was track champion at I-96 and at Crystal Motor Speedway, won the Great Lakes Nationals for the first time and clinched a fourth Michigan State prize on the way to finishing second in the national points race. “Getting our 100th win this season was the ultimate goal. Doing that in just our ninth season was an accomplishment in itself,” Ward said. “We had a lot of highlights this year but the ultimate was the Jimmy Bennett Memorial win at I-96 in August. He was the father of one of my crew guys and I know he wanted me to win it big for him. Everybody [Read More]

Low key campaign ends with Westin Abbey’s 2nd Southern Region IMCA Stock Car crown

COMANCHE, Texas – Another low key approach to the season ended with Westin Abbey winning another EQ Cylinder Heads Southern Region championship. Abbey was 16 years old when he became the youngest driver to win an IMCA Sunoco Stock Car regional crown in 2016. A dozen feature wins, including four during the inaugural Red River Tour, helped propel him to the top of the region again in 2018. “We hadn’t even planned to chase points,” said Abbey, who ended up sixth in the national standings despite taking some weekends off and registering just 38 starts. “A lot of things just went right for us this year.” He won features at five of the six tracks he raced at this season. Five of those checkers flew at 281 Speedway, where Abbey ended third in point standings, and three more at Heart O’ Texas Speedway. Abbey sandwiched second place showings at Kennedale Speedway Park and 281 around a win at HO’T in the first three Red River Tour events, then put an exclamation point on the tour [Read More]

Spencer becomes first from New Mexico to earn Southern Region Hobby Stock crown

FARMINGTON, N.M. – Dennis Spencer became the first New Mexico driver to win the Big Daddy Race Cars Southern Region championship. With new IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock sanctions springing up in New Mexico, Colorado and Utah, he doesn’t expect to be the last. From Farmington, the veteran driver and long-time IMCA backer won 18 of 28 starts this season. He topped nine of 10 shows at Aztec Speedway and seven of 10 at Montezuma County Fairgrounds Speedway in earning a pair of track titles as well. “I like the challenge of this class. You’re limited in equipment and the cars are heavy. You have to learn how to drive ‘em,” said Spencer, also the winner of single features at Desert Thunder Raceway and Millard County Raceway in Utah. “If your setup isn’t working, you have to change the way you enter the corner or try a different line. It’s not always that someone else in outrunning you. Sometimes you’re defeating yourself.” After growing up at the track and helping crew for his future father-in-law, Spencer [Read More]

Top Sport Compact rookie Watson enjoys camaraderie, competition in 4-cylinder class

WEATHERFORD, Texas – Howard Watson used to enjoy driving as fast as he could in a straight line. Turns out that he’s pretty quick turning left, too. Watson, from Weatherford, Texas, raced to national rookie of the year and Texas State honors in IMCA’s Mach-1 Sport Compact division. He had one win and a dozen top five finishes in 37 starts, ending second in points at Boyd Raceway and fourth at 281 Speedway. “My goal was to finish in the top five in each race and in the point standings at each track,” said Watson, encouraged to compete in the class by 2017 ROY Dakota Dees and defending state champion Julia Childs. “Just being able to finish a race and be in the top five was like a win to me.” “I’d been watching Dakota and Julia race and it looked like fun,” he added, “so I decided I wanted to do it.” The former drag racer earned his first Sport Compact victory at Stephenville on July 14. “I didn’t believe I’d done it for [Read More]

Super Nationals berth adds to Ayers’ Hobby Stock rookie of the year feats

ADAIR, Iowa – Adam Ayers didn’t have a lot of on-track experience to boast of before the 2018 race season. Now he’s got IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock national and Big Daddy Race Cars Northern Region rookie of the year awards to show off. Ayers traveled to eight different tracks during an ambitious 47-start season as a rookie, winning three times – all at Stuart – and posting 22 top five finishes. “I ran a couple times in the cruisers years ago, then helped crew for five-time track champion Marcus Fagan and ran his Hobby Stock or Stock Car in mechanics’ races,” he said. I’d always wanted to race myself so I got a car last year, got it ready to go and penciled out where I wanted to run. Winning rookie of the year was definitely a goal.” He shared a shop and did some traveling with fellow rookie Nick Foster and Stock Car driver/brother-in-law Alex Kading. Ayers also got advice from 2017 Modified national rookie of the year Clint Luellen and multi-time national champion [Read More]

Track championship is a bonus for Wilkins in Smiley’s Southern SportMod rookie title hunt

ITALY, Texas – Kyle Wilkins was back on top of the podium this season at Big O Speedway. He finished on top of point standings for first-year Smiley’s Racing Products Southern SportMod drivers, too. Wilkins earned national rookie of the year honors on the strength of six feature wins and consistency throughout the season. “I went into the season running for rookie of the year. The track championship was just a bonus,” said Wilkins, from Italy, Texas. “I’ve always liked the division. The cars are cool looking and it’s the division I’ve always wanted to race in. Everything worked out for us this year.” He brought five years of on-track experience in a local factory stock class to the division. Wilkins had won a championship at Ennis in that class so he already knew the fast way around the quarter-mile clay oval. After getting his first Southern SportMod win at Heart O’ Texas Speedway on May 18, he collected five checkers at Big O, getting the last of them on the final night of the [Read More]

Quickly competitive, Setser sets bar high for Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMod rookies

DAVENPORT, Iowa – Minutes after learning how to drive, Brandon Setser went out and won his first heat race. He hasn’t slowed down since. Setser earned national Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMod rookie of the year honors, along with the track championship at his hometown Davenport Speedway. “We had set out to chase IMCA points. The rookie of the year and track championship were goals for the year,” said Setser, who turned 22 the week after the IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing point season ended. “We started the season at LaSalle Speedway (the March 30-31 Thaw Brawl) and right away I knew this was the division for me. It’s the most competitive class I’ve ever been in.” He’d started racing at the age of 14 in the 4-cylinder class at Davenport, getting that first heat win after a quick lesson from his uncle Gage on driving stick. Setser ran in that class for four years before a single season with more success in an outlaw street stock class. Forty-nine feature wins and 166 heat victories preceded [Read More]

Joe Hayes named IMCA Late Model division director

VINTON, Iowa (Dec. 4) – A self-described fan and ‘Late Model guy’ has been named director of the division by IMCA. Joe Hayes will focus on helping tracks strengthen their IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing programs as well as Deery Brothers Summer Series events in the newly-created Late Model division director position. “I’ve always been a Late Model guy. They put on a great show,” said Hayes, who grew up following the exploits of his favorite drivers at Tunis Speedway and was director of marketing at IMCA before working for promoters Al Frieden and Keith Simmons. “When you drop the green flag on 20-24 of them it makes all the hard work you’ve put into the program worth it.” Along with making regular track visits, Hayes will work closely with IMCA Vice President of Operations Jim Stannard in getting new sanctions and in overseeing the continued development of the Late Model division. “What I’ve always enjoyed most about racing is the people involved in it and their passion for the sport. I’ve met so many [Read More]

Abbey adds Modified rookie awards to collection of IMCA honors

COMANCHE, Texas – A former national and Super Nationals champion was quick to find success in a new IMCA division this season. Jeffrey Abbey collected 11 feature wins on the way to earning IMCA Modified national and Razor Chassis South Central Region rookie of the year honors. “I went from a class where you couldn’t make a lot of changes to one where there were endless options,” said Abbey, who had won both national and IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s Smiley’s Racing Products Southern SportMod titles in 2016. “I really enjoyed the competition and the challenge of a Modified.” From Comanche, Texas, and a first-year precision machining student at Texas State Technical College, Abbey earned his first feature win in the division in just his fifth night out as part of a Feb. 18-19 sweep at 281 Speedway. He’d register 24 top five finishes over the course of 49 starts at 10 speedplants, earning Southern Oklahoma Speedway and Oklahoma State crowns as well as the rookie prizes. “We had a lot of [Read More]