Ryan Clark

Beckendorf takes Iron Cup crown, Moore is night two IMCA Modified winner

JEFFERSON, S.D. (Sept. 14-15) – Gold and silver place finishes made Brandon Beckendorf the IMCA Modified champion at Park Jefferson Speedway’s fifth annual J&J Fitting Iron Cup Championship Night presented by I State Truck Centers. Beckendorf used multiple grooves to race from his 10th starting spot and win the Friday night feature, and $1,000. Already on the 2019 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot, he took the checkers ahead of Jim Thies and Bob Moore. Moore battled back to regain the lead from Beckendorf in winning the Saturday feature, earning $1,000 and the All-Star ballot berth. Third was Sean Barragan. Also scoring $1,000 wins on night two were Dusty Ballenger in the IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Cars and Elijah Zevenbergen in the IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars. Ballenger’s win came ahead of Brant O’Banion and Tyler Thompson and put him on top of Iron Cup point standings for the winged division. Friday’s top three were Elliott Amdahl, Casey Abbas and Trefer Waller. Iron Cup king Zevenbergen was a rocket from his 10th starting spot, outrunning Greg Taylor and [Read More]

Ward puts check next to Great Lakes Nationals on IMCA Modified to-win list

CRYSTAL, Mich. (Sept. 16) – The ninth time was a charm Sunday for A.J. Ward. Ward won the Great Lakes Nationals in his career ninth start at Crystal Motor Speedway’s season-ending special for IMCA Modifieds. The victory was accompanied by a check for $3,000 and a very tall trophy. “I knew we were good at the end but I didn’t know if anyone behind me was saving their tires,” Ward said, after checking the last big IMCA Modified special in Michigan off his must-win list. “We’ve been trying to win this race for a long time. It feels good to finally be able to do it.” Brenten DeYoung ended the 50-lapper in second and five-time Great Lakes Nationals king Myron DeYoung was third. Twentieth starting Joey Burch and Chad Wernette completed the top five. Ward made his way patiently from eighth starting, finally catching leader Matt Szecsodi in lapped traffic. “I concentrated on saving my tires and picked ‘em off one at a time,” said Ward, runner-up in the 2013 event and third last year. [Read More]

Soderberg Sprint Memorial checkers fly for Blurton

By Lonnie Wheatley DODGE CITY, Kan. (Sept. 15) – Zach Blurton captured his second career Jerry Soderberg Memorial Championship event win atop the 3/8-mile Dodge City Raceway Park by wiring the field in Saturday night’s 25-lap DCRP Sprint Cars vs. United Rebel Sprint Series feature event. Blurton gunned into the lead from the pole position at the outset and led all the way, slicing through heavy traffic over the final half of the race for his lone Dodge City win of the year. “The car was perfect, I could put it anywhere and it would work,” Blurton said of the No. 2J entry. “This one is special, it means a lot to me,” Blurton said after adding the Soderberg Memorial victory to the inaugural triumph in 2013. “I’m family with the Soderberg now and I wasn’t the first time.” Following the race’s only caution after four laps, Blurton opened up a half-straightaway advantage in short order over Luke Cranston and Jake Martens with the latter working his way into second by the seventh round. Blurton soon [Read More]

Big payout for IMCA Modifieds at Ron Little Memorial

STUART, Iowa – IMCA Modifieds race for $1,500 to win and a spot on the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot at Stuart Speedway’s 20th annual Ron Little Memorial. Top check for the Modifieds is $700 while Mach-1 Sport Compacts run for $500 on Friday, Sept. 21. The big Modified show, plus a $700 to win feature for IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars and $500 to win features for IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks and Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMods, are on the Saturday, Sept. 22 card. IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National, regional and Iowa State points will be awarded both nights and the event will be broadcast by IMCA.TV. Pit gates will be open all day and the grandstand opens at 5 p.m. both days. Hot laps are at 7 p.m. with racing to follow. Grandstand admission is $10 for adults, $5 for kids and free for six and under. Pit passes are $25 and there is no entry fee. More information is available by calling 515 238-6945.

IMCA Modifieds headline weekend Septemberfest at Beatrice

BEATRICE, Neb. – IMCA Modifieds run for a top prize of $2,000 at Beatrice Speedway’s Friday and Saturday, Sept. 21 and 22 Septemberfest. The opening night qualifying feature pays $1,000 to win and sends the top four finishers to Saturday’s Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot qualifying main event. Minimum start money is $200 and entry fee is $50 each day. IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National, Jet Racing Central Region and Nebraska State points will be awarded on Saturday. IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks and Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMods race for $500 to win and Mach-1 Sport Compacts for $200 to win each night. National, regional and state points are at stake in each program. Entry fees each day are $25 for the Stocks, Hobbies and SportMods and $20 for the Sport Compacts. Gates open at 4 p.m. and the draw closes at 6 p.m. Friday. Hot laps are at 6:30 p.m. and racing starts at 7 p.m. On Saturday, gates open at 3 p.m. and the draw closes at 5:30 p.m. [Read More]

2018 IMCA point season ends Sunday, Sept. 30

VINTON, Iowa – The 2018 IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing point season ends on Sunday, Sept. 30 Final races are scheduled that day for Modifieds, Sprint Cars, Stock Cars, Hobby Stocks, Northern SportMods, Southern SportMods and Sport Compacts. Final national and state points for the Late Model division will be awarded at the Deery Brothers Summer Series event scheduled Sept. 21 at Davenport Speedway. Bonus points will be figured and national and regional champions and rookies of the year announced as soon as possible. Local track officials have until noon Central Standard Time on Monday, Oct. 29 to notify IMCA of corrections that affect their top 15 point standings before all standings for those divisions become official. Questions about IMCA point totals and standings should be directed to Virginia Lindsey, director of membership and points, at vlindsey@imca.com or by calling 319 472-2201, ext. 215.

IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National Point Standings Through Sept. 13

IMCA Modifieds – 1. Jordan Grabouski, Beatrice, Neb., 1,198; 2. Brandon Beckendorf, Danube, Minn., 1,191; 3. A.J. Ward, Ionia, Mich., 1,188; 4. Cory Sample, Winnemucca, Nev., 1,177; 5. Bricen James, Albany, Ore., 1,164; 6. Anthony Roth, Columbus, Neb., 1,162; 7. Chaz Baca, Mesa, Ariz., 1,152; 8. Jay Noteboom, Hinton, Iowa, and Drew Armstrong, Alexander, Ark., both 1,149; 10. Kelly Shryock, Fertile, Iowa, 1,147; 11. Zane DeVilbiss, Farmington, N.M., 1,144; 12. Matt Szecsodi, Clio, Mich., 1,141; 13. Tim Ward, Chandler, Ariz., 1,140; 14. Troy Cordes, Dunkerton, Iowa, and Tyler Limoges, Redwood Falls, Minn., both 1,138; 16. Josh McGaha, Abilene, Texas, 1,135; 17. Bryce Garnhart, Shannon, Ill., and Joel Rust, Grundy Center, Iowa, both 1,132; 19. Jeffrey Abbey, Comanche, Texas, 1,128; 20. William Gould, Calera, Okla., 1,107. IMCA Late Models – 1. Matt Ryan, Davenport, Iowa, 789; 2. Todd Cooney, Pleasant Hill, Iowa, 788; 3. Jeremiah Hurst, Dubuque, Iowa, 787; 4. Andy Nezworski, Buffalo, Iowa, 780; 5. Rob Toland, Colona, Ill., 763; 6. Ryan Dolan, Lisbon, Iowa, 749; 7. Chuck Hanna, Port Byron, Ill., 733; 8. Darrel [Read More]

IMCA Modifieds end season Saturday at Ventura

VENTURA, Calif. – IMCA Modifieds conclude the 2018 race season Saturday at Ventura Raceway. Unofficially, one point separates leader Trevor Fitzgibbon and Donald Houghton and Luis Espinoza, who are tied for second going into the Sept. 15 finale. Grandstands open at 3 p.m., qualifying is at 3:30 p.m. and racing is at 5:30 p.m. Adults spectator admission is $15, seniors, military and students are $11 and kids 12 and under are free.

Championship Night is Saturday at Dodge City Raceway Park

By Lonnie Wheatley DODGE CITY, Kan. – It all comes down to Saturday night at Dodge City Raceway Park. A full season of racing action atop the 3/8-mile clay oval in southwest Kansas culminates with the sixth annual Jerry Soderberg Memorial Championship event on Sept. 15. Saturday’s card that goes green at 7 p.m. marks the final round of championship chase action for each of the track’s five divisions including the Precise Racing Products DCRP Sprint Cars, IMCA Modifieds, IMCA SportMods, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars and IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks. The Sprint Car portion of the program will pit the DCRP Sprint Cars versus the United Rebel Sprint Series (URSS). Soderberg was very instrumental in helping form the URSS in its beginning 13 years ago and this Memorial event in his honor is always a popular race for the traveling series. Past winners of the event include Zach Blurton in 2013, Taylor Velasquez in 2014 and 2015, Jake Bubak in 2016 and Velasquez again in 2017. Past Jerry Soderberg Memorial Championship Winners 2017 – Taylor Velasquez [Read More]

Super Nationals engine auction adds $20,600 to Saturday purse

BOONE, Iowa – Proceeds from the auction of champions’ engines added another $20,600 to the Saturday night purse paid at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. Stock Car champion Damon Murty’s engine was claimed by the track for $500 and gaveled at $7,300 so each of the other 29 starters in that event get another $234.48 on top of their purse shares. The power plant that put Jeff Aikey in victory lane sold for $5,000. The other 32 starters in that minimum $1,000 to start race get an additional $156.25. Northern SportMod champion Jake McBirnie saw his engine sell for $4,500. Each of the other 29 drivers in that race receive $155.17 shares. And Hobby Stock champion Shannon Anderson’s engine sold for $3,300, meaning the other 29 starters in get an additional $113.79. Aikey, McBirnie and Anderson all received new crate engines from Karl Chevrolet. Murty’s contingency award package included most of the parts needed to build a new engine. The 2018 auction netted exactly $1,500 more than last year’s. All auction [Read More]