Ryan Clark

Speedway Motors signs new five-year pact backing IMCA Weekly Racing, Super Nationals

LINCOLN, Neb. – Speedway Motors, America’s Oldest Speed Shop, will continue its association with IMCA, America’s oldest sanctioning body, for another five years. The Lincoln, Neb., high performance parts manufacturer, retailer and distributor has played an invaluable and incomparable sponsorship role with IMCA since the 1950’s. The latest marketing agreement runs through the 2022 race season. “We’re thrilled to continue our partnership with IMCA,” Speedway Motors President Clay Smith said. “Speedway Motors and IMCA have a long history together supporting racers, teams and tracks. This partnership highlights our commitment to making racing safe, fun and affordable for all racers.” Notably, Speedway Motors will continue its title sponsorship role of IMCA Weekly Racing for an 11th consecutive season and returns as title sponsor of Super Nationals for the 23rd straight year. Speedway Motors renews a program benefitting more than 200 tracks in the United States and Canada by providing jackets, promoter and tech official shirts and discounts on tech inspection equipment, flags and signage to help those facilities defray costs of their weekly programs, plus decals, driver’s [Read More]

Waller takes promotional reins at 105 Speedway

CLEVELAND, Texas – The new promoter at 105 Speedway has already been around the track a time or two. Randy Waller takes charge this season of the ¼-mile red clay oval, where IMCA Modifieds will be a Saturday night fixture. Waller’s Southern United Sprints also makes Cleveland a regular stopping spot over the course of 2018. The track is now owned by Jerry Brown. “We want to bring stability to the numbers in the pits and the grandstand,” said Waller, the long-time promoter at Gator Motorplex in Willis, which closed last year because of urban sprawl. “Our main goal is to make sure drivers in all divisions are treated fairly.” Modified drivers vocalized their support for Waller and the IMCA sanction during a meeting earlier this month. “I’ve been involved with the IMCA Modified division and the Southern United Sprints for a long time and that’s something I wanted to continue doing,” he said. “I talked to Mr. Brown and a lot of the IMCA drivers. Once you become part of this industry, you don’t [Read More]

Crate-powered IMCA track champions earn cash bonuses from Chevrolet Performance

VINTON, Iowa – Chevrolet Performance continues a generous cash bonus program this season, rewards eligible IMCA drivers in four divisions as well as the sanctioned tracks they compete at. IMCA Modified, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock, Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMod and IMCA Southern SportMod drivers winning track championships while competing exclusively with 602 or 604 crate engines will receive a $250 bonus. Tracks that sanction any combination of those divisions while displaying Chevrolet Performance banners become eligible for cash bonuses of their own. “IMCA has been an important partner with Chevrolet Performance for over a dozen years now and we hope to continue the relationship for many years to come,” said Chevrolet Performance Special Programs Manger Bill Martens. “Our philosophy has been to provide durable, economical racing engines for grassroots racing, with the ultimate goal of keeping current racers in the sport as well as to encourage new racers to join in the competition,” he continued. “Our bonus program rewards drivers directly for their success at their local track when using the iconic small-block Chevrolet V-8, [Read More]

Marriott banks $1,000 for Sunday Winter Challenge IMCA Modified win

By Tony Steele PEORIA, Ariz. (Jan 21) – As if we are reliving the 2016 Winter Challenge, Hunter Marriott evened the score on Sunday with opening night IMCA Modified winner Ricky Thornton Jr. Marriott snagged the lead early in the $1,000 to win IMCA Modified main event at Canyon Speedway Park and never relinquished it as Jason Noll and Thornton battled for the runner-up position. Marriott utilized a front row starting spot to establish an early lead in the 25-lap feature event. Once he gained control, Marriott – already on the ballot for the Fast Shafts Allstar Invitational –never looked back while Thornton and Noll tussled for second. Utilizing the middle to the high side of the track, Thornton and Noll swapped the spot numerous times before Thornton eventually took it over with Noll holding onto third. Brian Schultz charged from the 12th starting spot to fourth with defending national champion Jason Wolla rounding out the top five from his 11th starting spot. Speedy Madrid brought home his first win of the year in the Karl [Read More]

Opening night Winter Challenge checkers fly for Thornton

By Tony Steele PEORIA, Ariz. (Jan 20) – The last time we wrote about Chandler, Ariz., driver Ricky Thornton Jr., it was February of 2016. Thornton had just come off of three victories in five Winter Challenge events before sweeping two nights of the Desert Classic. After an almost two-year hiatus from Peoria, Thornton once again sat in victory lane at Canyon Speedway Park after taking the opening night $1,000 IMCA Modified Winter Challenge Series win. Jason Noll jumped to the lead at the start of the 25-lap feature before Thornton capitalized about a third of the way into the race. Once in front, Thornton never saw a true test for the lead even after a handful of restarts. “I knew when I got the lead on the bottom I had to stay there and just keep it as smooth as I could,” Thornton said from victory lane. Smooth was the story up front as Thornton, already on the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot, picked up the win in his new Jet Chassis. Missouri wheelman Hunter [Read More]

RACEceiver returns as official one-way radio of IMCA

GAINESVILLE, Ga. – RACEceiver returns this season as the official one-way radio of IMCA, renewing awards given in eight divisions and at two of the biggest events on the sanctioning body’s schedule. Designated as the official one-way radio of IMCA through the 2019 season, RACEceiver again gives Fusion Plus custom driver packages to the runners-up in national point standings for IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Late Models, IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Cars, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks, Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMods, IMCA Southern SportMods and Mach-1 Sport Compacts. The same awards go to second-place finishers in all main events at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s and the RaceSaver Sprint Car Nationals in September. “It’s a great pleasure to be partnered with IMCA again this year. We find there are so many benefits working with such a well-run organization,” sad RACEceiver’s Joe Vinson. “One of those benefits is the great feedback we get from IMCA and its racers, which help us develop new products and offer better service. We are looking forward [Read More]

Speedway Motors Racer Appreciation Week is Feb. 5-11

LINCOLN, Neb. – Speedway Motors is helping racers get a head start on the 2018 season with its annual Racer Appreciation Week Feb. 5-11. We’re packing the week full of expert tech tips, new products, exclusive looks into our manufacturing, great deals, giveaways and more! Be sure to join our email club, visit us at SpeedwayMotors.com and follow our Facebook page to catch all the action.

Sports Park Raceway achieves goal of IMCA sanction

FORT DODGE, Iowa – The promotional team at Sports Park Raceway can put a big check next to the third and final goal they set for the half-mile speedplant last year. IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks, Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMods and Mach-1 Sport Compacts will run Sundays this season at the Fort Dodge dirt track. Opening night is scheduled for April 22. “We ran the track last year with IMCA rules and goals to establish our car count and grandstand attendance,” explained Jason Vansickel, who co-promotes Sports Park Raceway with Marty Pringle and Dave Doughty. “We wanted to be IMCA sanctioned this year, so now we’ve accomplished all three of those goals.” “It’s huge that we’re sanctioned with IMCA. This is IMCA country and it’s what the drivers and fans wanted,” Vansickel added. “This track has never been sanctioned before and other sanctioning bodies were not the answer.” A test and tune session is planned for April 15. After taking the last weekend of July off, season championship night will [Read More]

Wehrs Machine gives awards at 80 IMCA specials

BANGOR, Wis. – IMCA drivers at 80 designated special events are in the running for $50 certificates, courtesy of Wehrs Machine and Racing Products. In its seventh year as an IMCA sponsor, the Bangor, Wis., high performance parts manufacturer awards those certificates to a cross section of drivers that includes Deery Brothers Summer Series for Late Models competitors as well as the IMCA Modified, IMCA Sunoco Stock Car, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock, Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMods and IMCA Southern SportMod divisions. “We are once again proud to be a part of IMCA Racing for 2018 and we take great pride in helping out such a great group of race car drivers, not only with winning parts, but also product certificates,” company founder and president Chad Wehrs said. Certificates will be mailed from the IMCA home office the week after official race results are received. Information about the complete line of products available from Wehrs can be obtained by calling 877 460-7211, on Facebook and at the www.wehrsmachine.com website. “Wehrs Machine sees a good volume of [Read More]

Funeral arrangements made for Bill Egleston

PERRIS, Calif. – IMCA Modified driver Bill Egleston has succumbed to injuries sustained in an on-track accident. The incident occurred Saturday, Jan. 13 at Perris Auto Speedway. “We extend our condolences to Bill’s family,” said IMCA President Brett Root. “Bill was one of those drivers who made a positive impression on everyone. This is a sad set of circumstances.” Services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 27 at Lifegate Free Will Baptist Church, at 2217 Geer Road in Turlock. Burial will follow at Turlock Memorial Park, located at 425 North Soderquist Road. Fellowship will follow at the church. Those attending are asked to wear their favorite non-black (unless racing-related) race shirts, sweat shirts or race suits, or something comfortable. Egleston, 53, was from Atwater and began racing with IMCA in 2007. His home track was Merced Speedway. In addition to weekly events, the 13-time feature winner was a frequent competitor at IMCA specials such as the Duel In The Desert and the Pat Pettit Memorial.