Ryan Clark

Laney, Winebarger win Modified features during emotional weekend at Bakersfield

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (Oct. 13-14) – Racing took a backseat to remembering a much loved member of the Bakersfield Speedway family. Bailey Schweitzer, daughter of promoter Scott Schweitzer, was one of the victims of the Route 91 Harvest Festival shooting in Las Vegas. She was remembered in pre-race ceremonies before both nights of the Budweiser Nationals, with a balloon launch held before racing began on Saturday. “This has been a race I’ve always wanted to win and especially being able to do it this year means a lot to me,” said Friday night IMCA Modified winner Cody Laney. “There were a lot of people here and a lot of work went into this weekend. A lot of people came together.” Laney’s 30-lap win on Friday and Collen Winebarger’s 40-lap victory on Saturday both paid $1,500 and were Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot qualifying events. Robby Sawyer ran up front early on Friday and was in and out of the lead before Laney got there to stay on the 18th lap. After moving to the lower line, Laney [Read More]

Memorial services are Wednesday for Bailey Schweitzer

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – A memorial will be held Wednesday for Bailey Schweitzer, 20, daughter of Bakersfield Speedway promoters Scott and Crissy Schweitzer and a victim of the Route 91 Harvest Festival shooting in Las Vegas. Those services begin at 11 a.m. in the Valley Bible Fellowship Church, at 2300 East Brundage Lane in Bakersfield. “Everyone at IMCA extends their sympathy to Bailey’s family and many friends,” IMCA President Brett Root said. “We share in their loss and will continue to remember them in our prayers.” Burial will be at Greenlawn Cemetery. A reception will follow at Salty’s BBQ Banquet and Event Center, 6720 Schirra Court. Her racing family remembered Bailey during the weekend event at Bakersfield Speedway.

Southern Challenge checkers fly at Abilene for IMCA Modified winner Allen

ABILENE, Texas (Oct. 14) – Another win at another late-season IMCA Modified special put another $2,000 in Chase Allen’s bank account. Allen aced Abilene Speedway’s Ryan Bard Memorial Southern Challenge main event, taking the lead early and running away from the rest of the 20-car field. “We got a little redemption this year, thankfully,” said Allen, who broke leading his previous Southern Challenge outing. “We had a tough Friday night in qualifying and tore up the car some but we got everything fixed and we were fast the next night.” The 2013 race winner, Allen started outside row two and passed tough customers Dean Abbey on the outside and Josh McGaha on the inside in making his way to the front. Abbey ended his night in second. Chris Elliott, Tommy Fain and McGaha rounded out the top five in the 25-lapper. Allen had raced his way onto the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot by winning Kennedale Speedway Park’s rescheduled Showdown special the previous weekend. Other winners at Abilene’s 23rd annual Southern Challenge were Andy Roller in [Read More]

Allen races close to home, collects Kennedale checkers

KENNEDALE, Texas (Oct. 7) – A wet weekend forecast in Kansas convinced Chase Allen to race closer to home. That decision proved to be good for $2,500. Despite battling brake issues much of the way, Allen led all 25 laps of the Saturday main event for IMCA Modifieds at Kennedale Speedway Park’s Summit Racing Equipment Showdow The Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot qualifying victory came ahead of Chris Elliott, Chad Melton, Josh McGaha and Chris Bragg. “I was just the glad the car was turning so good,” said Allen, who built up a sizable advantage before the last caution waved with four laps to go. “We changed our plans to race at Fall Nationals (at RPM Speedway in Hays, Kan.) because it’s hard to drive past a track that’s 15 minutes from your home. I didn’t get to race here as often as I would have liked this year but Kennedale is a track I know pretty well.” Rain the previous weekend had forced rescheduling of the fall special at Kennedale. Fifteen hundred dollar feature [Read More]

URSS prepares to wrap up season at 81 Speedway

WICHITA, Kan. – The Myers Engine United Rebel Sprint Series National Series will put a wrap to the 2017 season this Saturday night, Oct. 14 when it makes its second and final appearance of the year at C. Ray Hall’s 81 Speedway in Wichita, Kan. With 12 different winners in the 15 races held this year, the parity and competition in the IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car series is second to none. This race will be no exception as Zach Blurton leads the Rebels into town. A great field of cars is expected as several entries from Nebraska and Oklahoma will make the trip for the $1,000 to win, minimum $200 to start event. Racing starts at 7 p.m.

MASS winner at Grandview earns half a grand

By Erika Palmai Wagner BECHTELSVILLE, Pa. – This Saturday, Oct. 14, the Engler Machine and Tool Mid-Atlantic Sprint Series will make its way for the final time this season to the high-banked Grandview Speedway. IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Cars will be one of three divisions competing during the Thunder on the Hill Triple Thunder Thriller special. Unlike past years, where this event was invitation only to drivers in the top 25 in points, all teams are eligible to compete. Freiberger Excavating, title sponsor of the second heat race at each MASS event, has upped the main event another $750, making it $500 to win and $165 to start. Second through fifth place will be awarded with $325, $280, $250, and $220 respectively, with an increase in payout throughout the rest of the field as well. “I love racing, everything about it. I have been a part of racing since I was 15 years old and even though I am not behind the wheel any more, I still have to be a part of it in some way,” said Pat [Read More]

US 36 plans Oct. 21 special for IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Cars

OSBORN, Mo. – IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Cars debut at a Show Me State track built with Sprint Cars in mind later this month. The Saturday, Oct. 21 main event at US 36 Raceway in Osborn pays $700 to win and a minimum of $250 to start. Promoter Jon Boller Jr. said interest from local drivers will be complemented by competitors from the Kansas Ciy area and as far away as Minnesota. “I’ve been hearing a lot about IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Cars. A lot of people have told me they’d like to see them run here,” said Boller, looking to add the division to his IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing Friday night programs beginning next April. US 36 is a 3/8-mile clay oval located in the northwest corner of Missouri. “This track was built for sprint cars. It’s high-banked and super fast,” said Boller, citing comparisons to Eagle Raceway in Nebraska, the flagship track of RaceSaver and home to the RaceSaver Sprint Nationals. “There isn’t a bad seat in the house and we want to get [Read More]

Abelson gets 5,000 reasons to remember his first IMCA Modified Fall Nationals feature win

HAYS, Kan. (Oct. 7) – If he’s remembering right, Chris Abelson had never won a race before Saturday at RPM Speedway. There are 5,000 reasons why he won’t forget his first IMCA Modified main event win at Hays. Abelson led all 40 laps of the Fall Nationals fueled by Casey’s feature, taking the $5,000 checkers ahead of Tyler Frye. After Friday’s program was lost to inclement weather, Abelson won his heat and topped the second qualifying feature Saturday afternoon to start on the outside of the front row in the main event that evening. “For the amount of rain they’d gotten, the track wasn’t that rough,” said Abelson. “I could run top, middle, bottom. I used different lines in traffic and to avoid rough spots.” Kelly Shryock, Tim Ward and Scott Drake rounded out the top five. “It’s been four or five year since the last time I was here,” said Abelson, already on the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot. “This year, the race we’ve been going to was on a different weekend so it [Read More]

MASS title in hand, Wagner leads charge to Grandview

By Erika Palmai Wagner NEWFIELD, N.J. – With the inaugural season coming to an end, Eddie Wagner of Newfield, N.J. was named the 2017 Engler Machine and Tool Mid-Atlantic IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car Series champion after winning the Sept. 22 feature at Bridgeport Speedway. This Saturday, Wagner looks to continue his streak by visiting victory lane at Grandview Speedway to claim the $500 to win payday, which was upped from the regular $300 to win by series sponsor Freiberger Excavating. “I always wanted to win a championship title but I haven’t always had the chance to run a complete schedule. When I have focused on points, I finished second and third each time,” Wagner said. “It really hasn’t hit me yet that I’ve won because the season hasn’t ended, and we’re focusing on coming out on top in the last string of events. “But I am proud to have won this thing with such a small team of just me, my dad and my buddy Mark, who’s stuck with me since the beginning,” he added. “It takes a lot of dedication from not [Read More]

Smith makes last-lap pass for Keystone checkers

PORT ROYAL, Pa. (Oct. 7) – Kyle Smith traveled from Massachusetts to win Port Royal Speedway’s Keystone IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car Challenge Saturday night. The victory came as part of the Blue Collar Classic and Smith became the 18th different winner in 37 PASS events in 2017. Smith surged over the final five laps to reign in Tyler Reeser and swoop past for the $1,350 win in the final two turns of the 25-lap feature event. Feature results – 1. Kyle Smith; 2. Tyler Reeser; 3. Darren Miller; 4. Nick Sweigart; 5. Ken Duke Jr.; 6. Zach Newlin; 7. Jeff Geiges; 8. Drew Ritchey; 9. Scott Lutz; 10. Jeff Miller; 11. Austin Bishop; 12. Dave Brown Jr.; 13. Tim Tanner Jr.; 14. Jaremi Hanson; 15. Rick Stief; 16. Scott Ellerman; 17. Greg Dobrosky; 18. Scott Frack; 19. Samantha Lieberman; 20. Kassidy Kreitz; 21. Dylan Schatzer; 22. Cale Reigle; 23. Mark Watkins; 24. Sidney Prince.