Ryan Clark

$1,000 awaits Sprint Series of Oklahoma winner Saturday in Enid

By David Smith Jr. OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – The Sprint Series of Oklahoma IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car Series presented by Smiley’s Racing Products rolls on Saturday night, Aug. 12 as the tour will make its first and only scheduled appearance at Enid Speedway. Courtesy of co-promoter Kip and Heidi Hughes, this event will pay $1000 to win, up from the standard $750 to win. This event will be the fifth weekend in-a-row the IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car series, presented by Smiley’s Racing Products, will be in action. After the conclusion of this event at the Garfield County Fairgrounds, three more dates are scheduled before the end of August. Jake Martens comes in as series point leader but is looking over his shoulder as inaugural series champion Danny Shouse, winner of a tour-best four features thus far this season, is closing the gap. Coming into last Saturday night’s event in Ada, Oklahoma (won by Shouse), Martens had a slim 18-point-lead. With Shouse’s win and Martens sixth place finish, unofficially the lead is now down to 13. [Read More]

Paris prevails in IMCA Stock Car special at 34

By Brian Neal WEST BURLINGTON, Iowa (Aug. 5) – It was kids’ night at the track but Shane Paris wasn’t kidding around when it came to the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car special Saturday at 34 Raceway. Paris proved the fastest in a one-lap dash to the checkers, edging Jake Wenig by inches to take the $1,000 victory, his first this season at West Burlington. John Oliver Jr. led much of the way before ending in third. Completing the top five were Dane Fenton and Tom Bowling Jr. Oliver made the most of his front row starting spot, pulling away from the rest of the field after a succession of cautions. Challenger Dean Kratzer’s run up front came to an end on lap 15 when his engine expired. Paris and Wenig, who had started 14th, stayed close to Oliver through the next two restarts. Coming off turn four to take the white flag, Oliver drifted high and allowed both Paris and Wenig to go by. After the lap was scored complete, the yellow came out again and [Read More]

Richie Gustin checks out on IMCA Harris Clash foes

WEBSTER CITY, Iowa (Aug. 8) – Richie Gustin made sure the race was for second Tuesday night at Hamilton County Speedway. Gustin led all 25 laps of the Harris Clash for IMCA Modifieds, earning $2,000 for a dominating performance. Tim Ward took over second late in the contest but didn’t have enough laps left to reel in Gustin. Ryan Ruter chased Gustin early and ended in third while Hunter Marriott was fourth. Kelly Shryock and Joel Rust came out of “B” features to finish fifth and sixth, respectively. Gustin had started outside Todd Shute on the front row and quickly moved into the front spot, running the extreme lower line with Ruter. A couple cautions were all that slowed Gustin as he pulled away from the rest of the field after each restart. Ward found success on the high side in working his way to the runner-up spot. Shryock started 16th, Rust 18th. Already on the ballot for next year’s Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational, Gustin had previously won the Harris Clash in 2010. Rust, the [Read More]

Arlington checkers fly for Plamann

ARLINGTON, Minn. (Aug. 5) – Chris Plamann was the third and final leader in Saturday’s Premier Logistics IMCA Hobby Stock feature at Arlington Raceway. Colton Burke and Luke Trebelhorn split time up front before Plamann capitalized on a restart, then held off Brad Becker the eight times around the track. A restart also helped open the door for Unhinged Pizza IMCA Northern SportMod winner Kevin Kirk, who prevailed in a green, white, checkered finish in front of Jeff Lloyd. Dean Cornelius led from lap three to the finish of the B & B Racing Chassis IMCA Stock Car feature and traveler Adam Hensel prevailed in the MN 93 IMCA Modified headliner. Chris Graf started 10th and finished first in the 95.7 The Rock IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car main. Sixth starting Alex Dostal captured the Coors Light IMCA Sport Compact checkers.

Jerry Muenster, former promoters to be inducted into Luxemburg Hall of Fame

LUXEMBURG, Wis. – A 76-year-old driver still competing weekly and a trio of former track promoters will be inducted into Luxemburg Speedway’s Hall of Fame at the third-mile clay oval Friday night, Aug. 18. 1968 track champion Jerry Muenster of Green Bay, along with Luxemburg Tri-Star Speedway promoters Debbie and Kelly Hafeman and Ralph Aschenbrenner will be ushered into the track’s Hall of Fame. Tri Star Promotions promoted weekly racing at Luxemburg for 13 seasons from 1989 through 2001. During their tenure the track boasted some of the highest weekly IMCA car counts nationwide and Kelly Hafeman is a former IMCA Modified champion. Despite being two full generations older than most of his fellow racers the 76-year-old Muenster is the only holdover driver still competing from the track’s coupe days. Muenster still competes weekly at Luxemburg in an IMCA Modified. There will be plenty of wheel-to-wheel action that night as well. The Quietwoods RV Gambling Man’s Stock Car Special will take place along with the annual John Soukup Memorial SportMod Special. Soukup, a racer from [Read More]

Aug. 18 is deadline for Super Nationals pit stall reservations

BOONE, Iowa – Friday, Aug. 18 will be the final day to make pit stall reservations for the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. Pit stall applicants must be licensed IMCA members and have pre-registered for the Sept. 4-9 Super Nationals at Boone Speedway. “We are still taking pit stall applications but they are filling in quickly,” observed IMCA President Brett Root. “The size of their hauler, the division the driver races in and the nights they will be racing are mandatory requirements for us to know.” “We are doing all we can to accommodate requests for pit stalls,” he continued. Pit stall confirmations will be e-mailed to drivers on Aug. 19 and 20. Drivers should bring those confirmations with them to Boone Speedway to make the parking process easier. “There are still plenty of non-reserved stalls available,” Root said. “Boone Speedway has added an additional 17 acres of camping, grandstand parking and pit parking for the 2017 event.”

Osborne lands Lincoln County win

By Kelly Ninas NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (Aug. 5) – Colton Osborn took the lead on the 12th circuit and then drove his way through lapped traffic to win the IMCA Modified feature Saturday at Lincoln County Raceway. Osborn had started seventh and worked the low groove to put himself in position to make the pass for the lead. Osborn slipped past early leader David Murray Jr., who led the initial 11 laps before falling back to second. Casey Werkmeister was the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car winner and Luke Wassom led the distance in the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock main. Jamey Kennicutt led from lap three to the Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMod checkers while Erik Nelson returned to North Platte to pace the Mach-1 Sport Compacts.

BST CAT championship program this weekend

By Suzan McCoy CALHAN, Colo. – While rain has been a challenge throughout the season, IMCA race teams in five divisions will challenge for BST CAT championships this Saturday, Aug. 12 at El Paso County Raceway in Calhan. The BST CAT Tour features IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMods, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks and Mach-1 Sport Compacts. This tour has traveled to four different dirt tracks located in Colorado, Phillips County Raceway in Holyoke, I-76 Speedway in Fort Morgan, and Lamar Speedway in Lamar in addition to El Paso County. The leader in the Modified standings is John Burrow Jr. with 247 points, but Greg Sharpe is right behind with 243. A.J. Valim was 10 points ahead of Burrow and Sharpe before the July 3 race at I-76 Speedway; unfortunately he wrecked in his heat race and went to the “B” main. Joe Bellm, BST promoter, got behind the wheel this year to become the Stock Car point leader. John Luck, with only a one point difference, is ready to battle [Read More]

Van Straten’s 100th IMCA Stock Car career win proves just as exciting as his first one

HORTONVILLE, Wis. – Travis Van Straten remembered the excitement that surrounded his first feature win as an IMCA Sunoco Stock Car rookie in 2001. It was just as exciting to return to Shawano Speedway to get his career 100th victory in the division on July 29. “I knew going into the class that it would be tough to win one, let alone 100 features,” he said. “I was very excited and surprised when I won the first time. My oldest son was just three months old when I won my first feature and I remember the trophy was bigger than he was.” Thirty-four of his feature wins came during Van Straten’s national championship season in 2015. He averaged 25 wins a season while compiling seven track and two Allstar Performance State titles from 2014 to 2016. “I feel very blessed have to have accomplished everything I’ve been able to. I’ve had good cars and a lot of good people helping me,” he added. “I am very thankful for all the help I’ve gotten along the way, [Read More]

Arnold Motor Supply Hawkeye Dirt Tour checkers fly at Clay County for Marriott

SPENCER, Iowa (Aug. 7) – Hunter Marriott has to have Clay County Fair Speedway on his list of favorite tracks. So does Kelly Shryock. Marriott led the last half of Monday’s Arnold Motor Supply Hawkeye Dirt Tour main event, earning $2,000 along with the IMCA Modified checkers. He’d also won the tour event at Spencer last year and now owns four career series victories. Shryock raced all the way back to finish second after exiting for the pits following an early caution and restarting at the back of the field. He’ll take a 12-point advantage over Joel Rust into the tour finale Wednesday at Buena Vista Raceway. Ryan Ruter, Mike Jergens and Tom Berry Jr. completed the top five. Ten states and Canada were represented by the Modified entries. Ruter drew the pole and led the first of 30 laps. Nick Meyer, making the quick transition from a Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMod, was alongside and just ahead of Ruter when the second circuit was scored. A long green flag run finally ended with a caution [Read More]