2021 Super Nationals Archives

Mike Smith continues family tradition in becoming IMCA Super Nationals champion

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 11) – Another Smith, another IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s championship. Seventeen-year-old Mike Smith of Lake City became the first of the next generation of IMCA’s most successful racing family to become an IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s champion, winning the Saturday night Hobby Stock main event and $2,000 at Boone Speedway. “It’s pretty cool. We like to keep it going in the family,” said Smith, who has watched uncles Donovan, Devin and Doug win a combined seven Stock Car, Hobby Stock and SportMod titles at America’s Racin’ Vacation. “One of us has won it like the last three or four seasons now.” “It’s good to know you can beat the best of the rest,” added the South Central Calhoun High School senior, fifth in his main event debut last year and now the youngest Super Nationals champion in division history. “I didn’t know if I had the car or the luck to do it. I never dreamed of winning Super Nationals. Now, hopefully, my dad (Dave, [Read More]

Becerra drives homebuilt SportMod to first IMCA Super Nationals crown

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 11) – The Northern SportMod Austen Becerra built in his garage back home in Carthage, Ill., put him in victory lane twice over the course of six days at Boone Speedway. The first occasion followed the Prelude feature on Sept. 5. The second came after Becerra won the Saturday night IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s championship. “This is pretty big – everyone dreams of winning Super Nationals. I have ever since I started going as a kid to watch,” said Becerra, who led the last 20 of 30 laps and banked $3,000 while becoming the first driver from Illinois to win the SportMod title at America’s Racin’ Vacation. “My mindset after winning the Prelude was that we were capable of it. The luck was there and it all paid off.” “Last year we didn’t have any luck,” he added. “If your first day is bad it seems like it goes downhill from there. This year we set ourselves up for success.” That success came from the fourth starting spot. Brayton [Read More]

Stock Car champion Dallon Murty races into IMCA Super Nationals record book

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 11) – A straight forward strategy sent Dallon Murty straight into the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s record book. Get to the front and stay there. The 16-year, eight-month old nicknamed ‘The Game Changer’ led the last 19 laps in winning Saturday’s Stock Car main event at Boone Speedway, becoming the youngest champion – by two months – crowned in the storied history of America’s Racin’ Vacation. A record 222 Stock Cars vied at the 39th annual event. Murty earned $5,000 for the win. “Winning Super Nationals means a lot, so much that I can barely put it into words. I’m grateful for the car I’m in and the support I have behind me,” said Murty, son of 2018 champion Damon Murty. “It’s pretty cool that both of us are Super Nationals champions. It’s not something a lot of fathers and sons have done.” While other father-son combinations have won Super Nationals titles, the Murtys are the first to do it in the same division. Two-time champion Devin Smith, part of [Read More]

Mission Accomplished: Laney is IMCA Modified champion at Super Nationals

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 11) – Cody Laney can remember when going to watch the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s was pretty cool. Winning the Saturday night main event at America’s Racin’ Vacation was even cooler. The Torrance, Calif., driver led all 40 laps in the final race of the 39th annual Super Nationals, earning $7,000 and racing immortality. “Two years ago I ran third. Last year I was second and people were telling me I was going to win it, but you never know because this is racing. But nobody can take this away now,” Laney said, after stamping ‘Mission Accomplished’ on his Super Nationals championship quest. “I remember the first times I went out to Boone Speedway just to hang out and watch the guys I had only heard about. Then I got the chance to race with them.” “Getting to do that and now getting to win Super Nationals has been pretty cool.” Tim Ward, Justin O’Brien and Zane DeVilbiss all raced to Super Nationals career-best finishes in running 2-3-4 behind him. Jeff [Read More]

Engine auction adds $29,000 to Super Nationals main event purse

BOONE, Iowa – A rich Saturday night of racing ended with the auction of champions’ engines adding another $29,000 to the main event purse paid at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. Stock Car champion Dallon Murty’s engine sold for $7,500, so each of the other 29 starters in that event get another $258.62 in addition to their purse shares. Modified champion Cody Laney’s engine also gaveled at $7,500. The other 32 starters in that race each receive $234.38. Engines of Northern SportMod champion Austen Becerra and Hobby Stock champion Mike Smith both sold for $7,000. Each of the other 29 starters in those main events receives $241.38. Laney, Becerra and Smith all received new crate engines from Karl Kustoms. Murty received an engine built by Midstate Machine with parts contributed by IMCA and event sponsors including Speedway Motors, Comp Cams, Edelbrock, Manley, Motorsports Warehouse, Summit, Engine Parts Warehouse, EQ Cylinder Heads and Kevko. All auction proceeds have been mailed from the IMCA home office.

First time champions reign at 39th IMCA Super Nationals

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 11) – Young drivers made their mark with first-time championships on the final night of a record setting IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s Saturday at Boone Speedway. A record 909 cars competed at the 39th annual event, which included with a touching remembrance of the lives lost and the lives impacted by the terrorist attacks 20 years ago to the day. Another record was set by the entries from 27 states and Canada. Cody Laney led all 40 laps of the $7,000 to win IMCA Modified main event in front of a very full grandstand as drivers with West Coast roots took home three of the top four spots. Tim Ward was second, Justin O’Brien third and Zane DeVilbiss fourth. “This is the biggest win there is. I got to see Ethan (Dotson) do it a couple years ago. For me to do it is incredible,” said Laney, 26. “We were off in qualifying (for the race of champions) but when we hot lapped tonight I knew we were back [Read More]

20 years later, Horejsi returns to Saturday show at Super Nationals

BOONE, Iowa – Twenty years ago, Jim Horejsi was starting the Stock Car main event at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. This Saturday night, he’ll be back on track at Boone Speedway for the Northern SportMod Big Dance. Eighth in the 2001 Stock Car main event, he put his name on the 2021 SportMod grid with his fifth place finish in Wednesday’s last chance race. “Non-racing people don’t know what a big thing it is to make Super Nationals,” Horejsi said. “We posted on Facebook that we might be starting in the back but there are 140-plus drivers loading up who wished they had our position.” “When you are one of 30 drivers in the main event, it’s something to be proud of.” From Marshall, Minn., Horejsi has run a Modified, Stock Car and Northern SportMod over the course of his IMCA career, winning six track championships since 1994. That’s the same year he went to Cars Limited owner Bob Larsen inquiring about sponsorship; Larsen jumped on board and backed Horejsi [Read More]

Brown stars in IMCA Modified All-Star race at Super Nationals

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 3) – Kyle Brown didn’t lead the most laps, just the most important ones. Brown drove past Nick Roberts following the second of two late restarts, then led the last two times around the Boone Speedway oval in winning Friday’s Fast Shafts Modified All-Star Invitational at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. “It was neat before to get to elected by fans but I like the new time trial format because it puts qualifying for the race into our hands,” Brown said. “We timed here a couple weeks ago and were terrible. We finished like sixth out of eight so we went to work on the car, and that showed tonight.” The win paid $1,050. Brown had been elected to the last five All-Star fields but made it in via the second round of time trials this time around. Dakota Sproul had led through midway of the 30-lapper before pulling in and giving the point to pole starter Roberts. Brown was in contention with Dylan Thornton close behind before [Read More]

Berry, Thornton are very good in Super Nationals Stock qualifiers

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 9) – After a couple early cautions, Dylan Thornton set it on cruise and raced to the win in Thursday’s first Stock Car qualifying feature at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. Most of the excitement in the second qualifier at Boone Speedway came late, as Tom Berry Jr. and Brandon Czarapata led the 26th starting Jeffrey Larson and 18th starting Mike Albertsen across the stripe in a green, white, checkered conclusion. Runner-up in his Wednesday Modified qualifier, Thornton was chased the distance by Trent Nolan. Former champion Damon Murty raced from 12th starting to third in just five laps and Donavon Smith earned his 15th straight Saturday start in the division, rounding out the top four. “This is amazing. I just wanted to make the show,” he said. “This is a dream come true. Four cautions came out late in the second qualifier and contenders Chanse Hollatz and Justin Luinenburg were both among casualties. Smith is the 2009, 2012 and defending champion; Murty won the 2018 crown and is a 6-time qualifier [Read More]

Convincing Super Nationals qualifying wins for Aikey, Ward

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 9) – One of the lessons to be learned from Thursday Modified qualifying at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s was not to ever doubt Jeff Aikey. Tim Ward was pretty convincing, too. A night after passing up a guaranteed seventh or eighth row spot in Saturday’s Big Dance at Boone Speedway, Aikey marched from 10th to win the evening’s first qualifier. He’ll start first or second in the middle row come main event time. “I’m pumped,” a beaming Aikey said from victory lane. “I really think we have a shot at this.” The all-time leader in career Super Nationals crowns with seven – six in a Late Model plus the 2018 Modified title – Aikey was on leader Justin O’Brien’s back bumper with five laps to go, took over the front spot before a lap 23 caution and then held on through a green, white, checkered finish. O’Brien, J.D. Auringer and Troy Morris III rounded out the four transfer spots. Cayden Carter was disqualified from his transfer, and from [Read More]