Divisions Archives

Natenstedt Rallies Late for Back-to-Back Pettit Shootout Triumph

By Ben Deatherage WATSONVILLE, Calif. (Oct. 3, 2026) — Shawn Natenstedt came from outside the top five at the lap 40 fuel break to capture Saturday night’s $3,006-to-win 16th annual Pettit Shootout for the Karl Kustoms IMCA Modifieds at Watsonville Speedway, becoming the first driver since Bobby Hogge in 2020-21 to win consecutive editions. Natenstedt, the three-time Nevada State champion from Fernley, remains the only non-California driver to win the event in the Modified division. Hogge put the Paul Guglielmoni-owned No. 2H out front on lap one before Gavyn Manning used a lap seven restart to make a double overtake around the high side and take command in the Don Clark-provided No. 51G. Manning remained out front through challenges from 2026 IMCA Wild West Speedweek champion Matt Sanders and 2026 Merced Speedway champion Paul Stone before Natenstedt worked his way into contention. Natenstedt, who started seventh, completed his charge to the lead on lap 51 and began pulling away after encountering traffic four laps later. A lap 67 caution erased his advantage, and Manning capitalized on [Read More]

Allstar Performance Heat Race Winner Program Deadline Set for Oct. 30

BOONE, Iowa — Drivers participating in the Allstar Performance Heat Race Winner Program are reminded to submit photo verification of their heat race win decals by Oct. 30 to be eligible for awards. Drivers must submit a clear photo showing their heat race win decals displayed on their race car. Any driver who records 10 or more heat race wins and submits the required photo verification will receive a $100 certificate from Allstar Performance. The driver with the most verified heat race wins will receive a $250 Allstar Performance certificate. Photo submissions must be received by Oct. 30 and can be emailed to cbgramm@imca.com.

Foulger Charges Back for Last-Lap Stock Car Victory at Antioch’s Bill Bowers Memorial

By Candice Martin ANTIOCH, Calif. (Sept. 26, 2026) — Troy Foulger completed a remarkable comeback from a flat tire with a last-lap pass to win the $1,000 Sunoco IMCA Stock Car feature, while Andrew Pearce collected $3,049 in the Karl Kustoms IMCA Modified headliner during Saturday night’s seventh annual Bill Bowers Memorial at Antioch Speedway. After a hard crash in his own car at Boone Speedway two weeks earlier during the Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s, Foulger climbed aboard the Mike Villanueva-provided entry for the Bill Bowers Memorial. Terry DeCarlo Jr. grabbed the early lead before track champion Fred Ryland moved into second following a lap two restart. DeCarlo spun in turn one to bring out a caution on lap five, while Foulger headed to the pits with a flat tire. Ryland inherited the lead over Kenneth Robles and Nick DeCarlo. Another caution came on lap eight before Robles used the bottom of turn two to take the lead from Ryland on lap 10. Behind them, Foulger was mounting his charge back through [Read More]

Sites Charges From Seventh to Capture Fireball 25 at Afton

By Michael Benjamin AFTON, N.Y. (Sept. 26, 2026) — Eddie Sites charged from seventh to capture the rescheduled Fireball 25 for the Close Racing Supply NY/Penn IMCA Modified Series Saturday night at Afton Motorsports Park. Twenty-four Karl Kustoms IMCA Modifieds checked in for the 25-lap, $1,002-to-win feature on the 3/10-mile oval. The event was originally scheduled for Aug. 8 before weather forced its postponement. Three eight-lap heat races opened the program, with Jacob McConnell, Sites, and Jakub Ingham collecting victories. McConnell and Jason Butler shared the front row for the main event, with Gary Roberts and Matt Roberts starting from row two. Sites had work to do from the seventh starting position but steadily moved the No. 15 toward the front. Keith Lamphere was also on the move after rolling off eighth. When the 25 laps were complete, Sites had worked his way to the front to collect the Fireball 25 victory. The triumph was Sites’ fifth Close Racing Supply Eastern Region victory of the 2026 season, with those five wins coming at four different tracks. [Read More]

Laney Holds Off Diercks in Traffic for Kathy Dlouhy Memorial Victory at Cedar County

By Jerry Mackey TIPTON, Iowa (Sept. 27, 2026) — Cedar County Raceway hosted 152 race teams Sunday for the Kathy Dlouhy Memorial, an event honoring a woman who poured her heart and soul into the Tipton facility. The Modifieds headlined the program with 24 cars taking the green for the 20-lap, $1,500-to-win feature. Cody Laney advanced from the third row and took the lead away from early pacesetter Donovan Lodge. Laney remained out front as Spencer Diercks began closing the gap late in the race. Lapped traffic gave Diercks an opportunity to challenge in the closing circuits, but Laney held him off by less than a car length to secure the win. The win was Laney’s sixth of the 2026 season at five different tracks and his first at Cedar County this year. It was also the Torrance, Calif., driver’s fourth Razor Chassis North Central Region victory. Laney’s $1,500 triumph also earned him eligibility to attempt to qualify for the 2027 Fast Shafts All-Star Modified Invitational at the Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. [Read More]

Maupin Seals STIMS Championship With I-37 Victory

By Nick Robbins PLEASANTON, Texas (Sept. 26, 2026) — The Southern Touring IMCA Modified Series presented by On Demand Shirts wrapped up its 2026 points season at I-37 Speedway, where 17 Karl Kustoms IMCA Modifieds signed in for the $1,000-to-win, 20-lap main event at the racy South Texas bullring. Cody Leonard set the tone early, taking the win in the first heat over Steven Whiteaker Jr. Contact between Johnny Torres and Brandon Sanderson coming into turn one after the green ended the heat for both drivers. Once the field was restacked, Leonard and Whiteaker Jr. pulled away, while Shawn Sandegren, Cameron Dinsmore, and Chris Carroll fought hard throughout the race. Carroll ultimately held on for third, with Sandegren fourth and Dinsmore fifth. The second heat started with the field three-wide into turn one after the green flag dropped, and again on lap two, before things sorted themselves out. When the checkered flag fell, points leader Jared Maupin had claimed the win over Ryan Doyon, with Logan Dinsmore third. Leonard and Maupin brought the field to green [Read More]

French Grimes: A Life Remembered

By Ben Deatherage MADISON, Va. (Sept. 28, 2026) — French Grimes once compared himself to Johnny Appleseed. Instead of carrying a sack filled with apple seeds, Grimes believed his contained something else. RaceSaver. “I said I’m Johnny Appleseed,” Grimes explained during a 2013 interview. “I’ve got a sack of seeds for RaceSaver, and I go around the country. I poke them in a hole where I think it’ll grow, and then we find somebody who’s dedicated to make sure we water it and make it grow.” For nearly three decades, that is essentially what he did. Grimes helped plant those seeds in Virginia. They took root in Pennsylvania, Texas, New Jersey, the Carolinas and eventually across much of the country. What began as an effort to make Sprint Car racing affordable enough for ordinary working racers grew into a national movement and eventually became intertwined with IMCA racing across the country. Grimes, the founder and driving force behind RaceSaver, died Sept. 13 at the University of Virginia Hospital surrounded by his family. He was 83. He [Read More]

Johnson Strikes Late as Bannisters Secure Bakersfield Championships

By Steven Blakesley BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (Sept. 26, 2026) — Tyler Bannister and Jason Bannister completed championship-winning seasons at Bakersfield Speedway at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway on Saturday night during Championship Night on the dirt. Brad Pounds, the 2025 Karl Kustoms IMCA Modified track champion, dominated the 20-lap feature. Pounds started fourth and drove to his third DeVilbiss Racing Chassis Western Region victory of the season, with all three coming at Bakersfield. Newly crowned 2026 track champion Tyler Bannister finished second after starting from the pole, while Markus Frazier was third and Rob Sanders fourth. Pounds also won the heat race. The Karl Kustoms IMCA Northern SportMods led the action with 15 entries on hand and an exciting 25-lap championship finale. Jason Bannister built a sizeable advantage on several occasions, but a pair of cautions on lap 16 erased his lead and tightened the field for the closing stages. Ethan Johnson took advantage of the opportunity. Johnson worked the high side and drove around Bannister in turn four to take the lead on lap 20 before going [Read More]

McKinney Makes 1,000-Mile Trip Pay Off With MLA Nationals Victory

By Bryce Vowan WEST MEMPHIS, Ark. (Sept. 26, 2026) — A roughly 1,000-mile trip from Magnolia, Del., paid off in a big way for Ryan McKinney Saturday night as he captured the $2,000 Mod Lites of Arkansas IMCA Nationals at Riverside International Speedway. McKinney started third and found himself in the right place at the right time late in the feature, taking advantage of trouble for the leaders before driving the No. 25M to victory. The trip to Arkansas was far from a certainty for McKinney, who suffered a spine injury in a racing accident two months earlier. “I came to Riverside on a whim,” McKinney said. “We were iffy on going due to a spine injury from a wreck two months ago, but decided to give it a shot and I’m glad we did!” McKinney said the Riverside surface provided plenty of options throughout the feature. “The track was awesome and racey,” he said. “The line changed a lot throughout the race, and could run anywhere!” McKinney admitted his car wasn’t quite good enough to [Read More]

Southern Challenge Brings Two Nights of Racing to Abilene Oct. 16-17

By Ben Deatherage ABILENE, Texas (Sept. 28, 2026) — The Southern Challenge returns to Abilene Speedway for two nights of Speedway Motors IMCA racing Friday and Saturday, Oct. 16-17, with $3,000 awaiting the Smiley’s Racing Products IMCA Southern SportMod winner and $2,000 top prizes on the line for both Karl Kustoms IMCA Modifieds and Sunoco IMCA Stock Cars. The weekend begins with qualifying Friday night. Heat races and qualifying features will set the stage for Saturday’s last-chance races and championship features. SportMods headline the IMCA purse in the second annual Brown Plumbing Southern SportMod Blowout, paying $3,000 to win and $200 to start. Non-transfers will receive $100. Bradley Poor returns as the defending race winner after capturing the inaugural event in 2025. Modifieds race for $2,000 to win and $200 to start, with $100 going to non-transfers. Stock Cars will also compete for $2,000 to win and $200 to start, with $100 for non-transfers. The Modified winner will earn eligibility to attempt to qualify for the 2027 Fast Shafts All-Star Modified Invitational, while the Stock Car [Read More]