Divisions Archives

Up to Stock Car Challenge, Miles Races to National and Northern Region Rookie of the Year Titles

By Bill Martin BERNARD, Iowa (Oct. 26, 2026) – Overcome by the emotions of the occasion, Jordan Miles had to search for the right words after his career-first Sunoco IMCA Stock Car feature victory. He’s had plenty of opportunities to hone his interview skills since, following a season that saw him earn national and EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region honors, as well as the Maquoketa Speedway track championship. The 20-year-old from Bernard, Iowa, was also seventh in national points and 10th in regional standings, racing out of the family shop with father Jerry and brothers Jared, Kodey and Karter. “I wanted a challenge, I wanted to try something different and that’s what led us to our new adventures in a Stock Car,” said Miles, who moved up following two very different campaigns running a Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stock. “The stars kind of aligned, I picked up some wins early in the season and I’m proud of what we were able to accomplish this year.” “In my opinion, Stock Cars are the toughest division in IMCA. There’s stout [Read More]

Racing Journey Takes Griffin to National Late Model Rookie of the Year

By Bill Martin QUINCY, Ill. (Oct. 29, 2026) – Jake Griffin brewed up something special during the latest season of his racing journey. The Quincy, Ill., driver earned national Sunoco IMCA Late Model rookie of the year honors, after getting an unexpected ride just weeks before the season started. He made the most of his opportunity, with three feature wins and 16 top five finishes, and an eighth place finish in national points. “I didn’t have any expectations. I thought we’d start off better than we did but when everything came together it was great,” said Griffin, owner of the Roost Coffee Co., the online coffee company with the slogan Fuel For The Driven in Quincy. “We’ve been together as a team for a while and knew we could do it, we just had to stick it out.” Behind the wheel of the Warner Racing-owned 2023 Barry Wright Chassis, he was third in standings at Quincy Raceway, fourth at Lee County Speedway and eighth at 34 Raceway. “Late Models are just so racy. I’ve run just about everything [Read More]

Patterson Makes Hobby Stock History with National and EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region Rookie Honors

By Ben Deatherage MINOT, N.D. (Oct. 24, 2026) — Colby Patterson entered the 2026 season with little experience behind the wheel of a race car. By the end of the year, the 17-year-old from Minot, N.D., had become the first North Dakota driver to earn both the National Rookie of the Year and B&B Racing Chassis Northern Region Rookie of the Year honors in the Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stock division. Patterson’s first full season produced three feature victories, 17 top-five finishes, and 27 top-10 results in 33 starts. He also recorded nine podium finishes while competing at six different racetracks across North Dakota, Minnesota, and Saskatchewan. Driving the JH Seed and Soil Service/Schock’s Safe and Lock Services/Optimum Ag Services-sponsored No. 12X Charger, Patterson steadily improved throughout the season. “There was a big difference from the start of the year to the end of the year,” Patterson said. “This is only my first year racing. There was a lot of learning where to go on the track and getting the feel of the car.” Much of that [Read More]

Racing for Fun, Cox Collects National Rookie Award for Stealth Racing IMCA Mod Lites

By Bill Martin NORWALK, Iowa (Oct. 25, 2026) – A couple starts in the class was all it took for Brandon Cox to get hooked on the Stealth Racing IMCA Mod Lite division. Cox made 28 starts this season, racing and making new friends at eight different tracks in four states. Those travels paid off with the national rookie of the year award. “We started off at the IMCA TV Winter Nationals in Arizona racing just to have fun. When we left there, we were leading rookie national points. We kind of had that in the back of our mind all season, but we were really racing for fun,” he said. “We wanted to experience different tracks and track conditions, race against different competitors and get the most points as we could.” “Around Iowa, it’s arguably racing against many of the best of the best drivers. We wanted to race at some smaller tracks down south this year too, had a lot of fun and made some new life-long friends doing that.” The Norwalk hotshoe had [Read More]

Friday-Saturday Race Night Tandem Provides Spark to Sexton’s Southern SportMod Rookie Quest

By Bill Martin BURLESON, Texas (Oct. 25, 2026) – Racing Saturdays at the track he’d grown up going to as a fan were special for Brady Sexton. Adding a regular Friday night track to his schedule helped make him rookie of the year in IMCA’s Smiley’s Racing Products Southern SportMod division. Sexton counted two feature wins and 16 top five finishes in his 32 starts in topping point standings for first-year drivers in the division. A Saturday regular at Kennedale Speedway Park, just 10 minutes from his Burleson, Texas, home, he’d begun making more frequent 45-60 minute Friday trips to Heart O’ Texas Speedway after realizing he was leading rookie points. “I had tossed around the idea of going for national rookie of the year, but to be entirely honest, I never thought it was entirely feasible,” said Sexton, who’d watched from the stands with grandfather Billy Campbell before getting on the track himself. “Midway through the season, when I noticed I was actually leading rookie standings, is when I started to race more and get [Read More]

Luinenburg Makes More Memories for Facebook in Northern SportMod National Rookie Season

By Bill Martin READING, Minn. (Oct. 28, 2026) – A Facebook memory popped up back on June 6 to tell Blake Luinenburg he’d won his first Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stock feature six years ago to that date. He won his career first Karl Kustoms Northern SportMod feature that evening at Worthington Speedway, one of many memories Facebook will have to remind him of from his national rookie of the year season in the open wheeled division. The Reading, Minn., racer would total nine victories and win the Murray County Speedway track title, ending the season 12th in the national points race. “It was pretty cool to see that Facebook memory pop up and that I’d gotten my first win in a Hobby Stock six years to that day. And it was cool to have my first SportMod win at my home track,” he said. “I didn’t really know what to expect moving up this season. I had some really successful seasons in a Hobby Stock and for being a rookie, this was a really good year, too.” [Read More]

Californian Bannister Strikes Gold with Top National Modified and DeVilbiss Western Region Rookie Prizes

By Bill Martin BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (Oct. 21, 2026) – On the track or in the record book, Tyler Bannister found himself in some pretty good company in 2026. A 12-time feature winner, the Bakersfield speed merchant raced to Karl Kustoms IMCA Modified national and DeVilbiss Racing Western Region rookie of the year honors. He’s just the fourth IMCA driver to earn both SportMod and then Modified national rookie awards in their respective careers, and the third California driver to accomplish the national and regional ROY feat in as many years. Equally as impressive, Bannister returned to Boone Speedway and the Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s, qualifying for the main event as well as the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational and Rage Chassis Race of Champions, before wrapping up the track championship at hometown Bakersfield Speedway at Kern Raceway. “Running for national rookie wasn’t our initial goal. It was like when we won the Karl Kustoms Northern SportMod rookie award in 2021, we just started out the season racing and trying to squeak out a [Read More]

No Question About It as Wyoming’s Donmyer Tops Sport Compact Rookie Points Race

By Bill Martin GILLETTE, Wy. (Oct. 30, 2026) – Robert Donmyer asked a lot of questions about how to make his car faster this season. He got to answer a lot of questions about the number on his Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compact, too. The first Wyoming driver to win national rookie of the year honors in any IMCA division, Donmyer was a 25-time winner, reigning as track champion at hometown Gillette Thunder Speedway, Casper Speedway and Sheridan Speedway as well. “It means a lot to me. This was a family thing and I was able to show my son that when you set goals, you can accomplish them if you’re willing to put in the work and the time and the effort,” said Donmyer, fifth in national point standings and also the Wyoming State champ. “The reason I run the 2% number on my car is what it represents,” he explained. “I’m a recovering drug addict and I have built a beautiful life for myself and my family. That 2% stands for the two percent of [Read More]

Keen on Consistency, Highway 10 Traveler Taves Tops Rookie Points for Sprint Cars

By Bill Martin DETROIT LAKES, Minn. (Oct. 29, 2026) – When the race season started, Matthew Taves might have seemed like a longshot in the running for national IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car rookie of the year. His incredible on-track consistency, however, would make him a lock for the award. The 15-year-old from Detroit Lakes, Minn., won two features and finished in the top five in all but one of just 17 starts, while earning the track championship at Buffalo River Speedway. “It was pretty exciting to run up front, finish so consistently almost every night and to win a couple features,” said the Detroit Lakes High School sophomore. “We’d raced lightning sprints for four years before. RaceSaver Sprint Cars are a lot bigger, and it was nice going from no power steering to power steering, and we enjoyed racing against different people. There’s a lot of good competition that we got to race with weekly.” After starting the season on Memorial Day at Sheyenne Speedway, Taves started traveling west on Highway 10 to make seven starts [Read More]

Southwestern RaceSaver IMCA Sprint Car Series Set to Expand Racing in 2027

VINTON, Iowa (Aug. 13, 2026) — RaceSaver IMCA Sprint Car racing continues to gain momentum in the West, and that growth will accelerate in 2027 with the formation of the new Southwestern RaceSaver IMCA Sprint Car Series. The new series will feature a 15-race schedule from March through November at three tracks: Perris Auto Speedway in Perris, Calif., Barona Speedway in Lakeside, Calif., and Mohave Valley Raceway in Mohave Valley, Ariz. The Southwestern series adds another exciting chapter to the continued expansion of RaceSaver IMCA Sprint Car racing in the region. It follows the announcement of the California RaceSaver IMCA Sprint Car Series, which will compete at Bakersfield Speedway at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway, Kings Speedway in Hanford, Merced Speedway, Santa Maria Speedway, Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare and Watsonville Speedway. Together, the two series will bring RaceSaver IMCA Sprint Car competition to nine tracks, creating additional opportunities for drivers and strengthening the future of affordable Sprint Car racing throughout California and the Southwest. The idea for the Southwestern series developed following the enthusiastic response to the [Read More]