Hobby Stock Archives

Madrid Carries Four Generations of Racing Tradition to B&B Racing Chassis Southern Region Rookie Honors

By Ben Deatherage PEORIA, Ariz. (Oct. 30, 2026) — Racing has been part of Drew Madrid’s family for four generations, and the 15-year-old from Peoria, Arizona, added another chapter to that history by earning the 2026 B&B Racing Chassis Southern Region Rookie of the Year award in the Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stock division. Madrid became just the second Arizona driver to earn Southern Region Rookie of the Year honors since the award began in 2007, joining Nathan DeRagon, also from Peoria, who captured the title in 2019. Behind the wheel of the Westside Les’s Too/Landshark Gates/Huey Automotive/Championship Martial Arts No. 15M Charger Chassis, Madrid continued a family tradition that began with his great-grandfather Richard and continued through his grandfather Rene, father Rene Jr., and mother Brandy. “Racing has always been a part of my family,” Madrid said. “My great-grandfather raced, my grandfather raced, my mom and dad raced as well, and I think everyone knew it was a matter of time before I got behind the wheel.” “I grew up around racing, and so moving into [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]

Trials and Tribulations Can’t Deny Wroten in Pursuit of Second Lady Eagle Championship

By Bill Martin INDEPENDENCE, Iowa (Oct. 23, 2026) – The secret is out, Leah Wroten really was chasing another Lady Eagle championship this season. After six months of trials and tribulations, the Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stock driver from Independence, Iowa, adds a bookend award to her trophy from 2018 after winning the closest nationwide points race of 2026. She got the tiebreaking nod ahead of Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compact pilot Brooke Osler after the pair finished tied atop a points race contested by more than 300 female drivers in the nine divisions sanctioned by IMCA. “My goal from the start was to win the Lady Eagle but I didn’t tell a lot of people that because if I didn’t, I might have been more disappointed. I’m not getting any younger – I’m kind of the old gal in the group – and I’m not sure how much longer we want to run 30-40 nights a season,” she explained. Track champion at Benton County Speedway in a 2025 Dominator Chassis built by husband Nick, Wroten had one [Read More]

Barney Makes Utah History With B&B Racing Chassis Southern Region Championship

By Ben Deatherage PANGUITCH, Utah (Oct. 22, 2026) — Hayden Barney entered the 2026 Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stock season looking to make the most of a repaired race car and build on his success from the previous year. By season’s end, the 35-year-old from Panguitch, Utah, had made history as the first driver from the Beehive State to capture the B&B Racing Chassis Southern Region championship since regional titles were first awarded in 2007. Barney also secured his second consecutive Utah State championship and his first track championship at Desert Thunder Raceway. He became just the second driver to win back-to-back Utah State titles since the championship was established in 2009, joining Troy Sweeten, who accomplished the feat in 2009 and 2010. Behind the wheel of the Eric Hartle Concrete/Burdick Materials/Beau’s Car Quest-sponsored No. 45 Grumpy Chassis, Barney recorded four feature victories, 20 podium finishes, 33 top fives, and 35 top-10 finishes in 35 official starts. All four victories came at Desert Thunder Raceway. The championship season began with a race car that had endured a [Read More]

IMCA Releases 2027 Rules with Minor Changes

By Ben Deatherage VINTON, Iowa (Nov. 2, 2026) — IMCA has released its 2027 rules package, featuring minor updates and clarifications across several divisions, along with changes to helmet requirements and head and neck restraint regulations for minor drivers. In the Sunoco IMCA Stock Car and Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stock divisions, frame ground clearance must measure a minimum of 6.5 inches and a maximum of nine inches beneath the oval frame holes, identified as letters D and K in the 1978-88 Monte Carlo frame drawing. Floating or removable bars are not permitted in either division. Stock Cars will no longer be permitted to use Camaro nosepieces on anything other than the Camaro MD3 body, while Hobby Stocks will not be allowed to use lightweight pressure plate. For Karl Kustoms IMCA Modifieds, Speedway Motors fabricated lower A-frames, part numbers 91035297-L and 91035297-R, have been added to the rules. The interior deck must also be level from left to right within a one-inch tolerance. The Karl Kustoms IMCA Northern SportMod division will have the same interior deck requirement, [Read More]

Ronnebaum Rides Late-Season Surge to First Hobby Stock National Championship

By Ben Deatherage ONAGA, Kan. (Oct. 20, 2026) — A late-season charge that produced 12 victories in his final 13 starts helped 28-year-old Nicholas Ronnebaum of Onaga, Kan., capture his first Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stock national championship in 2026, prevailing by just four points after a season that saw him win more than half of his feature appearances. Ronnebaum became the fifth Kansas driver to win the national championship and the first from the Sunflower State since Doug Holzmeister in 1994. Kansas drivers claimed the division’s first four national championships from 1991 through 1994, with Brady Bauer, Larry Cole, Wayne Malsom, and Holzmeister each earning a title. The championship came after Ronnebaum recorded 24 feature victories, 37 top-five finishes, and 43 top-10 results in 46 starts. He also secured his first B&B Racing Chassis Northern Region championship and track titles at Beatrice Speedway in Nebraska and Salina Speedway in Kansas, with the latter marking his fourth career championship at the facility. Ronnebaum collected 11 victories at Salina Speedway, three at U.S. 30 Speedway, two each at [Read More]

Caleb Gardner: Carrying a Family Number and Answering a Call to Serve

By Ben Deatherage GLYNDON, Minn. (Oct. 23, 2026) — When Caleb Gardner climbed out of his No. 39 Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stock at Dacotah Speedway on Saturday, Oct. 3, another night of racing had come to an end. But this particular evening carried a little more significance for the Glyndon, Minn., driver, who was preparing to trade the familiar surroundings of dirt tracks and race shops for an overseas deployment with the Minnesota National Guard. The Oktoberfest program in Mandan, N.D., marked Gardner’s final race before departing overseas, where he will serve as a tracked-vehicle recovery operator. For Gardner, racing has always been more than a weekend pastime. His grandfather, Al, raced before his father, Randy, and brother, Doug, followed into the sport. The family competed in several different divisions, and the No. 39 on Caleb’s Hobby Stock is the same number carried by his grandfather and father. Yet for all that family history, it was one particular childhood experience at Buffalo River Speedway that convinced Gardner he wanted to move beyond go-karts and into a [Read More]

Inaugural Wild River Diamond in the Desert Set for Cocopah Speedway Nov. 4-7

By Ben Deatherage SOMERTON, Ariz. (Oct. 21, 2026) — Some of the biggest names in Speedway Motors IMCA racing will converge on Cocopah Speedway Nov. 4-7 for the inaugural Wild River Diamond in the Desert, featuring three nights of competition and an $8,000 payday awaiting the Karl Kustoms IMCA Modified winner. Presented by Wild River Family Entertainment Center, the first-year event will bring five IMCA divisions to the Diamond in the Desert for a weekend of racing in southwestern Arizona. The four-day gathering begins Wednesday, Nov. 4, with an open practice session before racing gets underway Thursday, Nov. 5, and continues through Saturday, Nov. 7. The Karl Kustoms IMCA Modifieds will headline the event, with $8,000 awaiting the winner of the division’s main event. The Modifieds will be joined by the Karl Kustoms IMCA Northern SportMods and Sunoco IMCA Stock Cars, with both divisions competing for $4,000 top prizes. Saturday’s Modified and Stock Car features will serve as qualifying events for the 2027 Fast Shafts All-Star Modified Invitational and B&B Racing Chassis All-Star Stock Car Invitational, [Read More]

Central Arizona Raceway Set for Three-Night Showdown Honoring Phil Hertel Nov. 27-29

By Ben Deatherage CASA GRANDE, Ariz. (Oct. 21, 2026) — Central Arizona Raceway will close out the Thanksgiving holiday weekend with three nights of Speedway Motors IMCA racing during The Showdown: A Salute to Phil Hertel, scheduled for Friday through Sunday, Nov. 27-29. The three-day event will feature Karl Kustoms IMCA Modifieds, Karl Kustoms IMCA Northern SportMods, Sunoco IMCA Stock Cars, and Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stocks also competing Friday and Saturday. More than just a weekend of racing, The Showdown will pay tribute to Phil Hertel while offering competitors three opportunities to race for substantial payouts at the Casa Grande facility. The IMCA Modifieds will headline the weekend, with Friday and Saturday’s features each paying $1,000 to win before Sunday’s $3,000-to-win finale. All three Modified features will serve as qualifying events for the 2027 Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s All-Star Invitational, with each winner earning eligibility to attempt to qualify for the prestigious race at Boone Speedway. Modified competitors will receive $100 to start Friday and Saturday’s features, while Sunday’s finale will pay [Read More]

Freiburger Holds Off Laney’s Late Charge for Modified Victory at Dirt on the Downs

By Christine Rublack CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (Oct. 17, 2026) — Jed Freiburger of Dubuque collected his 11th Razor Chassis North Central Region victory of the season in the $2,000-to-win, 20-lap Karl Kustoms IMCA Modified feature, holding off a late charge from Cody Laney. Freiburger started on the pole and established the early advantage while Jace Eckrich moved into second, followed by Jeff Bodendorfer and Laney. Following a restart, Bodendorfer advanced into the runner-up position as Laney worked the bottom groove to take over third. Laney, who started eighth, continued his charge and moved into second with only a few laps remaining. Despite the late pressure, Freiburger maintained his advantage and crossed the finish line first. Laney finished second after advancing six positions, with Bodendorfer third, Eckrich fourth, and Chris Zogg fifth. Gifford Makes Three-Wide Move Count in Hobby Stocks Bradyn Gustin of Marshalltown used the bottom groove to his advantage in the $1,000-to-win, 15-lap Karl Kustoms IMCA Northern SportMod feature, taking control early and pulling away as Josh Banes and Jarett Franzen battled for second. Gifford, [Read More]