Modified Archives

Kaplan Delivers Last-Lap Heroics in Marshalltown Stock Car Opener

By Kaden Krebs MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (April 24, 2026) — Racing roared back to life at Marshalltown Speedway Friday night as drivers and fans alike shook off a long offseason and uncooperative spring weather. In the Sunoco IMCA Stock Cars, Austin Kaplan of Collins executed a thrilling last-lap pass off turn four to narrowly edge Johnny Spaw at the stripe. Kaplan started 11th and scored his first win of the year in the EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region. Spaw had been under constant pressure throughout the race from a hard-charging field that included Braden Richards and Maguire DeJong, with a late caution involving DeJong adding even more late-race drama. Richards completed the top three, with Todd Reitzler fourth and Thor Anderson fifth. A similar story unfolded in the Stealth Racing IMCA Mod Lites. Joel Huggins appeared to have the race in hand, leading nearly every lap, but it was Ben George of Altoona, who started 12th, making the decisive move when it mattered most, slipping past on the final circuit to steal the win. It was George’s [Read More]

Glover Tops Late Models in Davenport Season Opener

By Mike McGuire DAVENPORT, Iowa (April 24, 2026) — After two consecutive rainouts, Davenport Speedway was finally able to get the 2026 campaign started Friday. Knoxville native Curtis Glover made the trip pay off with a victory in the Sunoco IMCA Late Models. Glover took the lead midway through the 25-lap main event. Late in the race, he began to pull away from the field to secure his first win of 2026. Dustin Smith made a late-race charge to finish second after starting 16th. Cruz Birkhofer drove from 10th to finish third, while Logan Veloz and Andy Nezworski rounded out the top five. Nezworski, Veloz, and Bryce Garnhart won the heat races. The Karl Kustoms IMCA Modifieds put on a dandy of a feature. In the first half of the 20-lapper, Rayce Mullen and Charlie Mohr raced side-by-side and nose-to-tail for the lead, with Mullen holding the advantage. Over the final 10 laps, Spencer Diercks made it a three-way tussle for the top spot. Mullen led through lap 17 before Mohr took over a lap later. [Read More]

Wood Family Makes History as CJ Speedway Opens the 2026 Racing Season

By Jerry Mackey COLUMBUS JUNCTION, Iowa (Apr. 24, 2026) — The 2026 racing season got underway Friday night at CJ Speedway, and the Wood family from Sigourney made racing history as the father-son duo of Nathan and Brayden each scored feature victories. Nathan captured the Sunoco IMCA Stock Car main event, while Brayden topped the Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stock feature, making for a memorable opening night. The first main event of the evening was the IMCA Hobby Stock feature. Brayden Wood, in only his second full year of racing, started from the outside front row and immediately took command, with accomplished racer Daniel Wauters in hot pursuit. The two put on an entertaining battle, as Wauters pulled alongside Wood several times late in the race. The younger Wood showed that racing runs deep in his blood, holding strong to score his first win of the year in the B&B Racing Chassis Northern Region. Wauters finished second, while another talented youngster, Kyler Burmeister, ran a strong race to take third. Dalton Weepie and Austin Stadler completed the [Read More]

Smith Strikes Late to Win Baby Blue Harcrow Memorial Stock Car Feature at HOT

By Ben Deatherage WACO, Texas (Apr. 24, 2026) — Kaufman’s Cody Smith delivered a thrilling late-race pass to win the Sunoco IMCA Stock Car feature at the 7th annual Baby Blue Harcrow Memorial at Heart O’ Texas Speedway. The 30-lap, $3,015-to-win main event served as a qualifier for the B&B Racing Chassis All-Star Stock Car Invitational to be run at the Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s, placing Smith on the eligibility list. The victory also marked Smith’s first EQ Cylinder Heads Southern Region win of the season. Three-time EQ Cylinder Heads Southern Region champion Westin Abbey set the early pace, fending off heavy pressure from two-time region titlist Blake Clark. Clark briefly worked his way past Abbey before a stoppage negated the move, forcing him to regroup for another charge. Through multiple restarts and challenges, Abbey continued to control the point while a tight battle for second unfolded behind him. As the race wore on, 2023 Baby Blue winner Cody Smith emerged as a contender, climbing into second on lap 17 after methodically working [Read More]

West Coast Modified Clash and SportMod Clash Set for Memorial Day Weekend at Grays Harbor Raceway

By Ben Deatherage ELMA, Wash. (Apr. 24, 2026) — The West Coast Modified Clash and IMCA SportMod Clash are set for Memorial Day weekend at Grays Harbor Raceway, with full event details now available for one of the premier doubleheader events on the West Coast. The two-night showcase will be held Saturday, May 23, and Sunday, May 24, featuring Karl Kustoms IMCA Modifieds and Karl Kustoms IMCA Northern SportMods in separate, full-points events each night. Track, Washington State, DeVilbiss Racing Chassis, and national points will be awarded each night. IMCA Modifieds will race for $2,000 to win on Saturday and $2,500 to win on Sunday, with each night paying track, Washington State, DeVilbiss Racing Chassis Western Region, and national points. The West Coast Modified Clash format includes two rounds of heat races with passing points determining lineups. Saturday’s program will also carry added significance, as the top four finishers in the feature will lock into Sunday’s main event. Those locked-in drivers will join the top four in Sunday heat race points to compete in a dash [Read More]

Speedway Motors IMCA Weekly Racing National Point Standings through April 23, 2026

Karl Kustoms IMCA Modifieds – 1. William Gould, Calera, Okla., 621; 2. Jared Maupin, Helotes, Texas, 481; 3. Jason Barnhill, Milton, Florida, 467; 4. Chris Smith, Brewton, Alabama, 456; 5. Luke Silber, Laveen, Ariz., 430; 6. G. W. IV Egbert, Belton, Texas, 374; 7. Greg Hopkins, Repton, Alabama, 360; 8. Jonathan Mawhinney, Las Vegas, Nev., 357; 9. Steven Whiteaker, Robstown, Texas, 343; 10. Trevor Egbert, Belton, Texas, 333; 11. Justin Erickson, Glendale, Ariz., 321; 12. Markus Frazier, Santa Maria, Calif., 316; 13. Kollin Hibdon, Pahrump, Nev., 314; 14. Bryson Yeager, Green River, Wyoming, 313; 15. Zachariah Howard, Defuniak Springs, Florida, 310; 16. Dylan Thornton, Belle Plaine, Iowa, 300; 17. Jake Pike, Pahrump, Nev., 298; 18. Tyler Bannister, Bakersfield, Calif., 297; 19. Gavyn Manning, Bakersfield, Calif., 292; 20. Brandon Beckendorf, Danube, Minn., 280. Sunoco IMCA Stock Cars – 1. Cameron Starry, Robstown, Texas, 714; 2. Blake Clark, Joshua, Texas, 628; 3. Shelby Williams, Bonham, Texas, 561; 4. Curt Lund, Redwood Falls, Minn., 470; 5. Dillon Richards, Wymore, Neb., 403; 6. Mike Albertsen, Audubon, Iowa, 400; 7. [Read More]

Oliver Wins Thrilling Stock Car Race at Independence

By Christine Rublack INDEPENDENCE, Iowa (Apr. 21, 2026) — A Tuesday night full of exciting racing at Independence Motor Speedway saw John Oliver Jr. take home the victory by the smallest margin of the night in the Sunoco IMCA Stock Cars, edging Kodey Miles by just 0.051 seconds. Kodey Miles took the lead early, with Tanner Allen and Tom Schmitt in pursuit. Oliver began working the low groove as the duo in front of him battled for second. Schmitt moved into second while Oliver continued to work underneath him. With a couple laps to go, Oliver closed in on Miles for the top position and, as the checkers waved, took the win. It was the first win of 2026 for the West Burlington veteran in the EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region after starting fourth. Miles and Schmitt finished second and third, while Gage Neal and Tanner Allen completed the top five. Kolin Hibdon dominated the Karl Kustoms IMCA Modifieds. Hibdon quickly pulled away as Joel Rust moved into second, and the pair began to distance themselves [Read More]

Christina and Matt Ratzlaff: From Separate Paths to the Same Track

By Ben Deatherage MONTE VISTA, Colo. (Apr. 21, 2026) — Out in southern Colorado, where the land stretches wide beneath towering mountain ranges and the air sits thin at more than 7,500 feet above sea level, racing isn’t just something you do—it’s something you carry with you. The San Luis Valley is one of the most unique places in the country—an expansive, high-altitude basin carved by the Rio Grande and surrounded by peaks. Agriculture drives life here, from cattle to potatoes to barley fields, and the distances between towns are measured in miles, not minutes. Monte Vista sits at the heart of it all, a town established in 1884 along the railroad, its Spanish name meaning simply “mountain view.” It’s here where Christina and Matt Ratzlaff have built both a life—and a race team. Two Drivers, One Team On any given night, the Ratzlaffs roll into the pit area as a two-car operation in the Karl Kustoms IMCA Modifieds with Christina in the No. 15 and Matt in the No. 16. Their journeys to this point [Read More]

Merchant Storms from 16th to Capture Park Jefferson Modified Feature

By Chance Riley JEFFERSON, S.D. (Apr. 16, 2026) — The Karl Kustoms IMCA Modifieds were the stars of the show Thursday night at Park Jefferson Speedway with a thrilling 20-lap main event. For most of the race, it was a two-car battle for the lead between Shane DeMey and Brian Mahlstedt. But on the white flag lap, charging down the front stretch, R.J. Merchant of South Sioux City, Nebraska stormed from his 16th starting position to steal the win—despite a bent suspension. It was Merchant’s first victory of the year in the Razor Chassis North Central Region. DeMey finished second ahead of Duke Erickson, while Mahlstedt and Ricky Stephan completed the top five. The Karl Kustoms IMCA Northern SportMods also delivered an exciting 18-lap feature. Braydon Ahlers controlled much of the race, but Willy Kirk, who restarted at the back following an early caution, made a last-lap pass on the front stretch during a green, white, checkered finish to take the win. The Salix, Iowa driver earned his first victory of the season. Ahlers settled for [Read More]

Modifieds and SportMods Set to Get Rolling at Santa Maria

By Stephanie Odom SANTA MARIA, Calif. (Apr. 20, 2026) — Santa Maria Speedway is set to host an action-packed night of racing this Saturday, April 25, on the famed third-mile clay oval. The evening marks the season championship opener for the Karl Kustoms IMCA Modifieds and Karl Kustoms IMCA Northern SportMods. IMCA Modifieds competed six times at Santa Maria Speedway in 2025 and produced six different winners, proving just how deep and competitive the division was all season long. Cody Burke opened the year in victory lane, and the Salinas native will look to repeat that performance as he heads south on US 101 for this season’s opener. Josh Combs, Larry Wise, Gavyn Manning, Rob Sanders, and Logan Drake also found victory lane last season, and several are expected back this weekend in pursuit of the first win at SMS in 2026. IMCA Northern SportMods were just as competitive in 2025, producing six different winners over seven nights of racing. The only two-time winner, Tyler Bannister, has moved to the IMCA Modified ranks and will make [Read More]