Modified Archives

Career highlights bookend Zogg’s IMCA North Central Region championship season

NEW LIBERTY, Iowa (Nov. 4, 2024) – After starting his season with one career highlight, Chris Zogg ended it with another. The Friesen Performance IMCA Modified veteran from New Liberty, Iowa, ventured to Arizona’s Cocopah Speedway in January, outrunning Tim Ward and 68 other Modified entries on opening night of the IMCA.TV Winter Nationals. He’d return to the Midwest and race to another 13 feature wins among 34 top five finishes in earning his career-first Razor Chassis North Central Region crown and national runner-up honors. “I like going to different race tracks and racing against different people. I can learn more about the car and make myself faster,” said Zogg, also the Davenport Speedway track and Iowa State champion. “This year I decided we’d travel more, and when I say travel I mean we have like eight tracks within three hours of us. I consider myself spoiled with all the tracks we have.” “I decided to race Davenport and 34 Raceway weekly and we started clicking off wins,” continued Zogg, who had looked at the [Read More]

12 new to Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational list

VINTON, Iowa (Nov. 4, 2024) – Add another dozen Friesen Performance IMCA Modified drivers to the list of those eligible to qualify for the upcoming Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational. Cody Laney and Tripp Gaylord were both winners at the Fall Bash, held at Cedar County Raceway. Andrew Pearce prevailed at Antioch Speedway’s Bill Bowers Memorial and Clay Money cashed in at RPM Speedway’s Fall Nationals. Cole Czarneski topped Car Wars at 141 Speedway while Jordan Grabouski and Cory Wray paced features at Beatrice Speedway’s Octoberfest. Kyle Wisdom paced Abilene Speedway’s Southern Challenge. Brandon Schmitt scored big at the Iowa Dirt Nationals held at Maquoketa Speedway. Jeff Taylor and Ashton Wilkey were best at Two Dollar Pistol Motor Speedway’s Natural State Nationals. And Troy Morris III took home the top check from Mohave Valley Raceway’s Trick or Treat Classic. Already eligible, Tom Berry won four qualifying events in October, including a three-race sweep at Batesville Motor Speedway’s Race For Hope 71. Ethan Braaksma and Drew Janssen were also already qualifying eligible and winners at Allstar Classic [Read More]

Wisdom, Batt, Spalding each bank $2,000 at Southern Challenge

ABILENE, Texas (Oct. 19, 2024) – Kyle Wisdom had impressed at last year’s Southern Challenge Ryan Bard Memorial, racing from his ‘B’ feature to finish fourth in the Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature. He turned heads again at Abilene Speedway’s 30th annual season-ending event on Saturday night, this time winning the main event and $2,000. “I’ve run second here in a SportMod a couple times and raced the Southern Challenge in a Modified four times but have never been able to win it before,” said the hometown hotshoe, newly eligible to qualify for the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational. “It’s something every driver around here wants to do. It means a lot.” Wisdom had started from the pole in the Friday night qualifier but was a DNF after getting into the wall with six laps left. Returning to the speedway the next day, he made the most of Scotty Cook’s expertise and the track wrecker “to correct the geometry” and got the wheels and tires on with all of three minutes to spare before hot laps. Wisdom [Read More]

Iowa Dirt Nationals set records at Maquoketa Speedway

By Jerry Mackey MAQUOKETA, Iowa (Oct. 17-19, 2024) – The final race of the 2024 season was held this past weekend at the Maquoketa Speedway as the Iowa Dirt Nationals were run with three near perfect weather days greeting record-setting car counts and large crowds. The action got underway on Thursday, Oct. 17with a practice session and the makeup features of the All Star Classic that was cut short back on Sept. 14 due to rain. Ethan Braaksma scored the win in the Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature, David Brandies topped the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car main event, Brayton Carter raced to the win in the Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods and Eric Knutson took the win the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks. Friday was opening night of the Iowa Dirt Nationals with 206 competitors packing the infield on the Jackson County Fairgrounds. Winners on Friday night included Drew Janssen in the Modifieds, Brandon Schmitt took top honors in the Stock Cars, Carter scored the win by inches in the SportMod feature and Knutson took the checkers [Read More]

Winter Nationals title gives boost to Baca in race to second straight IMCA Modified national crown

MESA, Ariz. (Oct. 16, 2024) – After penciling out his 2024 race schedule, Chaz Baca figured he had a pretty good shot at winning a second straight Friesen Performance IMCA national championship. And after racing to a confidence boosting IMCA.TV Winter Nationals crown, he did just that. “It was a goal from the start this year. We saw the weekly schedules that we were going to be able to do in Arizona and thought we’d have plenty of races to be able to do it again,” explained the Mesa speedster, who’d become the first driver from Arizona to win an IMCA national crown last year. “After the way Winter Nationals went, we thought we had a pretty good shot at it and we just ran for it right away.” Baca totaled a single-season best 28 feature wins in his ninth Modified campaign while adding his fourth Shaw Race Cars Western Region crown in five years and fifth straight and career seventh Arizona State title to his IMCA resume. He also won Modified track titles at [Read More]

IMCA announces 2024 national champions

VINTON, Iowa (Oct. 15, 2024) – Record-setting racers and first-time kings and a queen are among the 2024 national champions announced today by IMCA. Mike Nichols’ 13th IMCA Sunoco Stock Car crown is the most all-time in IMCA while Cory Dumpert’s sixth straight IMCA Sunoco Late Model title sets a new record for the sanctioning body in its modern (1979-) era. Kaylee Richards became the first driver to win both a national championship, in the Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compacts, and Lady Eagle award. Other first-time national champs were Lee Goos Jr. in the IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car and Jeff Shepperd in the Smiley’s Racing Products IMCA Southern SportMods. Matthew Looft’s Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod title was his career seventh, Dillon Raffurty’s Stealth Racing IMCA STARS Mod Lite crown his career fourth. Chaz Baca went back-to-back in the Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds and Cory Probst topped the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock standings for the second time. A 30-time feature winner, Nichols complemented his latest national title with EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region and Crawford County Speedway, [Read More]

Wray checks forecast, then checks out at Beatrice Octoberfest

BEATRICE, Neb. (Oct. 11-12, 2024) – Cory Wray checked the forecast, then he checked out. The Friesen Performance IMCA Modified hotshoe from Trenton, Mo., made his first visit to Beatrice Speedway in five years for the season-ending Octoberfest special, leading all 25 laps of Saturday’s $2,000 to win feature. “We looked at the weather, saw it was going to be nice and decided to race one more weekend,” said Wray, newly eligible to qualify for the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational. “It was a good way to end the season.” He’d started third and took the lead coming to the line at the end of lap one. A lap four caution bunched the field back together but Wray pulled away and was running in traffic late in the contest. Johnny Saathoff was second, Braxton Yeager third. Justin Zeitner motored from 15th starting to fourth for hard charger honors. Jordan Grabouski, most recently a three-time Octoberfest main event winner in 2020, topped Friday’s $1,000 to win feature for the Modifieds and both $750 to win features for the [Read More]

Berry brings broom to Batesville’s IMCA Race for Hope 71

BATESVILLE, Ark. (Oct. 12, 2024) – The last thing Tom Berry Jr. loaded in his trailer Saturday night was the broom. Berry completed his three-night sweep of Batesville Motor Speedway’s Race for Hope 71, leading all 71 laps of the $7,500 to win Friesen Performance IMCA Modified main event. Coupled with $2,500 feature wins Thursday and Friday and a $2,500 bonus for winning all three nights, his weekend take added up to $15,000. “It was an awesome payday,” acknowledged Berry, already Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifying eligible. “I had it in my mind going down there that I might be able to win three in a row if everything worked out the way we needed it to.” “Also, I was alone this weekend. I had no crew, it was just me and my dog Sidekick,” he added. “I had a few people jump in and help me with the fuel stop but other than that it was a one man band all weekend, so to run that good being alone was pretty cool.” Berry, third [Read More]

Czarneski stars at 141 Car Wars finale

By Joe Verdegan FRANCIS CREEK, Wis. (Oct. 11, 2024) – 2024 track champion Cole Czarneski stormed past Shawn Kilgore on a lap nine restart into the lead and cruised to victory in the Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature at 141 Speedway’s Car Wars curtain closer. The victory was worth $2,000 and Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifying eligibility for the second-generation ace. Kilgore swapped the lead with fellow front row starter Cody Apfelbeck for the first several circuits. While that scrum was going on up front, Czarneski, who started 10th on the grid, quickly threaded his way through traffic, jumping into the third spot on lap four. Czarneski quickly closed in on the lead duo and a three car duel quickly evolved for the lead. Czarneski worked the high line inches from the concrete retaining wall and the lead trio began weaving through lapped cars by lap eight. A lap nine yellow tightened up the field and when racing resumed, Czarneski made his move. Czarneski skillfully weaved his way through those lapped cars and fought off a [Read More]

2025 IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National Point Standings

Ties are broken by 40 point finishes, then 39 point finishes, 38, 37, etc. Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds – 1. Chaz Baca, Mesa, Ariz., 655; 2. Luke Silber, Laveen, Ariz., 458; 3. Kollin Hibdon, Pahrump, Nev., 442; 4. Troy III Morris, Bakersfield, Calif., 382; 5. Tate Johnson, Homestead, Montana, 340; 6. Bryson Yeager, Green River, Wyoming, 333; 7. Logan Drake, San Luis Obispo, Calif., 332; 8. Jerry Flippo, Rockford, Iowa, 329; 9. Clifton (C. R.) Eisenzimer, Cascade, Montana, 324; 10. Braxton Yeager, Green River, Wyoming, 319; 11. Ethan Braaksma, Newton, Iowa, 316; 12. Tyson Blood, Tumwater, Washington, 303; 13. Michael Egurola, Marana, Ariz., 302; 14. Eston Whisler, Otis, Oregon, 291; 15. Jonathan Mawhinney, Las Vegas, Nev., 279; 16. Brandon Beckendorf, Danube, Minn., 271; 17. Ian Whisler, Otis, Oregon, 265; 18. Jeremy Mills, Clear Lake, Iowa, 264; 19. Dylan Thornton, Belle Plaine, Iowa, and Ricky “WW1” Alvarado, Hotchkiss, Colo., both 259. IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars – 1. Shelby Williams, Bonham, Texas, 588; 2. Mike Albertsen, Audubon, Iowa, 586; 3. Kaden Woodie, Milaca, Minn., 497; 4. Larry [Read More]