Northern SportMod Archives

Banks Blasts from Thirteenth to First at Lincoln County

By Suzan McCoy NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (Apr. 26, 2025) — D.J. Banks stole the show Saturday night at Lincoln County Raceway, roaring from 13th on the grid to the front of the pack to win an electrifying Sunoco IMCA Stock Car feature. The driver out of Brush, Colorado made his move just past the halfway mark and never looked back, collecting both the victor’s purse and his first EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region triumph of 2025. Robert Leonard and Tyler Barribo completed the podium after a hard-fought battle behind him. In the Karl Chevrolet IMCA Northern SportMods, Jacob Olmstead of Overton thrilled fans with a masterful drive from 10th to first. It took Olmstead only ten laps to claim the lead, and once he got out front, he remained unchallenged to secure his first win of the new campaign. Joseph Cooper and Ryan Arbogast ran strong races to finish second and third. The Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stock feature was packed with excitement. Zach Olmstead picked up his fourth B&B Racing Chassis Northern Region win of the [Read More]

Logan Veloz Takes First Late Model Win at Davenport

By Mike McGuire DAVENPORT, Iowa (Apr. 25, 2025) — Logan Veloz scored his first ever Sunoco IMCA Late Model feature win. The 21-year-old Colona, Illinois driver took the lead of the race on lap 3 and never looked back. Veloz becomes the third different Late Model feature winner at Davenport in as many races this season. Travis Denning started on the pole in the race and led the first two laps before finishing second. Evan Miller was third. The full field of Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds was sprinkled with some top-name talent. Wisconsin’s Skyler Woods jumped out to the early lead in the 20-lap main. However, the race would be halted by a red flag on lap 5. An eight-car pile-up on the frontstretch blocked most of the track. All drivers involved were able to walk away from the incident. On the restart, Woods resumed the lead, but now with Spencer Diercks on his rear bumper. Spencer would grab the top spot on lap 10 and pace the field the rest of the way. Ben Chapman [Read More]

Season Opener and Cliff Chambers Memorial Set for Friday at Marshalltown Speedway

By Jerry Vansickel MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (Apr. 27, 2025) — Mother Nature looks to be a race fan this Friday night as Marshalltown Speedway kicks off its 62nd Annual Season Opener, highlighted by the annual UAW Local 893 Cliff Chambers Memorial. Each year, the event honors one of the great promoters in the track’s storied history. Cliff Chambers was instrumental in keeping weekly racing alive on the famed 1/4-mile high-banked clay oval for many years, and this memorial race continues his lasting legacy. The chase to Championship Friday begins in all of our weekly divisions: Karl Chevrolet IMCA Modifieds, Sunoco IMCA Stock Cars, Karl Chevrolet IMCA Northern SportMods, Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stocks, Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compacts, and Stealth Racing IMCA STARS Mod Lites. Friday’s program begins with pit gates opening at 5:15 p.m., grandstands opening at 5:30 p.m., and hot laps at 6:30 p.m. with racing to follow. Grandstand admission is $15 for adults, $10 for veterans, seniors (65+), and students ages 11-17. Kids 10 and under are free with a paid adult. Pit passes are $35 [Read More]

Morris Steals Late Model Win in Final Turn Drama

By Jerry Mackey MAQUOKETA, Iowa (Apr. 26, 2025) — Fans at Maquoketa Speedway were treated to a heart-pounding finish in the 25-lap Sunoco IMCA Late Model main event. Travis Denning appeared poised to go back-to-back, but a thrilling final-turn scramble in traffic opened the door for Mitch Morris. As the leaders split a lapped car coming to the checkers, Morris shot low while Denning went high, with Logan Veloz charging right behind them. Morris edged ahead at the line for his first win of the 2025 campaign, with Veloz nipping Denning for the runner-up spot. Mohr Muscles to First Modified Win of the Year The Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds was another hotly contested race with the final outcome not decided until the final turns of their 20-lap main event. Charlie Mohr raced Shane Paris for several laps before Mohr was able to secure the top spot. A late race caution bunched the field and the last couple of laps saw the Top 5 positions being swapped as the race wound down to the checkers. At the [Read More]

Andersen Scores First Stock Car Victory at Eagle Raceway

By Greg Soukup EAGLE, Neb. (Apr. 26, 2025) — A longtime competitor in the Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds, Chad Andersen broke through in a big way Saturday night at Eagle Raceway, scoring his first career win in the Sunoco IMCA Stock Car division. Andersen took over the top spot on lap 10 after a thrilling, multi-lap battle with John Anderson, then held off late pressure to secure the EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region victory. Anderson, who led early, remained a threat throughout the 20-lap contest, while Mason Richards raced his way into third. A caution with just three laps to go bunched the field, but Andersen kept his composure to seal the milestone win in front of an enthusiastic Eagle crowd. Teen Star Jack Thomas Captures Sprint Car Victory Brandon Bosma was first back to the flag stand on the opening lap of the RaceSaver IMCA Sprint Car feature. Bosma already started picking off lapped cars on lap 6 before a caution came out. Jack Thomas took advantage of a bobble by Bosma with ten circuits [Read More]

Van Hoff Scores Breakthrough SportMod Win at Ocean

By Gary Thomas WATSONVILLE, Calif. (Apr. 25, 2025) — For the second event in a row the Karl Chevrolet IMCA SportMods put on an action filled 20-lap main feature. Chowchilla’s Emali Van Hoff brought home the Ocean Speedway title last year without winning a main event, while using extreme consistency. On Friday night she was determined to check off a main event win and had some tremendous battles with Trent Golden, K.C. Keller and others. The SportMods ran high and low on the well-prepared Watsonville bullring. Van Hoff led some before falling to second but regained the lead around the halfway point. She went on to claim the big triumph over Keller and previous feature winner Bo Crebs racing the no. 168 for car owner Jerry Movrich. It was the Lady Eagle racer’s first win of 2025. The event was streamed live on IMCA TV affiliate Stars On Dirt TV. Replays are available through the IMCA TV Replay Subscription for $24.99/month. Already subscribed? Be sure to check out Season 2 of the Boone Docuseries, now streaming [Read More]

Wells Earns First Stock Car Win at CJ Speedway

By Jerry Mackey COLUMBUS JUNCTION, Iowa (Apr. 25, 2025) – 18-year-old Dana Wells of Wilton is only in his sophomore season in a race car, but the young man has shown that he will be a strong contender in the very tough Sunoco IMCA Stock Car class. Wells advanced from a third-row start and set his sights on race leader Austin Kemper. The two young drivers battled for several laps before Wells took control and raced on to win his career first in the division and the EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region. Kemper was second, and eighth-starting Dustin Vis came through the pack to finish in the third spot. A couple of local hot shoes put on a good show in the Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds. Kurt Kile and Brandon Banks raced very hard for the win on Friday night, with Kile prevailing when the checkers flew. It was the first win of 2025 in the Razor Chassis North Central Region for the Nichols native. Banks settled for second ahead of Adam Shelman in the main [Read More]

Ware Thrills Hometown Fans With Stock Car Victory at US 30 Speedway Opener

By P.J. Pedersen COLUMBUS, Neb. (Apr. 17, 2025) — Jeff Ware picked up an exciting Sunoco IMCA Stock Car feature win at Abe’s US 30 Speedway during the 2025 season opener, which marked the 39th year of racing at the Columbus speed plant. The Columbus native thrilled his hometown crowd with the victory, his first of the season in EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region competition. Dana Rasmussen started on the pin, but going into turn one, he was immediately under attack from Scott Smith and a host of others. By the halfway point, Smith had fallen back just a bit, but two new players had checked into the fight as ninth starting Austin Brauner and multi-time track champ Jeff Ware were now in the fray. But in the end, Ware and Brauner were too much. Ware would obtain the lead and would score the win. Brauner and Rasmussen were the rest of the podium finishers, in second and third. When the green flag dropped for the Sunoco IMCA Late Model main event, six-time National champ Cory [Read More]

Killingsworth Stuns in Modified Debut at Southern Oregon Opener

By Ben Deatherage WHITE CITY, Ore. (Apr. 19, 2025) – Ethan Killingsworth turned heads Saturday night at Southern Oregon Speedway, winning his Friesen Performance IMCA Modified debut in commanding fashion. The defending Karl Chevrolet IMCA Northern SportMod track champion took the lead early and never looked back, capturing the $2,000 top prize in the 25-lap main event. Kevin Pendergrass led early before a lap one caution bunched up the field. Killingsworth then executed a textbook move to the front and dominated the top groove of the 3/8-mile oval. Eston Whisler battled with Pendergrass for second before pulling away to attempt a challenge on Killingsworth. A caution with 11 to go set up a restart, but the Yreka, California chauffeur remained smooth and composed up top, pulling away in the final laps for his first career Shaw Race Cars Western Region victory. Whisler finished second, while his 17-year-old brother Ian Whisler completed the podium. Braaten Bags First SportMod Win of 2025 in Dominant Run Four-time Oregon State champion Jorddon Braaten was untouchable in the 25-lap Karl Chevrolet [Read More]

Ryland Outduels Ryan in Sensational SportMod Photo Finish at Antioch

By Candice Martin ANTIOCH, Calif. (Apr. 19, 2025) — Brentwood’s Fred Ryland won the 20-lap Karl Chevrolet IMCA Northern SportMod main event in a near photo finish victory over Jason Ryan Jr at Antioch Speedway. This was the 40th career SportMod win for the three-time track champion, but first of 2025. Ryland led the field to the green flag ahead of Al Johnson and Jeff Bentancourt. A yellow flag waved after three laps for Scott Savell. Ryland continued to lead Johnson on the restart with Danny Wagner settling into third. An inside pass on the front stretch of the sixth lap put Danny Wagner into second with Kenny Shrader settling into third. Ryland had a big lead erased when Alfred Johnson spun in turn three for a lap 10 yellow flag. Ryland led Wagner on the restart with Ryan moving into third, but a multi-car tangle in turn four brought out another yellow flag on lap 11. When it was all sorted out, Ryland continued to lead Wagner and Ryan. Ryan slipped past Wagner for second [Read More]