Divisions Archives

26 IMCA Modified feature winners become Fast Shafts qualifying eligible

VINTON, Iowa (Oct. 2, 2024) – The month of September saw 24 Friesen Performance IMCA Modified drivers become eligible to qualify to qualify for the 2025 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational, with wins at sanctioned events paying $1,000 or more. Dylan Thornton was champion of the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s and Mitchell Hunt topped the Rage Chassis Race of Champions. Tom Berry Jr. won the first and last of those September events, the 2024 All-Star Invitational and Skagit Speedway’s Survive the 55. Pacing Pettit Shootout mains were Troy Foulger and Andy Obertello while Brad Delamater and Rodney Morgan ruled NY-Penn IMCA Modified Series shows. Kollin Hibdon won at Jamestown Speedway’s Stock Car Stampede, Todd Shute was best at Shelby County Speedway’s Tiny Lund Memorial/Brandon Saltzman Showdown and Travis Hagen took top honors at Dacotah Speedway’s Oktober Fest. Winner of the inaugural John Fose Memorial at WaKeeney Speedway was Daniel Gottschalk. Anthony Roth was first across the stripe in the Abe Lincoln Memorial at US 30 Speedway and Austin Harnick’s season got even [Read More]

Hale bounces back, Baca dominates Castle Country Clash finale

By Ben Deatherage PRICE, Utah (Sept. 28, 2024) – Waylon Hale’s roller coaster weekend ended with a win Saturday, on the final night of the Castle Country Clash at Desert Thunder Raceway. The Mancos, Colo., speedster, second on Thursday and 15th on Friday at Price, was a man on a mission in the Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod main event. Taking control from the opening start, the 17-year-old chauffeur dominated the entire distance ahead of the rest of the competition. Camron Spangler and Shawn Parish completed the rest of the podium in second and third, respectively. Jacob Vasquez was the weekend’s overall champion in the division. Chaz Baca Jr. capped off the last night of the Clash, dominating the Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature to earn his second weekend win. The Mesa, Ariz., driver got the lead early and did not look back once, despite a couple of stoppages as he would win the overall title of the weekend. Kelly Smith started the main event off as the pacesetter but could not hold back the advances [Read More]

Dodson makes a splash at RaceSaver Clash by the Creek

By Jim Haines HAGERSTOWN, Md. (Sept. 28, 2024) – IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Cars showed up in a big way Saturday at Hagerstown Speedway with 53 signed in. When it was all over, Doug Dodson stood on top of the event co-sanctioned by the Laurel Highlands Sprint Series, Pennsylvania Sprint Series and Virginia Sprint Series. John Scarborough and Timmy Bittner paced the 28-car field to green with Bittner out first, Scarborough second and Doug Dodson showing the higher line was working while riding in third. Bittner stayed out front as top three closed up with Dodson using his high line to take second and move on Bittner. Five laps in, Dodson went to the lead and started to check out. Scarborough moved to second as Dave Grube was closing up to Bittner, who found a new groove and made his way back to second, bringing Dave Grube along. Laps were running down as Grube made it to second, leaving Bittner in third and with Dodson now in sight. Grube continued to reel in Dodson but it [Read More]

Spectacular finish to season at Arlington

ARLINGTON, Minn. (Sept. 28, 2024) – The last race of the season saw some spectacular action in both heats and features at Arlington Raceway. Trent Loverude continued his winning ways as he drew the pole, started up front and stayed there in winning the Friesen Performance IMCA Modified main event. Dalton Magers and Todd Stinehart were switching positions for the first 10 laps before Magers brought out a caution and then went into the pit area. By the 12th lap, Dan Menk was challenging but Loverude was able to gain quite a distance and went onto win the race. Menk took second with Stinehart taking third. Loverude won the track championship. The Rice Companies IMCA RaceSaver Sprint car feature saw several yellow flag, the first when Andrew Allen got sideways in turn four and Kyla Anderson got collected into him. Both done for the night. On the restart, another yellow came out when Brett Allen was leading and Matt Johnson came from behind. Both were vying for the same spot in turn four and neither driver [Read More]

Geist gets top spot on Flatlander podium

By Sheldon Wickwar GOODLAND, Kan. (Sept. 28, 2024) – After finishing top three on opening night, Trevor Geist topped the night two feature for Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds at the Sherman County Speedway Flatlander. Geist started outside the front row in the 20-lapper, took the lead at the drop of the green and controlled the feature start to finish on the bottom dominant oval. A couple late race cautions allowed hard charger Jake Nightingale to advance on restarts but was he was unable to track down Geist, who earned $1,000 and Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifying eligibility with the win. Third was Anthony Rhoades. A caution around midway opened the door for Tathan Burkhart in the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car feature. That 20-lap grind started with a front row of Burkhart and Cole Younger. Burkhart led until lap seven, when Jason Rogers got around him. They battled side-by-side for a few laps before Tubbs went for a spin. The restart saw Burkhart get a great run to take charge of the race. He survived a [Read More]

Cedar County Raceway set to host Fall Bash this weekend

By Jerry Mackey TIPTON, Iowa (Oct. 1, 2024) – Darkside Promotions (Tim Current and Ryan Duhme) is anxious to promote the Fall Bash, which has become one of Eastern Iowa’s premier racing events annually. Cedar County Raceway will host three big days of racing beginning Thursday, Oct. 3 and will continue Friday, Oct. 4 and will wrap up on Saturday, Oct. 5. Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds race for $1,200 with a $40 entry fee, IMCA Sunoco Late Models for $1,000 with a $30 entry fee, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars for $750 to win with a $25 entry fee, Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods for $500 to win with a $20 entry fee and IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks for $350 to win and no entry fee on Thursday. On Friday, Modifieds race for $1,500 to win with a $50 entry fee, Stock Cars race for $1,200 to win with a $40 entry fee, SportMods race for $1,000 to win with a $30 entry fee and Hobby Stocks race for $500 to win with a $20 entry [Read More]

Hurst, Braaksma shine at Davenport Dirt Stars show

DAVENPORT, Iowa (Sept. 28, 2024) – He’s been wrenching a lot more than he’s been racing again this season but Jeremiah Hurst still knows how to find the fastest way around the oval. The Dubuque star led all 30 laps of the Dirt Stars main event for IMCA Sunoco Late Models Saturday night at Davenport Speedway, earning $3,000 for his first sanctioned win since 2019, the season after he reigned as national champion in the class. “My brother Ian started racing four years ago and I’ve been helping him,” explained Hurst, who ran a Modified in the Clash on the Coast and had just a handful of starts before running fifth in the Friday show at Davenport. “The car was very, very good and I knew if I could get to the lead and get into lapped traffic, I’d be all right.” Hurst took the initial green from inside row two and was quickly in front, staying on the inside line, catching up with the back of the pack by lap 18 and working through traffic. [Read More]

Berry survives, thrives at Skagit IMCA special

ALGER, Wash. (Sept. 28, 2024) – He was in racing a borrowed car at a track he’d never been to before, but his Saturday night results were familiar to Tom Berry Jr. Berry returned to his Pacific Northwest roots, topping the $10,000 to win Skagit Aggregates Survive the 55 main event for Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds at Skagit Speedway. “It was nice to get back and see a lot of people I haven’t seen for a while,” said the Oregon native, who raced out of North Dakota before moving his dirt track operation to Central Iowa eight year ago. “The facility is very nice and I got to race against a lot of different cars.” “This is the third time I’ve won a race that paid $10,000,” continued Berry, who took home the same amount for winning the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s in 2022, “so this has to rank right up there. There were a lot of tough cars here.” Berry fell back to fourth early in the 55-lapper before starting [Read More]

Obertello, Sanders sail to Pettit IMCA wins at Ocean

WATSONVILLE, Calif. (Sept. 28, 2024) – Andy Obertello has always been a fan of long races. Now he’s the winner of one. Obertello led the last 78 laps of Ocean Speedway’s of Ocean Speedway’s Pettit Memorial main event for Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds, earning a career-best $3,006 payday for his efforts in the 103-lap marathon. “I’m not a rookie to these longer races. I used all the tips and tricks I’ve learned over the years. My main focus was to not overdrive late in the race,” said Obertello. “When I got to fourth I did a double take when I saw (multi-time race winner) Bobby Hogge. I knew I had something developing and I made it happen.” From Hollister and newly eligible for Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifying, Obertello had run fifth in the Friday feature and started eighth in Saturday’s big show. Hogge and Friday winner Troy Foulger both time at the front before Obertello took charge. “I knew we had our work cut out for us but we had a fast car. I had [Read More]

Flatlander checkers fly for Rohleder

By Sheldon Wickwar GOODLAND, Kan. (Sept. 27, 2024) – Kyle Rohleder kept up his winning ways on opening night of the 35th annual Flatlander at Sherman County Speedway. Rohleder’s third Friesen Performance IMCA Modified victory of the season at Goodland was good for $1,000 and Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifying eligibility. Seventy-nine race teams checked in for the night and joining Rohleder in victory lane were Troy Burkhart in the IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, Cody Williams in the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks, Blaine Walt in the Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods and Gage Porter in the Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compacts. The Modified 20-lap feature event started with a front row of Marshal Hoppe and Trevor Geist, with the latter leading until lap three, the circuit that saw a multi-car pileup that ended the night for four of the seven drivers involved. Geist restarted the field but Rohleder sped by to take the lead. There was no catching his Zero numbered machine from that point as the WaKeeney hotshoe was flawless through lapped traffic. Second was [Read More]