Sport Compact Archives

Win by Wittkopf comes on emotional night at 141

FRANCIS CREEK, Wis. (April 13, 2024) – Robert Wittkopf doesn’t believe there could be a better night to win at 141 Speedway than on opening night. Especially this year. After carrying the black flag remembering his father Rodney during pre-race ceremonies at Francis Creek, the Green Bay driver led the last 19 of 20 laps in winning the Saturday night Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod main event. “We lost dad to cancer last November. He’d been with me from the start of my career and was my biggest supporter,” said Wittkopf, “whether working on the car or at the track. He was always there.” “There was an amazing amount of emotions from the start of the night to the end, to say the least. It kind of felt like he was still there with me,” Wittkopf added. “You couldn’t have asked for a better opening night.” The win was just his career second in the class and first-ever at 141. Forty-eight Northern SportMods were entered, with five heats and three ‘B’ features needed to fill [Read More]

Opening night checkers at Indee are record tying third for Cordes

INDEPENDENCE, Iowa (April 13, 2024) – Troy Cordes was quick to put a tough 2023 season in the rearview. Cordes won the opening night feature for Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds for the record-tying third time Saturday at Independence Motor Speedway. The checkers were also his career 143rd in the class dating back to 1996. “Last year we struggled pretty hard and only won once, at Columbus Junction,” said the Dunkerton driver. “Hopefully we’ll be back on track this season.” Cordes already had opening night trophies from 2000 and 2020 on his mantle. In addition to matching Vern Jackson’s mark with his third opening night Modified win, he also put an end to the streak of 19 different opening night winners in the division at Indee. “It’s a good way to start the year. Independence is 20 minutes from home and it’s where I grew up,” said Cordes, who leads all Modified drivers at Independence with seven career track titles and 53 feature wins. “We’ve been coming here every Saturday night since I started racing.” Modifieds have run [Read More]

Clay County Frost Buster win is IMCA Stock Car first for Fett

SPENCER, Iowa (April 15, 2024) – Just how exciting was the finish of the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car feature Monday at Clay County Fair Speedway? Winner Colby Fett had watched the replay on IMCA.TV three times and was still searching for all the right words to describe it the next morning. “I had tested one of Kelly Shryock’s cars a couple years ago but this was my first official real go race, go for it night in a Stock Car,” said Fett. “We put some older stuff on (all four tires dated from last year) and went out to put on some laps. We wanted to finish in the top 10 and bring the car home in one piece.” Wheeling the B & B Skyrocket piloted last season by Troy Swearingen, Fett ran third in his heat and started the main event outside row four. “I had to get by some really good guys to get to the front. To pass Jeffrey Larson was a big deal. I have a lot of respect for all [Read More]

License eligibility spelled out in IMCA general, divisional rules

VINTON, Iowa (April 15, 2024) – IMCA drivers will still be allowed to compete in specified, multiple divisions this season. What they won’t be doing, however, is changing divisions multiple times, especially when it comes time to racing in high-paying specials. Both general rules and divisional rules posted on the IMCA website now specify which divisions drivers can compete in when purchasing licenses in two or more classes; what’s spelled out in black and white is the time they’ll have to wait when switching between restricted divisions. “For example, if a driver with a Modified license switches to a Northern or Southern SportMod, they have to stay in the new division for 12 calendar months from the date they changed divisions,” said IMCA President Brett Root. “What we’ve seen primarily is drivers making that switch to race in higher-paying specials held prior to or after the end of the point season. In no way is it fair for SportMod drivers who support their weekly tracks during the season to race against Modified or Late Model [Read More]

RPM opens with Community Giveback Night lidlifter

By Sheldon Wickwar HAYS, KAN. (April 13, 2024) – Seventy-nine race teams checked into the legendary RPM Speedway for opening night of the IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing point season. Visiting victory lane were Dakota Sproul in the Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds, Troy Burkhart in the IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, Morgan Olmstead in the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks, Hunter Smith in the Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods and Gage Porter in the Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compacts. Sport Compacts started the show off with Connor Schwien grabbing the early lead in their 15-lap feature. Kiowa Higdon got to second by lap two while Kevin Tremblay and Porter battled side-by-side for third. Schwien lost the lead to Gage Porter behind a slowing car and Porter brought the field back to a restart with seven laps to go. The top five battled nose-to-tail for the next few laps. Schwien regained the race lead with two laps to go, but Porter battled back on the last lap and regained the lead out of turn four as Schwien went rolling [Read More]

Shryock takes crown in King of the Highbanks at Marshalltown

By Joyce Eisele MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (April 12, 2024) – Kelly Shryock already has 5,000 reasons to celebrate the start of his 40th racing season. The veteran from Fertile topped Friday’s King of the Highbanks main event for IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars at Marshalltown Speedway, taking the $5,000 checkers ahead of defending race winner Jeffrey Abbey. Now guaranteed a starting spot in the B & B Racing Chassis All-Star Invitational, Shryock started from the pole and took the lead as the race went green, with Dallon Murty in second and Boyd, Texas charger Abbey third. Those three ran closely in the opening portion of the race, with Murty seeking high and low for a way around Shryock and Abbey just waiting for a bobble from either. At halfway, it was still the same running order for the top three but seventh place starter Cole Czarneski had joined them and was giving chase. A yellow flew on lap 30 and again on lap 37; when the race restarted after the final caution, Abbey was able to sneak by Murty [Read More]

IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National Point Standings through April 11, 2024

Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds – 1. Chaz Baca, Mesa, Ariz., 956; 2. Troy Morris III, Bakersfield, Calif., 879; 3. Kollin Hibdon, Pahrump, Nev., 608; 4. William “Bill” Miller, Yuma, Ariz., 528; 5. Tim Ward, Harcourt, Iowa, 520; 6. Grey Ferrando, Stayton, Ore., 407; 7. Devon Reed, Woodland, Wash., 389; 8. Jerry Flippo, Osage, Iowa, 363; 9. Spencer Wilson, Minot, N.D., 361; 10. Michael Leach, Sun River, Mont., 341; 11. Tyson Blood, Tumwater, Wash., 334; 12. Austin Kuehl, Cave Creek, Ariz., 311; 13. Braxton Yeager, Green River, Wy., 297; 14. Jonathan Mawhinney, Las Vegas, Nev., 296; 15. Ethan Braaksma, Des Moines, Iowa, 290; 16. Mike Dimond, Rapid City, S.D., 278; 17. Owen Barnhill, Milton, Fla., 276; 18. Eddie Belec, Arvada, Colo., 267; 19. Jeremy Mills, Clear Lake, Iowa, and Chuck Grohnke, Mesa, Ariz., both 265. IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Cars – 1. Chad Wilson, North Richland Hills, Texas, 139; 2. Corby Scherb, Decatur, Texas, 128; 3. Cody Price, Princeton, Texas, 111; 4. Conner Thomas, Post, Texas, 109; 5. Dillan Baldwin, Taylorsville, Ky., 105; 6. Daniel “D.J.” Estes Jr., Fort [Read More]

Joey Hergott Memorial starts IMCA weekly point season at Beatrice

BEATRICE, Neb. (April 12, 2024) – Beatrice Speedway remembers a long-time race fan and racing supporter on opening night Friday, April 26. The inaugural Joey Hergott Memorial sees Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods in the spotlight, running for $2,024 to win and a minimum of $200 to start. Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds run for $1,224 to win, $100 to start and Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifying eligibility, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars run for $1,024 to win, $124 to start and B & B Racing Chassis All-Star qualifying eligibility. Rounding out the race card are IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks in a $524 to win feature, Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compacts in a $175 to win main event and Stealth Racing IMCA STARS Mod Lites. Purses will be increased as additional donations are received. A new Hoosier racing tire will be awarded to both hard charger and a mystery position finisher in Modified, Stock Car and Northern SportMod features, a new Primewell tire to the hard charger and mystery position finisher in the Hobby Stock main. Zeitner & [Read More]

Top 10 locked in for Marshalltown’s King of the High Banks

April 11, 2024 By Joyce Eisele MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (April 11, 2024) – Drivers from all over the United States made their way to the fast quarter-mile Marshalltown Speedway for night one of the King of the High Banks show Thursday night. There were 150 cars in competition with 55 IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars on hand to start qualifying for their $5,000 to win finale on Friday. Also on the docket were Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds, Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks, Stealth Racing IMCA STARS Mod Lites and Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compacts. Stock Cars ran two sets of heat races to earn passing points for their big 50-lap feature coming up Friday. The top 10 in locked in for that race are Kelly Shryock, Fertile; Dallon Murty, Chelsea; defending race winner Jeffrey Abbey of Boyd, Texas; Dylan Thornton, Keystone; Elijah Zevenbergen, Ocheyedan; Derek Green of Granada, Minn.; Cole Czarneski of Denmark, Wis.; Joel Rust, Grundy Center; Austin Kaplan, Collins; and Jake McBirnie, Boone. Last-chance qualifying races will complete the starting field for the [Read More]

WaKeeney opens with IMCA Blizzard Bash Dash

WaKEENEY, Kan. (April 9, 2024) – The green flag flies again this season at WaKeeney Speedway, with five IMCA divisions running at the Friday and Saturday, April 19 and 20 Buzzard Bash Dash. Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds run for $1,000 to win, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars for $750 to win and both IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks and Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods for $600 to win each night. Modified winners become eligible to qualify for the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational, Stock Car winners for the B & B Racing Chassis All-Star Invitational. Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compacts run Friday only for $200 to win. IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National, regional, Kansas State and track points will be awarded for both draw/redraw shows. Entry fee for the weekend is $100 for Modifieds, $75 for Stock Cars, $50 for SportMods and Hobby Stocks, and $20 for Sport Compacts. Pit gates open at 4 p.m. Friday. The grandstand opens at 5:30 p.m. with hot laps at 6 p.m. and racing at 7 p.m. On Saturday, the pits open [Read More]