Feature Archives

“Speedy” Bill Smith crosses the Finish Line

LINCOLN, Neb. – Victory Lane fell silent this weekend as the performance automotive community lost a pioneering racer, hot rodder and entrepreneur. “Speedy” Bill Smith, founder and owner of Speedway Motors, died May 30 at his home in Lincoln, Neb., just weeks before his 85th birthday. He is survived by four sons, their wives, ten grandchildren and an extended family of Speedway Motors employees and thousands of loyal customers. A Lincoln, Neb., native, Smith got hooked on cars early in life and began buying, fixing, and selling Model T’s for profit as a teen. Soon he was racing, first motorcycles, then cars, while attending classes at Nebraska Wesleyan University. After earning a degree in education, Smith followed his automotive passion and opened Speedway Motors in 1952, aided by a $300 loan from his wife Joyce. A combination of passion, tenacity and innovation allowed Smith to grow a small 20×20 storefront into a flourishing mail-order business and manufacturing empire. During its 62 years in business, Speedway Motors has grown to become one of the largest manufacturers, [Read More]

Czarapata wins 100th Stock Car feature at Seymour

By Dave Panske SEYMOUR, Wis. (May 25) – Brandon Czarapata wrote his name in the IMCA history books with his 100th career feature win Sunday at Seymour Speedway. After Travis Springstroh led the opening lap of the Coors Light IMCA Sunoco Stock Car main, Czarapata made a quick move to the outside as the field ran three and four-wide. Czarapata rocketed from the 12th starting spot to the lead on lap 2 before the lone caution of the race appeared. Czarapata quickly took control after the restart and left little doubt who the winner would be, extending his lead to the finish. In addition to his career 100th sanctioned victory, the win was Czarapata’s third straight locally and 34th on the all-time list at Seymour. There was plenty of action for second as Kyle Frederick, John Heinz, Jeremy Wiitala, Springstroh and Rod Snellenberger double and tripled up behind Czarapata. After starting 16th, Barry Van Straten was in perfect rhythm and worked his way into the fray by lap 10. Over the final half of the [Read More]

Grabouski is latest, youngest with 100 Modified career wins

BEATRICE, Neb. (May 23) – A driver who’s proven himself on dirt ovals around the Midwest enjoyed a milestone win at his hometown track Friday night. Jordan Grabouski won the May 23 IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modified feature at Beatrice Speedway. The victory was his career 100th in the sanctioned class. “You have to race a lot to be able to accomplish something like this. It’s a lot of hard work and you have to have a lot of help from your family, your crew and sponsors,” said Grabouski, 25 years old and the youngest driver in division history to reach triple digit wins. “I love to race. I like going to the lake and I like playing golf, but racing is my passion. I wouldn’t be happy if I wasn’t racing.” His first two Modified victories came during the 2006 season. Grabouski earned a personal single-season and division-best 29 checkers in winning the national championship in 2011. “I always want to set my goals really high but 100 Modified wins wasn’t something I ever [Read More]

Fast Shafts All-Star voting will be in July, August

BOONE, Iowa – The same format will be used to determine 28 of the 30 starters for the Sept. 5 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational, during the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. Ninety-eight IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modified drivers are now on the ballot. The final qualifying event will be the July 17 Harris Clash. Using the IMCA website and Facebook page, three drivers from each of the five Modified regions will be elected through electronic polling from July 21 to July 28. Thirteen more will be elected via the IMCA Facebook page from an at-large pool of the next 25 top vote recipients between July 29 and Aug. 5. Winners will be notified and their names announced as soon as possible after each round of voting. Completing the starting grid for the 30-lapper will be All-Star candidates with the top national point total and the most feature wins as of Aug. 28 competing at Super Nationals All-Star drivers will draw for starting positions in the Fan Zone at Boone Speedway on race [Read More]

Ward tops XSAN Hawkeye Dirt Tour opener at I-35

MASON CITY, Iowa (May 26) – A driver from Arizona who won a state championship in Nebraska found success in Iowa Monday night. Tim Ward led most of the XSAN Hawkeye Dirt Tour main event at I-35 Speedway. He’d gotten the front spot back from J.J. Wise before rain forced the IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modified feature to be called after 16 of the scheduled 25 laps. “The car was really good. We were really fast,” said Ward, racing out of Laurens and teammate of 2010 series champion Mike Jergens this season. “I got a good starting spot but I think I could have started further back and still had a chance to get to the front.” Two cautions interrupted the series-opening night contest. Ward slipped under Wise following the second restart to regain the lead. The victory paid $1,000. Ward was already on the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot, having won the Allstar Performance Nebraska State crown last season. Wise, Jesse Sobbing, Ryan Ruter and Jergens rounded out the top five. Ruter and Jergens [Read More]

Guss outruns Rauen for Boone Deery Series checkers

BOONE, Iowa (May 26) – After enjoying a long run at the front early on, Ray Guss Jr. needed to pass Jason Rauen twice in the last two laps to win the Memorial Day Deery Brothers Summer Series feature at Boone Speedway. Guss started on the pole and led the first 30 of 40 laps in the IMCA Late Model tour main event Monday evening. Rauen caught up in traffic however and made his move to the front when Guss was slowed by a lapped car on the lower line on the 31st circuit. The yellow light came on as the Rauen and Guss were coming to the white flag. They’d swap the lead after the restart before a slight bobble by Rauen opened the door again for Guss on the final lap. Once in front, Guss went to the higher line and sped to the $3,000 checkers. Four of his 30 career series wins have now come at Boone. The fifth different winner in as many Deery events this season, Guss was chased across [Read More]

Heinz is May winner for fendered division voting

GREEN BAY, Wis. – No stranger to victory lane, John Heinz has earned another win, this time as voted on by the fans. The IMCA Sunoco Stock Car driver from Green Bay earned the most votes in the Sybesma Graphics Facebook Fan Favorite Contest for fendered divisions for the month of May. He’ll receive a mini hood from Sybesma. The four-time track champion and defending Allstar Performance Wisconsin State titlist is planning another aggressive schedule in 2014 as he expects to compete weekly at Oshkosh Speedzone on Fridays, 141 Speedway in Francis Creek on Saturdays and Seymour Speedway on Sundays. Heinz hopes his busy weekends this season will lead to a national title. “It’s our second year of chasing national points,” said Heinz. “We chased points for the first time last season and ended up fifth.” Simply changing his approach to weekly racing is what Heinz credits as his recent desire to chase national points. “We just wanted to try it once and see what happened,” he stated. “We ran against defending national champion Brandon [Read More]

Top non-fendered honors go to national point leader

By Ryan Clark PHOENIX, Ariz. – One IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modified driver is not only turning heads on the track, but off the track as well. Ryan Roath, the national point leader in the division through mid-May, was also the top vote-getter in the month’s Sybesma Graphics IMCA Facebook Fan Favorite contest. Roath is currently at the top of the standings at Prescott Valley Raceway, sits third at Canyon Speedway Park in Peoria and finished fourth in the Winter Challenge Series. “That’s where we want to be,” stated the Phoenix driver, recipient of a mini-mod door courtesy of Sybesma. “We’re trying to win a track championship this season and the Arizona State championship as well.” While Roath has won a track title in a local stock car division, he is seeking his first in a Modified. “We’ve never really run strong since we won Western Region Rookie of the Year in 2006,” he admitted. “We hope to change that this year.” Being from the West Coast, Roath realizes he’s already put much of his [Read More]

Kay challenged, but not caught in Quad City’s Roberts Memorial Deery

EAST MOLINE, Ill. (May 4) – Justin Kay was challenged but never caught in Sunday’s Hershel Roberts Memorial Deery Brothers Summer Series feature at Quad City Speedway. Kay started on the pole and led all 58 laps of the IMCA Late Model tour event, held in memory of the popular East Moline driver and car owner. Sticking to the lower line all around the oval, the tour point leader took the $3,000 checkers in front of a very full grandstand and ahead of Jeff Aikey, hard charger Joel Callahan, Mike Murphy Jr. and defending series champion Brian Harris. Jason Rauen nipped at Kay’s heels before falling back. Aikey came from 12th starting and Callahan from 17th to join Murphy and Harris in their pursuit of the leader. Restarts gave each the opportunity to challenge Kay but none could catch up after the green flag came back out. Tyler Bruening took a provisional and also advanced 14 spots, to eighth. Aikey won the $250 Sunoco Race Fuels feature qualifier drawing. Random tire samples were taken following [Read More]