Feature Archives

McDowell, Raffurty are Mod Lite Saturday stars at Boone

Jaedon McDowell will start from the pole in the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s main event, after winning Saturday’s first qualifying feature for STARS Mod Lites at Boone Speedway. (Photo by Bruce Badgley, Motorsports Photography) BOONE, Iowa (Aug. 31, 2024) – Two STARS Mod Lite drivers with some unfinished business at Boone Speedway took care of business Saturday night. Jaedon McDowell raced from 10th, Dillon Raffurty from 12th in winning their respective IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s qualifying features. McDowell, from Murfreesboro, Tenn., will start on the pole in Sunday’s $2,000 to win big dance, while Kansas City, Mo., ‘shoe Raffurty takes the green from the front of the middle row. A Super Nationals record 78 Stealth Racing IMCA STARS Mod Lites were among the 416 cars competing at Iowa’s Action Track, another new mark for opening night of the NAPA Auto Parts Double Down Prelude. “It felt amazing. Last year we came out here and couldn’t even get a heat win. Tonight we came out and did both. Hopefully tomorrow [Read More]

Cody Thompson got a huge dose of momentum headed to Boone with his $10,000 Friesen Performance IMCA Modified win at Rocket Raceway Park’s Bryan Mize Memorial, (Photo by Stacy Kolar, Southern Sass Photography)

Thompson towers above IMCA Modified foes at Paris

PARIS, Texas (Aug. 31, 2024) – He didn’t know for sure where on the track he needed to be but Cody Thompson ended up in the place he wanted to be Saturday night. The Sioux City, Iowa, speedster led the last half of the 40-lap Bryan Mize Memorial main event at Rocket Raceway Park, earning a career-best $10,000 Friesen Performance IMCA Modified payday. One of 47 IMCA entries at the 10th annual event, Thompson started the big show from sixth, was quickly up to third, snuck under pole starter Jared Maupin for second and then rode in the runner-up spot several circuits before reeling in Matthew Day. “I kind of wanted to be where he (Day) was at but I didn’t know if I needed to be on the bottom right around the tires or in the middle,” Thompson admitted. “There’d be times when I’d leap out ahead of him and there’d be times he’d leap out ahead of me.” “I really didn’t know what to expect because I’m not super familiar with that place or [Read More]

Trevor Grossenbacher was first to the checkers in the Friday night qualifying feature at the IMCA RaceSaver Nationals. (Photo by Joe Orth)

Grossenbacher is first in Friday RaceSaver qualifier

By Greg Soukup EAGLE, Neb. (Aug. 30, 2024) – Thursday was to have been a practice night to allow time for participants in the IMCA Racesaver Nationals to get acclimated to the high banks of Eagle Raceway, but that evil deity Mother Nature decided to gift us with her liquid sunshine. That caused the Eagle officials to call off the night’s events. But Friday saw a beautiful day with lots of sunshine and lots of race teams in the pits just waiting to put on a show for the fans and attempt to lock themselves into the inside nine rows of Sunday’s Big Dance. In all, 106 IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Cars filled the pits. Lap one of the Sprint Car feature saw Billy Alley and Shayle Bade make contact with Alley spinning and causing the cars behind him to bunch up. Zach Rhodes then made contact with Koby Werkmeister, sending Rhodes flipping. Rhodes’ car was pushed to the pits while Alley drove to the pits for repair and rejoined the field. The restart saw Stu [Read More]

Cody Laney cruised to the $1,000 checkers and Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifying eligibility, winning Friday’s Showdown at MoTown feature for Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds. (Photo by Tom Macht, www.photofinishphotos.com)

$1K ShowDown at MoTown wins to Laney, Freeburg

By Joyce Eisele MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (Aug. 31, 2024) – The Karl Auto Group ShowDown in MoTown was held at the Marshalltown Speedway on Friday with a whopping 178 cars from all across the United States tuning up for the upcoming IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. Cody Laney would take the honors in the Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds and Austin Kaplan won the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car feature. Jenae Gustin repeated her win from last year’s ShowDown in MoTown when she took the checkers in the Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods. Bradly Graham won the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock feature, Brandon Freeburg won the Stealth Racing IMCA STARS Mod Lite main and Michael Gardner won the Mach-1 Sport Compact feature. Feature racing kicked off with the 16-lap Northern SportMod event. Hometown racer Gustin started third on the grid, grabbed the lead immediately and held that top position the entire run to the checkers. Jake Sachau started seventh and tried chasing down Gustin but had nothing for her and had to settle for second place. Third went [Read More]

Record pre-entries for 42nd annual Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s

BOONE, Iowa (Aug. 30, 2024) – They say records are made to be broken. That’s become the theme for the Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. Just two days after the number of pre-entries for the 42nd annual event eclipsed the 1,000 mark for the third consecutive year, a new Super Nationals pre-entry record was set when Danube, Minnesota’s Shaun Bruns became the 1,054th entry for America’s Racin’ Vacation. Bruns was the 279th IMCA Sunoco Stock Car to register, also a pre-entry record. New early registration marks were also established with 84 STARS IMCA Mod Lites and 27 IMCA Sunoco Late Models. There are 241 Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds entered, along with 182 Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods, 164 IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks and 77 Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compacts. The Hobby Stocks and SportMods are also nearing record pre-registration totals. Among the 1,054 entries so far, 30 states are represented, along with two Canadian provinces and Australia. The complete list of drivers who are registered so far include: MODIFIED Chris Abelson, Sioux City, IA Michael Ables [Read More]

IMCA Super Nationals entries top 1,000 for third straight year

BOONE, Iowa (Aug. 28, 2024) – Early entries for the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s have raced past the 1,000 mark for a third consecutive year. Late Model driver Sean Johnson of Independence, the Super Nationals Stock Car champion in 2011, became the 1,000th driver to pre-register for the Sept. 2-7 Super Nationals at Boone Speedway on Wednesday morning. The Stock Cars (275), STARS Mod Lites (77) and Late Models (24) have all topped individual division records. Entries for the are now in hand from 29 states, two Canadian provinces and Australia. Seven more entries followed Johnson’s mid-morning. “These are numbers that prove a lot of IMCA racers want to be a part of our marquee event,” said IMCA President Brett Root. “There are many opportunities for IMCA racers to compete for very large purses but there is only one IMCA Super Nationals and one Boone Speedway.” Modified, Stock Car, Northern SportMod, Hobby Stock, Mod Lite and Sport Compact drivers can continue to pre-register right up until their respective NAPA Auto Parts Double [Read More]

They’ll be smokin’ hot at the IMCA Southern SportMod Super Nationals

KENNEDALE, Texas (Aug. 28, 2024) – Call the fire department right now, James Lopez knows he’s going to have a barnburner on his hands. More than 60 drivers are already pre-registered for the third annual IMCA Southern SportMod Super Nationals powered by Smiley’s Racing Products, coming up Sept. 5-7 at Lopez’ Kennedale Speedway Park. Each and every one of those drivers comes to town aiming to take the $5,000 top check in the Saturday main event. “We’ve already got a packed field entered. There’s a bunch of guys coming who are way fast not just at their home track but wherever they race,” said Lopez. “There will be a lot of good cars out there.” An open practice on Thursday, Sept. 5 will be followed at about 8:30 p.m. by All-Star qualifying, open to any driver who has won at least one sanctioned feature this season, and then by a party in the pits sponsored by Generation Race Cars. All SportMods run two heats on Friday and lock in the top eight for the main event [Read More]

Gould rings up career 200th IMCA Modified checkers at Bells

CALERA, Okla. (Aug. 24, 2024) – Thirty years ago, William Gould was happy going fast in a straight line. Saturday night, he kept going fast and turning left at Grayson County Speedway in Bells, Texas, winning for the 200th time in his Friesen Performance IMCA Modified career. “It’s another accomplishment and I’m proud of it. I was glad to get it done and move on to bigger and better things, and hopefully a lot more wins,” said the Calera, Okla., speedster, IMCA’s national champion in 2013 and now the ninth driver in division history to reach the 200 win mark. “I’m looking forward to next week and the week after. You’re only as good as your last win. That’s why we race.” His IMCA resume also boasts six GRT Race Cars South Central Regional crowns, plus nine track and six state titles. “My dad and his brothers, they all raced and I was a hot rodder. I had a 1970 Camaro and I was content doing that,” said Gould, now 51. “I was street racing and [Read More]

Braaksma rides IMCA Modified momentum to Fayette County win

WEST UNION, Iowa (Aug. 23, 2024) – Ethan Braaksma had all kinds of momentum on his side when he pulled into the pit area at Fayette County Speedway Friday night. He rode that momentum straight to victory lane, winning the Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature and $1,200 on opening night of the Fall Finale. “I feel pretty confident going to momentum race tracks and coming from go kart racing, I feel like Fayette County is one of those,” explained Braaksma, who’d also won the Rage 40 special at West Union in July. “I like when the track is slick and I can just roll around it. You have to get up on the wheel but at the same time keep the tires underneath you and you should be pretty good.” He was pretty good from the drop of the green, starting from the pole and leading the distance of a 25-lapper interrupted by four cautions. Braaksma hit lapped traffic late but put some real estate on teammate and crew chief Drew Janssen, debuting a new [Read More]

Morris has prescription for special win at Bakersfield

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (Aug. 17, 2024) – Troy Morris III had the right prescription for winning the race dedicated to the memory of The Race Doctor. Morris led 46 of 50 Friesen Performance IMCA Modified circuits Saturday at hometown Bakersfield Speedway, topping the Mike Moshier Classic ahead of Gavyn Manning. The win, Morris’ 10th this season and Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot qualifying sixth, paid $1,200. Moshier, aka The Race Doctor, was the long-time announcer at Bakersfield and died in 2015 at the age of 69. “This win was special,” said Morris. “I grew up listening to him (Moshier) announce at the track. He called my first win and interviewed me when I was six and racing a mini dwarf.” Morris got to the front early from his inside row three start and built a seven second advantage before the scheduled stoppage at lap 25. Tyler Blankenship found his way to the lead following the restart with Manning challenging in third; issues at the front, however, saw Blankenship drive off to the work area and Morris restart at the [Read More]