Feature Archives

Dakota Tour Set to Launch July 5 with Six Nights of Racing

By Ben Deatherage VINTON, Iowa (June 26, 2026) — One of IMCA’s premier summer tours returns to the Northern Plains when the 2026 Dakota Tour roars to life with six consecutive nights of racing from July 5-10. The popular swing features Karl Kustoms IMCA Modifieds and Sunoco IMCA Stock Cars competing at six tracks across North Dakota and Saskatchewan, testing competitors on a variety of bullrings and high-banked ovals in pursuit of tour championships. The tour opens Sunday, July 5, at Nodak Speedway in Minot before crossing the border to Estevan Motor Speedway in Estevan, Saskatchewan, on Monday, July 6. Racing returns to North Dakota on Tuesday, July 7, at Williston Basin Speedway before continuing to Southwest Speedway in Dickinson on Wednesday, July 8, Dacotah Speedway in Mandan on Thursday, July 9, and concluding Friday, July 10, at Jamestown Speedway. A strong contingent of former champions, state titlists, and touring standouts has already committed to compete. The Karl Kustoms IMCA Modified field is led by two-time defending Dakota Tour champion Ethan Braaksma, who also won the [Read More]

Sites Doubles Up With Woodhull IMCA Modified Victory

By Joe Cook WOODHULL, N.Y. (June 27, 2026) — Eddie Sites completed a perfect weekend Saturday night, racing to victory in the Karl Kustoms IMCA Modified feature at Woodhull Raceway after capitalizing on mechanical trouble for the early leader. Jacob McConnell led the opening laps after slipping past Sites, but several early cautions kept the field tightly packed. When the race settled into a green-flag rhythm, McConnell suffered a front-end issue that forced him to relinquish the lead. Sites inherited the top spot and quickly opened a comfortable advantage, cruising to victory in his first appearance of the season at the high-banked New York oval. The Towanda, Pennsylvania, driver earned his second Close Racing Supply IMCA Eastern Region victory of 2026 after scoring his first the previous night at The Hill Speedway in his native state. Earlier season winners Tyler Belcher and Jake Maynard completed the podium in second and third, respectively. Charlie Fulton finished fourth, while former Woodhull Raceway champion Jakub Ingham rounded out the top five.

Tyler Bannister Captures Richie McGowan Memorial at Bakersfield

By Steven Blakesley BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (June 27, 2026) — Tyler Bannister added another major victory to his impressive rookie Karl Kustoms IMCA Modified season Saturday night, leading all 25 laps to capture the 15th annual Richie McGowan Memorial at Bakersfield Speedway at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway. The prestigious event served as a qualifier for the Fast Shafts All-Star Modified Invitational. Bannister was already eligible to attempt to qualify for the invitational during the Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. Bannister started on the front row and never relinquished the lead, pulling away to a 3.696-second victory in the 25-lap feature. The Bakersfield driver earned his eighth DeVilbiss Racing Chassis Western Region victory of the season and third triumph of 2026 at Bakersfield Speedway. Austin Kiefer finished second, while defending McGowan Memorial winner Brad Pounds charged from 10th to complete the podium. Former track champion Gavyn Manning rallied from ninth to fourth, with Dalton Houghton rounding out the top five. Bannister and Eric Hamilton claimed heat race victories. Jason Bannister Collects Fourth SportMod Victory Jason [Read More]

Moore Prevails in Wild Grays Harbor Modified Showdown

By Shaun Hulbert ELMA, Wash. (June 27, 2026) — Kyler Moore survived an action-packed Karl Kustoms IMCA Modified feature Saturday night at Grays Harbor Raceway, winning a thrilling late-race duel with Tyson Blood to earn his first victory at the Elma oval in several seasons. Moore took the lead from Kevin Vålen on lap four, but Blood kept the pressure on throughout the 25-lap main event. The closing eight circuits featured an intense battle as the pair traded slide jobs and the lead multiple times before Moore regained control and drove away with the victory, along with a $200 bonus courtesy of Mel Decker. The Silverdale driver earned his second DeVilbiss Racing Chassis Western Region victory of the season, with his two wins coming at different tracks. Blood stormed from the 11th starting position to finish second, while Craig Moore recovered from an early lap-two incident and advanced from 10th on the grid to claim third. Brenton Schnitzer rebounded from an early work-area visit to finish fourth, with Zane Miner completing the top five. Heat race [Read More]

Sanders Edges Ferrando by One Point for Wild West Speedweek Championship

By Ben Deatherage VINTON, Iowa (June 24, 2026) — Eight races in eight days at six tracks across Oregon produced three hard-fought championship battles during the 2026 IMCA Wild West Speedweek. Matt Sanders captured his first career Karl Kustoms IMCA Modified Wild West Speedweek championship, edging Grey Ferrando by a single point to become the first driver to win Speedweek titles in two different divisions. The Brookings racer previously claimed the IMCA Northern SportMod crowns in 2024 and 2025. Sanders pieced together one of the most consistent weeks of any competitor, collecting three feature victories, seven podium finishes and a perfect eight top-five finishes. Sanders scored wins on the first of two nights at Cottage Grove Speedway, the second of two nights at Coos Bay Speedway, and in the Southern Oregon Speedway finale, while never finishing worse than fifth during the tour. Ferrando remained in championship contention until the final checkered flag. The Scio driver matched Sanders with three feature victories at River City Speedway, the second of two nights at Cottage Grove Speedway, and the [Read More]

Wayman Claims Inaugural Stan Cisar Speedweek Championship

By Ben Deatherage VINTON, Iowa (June 25, 2026) — Forty-three competitors converged on Nebraska for the inaugural Stan Cisar Speedweek for RaceSaver IMCA Sprint Cars, where Lincoln’s Cole Wayman etched his name into the record books as the series’ first champion. The tour opened at Boone County Raceway in Albion on June 17 before concluding at US 30 Speedway in Columbus on June 18 after rain forced the cancellation of the scheduled stops at Beatrice Speedway and Eagle Raceway. Wayman opened the series with his first RaceSaver IMCA Sprint Car victory of the season at Boone County Raceway after starting fourth. Jason Danley charged from eighth to finish second, while Trevor Grossenbacher advanced from 12th to third. Adam Gullion completed the top four, and Shayle Bade delivered one of the night’s most impressive performances, racing from 20th to fifth. The tour concluded at US 30 Speedway, where Kennedale, Texas, driver Kyle Jones scored his first win of the season after starting alongside the pole sitter. Gaige Weldon finished second, followed by reigning Speedway Motors IMCA RaceSaver [Read More]

Travis Hagen: Racing Through the Storm to 100 Wins

By Ben Deatherage MCGREGOR, N.D. (June 23, 2026) — The pressure had been building for weeks. Every race night seemed to bring the same question. When would win No. 100 finally come? Travis Hagen tried not to think about it, but as the milestone drew closer it became harder to ignore. Every near miss felt a little bigger. Every opportunity carried a little more weight. By the time he unloaded his No. 14T Karl Kustoms IMCA Modified at Nodak Speedway on June 14, 2026, the number was impossible to escape. A few hours later, fittingly on the 14th day of the month and behind the wheel of the No. 14T, Hagen celebrated his 100th career Karl Kustoms IMCA Modified feature victory. The weekend had already tested the team. Transmission trouble at McLean County Speedway two nights earlier left Hagen scrambling, forcing him to borrow a transmission just to stay on track. But when Sunday arrived in Minot, everything finally seemed to fall into place. “I won the heat, and in the feature we got the lead,” [Read More]

Joey Hergott Memorial Set to Make Nebraska IMCA History July 13 at Beatrice Speedway

By Ben Deatherage BEATRICE, Neb. (June 24, 2026) — The third annual Joey Hergott Memorial is poised to become one of the richest one-night events in Speedway Motors IMCA Weekly Racing history when it returns to Beatrice Speedway on Monday, July 13. Headlined by a massive $16,026-to-win Karl Kustoms IMCA Modified feature, the event boasts the largest one-night IMCA payout ever offered in Nebraska and one of the most lucrative programs anywhere in the country during the 2026 season. The Joey Hergott Memorial continues to grow in stature, drawing top competitors from across the Midwest and beyond while honoring the memory of a beloved member of the racing community. Karl Kustoms IMCA Modifieds will race for a staggering $16,026 winner’s share and $1,026 to start the main event. The feature payout includes $8,000 for second, $5,000 for third, $3,000 for fourth, and $2,500 for fifth. Drivers failing to transfer into the main event will have another opportunity through the Schmidt Happens Last Chance Modified race, which features its own lucrative purse. Sunoco IMCA Stock Cars will [Read More]

Dosch Breaks Through for First Dacotah Stock Car Victory

By Becca Pelkey MANDAN, N.D. (June 19, 2026) — Matt Dosch’s speed finally translated into a victory Friday night at Dacotah Speedway as the Bismarck driver earned his first Sunoco IMCA Stock Car win of the season. A thrilling three-wide battle between Sierra Davenport, Shawn Volk and Dosch highlighted the opening laps before Dosch emerged with the lead. Once out front, he and Jason Berg separated themselves from the rest of the field while points leader Geoff Hellman and Todd Carter charged forward. Hellman worked his way into third but could not close the gap on the front-runners as Dosch led 16 of the 20 circuits en route to his first EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region victory of the season. Berg finished second, followed by Hellman, Carter and Brock Beeter. Pittenger Powers to Dominant Modified Triumph Crist Pittenger put together a commanding performance in the Karl Kustoms IMCA Modified feature to earn his first Razor Chassis North Central Region victory of the season. Pole sitter Jacoby Traut led the opening lap before Pittenger blasted into the [Read More]

Feature

Rust Returns to Harris Clash Victory Lane After 10-Year Wait

By Ben Deatherage BOONE, Iowa (June 23, 2026) — Joel Rust returned to victory lane at the Harris Clash for the first time in a decade, winning the Karl Kustoms IMCA Modified feature during the 35th annual Harris Clash presented by Wehr’s Machine and Racing Products at Boone Speedway. A three-wide start brought the field to green, with 2015 Iowa State Sunoco IMCA Late Model champion Paul Nagle leading the opening lap. After an early caution, Nagle maintained command as 2016 Harris Clash winner Rust began applying pressure. Rust nearly completed a pass on lap six before a caution interrupted the battle. Two laps later, the two-time Benton County Speedway champion finally wrestled the lead away. A caution on lap eight erased Rust’s advantage, but the Grundy Center driver was flawless on the restart and gradually pulled away from the field. Reigning Marshalltown Speedway champion Kollin Hibdon used several bold moves to advance into second and closed on Rust by lap 20. The leaders entered lapped traffic one lap later, but a caution on lap 23 [Read More]