Feature Archives

Super Cheap Ride Proves Priceless as Sabin Races to IMCA National and Northern Region Rookie Crowns

By Bill Martin DES MOINES, Iowa (Oct. 30, 2025) — A “random, home-built car” that Kolby Sabin bought super cheap sat in his dad Kurt’s driveway, covered by a tarp, for more than a year before he got it on the dirt. It’s long since been promoted to prime parking, in a heated garage, after carrying Sabin to Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stock national and B & B Racing Chassis Northern Region rookie of the year titles. “I’ve tried to find out more information about the car, but I’ve just run into a dead end,” said Sabin, a three-time feature winner and also track champion at Marshalltown Speedway in the mystery machine. “We got it in the middle of 2023, let it sit for a while before we worked on it and got it race-ready for 2024, then made a few spot starts and hit some practice nights.” “After looking at other people’s cars, we made some changes in the off-season. We put in a new fire wall and floor pan and made some other updates [Read More]

Laney Moore Caps Rookie Season with RaceSaver Rookie of the Year, Missouri State Crown

By Ben Deatherage DES MOINES, Iowa (Oct. 30, 2025) — Sixteen-year-old Laney Moore made the most of his first full season in a Sprint Car. Competing in the Mike Moore Motorsports/Chuck and Larry’s Transmission no. 9 Triple X, Moore claimed the 2025 RaceSaver IMCA Sprint Car Rookie of the Year, the Missouri State championship, and finished runner-up in the MO/KAN Sprint Series standings while placing sixth in the final national points. “We had an awesome year,” Moore said. “We started the year off in late April and early May, just trying to get some laps and progress each race. Before long, we were running top tens and top fives almost every weekend. We raced at 13 different tracks and even went up to South Dakota and Minnesota. Some weekends we’d be in Minnesota on Friday, then come down to Missouri for Saturday and Sunday shows — it was a lot of driving but totally worth it.” For the 16-year-old from Iowa, this was his first full year behind the wheel of a Sprint Car after previously [Read More]

Murdoch Motors to EQ Cylinder Heads Southern Region Rookie Honors

By Ben Deatherage SURPRISE, Ariz. (Oct. 29, 2025) — The road to an IMCA championship was a long one for Casey Murdoch, both literally and figuratively. The Surprise racer earned the EQ Cylinder Heads Southern Region Rookie of the Year award in the Sunoco IMCA Stock Car division, finished third in Southern Region championship points, and capped the season with a track championship at Cortez Fairgrounds Speedway in Colorado — an impressive feat in a field stacked with veterans across multiple states. Behind the wheel of the Modern Aerification/Methods LLC/Jason Babyak–Schaeffer’s Racing Oil no. 7X Terminator Chassis, Murdoch tackled 32 sanctioned starts across Arizona, New Mexico, California, and Colorado. The year included two feature wins, 13 podium finishes, and 17 top-five performances, with the Cortez oval becoming a home away from home nearly 400 miles from his driveway. “We started our year off down at Winter Nationals in Casa Grande and only got to run the first week because I had to go to a wedding in Mexico,” Murdoch said. “We didn’t have the strongest showing, [Read More]

Anderson’s Rookie Surge Nets Razor Chassis North Central Region Crown

By Ben Deatherage EDDYVILLE, Iowa (Oct. 29, 2025) — Logan Anderson’s rookie campaign in the Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds was one to remember. The Eddyville racer captured the Razor Chassis North Central Region Rookie of the Year title and finished second in National Rookie of the Year standings — one year after winning the Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s crown in the Karl Chevrolet IMCA Northern SportMods. Driving the Midstate Machine/Performer Chassis/Middlekoop Seed Corn Inc. no. 53 Modified, Anderson wasted no time proving his speed at the Modified level. He became the 22nd different driver from Iowa to win the Razor Chassis North Central Region Rookie of the Year award since the title’s inception in 1993, and the first Iowan to do so since Dyllan Ricks in 2023. Anderson also finished eighth in the final North Central Region standings, a strong showing in one of IMCA’s most competitive divisions. “We had a good year and were winning pretty much out of the gate,” Anderson said. “We won six out of my first 12 [Read More]

Werner Keeps Nebraska’s Sport Compact Rookie Streak Alive with Six-Win Season

By Ben Deatherage PIERCE, Neb. (Oct. 29, 2025) — Fourteen-year-old Kiegan Werner wasted no time making a name for himself in the Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compacts in his Tom’s Service/Meyer Family/TC Agronomy no. 1K entry. The first-generation racer from Pierce turned his rookie season into a breakthrough year, winning six times, capturing both the South Dakota State championship and Park Jefferson Speedway track title, finishing seventh in the national points, and showing the poise of a veteran. He also became the sixth driver since 2008 from Nebraska to win the National Rookie of the Year award, and the second straight Nebraskan to achieve that honor. “We decided to go down to the Beatrice Spring Nationals,” Werner said. “The first night went well, but the second night I got taken out on the first lap in the main event and it junked the race car. After that, we decided to make another go at it at Redwood in Minnesota and ended up winning up there. We then made the decision in June to try and go for [Read More]

Robbie Throop Captures National IMCA STARS Mod Lite Rookie of the Year title

By Ben Deatherage WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (Oct. 29, 2025) — Florida racer Robbie Throop capped a breakout 2025 campaign by claiming the Stealth Racing IMCA STARS Mod Lite Rookie of the Year title, the culmination of a season built on determination, family effort, and redemption. The 22-year-old from West Palm Beach opened the year with a devastating crash during a Georgia event that destroyed his race car before the season had even begun in earnest. But the setback only fueled the drive of the Tuff Solutions/Anthony Long Fence Contracting/Smokin Joe’s Race Engines no. 55 Joker Chassis team. Backed by his mother Wendy, father Steve, cousin Andrew, uncle Scott, and grandfather Ronnie, the Throop family rallied to rebuild the car in time for the Sugar Bowl Nationals at Hendry County Motorsports Park, Robbie’s home track. “This was a great season even though it started off rough,” Throop said. “We were able to bounce back, keep our heads up, and just keep working. The people around me never gave up, and that made all the difference.” Throop’s [Read More]

Smith Makes Swift Transition to Win Race For IMCA Northern SportMod Rookie Prize

By Bill Martin LAKE CITY, Iowa (Oct. 29, 2025) — Two starts into his 2025 season and Mike Smith was rethinking his decision to move up to a Karl Chevrolet IMCA Northern SportMod. A checkered flag run his third night out, however, helped convince him he was in the class where he belonged. Smith, from Lake City, Iowa, and already much accomplished in the Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stocks, would compile 13 feature wins in 43 starts, earning national rookie of the year honors along with Boone Speedway and Buena Vista Raceway track titles in the open-wheeled division. “Running for rookie of the year was never really a goal. With the way the year started, I was ready to go back to a Hobby Stock,” admitted Smith, 19th and 10th in those first two SportMod outings before getting that first win, on April 12 at Boone. “There’s a huge difference between the two cars, mostly in steering and traction. There were a couple things we tried to sort out with the car we started the season with that didn’t [Read More]

Saturday Night Track Titles Spark Gould to Eighth Career GRT South Central Region Prize

By Bill Martin CALERA, Okla. (Oct. 29, 2025) — He’s been fast on dirt now for 31 years, but William Gould might have been fastest on pavement this season. Gould hotshoed his way his way to 10 feature wins on his way to earning another GRT Race Cars Southern Region crown and finishing third in the Friesen Performance IMCA Modified national points race. Most impressively, perhaps, the Calera, Okla., speedster won championships at tracks that raced on some of the same Saturday nights, Southern Oklahoma Speedway in Ardmore and Grayson County Speedway in Bells, Texas. “We would race at Southern Oklahoma, where they run Modifieds first, then we would load up, haul ass 80 miles to Grayson County, unload and start last in the feature,” said Gould, who also boasted career second Oklahoma and seventh Texas State titles, plus the Sunoco IMCA Stock Car All Star Shootout title on his 2025 resume. “There was one night when I got to Bells literally a minute late, as they were taking the green flag, so I didn’t [Read More]

Killingsworth Captures IMCA Modified National and Shaw Race Cars Western Region Rookie of the Year Honors

By Ben Deatherage YREKA, Calif. (Oct. 27, 2025) — Ethan Killingsworth’s first full season in a Friesen Performance IMCA Modified couldn’t have started much stronger. The Yreka racer, wheeling his Ace’s Affordable Auto Glass/J Cota Forestry/Twysted Motorsports no. 7M Twysted by Evo entry, capped an impressive rookie campaign by earning both the IMCA National Rookie of the Year and Shaw Race Cars Western Region Rookie of the Year titles. Killingsworth became just the third Californian to win the IMCA Modified National Rookie of the Year award, joining 1993 winner Scott Pounds and Jacob Mallet Jr., who received the honor last year. He’s also the 16th driver from California to claim the Shaw Race Cars Western Region Rookie of the Year title since 1993, and the fourth straight to do so. Along the way, he collected the Southern Oregon Speedway track championship and finished second in the Western Region standings, building on his success from 2024 when he captured the Karl Chevrolet IMCA Northern SportMod track championship “We weren’t expecting to come swinging out of the gate [Read More]

McGaha Legacy Grows as Jaxon Earns GRT Race Cars South Central Rookie of the Year

By Ben Deatherage ABILENE, Texas (Oct. 28, 2025) — At just 15 years old, Jaxon McGaha turned his rookie campaign in the Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds into a season of growth, grit, and steady progress. The second-generation racer from Abilene captured GRT Race Cars South Central Region Rookie of the Year honors, finishing third in both the South Central Region and Texas State standings — just one spot behind his father, longtime standout Josh McGaha. “We had a lot of ups and downs this year,” McGaha said. “The beginning wasn’t too hot because I was learning — and I’m still learning — but toward the end it got a lot better.” Behind the wheel of the All Pro Clutch and Driveline/Stephenville Starter & Electric/Dirt Defender no. 8 IRP, McGaha rolled out for 27 starts, collecting three top-five finishes, 14 top-tens, and multiple podium runs over the course of his rookie campaign. The early months were difficult, marked by a string of DNFs at Grayson County, Heart O’ Texas, and Kennedale, including his first career rollover. But [Read More]