Feature – IMCA – International Motor Contest Association

Thornton motors to Durbin Memorial checkers

By Josh Reynolds STUART, Iowa (May 15) – There was no catching Ricky Thornton Jr. in the race to the $1,000 IMCA Modified checkers Wednesday at Stuart Speedway’s inaugural Jake Durbin Memorial. Thornton, already on the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot, and Jesse Dennis drew the front row starting spots and it was Thornton jumping out to the early lead. Kyle Brown and Nick Roberts battled for second with Brown holding it down for the first six laps. Roberts got past Brown on lap seven, just before a caution flew. Two more quick yellows on laps 12 and 13 allowed Hunter Marriott to get past Brown and Roberts and on Thornton’s bumper. That was as close as anyone was coming on this night, however, as Thornton roared off into the sunset to take the win. Marriott finished second with Dennis third. Brown started 11th, took over second on lap 10 and gained the lead the next time around in winning the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car feature. A lapped car came into the mix as the [Read More]

IMCA Arnold Motor Supply Dirt Knights Tour at Sports Park Raceway for opening night

FORT DODGE, Iowa – Plenty of new lighting is already in place and concession stands have been remodeled. Four sections of aluminum bleachers will be put in place and the leader board relocated to the front stretch before Sports Park Raceway rolls out the red carpet for opening night of the Arnold Motor Supply Dirt Knights Tour. IMCA Modifieds following the 10th annual tour race for $1,500 to win along with a Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot berth on Tuesday, May 21. “We made history last year when we opened as an IMCA track and we look forward to making it again when we host the Dirt Knights Tour for the first time,” said co-promoter Jason Vansickel. “We were excited to be IMCA sanctioned last season. We were ecstatic to find out we had the first race on the schedule this year.” A minimum of $150 will be paid to start the main event at Fort Dodge. IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks and Karl Kustoms Northern SportMods are also on the evening card. Pit gates open at [Read More]

Wild West IMCA Modified Tour returns; Alvarado wins 99th event, DeVilbiss 100th

AZTEC, N.M. (May 3-4) – The opening weekend of the Wild West IMCA Modified Tour was guaranteed to be one for the history book, and two drivers that already had their name written all over that volume added new chapters. Ricky Alvarado, a three-time champion during the tour’s inaugural 2007-2014 run, extended his WWMT career wins best total to 32 with the Friday checkers at Aztec Speedway. And Zane DeVilbiss, the 2010 champion, earned his career 13th victory in the 100th event in tour history Saturday at the New Mexico speedplant. Both events paid $1,000 to win. DeVilbiss and Justen Yeager completed Friday’s top three while Alvarado was runner-up and Yeager third again on Saturday. Alvarado started 10th in the opening night 25 lapper and took the lead from familiar tour foe Yeager with 10 circuits to go. “It’s nice to have the tour going again. It’s been a long time since I’ve been that pumped up and it felt really good to win the first time back,” the new Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot qualifier said. “It [Read More]

Night of firsts precedes 100th event for IMCA Wild West Modified Tour

AZTEC, N.M. – After a night of firsts, IMCA’s Wild West Modified Tour celebrates a milestone 100th event on night two of its season-opening doubleheader at Aztec Speedway. First-ever tour events for IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars and Karl Kustoms Northern SportMods along with the first tour event for Modifieds since 2014 will be held Friday, May 3. The same three divisions are on the Saturday, May 4 card. That evening’s Modified feature will be the 100th in the history of the tour, which debuted in 2007 for its initial eight-year run. Car counts will determine nightly purses, with Modifieds racing for a minimum of $1,000 to win and as much as $2,500 to win their Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot qualifiers. Stock Cars and Northern SportMods both run for top checks of at least $750 and as much as $1,600. IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National, regional, E3 Spark Plugs State and track points will be awarded. Entry fee each night is $100 for Modifieds and $75 for Stock Cars and Northern SportMods; non-qualifier pay in those [Read More]

Gemmill becomes three-time Stampede king with latest Dodge City IMCA Modified victory

By Lonnie Wheatley DODGE CITY, Kan. (April 27) – Brendon Gemmill pocketed $1,000 by racing to victory lane in Saturday night’s seventh annual IMCA Modified Stampede atop the 3/8-mile Dodge City Raceway Park. Gemmill fought off a late bid from Tanner Black to win the 25-lapper and earn a spot on the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot. Gemmill had briefly surrendered the point to Black on the 17th round before slipping away in the final circuits for his career third Modified Stampede triumph. Starting from the front row outside, Gemmill outgunned pole starter Nick Link with Black making his way from fourth into second after a lap three caution. Following the race’s second and final caution with eight laps in the books, Black tried to keep pace with Gemmill in the ensuing rounds. With Gemmill railing the topside, Black worked the low side and closed in to challenge as traffic came into play. Black slid into the lead on the 17th round, only to have Gemmill surge back to the front and open up an eight-car length car [Read More]

15 chassis builders enter IMCA Manufacturer’s Cup contest

VINTON, Iowa – Fifteen chassis builders are in the running for national and regional honors in IMCA’s Manufacturer’s Cup contest. Standings will again be based on makes of chassis driven by top 10 drivers in each region. 2019 champions will be named based on points for individual regions while the builder with the highest point total overall will be named IMCA’s national Manufacturer of the Year. The national Manufacturer of the Year receives a trophy, to be presented during the IMCA awards banquet in Lincoln, Neb., in November. The top builder in each of the five regions receives a $100 cash prize and a plaque. “It is a pleasure each season to be able to highlight the very best IMCA Modified chassis builders across the country through this program,” said IMCA Marketing Director Kevin Yoder. “Last season we saw a different manufacturer capture each regional championship and we anticipate that diversified success will continue, and be rewarded in 2019.” First-time Manufacturer’s Cup entries are Assault Race Cars of Story City, S & J Motorsports [Read More]

Independence, Dubuque dates next on Deery Series schedule

INDEPENDENCE, Iowa – A Deery Brothers Summer Series doubleheader is on the docket this weekend, as the 33rd annual tour for IMCA Late Models travels to Independence Motor Speedway and Dubuque Speedway. A top prize of $2,000 is on the line Saturday, April 27 at Independence while the winner of the Sunday, April 28 Hershel Roberts/Ray Guss Sr. Memorial at Dubuque goes home with $2,500. Both features pay a minimum of $300 to start. The Sunday show was rescheduled after a mid-April twinbill at Maquoketa and Dubuque was lost to unseasonable weather. The 492nd event in series history takes Deery drivers and fans to Independence for the 30th time. Pit gates and the grandstand open at 4 p.m. Hot laps are at 6 p.m. with racing to follow. Spectator admission is $20 for adults, $18 for seniors, $15 for students and free for kids 12 and under when accompanying a paid adult. Pit passes are $35. Also running are IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars for IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing national, regional, state and track points. [Read More]

Double winner Grabouski bags bonus, Bade best in Ice Breaker Sprint feature

By Greg Soukup EAGLE, Neb. (April 19-20) – Two IMCA Modified feature wins earned Jordan Grabouski a bonus while Shayle Bade took opening night honors in the Sprint Series of Nebraska at Eagle Raceway’s Ice Breaker Challenge. Grabouski, the defending national champion, topped both $1,000 to win Friday and $2,000 to win Saturday features, an accomplishment that paid off with a $1,000 Twice Is Nice bonus. Bade made her move to the front late in Saturday’s Sprint Car headliner to earn a $1,000 payday of her own. Already on the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot, Grabouski outran Anthony Roth and Brandon Spanjer in the race for the opening night checkers in the Auto Trans Matic-presented special. The leader when the first circuit was scored on Saturday, Grabouski stayed at the front while the rest of the top four spots shuffled behind him. Roth raced his way into second with 12 laps to go, tried high and low and got close to Grabouski but was never able to make a run and repeated as runner-up. Third went to [Read More]

Kay makes it five straight Deery Series wins at Cedar County

TIPTON, Iowa (April 20) – Another Deery Brothers Summer Series event at Cedar County Raceway ended with another feature win for Justin Kay. Kay won his fifth consecutive IMCA Late Model tour main event at Tipton Saturday night, earning $2,000. The victory was the career 28th for the three-time and defending series champion, now the first driver to win five consecutive Deery events at the same track. “There’s just something about Cedar County,” Kay said of the track he started racing at and where he won the only 4-cylinder track title of his career. “I love racing there.” The 491st event in Deery Series history saw Kay motor from sixth starting to second, then pass pole starter Andy Eckrich on the 13th of 50 circuits. The race stayed green the last 32 laps and while Eckrich was able to make up ground in traffic he wasn’t able to find a way around the leader. Eckrich, Jeremiah Hurst, Tyler Bruening and Ryan Dolan rounded out the top five. Hard charger Joe Zrostlik started 17th and finished sixth. “I figured out [Read More]

Ice Breaker Challenge entries top 270

EAGLE, Neb. – Entries for the weekend’s Ice Breaker Challenge presented by Auto Trans Matic at Eagle Raceway now number more than 270. IMCA Modifieds race for $1,000 to win on Friday, April 19 and for $2,000 to win on Saturday, April 20. Both events are Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot qualifiers. IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Cars vie for $1,000 to win, and a minimum of $250 to start, their night two Sprint Series of Nebraska headliner. Karl Kustoms Northern SportMods run for $500 to win both nights. The Modified or Northern SportMod driver winning main events each night goes home with a Twice As Nice $1,000 bonus. IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars race for $500 to win, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks for $400 to win on Friday. Mach-1 Sport Compacts chase a $150 top check on Saturday. Pre-entered drivers include: IMCA Modifieds Chad Andersen, Fort Calhoun Scott Bivens, Ceresco Josh Blumer, Marysville, Kan. Karl Brewer, Vermillion, S.D. Jason Britton, Lincoln John Burrow Jr., Denver, Colo. Travis Denning, Sterling Mike Densberger, Lincoln Jared Deterding, Lincoln Trey Duensing, Byron Ken Eckhoff, [Read More]