Feature – IMCA – International Motor Contest Association

National championship implications abound at tonight’s Deery Series finale

DAVENPORT, Iowa – While Justin Kay is in the driver’s seat to win the Deery Brothers Summer Series championship, determining who wins the 2018 IMCA Late Model crown won’t be possible until the checkers fly and the finish is official tonight at Davenport Speedway. Matt Ryan leads the current national standings with 789 points; Todd Cooney is second with 788 and Jeremiah Hurst is third with 787. When track championship bonuses – figured using average car counts – are added, however, Hurst becomes the new leader with 803 points while Ryan and Cooney both have 802. If any of the three win tonight’s Deery feature, they’ll win the national championship as well. If Hurst does not win and Cooney or Ryan finish second, the runner-up at Davenport earns the national championship on the tie-breaker. Ryan has 10 40-point and nine 39-point finishes coming into tonight’s finale. Cooney has 10 40-point and eight 39-point finishes and Hurst has seven 40-point and 14 39-point finishes thus far. The main event pays $2,000 to win and a minimum [Read More]

Beckendorf takes Iron Cup crown, Moore is night two IMCA Modified winner

JEFFERSON, S.D. (Sept. 14-15) – Gold and silver place finishes made Brandon Beckendorf the IMCA Modified champion at Park Jefferson Speedway’s fifth annual J&J Fitting Iron Cup Championship Night presented by I State Truck Centers. Beckendorf used multiple grooves to race from his 10th starting spot and win the Friday night feature, and $1,000. Already on the 2019 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot, he took the checkers ahead of Jim Thies and Bob Moore. Moore battled back to regain the lead from Beckendorf in winning the Saturday feature, earning $1,000 and the All-Star ballot berth. Third was Sean Barragan. Also scoring $1,000 wins on night two were Dusty Ballenger in the IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Cars and Elijah Zevenbergen in the IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars. Ballenger’s win came ahead of Brant O’Banion and Tyler Thompson and put him on top of Iron Cup point standings for the winged division. Friday’s top three were Elliott Amdahl, Casey Abbas and Trefer Waller. Iron Cup king Zevenbergen was a rocket from his 10th starting spot, outrunning Greg Taylor and [Read More]

Ward puts check next to Great Lakes Nationals on IMCA Modified to-win list

CRYSTAL, Mich. (Sept. 16) – The ninth time was a charm Sunday for A.J. Ward. Ward won the Great Lakes Nationals in his career ninth start at Crystal Motor Speedway’s season-ending special for IMCA Modifieds. The victory was accompanied by a check for $3,000 and a very tall trophy. “I knew we were good at the end but I didn’t know if anyone behind me was saving their tires,” Ward said, after checking the last big IMCA Modified special in Michigan off his must-win list. “We’ve been trying to win this race for a long time. It feels good to finally be able to do it.” Brenten DeYoung ended the 50-lapper in second and five-time Great Lakes Nationals king Myron DeYoung was third. Twentieth starting Joey Burch and Chad Wernette completed the top five. Ward made his way patiently from eighth starting, finally catching leader Matt Szecsodi in lapped traffic. “I concentrated on saving my tires and picked ‘em off one at a time,” said Ward, runner-up in the 2013 event and third last year. [Read More]

Deery Series finale set for Friday at Davenport Speedway

DAVENPORT, Iowa (Sept. 18) – The final event of the 32nd annual Deery Brothers Summer Series gets top billing at Friday’s Governor’s Cup Iowa State Championship at Davenport Speedway. The Sept. 21 feature for touring IMCA Late Models pays $2,000 to win and a minimum of $300 to start. Wheatland’s Justin Kay brings the point lead to town in pursuit of his career third tour title; he already owns top trophies from 2014 and 2015. Kay is also the winner of the most recent Deery event held at Davenport, in September of 2014. Jeff Aikey of Cedar Falls leads all drivers with six career tour wins at the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds oval. Pit gates open at 3 p.m. and the grandstand opens at 5 p.m. on Friday, Hot laps are at 6 p.m. with racing to follow on the quarter-mile. Spectator admission is $20 for adults, $18 for seniors and students, and free for kids 12 and under. Pit passes are $35. IMCA Modifieds race for $1,000 to win their Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational [Read More]

2018 IMCA point season ends Sunday, Sept. 30

VINTON, Iowa – The 2018 IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing point season ends on Sunday, Sept. 30 Final races are scheduled that day for Modifieds, Sprint Cars, Stock Cars, Hobby Stocks, Northern SportMods, Southern SportMods and Sport Compacts. Final national and state points for the Late Model division will be awarded at the Deery Brothers Summer Series event scheduled Sept. 21 at Davenport Speedway. Bonus points will be figured and national and regional champions and rookies of the year announced as soon as possible. Local track officials have until noon Central Standard Time on Monday, Oct. 29 to notify IMCA of corrections that affect their top 15 point standings before all standings for those divisions become official. Questions about IMCA point totals and standings should be directed to Virginia Lindsey, director of membership and points, at vlindsey@imca.com or by calling 319 472-2201, ext. 215.

IMCA Modified Race For Hope winner earns $20,000

BATESVILLE, Ark. – The second annual Race For Hope 74 Sept. 25-29 at Batesville Motor Speedway will call attention to the needs of others while getting the attention of IMCA Modified drivers with the biggest main event purse in division history. The Mark and Arlene Martin Hope For Arkansas Foundation Race For Hope 74 boasts a $20,000 top prize. Twenty-seven drivers will earn shares of a $150,000 main event that pays a minimum of $2,000 to start. Presenting sponsor is Sweet Manufacturing. All IMCA rules will apply and IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Motors Weekly Racing National, Jet Racing Central Region and Arkansas State points will be awarded. Practice and time trials begin on Tuesday, Sept. 25. Fifteen heat races set the stage each night Wednesday through Friday that advance the top eight drivers to the big show on Saturday. Non-transfers get $1,500 for ninth down to $200 for 30th. Both the Race of States, featuring the fastest car from each state that does not qualify for the main event, and the Manufacturers’ race, featuring the [Read More]

Aikey adds to IMCA Super Nationals legacy with Modified championship

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 8) – A driver who’s made plenty of history at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s made even more Saturday night. Jeff Aikey, a six-time Late Model champion at America’s Racin’ Vacation, started on the pole and led all 40 laps of the Modified main event at Boone Speedway. He’s the fourth driver to win Super Nationals crowns in multiple divisions and just the second to earn Late Model and Modified titles, joining Kevin Pittman in that accomplishment. His total of seven championships is a Super Nationals record. Only two cautions came out over the course of the 40-lapper and Aikey pulled away after restarts on the second and eighth circuits. Ryan Ruter ran second much of the distance before giving way to Cayden Carter with four laps left. Six lapped cars separated Aikey and Carter at the checkers. Ethan Dotson started 13th and completed the top four. “My car was extremely good, probably the best it’s been hooked up all year,” Aikey said. “When I came down here [Read More]

Veronica Anderson

While drivers are living out their dreams on the track at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s, Veronica Anderson is living out her dream in tech. The 19-year-old daughter of Late Model Director Randy Anderson has worked full-time as part of Executive Director of Competition Dave Brenn’s crew at Boone Speedway this week, doing everything from checking safety gear, carburetors, and ignition boxes to pulling mud plugs. “I’d love to do this every year,” said Anderson, a graduate of the Universal Technical Institute and most recently the Mercedes Benz program in Long Beach, Calif. “It’s fun and I get to learn a lot. It’s one thing to sit in the stands but to get hands-on experience is definitely better.” Anderson learned the tech inspection ropes from her father and more than a few dinnertime conversations have been spent discussing the finer points of the job. She’ll go home on Sunday, get moved to Chicago on Monday and then start a job with Mercedes Benz on Tuesday. Anderson hopes to start her own [Read More]

Friday Stock Car qualifiers go to Strickler, Wagner

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 7) – Kyle Strickler and Shawn Wagner were Friday Stock Car qualifying feature winners Friday at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. Strickler, twice a Super Nationals Modified champion, made his first start in the division in a loaner from Elijah Zevenbergen. Second across the stripe in the opening qualifier, he was moved up to the top spot when Wayne Gifford was disqualified in post-race tech for an engine component infraction. The first driver from North Carolina to make the stock car dance, Strickler was scored ahead of Todd Reitzler, 2003 and 2004 champion Randy Brands, and 2007 champion Kevin Opheim. Wagner led all 25 laps of the second qualifier, outdistancing the 16th starting Huls following a long green flag run. Troy Jerovetz was third and Smith, the 2014 champion and last year’s runner-up, was fourth after Mitch Ross was disqualified for a steering component violation. The top four from each race advance to the outside row of Saturday’s main event grid. Brands will make his career eighth start, [Read More]

Friday qualifiers send drivers from six states to outside row of Modified main event

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 7) – A parade of states raced its way into the main event in Friday night Modified qualifying features at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. Drew Armstrong, Kyle Brown, Peyton Taylor and Grey Ferrando made up the top four finishers in the first qualifier at Boone Speedway while Jason Wolla, Nick Roberts, Anthony Roth and Tyler Sutton advanced from the nightcap. Those drivers will line up on the outside row and represent Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota and Oregon. Ferrando, from Stayton, becomes the first Oregon driver to make the Saturday show. Taylor, then the eighth starting Armstrong led the opener. Brown took over second following a lap 22 restart while Ferrando secured his place in Super Nationals history by holding off Justin O’Brien in a frenetic final circuit. Wolla ran second the last 21 times around the oval and was promoted to the top spot when Richie Gustin was disqualified in post-race tech for a valve train infraction. Roberts was the Northern SportMod champion at Super [Read More]