Feature Archives

Kristi Dorn: From the Bighorn to Boone’s Super Nationals

By Ben Deatherage HARDIN, Mont. (Aug. 22, 2025) — The wide plains of Montana stretch endlessly toward the horizon, where the Bighorn River winds past fields of wheat and the ghosts of history linger at the Little Bighorn Battlefield. It’s a land where distances are measured in hours, where weather can change in a heartbeat, and where determination is the price of survival. It’s here, in the small town of Hardin along I-90, that Kristi Dorn is finally chasing a dream she’s carried since childhood. At 8 years old in Louisiana, watching her father rumble around a local short track, she knew she wanted to race. For decades that dream waited — through family, loss, work, and raising children. This summer, at 46, she strapped into a Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compact, the no. 34DD, for the very first time. Her story is one of persistence and survival. From Louisiana roots to Montana resilience, from heartbreak to triumph, Kristi Dorn is proof that it’s never too late to climb into the driver’s seat. Love and Loss Steel [Read More]

$10,000-to-Win Survive The 55 Returns to Skagit Speedway

By Ben Deatherage ALGER, Wash. (Aug. 21, 2025) — One of the biggest Friesen Performance IMCA Modified shows in the Pacific Northwest returns this fall as Skagit Speedway hosts Survive The 55, presented by Mel Decker Racing, on Friday and Saturday, September 26–27. IMCA Modifieds headline the weekend with a $10,000-to-win main event. The feature also pays $500 to start, with additional $500 awards for longest tow, hard charger, top local car, and best appearing car/crew. A special Fuel Cell Giveaway courtesy of Superior Fuel Cells will also be part of the program. A complimentary private invitation lunch will be served at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday for drivers, crews, and families as a thank-you to the competitors who make the journey. The meal also serves as a recognition of Mel Decker, the first IMCA Modified track champion at Skagit in 1997, who has been instrumental in the growth of this event and in supporting countless drivers over the years. While Decker is scaling back the level of his sponsorship, he will remain a key part of [Read More]

Stars Align for Fast Shafts All-Star Modified Invitational at Boone Speedway

UPDATED 8/25, 3:34 p.m. CST By Ben Deatherage BOONE, Iowa (Aug. 20, 2025) — The best of the best in the Friesen Performance IMCA Modified division will gather for the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational, one of the premier showcase events of the Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s at Boone Speedway. Drivers become eligible for the All-Star Invitational by winning a sanctioned Modified feature event paying a minimum of $1,000 to win. Qualifying for the 2025 edition continues through the final weekend of August, with the full roster of eligible drivers set before race week. The 2025 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 5 at Boone, with starting spots determined through a combination of group time trials, points, and a final draw. Two rounds of group time trials on Thursday, Sept. 4 will fill the thirty-car starting field. Round one qualifying will see two drivers from each of the five Modified regions advance, for a total of 10 cars. Round two will then determine the remainder of the starting field, with [Read More]

Stock Car Stars Ready for B&B All-Star Invitational at Boone

UPDATED 8/29, 4:18 p.m. CST By Ben Deatherage BOONE, Iowa (Aug. 20, 2025) – Some of the finest drivers in the Sunoco IMCA Stock Car division will take the green flag in the B&B Racing Chassis All-Star Stock Car Invitational, one of the showcase events of the Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s at Boone Speedway. Eligibility is earned by winning sanctioned Stock Car events paying a minimum of $1,000 to win, with drivers capturing $5,000 or more specials guaranteed starting positions. Qualifying for the 2025 event continues through the final weekend of August. The All-Star Invitational is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 3 at Boone, with the thirty-car starting grid determined through group time trials, guaranteed spots, and a final draw. Two rounds of group time trials will decide much of the field. In round one, five drivers from both the North and South regions advance, for a total of 10. Round two will determine the remainder of the starting field, with the number of drivers advancing based on the total from round one [Read More]

1,000 Drivers Set to Chase Glory at 2025 IMCA Super Nationals

By Ben Deatherage BOONE, Iowa (Aug. 20, 2025) – For the fourth consecutive year, pre-entries for the Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s have topped the 1,000 mark. On August 20, Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stock driver Eric Cross of Salina, Kansas, became the 1,000th driver to register for the 43rd annual event. All divisions are currently pacing ahead of last year’s totals, with 285 Sunoco IMCA Stock Cars, 237 Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds, 168 Karl Chevrolet IMCA Northern SportMods, 159 Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stocks, 78 Stealth Racing IMCA STARS Mod Lites, and 60 Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compacts already entered. The overall all-time record of 1,036 competitors was set last year, with 1,061 pre-registered entries. The Stock Car total is already an all-time preregistration record for the class, surpassing last year’s mark of 281. Outside of Iowa, leading states in registration are Wisconsin with 75, Minnesota and Nebraska each with 58, Texas with 52, Kansas with 50, Arizona with 40, Missouri with 38, Colorado with 27, California with 24, and Arkansas with 23. Six straight nights [Read More]

Nathan Tomkins: From Queensland Ovals to Super Nationals Debut

By Ben Deatherage BRISBANE, Australia (Aug. 20, 2025) — Queensland is a land of contrasts — world-famous beaches crashing against the Gold Coast, tropical rainforests teeming with life, the Great Barrier Reef stretching like a jewel along its northern edge, and the Great Dividing Range cutting inland. It’s the “Sunshine State,” with nearly 300 days of warmth each year, but also home to cane toads, drop-bear legends, and a wildness that shapes those who grow up there. It’s from this backdrop that Nathan Tomkins, a racer from the Brisbane area, will trade the familiar dirt tracks of Australia for the bright lights of Iowa’s Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. For the first time, he’ll set foot in America to chase a dream on dirt. Nathan Tomkins stands alongside his Australian Modified, which he races regularly back home in Queensland. (Photo by Tomkins Motorsport) His path to Boone Speedway began not in a shop but with a friendship. A chance meeting at the Australian Title with racing personality Wade Aunger set the wheels in [Read More]

IMCA TV Brings Full-Menu Coverage of Super Nationals With Whole Pie Package

By Ben Deatherage VINTON, Iowa (Aug. 19, 2025) — IMCA.TV returns as the official streaming provider of the 2025 Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. From August 30 through Championship Saturday, September 6, fans can feast on eight straight days of live coverage served hot from Boone Speedway, home of America’s Racin’ Vacation. And just like a Casey’s pizza to fuel you at the track, in the shop, or at home, fans can order up the Whole Pie package from IMCA TV to make sure they don’t miss a single lap. For $179.99, the Whole Pie delivers start-to-finish coverage of every division and every night. Each day is a slice of the action, with single-day passes available for $34.99 — except Championship Saturday, priced at $49.99. This all-inclusive pass remains the best value and includes the expanded JE Pistons & Manley Products Studio Show featuring in-depth analysis from Blake Walker alongside IMCA TV’s own Ben Deatherage. To whet fans’ appetites even more, Speed Sport 1 will air The Speedway Motors Road to the Dance live — [Read More]

Hagen Surges Late to Win Monte Lundy Memorial at Nodak

By Ben Deatherage MINOT, N.D. (Aug. 17, 2025) — McGregor’s Travis Hagen powered from eighth starting to win the Second Annual Monte Lundy Memorial for the Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds, pocketing $4,014 on Sunday night at Nodak Speedway’s “Playground of Power.” The victory was Hagen’s 10th of the season in the Razor Chassis North Central Region and his sixth at Minot. 2014 Nodak Speedway title winner Drew Christianson led the opening laps before cautions slowed the early going. 2017 IMCA national kingpin Jason Wolla — also a two-time North Dakota State and former Nodak Speedway titlist — applied pressure on the restart, while four-time reigning Estevan Motor Speedway track ruler Kody Scholpp used the outside groove to grab the lead on lap six. Christianson briefly regained the point after a lap 14 restart, but Scholpp battled back on the high side. Defending Monte Lundy Memorial winner Aaron Turnbull, the 2013 Dakota Classic Modified Tour titlist, soon entered the fight, with multiple cautions — including one on lap 23 — keeping the leaders tight. In the closing [Read More]

Braaksma Banks $10,000 Legends of Dirt Modified Shootout at Southern Oregon

By Ben Deatherage WHITE CITY, Ore. (Aug. 16, 2025) — Ethan Braaksma, of Newton, Iowa, rose to the occasion Saturday night at Southern Oregon Speedway, outdueling Bricen James to win the 40-lap $10,000-to-win Friesen Performance IMCA Modified Legends of Dirt Shootout, the biggest payday in Oregon this year. The event drew a massive field of 52 entries for the weekend. Two-time reigning IMCA Wild West Speedweek champion Bricen James jumped to the early lead in the Schram Motorsports no. 13, holding command through a pair of cautions on laps seven and ten. That opened the door for two-time reigning Dakota Classic Modified Tour and 2025 IMCA TV Winter Nationals champion Braaksma, who powered the Curtis and Tiffany Town-owned no. 24 to the front with a move out of turn two. The race reached its halfway point with Braaksma in control, though multiple cautions kept the field tight. When the green waved for the final time on lap 22, the race’s intensity ramped up, and heavy lapped traffic entered the picture on lap 31. James closed back [Read More]

Baker Survives Fiery Finish in Stock Cars at Eagle

By Greg Soukup EAGLE, Neb. (Aug. 16, 2025) — The Sunoco IMCA Stock Car feature turned into the night’s wildest thriller at Eagle Raceway. Mike Lineberry jumped out early, but Trevor Baker worked steadily through the pack and used a restart to muscle his way to the lead. Chad Andersen came charging from mid-pack to give chase while Lineberry held his ground in third, creating a tight battle inside the top three. Baker appeared unstoppable once he gained the top spot, but the checkered flag was only the beginning of his drama. Just after crossing the finish line, his engine detonated in a burst of flames. Baker safely climbed out as fire crews swarmed the car, and the crowd roared at both the victory and the spectacle. The win marked Baker’s first in the EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region this season. Andersen’s runner-up effort vaulted him into the points lead, while Lineberry’s consistency kept him on the podium. Wayman Secures SportMod Crown The Karl Chevrolet IMCA Northern SportMods saw plenty of shakeups before Cole Wayman grabbed [Read More]