Feature Archives

Bowers dominates at inaugural Missouri IMCA Nationals

By Jacob Blair OSBORN, Mo. (Oct. 26) – A full pit area checked in for the first ever Missouri IMCA Nationals at US 36 Raceway. The IMCA Modified main saw Jesse Dennis and Kyle Olberding battle for the lead early. Quickly though, Steven Bowers Jr. and Chad Clancy moved by and started battling for the lead. For the first half of the race, the two searched the track for a line and while doing so swapped the lead several times. After halfway, Bowers found the right line and dominated the rest of the way, picking up the first-ever Missouri IMCA Nationals Modified win and the big trophy in Westfall GMC Victory Lane. The victory was good for $1,200; Bowers was already on the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot. Clancy finished second while Shayne Bailey started 16th and drove through the field for a third-place finish. Adam Kates and Jaylen Wettengel charged from 12th and 15, respectively, to round out the top five. In the IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car feature, Toby Chapman paced the field early before Jason [Read More]

Wins keep coming for Grabouski as World Nationals checkers pay $10,000

By Joyce Eisele MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (Oct. 26) – Jordan Grabouski made a banner 2019 season even more memorable Saturday night, winning the IMCA Modified main event at Marshalltown Speedway’s 13th annual World Nationals. The $10,000 paycheck came near the end of a campaign that saw the Beatrice, Neb., driver race to IMCA Modified and IMCA Sunoco national crowns. His 69 total feature wins during the IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing season also included the April Frostbuster at Marshalltown. Joel Rust, defending race winner Richie Gustin, Cayden Carter and Jeff Aikey completed the top five. Grabouski and Gustin had lined up on the front row for the start of the 50-lapper. Grabouski grabbed the immediate lead and was still in front when the race was red flagged at 20 laps down after Jeff Larson went over turn three. The race resumed with Grabouski leading the field to green. Rust was running second when the next lap was scored and set his sights on overtaking the leader. It wasn’t to be on this night, however, as Grabouski held [Read More]

Duel In The Desert boasts great competition, Las Vegas location

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – The Entertainment Capital of the World welcomes IMCA Modifieds and Karl Kustoms Northern SportMods to town for the Duel In The Desert. Modifieds race for $7,777 to win, Northern SportMods for a top prize of $1,777 at the 22nd annual Duel Nov. 13-16 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Dirt Track. “The Duel continues to be one of our biggest events, with more than 300 drivers from 20-plus states and Canada at last year’s event,” noted IMCA President Brett Root. “Both the level of competition and the entertainment away from the track are tough to beat.” The Saturday night Modified feature is a 2020 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot qualifier. A minimum of $777 will be paid to start the 28-car main event and to winners of Thursday and Friday, Nov. 14 and 15 qualifying features. Thursday and Friday Northern SportMod qualifiers both pay $500 to win. Drivers in both divisions can register online and competitors from 19 states and Canada have already done so. The track website is www.lvms.com and the registration form [Read More]

Compliments keep coming for McGaha on Southern Challenge IMCA Modified victory

ABILENE, Texas (Oct. 19) – Josh McGaha was getting compliments long after the IMCA Modified checkers flew at Abilene Speedway’s Ryan Bard Memorial Southern Challenge. McGaha stayed in front after swapping the lead late with frequent foe Chris Elliott in winning Saturday’s headliner, earning $2,000 and a 2020 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot berth for the victory. “It was a barnburner, a heck of a good race,” said McGaha, also winner of 2011 and 2012 Southern Challenge titles. “It’s one of the most fun races I’ve been in and I’ve gotten a lot of compliments on how exciting it was.” Elliott, Herring, Matt Guillaume and Chase Allen rounded out the top five. Now the six-time track champion at Abilene, McGaha had started fourth and passed Herring near midway for the lead. He built up a straightaway advantage before getting stuck behind a slower car. Elliott was quick to catch up and challenge. Their back-and-forth battle ended with McGaha ahead by a car length and a half at the finish. “I raced with Chris all year [Read More]

IMCA features pay $2,000 to win at Abilene’s 25th Ryan Bard Memorial Southern Challenge

ABILENE, Texas – Two thousand dollars is the top prize in IMCA Modified, IMCA Sunoco Stock Car and Smiley’s Racing Products Southern SportMod features at Abilene Speedway’s Ryan Bard Memorial Southern Challenge. The 25th annual event is Friday and Saturday, Oct. 18 and 19. The Modified feature is a qualifier for the 2020 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot and pays a minimum of $300 to start. Both the Stock Car and SportMod features pay a minimum of $200 to start. An open practice runs from 6-10 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 17. Pit gates and the grandstand open at 3 p.m. and racing starts at 7 p.m. both days. Adult grandstand admission is $12 on Friday and $15 on Saturday. Kids ages 6-12 get in for $5 and five and under are free both nights. Military with ID are $10. More information is available from promoter Rob Poor at 325 725-3849 or 325 692-8800, on Facebook and at the www.abilenespeedway.com website. The Southern Challenge will be broadcast by IMCA.TV.

Little line takes Gottschalk to big Fall Nationals payday

HAYS, Kan. (Oct. 5) – After finding a little line, Daniel Gottschalk took the big check at RPM Speedway’s Fall Nationals. A caution late in the 40-lapper helped open the door as Gottschalk topped the $5,000 Saturday night main event. “I didn’t know if I had a chance midway through but I found a little line and made it work,” said Gottschalk, who passed Tanner Black and Cody Laney for the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot qualifying victory. “I don’t get real emotional but that was probably the most excited I’ve ever been after taking the checkered flag.” Once in front, he pulled away on the white flag circuit and took the win half a second ahead of Black, who’d raced his way up from 14th starting. Laney, Jeff Taylor and defending race winner Jordan Grabouski completed the top five. “We broke last year at Fall Nationals and DNF’d,” said Gottschalk, who started seventh this time around and wheeled a Slider Chassis. “This year we found some extra speed. This was our last race of the [Read More]

IMCA season full of firsts ends with six first-time national champions

VINTON, Iowa (Oct. 8) – An IMCA race season that saw its share of first-time accomplishments will end with the crowning of six first-time national champions. Those titles went to Kenneth Duke in the IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Cars, Jeff Ware in the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks, James Hanusch in the Smiley’s Racing Products Southern SportMods and Alex Dostal in the Mach-1 Sport Compacts. Duke, from Selinsgrove, is the first Pennsylvania driver to win an IMCA national championship in any division. He won 10 features as well as Pennsylvania Sprint Series and E3 Spark Plugs Pennsylvania State titles. Columbus, Neb., pilot Ware was a 29-time feature winner and also the top driver in the Big Daddy Race Cars Northern Region, in Nebraska State points and in Boone County Raceway, Dawson County Raceway, Eagle Raceway and U.S. 30 Speedway standings. Hanusch hails from Belton, Texas. He had five feature wins and the 281 Speedway track title to his credit this season. Dostal collected 25 feature wins. From Glencoe, he’s also the Minnesota State and Arlington Raceway, Princeton [Read More]

Money banks second straight Salina Mid-America Clash win

SALINA, Kan. (Sept. 27) – A second straight Mid-America Clash feature win had Clay Money already looking forward to the 2020 season-ending special at Salina Speedway. Money topped Friday’s main event for IMCA Modifieds, earning $1,500 and a spot on the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot. “It’s pretty cool. I wish we could have gotten both shows in (Saturday was a rainout) and gone back-to-back racing against a lot of the best competition in Kansas,” said Money, who started outside row one and led the last 19 of 20 circuits. “Hopefully we can win it again next year.” Also the winner of a topless special at Salina earlier this season, he took the Friday checkers following a late restart, beating Dustin Daniels and Clay Sellard to the stripe. Tim Watts and 12th starting Kurtis Pihl rounded out the top five. “I just tried to hold my line and be smooth after the last restart,” he said. After a number of early restarts, Kyle Pfeifer raced from seventh starting to the lead five laps into the IMCA [Read More]

Late pass gives Schoknecht edge to Larson, Shryock tops IMCA Modified main at Arlington

ARLINGTON, Minn. (Sept. 28) – His last-lap pass to regain the lead took Jeff Larson to the $5,000 IMCA Sunoco Stock Car checkers at Arlington Raceway’s Scott Schoknecht Shootout. Larson led 11 early circuits before the seventh starting Dan Mackenthun found the extra bite on the bottom and buzzed by for the front spot. The rest of the 30-lap race went caution free with the lead pair battling back and forth as Larson had to contend with brother Dustin, who had moved up from his ninth place start. When the white flag came out, Jeff Larson stepped on the pedal and got around Mackenthun on the backstretch to take the checkered flag and the top check. Mackenthun took second ahead of Kelly Shryock, who passed Dustin Larson on the last lap. John Oliver Jr. rounded out the top five. Longest tow money of $300 went to Colorado’s Angel Munoz. The hard charger was Jeff Lyon, who passed 13 cars. Random $500 draws went to Chad Schroeder, Kevin LaTour, lap one leader Shaun Bruns and Matt [Read More]

Allstar Performance rewards winners of 10 or more heats with $100 certificates

WATERVLIET, Mich. – Allstar Performance makes heat race success pay off again this season for IMCA drivers in all divisions. The Watervliet, Mich., high-performance parts manufacturer gives $100 gift cards to drivers who won 10 or more heat races at sanctioned events this season and who send in photos providing proof of heat race winner decal placement. The driver with the most heat wins receives a $250 gift card. Photos should be directed to Marketing Director Kevin Yoder at kyoder@imca.com. Deadline for doing so is Wednesday, Nov. 13. Gift certificates will be presented during the national awards banquet on Nov. 30 or mailed from the IMCA home office beginning the following week. The 2019 season was the second for Allstar Performance as title sponsor of IMCA’s heat race winner decal program. “Now that the point season has wrapped up, we want to start recognizing drivers for their accomplishments in 2019,” Yoder commented. “Heat race wins are significant and winning 10 of them is an achievement Allstar Performance continues to support. Take time now to send photos [Read More]