Feature Archives

Westin Abbey rings up second Lone Star Tour win at Bells

BELLS, Texas (Feb. 17) – Westin Abbey rang up a second Sniper Speed Lone Star Tour feature win Monday night, getting the best of his IMCA Sunoco Stock Car foes at Grayson County Speedway. Abbey had started 10th in the 30-lap, star-filled field at Bells, passed brother Dean for the lead just before halfway and then worked his way through traffic as the race ended with a long green flag run. Ryan Powers led the first six circuits from the pole before giving way to Dean Abbey, fresh off the win in the Smiley’s Racing Products Southern SportMod main. Sunday winner Derek Green was briefly into the runner-up spot following the second of two lap yellow cautions. Westin Abbey swapped second with Powers before making his way to the front on lap 14. He mastered traffic beginning on lap 18, chased to the $1,000 checkers by the 12th starting Jesse Sobbing. Dean Abbey, George Egbert III and 14th starting Jeffrey Abbey rounded out the top five. Monday’s third installment of the Lone Star Tour drew 70 Stock Car [Read More]

Green saddles up for night two Lone Star Tour victory

WACO, Texas (Feb. 16) – Night two of the Sniper Speed Lone Star Tour saw Derek Green make a second stop in victory lane. Green led the last 10 laps of Sunday’s IMCA Sunoco Stock Car feature at Heart O’ Texas Speedway, earning $1,000. He’d started the 30-lap main event from 11th after winning his ‘B’ race and had taken over the front spot just before a turn three incident that eliminated challengers Dean Cornelius and Angel Munoz. Jeffrey Abbey raced from 19th starting to second, Abe Huls from 14th to third and Westin Abbey from 17th to fourth. “This definitely feels good,” said Green, winner of the Friday Ice Breaker and runner-up in the Saturday tour opener at Abilene Speedway. “I came down here with zero dollars and a credit card. The last few nights we’ve made some money and bought some tires and fuel.” Munoz had led the first 13 circuits before crossing the stripe in a dead heat with Green on lap 14. The Colorado speedster was back at the point when the next five laps [Read More]

Westin Abbey aces IMCA Lone Star Tour opener at Abilene

ABILENE, Texas (Feb. 15) – Following his opening night Sniper Speed Lone Star Tour win Saturday at Abilene Speedway, Westin Abbey will take aim at a much bigger payday. The three-time and defending EQ Cylinder Heads Southern Region champion topped the main event for IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, earning $1,000 and a shot at a $10,000 bonus if he can win Texas Motor Speedway’s Wednesday night Dirty 30 show as well. Eighty drivers from 11 states saw tour action at Abilene. Ninth in Friday’s opening night show at the Ice Breaker, Abbey won the first of 10 heat races, started outside the front row and caught Derek Green for the lead midway through the 30-lapper. Green, the Friday winner, ran side-by-side and bumper-to-bumper with Abbey the last half of the race. The front pair caught up to lapped traffic with two laps left but Abbey found the fastest way through and left Green to settle for second. “We didn’t know what the car was going to do. We changed a lot of stuff after the heat race,” [Read More]

McGaha, Tucker, Green are gold on opening night at Abilene Ice Breaker

ABILENE, Texas (Feb. 14) – Josh McGaha and Gabe Tucker made return trips to victory lane at Abilene Speedway, while Derek Green won in his first-ever outing at the Texas speedplant on opening night of the Ice Breaker. Multi-time track champion McGaha scored IMCA Modified career win number 92 Friday night while Tucker’s checkers were his Smiley’s Racing Products Southern SportMod career 113th. Minnesotan Green, meanwhile, led all 32 laps of the Prelude To The Tour feature for IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, contended by nearly 80 drivers. The checkers were his IMCA career 91st. Most recently the winner of Abilene’s 2019 season-ending Ryan Bard Memorial Southern Challenge, McGaha started from the pole, chased Mark Carrell across the stripe after the first lap and then went to the bottom for the lead on lap two. Jason Wolla settled into second on lap five. Carrell and Jesse Sobbing tussled over third following a lap 12 restart with Sobbing eventually getting the upper hand. Mike Hansen and Carrell completed the top five as McGaha pulled away to win by half [Read More]

Two titles for Thornton, Kuehl reigns over IMCA Arizona Dirt Track Tour SportMods

TUCSON, Ariz. (Feb. 15) – Ricky Thornton Jr. wrapped up two titles with feature victories while Brady Bjella became a first-time winner and ever-consistent Taylor Kuehl earned an IMCA Arizona Dirt Track Tour championship of her own Saturday at USA Raceway. Thornton led all but the first of 25 IMCA Modified main event circuits and all 20 times around the track in the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car feature. Alex Stanford was scored first on the opening lap of the Modified finale, but Thornton drove by in the first set of turns on lap two. He caught up with the back of the field on lap nine and led Stanford through traffic from that point. The race ran caution-free and Thornton avoided potential late drama with a nifty high side pass of two lapped cars. The $2,000 victory was Thornton’s second straight at Tucson, third of the tour and already Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot qualifying fifth of the season. Stanford was second and Drew Armstrong held off Jake O’Neil for third. Chaz Baca started 13th and [Read More]

Thornton is double winner, Becerra takes first IMCA Arizona Tour checkers at Tucson

TUCSON, Ariz. (Feb. 14) – Ricky Thornton Jr. was a double winner while Austen Becerra collected his first IMCA Arizona Dirt Track Tour checkers Friday at USA Raceway. Thornton won for the fourth time in five IMCA Sunoco Stock Car Tour starts, before outrunning Jeff Taylor and Alex Stanford for another IMCA Modified victory. In between those two features, Becerra rocketed from eighth starting to top the Karl Kustoms Northern SportMod main. He passed Clay Erickson and Brady Bjella following a lap 14 restart, then led to the finish. “I thought I had a third place car ‘til I got to lapped traffic,” the Carthage, Ill., charger said post-race. “But it worked out pretty good for us. It was good to click one off here.” Becerra had sandwiched fourth- and third-place finishes around a pair of 21st place showings in his four prior tour outings. His win was good for $750. Bjella and Bo Partain were one-two in the early going. Erickson owned the second spot after a lap four restart while Becerra motored along in [Read More]

Arneson chased, challenged, but not caught in Casa Grande IMCA Modified tour main event

CASA GRANDE, Ariz. (Feb. 11) – He was chased and he was challenged, but Casey Arneson was never caught in Tuesday night’s Arizona Dirt Track Tour main event for IMCA Modifieds at Central Arizona Speedway. Two thousand dollars richer for his efforts, the North Dakota pilot led all 25 laps, challenged by Drew Armstrong and Jake O’Neil through midway, then chased across the stripe by 14th starting Alex Stanford and 17th starting Jeff Taylor. Multiple cautions made for slow going over the first five circuits before a lengthy green flag run. Arneson, already on the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot, and O’Neil had been working traffic when the yellow returned on lap 16. Ricky Thornton Jr., then Stanford ran in second from that point but neither could reel in Arneson. ‘B’ feature winner Taylor made his way to third with five laps left. Thornton held off Zachard Madrid in winning his third of four tour starts and second straight at Casa Grande. The sixth starting Madrid reeled in Thornton but couldn’t make his next-to-the-last-lap bid for the [Read More]

Baca, Thornton, Thompson get tour wins in Sunday afternoon show at Central Arizona

CASA GRANDE, Ariz. (Feb. 9) – Chaz Baca, Ricky Thornton Jr. and Cody Thompson all raced to second wins in their respective divisions, in the third IMCA Arizona Dirt Track Tour event of the weekend. Baca led the way to the $2,000 IMCA Modified checkers while Thornton collected the $750 IMCA Sunoco Stock Car checkers Sunday afternoon at Central Arizona Speedway while Thompson returned to Casa Grande for another impressive Karl Kustoms Northern SportMod victory, also good for $750. After a rough start to the 25-lapper, Baca led the distance in the Modified main. Already on the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot, he was chased every time around the track by Tim Ward while Thornton made his way from 17th starting to third before a lap 14 caution. The race stayed green to the finish from that point. Thornton, Jeff Taylor and Casey Arneson rounded out the top five. Back-to-back yellows just after midway were all that slowed Thornton in his drive to the Stock Car win. Brendon LaBatte, Zachary Madrid, 10th starting Arron Hetrick and Chanse [Read More]

Thornton, Hollatz, Thompson are Night 2 IMCA Arizona Dirt Track Tour winners

SAN TAN VALLEY, Ariz. (Feb. 8) – Ricky Thornton Jr., Chanse Hollatz and Cody Thompson all took another step up on the podium Saturday at Arizona Speedway. Each had been runner-up in IMCA Arizona Dirt Track Tour features on opening night, then turned in checkered flag performances on night two at San Tan Valley. Thornton reeled in Drew Armstrong to win the IMCA Modified main event and $2,000. Hollatz dominated from the start of the 20-lap IMCA Sunoco Stock Car headliner and Thompson got the best of Tyler Soppe and Brian Osantowski in the Karl Kustoms Northern SportMod show, which also paid $750 to win. After two early cautions, Armstrong led the first 16 laps of the Modified main with Thornton and Friday winner Chaz Baca close behind. Thornton, already on the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot, was anything but shy about running the extreme top side of the oval before he slid inside Armstrong on the second set of turns and led the last nine times around the track. Baca stole the second spot [Read More]

Baca gets best win in Arizona Dirt Track Tour opener for IMCA Modifieds at San Tan Valley

SAN TAN VALLEY, Ariz. (Feb. 7) – A driver who’s already been busy racking up feature wins this season had a career highlight victory to talk about following the IMCA Modified feature on opening night of the IMCA Arizona Dirt Track Tour. Chaz Baca got the best of Ricky Thornton Jr. in the $2,000 to win main event Friday at Arizona Speedway. The quick-paced 25-lapper at San Tan Valley ran caution-free and saw the front pair work through heavy traffic before Baca edged ahead and beat Thornton to the stripe by half a second. “That was the most exciting race I think I’ve ever run. It’s a big deal to run with Ricky Thornton like that,” said Baca, already on the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot. “It was definitely the best win I’ve ever had … Holy cow, that was exciting.” Baca and Thornton, both two-time track champions at Arizona Speedway, started on the front row, with Baca just ahead when the first lap was scored. Defending tour champion Thornton was the leader on lap [Read More]