Feature Archives

Registration underway for history-making 30th annual Dakota Classic Tour

JAMESTOWN, N.D. – Registration is underway for a tour three decades in the making. IMCA Modified and IMCA Sunoco Stock Car drivers planning to follow the 30th annual Kupper Chevrolet Dakota Classic Tour can now go to the www.dakotamodtour.com website to register and make themselves eligible for contingency awards and reserve car numbers. “This tour has become something of an institution,” noted founder and director John Gartner. “Drivers come from all over the United States and Canada to enjoy the competition as well as the hospitality.” “Thirty years ago, we had no inkling that this tour would be this successful,” he added. “The tracks, the drivers and the sponsors who have been part of the tour deserve a lot of credit.” Modifieds race for $2,400 to win, Stock Cars for $800 to win on July 6 at Jamestown Speedway; July 7 at Nodak Speedway; July 8 at Estevan Motor Speedway; July 9 at Williston Basin Speedway; July 10 at Southwest Speedway; and July 11 at Dacotah Speedway. All six Modified tour features are qualifying events for the 2019 [Read More]

Cottage Grove win is third of Wild West Shootout for Winebarger

By Ben Deatherage COTTAGE GROVE, Ore. (June 25) – The late-race scenario was the same Tuesday but this time Collen Winebarger held Kellen Chadwick in check to win the Wild West IMCA Modified Shootout feature at Cottage Grove Speedway. Chadwick had reeled in Winebarger in lapped traffic late for the Monday victory at Cottage Grove. Winebarger caught up with the back of the pack again on Tuesday, but held on to earn his third tour feature of the week and another $1,000. Chadwick was a close second while Jake Mayden ended his evening in third. Bricen James collected a fourth while posting a fifth-place result was Gus Cooper. Cooper had motored his way to the front of the field in the opening laps before getting passed on lap four by Mayden. The lone stoppage of the race was a caution on lap nine bunching the field right up. Shortly after the restart, Winebarger maneuvered around Mayden and took over the role as the trailblazer. Winebarger set a torrid pace in open racetrack and as in [Read More]

Logue finds answers, $2,500 feature win at Hancock County’s SportMod Nationals

BRITT, Iowa (June 25) – One win in his first 19 starts of the season had Johnathon Logue looking for answers. He found them Tuesday night at Hancock County Speedway’s MaxYield Seed SportMod Nationals. Logue won his heat, the dash and the Karl Kustoms Northern SportMod main event, earning $2,700 in all for his efforts. “My car was very, very good,” said Logue, whose one previous victory this year had also been at Britt, on June 7. “It seems like we’ve been on the trouble bus with it all season. To be able to run as well as we did made it a fun night.” Brayton Carter, Jared Boumeester, Jake McBirnie and Jim Chisholm completed the top five across the stripe in the $2,500 to win feature. Forty-seven drivers from five states were entered. “So many good drivers come to this event every year. I’ve always loved coming up here,” said Logue, also the SportMod Nationals winner in 2016. “The amount of talent in this division is unbelievable.” Logue pocketed $200 for winning the DeKalb [Read More]

Checkers fly for Chadwick in Wild West Shootout round 4

By Ben Deatherage COTTAGE GROVE, Ore. (June 24) – After runner-up finishes each of the last two nights, Kellen Chadwick stood on the top step of the podium following Monday evening’s Wild West IMCA Modified Shootout at Cottage Grove Speedway. Chadwick ended Collen Winebarger’s winning streak at two with the $1,000 victory, putting his name of the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot in the process. Winebarger looked primed to three-peat, setting a rapid pace from his outside pole start and building a huge lead over the rest of the field. The leader encountered heavy lapped traffic in the final half of the main event and began to come under pressure from the second-running Chadwick. The California challenger tried several times to make a pass underneath or around the outside, but each time Winebarger thwarted those advances. Unfortunately, the two touched briefly in turn one on lap 32, resulting in Winebarger spinning. Winebarger went to the tail of the field, Chadwick inherited the lead with three laps to go and held onto the top spot [Read More]

Coos Bay checkers give Winebarger consecutive Wild West Shootout wins

By Ben Deatherage COOS BAY, Ore. (June 23) – Collen Winebarger became the first repeat winner in the Wild West IMCA Modified Shootout, with a flag-to-flag run in front of the Sunday Gambler field at Coos Bay Speedway. The $1,000 win followed Winebarger’s Saturday victory at Southern Oregon Speedway, which had put him on the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot. And like the opening night show Friday at Yreka, the feature ran caution-free. Winebarger took the lead at the drop of the green flag, got up on the wheel and outpaced the rest of the field. He worked traffic late in the race, putting 12 of the 20 starters down at least a lap. Winebarger earned his fifth career Wild West Shootout main event win and first at Coos Bay. He is also the first driver since Kellen Chadwick in 2016 to win consecutive races. Chadwick was second for the second straight night, while Travis Peery of North Dakota crossed the wire in third. Bricen James scored a fourth-place result in his first appearance of [Read More]

Southern Oregon win to Winebarger on night two of Wild West Modified Shootout

By Ben Deatherage WHITE CITY, Ore. (June 22) – Another defending race winner was first to the checkers, on night two of the Wild West IMCA Modified Shootout Collen Winebarger topped Saturday’s main event at Southern Oregon Speedway, gaining a Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot berth with the $1,000 victory, his series second in a row at White City. Kellen Chadwick took full advantage of his pole starting spot, taking the lead early and remaining there much of the race. Chadwick cruised until the culminating laps when he was briefly barricaded by traffic. Winebarger managed to cut down Chadwick’s lead and for the first time in the feature put significant pressure on the leader. The two battled briefly until lap 33 when Winebarger edged out in front. Winebarger went on to win the main event, his career fourth Wild West Shootout triumph. Chadwick, Jesse Williamson and Zach Fettinger were next across the stripe, while Jerry Flippo posted a fifth in his series first career feature start. Nick Trenchard had repeated his winning ways on opening [Read More]

Trenchard takes third straight at Yreka in Wild West Modified Shootout opener

By Ben Deatherage YREKA, Calif. (June 21) – Another Wild West IMCA Modified Shootout event at Siskiyou Golden Speedway ended with Nick Trenchard in victory lane. Trenchard raced to his third straight Shootout win at Yreka on Friday, earning $1,000 and a Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot berth along with the opening night tour checkers. Danny Lauer set a torrid pace for much of the race, cruising right along until hitting thick lapped traffic around halfway. Trenchard began to give chase and reeled in Lauer,thus beginning his bid for the lead. Trenchard and Lauer had a seesaw struggle for the top spot before in traffic before Trenchard secured the position on lap 25. The race went green to checkered and Trenchard held on the rest of the distance unchallenged to win his third straight series race at Siskiyou. It marked his fourth career Wild West Modified Shootout feature triumph. Lauer ended the night second while Jerry Schram placed third. Matthew Drager collected an impressive fourth over fifth-finishing Jesse Williamson. All consolation features before the main [Read More]

Deery Brothers Summer Series gets top billing at Benton County Fair show

VINTON, Iowa – The Deery Brothers Summer Series headlines blue ribbon fair week entertainment next Thursday, June 27 at Benton County Speedway. The 50-lap $2,000 to win, minimum $300 to start main event marks just the fourth visit by the IMCA Late Model tour to Vinton. Pit gates open at 5 p.m. and the drivers’ meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. Hot laps are at 6:45 p.m. with racing to follow. Grandstand admission is $15 for adults, $5 for kids and free for youngsters ages five and under when accompanying a paid adult. Pit passes are $30. Also on the Benton County Fair program are IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks and Karl Kustoms Northern SportMods. Darrel DeFrance of Marshalltown has competed at all 492 events in the series’ 33-year history and won the first Deery event held at Vinton in 1988. Rob Toland of Colona, Ill., was the Deery winner at Benton County in 2005 and Jeremiah Hurst of Dubuque led the way to the checkers when the tour made its much anticipated [Read More]

Thornton repeats at 141 Clash with big IMCA Modified payday

FRANCIS CREEK, Wis. (June 20) – The much-traveled Ricky Thornton Jr. made another stop in victory lane Thursday night, this time at the end of a $10,000 payday. Thornton led the last 45 of the 50 laps in repeating as winner of the Clash at the Creek main event for IMCA Modifieds at 141 Speedway. “This event is definitely near the top of my list of wins. It’s huge,” he said. “The track fits my driving style and there were a lot of good cars here. Realistically, everyone in the feature had a shot to win it.” Pole starter Terry Phillips was second and 13th starting Hunter Marriott ended in third. Rounding out the top five were Jordan Grabouski and Tim Ward. Hard charger Joey Taycher took the initial green flag last in the field of 24 and finished 10th. Thornton had started third and made his run at Phillips and the lead following an early restart. There was only one caution when Thornton was in front and the race ended with 35 green flag circuits. [Read More]

Independence Deery rained out, Benton County show is next

INDEPENDENCE, Iowa (June 19) – Add another Deery Brothers Summer Series event at Independence Motor Speedway to the growing list of rainouts. Tonight’s IMCA Late Model tour race at Indee has been canceled due to rain and resulting conditions. No make-up date has been announced. Next up on the Deery schedule is the $2,000 to win event at Benton County Speedway in Vinton on Thursday, June 27. Pit gates open at 5 p.m. for the county fair show. Hot laps are at 6:30 p.m. and racing starts at 7 p.m.