Feature Archives

Friesen awards crate engines to three IMCA rookies of year

LINCOLN, Neb. – Friesen Performance made even bigger winners of three rookie of the year award recipients during the IMCA national banquet. Modified rookie of the year Clint Luellen received a 604 crate engine. Hobby Stock rookie of the year Lance Mielke and Northern SportMod rookie of the year Jacob Olmstead both earned 602 crates for their efforts in 2017. “This is the second year for this program, which is obviously a great benefit to the rookies of the year in these three divisions,” noted IMCA Marketing Director Kevin Yoder. “We appreciate Friesen’s title sponsorship of the national rookie program in all three divisions and look forward to continuing this program well into the future.” In addition to completing IMCA rookie of the year requirements, drivers must have displayed a Friesen logo on their race car to be eligible for the crate engine award. Also the top first-year driver in the Side Biter Chassis North Central Region, Luellen won nine features and was ninth in the national points race. He earned three track championships and [Read More]

Lone Star Stock Car Tour totes $5,000 champion’s check

ABILENE, Texas – A rich week of racing in Texas will see IMCA Sunoco Stock Car drivers battle for shares of nearly $15,000 in point fund money and $750 to win each night of the Lone Star Stock Car Tour. Champion of the inaugural tour, sponsored by Sniper Speed, takes home a whopping $5,000 and becomes eligible to qualify for the Sunoco Race Fuels Race of Champions during the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s in September. The runner-up earns $2,500, with $2,000 paid for third, $1,500 for fourth, $1,000 for fifth, $500 for sixth, $400 for seventh, $300 for eighth, $250 for ninth and $150 for 10th. In addition, drivers finishing 11th on back with perfect attendance will be eligible for a $1,000 cash drawing. The Lone Star Tour opens with Friday and Saturday, Feb. 16 and 17 events during Abilene Speedway’s traditional season-opening Ice Breaker special. Sunday and Monday, Feb. 18 and 19 dates follow at 281 Speedway. Boyd Raceway hosts Tuesday and Wednesday, Feb. 20 and 21 races before the [Read More]

Fluckiger soars to Design 500 Lady Eagle honors

COLUMBUS, Neb. – Brooke Fluckiger ended her six-year Mach-1 Sport Compact career with a couple of career highlights. Fluckiger, from Columbus, Neb., raced to a top-five finish at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s, then put the wraps on 2017 by winning the coveted Design 500 Lady Eagle award. Champion at Boone County Raceway and U.S. 30 Speedway as well as the Allstar Performance Nebraska State champion, Fluckiger had the top point total among the 200-plus female drivers who competed in IMCA this season. “Winning the Lady Eagle has always been in the back of my mind,” said Fluckiger, a Duncan native and cousin of Modified hotshoes Dylan Smith and Damian Smith. “I’m very proud to be able to have done it racing against the top competition in Nebraska and the United States. It’s nice to show other female drivers we can race with the guys.” “Super Nationals was probably the most exciting part of the season,” she added. “We’ve totaled a car at Boone before so being able to finish just [Read More]

IMCA announces 2018 Late Model rules

VINTON, Iowa (Dec. 5) – The big news for IMCA Late Model drivers in 2018 is wider tires and wider wheels. IMCA will allow both beginning next season. Rules for the division were announced today (Tuesday). “Moving the maximum tire and wheel width rules to a maximum of 14 inches is a step toward industry standards,” said IMCA President Brett Root. “We feel we have the best engine rules and most stable Late Model division in the United States but narrower tire and wheel rules have somewhat hindered our growth.” Required tire for the division beginning in 2018 will be the WRS2 D55 Hoosier Late Model tire. “It’s a pretty big change for us,” acknowledged Root, “but we think it is better for the long-term direction of the division.” 2018 rules specifically state that air shocks will not be allowed, a move Root noted was consistent with other IMCA divisional rules. “Air shocks have proven to not be in the best interests of any IMCA divisions, dating back to the 1980s,” he stated. And the [Read More]

IMCA honors best of the best at national awards banquet

LINCOLN, Neb. (Nov. 25) – The best of the best were honored at the national IMCA awards banquet Saturday in Lincoln, Neb. National champions recognized during the evening were Jason Wolla, IMCA Modified; Justin Kay, IMCA Late Model; Marcus Thomas, IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car; Mike Nichols, IMCA Sunoco Stock Car; Shannon Anderson, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock; Tyler Soppe, Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMod; Cory Williams, Scoggin-Dickey Parts Center Southern SportMod; and Dillon Richards, Mach-1 Sport Compact. Wolla is the first driver from North Dakota to win a national crown in any division. Other first-time national kings are Thomas, Soppe, Williams and Richards. Kay is the first four-time national champion in the modern era of the Late Model division; Nichols and Anderson now share the modern era record with seven career national crowns in one division. Modified regional champions were Cory Sample in the Larry Shaw Race Cars Western; Steven Bowers Jr. in the Jet Racing Central; William Gould in the Razor Chassis South Central; Wolla in the Side Biter Chassis North Central; and A.J. Ward in [Read More]

Modified king Wolla reigns as first North Dakota IMCA national champion

RAY, N.D. – His season-opening sweep of Winter Challenge features at Canyon Speedway Park in Arizona got Jason Wolla thinking that the 2017 season could be special. After his runner-up finish in the Iowa Frostbuster Series, he knew it would be. “There are a lot of good cars in the Frostbuster. It helps us tune up for the point season,” said Wolla, who went on to win 23 IMCA Modified features in his home state and become the first driver from North Dakota to win a national championship in any sanctioned division. “Getting in more laps early in the year is key to winning later in the season.” “We have a lot of quality cars that race weekly in North Dakota. A lot of people don’t realize the car count averages we have,” continued Wolla, nicknamed The Big Show. “We proved this year that if you’re willing to put the miles on, you can be in the hunt. There are enough cars that bonus points definitely work in your favor.” From Ray and also the [Read More]

2018 IMCA rules released for six divisions

VINTON, Iowa – Some of the changes or clarifications you’ll see in 2018 rules for six IMCA divisions will be visible. Some will be less obvious. But all, IMCA President Brett Root promised, will be appropriate for each sanctioned class. “We do our best to be consistent from division to division with the basic rules and do not make wholesale changes without justification,” he said. “There were a small number of performance issues we saw this season that we have addressed for 2018.” Most notably, Northern SportMod and Hobby Stock drivers competing with claim engines must do so with 7,000 RPM chips. Drivers in all divisions allowing mud covers must secure them with bolts and not dzus fasteners. “The RPM limitation should come as no surprise. It is a situation that has presented itself but electronic rev limiters are becoming more and more accepted,” said Root. “Requiring mud plugs to be bolted on is a matter of safety. We have seen too many of them come off and inexpensive retrofit bolt kits are now readily [Read More]

Larry Shaw Race Cars takes top honors in IMCA Manufacturers’ Cup contest

BATESVILLE, Ark. – Larry Shaw Race Cars will receive a second prestigious award at the upcoming IMCA national banquet. The Batesville, Ark., chassis builder won the 2017 Manufacturers’ Cup, with the top point total among the 18 manufacturers entered in the ninth annual contest. Points were awarded based on the make of chassis driven by drivers finishing in the top 10 in each of the five regions for IMCA Modifieds. Shaw led the way with 41 points; rounding out the top five builders were GRT with 38, Razor Chassis with 28, BMS with 27 and Harris Auto Racing with 26. Shaw, already in line for a 10-year sponsor appreciation plaque, gets a $500 cash prize and trophy during the Nov. 25 national banquet in Lincoln, Neb. “We rekindled and started all over after a fire in 1994 and there are so many drivers and their race teams that we have to thank for this,” owner Larry Shaw said. “We’ve built more than 5,300 cars and our employees and family still do everything they’re supposed to [Read More]

IMCA crowns record 107 Allstar Performance state champions this season

VINTON, Iowa – A record 107 IMCA Allstar Performance state champions were crowned this season, including first-ever divisional kings in three states. The previous mark of 103 was set last year; the record for the number of state champions named has been equaled or bettered each year since 2004. Shelby Williams was the only driver winning state crowns in multiple divisions this season, pacing both IMCA Sunoco Stock Car and Scoggin-Dickey Parts Center Southern SportMod points in Oklahoma. Both championships were career firsts. Brian Carey won his first Southern SportMod crowns in Colorado and Wyoming. He’d previously reigned in his home state of New Mexico. State-first champions were in New York and South Carolina, where Jeff Trombely and Danny Jones topped IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car standings, and in Wyoming, where Beau Hutchison led Stock Car points. Eight hundred and eighteen different drivers have won state championships since the awards program began in 2000. Drew Armstrong motored to a career sixth IMCA Modified championship in Arkansas this season. Jeremy Meirhofer won for the fourth time in [Read More]

Phillips’ trophy case will display four of a kind after latest IMCA Modified Duel In The Desert win

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (Nov. 11) – Nothing slowed Terry Phillips on his way to a career fourth IMCA Modified Duel In The Desert victory and a $7,777 paycheck Saturday at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Dirt Track. Phillips led all but the first of 40 laps, nearly hitting the wall getting around traffic before pulling ahead to win nearly eight seconds ahead of Eddie Belec. The race stayed green the last 36 laps. Peyton Taylor, Johnny Scott and Cody Laney rounded out the top five finishers at the 20th annual event, the biggest of the season in IMCA’s Larry Shaw Racing Western Region. “These slick tracks, I like them. I guess I’m getting a little long in the tooth, but I’ve got a lot more left in me, probably more than most of these young kids,” said Phillips, from Springfield, Mo., and also the Duel winner in 2010, 2011 and 2014. “There were a couple lanes and I was all over this thing. It was awesome.” Arvada, Colo., speedsters Belec and Dominic Ursetta made up [Read More]