Feature Archives

Mark Martin’s second annual Race For Hope 74 at Batesville Motor Speedway a huge success

By Mike Spieker BATESVILLE, Ark. (Sept. 29) – IMCA Modified entries topped the 130 mark and traveled from more than 20 states and Canada for Mark Martin’s second annual Race For Hope 74 at Batesville Motor Speedway Troutman, N.C.s Kyle Strickler, already on the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot, led the distance en route to Saturday’s $20,000 payday. Defending race winner Ricky Thornton Jr. and Jordan Grabouski completed the top three. A purse of more than $150,000 was paid to the 28 main event qualifiers Qualifying feature winners Thornton, Strickler and Grabouski, made up the front row for the three-wide start. Thornton placed his bid for the lead on an early restart but Strickler had the momentum down the back straightaway to hold the point. Behind the leaders, Grabouski and Chase Allen swapped the third spot on lap four, with Grabouski holding onto the position. The bottom became the preferred groove for the entire field as the race approached the lap 40 fuel stop. Thornton slipped from second to fourth following the lap 35 restart [Read More]

2018 IMCA point season ends this Sunday, Sept. 30

VINTON, Iowa – The 2018 IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing point season for seven divisions ends this Sunday, Sept. 30 Final races are scheduled that day for Modifieds, Sprint Cars, Stock Cars, Hobby Stocks, Northern SportMods, Southern SportMods and Sport Compacts. Final national and state points for the Late Model division were given at the Sept. 21 Deery Brothers Summer Series event. Bonus points will be figured and national and regional champions and rookies of the year announced as soon as possible. Local track officials have until noon Central Standard Time on Monday, Oct. 29 to notify IMCA of corrections that affect their top 15 point standings before all standings for those divisions become official. Questions about IMCA point totals and standings should be directed to Virginia Lindsey, director of membership and points, at vlindsey@imca.com or by calling 319 472-2201, ext. 215.

Thornton takes opening night feature win at Race For Hope 74

By Mike Spieker BATESVILLE, Ark. (Sept. 26) – Picking up where he left off last year, Ricky Thornton Jr. raced to the opening night feature win of Mark Martin’s Race For Hope 74 at Batesville Motor Speedway. Thornton, who is the defending champion of the Race For Hope 74, led all 30 trips around the high-banked three-eighths mile clay oval en route to the Wednesday evening IMCA Modified win. “The car was really good tonight. I was able to jump out front and really run my own race,” said Thornton after the race. “We’ll probably make a few small changes for Saturday but we are excited to roll from the pole.” The top eight finishers in the Wednesday qualifier are locked into Saturday’s $20,000-to win, 74-lap main event. Those drivers include Thornton, Cayden Carter, Jason Hughes, Justin Kay, Drew Armstrong, Ken Schrader, Zack VanderBeek and Joel Rust. Armstrong ran in the runner-up position until the lap 12 restart when Hughes snuck underneath him in turns one and two. On the following circuit, 10th place runner Jake [Read More]

Race For Hope 74 practice, time trials start Tuesday

BATESVILLE, Ark. – Practice and time trials get underway Tuesday night at Batesville Motor Speedway for the top-paying IMCA Modified event of the season. A $20,000 share of the $150,000 Mark and Arlene Martin Hope For Arkansas Foundation Race For Hope 74 main event purse goes to the winner of the Saturday, Sept. 29 headliner. Twenty-seven drivers take the green flag in a race that pays a minimum of $2,000 to start. All IMCA rules will apply and IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Motors Weekly Racing National, Jet Racing Central Region and Arkansas State points will be awarded. Race For Hope 74 will be broadcast by IMCA.TV. Presenting sponsor is Sweet Manufacturing. Fifteen heat races will be held each night Wednesday through Friday. “D,” “C” and “B” races will follow qualifying features those evenings with points to be awarded toward a special race. Both the Race of States, featuring the fastest car from each state that does not qualify for the main event, and the Manufacturers’ race, featuring the fastest non-qualifying car built by each manufacturer [Read More]

Nezworski nabs Deery finale, Kay tops tour, Hurst takes national IMCA Late Model prize

DAVENPORT, Iowa (Sept. 21) – Andy Nezworski won the main event, Justin Kay won the tour title and Jeremiah Hurst won the IMCA Late Model championship when the Deery Brothers Summer Series concluded Friday at Davenport Speedway. Nezworski led every lap of the 40-lap, $2,000 to win caution-free Governor’s Cup feature. Chuck Hanna got close in lapped traffic but couldn’t find a way around the leader. Kay, who’d won the IMCA Modified feature earlier in the program, and Ryan Dolan both passed Hanna on the final lap; ‘B’ feature winner and hard charger Tyler Bruening rounded out the top five. The victory was Nezworski’s Deery career third and first since July of 2015. “This was great,” said Nezworski, whose best finish in five previous Deery starts this season had been ninth. “We’d had some struggles this year before we put in ‘old reliable,’ a motor I paid $3,500 for, and I think we’ve won five or six races with it.” “We’ve been decent here at Davenport,” he added. “We won a couple times here earlier [Read More]

Beckendorf takes Iron Cup crown, Moore is night two IMCA Modified winner

JEFFERSON, S.D. (Sept. 14-15) – Gold and silver place finishes made Brandon Beckendorf the IMCA Modified champion at Park Jefferson Speedway’s fifth annual J&J Fitting Iron Cup Championship Night presented by I State Truck Centers. Beckendorf used multiple grooves to race from his 10th starting spot and win the Friday night feature, and $1,000. Already on the 2019 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot, he took the checkers ahead of Jim Thies and Bob Moore. Moore battled back to regain the lead from Beckendorf in winning the Saturday feature, earning $1,000 and the All-Star ballot berth. Third was Sean Barragan. Also scoring $1,000 wins on night two were Dusty Ballenger in the IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Cars and Elijah Zevenbergen in the IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars. Ballenger’s win came ahead of Brant O’Banion and Tyler Thompson and put him on top of Iron Cup point standings for the winged division. Friday’s top three were Elliott Amdahl, Casey Abbas and Trefer Waller. Iron Cup king Zevenbergen was a rocket from his 10th starting spot, outrunning Greg Taylor and [Read More]

Ward puts check next to Great Lakes Nationals on IMCA Modified to-win list

CRYSTAL, Mich. (Sept. 16) – The ninth time was a charm Sunday for A.J. Ward. Ward won the Great Lakes Nationals in his career ninth start at Crystal Motor Speedway’s season-ending special for IMCA Modifieds. The victory was accompanied by a check for $3,000 and a very tall trophy. “I knew we were good at the end but I didn’t know if anyone behind me was saving their tires,” Ward said, after checking the last big IMCA Modified special in Michigan off his must-win list. “We’ve been trying to win this race for a long time. It feels good to finally be able to do it.” Brenten DeYoung ended the 50-lapper in second and five-time Great Lakes Nationals king Myron DeYoung was third. Twentieth starting Joey Burch and Chad Wernette completed the top five. Ward made his way patiently from eighth starting, finally catching leader Matt Szecsodi in lapped traffic. “I concentrated on saving my tires and picked ‘em off one at a time,” said Ward, runner-up in the 2013 event and third last year. [Read More]

Deery Series finale set for Friday at Davenport Speedway

DAVENPORT, Iowa (Sept. 18) – The final event of the 32nd annual Deery Brothers Summer Series gets top billing at Friday’s Governor’s Cup Iowa State Championship at Davenport Speedway. The Sept. 21 feature for touring IMCA Late Models pays $2,000 to win and a minimum of $300 to start. Wheatland’s Justin Kay brings the point lead to town in pursuit of his career third tour title; he already owns top trophies from 2014 and 2015. Kay is also the winner of the most recent Deery event held at Davenport, in September of 2014. Jeff Aikey of Cedar Falls leads all drivers with six career tour wins at the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds oval. Pit gates open at 3 p.m. and the grandstand opens at 5 p.m. on Friday, Hot laps are at 6 p.m. with racing to follow on the quarter-mile. Spectator admission is $20 for adults, $18 for seniors and students, and free for kids 12 and under. Pit passes are $35. IMCA Modifieds race for $1,000 to win their Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational [Read More]

2018 IMCA point season ends Sunday, Sept. 30

VINTON, Iowa – The 2018 IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing point season ends on Sunday, Sept. 30 Final races are scheduled that day for Modifieds, Sprint Cars, Stock Cars, Hobby Stocks, Northern SportMods, Southern SportMods and Sport Compacts. Final national and state points for the Late Model division will be awarded at the Deery Brothers Summer Series event scheduled Sept. 21 at Davenport Speedway. Bonus points will be figured and national and regional champions and rookies of the year announced as soon as possible. Local track officials have until noon Central Standard Time on Monday, Oct. 29 to notify IMCA of corrections that affect their top 15 point standings before all standings for those divisions become official. Questions about IMCA point totals and standings should be directed to Virginia Lindsey, director of membership and points, at vlindsey@imca.com or by calling 319 472-2201, ext. 215.

Aikey adds to IMCA Super Nationals legacy with Modified championship

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 8) – A driver who’s made plenty of history at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s made even more Saturday night. Jeff Aikey, a six-time Late Model champion at America’s Racin’ Vacation, started on the pole and led all 40 laps of the Modified main event at Boone Speedway. He’s the fourth driver to win Super Nationals crowns in multiple divisions and just the second to earn Late Model and Modified titles, joining Kevin Pittman in that accomplishment. His total of seven championships is a Super Nationals record. Only two cautions came out over the course of the 40-lapper and Aikey pulled away after restarts on the second and eighth circuits. Ryan Ruter ran second much of the distance before giving way to Cayden Carter with four laps left. Six lapped cars separated Aikey and Carter at the checkers. Ethan Dotson started 13th and completed the top four. “My car was extremely good, probably the best it’s been hooked up all year,” Aikey said. “When I came down here [Read More]