Feature Archives

Arnold Motor Supply Dirt Knights checkers are Minnesota first, Beckendorf is Fairmont winner

FAIRMONT, Minn. (Aug. 7) – The first Arnold Motor Supply Dirt Knights Tour event in Minnesota ended with a home state driver getting his career first IMCA Modified tour victory. Brandon Beckendorf led all 25 laps of the Wednesday night feature at Fairmont Raceway, earning $1,500 along with a place on the 2020 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot for his efforts. Forty-nine Modified drivers from 10 states and Canada vied in the Bob Shryock Memorial midweek show. “To win the first race held in Minnesota was pretty cool. It means a lot to me to be able to do it here,” said Beckendorf, the defending track champion and current point leader at Fairmont. The Danube driver started outside the front row and took charge from the get-go, with 2012 tour champion Jay Noteboom, Berry, tour point leader Richie Gustin and Kollin Hibdon his closest pursuit. His advantage was more than a half a straightaway before Beckendorf caught up with the back of the field. Noteboom had reeled in the leader before the only caution of [Read More]

Arneson’s great night at Deer Creek ends with IMCA Modified Harris Clash checkers

SPRING VALLEY, Minn. (Aug. 6) – An IMCA Modified driver who’s been racking up some impressive wins this summer added another one to his resume Tuesday nigh Austin Arneson topped the 28th annual Harris Clash at Deer Creek Speedway, leading the last 11 of 30 laps and outrunning fellow North Dakota hotshoe Tom Berry Jr. in the dash to the checkers coming out of the final turn. “It was a great night for me. It was a fun race with a lot of sliding back and forth,” said Arneson, who earned $3,000 for the victory in addition to a 2020 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot berth. More than 140 race teams from 14 states saw action in front of another big Clash crowd at Spring Valley. Berry had caught race-long and defending Clash winner Cayden Carter for the lead on lap 18, then saw Arneson drive by the next time around. He couldn’t quite make a last-shot slider stick, however, and had to settle for a close second. Carter, hard charger Jake O’Neil and Ricky Thornton [Read More]

Fairmont date will be Minnesota first for IMCA Arnold Motor Supply Dirt Knights

FAIRMONT, Minn. – Regardless of who stands in victory lane, history will be made Wednesday night at Fairmont Raceway. The Arnold Motor Supply Dirt Knights Tour makes its first-ever visit to Minnesota on Aug. 7, with IMCA Modifieds running for $1,500 to win and a spot on the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot during the Bob Shryock Memorial program. All but three of the previous 91 events in the tour’s 10-year history have been held in Iowa, with two in South Dakota and a single foray to Wisconsin. Pit gates open at 3 p.m. and the grandstand opens at 5 p.m. tomorrow at Fairmont. Hot laps are at 6:30 p.m. with racing to follow. Grandstand admission is $15 for adults, $12 for students ages 13-17 and kids 12 and under are free when accompanying a paid adult. Pit passes are $30 IMCA.TV broadcasts Wednesday’s Dirt Knights program. Final tour dates of 2019 are Sept. 21 at 34 Raceway and Sept. 28 at Benton County Speedway. Arnold Motor Supply Dirt Knights Tour top 20 point standings [Read More]

Early entries top 110 for 28th annual IMCA Harris Clash

SPRING VALLEY, Minn. – Early entries are in hand from more than 110 drivers for Tuesday’s Harris Clash. IMCA Modifieds and Karl Kustoms Northern SportMods headline the 28th annual event at Deer Creek Speedway on Aug. 6. Thirteen states are represented by the list of pre-registered competitors. Modifieds race for $3,000 to win, plus a $500 bonus if their chassis was built by a Manufacturers’ Cup participant, plus a berth on the 2020 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot. Top prize for the Northern SportMods is $1,200. New this year is the 10-lap, $1,000 to win Harris Clash Race of Champions open to all former Clash winners and sponsored by Wehrs Machine and Racing Products. The highest finishing non-qualifier in that race receives a provisional start in the main event. Pre-registered Modified drivers include: Chris Abelson, Sioux City, Iowa J.D. Auringer, Waterloo, Iowa Aaron Benson, Clear Lake, Iowa Tom Berry Jr., Newburg, N.D. Jacob Bleess, Chatfield Ethan Braaksma, Newton, Iowa Mike Burbridge, Delhi, Iowa John Burrow Jr., Denver, Colo. Cayden Carter, Oskaloosa, Iowa Rob Charapata, Green Bay, [Read More]

IMCA Modified stars will shine at Aug. 8-10 Hancock County Speedway specials

BRITT, Iowa – The stars of the IMCA Modified galaxy shine on three consecutive rich nights of racing at Hancock County Speedway. The Night of 1,000 Stars on Thursday, Aug. 8 pays a guaranteed $3,500 to win and $250 to start, plus a bonus of $1,000 to the leader at halfway and another $1,000 if the winner has perfect attendance at Britt this season. Winning the Night of 10,000 Stars on Friday, Aug. 9 pays $7,000, plus $1,000 bonuses to the halfway leader, for perfect attendance and for having won on Thursday as well. A minimum of $300 will be paid to start that main event. And the Saturday, Aug. 10 Bob Shryock Memorial All Stars pays $3,000 to win and a minimum of $250 to start. Thirty cars start three-wide in 50-lap main events on Thursday and Friday. Twenty-four cars take the green in Saturday’s 40-lapper. All three events are draw/redraw, are qualifiers for the 2020 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot and will be broadcast by IMCA.TV. IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National, Side [Read More]

Deery win at Donnellson another milestone for Aikey

DONNELLSON, Iowa (Aug. 2) – It had been several years since the last time Lee County Speedway hosted the Deery Brothers Summer Series. It had been even longer since Jeff Aikey drove to victory lane following an IMCA Late Model tour race at Donnellson. Both absences ended Friday night. Aikey finally caught passed race-long leader Andy Eckrich with four circuits left in the 40-lapper, then pulled away to the $2,000 checkers. The victory was his second of the season and series-leading career 70th. Aikey’s one previous Lee County win came in April of 1996. “Andy was tremendous out there,” said Aikey, equally quick to compliment the track prep crew at Donnellson. “And what a race track! High, low, you could run wherever you wanted to go. It was a great show for the fans.” John Emerson, 11th starting Tommy Elston and Joe Zrostlik completed the top five. Eckrich had started from the pole and set a blistering pace on the initial start and again following the second of two lap 14 restarts. Eric Pollard, who’s won [Read More]

Clay County, Fairmont dates are next for IMCA Dirt Knights

SPENCER, Iowa (Aug. 2) – IMCA Modifieds will be on the road to Clay County Fair Speedway for round six of the Arnold Motor Supply Dirt Knights Tour. The Monday, Aug. 5 feature pays $1,500 to win and is a qualifying event for the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot. Pit gates open at 4 p.m. and the grandstand opens at 6 p.m. at Spencer, hometown of series title sponsor Arnold Motor Supply. Hot laps are at 7 p.m. with racing to follow. Grandstand admission is $15 for adults and free for kids ages 12 and under. Pit passes are $30 for adults and $15 for minors. Also running are IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars for $1,200 to win, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks and Karl Kustoms Northern SportMods both for $800 to win and Mach-1 Sport Compacts for $300 to win. Sunday’s The Knight Before program at Spencer is also sponsored by Hahn Roofing and boasts a $1,500 to win, All-Star ballot qualifying feature for the Modifieds. Dirt Knights history will be made on Wednesday, Aug. 7 when [Read More]

Gustin capitalizes on late-race opportunity for Dirt Knights Tour triumph at Kossuth County

ALGONA, Iowa (Aug. 1) – In the right place at the right time, Richie Gustin won Thursday’s Arnold Motor Supply Dirt Knights Tour main event at Kossuth County Speedway. A bobble with three laps left by Jeremy Mills opened the door for Gustin, who zoomed by to take the $1,500 checkers and his fourth win of the 2019 IMCA Modified tour. Mills ended second in the caution-free contest. Austin Wolf, Ryan Ruter and Corey Dripps completed the top five in the county fair show. Hard charger Cody Laney advanced 10 positions. Already on the 2020 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot, Gustin now has a tour career best 12 feature wins. The Kossuth County show had been postponed a week because of inclement weather. One thousand dollar feature winners at Algona were Devin Smith in the IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, Cody Nielsen in the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks and Jared Boumeester in the Karl Kustoms Northern SportMods. Next up on the Dirt Knights schedule are $1,500 to win events Monday, Aug. 5 at Clay County Fair [Read More]

Nine All-Stars make career first starts in Fast Shafts Invitational

BOONE, Iowa – Nine IMCA Modified drivers make career-first starts while three former race winners look for new success in the 16th annual Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational. The twenty-eight drivers elected on Super Tuesday to start the Sept. 6 Invitational, during the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s, includes first timers Collen Winebarger of Corbett – also the first driver from Oregon elected to an All-Star race – Braxton Yeager of Green River, Wy., Jeffrey Abbey of Comanche, Texas, Larry Adams of Van Alstyne, Texas, Jeff Aikey of Cedar Falls, Tom Berry Jr. of Newburg, N.D., Tanner Black of Otis, Kan., Brad Smith of Columbia Cross Roads, Pa. and Collin Thirlby of Traverse City, Mich. Second-time All-Stars are Cayden Carter of Oskaloosa, Clay Money of Penokee, Kan., and Joel Rust of Grundy Center. Drew Armstrong of Benton, Ark., Steven Bowers Jr. of Topeka, Kan, and Malvern’s Jesse Sobbing each were elected for the third time while Kyle Brown of Madrid and Zane DeVilbiss of Farmington, N.M., both were elected for the fourth. Defending race [Read More]

Arnold Motor Supply Dirt Knights Tour gets top billing at Kossuth County Fair

ALGONA, Iowa – The Arnold Motor Supply Dirt Knights Tour returns to Kossuth County Speedway for top billing at the Thursday, Aug. 1 county fair show. Traveling IMCA Modifieds run for $1,500 to win, plus a 2020 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot berth. IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks and Karl Kustoms Northern SportMods all run for $1,000 to win and Mach-1 Sport Compacts complete the program at Algona. IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National, regional and E3 Spark Plus Iowa State points will be awarded. Track points are also at stake for the Stock, Hobby, SportMod and Sport Compact divisions. Pit gates open at 5 p.m. and drivers should use the south entrance. Hot laps are at 7 p.m. with racing to follow. Grandstand admission is $10 for adults and free for ages 14 and under. Pit passes are $30. The Dirt Knights event at Kossuth County had been rained out and rescheduled from July 25. Next on the tour schedule are dates Aug. 5 at Clay County Fair Speedway in Spencer [Read More]