Feature Archives

Speedway Motors signs new five-year pact backing IMCA Weekly Racing, Super Nationals

LINCOLN, Neb. – Speedway Motors, America’s Oldest Speed Shop, will continue its association with IMCA, America’s oldest sanctioning body, for another five years. The Lincoln, Neb., high performance parts manufacturer, retailer and distributor has played an invaluable and incomparable sponsorship role with IMCA since the 1950’s. The latest marketing agreement runs through the 2022 race season. “We’re thrilled to continue our partnership with IMCA,” Speedway Motors President Clay Smith said. “Speedway Motors and IMCA have a long history together supporting racers, teams and tracks. This partnership highlights our commitment to making racing safe, fun and affordable for all racers.” Notably, Speedway Motors will continue its title sponsorship role of IMCA Weekly Racing for an 11th consecutive season and returns as title sponsor of Super Nationals for the 23rd straight year. Speedway Motors renews a program benefitting more than 200 tracks in the United States and Canada by providing jackets, promoter and tech official shirts and discounts on tech inspection equipment, flags and signage to help those facilities defray costs of their weekly programs, plus decals, driver’s [Read More]

Waller takes promotional reins at 105 Speedway

CLEVELAND, Texas – The new promoter at 105 Speedway has already been around the track a time or two. Randy Waller takes charge this season of the ¼-mile red clay oval, where IMCA Modifieds will be a Saturday night fixture. Waller’s Southern United Sprints also makes Cleveland a regular stopping spot over the course of 2018. The track is now owned by Jerry Brown. “We want to bring stability to the numbers in the pits and the grandstand,” said Waller, the long-time promoter at Gator Motorplex in Willis, which closed last year because of urban sprawl. “Our main goal is to make sure drivers in all divisions are treated fairly.” Modified drivers vocalized their support for Waller and the IMCA sanction during a meeting earlier this month. “I’ve been involved with the IMCA Modified division and the Southern United Sprints for a long time and that’s something I wanted to continue doing,” he said. “I talked to Mr. Brown and a lot of the IMCA drivers. Once you become part of this industry, you don’t [Read More]

Marriott banks $1,000 for Sunday Winter Challenge IMCA Modified win

By Tony Steele PEORIA, Ariz. (Jan 21) – As if we are reliving the 2016 Winter Challenge, Hunter Marriott evened the score on Sunday with opening night IMCA Modified winner Ricky Thornton Jr. Marriott snagged the lead early in the $1,000 to win IMCA Modified main event at Canyon Speedway Park and never relinquished it as Jason Noll and Thornton battled for the runner-up position. Marriott utilized a front row starting spot to establish an early lead in the 25-lap feature event. Once he gained control, Marriott – already on the ballot for the Fast Shafts Allstar Invitational –never looked back while Thornton and Noll tussled for second. Utilizing the middle to the high side of the track, Thornton and Noll swapped the spot numerous times before Thornton eventually took it over with Noll holding onto third. Brian Schultz charged from the 12th starting spot to fourth with defending national champion Jason Wolla rounding out the top five from his 11th starting spot. Speedy Madrid brought home his first win of the year in the Karl [Read More]

Opening night Winter Challenge checkers fly for Thornton

By Tony Steele PEORIA, Ariz. (Jan 20) – The last time we wrote about Chandler, Ariz., driver Ricky Thornton Jr., it was February of 2016. Thornton had just come off of three victories in five Winter Challenge events before sweeping two nights of the Desert Classic. After an almost two-year hiatus from Peoria, Thornton once again sat in victory lane at Canyon Speedway Park after taking the opening night $1,000 IMCA Modified Winter Challenge Series win. Jason Noll jumped to the lead at the start of the 25-lap feature before Thornton capitalized about a third of the way into the race. Once in front, Thornton never saw a true test for the lead even after a handful of restarts. “I knew when I got the lead on the bottom I had to stay there and just keep it as smooth as I could,” Thornton said from victory lane. Smooth was the story up front as Thornton, already on the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot, picked up the win in his new Jet Chassis. Missouri wheelman Hunter [Read More]

Speedway Motors Racer Appreciation Week is Feb. 5-11

LINCOLN, Neb. – Speedway Motors is helping racers get a head start on the 2018 season with its annual Racer Appreciation Week Feb. 5-11. We’re packing the week full of expert tech tips, new products, exclusive looks into our manufacturing, great deals, giveaways and more! Be sure to join our email club, visit us at SpeedwayMotors.com and follow our Facebook page to catch all the action.

Sports Park Raceway achieves goal of IMCA sanction

FORT DODGE, Iowa – The promotional team at Sports Park Raceway can put a big check next to the third and final goal they set for the half-mile speedplant last year. IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks, Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMods and Mach-1 Sport Compacts will run Sundays this season at the Fort Dodge dirt track. Opening night is scheduled for April 22. “We ran the track last year with IMCA rules and goals to establish our car count and grandstand attendance,” explained Jason Vansickel, who co-promotes Sports Park Raceway with Marty Pringle and Dave Doughty. “We wanted to be IMCA sanctioned this year, so now we’ve accomplished all three of those goals.” “It’s huge that we’re sanctioned with IMCA. This is IMCA country and it’s what the drivers and fans wanted,” Vansickel added. “This track has never been sanctioned before and other sanctioning bodies were not the answer.” A test and tune session is planned for April 15. After taking the last weekend of July off, season championship night will [Read More]

IMCA Modifieds headline four Winter Challenge Series dates at Canyon

PEORIA, Ariz. – IMCA Modifieds run for $1,000 to win and berths on the Fast Shafts Allstar Invitational all four nights of the 2018 Winter Challenge Series at Canyon Speedway Park. Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 20-21 and Jan. 27-28 programs also feature IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars and Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMods in $500 to win features while IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks chase $250 top checks. IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National, Allstar Performance State and special series, but no track points, will be given all four nights. Larry Shaw Race Cars Western Region points will also be awarded to Modifieds, EQ Cylinder Heads Southern Region points to Stock Cars and Big Daddy Race Cars Southern Region points to Hobby Stocks. Pill draw is $25 for the Modifieds, $20 for both Stock Cars and Northern SportMods, and $10 for Hobby Stocks. Pit gates will be open throughout both weekends and camping is available. Grandstands open at 11 a.m. and racing begins at 1 p.m. Pit passes are $35 for adults, $20 for kids ages 7-11 and [Read More]

Karl Performance named title sponsor of Arizona IMCA Modified Tour

DES MOINES, Iowa – Anticipation is high for racing in Arizona as year two of the Arizona IMCA Modified Tour runs Feb. 8-18 in the desert. Pre-entries have eclipsed inaugural year numbers and drivers speak of this desert romp as the destination for off-season racing. In addition to all of the hype, the tour has added a familiar name as title sponsor of the week-long event, Karl Performance of Des Moines, Iowa, with a multi-year agreement. The Karl Performance Arizona IMCA Modified Tour will start Feb. 8-10 at Arizona Speedway in Queen Creek, and continues Feb. 11-12 at Central Arizona Speedway in Casa Grande, Feb. 13-15 at Canyon Speedway Park in Peoria, and then wraps up with the IMCA Winter Nationals at Cocopah Speedway in Yuma Feb. 16-18. Featured on the cards are IMCA Modifieds with $1,500 to win, minimum $150 to start Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot qualifying feature events along with Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMods. Practices will be held Feb. 8 and 13, capped with a $1,000 to win King of the Hill [Read More]

Southern Oklahoma says OK to IMCA Modifieds

ARDMORE, Okla. – Nine dates for IMCA Modifieds are on the 2018 schedule at Southern Oklahoma Speedway. The division runs both nights of Southern Oklahoma’s season-opening IMCA Weekend Friday and Saturday, March 9 and 10. Friday night events will also be held April 20, May 18, June 1 and 15, July 20, Aug. 17 and Sept. 14. IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National, Jet Racing Central Region or Razor Chassis South Central Region, Allstar Performance State and track points will be awarded all nine nights. The track champion earns bonus points applicable toward national and regional standings. “We’ve been a Modified track since Day One and I’ve been approached for years by IMCA drivers who wanted to race here,” said promoter John Webb. “I’m a Modified driver myself and I’m glad we can give these guys a place to race. I can promise them that we’ll give them a good track to race on.” IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Cars following the Sprint Series of Oklahoma, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars and IMCA Southern SportMods also travel to [Read More]

March 3 opening night for Sprint Series of Oklahoma

By David Smith Jr. OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – An ambitious schedule awaits the Sprint Series of Oklahoma IMCA RaceSaver Series presented by Smiley’s Racing Products/Hoosier Racing Tires Southwest as officials released their 2018 slate on Saturday. The first of four events at Red Dirt Raceway in Meeker is slated for Saturday, March 3. Other events scheduled at the 1/4-mile, red clay oval are Friday, April 27; Friday, June 29 as part of the second annual Freedom 40; and the Sprint Car series season finale on Saturday, Sept. 22 at the third annual Pat Suchy Classic. The doubleheader weekend at Southern Oklahoma Speedway is March 9-10. Other Friday events at the Ardmore speedplant are April 20, May 18, June 15, July 20, Aug. 17 and Sept. 14. Enid Speedway, located on the Garfield County Fairgrounds, has one event slated thus far, which will take place on Saturday, March 31. Lawton Speedway, which will run IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Cars weekly in 2018, hosts SSO events on Saturdays April 14, July 7 and Aug. 11. Oklahoma Sports Park [Read More]