Feature Archives

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]

Friday IMCA Modified Duel qualifiers go to Ursetta, Taylor

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (Nov. 10) – Dominic Ursetta saw his racing fortunes do a 180 while Peyton Taylor came up aces himself Friday night at the Duel In the Desert. Ursetta won the first IMCA Modified qualifying feature at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Dirt Track, ahead of Nick DeCarlo, five-time and defending winner Jeremy Payne and Johnny Scott. Taylor topped the second qualifier, with 2009 race winner Johnny Saathoff, Tim Ward and Benji LaCrosse in tow. Both races paid $777 to win and sent the top four finishers to Saturday’s $7,777 to win main event. The first car out in his opening night qualifier, Ursetta drew the pole for Friday’s opener and quickly built a growing lead over DeCarlo and Paul Stone. Ursetta found himself running with lapped cars before the halfway point. Payne worked his way up to third as the traffic got thicker. Three lapped cars separated Ursetta and DeCarlo at the finish. Scott worked his way to the final transfer spot after starting 13th. Taylor also started from inside row one [Read More]

Belec, Phillips top Thursday Duel In The Desert IMCA Modified qualifying features

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (Nov. 9) – Eddie Belec and Terry Phillips were IMCA Modified qualifying feature winners on Thursday, opening night of the 20th annual Duel In The Desert at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Belec outran a charging Cody Laney to top the first qualifier on the LVMS half-mile Dirt Track while Phillips, a three-time Duel winner, pulled away from Ricky Thornton Jr. over the final circuits in the nightcap. Both qualifiers paid $777 to win and sent the top four to Saturday’s $7,777 to win main event. Justin O’Brien and Rob Sanders also advanced from the first qualifier, Ricky Alvarado and Jason Noll from the second. Belec mastered lapped traffic and Laney found the speed he needed late in the first 25-lapper. While Belec kept an iron fist on the front spot, Laney got under Sanders and then O’Brien to take over second with five circuits to go. Belec took the checkers four car lengths ahead of Laney. Alvarado led through the first 10 circuits of the nightcap before Phillips motored by and began [Read More]

Duel In The Desert qualifying starts tonight

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (Nov. 9) – Dirt will by flying at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Dirt Track starting Wednesday qualifying for the biggest event of the season in IMCA’s Larry Shaw Race Cars Western Region begins tonight. More than 200 IMCA Modifieds and Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMods are entered for the 20th annual Duel in the Desert, which runs through Saturday at the LVMSpeedway half-mile dirt oval. Qualifying features are Thursday, Nov. 9, and Friday, Nov. 10, with last-chance races and main events for both divisions set for Saturday, Nov. 11. Modifieds race for a first-place prize of $7,777 and a minimum of $777 to start their Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot qualifier. Northern SportMods vie for a $1,777 top check on Saturday. Twenty-one states, including Alaska, and two Canadian provinces will be represented at this year’s Duel. Racing starts at 4 p.m. Pacific Time Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and Young Guns and Legends races precede 25-lap Northern SportMod and 40-lap Modified main events on Saturday. The Modified runner-up earns $3,250, with $2,250 for [Read More]

Transponders required for Duel In The Desert

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – IMCA Modified and Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMod drivers are being reminded of a very important piece of equipment they’ll have to have to compete at next week’s Duel In The Desert at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The MyLaps/AMB transponder system is required for all cars in both divisions. Drivers who don’t have one of their own can rent one for $40. “The sheer number of cars and close finishes throughout heat, qualifying features and the main event necessitate transponders,” IMCA President Brett Root explained. “Drivers and fans will also be able to purchase a race monitor app to get live scoring throughout the event on their smart phones.” IMCATV will broadcast every lap of the 20th annual special, which plays out Nov. 8-11 at the half-mile Dirt Track at LVMS. The Saturday Modified main event is a Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot qualifier and pays $7,777 to win and a minimum of $777 to start. The Northern SportMod main event pays $1,777 to win. Thursday and Friday qualifying features for Modifieds pay [Read More]