Feature Archives

Northern SportMods become fourth IMCA division featured at Canyon Speedway Park

PEORIA, Ariz. – A fourth IMCA division will be featured beginning this season at Canyon Speedway Park. Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMods are new in 2017 at the Peoria, Ariz., venue, running each night of the Winter Challenge Series in January and the Desert Classic in February. The SportMods join sanctioned Modifieds, a Canyon staple for more than a quarter century, and IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars and Hobby Stocks, both added last season, on regular Saturday race programs. First local track points for the SportMods, as well as the Stocks and Hobbies, will be given for Feb. 24 and 25 Desert Classic shows. “With the growth of IMCA and the number of people buying cars, we felt like this would be a good time to sanction the Northern SportMods,” said Canyon owner and co-promoter Doug Gabbard. “It’s a win-win situation. There’s definitely going to be opportunities for racing Northern SportMods in Arizona.” Arizona Speedway and Central Arizona Speedway both crowned their first local track champions in the class last year. Northern SportMods will run for a [Read More]

IMCA Stocks, Hobbies, Sport Compacts new at I-76

FORT MORGAN, Colo. (Jan. 10) – Three more IMCA sanctioned divisions join regular race programs at I-76 Speedway this season. New are the IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks and Mach-1 Sport Compacts. The season opener for all three classes, as well as Xtreme Motor Sports IMCA Modifieds and Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMods at Fort Morgan is the Sunday, April 30 Ice Breaker. Eleven Saturday shows are scheduled through Sept. 16. All five divisions are also on the Monday, July 3 card. Promoter Butch Speicher anticipates sharing cars with Phillips County Raceway at Holyoke. “We ran four Stock Car shows last year and they put on a good show,” said Speicher, optimistic about building car count numbers in 2017. “Our existing econo class already had rules that were pretty close to the IMCA Hobby Stocks and our hornet class was pretty close to the Sport Compacts.” Stock Car points earned at I-76 apply in IMCA’s EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region. I-76 is part of the Big Daddy Race Cars Northern Region for Hobby [Read More]

SPI announces sale of Farley Speedway

By Jerry Mackey FARLEY, Iowa – Keith Simmons, owner/operator of the Farley Speedway located on the west edge of Farley, Iowa, announced he has sold the popular 3/8-mile dirt track along with all the assets of Simmons Promotions. The new ownership group is headlined by Dubuque businessman Joel Callahan, owner of Callahan Construction. Callahan is the majority investor of the new ownership group which also includes Farley businessmen Jason Rauen and Roger Simon. Simmons owned and operated the Farley Speedway for 16 seasons bringing the track national recognition by providing outstanding stock car racing action that included a wide variety of National sanctions and many different types of race cars. Simmons has agreed to remain on as an advisor and will continue to oversee all track preparation. “Selling the Farley Speedway was a very difficult decision for me to make but at the same time, I am very excited to see this group of owners come on board with a plan to keep racing alive and make several improvements to the Farley Speedway that I [Read More]

IMCA Stock Cars find Wyoming home at Sweetwater

ROCK SPRINGS, Wy. (Jan. 9) – Sweetwater Speedway brings IMCA-sanctioned Stock Cars to Wyoming in 2017, debuting the new class during a three-day Memorial Weekend show. In all, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars will join Xtreme Motor Sports IMCA Modifieds and IMCA SportMods at Rock Springs on 13 nights this season. The finale is set for Sept. 16. “We’ve used rules very similar to IMCA’s for our street stock class for a while and have averaged 15-20 cars a night the last couple years. We’ve had some great shows,” explained promoter Kara Beech, also noting that the proximity of Addiction Chassis had contributed to increased car counts. “The IMCA Modified and SportMod divisions have worked great for us so I thought what the heck, hopefully we can do the same with the Stock Cars.” Sweetwater will be part of the EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region. In addition to the May 26-28 dates, IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National, regional, Allstar Performance State and local track points will also be awarded at June 9, 10 and 30, [Read More]

Opening night postponed at Perris

PERRIS, Calif. – Rain and forecasts calling for more precipitation have resulted in postponement of the 2017 opening night event for Xtreme Motor Sports IMCA Modifieds at Perris Auto Speedway. The Saturday, Jan. 7 show at Perris has been called off with the Winter Heat Challenge Series to resume on Saturday, Jan. 21. The series continues Feb. 11 and 12.

Four IMCA divisions featured at Jan. 14 Cocopah opener

YUMA, Ariz. – Four IMCA divisions see their first action of 2017 at Cocopah Speedway on Saturday, Jan. 14. Xtreme Motor Sports IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMods and IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks tussle in an afternoon show that starts at 1 p.m. Pit gates open at 9 a.m. and the grandstand opens at 11 a.m., with hot laps starting at approximately 12:15 p.m. IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National, regional, Allstar Performance State and track points will be awarded. Spectator admission is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors 55 and over and military personnel, and free for kids 12 and under. Both a family pass (two adults and four kids) and sky box tickets run $25. Pit passes are $35. More information is available at the www.cocopahspeedway.com website or by calling 928 344-1563. Cocopah hosts the inaugural Cactus Clash Friday and Saturday, Feb. 3 and 4 with IMCA Modifieds chasing $1,000 checks in their Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot qualifying features. Stock Cars race for $500, Northern SportMods for $400 and Hobby [Read More]

IMCA crate engine track champions earn $39,500 in Chevrolet Performance bonuses

GRAND BLANC, Mich. – Bonuses totaling $39,500 have been paid by Chevrolet Performance to IMCA drivers winning 2016 track championships while competing exclusively with crate engines. One hundred and twenty-one different drivers in the IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modified, Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMod, Scoggin-Dickey Parts Center Southern SportMod and IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock divisions won a total of 158 track titles with crate engines this season. Bonuses of $250 per track championship were mailed this month from the IMCA home office. This was the third season in the latest three-year bonus agreement with Chevrolet Performance, which has now awarded some $200,000 to eligible drivers over the course of the bonus program. “This has been a lucrative program for our members since its inception over a decade ago and we appreciate the support Chevrolet has shown IMCA racers during that time,” noted IMCA Marketing Director Kevin Yoder. “We’ll continue to structure this program to put cash in the pockets of IMCA drivers and recognize track championships.” The 52 crate-powered Modified drivers winning 66 track titles and [Read More]

Further clarifications announced to 2017 IMCA rules

VINTON, Iowa – Several further clarifications have been announced to 2017 rules initially released by IMCA in November. A left front take-up spring will now be allowed in the Late Model division. The maximum spoiler width was increased from 72 to 72-1/2 inches while the maximum diagonal measurement from the center of the rear axle to the top of the interior deck was upped from 52 to 54 inches. No tolerance will be allowed in measuring either dimension, emphasized IMCA President Brett Root. Wording regarding standard weight axles tubes has also been added for Late Models and Modifieds and Root said drivers in both divisions should read those rules again. The rule implemented during the 2016 season allowing a claim/exchange for Stock Cars with the 350 cfm carburetor option but not the 500 cfm option will be continued. And wording allowing flat milling on the combustion side of the head only in the Stock class has been removed. “With the PRI trade show held after the release of our rules and proof reading by our [Read More]

IMCA Modifieds new in 2017 at N.Y.’s Thunder Mountain Speedway

CENTER LISLE, N.Y. – IMCA-sanctioned Modifieds return to Thunder Mountain Speedway in 2017, headlining Saturday programs at the south central New York speedplant. The first point race for the newest addition to the Dirt Works Eastern Region will be April 15. The tentative schedule for the 3/8-mile clay oval just north of Center Lisle sees the Xtreme Motor Sports IMCA Modified season running to Sept. 2. “There are a lot of IMCA Modified drivers in this area and I know many of them personally,” Thunder Mountain owner and promoter Karl Spoonhower said. “IMCA Modifieds are good looking cars, they put on pretty decent shows, the fans like them and that’s the name of the game.” The upcoming season will be the 26th at Thunder Mountain. Spoonhower had started his own construction company to build the facility in the early 1990s and got back into the race track promotional business in 2014. “I think we’ve got the nicest racing surface of any track in the area. We put 700 truckloads of new clay on it last year,” [Read More]

Brenn named IMCA executive director of competition

VINTON, Iowa – Dave Brenn has a new job and some new responsibilities with America’s oldest automotive racing sanctioning body. Brenn has been named executive director of competition for IMCA. As such, he’ll be in charge of the competition department while continuing the same responsibilities he’d held as the organization’s director of division development for the past four years. “This is really a change in workload,” explained IMCA President Brett Root. “Competition Director Tom Gutowski will continue his current duties. While Dave will be taking on more responsibilities, for example he’ll still research new products for their possible use in IMCA.” While Brenn will continue traveling to and heading up tech at IMCA events around the country, he also becomes the first point of contact for drivers and local track officials with tech-related questions. “This seems like a natural progression. I am very excited about this position and am proud to be associated with IMCA,” Brenn said. “After a career of 30-plus years in the telecommunications industry, I’m happy to be working for IMCA. I [Read More]