Feature Archives

Record 18 states, two provinces represented at 28th Kupper Chevrolet Dakota Classic Tour

MANDAN, N.D. – When they give out the next tourism awards in North Dakota, the Kupper Chevrolet Dakota Classic Tour should be a shoo-in. Drivers from 18 states and two Canadian provinces competed over the course of the July 8-13 tour, the biggest geographical representation in its 28-year history. “The exposure we get from IMCA and IMCATV has been very good. It really gets the word out,” said Tour Director John Gartner. “We had quite a few Texas drivers this year. They like being able to race every night for six straight nights.” “Some of our guys go down South and race in the winter so a lot of them were already friends,” he added. “We really enjoy when those drivers come up here.” Hunter Marriott and Elijah Zevenbergen both won three features in repeating as tour champions in the IMCA Modified and IMCA Sunoco Stock Car divisions, respectively. One hundred and twenty-five different Modified drivers competed over the course of the tour, 42 of them at all six events. Twenty-two of the 55 Stock [Read More]

Stephan joins another elite group with career 100th IMCA Modified win

SOUTH SIOUX CITY, Neb. – Ricky Stephan started his IMCA Modified career 30-odd years ago at Park Jefferson Speedway. Fittingly, he returned there on July 8 to win his 100th feature in the division. “It’s really my home track and I was racing in front of my home fans,” Stephan said. “Plus, Pepsi of Siouxland sponsored the night and I’m a Pepsi guy.” “It was about time. I knew I was capable of doing it,” he continued. “Winning 100 features puts you in the history book. It’s an elite group.” While Stephan is the 50th driver in division history to reach 100 wins for his career, he’s got a resume full of equally impressive accomplishments. He earned his first of 16 career track championships, at Buena Vista Raceway, in his rookie 1987 season. He became just the ninth driver to win four track titles in a single season last year. Add in a couple Side Biter Chassis North Central Regional championships (2001 and 2003) and six Allstar Performance State championships – three in Iowa and a current [Read More]

127 IMCA Modified drivers now on ballot for Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational

BOONE, Iowa (July 15) – With nine days to go before the first round of voting, 127 IMCA Modified drivers are on the current ballot for the upcoming Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational. Twenty-eight of the 30 starters in the Sept. 8 race at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s at Boone Speedway will be elected in a pair of polling sessions. The final qualifying event is the July 20 Arnold Motor Supply Hawkeye Dirt Tour show at Knoxville Raceway. Three drivers from each of the five regions for IMCA Modifieds will be elected during polling from July 24-27; 13 more will be elected from an at-large pool of the next 25 top vote recipients between July 31 and Aug. 3. All voting will be conducted through the IMCA Facebook page. Completing the starting grid for the 30-lapper will be All-Star candidates with the top national point total and the most 40-point feature wins as of Aug. 31 competing at Super Nationals. By home region, the 127 drivers qualified for the 2017 Fast [Read More]

Southern Iowa Speedway, Knoxville dates next for IMCA Arnold Motor Supply Hawkeye Dirt Tour

OSKALOOSA, Iowa – Still looking for a repeat winner, the Arnold Motor Supply Hawkeye Dirt Tour next takes traveling IMCA Modifieds to Southern Iowa Speedway and Knoxville Raceway for a pair of midweek shows. The Wednesday, July 19 feature at Oskaloosa pays $1,000 to win while the Thursday, July 20 Dynamic Drivelines Dirt Duel event at Knoxville totes a $1,500 top prize. IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National, Side Biter Chassis North Central Region and Allstar Performance State points, as well as special series points, will be awarded both nights. The Knoxville show will be the final qualifying event for the 2017 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot. While Jimmy Gustin, Todd Shute, Justin Kay and Tyler Droste own feature wins thus far, consistent Kelly Shryock sits atop the point standings heading to Osky. Shryock has posted top five finishes in each of the first four Hawkeye Dirt Tour features this season. Joel Rust has been almost as good and is just two points out of a tie for the series lead. Pit gates open at [Read More]

IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National Point Standings Through July 12

IMCA Modifieds – 1. Jason Wolla, Ray, N.D., 1,154; 2. William Gould, Calera, Okla., 1,151; 3. Kelly Shryock, Fertile, Iowa, 1,143; 4. Matt Guillaume, Haslet, Texas, 1,115; 5. Ricky Stephan, South Sioux City, Neb., 1,080; 6. Cory Sample, Winnemucca, Nev., 1,074; 7. Anthony Roth, Columbus, Neb., 1,055; 8. Bryce Garnhart, Shannon, Ill., 1,031; 9. Dean Abbey, Roanoke, Texas, 1,029; 10. Clinton Luellen, Minburn, Iowa, 1,024; 11. Brandon Hood, McGregor, Texas, 1,016; 12. Scott R. Smith, Davenport, Neb., 1,013; 13. Brian Schultz, Casa Grande, Ariz., 1,006; 14. Ethan Dotson, Bakersfield, Calif., 988; 15. Tom Berry Jr., Medford, Ore., 983; 16. Tim Ward, Chandler, Ariz., 970; 17. Jesse Rogotzke, Sanborn, Minn., 944; 18. Hunter Marriott, Brookfield, Mo., 942; 19. Steven Bowers Jr., Topeka, Kan., 927; 20. Kelsie Foley, Tucson, Ariz., 910. IMCA Late Models – 1. Todd Cooney, Des Moines, Iowa, 787; 2. Jeremiah Hurst, Dubuque, Iowa, 775; 3. Matt Ryan, Davenport, Iowa, 773; 4. Darrel DeFrance, Marshalltown, Iowa, 757; 5. Rob Toland, Colona, Ill., 739; 6. Joe Zrostlik, Long Grove, Iowa, 715; 7. Andy Nezworski, Buffalo, Iowa, 686; [Read More]

Turnbull cruises in Modified finale at Mandan, Marriott repeats as IMCA Dakota Tour champ

MANDAN, N.D. (July 13) – Aaron Turnbull took the checkers while Hunter Marriott took the title in the Kupper Chevrolet Dakota Classic IMCA Modified Tour finale at Dacotah Speedway. Turnbull, the 2013 tour champion, earned $2,300 and a spot on the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot for his Thursday night heroics at Mandan, dominating from his front row start. Johnny Scott brought the point lead to town, but was relegated to a mid-pack finish after suffering a flat tire. That opened the door for Marriott, who clinched a second straight Dakota Classic crown with his runner-up showing. A handful of cautions gave both Marriott and Justin O’Brien shots at the leader but Turnbull kept the door closed on each occasion. Marriott closed the gap to just a few car lengths as the frontrunners entered lapped traffic late in the contest but Turnbull held on for the win. Jordan Grabouski, O’Brien and Jason Wolla made up the top five. Elijah Zevenbergen concluded another impressive week, scoring his third IMCA Sunoco Stock Car tour victory to cement [Read More]

Southwest IMCA Dakota Tour checkers are third for Marriott

DICKINSON, N.D. (July 12) – Hunter Marriott raced to a couple firsts Wednesday night, en route to his third win of the Kupper Chevrolet Dakota Classic Tour for IMCA Modifieds. As a result, the defending champion is just three points out of the top spot in the point standings heading into the Thursday tour finale. Marriott caught Justin O’Brien for the lead, then withstood numerous challenges to the finish of the 30-lap main event at Southwest Speedway before picking up his latest $2,300 winner’s check. The ninth starting Marriott had raced three-wide with point leader Johnny Scott and O’Brien, following O’Brien into second and ultimately taking charge up front. He became the first driver since Jeff Taylor in 2014 to win back-to-back Dakota Tour Modified features, and the first since Taylor in 2012 to win three times in the same year. O’Brien finished second for the second straight night. Scott was third, Jordan Grabouski fourth and Jay Noteboom fifth. Joe Flory was the $800 IMCA Sunoco Stock Car winner after regaining the lead from fellow [Read More]

Defending champions Marriott, Zevenbergen earn Dakota Tour repeat wins at Williston Basin

WILLISTON, N.D. (July 11) – Familiar faces were in a familiar place following Kupper Chevrolet Dakota Classic Tour main events at Williston Basin Speedway. Defending champions Hunter Marriott and Elijah Zevenbergen became the first repeat winners of the 2017 tour on Tuesday night, Marriott in the IMCA Modified feature, Zevenbergen in the headliner for IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars. Marriott started fifth and was quickly into the lead. Multiple cautions, however, prevented him from checking out. Marriott held off the 12th starting Justin O’Brien and Marlyn Seidler in leading all 30 laps for the $2,300 victory, his ninth in a 2017 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot qualifying event. Jeff Taylor and 13th starting Johnny Scott completed the top five. Drivers from 11 states and Canada were represented in the starting grid. Zevenbergen scored the $800 Stock Car checkers after starting fourth and completing a three-wide pass of Austin Daae and Dalton Flory for the lead. Daae and Flory battled over second while sticking close to the leader. The front trio got into lapped traffic late but neither challenger [Read More]

Career 100th Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMod win is the latest lofty accomplishment for Looft

SWEA CITY, Iowa – Winning a single feature was a pretty big deal during Matthew Looft’s Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMod rookie season. He’s raised the bar considerably since then. The Swea City, Iowa, driver won for the 100th time in his career in the division on June 30 at Jackson Motorplex. The checkers were the ninth of the season for Looft, who has averaged better than 17 wins a year since his rookie campaign in the IMCA division. “It’s pretty surreal,” admitted Looft. “If someone told me back in 2010 that I’d get 100 wins, I would have said they were crazy. It’s something I never planned on. It took a lot of work by a lot of people.” Looft won a career-best 26 features in 2013. He became the only driver to earn back-to-back national championships in the class on the strength of 18 wins the following year. Along with a division-leading 18 track and special series championships, Looft is a five-time Allstar Performance Minnesota State titlist. “Winning a national championship is a commitment to [Read More]

Scott weathers storm, wins Dakota Tour IMCA Modified feature at Estevan

ESTEVAN, Sask. (July 10) – After weathering the storm, Johnny Scott raced to the Kupper Chevrolet Dakota Classic Tour IMCA Modified feature win Monday at Estevan Motor Speedway. Heavy rains hit right the track right after the first IMCA Sunoco Stock Car heat race was completed. Unlike last year, when flooding and a state of emergency grabbed the headlines and the tour event was canceled, the rains subsided and the track prep crew got the 3/8-mile clay oval ready and racing resumed. Scott took advantage of his front row start spot in the 30-lap main event to take the early lead ahead of Jason Wolla. As the laps ticked by, the frontrunners entered lapped traffic and Scott had to hold off Wolla again as well as Jordan Grabouski, up from ninth starting. Scott stayed strong up front to lead all 30 laps, earning $2,300 and sole possession of the top spot in the point standings for his efforts. He was already on the ballot for the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational. Grabouski pulled a late-race pass [Read More]