Feature Archives

Thornton wins Desert Classic IMCA Modified main at Canyon

By Lonnie Wheatley PEORIA, Ariz. (Nov. 7) – Ricky Thornton Jr. proved his mastery of the 1/3-mile Canyon Speedway Park clay oval by racing to victory lane to capture the $5,000 winner’s share in Saturday’s 27th annual Desert Classic Xtreme Motor Sports IMCA Modified main event. The 40-lap finale quickly turned into a non-stop battle between Thornton and Kyle Strickler, who topped Friday’s qualifying session and then won his 20-lap qualifier to earn the pole starting position. The duo swapped the lead several times along the way before Thornton, the 2014 CSP track champion, came away with the victory. After Strickler failed to pass post-race tech inspection, Iowan Jesse Sobbing was promoted to runner-up with Friday’s second “Twin Twenty” winner Lance Mari rounding out the podium in third. New Mexico’s Zane DeVilbiss and Missouri’s Hunter Marriott rounded out the top five. Already qualified for the 2016 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot, Thornton also took top pure stock honors. Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMod feature winners were Jason George on Friday and Chris Toth on Saturday. Nov. 6 [Read More]

Stakes are high for IMCA’s Duel In The Desert

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – What happens in Vegas this week will be the talk of the dirt track racing nation. Las Vegas Motor Speedway rolls out the red carpet for hundreds of IMCA drivers and thousands of fans traveling to the Entertainment Capital of the World for the 18th annual Duel In The Desert special Nov. 11-14. Xtreme Motor Sports IMCA Modifieds race for $7,777 to win and a minimum of $777 to start their main event on Saturday. Nov. 14 at the half-mile Dirt Track. Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMods run for $1,777 to win that evening. Two hundred and twenty-five drivers have pre-entered for the Duel. Ken Schrader and Kenny Wallace join the IMCA Modified field in seeking the big payday and a spot on the ballot for the 2016 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot. Heat races, “B” features and qualifying features are on Thursday and Friday, Nov. 12 and 13 race programs. Modified qualifiers pay $777 to win and SportMod qualifiers $500 to win both nights. Last-chance races and both Modified Young Guns and [Read More]

Brad Sites is best in Empire State Series finale, Eddie Sites captures third IMCA Modified tour title

KIRKWOOD, N.Y. (Oct. 30) – Brad Sites won his second Empire State Series feature of the season while his brother Eddie wrapped up a tour career third title with a runner-up finish Friday at Five Mile Point Speedway. The Xtreme Motor Sports IMCA Modified win paid $400. Brad Sites started outside the front row, ran side-by-side with defending series champion James Cornell for six circuits and then motored away to the checkers. He built a sizable lead before the third and final caution came out late in the 20-lapper. “The track was nice, tacky and black, just the way my car likes it,” he said. I don’t think anyone had anything for us until after that last caution. I looked and there was Eddie, and I had to hold him off for the win.” Brad Sites’ first win this season came in May at Skyline Raceway; the Kirkwood checkers were his Empire State Series career fourth. Eddie Sites’ first two Empire State Series titles came in 2011 and 2012. Chris Fleming, the 2010 series champion, [Read More]

Canyon’s Desert Classic pays IMCA Modified winner $5,000

PEORIA, Ariz. – The Xtreme Motor Sports IMCA Modified win will be worth $5,000 at Canyon Speedway Park’s Desert Classic special. Set for Friday and Saturday, Nov. 6 and 7, the Desert Classic is a qualifying event for the 2016 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot and pays a minimum of $300 to start. Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMods will race for $400 to win both nights. Entry fee for the Modifieds is $100. Pit gates open at 4 p.m. and the grandstand opens at 5 p.m. both days. Hot laps are at 6 p.m. and racing starts at 7 p.m. Spectator admission is $18 for adults, $10 for kids ages 7-12 and free for ages six and under. Pit passes are $30 for members and $35 for non-members. More information is available at the www.canyonspeedwaypark.com website or by calling 602 258-7223.

Official 2015 IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National Point Standings

Xtreme Motor Sports IMCA Modifieds – 1. Chris Abelson, Sioux City, Iowa, 1,236; 2. Zane DeVilbiss, Farmington, N.M., 1,224; 3. Ricky Thornton Jr., Chandler, Ariz., 1,220; 4. Keith White, Little River Academy, Texas, 1,201; 5. Justin Jones, Bemidji, Minn., 1,191; 6. J.D. Auringer, Waterloo, Iowa, 1,188; 7. Jimmy Gustin, Marshalltown, Iowa, 1,187; 8. Nick Roberts, Des Moines, Iowa, 1,186 (12 40-point feature wins); 9. Clint Hatlestad, Glencoe, Minn., 1,186 (9 40-point feature wins); 10. Jeremiah Hurst, Dubuque, Iowa, 1,184; 11. Keith Jack Lamphere, Monroeton, Pa., 1,180; 12. Brandon Beckendorf, Danube, Minn., 1,179; 13. Dylan Sherfick, WaKeeney, Kan., 1,166; 14. Troy Cordes, Dunkerton, Iowa, 1,163; 15. Regan Tafoya, Farmington, N.M., 1,162; 16. Kelly Shryock, Fertile, Iowa, 1,160; 17. Josh McGaha, Abilene, Texas, 1,158; 18. Michael Densberger, Lincoln, Neb., 1,152; 19. Rob VanMil, Barnesville, Minn., 1,149; 20. Eddie Belec, Lakewood, Colo., 1,145. IMCA Eagle Motorsports RaceSaver Sprint Cars – 1. Chad Wilson, North Richland Hills, Texas, 805; 2. Michael Haggenbottom, Levittown, Pa., 771; 3. Brandon Allen, St. Peter, Minn., 765; 4. Zach Newlin, Millerstown, Pa., 764; 5. Marcus Thomas, [Read More]

Las Vegas rolls out red carpet for Duel In The Desert

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – The biggest IMCA event of the season west of the Mississippi is on the schedule Nov. 11-14 when Las Vegas Motor Speedway hosts the 18th annual Duel In The Desert. Xtreme Motor Sports IMCA Modifieds run for $7,777 to win and a minimum of $777 to start their Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot qualifying main event Saturday night on the half-mile Dirt Track. Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMods chase a $1,777 top check that evening. Modified qualifying features pay $777 to win and SportMod qualifiers pay $500 to win on Thursday and Friday. “A Duel record 330 drivers competed at Las Vegas last year and it appears we’ll be at or above that number in 2015,” said IMCA President Brett Root. “The locale, the venue, the racing and the purse all combine to make the Duel In The Desert the largest IMCA event on the West Coast.” In addition to Nevada, Modified pre-entries have already been received from drivers who will travel from Alberta, Arizona, Arkansas, British Columbia, California, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, [Read More]

602 crate seal deadline extended to Jan. 1, 2019

VINTON, Iowa – The deadline requiring GM 602 crate engines used in sanctioned competition to have mandatory IMCA seals has been extended to Jan. 1, 2019. IMCA rules for 2013-2015 had stated all GM 602s must have IMCA seals after Jan. 1, 2016. The rule will be amended with the release of the 2016 IMCA divisional rules on November. The amended rule will require that any GM 602 crate engine with a GM production date after Jan. 1, 2016 must have the IMCA cable seals. “We will allow GM 602 crate engines with a production date prior to Jan.1, 2016 to not have IMCA cable seals,” said IMCA President Brett Root. “The GM production tag on the side of the engine block is key. When we made the original announcement we thought a three-year period was appropriate. These engines are lasting longer than that, which is a good problem for IMCA racers to have.” “The prior IMCA rule and wording failed in two ways,” added Root. “We failed to attach the GM production tag to [Read More]

Abbey ends on high note with Southern Challenge checkers

ABILENE, Texas (Oct. 18) – After putting his Xtreme Motor Sports IMCA Modified in victory lane, Dean Abbey put $3,000 in the bank. Abbey took the lead from Josh McGaha after midway at Abilene Speedway’s Ryan Bard Memorial Southern Challenge and led to the end of the Sunday headliner. He’d started the 30-lapper from inside row two. “We knew we had a good car. I just tried to stay close to him (McGaha),” Abbey said. “He was good but he finally slid up just high enough and left me enough room to get by.” After a complete restart, the race saw just one caution. Abbey had one lapped car behind him and was coming up on another coming to the checkers. McGaha, a former race winner and now four-time track champion at Abilene, was the runner-up. Charles Brewer, Chris Elliott and Fred Wojtek completed the top five. “We wanted to end our Modified season on a high note,” said Abbey, who’d won the Southern SportMod feature at Abilene in 2011 and is already on the [Read More]

Spooker gives Cole IMCA Modified bookend win at Tri-State

POCOLA, Okla. (Oct. 17) – The bookend win to Tate Cole’s 2015 campaign came Saturday night in the Tri-State Speedway Spooker finale. Cole started outside the front row, led all 30 laps and went home with $2,000 for taking the Xtreme Motor Sports IMCA Modified checkers. He’d also led the distance in topping the season-opening Cecil Harlan Memorial Kegger and had another seven feature wins in 2015 at Pocola. “It was exciting to be able to win another big race. It was just a fun all-around deal,” the new 2016 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot qualifier said. “We knew we had a good car but never thought we’d win that many times and both big races.” Running a lane off the bottom, Cole was into heavy lapped traffic just after midway. A handful of cautions interrupted the main event, the last time with five laps left. Cole pulled away again to win by nearly a straightaway over Shannon Reheard. Johnny Bone Jr., 10th starting Nick Lawrence and 14th starting Zane Hunter rounded out the top five. Michael [Read More]

Harris tops Virginia Sprint Series finale

By Jim Haines SHENANDOAH, Va. (Oct. 10) – Jerald Harris wrapped up the Virginia Sprint Series crown with his third straight feature win Saturday at Shenandoah Speedway. The race stayed green from start to finish and Harris was unchallenged at the checkers. The Extreme Motorsports IMCA Sprint Car victory was his sixth of 2015 and second this season on the asphalt at Shenandoah. Glenn Worrell and Brian Lawson paced the field to green with Lawson out first. Harris shadowed him for seven laps before taking over the lead and ran in front to the finish. Tom Humphries and Lawson were next across the stripe. Feature results – 1. Jerald Harris; 2. Tom Humphries; 3. Brian Lawson; 4. Tony Harris; 5. Anthony Linkenhoker; 6. Charlie Ware; 7. Glenn Worrell; 8. Chris Ware; 9. Ron Moyers.