Feature Archives

IMCA Modified rear end rules announced for 2015

VINTON, Iowa – A quick change option will be new for IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modifieds beginning in 2015. “We feel we have taken steps in the right direction toward curtailing Modified engine costs. This quick change rule is also a good direction for the future of IMCA Modified racing and definitely one that many of our members have expressed their opinion over,” IMCA Vice President of Operations Brett Root said. “Nothing is mandatory or speced. We have tried to define an economical quick change option as best we can.” The new 2015 rule will read: 12. REAR END: Any steel approved OEM passenger car or truck rear end allowed (housing and carrier). OEM rear end must use steel spool (full or mini). Steel axle tube quick change allowed. Quick change must use 10” ring gear with aluminum or steel spool. Quick change must use minimum one inch wide spur gears and bolt on rear cover. Safety hubs (floater) allowed. Steel axles only. Any additional components must be steel, except lowering blocks, axle caps, U-joint [Read More]

New tech inspection process for Super Nationals

BOONE, Iowa – The long, pre-race tech inspection lines will be gone at the 32nd IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. They will be replaced by a system designed to keep the pit roads clear and minimize each driver’s time spent waiting in the tech line. Beginning Sunday, Aug. 31 through Wednesday, Sept. 1-3, drivers will be issued tech inspection sheets and inspection group cards on a first-come, first-served basis. After receiving their inspection sheets and cards, drivers will be called over the PA system to the lineup board for staging and then sent to the inspection area in groups. All cars must be inspected before competing and drivers are encouraged to go to the tech trailer and get their inspection sheets and cards as soon as they and their race cars arrive at the speedway. Limited inspections will be continued after racing begins and groups for that will be announced before racing starts. No cars will be inspected that do not have group cards. Drivers who miss their assigned inspection time will [Read More]

Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational to feature first Utah, Washington drivers

BOONE, Iowa (Aug. 6) – The second round of voting for the 2014 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational has produced the first-ever race starters from Utah and Washington. Chase Hansen of Myton, Utah, and Joe German of Aberdeen, Wash., were among the 13 drivers added to the field for the Friday, Sept. 5 All-Star race, during the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. Three drivers from each of the five IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modified regions were elected to start that event during the first round of voting; the next 13 All-Stars were elected at-large from among the next 50 drivers in vote totals in balloting that ended on Tuesday. Joining Hansen and German as the newest All-Stars are 2011 race winner Chris Abelson of Sioux City, Troy Cordes of Dunkerton, Jeremy Frenier of Fort Morgan, Colo., Jimmy Gustin of Marshalltown, Scott Hogan of Vinton, Mike Jergens of Plover, Ryan McDaniel of Olivehurst, Calif., Jason Noll of Peoria, Ariz., Jared Siefert of Luxemburg, Wis., Dustin Smith of Lake City and Jesse Sobbing of Glenwood. [Read More]

Super Nationals pre-entries already up over last year

BOONE, Iowa (Aug. 15) – Pre-entries for the upcoming IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s are running ahead of numbers for last year’s event. More impressively, the increase from two years ago is now a robust 25 percent. At of the end of the business day on Thursday, 333 drivers had completed the early registration process. That’s up from the same date each of the last two years. By division, 2014’s early entries include 129 Modifieds, 69 Stock Cars, 54 Hobby Stocks, 68 Northern SportMods, two Late Models and 11 Sport Compacts. Super Nationals is Sept. 1-6 at Boone Speedway. Another 132 drivers have already reserved pit stalls. In all, pre-registered and confirmed drivers hail from 26 states and Canada. The latest lists of drivers registered and confirmed to compete at the 32nd annual event, by division, now include: Modified Pre-Entries Dean Abbey, Waco, Texas; Coty Albers, Wellsburg; Mike Albertsen, Audubon; Ricky Alvarado, Delta, Colo.; Jamie Anderson, Mason City; Jacob Anson, Albion, Neb.; Drew Armstrong, Alexander, Ark.; Randy Artz, Battle Mountain, Nev.; Bob [Read More]

Cooney adds to history at Stuart Speedway with 200th win of IMCA Late Model career

STUART, Iowa (Aug. 3) – Thirty-odd years ago, Todd Cooney was one on the kids hanging on the fence and reveling in the races at Stuart Speedway. On Sunday, Cooney got to celebrate another of his own on-track accomplishments at the same storied venue. The Des Moines driver won his career division-best 200th IMCA Late Model feature in the rescheduled event, then got number 201 in the scheduled race. “Stuart was the best place in the world for me to get my 200th win and it’s where I wanted to do it. This is the track where it really all began for me,” Cooney said. “I remember being six, seven, eight years old and watching my dad and best friend Doug Davis race. It was awesome.” “I love everything about Stuart, the way it’s promoted and how much fun it is to race here,” he added. “I wish we could race here every week.” His 200th career win is the latest Late Model milestone for Cooney, IMCA’s national champion in 1997 and 2002 and the [Read More]

QA1 founder & chairman James Jordan passes away

LAKEVILLE, Minn. – James “Jim” Jordan, founder and chairman of QA1, passed away Wednesday, July 30 after a long battle with cancer. He was 67. “Jim was a great mentor and very well respected,” said QA1 Product Manager Jeff Diaz, who worked with Jordan for 26 years. “I was lucky to be able to learn from him. He will be greatly missed.” “He had a way of making everyone around him feel important and willing to give him 110 percent effort,” said Karl Hacken, QA1 vice president of engineering. “I always looked up to him as a role model and mentor in business and life.” Dan Voight, QA1 sales manager, agreed, saying “Jim didn’t raise the bar for you, he motivated you to raise it yourself, higher than you thought you could.” Jordan started working in the power transmission industry in the early 1970s and quickly worked his way around related industries, eventually becoming an expert on rod ends. He became known as an innovator of numerous industry-changing products that are now standards across a [Read More]

Format changes are few for Sept. 1-6 Super Nationals

BOONE, Iowa (Aug. 1) – Changes in the race night format during the upcoming IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s are few and far between. Super Nationals runs from Sept. 1-6 at Boone Speedway. Subject to car counts at the 32nd annual event, the number of heat races, “B” features and qualifying features are the same this year as in 2013 for the Modifieds, Stock Cars and Hobby Stocks. Car count numbers will determine the number of Northern SportMod “B” features. The number of entries also have more effect on the format for the Monday, Sept. 1 Deery Brothers Summer Series for Late Models and Tuesday, Sept. 2 Sport Compact programs. “The rumors circulating about wholesale changes to the Super Nationals qualifying format are completely false,” IMCA Vice President of Operations Brett Root said. “Considering all the logistics and sheer size of Super Nationals, there is no room for us to be inefficient or waste time.” “We will continue with a format that makes the most sense for the racers competing and the [Read More]

Shute to defend Fast Shafts All-Star title

BOONE, Iowa (July 29) – The 2013 race winner will return to defend his Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational crown. Todd Shute prevailed in one of – if not the – most talked about Modified events of the season during last year’s IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. He was one of 15 All-Stars, three from each of IMCA’s five Modified regions, elected via Facebook to the 2014 starting field for the Friday, Sept. 5 race. Thirteen more starters will be elected, also through Facebook, from among the next top 50 vote recipients. That balloting runs from this afternoon (Tuesday) through the end of the business day next Tuesday, Aug. 5. Eleven different states are represented by the initial group of All-Stars. Tim Ward, Ricky Thornton Jr. and Brad Pounds were the top three vote-wise in the Larry Shaw Racing Western Region. William Gould, Keith White and Dean Abbey ran 1-2-3 in the Razor Chassis South Central Region. Jet Racing Central Region All-Stars were paced by Jeff Taylor, Cody Gearhart and Corey Lagroon. Jason [Read More]

Caution opens door for Cordes in XSAN Hawkeye Dirt Tour at Indee

INDEPENDENCE, Iowa (July 24) – The caution that Troy Cordes was hoping for finally came out with eight laps left in Thursday’s XSAN Hawkeye Dirt Tour main event at Independence Motor Speedway. Defending IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modified series champion Ronn Lauritzen drew the outside pole start and clearly had the fastest ride through the first 22 circuits. Cordes had taken the opening green from 11th and worked his way steadily to second but was still well off the pace before the fateful yellow flew for a car stopped on the track. The two Independence regulars dueled up front before Cordes finally found his way to the front. The final caution, for a car perched on the backside of turn four, set up a green, white, checkered finish. Cordes pulled ahead to take the checkers a couple car lengths ahead of Lauritzen. He earned a spot on the 2015 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot along with his tour career first victory. Vern Jackson, Jeff Waterman and Adam Johnson completed the top five. Point leader Mike [Read More]

Format is familiar, fine tuning continues for Super Nationals

BOONE, Iowa (July 23) – Much of the upcoming IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s will transpire in a format already familiar to drivers, fans in the grandstand and XSAN viewers around the world. You’ll have to be at Boone Speedway from Sept. 1-6 for the 32nd annual version of America’s Racin’ Vacation to see some of what’s different, however. “There is always a need to fine tune but the format and XSAN coverage will be very similar to last year’s Super Nationals,” IMCA Vice President of Operations Brett Root said. “XSAN is doing some very exciting things to extend the reach of the event.” Nearly 300 drivers from 21 states and Canada have already pre-entered and/or submitted pit stall applications. The entire Deery Brothers Summer Series Late Model program is on Labor Day while Sport Compacts run on Tuesday, Sept. 2. The Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational is Friday, Sept. 5. Race of Champions events and main events for the Modifieds, Stock Cars, Hobby Stocks and Northern SportMods all are set for Saturday, [Read More]