Feature Archives

Nathan Tomkins: From Queensland Ovals to Super Nationals Debut

By Ben Deatherage BRISBANE, Australia (Aug. 20, 2025) — Queensland is a land of contrasts — world-famous beaches crashing against the Gold Coast, tropical rainforests teeming with life, the Great Barrier Reef stretching like a jewel along its northern edge, and the Great Dividing Range cutting inland. It’s the “Sunshine State,” with nearly 300 days of warmth each year, but also home to cane toads, drop-bear legends, and a wildness that shapes those who grow up there. It’s from this backdrop that Nathan Tomkins, a racer from the Brisbane area, will trade the familiar dirt tracks of Australia for the bright lights of Iowa’s Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. For the first time, he’ll set foot in America to chase a dream on dirt. Nathan Tomkins stands alongside his Australian Modified, which he races regularly back home in Queensland. (Photo by Tomkins Motorsport) His path to Boone Speedway began not in a shop but with a friendship. A chance meeting at the Australian Title with racing personality Wade Aunger set the wheels in [Read More]

IMCA TV Brings Full-Menu Coverage of Super Nationals With Whole Pie Package

By Ben Deatherage VINTON, Iowa (Aug. 19, 2025) — IMCA.TV returns as the official streaming provider of the 2025 Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. From August 30 through Championship Saturday, September 6, fans can feast on eight straight days of live coverage served hot from Boone Speedway, home of America’s Racin’ Vacation. And just like a Casey’s pizza to fuel you at the track, in the shop, or at home, fans can order up the Whole Pie package from IMCA TV to make sure they don’t miss a single lap. For $179.99, the Whole Pie delivers start-to-finish coverage of every division and every night. Each day is a slice of the action, with single-day passes available for $34.99 — except Championship Saturday, priced at $49.99. This all-inclusive pass remains the best value and includes the expanded JE Pistons & Manley Products Studio Show featuring in-depth analysis from Blake Walker alongside IMCA TV’s own Ben Deatherage. To whet fans’ appetites even more, Speed Sport 1 will air The Speedway Motors Road to the Dance live — [Read More]

Hagen Surges Late to Win Monte Lundy Memorial at Nodak

By Ben Deatherage MINOT, N.D. (Aug. 17, 2025) — McGregor’s Travis Hagen powered from eighth starting to win the Second Annual Monte Lundy Memorial for the Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds, pocketing $4,014 on Sunday night at Nodak Speedway’s “Playground of Power.” The victory was Hagen’s 10th of the season in the Razor Chassis North Central Region and his sixth at Minot. 2014 Nodak Speedway title winner Drew Christianson led the opening laps before cautions slowed the early going. 2017 IMCA national kingpin Jason Wolla — also a two-time North Dakota State and former Nodak Speedway titlist — applied pressure on the restart, while four-time reigning Estevan Motor Speedway track ruler Kody Scholpp used the outside groove to grab the lead on lap six. Christianson briefly regained the point after a lap 14 restart, but Scholpp battled back on the high side. Defending Monte Lundy Memorial winner Aaron Turnbull, the 2013 Dakota Classic Modified Tour titlist, soon entered the fight, with multiple cautions — including one on lap 23 — keeping the leaders tight. In the closing [Read More]

Braaksma Banks $10,000 Legends of Dirt Modified Shootout at Southern Oregon

By Ben Deatherage WHITE CITY, Ore. (Aug. 16, 2025) — Ethan Braaksma, of Newton, Iowa, rose to the occasion Saturday night at Southern Oregon Speedway, outdueling Bricen James to win the 40-lap $10,000-to-win Friesen Performance IMCA Modified Legends of Dirt Shootout, the biggest payday in Oregon this year. The event drew a massive field of 52 entries for the weekend. Two-time reigning IMCA Wild West Speedweek champion Bricen James jumped to the early lead in the Schram Motorsports no. 13, holding command through a pair of cautions on laps seven and ten. That opened the door for two-time reigning Dakota Classic Modified Tour and 2025 IMCA TV Winter Nationals champion Braaksma, who powered the Curtis and Tiffany Town-owned no. 24 to the front with a move out of turn two. The race reached its halfway point with Braaksma in control, though multiple cautions kept the field tight. When the green waved for the final time on lap 22, the race’s intensity ramped up, and heavy lapped traffic entered the picture on lap 31. James closed back [Read More]

Baker Survives Fiery Finish in Stock Cars at Eagle

By Greg Soukup EAGLE, Neb. (Aug. 16, 2025) — The Sunoco IMCA Stock Car feature turned into the night’s wildest thriller at Eagle Raceway. Mike Lineberry jumped out early, but Trevor Baker worked steadily through the pack and used a restart to muscle his way to the lead. Chad Andersen came charging from mid-pack to give chase while Lineberry held his ground in third, creating a tight battle inside the top three. Baker appeared unstoppable once he gained the top spot, but the checkered flag was only the beginning of his drama. Just after crossing the finish line, his engine detonated in a burst of flames. Baker safely climbed out as fire crews swarmed the car, and the crowd roared at both the victory and the spectacle. The win marked Baker’s first in the EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region this season. Andersen’s runner-up effort vaulted him into the points lead, while Lineberry’s consistency kept him on the podium. Wayman Secures SportMod Crown The Karl Chevrolet IMCA Northern SportMods saw plenty of shakeups before Cole Wayman grabbed [Read More]

Pounds Powers to Mike Moshier Classic Win, Seals Bakersfield Modified Title

By Steven Blakesley BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (Aug. 16, 2025) — Rob Sanders led the opening 21 circuits of the Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature during the Tenth Annual Mike Moshier Classic at Bakersfield Speedway at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway. Brad Pounds, however, had other plans. Charging from sixth on the grid, Pounds relentlessly pounded the high side until he swept past Sanders for the lead on lap 22. Sanders stuck to the bottom and kept within striking distance, but Pounds was not to be denied. He grabbed his third victory of the season — all three coming in the Shaw Race Cars Western Region — and wrapped up the 2025 track championship in the process. Sanders settled for second with Justin Crockett in third. Bannister Dominates SportMods for Crown Tyler Bannister left zero doubt in the Karl Chevrolet IMCA Northern SportMods. Starting from the pole in the 25-lap feature, Bannister checked out from the drop of the green and stretched a 6.6-second advantage at the finish. The Bakersfield standout earned his fifth win of the season [Read More]

Williams Outduels the Pack to Launch Beast of the East Showdown at Brewerton

By Dave Medler BREWERTON, N.Y. (Aug. 15, 2025) — Justin Williams jumped out to the early lead in the Stealth Racing IMCA STARS Mod Lite 25-lap feature, the opening leg of the Second Annual Beast of the East Showdown, with his dad Doug Williams tucked in close behind. After a couple of early cautions, Williams pulled out to a few car lengths by lap five while Doug Williams, Zack Babcock, Ryan Anderson, and Matt Kitts battled hard for positions two through five. By lap 10, Williams remained in command with Babcock moving into second. Doug Williams, Kitts, and Mike Mullen completed the top five. Cautions on laps 14 and 16 erased nearly a two-second advantage Williams had built. With five laps remaining, he still controlled the race while Doug Williams, Babcock, Kitts, and Mullen fought it out for the runner-up spots. A final caution on lap 21 gave the field one last chance at Williams and the $1,500 payday. Over the closing laps, however, Williams pulled away to score his first win of the season. Babcock [Read More]

48th Annual Yankee Dirt Track Classic Set for August 28–29 at 300 Raceway

By Ben Deatherage FARLEY, Iowa (Aug. 13, 2025) — The 48th annual Yankee Dirt Track Classic, presented by GTG Peterbilt – Cedar Rapids, takes the green Thursday and Friday, August 28–29, at 300 Raceway. Two big nights of racing will showcase some of the region’s best, with large payouts on the line and music after the races both nights. Thursday’s program includes $1,200 to win and $150 to start for the Friesen Performance IMCA Late Models, $1,000 to win and $100 to start for the Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds, $1,000 to win and $100 to start for the Sunoco IMCA Stock Cars, $500 to win and $75 to start for the Karl Chevrolet IMCA Northern SportMods, and $300 to win and $40 to start for the Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stocks. Pit gates open at 3:30 p.m., grandstands at 5:00 p.m., with hot laps at 6:30 p.m. and racing to follow. Grandstand admission is $18 for adults, $15 for students and seniors ages 12–17, and free for kids 11 and under. Pit passes are $35 for adults, $20 for ages 5–12, and [Read More]

Katelynn Robertson: Krazy Kate’s Road to Super Nationals

By Ben Deatherage RENO, Nev. (Aug. 15, 2025) — One year ago, Katelynn Robertson stood in the grandstands at Boone Speedway, taking in her first IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. She wasn’t there to race — she was a wide-eyed spectator. “My jaw dropped as soon as I walked through the gates while racing was going on,” she remembered. “I was amazed by how great it is and how big it is. It’s definitely one of the coolest things I’ve been to.” This September, Robertson returns to Boone not to watch, but to compete. Robertson, who pilots the Friesen Performance IMCA Modified no. 7, currently leads the California State points standings. That was never the plan. “At first I wasn’t going for the California State title,” she said. “But after a while we were still at the top, and I just said, ‘Let’s do it.’ Our traveling really picked up. It’s about four to six hours one way every weekend, and Bakersfield is about eight hours for us. I wouldn’t trade it. I [Read More]

Sheldon Oberle: Hoosier on the Hunt for a Super Nationals Win

By Ben Deatherage BATTLE GROUND, Ind. (Aug. 15, 2025) — At just 26 years old, Sheldon Oberle already holds a distinction no one else from his state can claim — the only Indiana native to win a Sunoco IMCA Stock Car feature. That milestone came June 14 at Maquoketa Speedway, a night that felt like the payoff for years of work. “That was a long time coming,” Oberle said. “The competition is so hard, and to win it coming from seventh—it gave me the confidence I needed that I don’t suck,” he laughed. Oberle’s connection to the sport started long before he was born. “My grandpa, Billy Neal, was the first to race in the family, but he ran asphalt,” Oberle said. “My mom grew up going to the track, and my dad was always around cars. That’s how they got together.” Even as a kid, speed was part of his everyday life. “I’ve been driving before I was adding and subtracting. I was four years old in a go-kart my dad got me, and we’d [Read More]