Feature Archives

Single season goals lead up to 100th IMCA Northern SportMod win for Walt

COLLYER, Kan. (June 7, 2024) – A lot of single-season goals added up to a big career accomplishment for Blaine Walt. Walt won his career 100th Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod feature Friday night at Thomas County Speedway, a victory that had him searching for just the right words to describe. “I’m happy, excited, still in shock. You just never know if something like this is going to happen,” said Walt, from Collyer, Kan. “Getting 100 wins wasn’t ever the big goal. Every year we just wanted to get as many wins as we could, maybe 10 or 12, but we never really set a goal to get 100. It just happened to work out that way.” He’s the 10th driver in division history to reach the 100 win mark. Also of note, Walt is just the sixth Kansas driver with 100 IMCA wins in any division. “It feels really good to be part of that group of people. We haven’t had a lot of people from around here get 100 wins,” he said, citing the likes of [Read More]

Rust, Paris are sharp in topless shows at Marshalltown

By Joyce Eisele MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (June 7, 2024) – Marshalltown Speedway was host to the first of two Twin Topless Dirty 30 races Friday night. Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds and Friesen Performance Northern SportMods both removed their tops for the unique race program. Mother Nature tried to stop the fun, but a few sprinkles during the SportMod feature, didn’t stop the show, and racing action returned quickly. Joel Rust won the exciting Modified feature and it was Shane Paris winning in the SportMods. Cayden Carter ran away and hid in the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car event, Calvin Dhondt came from row six to take the checkers in the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock division and Illinois racer, Jason Masengarb took top honors in the Stealth Racing IMCA STARS Mod Lites. Feature racing kicked off with the running of the 15-lap event for the Mod Lites. Masengarb started on the pole and led all but a brief moment when Charlie Brown was scored the leader at lap three. That’s when action was halted for Tracen Glick after he went [Read More]

Valley victory is career 100th for IMCA Mod Lite star Raffurty

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (June 1, 2024) – Score his latest win at Valley Speedway as yet another first for Dillon Raffurty. The Saturday night checkers were the 100th for the Kansas City speedster, the first driver to reach the triple digit win mark for Stealth Racing IMCA STARS Mod Lites. “It’s pretty cool, especially for as many firsts there’s been since the class has been sanctioned that I’ve been lucky to have my name be next to,” said Raffurty, the three-time defending national champion and winner of 2021 and 2022 IMCA Speedway Motors fueled by Casey’s titles. “Just like every other driver, I always go out and try to win every time I can. There wasn’t any added pressure Saturday night, I just took it as if it was another race.” Also cool: IMCA win number 100 care in the same car Raffurty got his start in the IMCA class with. “I’ve been having a few motor issues. This car had been sitting here collecting dust so until I get that figured out, I’ll happily run [Read More]

Iron Man 100 marathon ends with Beckendorf’s 200th IMCA Modified win

DANUBE, Minn. (May 31, 2024) – Make no mistake, the money was nice. But Brandon Beckendorf is enjoying the prestige of getting his career 200th Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature win at Dacotah Speedway’s Iron Man 100 even more. The Danube, Minn., hotshoe took the lead following the mandatory pit stop at halfway and led to the finish of the 100-lapper Friday night at Mandan, N.D. “Everything just lined up perfectly,” said Beckendorf, 32 years old and already in his 17th season in the class. “Right now, this is our biggest win. It wasn’t a local night of racing, it was $5,000 to win and it was 100 laps, which is very rare. Racing against these guys and winning is really cool.” “Getting my 200th win at the Iron Man was the best thing that could happen. Everything lined up. You couldn’t ask for anything better.” Beckendorf is the 20th IMCA driver, and the eighth IMCA Modified driver to reach the 200 career wins mark. His first win in the division came in 2008. Beckendorf had a single-season best 27 [Read More]

IMCA Dakota Classic Tour history made in 35th season

JAMESTOWN, N.D. (May 31, 2024) – Byron Fichter and Aaron Turnbull have been part of the Dakota Classic Tour for maybe more years than they’d like to admit. This year, they’ll be in charge of it. The two are new co-directors of the tour for Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, set to visit six tracks in North Dakota and Saskatchewan from July 6-11. “We have big shoes to fill,” Fichter said, acknowledging the efforts of founder and director John Gartner over the tour’s first 34 years. “People who come on the tour know the tracks in North Dakota and Canada are good hosts. We’re proud of our racing facilities and our racing communities.” “We have a lot of history, including 34 years of history as the best traveling series for Modifieds in North America.” The 35th annual tour opens Saturday, July 6 at Jamestown Speedway with following dates Sunday, July 7 at Nodak Speedway in Minot; Monday, July 8 at Estevan Motor Speedway; Tuesday, July 9 at Williston Basin Speedway; Wednesday, July [Read More]

All Star Shootout Modified champion William Gould

CALERA, Okla. (May 26, 2024) – After finishing runner-up in 2023, William Gould was determined to take his Kerry Friar Motorsports no. 60 Friesen Performance IMCA Modified to the All Star Shootout title this year. After winning his opening night heat at Southern Oklahoma Speedway, Gould drew the seventh place start in the “A”. However, things just didn’t go his way and he finished up 10th. Drake Findley sailed to a commanding win and set himself up to be Gould’s greatest challenge for the points championship. Undaunted, Gould hit the dirt running at Kennedale Speedway Park on night two. However, a bad draw had him starting dead last in his heat. Unable to snatch a transfer spot, Gould was relegated to a “B.” Starting fifth, Gould went on to win that race and secure a start in the “A.” Starting 13th, the Calera, Okla., veteran really had his work cut out for him to work his way up through a very tough field of competitors. After battling with Brint Hartwick, Jacob Pirkle, Trevor Raney and [Read More]

All Star Shootout Stock Car champion Shelby Williams

BONHAM, Texas (May 26, 2024) – Shelby Williams once again performed in championship style in this year’s IMCA All Star Shootout, successfully defending his 2023 IMCA Sunoco Stock Car title. Picking up his first win right out of the gate at Southern Oklahoma Speedway on opening night, Williams set the stage going into the rest of the tour with a lot of momentum behind him. No stranger to Victory Lane at Ardmore, Williams drew well and started on the outside of the front row in the “A”, going on to win. Night two at Kennedale Speedway Park put a damper on his momentum after being squeezed between two cars coming out of turn four in his heat. After qualifying for the main event through his “B,” Williams started 15th, advanced eight spots and finished seventh. Onto night three at Heart ‘O Texas Speedway in Waco. With 10 inches of rain hitting the area over the past month, track officials performed a Herculean feat to prepare the track for the last leg of the tour. Although [Read More]

All Star Shootout Southern SportMod champion Trey Votaw

ELM MOTT, Texas (May 26, 2024) – Trey Votaw had one goal in mind when he signed up for the IMCA All Star Shootout Tour this year. Votaw had a successful run in 2023 but finished runner-up to Smiley’s Racing Products IMCA Southern SportMod champion Jeff Shepperd. The Elm Mott speedster knew he had the car to win if he could just put together the runs it would take to come out on top. On opening night at Southern Oklahoma Speedway, Votaw drew outside front row in his heat and went on to win, securing his place in the “A.” He then drew the seventh place start behind some very fast competitors. Votaw was able to advance three spots to finish fourth, but Shepperd took the win after advancing 11 positions. Shepperd was no doubt going to be tough. However, Josh Landers and Mikel Wingate proved they had the goods to compete with second and third place finishes, respectively, as well. Night number two at Kennedale Speedway Park saw Votaw draw a fourth place start [Read More]

IMCA anniversary wins at Boone go to Berry, Anderson

By Joyce Eisele BOONE, Iowa (May 25, 2024) – It was a great night of racing at the Boone Speedway Saturday. There were 172 cars checked in for the Memorial Day Holiday weekend event that included extra money on the line for the Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds, celebrating their 45th anniversary and the Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods, celebrating 19 years of racing. It was also a Stealth Racing Corn Belt Clash race for the IMCA STARS Mod Lites. It was Tom Berry Jr. taking top honors in the IMCA Modifieds, in an exciting race for the fans that witnessed a “slide fest.” Austin Bouzek got his first win at the track when he took the checkers in the IMCA Sunoco Stock car “A” main. Logan Anderson went home with the trophy in the IMCA Friesen Performance SportMods and once again, it was Mike Smith back in victory lane for the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks. Corn Belt Clash winner for the STARS Mod Lites was Bryan Zehm. Mod Lites were running for a $1,000 payday that would [Read More]

Thornton, Looft are awesome, unbelievable in IMCA wins at Quarter Million Dollar Challenge

SPENCER, Iowa (May 22, 2024) – “Awesome” and “unbelievable” were among the adjectives two of IMCA’s most accomplished drivers used in victory lane Wednesday night, following $16,667 feature wins at Clay County Fair Speedway’s Quarter Million Dollar Challenge. Ricky Thornton Jr. made his return to IMCA pay off, dueling with Dallon Murty while leading from the drop of the green to the checkered in a 30-lap IMCA Sunoco Stock Car contest slowed only by two early cautions. And Matthew Looft caught Jake Sachau after midway and led to the end of a fast-paced and caution-free Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod 30-lapper Two hundred and fifty cars saw action Wednesday at Spencer, including 104 Stock Cars and 101 Northern SportMods. Cory Probst was the $1,000 IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock winner and Tom Berry Jr.’s $1,500 Friesen Performance IMCA Modified victory came in the final race of the inaugural special. Thornton, a four-time champion at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s with nearly 200 sanctioned wins on his resume in three divisions and now [Read More]