Feature Archives

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]

Three $250 Sunoco bonuses at stake for IMCA Late Models

VINTON, Iowa (May 22, 2024) – Bonuses of $250 are on the line at each of three IMCA Sunoco Late Model events over the long Memorial holiday weekend. Feature winners of Late Model main events May 23 at Park Jefferson Speedway at Jefferson, S.D., May 24 at Crawford County Speedway in Denison and May 25 at Shelby County Speedway in Harlan receive bonuses and a five-gallon fuel jug from their divisional title sponsor. Pit gates open at 5 p.m. and the grandstand opens at 5:30 p.m. for the $1,000 to win Titan Clash show at Park Jefferson, with hot laps at 7 p.m. and racing at 7:30 p.m. Spectator admission is $15 for adults, $12 for veterans and seniors, $12 for students 11-17, $5 for kids and free for five and under. Crawford County also opens the pits at 5 and the stands at 5:30. Racing follows 7:30 p.m. hot laps. Grandstand admission is $12 for adults, $7 for military and seniors and free for kids. And Shelby County opens the pit area at 4 [Read More]

Berry continues fast start to season with IMCA Modified Monday Night Madness win

INDEPENDENCE, Iowa (May 6, 2024) – Tom Berry Jr. made his first racing visit to Independence Motor Speedway while testing the Friesen Performance IMCA Modified competition in the Midwest nine years ago. He returned to win the Monday Night Madness Summer Challenge Series opener, leading all 30 laps and pocketing $2,000. “We’ve definitely had a good start to the year,” understated Berry, after wheeling the fastest of 44 Modified entries to victory lane. “There was a stout field of cars here tonight and they did a great job with the track. You could run different lines. I could move around when I needed to.” Ethan Braaksma, another driver who’s enjoyed a good start to the season, was second and Tim Ward was third. Joel Rust and Spencer Diercks completed the top five. Berry won his heat from seventh starting to earn the pole for the main event. Braaksma mounted an early challenge and back-to-back cautions flew before the last nine laps ran green. Berry stretched out his advantage over the last five of those circuits [Read More]

Dinsmore dominant in STIMS scramble

PLEASANTON, Texas (April 27, 2024) – Logan Dinsmore made back-to-back visits to victory lane when the South Texas IMCA Modified Series returned to I-37 Speedway on Saturday night. Twenty Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds lined up for the four-wide salute before taking the green. Raymond McSpadden led the pack into turn one, but Cody Tidwell got a run up top to snag the lead pursued by Chris Morris, McSpadden, Rick Green and John Hortch. Yellows waved on laps three and four and on the second restart, Dinsmore rocketed to the high side, sailing past Morris and Tidwell for the lead. The top three would break away while Jared Maupin worked his way to fourth. Dinsmore was inching away at the crossed flags and had half a straightaway on his closest competition before another yellow, on lap 16. With a clean track ahead, Dinsmore had to hold off Morris and Maupin as the top three got away while Green, Carroll and McSpadden were three wide for fourth. Dinsmore inched out to a couple car lengths to grab [Read More]

Chadwick, Diaz, Bannister are best in opener for Central California Clash

By Candice Martin ANTIOCH, Calif. (April 20, 2024) – Kellen Chadwick scored the victory in the 25-lap Friesen Performance IMCA Modified race Saturday night at Antioch Speedway. This was the opening race of the six-race Central California Clash. The win paid Chadwick $1,000 and made him eligible to qualify for the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational. Chadwick had the outside front row for the start and bolted into the lead at the green flag, followed by Bobby Hogge IV and Troy Foulger. Foulger slipped past Hogge for second on a lap three restart with Andrew Pearce settling into third. After a lap nine caution, the race had a good run of green flag racing with Chadwick pulling away from Foulger. A yellow flag with three laps to go bunched the field but Chadwick bolted ahead and brought it home to a satisfying win. Foulger settled for second ahead of Pearce, Hogge and Cody Burke. Rick Diaz won the 20-lap IMCA Sunoco Stock Car main event. He led all the way and held off a furious challenge [Read More]

Saturday Ice Breaker Challenge checkers fly for Braaksma

By Greg Soukup EAGLE, Neb. (April 20, 2024) – On a track that’s definitely different than what he’s used to running on, Ethan Braaksma raced to the same results Saturday night. Braaksma won his sixth Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature, and fifth Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifying race of the season, collecting $2,000 on night two of the Ice Breaker Challenge. “It was a pretty good run. I just took my time and hit my marks. I was kind of searching there at the beginning but once I found the bottom I hit it really good,” said Braaksma, the leader from lap 11 to the finish. “I could see where the others were messing up in front of me and that’s how I got to the lead. I just had to be sure to get the left side down in the moisture so I could get off of the corner.” Ricky Stephan and then Shawn Harker held down the front spot early on. Braaksma caught Chad Andersen for second on lap seven and grabbed the [Read More]

Ice Breaker Challenge checkers are first for Andersen

By Greg Soukup EAGLE, Neb. (April 19, 2024) – Eagle Raceway got the first night of its Ice Breaker Challenge in for the first time since 2019 and Chad Andersen won for the first time at the special that starts the season at America’s Home Track on Friday night. The defending track champion scored the $1,000 Friesen Performance IMCA Modified victory in the final event of the evening, outrunning Jordan Grabouski, Ryan Jenkins and Drew Janssen. “We’ve come to the Ice Breaker Challenge ever since I started racing a Modified and we’ve been close, but we‘d get a third or a second and never seemed to have enough to lead the final lap,” said Andersen, newly eligible to qualify for the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational. “We came up with a game plan after the heat race because we felt really good. I just wasn’t quite as comfortable as I wanted to be in the heat so we made a couple of changes for the feature and it felt like the car came to life.” “Hopefully, that means [Read More]

Sherfick defends home turf in Friday Buzzard Bash Dash

By Sheldon Wickwar WaKEENEY, Kan. (April 19, 2024) – Dylan Sherfick defended his home turf Friday night at WaKeeney Speedway, earning $1,000 and becoming Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifying eligible while doing so. The hometown hotshoe counts the 2015 crown at WaKeeney among his eight career Friesen Performance IMCA Modified track titles and clearly had the fastest car from the drop of the green in the Buzzard Bash Dash main event. The 20-lap feature started with a front row of Sherfick and John Burrow, and once the field got going Sherfick made like he was shot out of a cannon and built a huge lead right off the bat. Once he entered lapped traffic Sherfick did not slow down and not even an always fast Jeremy Frenier could reel him in. Frenier, Brett Berry, Daniel Gottschalk and Dakota Sproul would complete the top five. Eighty-four race teams contended Friday night with Troy Burkhart topping the IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, Morgan Olmstead leading the way to the checkers in the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks, Blaine Walt [Read More]

License eligibility spelled out in IMCA general, divisional rules

VINTON, Iowa (April 15, 2024) – IMCA drivers will still be allowed to compete in specified, multiple divisions this season. What they won’t be doing, however, is changing divisions multiple times, especially when it comes time to racing in high-paying specials. Both general rules and divisional rules posted on the IMCA website now specify which divisions drivers can compete in when purchasing licenses in two or more classes; what’s spelled out in black and white is the time they’ll have to wait when switching between restricted divisions. “For example, if a driver with a Modified license switches to a Northern or Southern SportMod, they have to stay in the new division for 12 calendar months from the date they changed divisions,” said IMCA President Brett Root. “What we’ve seen primarily is drivers making that switch to race in higher-paying specials held prior to or after the end of the point season. In no way is it fair for SportMod drivers who support their weekly tracks during the season to race against Modified or Late Model [Read More]

Shryock takes crown in King of the Highbanks at Marshalltown

By Joyce Eisele MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (April 12, 2024) – Kelly Shryock already has 5,000 reasons to celebrate the start of his 40th racing season. The veteran from Fertile topped Friday’s King of the Highbanks main event for IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars at Marshalltown Speedway, taking the $5,000 checkers ahead of defending race winner Jeffrey Abbey. Now guaranteed a starting spot in the B & B Racing Chassis All-Star Invitational, Shryock started from the pole and took the lead as the race went green, with Dallon Murty in second and Boyd, Texas charger Abbey third. Those three ran closely in the opening portion of the race, with Murty seeking high and low for a way around Shryock and Abbey just waiting for a bobble from either. At halfway, it was still the same running order for the top three but seventh place starter Cole Czarneski had joined them and was giving chase. A yellow flew on lap 30 and again on lap 37; when the race restarted after the final caution, Abbey was able to sneak by Murty [Read More]