Feature Archives

First for Oregon as Braaten wins IMCA 100th

CENTRAL POINT, Ore. (Aug. 16, 2024) – It was an accomplishment that Jorddon Braaten would have preferred to have celebrated sooner, but the timing was perfect, anyway. Braaten became the first Oregon driver in any IMCA division to reach the 100 career win mark, topping the Friesen Performance Northern SportMod feature during the Dwayne Melvin Clash program at Southern Oregon Speedway Friday night. “I don’t think I could have picked a better night for this, other than Super Nationals,” he said after the $3,069 checkers flew. “It’s a bit of relief. After being at 99 I was wondering when I was going to get the 100th. There’s been a bit of a monkey on my back the last few months.” Win number 100 came from eighth starting with Braaten lined up against the heavy hitters from the Pacific Northwest in a 40-lapper at White City that ended green, white, checkered. “It was cool. Kind of everything went through my mind at the same time because I knew it was all together,” he said. “It was [Read More]

James caps Southern Oregon special with $5,500 IMCA Modified checkers

WHITE CITY, Ore. (Aug. 16, 2024) – It didn’t matter where Bricen James ran Friday night, he was fast. The Albany ace became a double winner at Southern Oregon Speedway’s Dwayne Melvin Clash/Bruce Rayburn Classic show, taking the $2,000 Silver Bullet I-5 Late Model Series victory and then beating Nick Trenchard to the stripe by six hundredths of a second for the $5,500 Friesen Performance IMCA Modified top prize. The Modified 40-lapper ran caution-free and the frontrunners ran in traffic more than half that distance. Also the Rayburn winner in 2022, James matched his career-best payday with his 10th victory in the division this season. “This was one of the best race tracks we’ve been on all year. It was fast on the bottom and it was fast on the top and slick all the way between,” said James, who worked his way to the front from eighth starting. “It seemed like the race went really quick.” He picked off a couple cars right at the start, then ran with Grey Ferrando for much of [Read More]

Manufacturers’ Row expands for 42nd IMCA Super Nationals

BOONE, Iowa (Aug. 15, 2024) – Drivers and race team members can look forward to visiting a filled to capacity Manufacturers’ Row at the upcoming IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. Thirty-five vendors will have booths on Manufacturers’ Row, to be located just northeast of the corner of the Boone Speedway grounds, throughout the week of Super Nationals Sept. 2-7. Along with the variety of high performance products on sale for use during the week, products including the new GM metric OEM replacement frame and Five Star Stock Car body will be on display. “Super Nationals and Manufacturers’ Row are the place you want to be if you want face time with dirt track racers,” reasoned IMCA Marketing Integration and Sponsorship Director Carson Becker-Gramm. “It’s cool to see sponsors like Speedway Motors, Chevrolet Performance and Hoosier Tire Midwest have this type of presence at our biggest event.” Sponsors on Manufacturers’ Row will also include: Aero Race Wheels, AFCO, AllStar Performance, B & B Racing Chassis, Bassett, Bob Harris Enterprises, Dynamic Drivelines and Eibach. [Read More]

Avila sails to $10,000 checkers at 141’s Captain of the Creek

FRANCIS CREEK, Wis. (Aug. 14, 2024) – Starting from the pole was easy. Staying on the front not so much. Matt Avila tamed a top-flight field of Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods, racing to the $10,000 checkers in winning Wednesday’s 50-lap Captain of the Creek main event at 141 Speedway. “It’s huge. It probably hasn’t even set in yet,” said Avila, who had a slew of congratulatory phone calls and texts waiting for him by the time he got back to his trailer. “This is probably my biggest win, definitely my biggest payday, one of the biggest wins a guy can get in the SportMod class and one of the most prestigious for sure.” He’d raced from ninth to third and started and finished second in his Tuesday night heats. The pole position was the last pill left when his turn came in the redraw. “The clean air was good. I think I was on lap 13 and I thought to myself ‘Man, if I have to race more than 35 laps through this it’s [Read More]

Foulger is double winner at Merced’s Central California Clash show

By Ben Deatherage MERCED, Calif. (Aug. 10, 2024) – Troy Foulger celebrated his first win this season at Merced Speedway with fireworks. The Oakley flyer celebrated twice when he returned to the Central Valley oval Saturday night for the latest installment of the Central California Clash. Foulger, first to the checkers in the July 3 Friesen Performance IMCA Modified headliner at Merced, topped both the Modified and IMCA Sunoco Stock Car features at Merced. The Modified feature paid $1,000 to win with Foulger already Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifying eligible. Jason Bannister was the Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod victor. Cody Burke led the Modified pack in the early stages, challenged around the sixth lap by Foulger, who got around for the lead on the next circuit, with the lap scored complete just before what proved to be the only caution of the contest came out. On the restart, Burke was under fire from Paul Stone, a fight that Stone would win on the eighth circuit. Bobby Hogge followed, putting his machine into third [Read More]

Bencken’s latest pretty big accomplishment is 100th career IMCA Hobby Stock feature win

OAKLEY, Kan. (Aug. 9, 2024) – Brady Bencken raced his way into the IMCA history book Friday night but probably wasn’t the proudest person standing in victory lane. Bencken won for the 100th time in his IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock career at home track Thomas County Speedway and was joined after the checkers flew by father Rod and grandfather Wes in displaying the congratulatory banner. “It’s pretty big. When I got my first track championship, it was unbelievable. Now we’re 10 years down the road and 100 wins. It’s pretty neat,” the Oakley, Kan., driver said. “I didn’t even realize until last year that we were even that close. I was just racing, not paying attention to the wins, and then IMCA contacted me.” “It’s a pretty big accomplishment.” Bencken has racked up a lot of pretty big accomplishments since recording his first Hobby Stock win, also at Thomas County, in 2014. The 2016 Kansas state and an 11-time track champion, he won at least 10 features every season from 2016 to 2021. Bencken had a [Read More]

Ferrando shines at Sunset Speedway’s Mod Frenzy

By Ben Deatherage BANKS, Ore. (Aug. 10, 2024) – The event at Sunset Speedway Park on Saturday, Aug. 10, was significant, attracting a large field of Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds for the third running of the Whisler Construction Mod Frenzy, with a cool $3,000 on the line. The 40-lap finale for Modifieds was a thrilling spectacle. Multi-time defending track champion Craig Cassell immediately seized the top spot, setting the stage for an intense battle. Cassell had to put up a hard fight on the initial start when he went three-wide with Grey Ferrando and Bricen James. As Cassell secured the lead, Ferrando held off James for second before concentrating his efforts on running down the leader. Ferrando, determined to secure the lead, worked the inside line on the fifth circuit as Cassell kept his faith on the top shelf. The two dueled for quite some time with no clear advantage to either party, showcasing their unwavering determination and skill. Things would take a twist when lapped traffic entered the mix on lap 18. Using [Read More]

Belec dominates 1,000 Stars finale for IMCA career best payday

By Chad Meyer BRITT, Iowa (Aug. 10, 2024) – Eddie Belec had a DNQ and a rainout to show for his first visit to Hancock County Speedway. He has a Friesen Performance IMCA Modified career-best $5,000 payday to show for his second. The Colorado speedster led all 40 laps of Saturday’s Night of 1,000 Stars main event at Britt, the final event of IMCA Speed Week. “This is huge. We’re lucky enough that we get to race with these guys a few times a year. I get to watch them a lot and see them win a lot of races,” he said from victory lane. “When you can come out and line up with them and win, it feels pretty good, for sure.” “I had a few notes from last year and we did make some changes from Friday,” added Belec, who had run third in the opening night qualifier. “I knew we could make the car a little bit better because I knew the track was going to be a little bit different because [Read More]

Rich checkers fly for Ward at Schattschneider Memorial

ALGONA, Iowa (Aug. 8, 2024) – Tim Ward didn’t quite have the track figured out, but he figured that no one would catch him if he didn’t change what he was doing. He was right about that, and $5,600 richer after the checkers flew Thursday night at Kossuth County Speedway’s Gene Schattschneider Memorial feature for Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds. Ward swapped the lead with pole starter Zach Dockter on each on the first four circuits, then led to the end of the 25-lapper. Dockter stayed close right through the first 10 laps, then gave way to Joel Rust following a restart. Rust ran second the rest of the way. “It was fun racing with Zach, hats off to him for a good run,” Ward said of their lengthy side-by-side duel. “The track changed on me a bit and I wasn’t sure where to run, so we struggled just a bit,” he added. “I wasn’t sure exactly where to run but figured it would be hard for Joel to get around me if I kept doing [Read More]

Chased, challenged, never caught, Thornton collects Clay County Clash checkers

SPENCER, Iowa (Aug. 7, 2024) – He was chased and he was challenged but Dylan Thornton was never caught. Thornton led every lap of Wednesday’s Clay County Fairgrounds Speedway Clash main event for Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds, keeping Tim Ward behind him the first 20 laps and holding Tom Berry Jr. at bay the last 10 times around the track. The IMCA Speed Week win was also Thornton’s Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifying third and was good for $2,500. He parried a last-turn slider from Berry, winner of Tuesday’s Harris Clash, to secure that big check. “I saw his (Berry’s) nose so I knew he was close enough to slide me,” he said. “What you have to do coming down the backstretch is not make a mistake and not stuff it into the fence or something stupid, you have to be able to turn back down.” “We actually went home after last night, woke up this morning, decided we were too dumb to quit and decided to drive four hours back up this way,” said Thornton, who’d [Read More]