Feature Archives

IMCA.TV Winter Nationals start 2024 season at Cocopah

SOMERTON, Ariz. (Dec. 21, 2023) – The start of the 2024 Speedway Motors Weekly Racing season takes five IMCA divisions and several hundred drivers from across the U.S. and Canada to Arizona’s Cocopah Speedway for eight January dates. Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars and Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods race for $1,000 to win, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks for $500 to win and Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compacts for $275 to win each night of the IMCA.TV Winter Nationals at the Somerton speed plant. Race nights are Wednesday through Saturday Jan. 3-6 and 10-13. Pit gates open at noon each day and racing starts at 4 p.m. Pit passes are $35. While each Modified winner becomes eligible to qualify for the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational and each Stock Car winner earns eligibility for the B & B Racing Chassis All-Star Invitational, there’s plenty more at stake for drivers who can dominate those divisions. The Superior Fuel Cells Challenge pays $25,000 to the Modified driver winning all eight features, $15,000 for seven feature wins [Read More]

Chevrolet Performance bonuses are record $54,750 for IMCA crate engine track champions

VINTON, Iowa (Nov. 29, 2023) – Chevrolet Performance bonuses added up to a record $54,750 for IMCA drivers who won one or more track championships while competing exclusively with crate engines this season. Friesen Performance IMCA Modified, IMCA Sunoco Late Model, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock, Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod and Smiley’s Racing Products IMCA Southern SportMod drivers who indicated on their 2023 license application they would run a crate engine receive $250 checks for each of a total of 219 track championships. “Those numbers are impressive,” observed IMCA Marketing Integration and Sponsorship Director Carson Becker-Gramm,” but what really stands out is that since the introduction of the original track championship bonus program in 2005, Chevrolet Performance has now paid over half a million dollars to IMCA drivers competing with crate engines and winning track titles.” “This program is a great way that Chevrolet Performance is able to support drivers across the country.” Modified drivers receiving bonuses for winning one or more track championships, with multiple track titles indicated in parenthesis, while competing with a crate [Read More]

Drivers at 57 tracks earn IMCA.TV replay bonuses adding up to $97,645

VINTON, Iowa (Nov. 28, 2023) – IMCA drivers won’t have to wait ‘til Christmas morning to open envelopes containing IMCA.TV bonus checks. A total of 705 drivers in the nine divisions sanctioned by IMCA earned shares $97,645 generated by replays of weekly and special events at 57 tracks broadcast by IMCA.TV or its affiliates. Modified, Late Model, RaceSaver Sprint Car and Stock Car drivers finishing in the top three in point standings at those tracks receive checks for $240, $160 and $135; Northern SportMod and Southern SportMod checks are distributed in the amounts of $140, $115 and $100, and Hobby Stock, STARS Mod Lite and Sport Compact checks are in the amounts of $115, $85 and $70. Those checks are being mailed this week from the IMCA home office. “This bonus program is the first of its kind and was developed by our streaming platform provider Riivet in 2021,” explained IMCA President Brett Root. “A percentage of subscription fees paid by replay viewers is paid to tracks and to top three drivers in sanctioned divisions.” “Almost $28,000 was paid to nearly [Read More]

Dirt track racing foray leads Leasure to IMCA Junior National Championship

MANSFIELD, Texas (Nov. 9, 2023) – iRacing got Sean Leasure hooked on racing. IMCA Racing got the Mansfield, Texas, driver on the track, and his Mach-1 Sport Compact nine feature wins and consistent top five finishes throughout an abbreviated season got him the Junior National Championship. “This was my final year of being eligible to run for Junior National Champion. It was definitely an accomplishment,” said Leasure, 18. “Sport Compacts gave me my first foray into dirt track racing and most nights they were a blast to drive.” More than 500 drivers ages 13-18 contended for Junior National Champion honors and accompanying post-high school education scholarship funds in 2023. “We had a lot of fun this season and were right up there in national points,” said Leasure, already a high school graduate with an associate’s degree from Tarrant County Community College and planning to resume computer science studies next fall. “I’m looking forward to getting more seat time and seeing what we can do next season.” He’d raced a go-kart in addition to seven seasons [Read More]

Raffurty’s formula for success equals third straight IMCA STARS Mod Lite national title

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Nov. 9, 2023) – Start with long hours in the shop and a sharp eye for detail, then add good help and good sponsors. The result was 28 feature wins and another Stealth Racing IMCA STARS Mod Lite national championship for Dillon Raffurty. “We’ve got a formula that works and we’re going to keep using it,” explained Raffurty, from Kansas City, Mo. “I don’t like change, anyway, and if something is working for you, there’s no reason to change.” There have been few reasons to do anything different as Raffurty has raced to the national crown each of the three years the Mod Lite division has been sanctioned by IMCA, totaling 88 feature victories while winning an other-worldly 80 percent of his weekly starts. He won 28 of 34 outings, along with US 36 Raceway and Valley Speedway track and the Missouri State title in 2023. After a three-race sweep of the Sugar Bowl Winter Nationals at Florida’s Hendry County Motorsports Park in February, Raffurty returned home and went a perfect 16-for-16 [Read More]

Drueke tops tough competition in drive to IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car national title

EAGLE, Neb. (2023) – Tyler Drueke started the season looking to race with the toughest competition and prove he was the best RaceSaver Sprint Car driver in the country. He accomplished both goals, racing to a division best 13 feature wins and a career-first IMCA national crown. “I wanted to do it my way,” said Drueke, also champion at hometown Eagle Raceway. “I wanted to find the toughest competition and leave no doubt we were the best RaceSaver team in the country.” “Winning the national championship was our goal from the start of the season,” he stated. “I meet with sponsors every winter and when I talked with Cody Cherney at Cherney Enterprises, he thought we should try for it. Rachel Kroese and Matt Warner at mysalesman.com said ‘Let’s do it.’” “We’ve been close but I’d never won it before,” continued Drueke, also track champ at Eagle and national runner-up in both 2016 and 2018. “This year we sealed the deal.” A top five finisher in eight of his first 13 starts, Drueke won at a .500 [Read More]

Headers, ride height highlight few changes to 2024 IMCA rules

VINTON, Iowa (Nov. 8, 2023) – Hobby Stock drivers have an exhaust header option and minimum and maximum ride height is specified in four divisions, in the 2024 rules announced today by IMCA. Changes from 2023 and other previous seasons were few, noted IMCA President Brett Root, so drivers who were legal this year won’t be spending extra money to be legal next year. Beginning next season, Hobby Stock drivers competing with a crate engine can use Schoenfeld header part no. 1485-CM2-22 or an OEM exhaust manifold with a 2-1/4 inch diameter exhaust pipe while those competing with a claim engine can use a Schoenfeld header part no. 1485-20 or OEM exhaust manifold with a two inch diameter exhaust pipe. “This is a step we believe will keep the field level for more drivers in the division,” explained Root. “Schoenfeld has already added header awards to their 2023 contingency program which drivers will be receiving at our upcoming national banquet.” Minimum and maximum ride heights for Modifieds and Northern SportMods are four inches and 7-1/2 inches, and [Read More]

Kuehl soars to seven wins, first IMCA Lady Eagle honors

AMES, Iowa (Nov. 7, 2023) – The theme to Taylor Kuehl’s Lady Eagle championship winning season had to be Have race car, will travel. The Arizona native, relocated to Ames, Iowa, since last spring, traveled to 14 different tracks in four Midwestern States over the course of the season, winning seven of 41 Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod starts in topping point standings for the nearly 300 female drivers competing in IMCA in 2023. “We had a lot of racing planned. We ran mostly weekly shows, deciding on some of them last-minute, and filled in our schedule with specials,” said Kuehl, a top five finisher on 20 nights. “We didn’t start the season running for the Lady Eagle but winning it was really cool to do. It’s another prestigious award to put on our racing resume.” Kuehl found victory lane at Stuart Speedway three times while getting single wins at Interstate Speedway, Independence Motor Speedway, Buena Vista Raceway and 141 Speedway. “We had a really good year at Stuart. That track was good to us,” she [Read More]

New approach, same results: Looft takes off Fridays, races to sixth IMCA Northern SportMod national title

SWEA CITY, Iowa (2023) – Matt Looft took a new approach in his pursuit of another Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod national championship. He raced less. Looft chased points at just two tracks, winning titles at Thursday night venue Kossuth County Speedway and Saturday night speed plant Arlington Raceway. Three Monday night checkers at Clay County Fair Speedway and three more in as many Friday night starts at Murray County Speedway would help give the Swea City speedster 31 wins and his third straight and career sixth national crown. “The only thing that’s harder than getting to the top is staying there. Our family is busier and work is busier. It’s a real balancing act,” said Looft, the division’s all-time leader with 263 feature wins and 35 track and special series titles. “My wife and I decided that we’d take some nights off from racing to focus on family things with the kids and make sure the car was ready when we did race. My wife and family are my biggest support system and we [Read More]

The Professor changes point chasing plans, becomes first IMCA Sport Compact national champ from Texas

SPRINGTOWN, Texas (Nov. 2, 2023) – A driver who wasn’t even planning to race for points at the start of the season led them all at the end of it. Twenty feature wins helped make Randall Martin the first Texas driver to win the Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compact national championship. The speedster from Springtown won track titles at Boyd Raceway, Kennedale Speedway Park and Southern Oklahoma Speedway as well as Texas and Oklahoma State titles in his first full season in the 4-cylinder class. “It means a lot for me to win the national championship, and to be the first driver from Texas to do it in the Sport Compacts. That’s one of the reasons why I ran for it,” Martin said. “It’s an awesome feeling and now there’s a sparkle in my eye. I wanted my name on that trophy.” Trophies may have been the last thing on Martin’s mind after his engine went up in smoke on opening night, but he was the king of consistency from that point. The wins … seven [Read More]