Feature Archives

Chevrolet Performance pays record $49,750 in bonuses to 2022 IMCA crate engine track champions

VINTON, Iowa (Nov. 30, 2022) – Chevrolet Performance bonuses totaling a record $49,750 have been paid to IMCA drivers winning track championships while competing exclusively with crate engines in 2022. In all, 168 Friesen Performance IMCA Modified, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock, Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod and IMCA Sunoco Late Model drivers received $250 checks for each of 199 track championships after indicating on their 2022 license application that they would run a crate engine. Chevrolet Performance introduced the original track championship bonus program in 2005 and has since paid more than $445,000 to IMCA drivers. “The numbers speak for themselves,” noted IMCA Marketing Integration and Sponsorship Director Carson Becker-Gramm. “Drivers competing with crate engines in these four divisions have literally been able to take their track championships to the bank.” IMCA Modified drivers who received bonuses for winning one or more track championships, with multiple track titles indicated in parenthesis, while competing with a crate engine included: Chris Abelson, Keaton Atkinson, Chaz Baca, Owen Barnhill (2), Jordan Bartz, Kenny Baumann, Austen Becerra (2), Cole [Read More]

Cook runs with the best, races to rookie honors in EQ Southern Stock Car Region

FORT WORTH, Texas (Nov. 28, 2022) – Cameron Cook went into his first IMCA Sunoco Stock Car season looking to run with the best and win rookie of the year. He did both, and became a state champion, too. The 22-year-old from Fort Worth won two features and consistently finished in the top five en route to earning both the EQ Cylinder Heads Southern Region rookie of the year award and the Texas State championship. “I’m a hometown kind of driver. I had run a factory stock since I started racing five years ago so I had never raced anything too extravagant. I wanted to race an IMCA Stock Car because those are some of the best drivers in the country,” Cook said. “You can only get so good running one class. Racing with the best makes you 20 times a better driver.” Campaigned in a 2021 Cadillac Chassis owned by Ryan and Christy Anderson, his first checkers came on Aug. 12 at Heart O’ Texas Speedway, his second just eight days later at Kennedale [Read More]

Seat time, good help boost Burlison in Jet Racing Central Region rookie quest

MALVERN, Ark. (Nov. 28, 2022) – Race fans around Arkansas and the drivers he competed against weren’t surprised to hear that Noah Burlison earned Jet Racing Central Region rookie of the year honors this season. It was Burlison himself who had to look twice when he saw his name in the press release from IMCA announcing the fact. “We just wanted to get a lot of laps under our belt and not tear up too much equipment,” said Burlison, from Malvern and the first Friesen Performance IMCA Modified driver from Arkansas to win the regional rookie title since 1998. “It never crossed my mind that we could win the rookie award. There was shock, surprise and awe, all of that.” “There’s a ton of good competition around here and seat time is important, but what helps a ton is when you’ve got to generations of the best drivers around helping you,” added Burlison, who benefitted from both the pit crew help and wisdom shared by uncle Charlie Armstrong and cousin Drew Armstrong. “There’s probably 40-50 [Read More]

Poel proves up to challenge in race for Dirt Works Eastern Region rookie award

NUNICA, Mich. (Nov. 28, 2022) – Jacob Poel turned his first laps in a race car at Thunderbird Raceway nearly 20 years ago. He raced to his first Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature win at the Muskegon oval this spring and collected five checkers in all in earning Dirt Works Eastern Region rookie of the year honors. “Last year I said, ‘Let’s get an IMCA Modified and a couple crate engines and race closer to home,’” stated Poel, from Nunica. “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the challenge and acclimated well to the division. I feel as if I have earned the respect of the other drivers and they’ve earned mine.” He’d win three times at Thunderbird and twice at Winston Speedway, counting nine runner-up showings among 25 top five finishes on the year. “I really like Thunderbird. I grew up racing there and that’s where the first laps I ever drove were at,” Poel said. “I can go out my driveway and be there in 22 minutes. Thunderbird is my favorite Michigan track. Racing and winning there [Read More]

Potential becomes reality in Becerra’s rookie Razor Chassis North Central Region campaign

CARTHAGE, Ill. (Nov. 28, 2022) – Potential quickly became reality in Austen Becerra’s first Friesen Performance IMCA Modified season. Becerra raced to eight feature wins – one of them good for a $5,000 payday – and two track championships in a campaign that ended with Razor Chassis North Central Region rookie of the year honors. “We were good right out of the box,” said Becerra, a quick learner in the new division after winning the Northern SportMod main event at the 2021 IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. “About the middle of last year, Jon Fuller asked me if I would be interested in racing a Modified.” “They bought a car – a 2020 Lethal – and we had some success in our starts after the IMCA point season ended. That’s when we knew we had the potential to win a lot of races this year. From Carthage, Ill., Becerra was track champion at both Lee County Speedway and 34 Raceway, finishing fifth in regional points and 12th nationally. Four of his checkers at [Read More]

Shaw Race Cars Western Region rookie Robertson punches ticket to IMCA banquet

RENO, Nev. (Nov. 28, 2022) – Katelynn Robertson punched her ticket to the national awards banquet, racing with the big boys and winning rookie of the year honors in the Shaw Race Cars Western Region. Robertson had a pair of feature wins and consistent showings throughout her 31 starts at six different tracks in California and Nevada, far exceeding any expectations she had for her first Friesen Performance IMCA Modified season. “At the beginning of the year, I didn’t think we’d see top five in anything,” admitted the Susanville, Calif., native and Reno, Nev., transplant. “Then we realized how close we were to being able to run at the front.” “That was pretty cool. I still can’t believe it. Winning the regional rookie of the year is one of my proudest accomplishments,” she continued. “It was definitely a lot of work. We ran with the big boys in the division, we did a lot of traveling and it all paid off. It was pretty neat to race from last to the top five and even [Read More]

Randall brings Six Pack theme to track in Big Daddy Northern Region rookie chase

PARK RAPIDS, Minn. (Nov. 22, 2022) – If the remake of the movie Six Pack was filmed in Minnesota, Randy Randall would be the obvious choice for the lead role previously played by Kenny Rogers. His six children would play the titular race car savvy kids in the cast. From Park Rapids, Minn., Randall brought a Six Pack theme to the track, making most of his 37 IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock starts at home state venues Buffalo River Speedway, North Central Speedway and Red River Valley Speedway. He shared time behind the wheel, catching up on bonding with oldest son Brayden before he went into the United States Marine Corps in August. “I had always liked the movie and my kids like working on the car as much as I do,” said Randall, also father to Reid, McKenzie, Gracie, Blake and Dixon and rookie of the year in the Big Daddy Race Cars Northern Region. “They will probably all be involved in racing at some points in their lives.” The 49-year-old Randall bought a car from friend Chad Visser [Read More]

A first for Utah as Thorne tops national IMCA Hobby Stock rookie points race

HERRIMAN, Utah (Nov. 22, 2022) – Getting to race against more cars got C.J. Thorne into the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock division. Three feature wins and season-long consistency got him the national rookie of the year award. From Herriman, Thorne became the first driver from Utah to win a national IMCA rookie award in any division, and the second from the Beehive State to earn the Big Daddy Race Cars Southern Region rookie prize in as many seasons. “I raced in open wheel classes since I was seven and came to the Hobby Stocks from a 360 open wing sprint car class,” said the 20-year-old Thorne. “We were racing in fields of 5-7 cars. A friend, Andy Pearce, suggested that I should get a Hobby Stock and run with more cars.” He bought a former Drew Schafer ride for his rookie campaign, making all but two of his 38 starts at home state tracks and 24 of those at Desert Thunder Raceway. Thorne’s career first win in the class came on May 7 at Price. [Read More]

Duggins’ fourth straight regional crown raises the bar for IMCA Hobby Stocks

FARMINGTON, N.M. (Nov. 22, 2022) – “Unbelievable” was the word Jason Duggins had used to describe the 2021 IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock season. His 2022 season was even better. Duggins raced to a division record fourth straight regional title, winning 23 features at six different Big Daddy Race Cars Southern tracks. “At the end of last season, I told myself I wasn’t going to go for the fourth one. I wanted to venture out more and race at different tracks,” said Duggins, from Farmington, N.M. “Then we got to racing our weekly tracks and the car counts just exploded in Utah.” “We were getting 12-16 or more cars a lot of nights. It was just a lot of fun and I raced as much as I could,” he continued. “Every weekend it seemed like there were more people building cars or buying cars or asking about how they could get a Hobby Stock.” He had shared the division record of three consecutive regional championships with Shannon Anderson, who ruled the Big Daddy North from 2008-2010 [Read More]

Richards gets serious after spring success chasing national IMCA Hobby Stock crown

WYMORE Neb. (Nov. 22, 2022) – Over the winter, Dillon Richards and his crew laughed about the idea of running for another national championship. Their early spring success got them thinking more seriously about it. Richards, from Wymore, Neb., would become just the seventh driver to win national crowns in different IMCA divisions, adding the 2022 Sunoco Hobby Stock trophy to a collection that already includes the 2017 Mach-1 Sport Compact hardware. “We joked about it over the winter, then we won Spring Nationals at Beatrice, the Dirt Crown Spring Tour at Thayer County and both nights of the Sunflower Classic at RPM Speedway,” he said. “That’s when we decided to get serious and pursue it.” “We really focused on Beatrice Speedway and Eagle Raceway,” added Richards, track champion at both. “We are not a big-time race team. We work out of a two car garage so any time we raced three nights a week, it was a lot of work.” He won 11 times at Eagle and six times in all at Beatrice. Richards’ [Read More]