Feature Archives

DeBenedetti makes rare Skagit visit pay with $10,000 IMCA Survive the 55 victory

ALGER, Wash. (Sept. 24, 2022) – After picking his way through lapped traffic, Jon DeBenedetti picked up a $10,000 Friesen Performance IMCA Modified paycheck. The Rogue River, Ore., driver made a rare visit to Skagit Speedway pay off big time on Saturday night, leading the last half of the Survive the 55 special at Alger. “At this point in my career, to be at the top of my game pushing 25 years and win this race is really special,” said DeBenedetti, newly eligible to qualify for the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational. “To come up here and be able to go against the best of the Pacific Northwest means a lot.” SDMF Chassis teammate Jesse Williamson was next to the checkers in the 55-lapper. Eston Whisler, Bricen James and Ian Whisler rounded out the top five. DeBenedetti was making just his second career start at Skagit after a runner-up finish in a weekly show there eight years ago and compared the Alger oval to Arkansas’ Batesville Motor Speedway. “It’s a very racy place,” he said. “I [Read More]

Brenten DeYoung is best at Great Lakes Nationals

CRYSTAL, Mich. (Sept. 18, 2022) – The latest addition to Team DeYoung’s Great Lakes Nationals trophy collection will have a special place in the display case. Brenten DeYoung topped the 50-lap, $3,000 to win special for Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds Sunday at Crystal Motor Speedway. The checkers were his career first at one of the premier events for the division in Michigan and in the Dirt Works Eastern Region, and came ahead of his father and seven-time Great Lakes Nationals king Myron. “It’s incredible,” the younger DeYoung said following his second feature win of the season at the family’s long-time home track. “This is a race I’ve wanted to win for a long time and I’m grateful to finally pull it off.” Fourth on the initial grid, he moved up to the outside of the front row following a lap one restart, used the outside line to pass pole starter Nathan Patrick going into the first turn and led every time around the track. Multiple cautions kept the field close throughout before DeYoung was able [Read More]

IMCA Super Nationals history for Olmstead with RoC win and Hobby Stock championship

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 10, 2022) – Zach Olmstead thought he had the car to win the Saturday show at Boone Speedway last September. That same ride took him straight to the history book at the 40th annual IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. Olmstead became the first driver to win both the Stephenville Starter Race of Champions and the Hobby Stock championship event at the same Super Nationals, topping Tuesday’s RoC and the Big Dance on Saturday. He had worked his way up from 10th starting and was running close, but not too close, to the front stretch calamity that kayoed race-long leader Brandon Nielsen, defending champion Mike Smith and Jimmy Johnson. “It’s humbling,” said Olmstead, who had finished fourth in his one prior main event start, in 2018. “Last year we won the Prelude and the race of champions. I felt like we had a winning car but got taken out and didn’t qualify. This year I wanted to go back and prove it.” Still on board the same 2019 Brendan Eilts Racing & [Read More]

Looft’s IMCA Super Nationals SportMod championship is best birthday present ever

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 10, 2022) – Matthew Looft brought home his first IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s championship and the best birthday present an 8-year-old boy could ask for on the same night. Looft raced from 13th starting and held off familiar weekly foe Colby Fett Saturday in winning the Northern SportMod main event and $5,000 Saturday at Boone Speedway. “I promised to do my best to give my son Brayden a tall trophy for his eighth birthday,” said Looft, from Swea City and IMCA’s four-time and defending national champion. “We have gotten a lot of help from a lot of people and have won a lot of races and this was the biggest by far.” “A national championship is pretty cool. At Super Nationals there are 171 other cars and you’re racing against the best drivers in the country just to get in the feature,” he continued. “All the pressure is on one night. You can have some bad nights when you race during the season but you can’t have a bad [Read More]

Murty races to rare Stock Car repeat crown at IMCA Super Nationals

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 10, 2022) – A race that began as a battle between two of the best young guns in the division became a battle between father and son on championship night at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. When both those battles at Boone Speedway were over, Dallon Murty had defended his Stock Car championship, becoming just the second driver in division history to go back-to-back at America’s Racin’ Vacation. “This was a really special win. There’s a lot of weight lifted off your shoulders when you’re the defending champion and can win again,” said Murty, 17 years old, from Chelsea and a senior at BGM High School. “Last year’s win was probably my best ever because it was my first. This win and last year are at the top of all my wins, by far.” A record 246 Stock Car drivers competed at the 40th annual Super Nationals and the main event saw 30 of the best of them racing for a $7,500 top check. Murty had become the youngest champion [Read More]

Berry wears Modified crown at 40th annual IMCA Super Nationals

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 10, 2022) – A season that’s seen more than its share of high points for Tom Berry Jr. saw its highest on Saturday, in the final race of the 40th annual IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. Berry added the title of Super Nationals champion to his already lengthy IMCA resume, passing Kollin Hibdon just before midway and leading to the end of the 40-lap Modified feature. More than 250 Modifieds were among the record 1,000 cars that competed at Boone Speedway during the week and Berry had the fastest of them in taking the $10,000 top check. “This was definitely our biggest win. It means a lot to our entire team,” said Berry, who won a host of special events around the Midwest leading up to Super Nationals. “We have been coming here since 2014 and we’ve been competitive the last four years.” “We’ve had our ups and downs at Boone,” continued the Oregon native, fourth in the Big Dance on 2020 and the first car out of last year’s [Read More]

Smooth ride takes Mikulencak to crown at IMCA Southern SportMod Super Nationals

KENNEDALE, Texas (Sept. 10, 2022) – His strategy was simple, once Marcus Mikulencak got to the front of Saturday’s Smiley’s Racing Products IMCA Southern SportMod Super Nationals feature field. “I tried to stay smooth and not make any mistakes,” Mikulencak said after taking the $5,000 checkers in the inaugural event at Kennedale Speedway Park. “We were pretty good up front but I figured with the competition we had that we could have company up there.” Bradley Poor and Brandon Geurin both advanced seven spots to finish second and third, respectively. Michael Dabney was a plus nine to fourth and Alex Hickham, winner of Friday’s All-Star race, ended in fifth. Mikulencak ran fourth and then won his second qualifying heat on opening night, drawing the inside row two start for the 30-lap main. “We didn’t make any changes in setup from Friday. We were able to get the lead early,” he said. “There were a couple cautions and we were able to get through lapped traffic pretty easy.” His career best payday included a $2,000 bonus [Read More]

Berry tops record 40^th IMCA Super Nationals with Modified crown

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 10, 2022) – Tom Berry Jr.’s run to the Modified championship brought the final checkers down on the record-setting week of the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s, when 1,000 cars brought 1,000 stars to Boone Speedway. Berry, one of the record 1,000 drivers from 28 states and four Canadian provinces competing at the 40th annual event, caught Kollin Hibdon for the lead just before midway of the 40-lapper, then held off the young speedster from Nevada the rest of the way. “This is unbelievable,” Berry said before trophy photos were taken in the NAPA Fan Zone. “I’ve been coming to Super Nationals for years and finally did it. To win Super Nationals just topped my season. I can’t believe it.” The Oregon native had raced in the Pacific Northwest and then out of North Dakota before moving to Iowa. Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational winner Cody Thompson was in and out of the top five before ending in third and Canadian Aaron Turnbull was fourth. Other Saturday champions were Dallon Murty, [Read More]

Laps led differ but Murty, Thornton top Friday Stock Car qualifiers

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 9, 2022) – The numbers of laps Damon Murty and Dylan Thornton led differed almost as much as possible but both were winners of Friday night IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s Stock Car qualifying features. 2018 Super Nationals champion Murty passed race-long leader Shelby Williams after two late cautions in the first qualifier at Boone Speedway. Thornton, already set to start the Modified main event from the pole, led the distance in the caution-free 25-lap nightcap. Top four finishers in each feature advance to the outside row of the championship show. Murty’s son Dallon, the defending Super Nationals king, and Kaden Reynolds have already locked in front row starts. Williams and Murty ran 1-2 the first 24-1/2 laps with Austin Brauner in third much of that distance. The Platte Center, Neb., pilot exited after bringing out the first of those two late yellows with hard-charging Kelly Shryock moving up and into his spot for the restart. Murty finally saw his opportunity, passing Williams on the backstretch on the final [Read More]

James, Berry are best in Friday Modified qualifiers at Boone

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 9, 2022) – Race fans in the Pacific Northwest celebrated late into the night, after Friday checkers flew for Modified qualifying features at the 40th annual IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. Oregon driver Bricen James won the first qualifier and Oregon native Tom Berry Jr. paced the nightcap at Boone Speedway, leading the top four finishers in both races to the outside row of the championship event. James had to work his way up from ninth starting, catching Todd Shute for the lead in a green, white checkered finish. Berry also had to pass a former Super Nationals champion to get to the front and brought Jeff Aikey along to the checkers. Drew Janssen led the first 11 circuits of the opening qualifier before giving way to Shute. The 2007 Super Nationals champion, still battling front end issues that had forced him off the track early in the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational show, somehow kept the handle to lead the next 13 laps before James got by. “I’m excited,” James [Read More]