Feature

By Ben Deatherage SOMERTON, Ariz. (Jan. 16) – Ethan Dotson dominated the seventh and concluding round of the IMCA.TV Winter Nationals Saturday at Cocopah Speedway, topping another $1,000 to win main event and wrapping up the IMCA Modified series point title. Casey Arneson grabbed the initial race lead and held onto the position until the fourth lap when Dotson made the pass on him. Dotson soared on the high side of the racing surface and was able to construct a large lead over the rest of the competition. Two stoppages put pressure on Dotson when it came to restarts. They turned out to be the only thing to slow him down as he dominated the rest of the distance to pick up his third Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot qualifying win of 2021. Jeff Larson ended in second with 12th starting Brandon Beckendorf third. The rest of the top five finishing order included Kollin Hibdon and Chaz Baca. The Somerton oval wrapped up the series with another night of sensational races with more than 150 IMCA competitors in [Read More]

By Ben Deatherage SOMERTON, Ariz. – The defending Shaw Race Cars Western Region champion parked in victory lane Friday, night six of the IMCA.TV Winter Nationals at Cocopah Speedway.  Chaz Baca took the lead in the opening stages of the IMCA Modified feature. Baca eventually was tracked down and passed on lap 13 by Tim Ward. Ward attempted to construct a sizable interval over Baca and the rest of the field but ran into heavy lapped traffic.  In the closing stages of the feature Ward and Baca dueled one another for the win. Baca made a decisive pass in slower traffic that gave him the advantage on the final circuit and held on for the $1,000 win in the non-stop race. It was his first of the season and marked the fourth different winner in six races at the Winter Nationals.  Baca was already of the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot. Ward was second with two-time Winter Nationals winners Tanner Black and Ethan Dotson next across the stripe. Kollin Hibdon was fifth IMCA entries in four divisions from 15 [Read More]

SOMERTON, Ariz. (Jan. 14) – Brandon Bombardo, Bo Partain, Ethan Dotson and Aaron Spangler all took their turns in victory lane during the course of 85 consecutive caution-free laps on night five of the IMCA.TV Winter Nationals at Cocopah Speedway.  Bombardo led start to finish in an IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock feature last interrupted by a caution with 10 laps to go. Partain and Dotson duplicated that flag-to-flag feat in 25-lap Karl Kustoms Northern SportMod and IMCA Modified main events, respectively. Spangler then inherited the front spot 11 laps into the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car feature after leader Kyle Heckman drove off with a flat tire. He held off Andy Altenburg to the end of a third consecutive green to checkered 25-lapper.  Joshua Cordova and then Matt Olson headed the pursuit of Bombardo before 10th starting Mitchell Mohler Sr. charged into second with seven laps left. Olson ended in third. Partain had his hands full with Josh Most before his challenger slowed and exited for the infield in the late going. Shane Paris and Fred Ryland [Read More]

SOMERTON, Ariz. (Jan. 9) – Tanner Black and Kyle Heckman were repeat winners while Brian Osantowski and Matt Olson both made first visits to victory lane Saturday, on night four of the IMCA.TV Winter Nationals at Cocopah Speedway. Black led every lap of the IMCA Modified feature but had to hold off the hard-charging Ethan Dotson for the $1,000 checkers. Heckman made his way to the front following a lap six restart, then outran Blake Adams and Michael Sheen as the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car feature stayed green the last 19 circuits.  Osantowski checked out on the rest of the Karl Kustoms Northern SportMod field before encoun­tering lapped traffic and three late cautions, finally running away from Miles Morris and Austen Becerra in a one-lap dash to the finish. And Olson led all 25 laps of the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock feature before ending Eric Knutson’s streak of three straight Winter Nationals wins by the width of his bumper. Knutson made his charge toward the front from 16th starting. Already on the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational [Read More]

SOMERTON, Ariz. (Jan. 8) – Casey Arneson led every lap of the IMCA Modified feature while Eric Knutson led just enough of the race to capture a third straight IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock victory Friday at Cocopah Speedway’s IMCA.TV Winter Nationals. Arneson, from North Dakota, topped a $1,000 to win, Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot qualifying headliner that ended with 24 consecutive green flag laps. Ricky Alvarado moved into second on the fifth circuit but was not able to mount a serious threat to the leader.  Braxton Yeager, Wednesday winner Tanner Black and Zane DeVilbiss completed the top five while Thursday winner Ethan Dotson. Raced from 16th starting to sixth.  One hundred and sixty-four cars in the four IMCA divisions saw action for a second straight night. Knutson had to make his way to the front of the Hobby Stock field from the 22nd starting spot, catching Brandon Bombardo coming out of the final turn for his third checkers in as many Winter Nationals outings.  Matt Olson had led much of the way before getting together with [Read More]

SOMERTON, Ariz. (Jan. 7) – Once he got to the front, there was no catching Ethan Dotson on another record night at Cocopah Speedway’s IMCA.TV Winter Nationals. Dotson started 12th in the Thursday night IMCA Modified feature at Somerton, then took the lead on the 15th circuit following a restart that had seen frontrunner Alex Stanford exit with mechanical issues.  The California hotshoe then outran opening night winner Tanner Black for the $1,000 victory and accompanying Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot berth.  One hundred and sixty-four drivers vied in the second installment of Winter Nationals, including 64 Modifieds and 52 Karl Kustoms Northern SportMods. Travis Denning led the first four laps in the Modified main before Stanford drove past. He was pulling away before being forced pitside and Denning took over for a single circuit following the restart.  “B” qualifier Black raced from 17th to third on lap 17 and was up to second with four to go, but ran out of time to catch Dotson, who has earned a knack for coming up big at IMCA spotlight [Read More]