Feature Archives

Sweet IMCA STARS Mod Lite win for Choate at Sugar Bowl Winter Nationals

CLEWISTON, Fla. (Feb. 12) – Ronnie Choate started and ended the IMCA STARS Mod Lite Sugar Bowl Winter Nationals presented by Sunoco Race Fuels in victory lane. The IMCA STARS Mod Lite driver from Cookeville, Tenn., topped Thursday’s opening night feature at Hendry County Motorsports Park and earned $500, then scored a $5,000 payday in Saturday’s main event. “This made all the hard work and sweat we have put into this worth it,” said Choate, sharing credit for the Sugar Bowl success with brother-in-law and crew chief Logan Rittenberry. “We have struggled but we never gave up. “The money makes it all pretty good but the best part is that we didn’t give up and now we’re getting somewhere.” A record 66 STARS Mod Lites from 13 states and Canada vied in the third annual special. Choate started from the pole in the 30-lap headliner on Saturday and chased outside front row starting Tim White the first eight times around the track. Three cautions came out just after midway but the race stayed green the [Read More]

Sportsmanship, perfect attendance awards new for Sniper Speed IMCA Lone Star Tour drivers

WACO, Texas – Sportsmanship and perfect attendance will pay off for two drivers following the 2022 Sniper Speed IMCA Lone Star Stock Car Tour will be a winner. The driver selected to receive the Kirk Martin Memorial Sportsmanship Award, given for sportsmanship demonstrated throughout the Feb. 20-26 tour, receives half the proceeds from nightly final starting spot auctions. Martin was a long-time IMCA Sunoco Stock Car driver and champion of the EQ Cylinder Heads Southern Region in 2017; the sportsmanship check will be presented by his wife Wendy following the tour finale at Kennedale Speedway Park. The $4,000 Midstate Machine perfect attendance award will also be presented that evening. The only driver with perfect attendance who will be ineligible to receive that award will be the tour champion. Features pay $1,000 to win and a minimum of $100 to start with opening night Sunday, Feb. 20 at Heart O’ Texas Speedway in Waco. The tour is at Devil’s Bowl in Mesquite on Monday, Feb.; 21; Boyd Raceway on Wednesday, Feb. 23; Grayson County Speedway in [Read More]

Extra 2021 IMCA champions’ jackets now available

VINTON, Iowa – IMCA drivers winning championship or rookie of the year titles in 2021 can now order extra jackets directly from Intensitee. Supply chain issues last fall limited the number of jackets available to those awarded by IMCA to individual drivers. “Those same issues prevented us from making extra jackets available for drivers to give to family, crew members and sponsors as we have done for a number of years,” stated IMCA President Brett Root. “Supplies have now been replenished and any 2021 IMCA champion who wants to do so can contact Intensitee.” Drivers can email Intensitee at imca@intensitee.com or call 515 432-9367, option 1 extension 3. The deadline to place all orders is Monday, Feb. 28. Intensitee has produced IMCA champions’ jackets for more than a decade.

IMCA Modified sweep for Shaw during rare weekend visit to Central Arizona Speedway

CASA GRANDE, Ariz. (Jan. 28 and 29) – A rare visit to Central Arizona Speedway saw Don Shaw sweep $1,000 to win IMCA Modified features at Casa Grande. Shaw swept Friday and Saturday main events, taking the checkers ahead of fellow Minnesotan Matt Aukland both nights. He led all 25 laps from the outside pole on opening night, then worked his way up from ninth starting on night two. “The car was really good and we were able to pull away again following a yellow later in the race on Friday,” said Shaw, newly eligible to qualify for the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational. “I didn’t know if I had what I needed to win it Saturday. I got stuck behind another car and fell back to about 12th before I found a good line in (turns) three and four and was able to pass some guys.” Restarts helped him stay close and ultimately catch Aukland for the front spot late in the contest. Cody Thompson, Devon Fouquette and Spencer Wilson followed the front pair across the [Read More]

IMCA Stock Car, Modified wins give Madrid first sweep at Central Arizona

CASA GRANDE, Ariz. (Jan. 21) – Winning the first feature of the night helped Zachary Madrid win the last one. Madrid was a double winner in the 2022 lidlifter at Central Arizona Speedway, topping both the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car main event and the IMCA Modified headliner. While he’s won two IMCA features twice on the same night before at other venues, Friday marked the first time he accomplished the feat at Casa Grande. “The track was heavy. Running the Stock Car feature first helped me a ton figuring out where to run and what line I should follow in the Modified,” Madrid said. “I ran high in (turns) three and four, the middle to bottom in one and two, and wherever I could to get through traffic.” He crossed the stripe ahead of Scott Sluka and Eric Lloyd in the Stock Car feature. Jacob Pace and Kelsie Foley ran 2-3 in the Modified finale. “Everything worked out for us pretty good,” said Madrid, who earned Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifying eligibility along with the [Read More]

Always learning, Thompson takes $1,000 IMCA Modified checkers at Central Arizona

CASA GRANDE, Ariz. (Jan. 22) – Cody Thompson got his first win of 2022 while continuing his IMCA Modified education Saturday at Central Arizona Speedway. The 2021 national and North Central Region rookie of the year motored from ninth starting to the lead just before midway, then outran Friday winner Zachary Madrid and hard charger Matt Aukland to the $1,000 checkers. “I just kind of worked my way up there and made my passes in (turns) three and four,” said the Sioux City, Iowa, speedster, already eligible to qualify for the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational. “I restarted behind Zach – he’s pretty good – after a caution and did a slide job on him for the lead.” Thompson made nine early-season starts in Arizona last year and had six IMCA.TV Winter Nationals outings under his belt before journeying to Case Grande this January. “Central Arizona remind me of Park Jefferson Speedway,” said Thompson, broadening his horizons by helping at a friend’s horse ranch between his Arizona starts. “It takes the same gear and has tighter [Read More]

Five win features, four clinch titles on IMCA.TV Winter Nationals’ final night

By Ben Deatherage SOMERTON, Ariz. (Jan. 15) – Five drivers were feature winners and four more became champions on the final night of the IMCA.TV Winter Nationals presented by Yuma Insurance at Cocopah Speedway. Ethan Dotson, Chanse Hollatz, Shane Paris and Bobby Horton topped point standings in their respective divisions while Tripp Gaylord, Shelby Williams, Ryan Peery, Thomas Daffern and Riley Clem took the checkers Saturday evening at Somerton. Gaylord cleared Grey Ferrando for the early lead in the IMCA Modified 25-lapper, then set a wicked pace and caught up with the back of the field. The lone caution took place on lap 13 and Kollin Hibdon got close following the restart but couldn’t quite catch the leader. Gaylord’s $1,000 win made him Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifying eligible. Hibdon was second and Tim Ward third. Dotson, a five-time Winter Nationals winner, paced points ahead of Ward and Tanner Black. The 20-lap IMCA Sunoco Stock Car main saw Zach Madrid and Dallon Murty battle at the front, swapping the lead before Williams got the [Read More]

Richards first on Friday at IMCA.TV Winter Nationals

By Ben Deatherage SOMERTON, Ariz. (Jan. 14) – While Friday night saw familiar faces in victory lane, Dillon Richards drove a long ways for his career first IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock victory at Cocopah Speedway’s IMCA.TV presented by Yuma Insurance Winter Nationals. After chasing Brandon Bombardo and then Bobby Horton early in the 20-lapper, the Beatrice, Neb., driver completed his charge from 10th starting to the lead at midway, then stayed in front to the $500 checkers. Thomas Daffern hauled the mail from 22nd starting to second while Horton ended third. Ethan Dotson drove to a fifth consecutive $1,000 IMCA Modified feature win while Chanse Hollatz topped the IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars and Chase Alves paced the IMCA Northern SportMods, both in $750 to win contests. Dotson challenged Mike McKinney for the lead, putting a slider on for first place on lap 10. Dotson pulled away from the rest of the pack to win his fifth main event of the season, breaking the IMCA.TV Winter Nationals record of four set by Dylan Smith in 2014. McKinney was runner-up [Read More]

Dotson rolls to fourth IMCA.TV Winter Nationals win, Alves, Murty, Brown, Clem take Thursday checkers, too

By Ben Deatherage SOMERTON, Ariz. (Jan 13) – The Ethan Dotson Express rolled on, while Shelby Alves, Dallon Murty, Brian Brown and Riley Clem raced to IMCA.TV Winter Nationals presented by Yuma Insurance feature wins of their own Thursday night at Cocopah Speedway. Dotson dominated the entire 25-lap IMCA Modified main event, hitting lapped traffic by the 10th circuit and outrunning Tripp Gaylord in what proved to be a caution-free contest en route to a fourth consecutive $1,000 victory. Tim Ward settled into third. Tanner Black and night one winner Kollin Hibdon completed the top five. The 25-lap IMCA Northern SportMod feature was also a non-stop event. Alves and night four winner Shane Paris duked it out early with Alves in front on lap four. She paced the field with Andrew Peckham giving chase into lapped traffic before becoming the fifth different $750 winner in as many nights at Somerton. Izac Mallicoat was third. Cody Johnson and Josh Most battled at the front of the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car feature field before making brief contact and [Read More]

Hollatz, Horton hoist midweek hardware at Cocopah’s IMCA.TV Winter Nationals

By Ben Deatherage SOMERTON, Ariz. (Jan. 12) – Chanse Hollatz and Bobby Horton were back in victory lane following midweek IMCA.TV Winter Nationals presented by Yuma Insurance features at Cocopah Speedway. Hollatz won a second straight IMCA Sunoco Stock Car feature at Somerton while Horton’s IMCA Sunoco Stock Car checkers were already his third of the season. Both races paid $1,000 to win. The Stock Cars had a dandy of a 30-lap feature as Californians Cody Johnson and Rob Gallaher dueled early before Iowa gasser Hollatz got into the mix. Hollatz cruised to the front on a restart to pace the field on lap two, then set the pace for 20 laps of green flag racing. He received some pressure following a lap 22 restart and Paul Stone powered his way past on lap 25. Brock Badger made it a three-horse race for the point but Hollatz regained the lead on lap 26, pulled away from the pack and drove back to the winner’s circle. Badger was second with Stone posting a third-place finish. Hollatz was [Read More]