Feature Archives

A win for the Super Nationals record book as Thornton ends week with Modified crown

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 13) – Ricky Thornton Jr.’s race to the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s record book began on Monday and ended Sunday, with another visit to victory lane in between. Thornton became the first driver in the 38-year history of dirt track racing’s biggest event to win two championships at the same Super Nationals, the Late Model feature on Labor Day and the Modified feature on Sunday at Boone Speedway. He passed Cody Laney in lapped traffic on the 24th of 40 laps, then checked out on the way to the $7,000 win in the final event of the week. “This track really suits my driving style and we’ve been very successful here. We work hard and our equipment is always well prepared,” said Thornton, also winner of Saturday’s Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational. “I flipped in my (Wednesday) Stock Car heat and that was really the only bad luck we had all week.” Defending champion Ethan Dotson led the first two laps before giving way to fellow Californian Laney. The only [Read More]

First-time champion Ballard impressive in Super Nationals Hobby Stock title run

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 13) – Nathan Ballard was impressed by the competition when he won his qualifying feature to make the Hobby Stock main event at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. Then he impressed everyone at Boone Speedway by leading all 30 laps of Sunday’s $2,000 to win main event. The Super Nationals crown was Ballard’s career first and came after a season that had seen him make just 18 weekly starts. “It’s kind of hard to believe. To win an ‘A’ main and get into the dance, you have to race against so many good drivers,” he said, pointing out that the competition got even better in the main event. Ballard was chased early by defending champion Dylan Nelson. The green flag stayed out the last 24 of 30 laps and Ballard eased away from all challengers, leaving Nelson, two-time champ Jason Wilkinson and Jeff Ware to fight for second behind him The three ran in that order before Ware eked ahead for third on the last lap. “I wanted [Read More]

Improbable, unlikely, incredible! Donavon Smith is Stock Car king

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 13) – Donavon Smith had the best seat in the house to watch as the improbable became the incredible Sunday afternoon at Boone Speedway. A last-chance qualifier earlier in the day, Smith raced from 25th starting to take the lead with two laps left in the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s Stock Car main event. When those two laps were complete, Smith had a career-best $5,000 payday and career third Super Nationals championship to show for his day’s work behind the wheel. “We had showed up Sunday morning just hoping to make the main event. I had a streak going (a division record 13 consecutive Super Nationals starts) and that was really our only goal. It really weighed heavy on us,” Smith said. “After the last chance race, I was probably as laid back as I ever was.” After a Super Nationals record 207 cars vied for the 30 starting spots, Jared Siefert led much of the way, chased by Jesse Sobbing while Jeff Mueller and Ricky Thornton Jr. duked [Read More]

2020 Super Nationals in history book after extended run; record 207 Stock Cars at 38th annual event

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 13) – Ricky Thornton Jr. raced to wins at the beginning and the end of a history-making week, Donavon Smith and Johnathon Logue became three-time champions while Nathan Ballard motored to his first title at the 2020 IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. In all, 834 cars – including 245 Modifieds and an event record 207 Stock Cars – saw action during a socially distanced week at Boone Speedway that also saw more than its share of rain and rescheduled race programs. The Sunday conclusion for what is always the biggest event on the IMCA schedule was the first for the Modifieds since 1996 and first-ever for the Stock Cars, Northern SportMods and Hobby Stocks. Thornton earned $3,000 when he repeated as Late Model champion on Labor Day, qualified for the Stock Car feature, won the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational on Friday and then became the first driver to win two championships at the same Super Nationals by running away from the rest of the field after midway of the [Read More]

Thornton outruns Aikey in epic Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 12) – The seventh time was a charm as Ricky Thornton Jr. put another check on his IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s bucket list Saturday night. Making his career seventh start in the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational, Thornton chased down Jeff Aikey in traffic, leading the last eight times around the track in taking a fast-paced IMCA Modified feature. The win paid $1,675. Thornton previously posted a race career best third place finish in 2016 and was already a candidate for next year’s Invitational. Nineteenth starting Jason Wolla, 16th starting Tim Ward and Ethan Dotson rounded out the top five. Aikey rocketed from sixth starting to the front on the initial green flag, following the high side of the track and scored ahead of Mitchell Hunt and Thornton, who’d started 10th, following the only caution of the contest on lap two. Much accomplished at Boone Speedway himself, Aikey took off again and led Thornton and defending race winner Joel Rust into traffic by midway. Thornton cut into Aikey’s lead and [Read More]

Multi-tasker DeGroft brings Modified to Super Nationals

BOONE, Iowa – Timothy DeGroft Jr. will multi-task at the 2020 IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. The IMCA Modified rookie from Elwell, Mich., comes to Boone Speedway looking to get in some more laps on the Pierce-owned 2020 Hoffman H3 ride while promoting suicide awareness. DeGroft owns success in both pro stock and street stock classes in his home state. He’s still looking for his first win in the IMCA division after the unexpected late start to his season. “We’ve been pretty happy with the car,” he said. “Probably the biggest difference what I’d driven before was the handling, You’ve got to ride the brake quite a bit and there were nights I struggled with that, but the car has been pretty since the end of July, early August.” He’ll line up outside row two in the 19th heat for Modifieds Saturday afternoon. “We want to get laps in on the car. Everyone’s goal is to make the show. We’re happy to make a qualifier,” DeGroft said. “They’ve done a great job on [Read More]

Fain brings Stock Car quest to Super Nationals

BOONE, Iowa – He’s been Paw Paw to granddaughter Addison for four years. He’s been The Fan Man since he started selling Super Sucker Fan blades two years ago. What Tommy Fain hopes to be known as next is a first-time qualifier for the Stock Car main event at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. The long-time driver of the God is Awesome car and owner of first-year IMCA sponsor Abilene Race Rads has three wins this season, just his second in the division after a distinguished career in the Modifieds. “I’ve raced more than 20 years and had watched the Stock Cars. They looked fun with a lot of side-by-side racing,” said Fain, a frequent runner at Abilene Speedway, Kennedale Speedway Park, Southern Oklahoma Speedway and Boyd Raceway. “They don’t take as much time and that gives me more Paw Paw time with my granddaughter.” Fain’s son Tyler runs a Smiley’s Racing Products Southern SportMod and the two are regular travel companions. David Ries has helped Fain in the shop and at the [Read More]

Believe it! Hale races from 29th into Modified main event

BOONE, Iowa – When he lined up 29th for the start of Thursday’s second Modified qualifying feature at Boone Speedway, Clay Hale wanted to get in some laps, pass as many cars as he could and get as many of those valuable points as possible. What he did instead was race all the way to third and qualify for his career first IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s main event. “When I rolled out, I wanted to go half the race before deciding if I’d get up on the wheel,” said Hale, from Cameron, Mo. “I started driving harder, the car came in and the next thing I knew we were passing cars.” “When I crossed the finish line there was disbelief at first. I would have never believed that we could start 29th and end up in the tech tent,” he continued. “I was so excited because I knew we got the transfer.” A former Northern SportMod entrant at Super Nationals, Hale had a state championship to his credit in the first JBR Chassis [Read More]

First Super Nationals Modified qualifiers go to Laney, Thornton

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 10) – A quick Californian and a driver who already has an impressive collection of IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s hardware were qualifying feature winners Thursday at Boone Speedway. Cody Laney of Torrance, Calif., started 12th and led the last half of the first qualifier for IMCA Modifieds, winning ahead of Trent Loverude, Steven Bowers Jr. and Matthew Meinecke. Ricky Thornton Jr. also raced from outside row six, catching Kevin Ramey for the front spot just before midway and taking the checkers ahead of Justin O’Brien, hard charger Clay Hale and James Goodson in the second show. The top four finishers from each qualifier represent six different states and will advance to the inside row for the main event grid. Jesse Skalicky and Trent Loverude led in the opener before Laney took charge. He kept Loverude in check following the final restart with four laps left. Thornton, the 2016 Modified champion two-time and now two-time defending Late Model king, was able to pull ahead as the nightcap ended with nine [Read More]

Vanover, Huls score Super Nationals Stock Car qualifiers

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 10) – The second-place finishers in Stock Car main events each of the last two years at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s were first-place finishers in Thursday night qualifying features. 2018 runner-up Kyle Vanover topped the first qualifier at Boone Speedway, ahead of Mitch Meier, Loren Pesicka Jr. and Buck Schafroth. 2019 runner-up Abe Huls took the checkers in the nightcap, with Kelly Shryock in tow and former Super Nationals champions Jeffrey Abbey and Jeremy Christians next across the stripe. Top four finishers in each qualifier advance to the inside row for the main event grid. Meier led the first qualifier before being slowed by contact with a lapped car. Vanover drove by and took the checkers by a margin of just under two seconds. Huls was the fifth and final leader in the second event, tasked with holding Shryock at bay following a caution with three circuits left in the 25-lapper. 2010 champion Christians makes his career 13th main event start, Huls his eighth, Vanover his seventh and [Read More]