Feature

Ramey adds to IMCA RaceSaver resume with victory at Texas 305 Sprint Nationals

By Ben Deatherage   MESQUITE, Texas (March 12-13) – Kevin Ramey added to an already impressive IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car resume Saturday night. Ramey led all 30 laps of the Texas 305 RaceSaver Sprint Nationals main event, earning the $2,000 victory at home track Devil’s Bowl Speedway.  “Being’s as this was the first one and on my home turf, this was pretty special. There were tons of really good racers from all over here this weekend,” he said. “This is my home track so it was special to win here.” The Fort Worth flyer, IMCA’s national, RaceSaver Nationals and Devil’s Bowl champion in 2018, started outside Friday winner Martin Edwards on the front row. He took the lead coming out of the final turn on lap one  and began to take off from the rest of the pack  The second and final caution of the contest came on lap nine, with the race ending with a long green flag run. Zach Blurton stayed close to midway, then fell a couple lapped cars off the pace and [Read More]

Feature

Ward rewarded for IMCA Modified efforts with $3,000 Southern Stampede checkers

ARDMORE, Okla. (March 11) – The race Tim Ward has watched on TV is the race he won Thursday at Southern Oklahoma Speedway.  Ward charged all the way from 12th starting to win the IMCA Modified main event and $3,000 on opening night of the Southern Stampede. The victory was the first in Oklahoma for the much-traveled Ward and the second of the season for the Arizona native. Already on the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot, he was one of 53 Modified and 120 IMCA entries for the season-opening special. “We guessed right on the car,” he said following a 30-lapper interrupted by a single caution. “We had watched this show the last couple years and it looked fun. I’m glad we’re here.” Into the top three before midway, he’d passed the ninth starting Ethan Braaksma for the lead with 13 laps to go. That pair got into lapped traffic with five circuits left; early leader Jared Baird took third from Jimmy Day late in the contest. Tommy Fain won a second straight IMCA Sunoco Stock [Read More]

Events

Southern Oklahoma adjusts Stampede schedule

ARDMORE, Okla. – With wet weather moving into the area Saturday, Southern Oklahoma Speedway will host Southern Stampede shows Thursday and Friday, March 11 and 12.      Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifying features now see IMCA Modifieds run for $3,000 to win and $300 to start on Thurs­day and $1,000 to win and $100 to start on Friday. IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars and Smiley’s Racing Products South­ern SportMods both run for $1,750 to win and $175 to start on Thursday and $750 to win and $75 to start on Fri­day.  With a 70-plus chance of an inch of rain in the forecast, Saturday’s program has been canceled.  IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing Na­tional and KMJ Performance Oklahoma State points will be awarded in all three divi­sions both nights. Modifieds also chase Razor Chassis South Central Region points and Stock Cars earn EQ Cylinder Heads Southern Region points.  Pit gates open at 3 p.m. and racing starts at 6:30 p.m. both days. Pit passes are $35. Spectator admission is $20 for adults. General admission for [Read More]

Events

Texas 305 RaceSaver Sprint Nationals set this weekend at Devil’s Bowl

MESQUITE, Texas – IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Cars race for shares of a Lone Star State-sized purse at this weekend’s Texas 305 RaceSaver Sprint Nationals.  The Friday, March 12 main event at Devil’s Bowl Speedway pays $1,000 to win and a minimum of $200 to start while the Saturday headliner pays $2,000 to win, $1,850 for second, $1,700 for third, $1,600 for fourth, $1,500 for fifth and $1,400 for sixth and then increments of $50 less for each place down to $500 for 24th. More than 60 entries from across RaceSaver nation are already in hand and both nights of the Texas 305 RaceSaver Sprint Nationals will be broadcast by IMCA.TV.  Gates open for the Thursday tech and practice session at 3 p.m.; gates open at noon, the grandstand opens at 5 p.m. and racing starts at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday.  Spectator admission is $15 for adults, $10 for seniors ages 60 and over, military with ID and students ages 12-15, and free for kids ages 12 and under. Reserved seats are an additional $5.  [Read More]

Events

Cocopah dates are Arizona first for IMCA Wild West Tour

SOMERTON, Ariz. – An IMCA event 14 years in the making takes place March 19-20 at Cocopah Speedway. The Pitt Stop Motorsports IMCA Wild West Tour travels to Somerton in its first-ever visit to Arizona. IMCA Modifieds race for $1,000 to win their Friday and Saturday features, with Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot berths at stake both nights of the season-opening doubleheader. Ken Schrader joins the Modified field, piloting the car that carried Chaz Baca to the 2020 Shaw Race Cars Western Region crown. Both IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars and Karl Kustoms Northern SportMods run for $750 to win each night at Cocopah. The Wild West Tour has frequented tracks in Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming throughout a 115-race history dating to 2007. The twinbill scheduled at Cocopah last spring was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.  “We were really looking forward to running at Somerton last April and are pleased that we were able to schedule these 2021 dates,” said Tour Director Ken Hansen. “Cocopah will be a great site to [Read More]

Feature

Green makes good on pre-race promise to make a show of it at Jack Bagby Memorial

WACO, Texas (March 5) ­­– Recognizing the tall task he faced, Kevin Green promised to make a show of it before lining up ninth on the IMCA Modified grid at Heart O’ Texas Speedway’s season-opening Jack Bagby Memorial. Then he made good on that promise, earning $1,000 and a spot of the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot along with the Friday night checkers. “We ran around the bottom a couple laps, then moved to the top and started passing some cars,” Green said. “We had drawn good for the heat, then went out and drew ninth for the feature. I figured I had to make a show of it and wound up doing pretty good.”  Running third when the caution flew just after midway, he passed Eric Tomlinson on the restart and then caught David Goode Jr. for the lead, pulling away in the final circuits. “This is a race we’ve always wanted to win, and it’s always good to get the win your first night out,” said Green. The three-time, and two-time defending track [Read More]

Feature

Whiteaker, Williams are first at I-37 Frostbuster

By J.M. Hallas PLEASANTON, Texas (Feb. 27) Oh, the irony of the show title. After suffering through a week of weather better suited for the Arctic, it was time for the roar of race engines as I-37 Speedway kicked off the 2021 season with its Frostbuster Saturday night after an open practice on Friday. With north Texas tracks suffering rain outs to their opening weekend shows, some drivers took the opportunity to travel south, or further south as was the case for several out of state teams. The track was also able to add the IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars to the night’s slate running for IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing national, EQ Cylinder Heads Southern Region and KMJ Performance State points. Debuting a new car can be tough sometimes getting all the bugs worked out but Steve Whiteaker Jr. proved that wrong, taking home the IMCA Modified 20-lap feature win on its maiden voyage.  Danny Patterson was first to turn one but it was former track champion Rick Green going around him to lead lap one. Robby [Read More]

Feature

100 year storm forces cancellation of Lone Star Stock Car Tour

VINTON, Iowa – One of the worst storm systems the state of Texas has seen in a century has forced officials to cancel the Lone Star Stock Car Tour. Originally slated for Feb. 20-27, it will not be rescheduled in 2021. Significant snowfall throughout the state, power outages and lingering extreme cold temperatures for the region led to the cancellation. Drivers who pre-entered are asked to contact tour officials regarding refunds. “With over 70 IMCA Stock Car drivers pre-entered, the 2021 version of the Sniper Lone Star Tour was on pace to surpass 2020’s record setting year,” said IMCA President Brett Root. “The collective hard work by the race tracks involved with this annual IMCA Series in Texas, along with the effort of Jon and Jill Courchaine at Sniper Chassis has created a set of circumstances that are hard to accomplish and impossible to duplicate. Mother Nature was the only person who could spoil it.” The 2022 Lone Star Stock Car Tour will begin on February 19, 2022 on day two of Abilene Speedway’s 26th [Read More]

Feature

Sweet weekend for Gonzales with sweep of IMCA STARS Sugar Bowl Winter Nationals

CLEWISTON, Fla. (Feb. 13) – A last-minute decision led to the biggest win of R.J. Gonzales’ career. Gonzales swept the IMCA STARS Mod Lite Sugar Bowl Winter Nationals weekend at Hendry County Motorsports Park, pocketing $850 on Friday and then outrunning everybody for the big $5,750 checkers on Saturday evening. “That was the biggest win of my career right there,” the Colona, Ill., driver said following his first-ever visit to the Florida oval. “It took a while for it to set in that I’d done it. We started driving home Sunday morning and probably talked about it for the first two hours.”  Gonzales started the weekend at Clewiston with a second place showing in Thursday’s race of champions. He led the last 10 laps in winning on Friday, then drew the pole and led all 30 laps of the Saturday main event. “We ran really good in the feature on Friday night so I put the exact same setup on Saturday,” he said. “We had a late restart and Austin Martin was right there. I [Read More]

Feature

Dotson hits paydirt in Superstition finale, Hollatz, Ryland also grab IMCA victories

By Ben Deatherage  SAN TAN VALLEY, Ariz. (Feb. 14) – Ethan Dotson’s timing was perfect on the final night of Arizona Speed­way’s Superstition Showdown. Dotson started third and surged to the front at the start of the $5,000 to win IMCA Modified feature.  A pair of cautions waved on the sixth lap but after that, it was smooth sailing. The Bakersfield, Calif., chauffeur checked out on the final restart and the race remained green for the balance of the distance. Lapped traffic came into play the last five laps and Dotson slowed while navigating through the slower cars. Dotson maintained his lead but experienced a bit of a scare when his driveline spat out of his car coming to the checkers.  “I was lucky it happened there,” Dotson said following his fourth and latest Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot qualifying feature win of the season. “A lot of things go into winning and not breaking earlier and drawing well are part of a package deal.”  Tanner Black finished second with third going to Friday and Saturday winner [Read More]