News Archives

Season championship wins to Rust, Smith, Logue, Watson

By Joyce Eisele BOONE, Iowa (Aug. 24) – The 2019 IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing point season came to a close Saturday at Boone Speedway with season championship night. Jake McBirnie held a thirty-two point lead over Cory Pestotnik going into the final go around of the season in the Elmquist IMCA Northern SportMod 23-lap feature. McBirnie shot to the lead as the race went green and continued to hold it through three early cautions. When the yellow flew on lap 10, Johnathon Logue had moved from sixth starting to third and on the restart made the move into second and began to hound leader McBirnie. His persistence paid off a handful of laps later when he made the pass at the flagstand to take over the top spot. He would then keep it the rest of the way to the checkers and the win. Cory Pestotnik came home in second place and McBirnie finished third. McBirnie is the 2019 track champion. The Pickett Salvage IMCA Hobby Stocks had an eight point separation between Aaron [Read More]

Gansen among Dubuque season championship checkers

By Rob Hinckley DUBUQUE, Iowa (Aug. 25) – He tossed another helmet tearoff as the white flag flew. Matt Gansen’s car made it that final lap as he won the 20-lap Merfeld Brothers Automotive IMCA Modified Season Championship feature Sunday evening at Dubuque Speedway. “The car started to overheat and steam was hitting my faceshield,” a jubilant Gansen said. “I was using a tearoff every lap. I didn’t know what was going on on the track.” Gansen moved by early leader Jaden Fryer after several side by side laps on lap nine and extended the advantage. “It looked like (Fryer) was staying on the bottom and we were fast enough up top,” Gansen added. “I wasn’t sure if he would figure something else out so wanted to make the move.” Tyler Madigan also passed Fryer late. Track champion Bryce Garnhart and Timmy Current rounded out the top five. “It takes consistency and wins,” Garnhart said. “We put a lot of time in at the shop and I can’t thank my crew and sponsors enough.” Tyler [Read More]

Deery Series headlines opening night at IMCA Super Nationals

BOONE, Iowa – Opening night of the 2019 IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s brings the Deery Brothers Summer Series to Boone Speedway for the 49th time. The IMCA Late Model tour headlines the Monday, Sept. 2 program at Boone, in a main event that pays as much as $3,500 to win. Along with a guaranteed $2,000, the winner earns a Weekly Racing Bonus of as much as $1,500 based on their number of sanctioned starts this season, plus a wealth of contingency awards. Pit gates open at 9 a.m. and racing starts at 2 p.m. Also on the Labor Day card are qualifying races for Hobby Stocks and Northern SportMods. Pit passes are $30 and grandstand admission is $20. The 499th event in Deery Series history will also be the 30th held in conjunction with Super Nationals. Jeff Aikey of Cedar Falls has earned seven of his career 70 Deery victories at Boone, six of them at Super Nationals. Gary Webb of Blue Grass is a four-time Super Nationals king. Todd Cooney of Des Moines [Read More]

Rust tames stout Stuart IMCA Modified field

By Josh Reynolds STUART, Iowa (Aug. 25) –Sunday Night Spectacular winners at Stuart Speedway were Mitchell Bunch, Zach Hemmingsen, Brayton Carter, Buck Schafroth and Joel Rust, and these five will be part of a documentary next season for IMCA.TV. Tony Hilgenberg and Garett Wilson on the front row for the start of he IMCA Modified feature. Wilson led the first two laps until Rust powered to the lead. Cody Laney and Josh Gilman passed Wilson on lap five and the only caution of the race came one lap later to give the field a fighting chance at Rust, who’s been on a tear in central Iowa as of late. When the green flag flew it was nothing but Rust as he dominated the rest of the way to take the win. Laney finished second with Kelly Shryock third. Andrew Burg and Chad LeGere led the IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars to the green flag next with LeGere and then Burg leading the first two laps. Marcus Fagan took over on lap three after a caution and [Read More]

Deadline is tomorrow noon to register early for Super Nationals

BOONE, Iowa – The clock is ticking for drivers still planning to register early for the Sept. 2-7 IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. Those who do so by noon on Thursday, Aug. 29 pay entries fees of $40 for Modifieds, $25 for Stock Cars, Hobby Stocks and Northern SportMods and $15 for Sport Compacts, and make themselves eligible for Weekly Racing Bonuses in their respective divisions. Modified, Stock Car, Hobby Stock and Northern SportMod drivers are also required to pre-register to reserve pit stalls and to compete in the Aug. 31 Prelude at Boone Speedway. More than 700 drivers have now completed the online registration process for Super Nationals. The form for pre-registration can be found at www.imca.com and www.raceboone.com under the Super Nationals menu. Drivers who do not already have a MyRacePass account can create one when they go to that link. Pit stall application links are on Super Nationals menus on both IMCA and Boone Speedway websites as well. Late Models following the Deery Brothers Summer Series pay $50 entry fees regardless of whether they [Read More]

Price is all right in PASS feature win at Port Royal

By Frank Buhrman and Stephanie Stevens Dodson PORT ROYAL, Pa. (Aug. 24) – Seventeen-year-old Landon Price claimed his first IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car victory Saturday in the Pennsylvania Sprint Series main event at Port Royal Speedway. Price, whose previous best finish was fifth at BAPS Motor Speedway (twice) and previous best at Port Royal was 13th, took the lead from Doug Dodson and scored a dominating win. Thirty-eight cars were entered in the Port Royal show. Dodson was 1.5 seconds ahead of Price before a lap seven caution. On the restart, Dodson took the outside line through turns one and two and Price charged through the middle to take the lead. Once the leaders entered traffic, Price’s lower line proved beneficial, as the second through fourth place runners were running high and struggling with a choppy cushion. At the checkered flag, Price led runner-up Dodson by two-plus seconds. Rookie Garrett Bard passed Nick Sweigart for third place on the final lap and Devin Adams finished fifth. Feature results – 1. Landon Price; 2. Doug Dodson; 3. [Read More]

LaCrosse leads the way at Outagamie

By Edward Anschutz SEYMOUR, Wis. (Aug. 23) – Benji LaCrosse only led one lap of the IMCA Modified feature Friday at Outagamie Speedway but it was the one that paid as he stole victory from Andy Kleczka. Kleczka used his front row starting spot to build a huge lead early in the feature. That was erased when the caution flew just past the midway point. The first to challenge for the top spot was last week’s winner Wyatt Block Jr. as he worked down low and Kleczka ran the cushion. Once again, Kleczka built a gap as LaCrosse took the runner-up position with three laps remaining. LaCrosse closed in but remained two car lengths behind. On the final corners LaCrosse came in high and dove down the track to the inside of the leader as they came to the checkers. When the dust settled it was LaCrosse winning by the width of his bumper in a thriller. On the other side of the coin it was heartbreak city for Kleczka who had to settle for second. Block placed third, Jerry Wilinski and rookie Cody Apfelback completed the top five. Other feature winner were Travis Van Straten [Read More]

Champions crowned at Marshalltown

By Joyce Eisele MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (Aug. 23) – It was the Larry Wollam Season Championship night on Friday at the Marshalltown Speedway where family, friends, and fans celebrated the man who was such an inspiration to the track and racing in general. It was the 20th anniversary of the passing of Wollam, who had been a racer, promoter, and big supporter of the speedway. Leah Wroten had the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock track title wrapped up before the race began, leading by 40 points. It also appeared that she won the 15-lap feature race, but that was not the case. Wroten led all laps but when she got into Kaden Reynolds as they approached the checkers, spinning him out, she was penalized for the contact and the victory was awarded to Jacob Floyd. This was Floyd’s first time ever to win at the Marshalltown Speedway. Jake McBirnie kept his point lead in the Karl Kustoms Northern SportMod feature, winning the track crown and also added to his quest in the hunt for the national title [Read More]

Soppe wins number 100 plus track title at Maquoketa

By Rob Hinckley MAQUOKETA, Iowa (Aug. 24) – Again, no matter the obstacle, Tyler Soppe cranked the steering wheel one way and then back the other while at full speed. It was no surprise he was at the front of the 15-lap B&D Pit Stop IMCA Northern SportMod Season Championship feature Saturday evening at Maquoketa Speedway. Soppe had clinched the track championship before the green flag ever flew. “This is what we’re here for and the championship tops it off,” Soppe said. ““We like the track and what Nick (Promoter McCrady) has done with it. We’ll be back next year.” Soppe’s victory was the ninth at Maquoketa and 26th overall in 2019. It also was his 100th IMCA career victory in the division. “The car wasn’t really that good tonight,” Soppe added. “We tried the top early and were able to make it work when we got out front.” Jerry Miles, Bob Silaggi, Jacob Ellithorpe and Scott Williams rounded out the top five. Jeff Larson launched from midpack at the start and then to the [Read More]

James collects top check at Mark Howard Memorial

By Ben Deatherage COTTAGE GROVE, Ore. (Aug. 24) – The top driver in Shaw Race Cars Western Region standings raced to the top payday of his IMCA Modified career Saturday at Cottage Grove Speedway. Bricen James got the best of 40-plus Mark Howard Memorial Modified Nationals foes from across the Pacific Northwest in earning the $2,600, 2020 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot qualifying victory. Collen Winebarger ended in second after running down and challenging the leader for the vast majority of the event. James took advantage of the pole start and put his mount in front of the rest of the field to lead the first lap. He had some fast company behind him but numerous cautions over the first 26 circuits took lapped traffic out of the picture. The second half of the feature became an all-out battle for the top spot. James briefly lost the lead with a handful of laps remaining before reclaiming the position on the next corner. James held all challengers at bay to win his first career Mark [Read More]