Results

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – Looking for a one-word description for Michael Johnson’s charge to the championship in the 1st Class Chassis Wild West Tour for Karl Kustoms Northern SportMods? Try dominating. The Bakersfield, Calif., driver won six of the eight events, towing nearly 3,000 miles one way to tour doubleheaders in Wyoming, Nevada and Utah. “I had never been to any of the four tracks before. My brother (and eventual tour runner-up) Kevin and I decided we wanted to have fun this year, do something different and take the family along,” Johnson said. “Winning this tour is something that I can look back on that was pretty cool and that we got to race at a bunch of tracks we normally wouldn’t have to do it.”  After winning on opening night and running fourth at Sweetwater Speedway, Johnson swept twinbills at Winnemucca Regional Raceway and Diamond Mountain Speedway. He ran his winning streak to five, then finished second behind his brother in the finale at Desert Thunder Raceway. Johnson is the only driver with multiple wins in the [Read More]

COMANCHE, Texas – Some little changes led to a big week for Westin Abbey. The Comanche, Texas, speedster unveiled a new ride on opening night of the Ice Breaker at Abilene Speedway. Seven days and three feature wins later, he was $22,000 richer and champion of the Sniper Speed Lone Star Tour for IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars. “Honestly, I probably didn’t expect to be able to win the tour. You’re always fighting new car stuff,” said Abbey, who came into the season already a three-time champion of the EQ Cylinder Heads Southern Region. “But our new B & B Chassis came out of the box fast.” “We made some little changes,” he added. “We set the car up close to what my old B & B was and we were fast.” Some tinkering followed his ninth place run on night one of the Ice Breaker. He topped the tour lidlifter at Abilene the following evening and raced from 17th starting to win at Texas Motor Speedway – taking the checkers at Grayson County Speedway in between [Read More]

OCHEYEDAN, Iowa – A driver with a knack for coming up big on the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car stage returned to the top of the Moritz Sport & Machine Dakota Classic Tour powered by Bismarck Motor Company podium this summer.  Elijah Zevenbergen’s five feature wins more than offset a single DNF as he raced to a record-extending sixth championship on the North Dakota-based tour. “All the tracks in the tour are smooth from top to bottom and that really works into our driving style and what we’re trying to do,” said Zevenbergen, from Ocheyedan, Iowa. “We’ve had a lot of success on this tour. Things have just kind of fallen in our favor.” In boosting his tour career total to 22 checkers, Zevenbergen racked up wins at Red River Valley Speedway, Jamestown Speedway, Nodak Speedway, Southwest Speedway and Dacotah Speedway. He broke leading late in the fourth night of the tour, at Williston Basin Speedway.  “We’ve got a lot of friends in North Dakota,” said Zevenbergen, also the tour champion in 2013 and from 2015-2018. [Read More]

COLVILLE, Wash. – Chase Berkeley enjoyed the opening weekend at Sweetwater Speedway so much he figured he’d follow the rest of the eight-race 1st Class Chassis Wild West Tour. He’s got his career first IMCA Sunoco Stock Car feature win and a tour championship to show for that decision.  “We were only planning on running Sweetwater but we had such a good time that we decided to follow the tour,” said Berkeley, from Colville, Wash. “It was a lot of time on the road for sure but it was pretty fun.”  Berkeley posted top five finishes at each of the four tracks that hosted the tour … Sweetwater in Wyoming, Winnemucca Regional Raceway in Nevada and Diamond Mountain Speedway and Desert Thunder Raceway, both in Utah.  After a runner-up finish the night before, he was the Aug. 15 winner at Diamond Mountain, lead­ing from lap six to the checkers. The victory meant a delay in starting the trip home but there were no complaints. “We had the trailer loaded up and ready to go so we [Read More]

NEWTON, Iowa – Ethan Braaksma started his season with the simple goal of consistent finishes wherever and whenever he raced.  Consistent trips to victory lane made him champion of the Speed Shift TV Dirt Knights Tour for IMCA Modifieds. The 19-year-old from Newton, Iowa, won three times, at Park Jefferson Speedway, Buena Vista Raceway and Fairmont Raceway and finished in the top five in another three starts in becoming the 11th different champion in as many years as the series has been held. “We had a car built a week before the tour started and got three nights on it,” said Braaksma, who drove a Corey Dripps-owned 2020 Rage Chassis. “The car was just lights out when I got it and we picked up the win in our fourth night, in the opener at Park Jefferson. It was definitely a car to contend with when we showed up at the track.”  “The win at Buena Vista Raceway (two nights later) was pretty sweet,” he continued. “We’d finished deep in the field there just the week before, [Read More]

FARGO, N.D. – Austin Arneson capped a season of firsts with a second-time IMCA Modified accomplishment.  The winner of the inaugural Don Gumke Racers Memorial earned both career-first Moritz Sport & Machine Dakota Classic IMCA Modified Tour powered by Bismarck Motor Company and Red River Valley Speedway track championships. The Fargo, N.D., driver also added a second Stock Car Stampede trophy to his collection, finishing with a career-best 10 feature wins in just 24 starts. “We’re a small group. We build our own cars and work hard to get things done,” said Arneson. “This was a really fun year. We couldn’t have asked for much more.” While brother Casey won the first race held in honor of Gumke, a long-time family friend, in Arizona, Arneson took the checkers in an equally extraordinary event closer to home at Jamestown Speedway.  Consistency put him at the top of the standings for the 31st annual Dakota Classic Tour. Arneson ran in the top five in four of six tour starts, starting at home track Red River. He was [Read More]