Results Archives

Alabama’s Tri-County Speedway sets six Saturday dates for IMCA Modifieds

FLOMATON, Ala. – An Alabama track with its share of amenities adds IMCA Modifieds to six Saturday night race programs this season. Tri-County Speedway at Flomaton hosts the sanctioned class on April 18, May 30, June 27, July 11, Aug. 22 and Sept. 19. Opening night of the IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing season marks the division’s debut on the quarter-mile clay oval, which opened in 2017. “IMCA is affordable Modified racing,” promoter Isaiah Day said. “I like the rulebook, certainly, and I know drivers like rules that keep racing affordable for them.” “We’re in an area with a lot of home-grown talent. We’ve got a lot of drivers who started racing three or four years ago and are looking to move up,” he continued. “The IMCA Modified allows them to get into a genuine, good-looking race car that is affordable on a working man’s salary.” As part of its focus on a family and fan-friendly atmosphere, Tri-County boasts both indoor, air-conditioned cafe-style concessions in the pit area and a tailgate section. Both are features [Read More]

New IMCA sanctions make history at Lafayette County Speedway

DARLINGTON, Wis. – A southwest Wisconsin speedplant with nearly seven decades of racing history adds three IMCA divisions to regular weekly shows this season. Lafayette County Speedway at Darlington sanctions the IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks and Karl Kustoms Northern SportMods beginning in 2020. Twelve Friday programs are scheduled during the IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing season, from April 24 to Aug. 14. “IMCA is very well respected in the racing industry and a lot of our drivers already race IMCA,” explained Media Director Kari Ruf. “We’ve been getting good car counts and our rules were similar to IMCA’s. We decided sanctioning was the good way for us to go.” Both Modified and Northern SportMod fields are expected to be well represented by drivers from the tri-state area also including Illinois and Iowa. The Hobby Stock class, noted Ruf, will be a “perfect fit” for younger drivers looking to begin their full-bodied racing careers. The 3/8-mile clay oval was converted from a half-mile in the early 2000s. The Lafayette County Fair race is July [Read More]

Warmerdam gets career first feature win at Western RaceSaver Sprint Series opener

HANFORD, Calif. (Feb. 22) – A third-generation driver earned his IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car career-first feature win Saturday at Keller Auto Speedway. Brendan Warmerdam topped the opening night Van De Pol Western RaceSaver Sprint Series 25-lapper, starting fourth and catching Kyle Rasmussen for the runner-up spot after a long low line run in third. He reeled in Rob Solomon for the lead and pulled away to win by better than a second and a half in a green, white, checkered finish. “I knew 15 laps in that I had the car to win. I knew if I ran smooth laps I could get it done,” said Warmerdam, whose grandfather and father each won multiple track championships at Hanford during their respective careers. “I grew up watching my dad race here. It’s crazy to get my first win at the track where he dominated.” The long-time micro sprint driver is in his second RaceSaver season. An art major at College of the Sequoias in Visalia, he ran a very limited schedule in 2019, collecting four top-five [Read More]

IMCA Modified wins in Texas put Sobbing, White, Wolla on Fast Shafts All-Star ballot

VINTON, Iowa – Three IMCA Modified events in as many nights in Texas put new candidates on the ballot for the 2020 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational. Jesse Sobbing topped the Saturday night Ice Breaker main event at Abilene Speedway before rookie Jon White Jr. and Jason Wolla were winners at Heart O’ Texas Speedway and Grayson County Speedway, respectively. IMCA Arizona Dirt Track Tour and Winter Challenge winners Casey Arneson, Chaz Baca, Jason Noll and Ricky Thornton Jr. all were already vote eligible. The 80 drivers on the All-Star ballot now include: Jeff Aikey, Drew Armstrong, Austin Arneson, Casey Arneson, Chaz Baca, Eric Barnes, Brandon Beckendorf, Tom Berry Jr., Steven Bowers Jr., Cayden Carter, Kellen Chadwick, Cory Craver, Cory Davis, Zane DeVilbiss, Ethan Dotson and P.J. Egbert. Chris Elliott, Trevor Fitz-Gibbon, Junior Flores, Kelsie Foley, Troy Foulger, Jeremy Frenier, John Gober, David Goode Jr., Josh Goodwin, Daniel Gottschalk, William Gould, Jordan Grabouski, Kevin Green, Richie Gustin, Clay Hale and Bobby Hogge IV. Wyatt Howard, Mitchell Hunt, Bricen James, Aaron Johnson, Austin Kiefer, Cody Laney, Jeff [Read More]

Battle Mountain is Nevada first for IMCA Stock Cars

BATTLE MOUNTAIN, Nev. – After rolling out the red carpet for the IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars last summer, Battle Mountain Raceway becomes the first track in Nevada to sanction The Class Too Tough To Tame in 2020. Five Friday-Saturday doubleheaders – April 3 and 4, May 8 and 9, June 26 and 27, July 10 and 11, and Aug. 28 and 29 – are scheduled. Gene Henrie was the Stock Car feature winner when the Wild West Tour came to Battle Mountain last July. Both the look of the cars and the quality of the racing that evening had fans asking track officials to bring the division back more often. “The fans really liked them. We’ve already got six area drivers who already have or are building or buying cars,” promoter Santiago Villanueva said. “We’re looking forward to making this happen.” IMCA Modifieds have run at Battle Mountain since 2002. “What I like about sanctioning with IMCA is the rules. They’re cut and dried, pretty straight forward and right there on the website,” said Villanueva. “We want [Read More]

Junior National Champion, Lady Eagle based on best 20 of 40 starts

VINTON, Iowa – If you’re looking for one word to describe general procedures and point structures for the 2020 IMCA race season, that word is Consistency. To illustrate that, the new Junior National Champion and now Lady Eagle point standings will be based on drivers’ 20 best finishes out of their first 40 starts. “Our national Late Model and national RaceSaver Sprint Car standings are also tabulated based on the best 20 of 40 starts,” explained IMCA President Brett Root. “We had more than 230 female drivers who competed for the Lady Eagle award last year and, based on 2019 membership, we anticipate more than 500 drivers will compete for the Junior National Championship this season.” “Forty races is a lot of races for a driver competing for the Junior National Championship,” Root added, noting that those 13 to 18-year-olds must be licensed members and submit minor release forms to earn points. Both Junior National Champion and Lady Eagle awards are open to drivers in all IMCA divisions and standings will be results based, meaning [Read More]

Gage, 141 team earn regional promoter awards, national ARPY nominations

CHICO, Calif. – Dennis Gage, operator and promoter of California IMCA venues Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico and Marysville Raceway in Marysville has won the Southwest and Western Region promoter of the year award given by Racing Promotion Monthly. Gage, who has managed Chico for 10 years and Marysville for five years, has been involved in motorsports for more than 50 years starting in 1962. He has crewed, raced, been a track official and ended up taking on track publicity and announcing in 1973. IMCA Karl Kustoms Northern SportMods run at both Silver Dollar and Marysville. “What an honor this is to be recognized for the contributions you have made to a major league sport,” said Gage, also the track manager in Roseville for four years. “It wouldn’t be possible without my family’s support and a great bunch of people who surround me.” Gage becomes a first-time nominee for RPM’s Auto Racing Promoter of the Year award. The team at 141 Speedway in Francis Creek, Wis., tied for top honors in RPM’s Northern Region. Toby Kruse, [Read More]

Memorial services pending for Larry Larson

BUCKEYE, Iowa – Memorial services are yet to be scheduled for Larry Larson but when they’re held, friends will have countless stories to share of the race fan, pit crew member and National Anthem singer. Larson, 59, passed away Tuesday, Jan. 21 at his home in Buckeye. White-bearded and almost always wearing a Rick Brown T-shirt, he was known for painting the lines in the pit area at Boone Speedway as well as singing The Star Spangled Banner at race tracks across the state. “He was a fan turned crew member turned friend,” said long-time IMCA Sunoco Stock Car driver Brown. “Larry was at home when he was at the race track. He’d go up and down the pits and talk to everybody. He wished everybody good luck.” After the races were over, Larson joined more than a few drivers for victory lane photos, often displaying the checkered flag. Jerry Vansickel met Larson in the mid-1980s at an area go kart track. They’d become friends and frequent travel partners to tracks where Vansickel announced. “Larry’s passion for [Read More]

A first for Arizona: Cocopah adds IMCA Late Models

SOMERTON, Ariz. – The wave of the future is taking IMCA Late Models to Arizona. Cocopah Speedway at Somerton becomes the first track in the Grand Canyon State to sanction the division, with five dates on the schedule announced for the 2020 IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing season. “The fans are excited and we have drivers who have never competed in a Late Model before looking to get into this class,” said promoter Benji Lyons. “”We are committed as a track to this division and we’ve got a group of drivers who are committed to building cars.” “We have to do something to reduce the cost of Late Model racing and we’re going to stick to our guns,” he concluded. “This is going to be the wave of the future.” The division makes its Cocopah debut on Feb. 1. Other point season dates are March 7 and 21, May 2 and Sept. 26. “With the stability of IMCA, sanctioning Late Models just made sense,” Lyons stated. “It’s going to be a building project but I [Read More]

Funeral services are Friday for Don Gumke

JAMESTOWN, N.D. – Funeral services for Don Gumke are at 10:30 a.m. Friday, Jan. 24 at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Jamestown. The long-time driver, businessman and former Jamestown Speedway owner passed away last Tuesday in Somerton, Ariz. He was 66. Friends may call at the Haut Funeral Home in Jamestown beginning at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 23. A prayer service will be held at 7 p.m. that evening at the funeral home.