Results Archives

Smith returns to winning ways at Cocopah with IMCA Modified career victory no. 98

SOMERTON, Ariz. (Feb. 13-14) – A week after uncharacteristic Winter Nationals finishes, Dylan Smith got back in his groove at Cocopah Speedway. Smith outran R.C. Whitwell for the $3,000 IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modified checkers in the fourth and final Winter Nationals show Saturday at Somerton. The front pair had run door-to-door in the final turn before Smith pulled ahead of Whitwell, the $1,000 Friday night winner. Sixty Modifieds vied on opening night, 57 in the finale. Smith’s victory landed the fleet Nebraskan on the ballot for September’s Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational and was his IMCA career 98th win. Four of those earlier victories came in as many Winter Nationals events last February. Smith had run no worse than fifth in nine career Cocopah starts before posting sixth and 11th place finishes on Feb. 6 and 7, respectively. “We definitely ended the weekend on a high note,” Smith said after the 30-lapper. “I started sixth, was able to get up to third real quick and then passed Tim Ward for second. We had a restart [Read More]

Whitwell, Marriott rule IMCA Modifieds at Winter Nationals

SOMERTON, Ariz. (Feb. 6-7) – R.C. Whitwell and Hunter Marriott proved the fastest in big IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modified fields at Cocopah Speedway’s Winter Nationals opening weekend. Whitwell raced from 12th starting to win Friday’s main event, which drew 65 entries. Marriott scored the Saturday checkers, which had 54 entries. Both Modified features paid $1,000 to win; Marriott was already on the ballot for the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational. In all, drivers from 18 states and Canada vied at the fourth annual event. Manny Baldiviez and Andrew Altenburg were IMCA Sunoco Stock Car winners, Scott Shaw and Leonard Manos topped IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock mains and Timmy Reese and Sean Callens topped Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMod features. Whitwell caught Marriott for the lead with four circuits left in the opening night 25-lapper. Marriott, Scott Drake, 12th starting Brian Schultz and David Murray Jr. completed the top five. “There was no lapped traffic and the cautions helped me because they bunched the field back up,” Whitwell said. “There was a lot of pretty good competition [Read More]

Thornton makes it two straight at Canyon

By Lonnie Wheatley PEORIA, Ariz. (Jan. 25) – Ricky Thornton Jr. picked up his second IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modified win in a row on night three of the Winter Challenge at Canyon Speedway Park. Thornton took advantage of a slight bobble by Zane DeVilbiss to race into the lead with laps left in Sunday’s $1,250 to win main event. Forty-two Modifieds were entered in the third and final Winter Challlenge event of the weekend. DeVilbiss had drawn a front row start while Thornton worked his way up from eighth and headed pursuit of the defending national champion most of the 25-lapper. “The longer we ran, the tighter he got and the better my car got,” said Thornton, who shot into the lead coming out of turn two and stayed in front the last five times around the track. His share of the Winter Challenge purse at Canyon came to $3,100. “It was definitely a good weekend,” Thornton said. Tim Ward charged from 21st starting to capture the show position. Hunter Marriott advanced from 17th [Read More]

Fraction of a second makes Saturday difference in Canyon Modified feature

By Lonnie Wheatley PEORIA, Ariz. (Jan. 24) – A tenth of a second made the difference between first place and second Saturday at Canyon Speedway Park. Ricky Thornton Jr. beat Tim Ward to the finish line by that blink of an eye margin in Saturday’s 25-lap Winter Challenge feature for IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modifieds, which drew 46 entries. The 17th starting Thornton earned $1,250 for his efforts; he was already on the ballot for September’s Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational. Ward had scored Friday Winter Challenge honors at Canyon Winner of the second ‘B’ feature, Thornton ran multiple lines early on, was in the top four by lap 10 and was second when the 15th circuit was scored. Ward and Thornton had both taken the white flag before a spun car brought out what proved to be the final caution. Thornton, in Marlyn Seidler’s back-up car, moved off the bottom and higher on the track for the last two laps. “It was kind of a Hail Mary thing. I’ve won close races before but never [Read More]

Ward opens Winter Challenge weekend with win at Canyon

By Lonnie Wheatley PEORIA, Ariz. (Jan. 23) – Tim Ward raced forward from the seventh starting position to take IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modified honors over a stout field of 41 competitors on opening night of the Winter Challenge Weekend at Canyon Speedway Park. The new Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot qualifier earned $1,250 and took the checkered flag ahead of defending track champion Ricky Thornton Jr. as Missouri’s Hunter Marriott topped his “B” feature and rallied from 18th to take third. Brian Schultz raced from 15th to fourth with defending national champion Zane DeVilbiss rounded out the top five. Ward was quickly up to second and led briefly before a couple early cautions. Thornton passed him for the front spot before two more yellows came out. After falling back to third, Ward got his opportunity when the caution flag waved again late in the contest. He went high to pass Schultz and then Thornton coming out of turn two and down the back straightaway, and drove to his first feature win of the season. [Read More]

Checkers fly for Baldiviez in Cocopah’s first IMCA Sunoco Stock Car feature

SOMERTON, Ariz. (Jan. 16) – The checkered flag flew Friday for Manny Baldiviez, on a night of firsts at Cocopah Speedway. Baldiviez won the first-ever weekly IMCA Sunoco Stock Car feature held at Cocopah and in Arizona. The victory was also his first in sanctioned competition and followed an inadvertent 360 degree turn after the race was over. “The fans enjoyed it,” the Chula Vista, Calif., driver reported good-naturedly. “It was a pretty fun race and I really enjoyed it.” Baldiviez started fifth and had the lead midway through the 15-lapper. Nine cars comprised the inaugural field and runner-up honors went to Joey Essary. Local street stocks give way to IMCA Stock Cars this season at Cocopah. Just two points had separated Baldiviez from the final title awarded in that class last year. “I’m really going to focus on the championship this season,” said Baldiviez, a six-time street stock feature winner in 2014. “This track has been getting better every year. Their name has been getting out more in the racing world, which is great [Read More]

Seidler, Marriott rule Snowbird Classic IMCA features

QUEEN CREEK, Ariz. (Jan. 17-18) – Travelers Marlyn Seidler and Hunter Marriott both experienced racing highs and lows over the course of Arizona Speedway’s Snowbird Classic. North Dakota veteran Seidler topped Saturday’s IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modified main event despite a late-race collision with a lapped car, then fashioned a third-place finish after starting 10th on Sunday with a banged-up ride. Missourian Marriott cut his right front tire while leading midway through the opening night show and was scored last. He started 16th, charged through the field and passed defending national champion Zane DeVilbiss for the night two checkers. Both features paid $1,250 to win. Seidler’s victory put him on the ballot for the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational; Marriott was already vote eligible. An early shakeout left pole starter Seidler in fourth in the Saturday show. Following a caution with 10 circuits left in the 25-lapper, he shot to the front using the middle line and was still in the lead when the white flag was out. That’s when it got exciting. Seidler was unable [Read More]

High line takes Lawson to Virginia Sprint Series checkers

By Jim Haines SHENANDOAH, Va. (Oct. 4) – Brian Lawson used a high line move to take over the top spot and hold on for his third Virginia Sprint Series win of the year Saturday evening at Shenandoah Speedway. Chris Ware and Anthony Linkenhoker paced the IMCA Eagle Motorsports RaceSaver Sprint Car field with Linkenhoker out first and looking strong. Lawson showed speed early, getting around Ware and setting his sights on Linkenhoker. Laps clicked away with Jerald Harris and Tony Harris joining top four. Lap 12 was a rough one for French Grimes as debris cut his right front tire, causing him to pound the concrete wall in turn one. Linkenhoker took off following the ensuing restart but Lawson got going a little better was around to top side and into the lead on the next circuit. Jerald Harris moved in as Tony Harris faded. Jerald Harris made his way to second and with five to go and the fight at the front was on. He tried every line from top to bottom but [Read More]

Pounds, Hogge pace Pettit Memorial features

WATSONVILLE, Calif. (Oct. 3-4) – Brad Pounds was in the right place at the right time to win Friday’s Pat Pettit Memorial Shootout feature for IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modifieds at Ocean Speedway. A morning spent in the shop put Bobby Hogge IV in Watsonville’s victory lane on Saturday. Pounds earned $2,003 and a berth on the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot for his opening night triumph; Hogge, already vote eligible, went home from night two with a $3,003 paycheck. After starting outside Albert Gill on the front row, Pounds fell back in the field and had to work his way back up to second behind Kellen Chadwick. Just before midway in the 30-lapper, Chadwick pulled off under caution, Pounds inherited the lead and checked out on most of the pack. Thirteenth starting Alex Wilson, Kenny Nott, Jeff Decker and Austin Burke rounded out the top five. Hogge had won his Friday heat in a car “that didn’t feel right,” restarted at the rear of the feature after leaving to fix a flat and then [Read More]

Flatlander IMCA Modified checkers fly for Gemmill, Heim

GOODLAND, Kan. (Sept. 26-27) – Long runs at the front ended with Brendon Gemmill and Chris Heim $1,500 richer for their IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modified efforts at Sherman County Speedway’s Flatlander special. Gemmill was scored first on all but the first circuit on Friday night at Goodland despite a souring power plant. Heim, a weekly regular at Goodland, was even more dominating with a flag-to-flag run on Saturday. Their victories put both drivers on the ballot for the 2015 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational. A single caution slowed the opening night Modified main seven laps in. Gemmill’s motor started missing and it took a couple circuits for him to get his momentum back. “I thought something was goofy. I thought it was a fuel issue but I was down a cylinder,” said Gemmill, who nonetheless caught up with the back of the pack the last time around. “We’ve struggled a bit this year but made a lot of changes and now I think we’re competitive again.” Brady Coen, Clay Sellard, Jeremy Frenier and Bubba Alvarado [Read More]