Results

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]