Weekly Archives

New Davenport promoter already impressed by local support

DAVENPORT, Iowa (March 20, 2024) – Jeff Struck puts a check on his bucket list this season, as the new promoter at Davenport Speedway. The former driver and now Davenport business owner takes charge at the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds venue, where IMCA Sunoco Late Models, Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks and Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods will run on Friday nights. The 2024 point season at Davenport runs from April 12 to Aug. 23. “I’ve been impressed by the number of local drivers and local businesses that support racing,” Struck said. “The community has shown that Davenport is a racing staple, locally, regionally and nationally.” Sanctioned Late Models have proven to be a weekly staple there since 1998, joined by Modifieds in 2009, Northern SportMods in 2013 and the Hobby Stocks this season. “What I like most about IMCA is that their rules keep everyone on the same level. I think IMCA racing is closer than open-style racing,” said Struck. “Open-style does have its share of good, side-by-side racing but it seems more [Read More]

Sanction is new for IMCA Mod Lites at Missouri’s Benton Speedway

BENTON, Mo. (March 20, 2024) – The slogan at Benton Speedway is You Name It, We Race It. Beginning this season, Stealth Racing IMCA STARS Mod Lites will race at the Missouri track, located two hours from St. Louis on Interstate 55, in the southeast tip of the Show-Me State. The sanctioned class will run two Saturdays a month from April 13 to Sept. 28. “We had Mod Lites here six nights last year, averaged about 15 cars a night and had 28 of them for our special event at the end of the season,” said promoter Justin Johnson. “We want to build this class more in Southeast Missouri and felt that sanctioning was the best way to do that. Collaborating with Friday night tracks means drivers in the area will be able to race twice a week.” “There are a good chunk of drivers in east Central Missouri,” he added. “We’ll definitely pull drivers from Arkansas and there’s another good group in Southern Illinois.” The Johnson family farmed nearby and donated the gumbo for the [Read More]

Late life adventure brings Fairchild back as promoter at Salina

SALINA, Kan. (March 19, 2024) – A “late life adventure” brings Chuck Fairchild back to Salina Speedway. Five IMCA divisions and Johnny Cash and his Ring of Fire classic are coming back, too. Fairchild, who bought the 3/8-mile clay oval midway through his first stint promoting the central Kansas track from 1997-2008, returns to the helm at Salina this season. Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks, Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods and Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compacts are on Friday night cards from May 3 to Sept. 27. “Call it a late life adventure,” explained Fairchild, who answered his cell phone while doing mid-morning laps on a grader. “I’d been retired to Florida the last six years but this came up and my wife Lisa told me I could go back and run the track. We’ll lock the house up and live here eight months of the year.” Fairchild grew up at Salina, where his dad owned cars, and raced a sprint car before promoting and then buying the track. He promised [Read More]

Bellm begins building process at Lincoln County with five IMCA divisions

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (March 18, 2024) – Joe Bellm brings his 37 years of promotion expertise to a third track beginning this season, taking charge at Lincoln County Raceway. Five sanctioned divisions, the Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks, Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods and Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compacts, run at the North Platte, Neb., venue, on eight dates complementary to those at Bellm-promoted El Paso County Raceway in Calhan and Phillips County Raceway in Holyoke, both in northeast Colorado. “We have had North Platte on our radar. Fifty percent of the people in this town are race fans and will support a dirt race track,” Bellm said. “And the schedules will make sense for drivers want to travel and race for IMCA championships.” Lincoln County opens with the April 19-20 Cornhusker Classic, followed by the May 4 Nascar Night show and June 1, June 28-29 Sandhills Shootout Summer Nationals, July 6 and Aug. 3 season championship dates. Lincoln County and Phillips County each have three BST Northern Challenge Series [Read More]

Future at Saltcity begins with four IMCA divisions

HUTCHINSON, Kan. (March 14, 2024) – While he’s yet to promote his first race at Saltcity Racing, Phil Nightingale has already started looking to the future of the big half-mile dirt race track. Nightingale takes charge of Saltcity Racing-branded programs that feature four IMCA divisions this season at the venerable Kansas State Fairgrounds facility. “My whole life has been in the automotive world,” explained Nightingale, first a spectator and later a competitor at Hutchinson. “The fair board voted in 2022 to tear the track down but we went to them with a proposal last September.” “I don’t want to see this track die. I want to see it thrive,” the new Saltcity general manager continued. “I want to go back to the fair board in October with a three-year plan for 2025-2027, with proof that drivers and fans will support the track and keep it alive.” Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks and Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods run April 26, May 24, June 21, July 19, Aug. 3 and Sept. [Read More]

New promoter wants to deliver first-rate racing at Hancock County

BRITT, Iowa (Feb. 22, 2024) – Back when Hancock County Speedway was being built, Darin Toot used to take breaks from his job delivering milk and eat his lunch at the track so he could follow the work in progress. Beginning this season, he’ll focus his energies on delivering first-rate race programs at Britt. Toot takes over as new promoter of the 4/10-mile dirt oval, where Friday night shows will feature Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks and Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods. “Racing has been in my life since I bought my first car in 1989. It’s what I do, It’s what I enjoy, it’s what’s in my heart,” said Toot, who raced IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Stock Cars along with a nine-year stint as owner and promoter of Chateau Speedway in Minnesota. “We want Hancock County to be a place where racers want to race, and where fans can come to watch good racing.” “Our goals are to get numbers up in the grandstand and pit side,” [Read More]

IMCA Late Model sanction is first for Park Jefferson, South Dakota

JEFFERSON, S.D. (Feb. 21, 2024) – Park Jefferson Speedway will crown its first-ever IMCA Sunoco Late Model track champion this season. Sanctioned Late Models join five other IMCA divisions at PJ and run on six select nights in 2024. The class will also crown its first state champion in South Dakota. “We wanted to add a division that was maybe a little different than anything that was running around here,” explained promoter Wayne Becker. “I have a soft spot in my heart for the Late Models. They ran here back in the day and were very entertaining.” “We’re trying to bring a little bit of the 1990s back, and all the feedback we’ve received so far has been positive.” IMCA Late Models made their last and what was believed only previous appearance at Park Jefferson as part of the Summer Series in June of 2007. They’re on the schedule for April 25, May 16, May 23, June 6, Aug. 15 and Aug. 29, all nights the division is not running at US 30 Speedway in [Read More]

Former track champion Peery primed to promote Yreka Speedway

YREKA, Calif. (Feb. 16, 2024) – The last laps Travis Peery turned at Yreka Speedway took him to a track championship. The laps he’ll turn this year will be getting the big quarter-mile clay oval ready for Saturday night race programs featuring Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds and Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods. “The track was closed and did not open in 2023 and that was tough. I can see the lights from my shop,” said Peery, Modified champion at Yreka in 2020. “A lot of people in the community missed having racing here. I’m a race guy and I wanted to bring it back.” Located on the Siskiyou Golden Fairgrounds and just 22 miles from the Oregon state line, Yreka will host seven dates for Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds and 13 for Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods. Specials on the calendar are the $5,000 to win Rich and Nicky Biehn Memorial for Modifieds on June 14, which also features SportMods and IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars; the Wild West Speedweek date June 15 for Modifieds, SportMods [Read More]

IMCA Modifieds return to Wisconsin’s Wilmot Raceway

WILMOT, Wis. (Feb. 7, 2024) – An absence of nearly two decades ends this season, with the return of Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds to Wilmot Raceway. The IMCA class is on Saturday programs at the 3/8 mile clay oval, located in extreme southeast Wisconsin and just a couple miles from the Illinois state line, from May 4 to Sept. 21. “A lot of our Modified drivers were interested in sanctioning,” explained executive promoter Chris Klemko, one of the seven members of the board that oversees racing at the Kenosha County Fairgrounds. “We like the IMCA rules and the point structure, and that we’ll be able to share drivers with other tracks. We know there are a lot of them interested in racing here.” “I really enjoy watching a good Modified race,” continued Klemko, on the board at Wilmot for six years and a sprint car driver himself. “A lot of times they go green to checkered and that’s good racing.” IMCA Modifieds ran at the former Wilmot Speedway from 1995-2005. Points earned there beginning in [Read More]

Sheyenne Speedway adds four IMCA divisions for 2024

LISBON, N.D. (Feb. 2, 2024) – Four IMCA track champions will be crowned this season at Sheyenne Speedway. Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds, IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Cars, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars and IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks are on May 29, June 9, July 12 and July 28 programs at the quarter-mile dirt oval in Lisbon, N.D. Stock Cars and Hobby Stocks will be joined by Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods for the Ransom County Fair show on Aug. 22. New promoters for the 51st season of racing at Sheyenne Speedway are Jake and Sharnel Bitker, who also promote IMCA venues Norman County Raceway in Ada, Minn., and Red River Valley Speedway in West Fargo, and Nick Skalicky. “The fair board has been very supportive – they’re good people – and the community has been very supportive. We look forward to working with them this year,” Jake Bitker said. “This new sanction will give drivers in the Fargo-Jamestown hub to race for IMCA points another four or five nights.” Dirt work began last fall and will be completed [Read More]