Weekly Archives

Center, Schultz race to Classic checkers at Arizona Speedway

APACHE JUNCTION, Ariz. (May 24-25) – Eric Center outran his nephew while Brian Schultz raced from worst to first. Both earned $1,000 for Memorial Weekend IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modified feature wins at Arizona Speedway’s John Morris Classic and earned berths on the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot. Center collected the first win of his 31st racing season on opening night at Apache Junction. He’d started fifth in the Saturday show, was up to third before a lap five yellow and spent most of the 20-lapper running alone in the bottom groove with Guy Norton higher up on the oval. His nephew Cody Center made a late charge from 13th starting to second. Norton, Cody Graham and Anthony Madrid rounded out the top five. “This was a good race for the fans,” said Center, 51. “I competed with John and if his son didn’t win it I was honored that I could.” The ying of Schultz’s “ying and yang” weekend came early in Saturday’s feature when he lost his driveshaft while running in the top [Read More]

Full $30,000 driver contingency list posted on Thunderhill website

By Edward Anschutz STURGEON BAY, Wis. – A complete list of the $30,000 contingency program is now listed on Thunderhill Raceway’s website www.racethunderhill.com. It’s a fully detailed list for each division, sponsor, product and or corresponding dollar amount. To be eligible for the 2014 contingency prizes, no driver can miss more than three nights of racing the entire season and the must attend the season-ending banquet. With this Saturday only being the 3rd night of competition, everyone is still eligible. Palmer Johnson Yachts of Sturgeon Bay will be the sponsor this Saturday,May 31, for night number three. Palmer Johnson has been in business since 1918. They are an industry leader in designing and fabricating state of the art yachts. Troy Jerovetz leads the IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modified standings with a one point advantage over cousin Sean Jerovetz. Shawn Havel holds the top spot in the IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars after his first feature win of the season. Havel holds a five point edge over defending champion Dave Bouche and former champ Charlie Kroll. In [Read More]

Dominick Bruns Memorial Challenge Cup Chase dates set

DANUBE, Minn. – The Dominick Bruns Memorial Challenge Cup Chase for IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars boasts a trio of $1,000 to win features at as many different Minnesota speedplants. Features on Saturday, June 7 at Jackson Speedway, Friday, July 18 at Murray County Speedway and Sunday, Aug. 10 at Redwood Speedway all pay a minimum of $100 to start. The top driver in point standings for the three nights earns a $1,000 share of the $2,000 series point fund and becomes eligible to qualify for the Sunoco Race Fuels Race of Champions during the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. The runner-up in points earns $600 and third place in the standings is good for $400. IMCA driver Shaun Bruns and his wife Becky founded the Dominick Bruns Memorial Foundation in 2008 after losing their son to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. The series point fund is generated by the sale of T-shirts and racing shirts by the foundation along with contributions from area sponsors. Pit gates open at 4 p.m. and the grandstand [Read More]

Czarapata wins 100th Stock Car feature at Seymour

By Dave Panske SEYMOUR, Wis. (May 25) – Brandon Czarapata wrote his name in the IMCA history books with his 100th career feature win Sunday at Seymour Speedway. After Travis Springstroh led the opening lap of the Coors Light IMCA Sunoco Stock Car main, Czarapata made a quick move to the outside as the field ran three and four-wide. Czarapata rocketed from the 12th starting spot to the lead on lap 2 before the lone caution of the race appeared. Czarapata quickly took control after the restart and left little doubt who the winner would be, extending his lead to the finish. In addition to his career 100th sanctioned victory, the win was Czarapata’s third straight locally and 34th on the all-time list at Seymour. There was plenty of action for second as Kyle Frederick, John Heinz, Jeremy Wiitala, Springstroh and Rod Snellenberger double and tripled up behind Czarapata. After starting 16th, Barry Van Straten was in perfect rhythm and worked his way into the fray by lap 10. Over the final half of the [Read More]

Grabouski is latest, youngest with 100 Modified career wins

BEATRICE, Neb. (May 23) – A driver who’s proven himself on dirt ovals around the Midwest enjoyed a milestone win at his hometown track Friday night. Jordan Grabouski won the May 23 IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modified feature at Beatrice Speedway. The victory was his career 100th in the sanctioned class. “You have to race a lot to be able to accomplish something like this. It’s a lot of hard work and you have to have a lot of help from your family, your crew and sponsors,” said Grabouski, 25 years old and the youngest driver in division history to reach triple digit wins. “I love to race. I like going to the lake and I like playing golf, but racing is my passion. I wouldn’t be happy if I wasn’t racing.” His first two Modified victories came during the 2006 season. Grabouski earned a personal single-season and division-best 29 checkers in winning the national championship in 2011. “I always want to set my goals really high but 100 Modified wins wasn’t something I ever [Read More]

Hudson wins career first IMCA Modified feature at Shawano

By Scott Owen SHAWANO, Wis. (May 24) – Cody Hudson won his first career IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modified feature while Kyle Frederick remained unbeaten in IMCA Sunoco Stock Car action Friday at Shawano Speedway. The rookie Hudson, last season’s Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMod track champion at Shawano, started outside the first row in the feature and never looked back. He led all 20 laps en route to the victory. The best action of the race was behind the leader. John Berna held off Marcus Yarie to come home in second, while Jamie Schmidt, Johnny Whitman, and Jerry Wilinski had a spirited battle for positions fourth through sixth. Ray DePew drove like a man possessed during the opening laps of the Stock Car main. DePew took the lead on lap one using the high groove to his advantage while Vern Stedjee and BJ Giese applied early pressure. John Heinz passed Giese to move into second then caught DePew for the lead on lap six. DePew passed Heinz back on lap eight to put his machine [Read More]

Make-A-Wish Night this Saturday at Bakersfield

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (May 29) – Bakersfield Speedway hosts its fourth annual Make-A-Wish Night this Saturday, May 31. Proceeds benefit Make-A-Wish of Kern County and the IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modifieds race for $1,000 in their 40-lap Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot qualifier. Local drivers have collected donations for a race night drawing, Make-A-Wish- kids and drivers will pass helmets in the stands to collect donations from fans, with those funds going to grant wishes of children in Kern County with life-threatening medical conditions. The Modified portion of the program is sponsored by Go Live Stream TV LLC. Pit gates open at 4 p.m. the grandstand opens at 5 p.m. and racing starts at 6 p.m. Grandstand admission is $12 for adults, $5 for kids ages 6-12 and free for youngsters five and under.

Brown bests Modifieds at Dodge City

By Lonnie Wheatley DODGE CITY, Kan. (May 24) – Scott Brown became the fifth different winner in as many IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modified features atop the 3/8-mile Dodge City Raceway Park clay oval this season by earning a hard-fought victory in Saturday night’s 20-lap main event. While Brown led all the way from his pole starting position, he had his hands full much of the distance and survived a pair of late cautions to post the triumph by a narrow margin ahead of Tracy Link and Austin Allen. “The cautions didn’t worry me much,” he commented. “My car goes good on a tacky track like this so I knew we were okay.” Front row outside starter Tracy Link actually jumped into the lead on the initial start only to have it negated for a turn four incident. Brown took advantage by racing into the lead on the restart and paced the field with intense battles for position through the pack in his wake. Brown held the point ahead of Link, Van Gemmill and Nick [Read More]

Strayer is quickest at Quad City’s Reinhart Memorial

By Brad Hines EAST MOLINE, Ill. (May 25) – Sunday was a night of firsts for Jake Strayer. The IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modified rookie made his first-ever visit to Quad City Speedway and won the 21st annual Gary Reinhart Memorial. The $1,200 victory was his first in just eight career starts in the class and put Strayer on the ballot for the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational. “Going to East Moline was a spur of the moment thing,” he said. “We pulled off the heat win and then won the feature. Everything went in our favor. It was definitely a night I’ll never forget.” Strayer started 10th in the 30-lapper and did most of his passing on the lower line coming out of the turns. He was in front just before midway and was pressured most of the way, holding off a late challenge from two-time defending track champion Greg Durbin, who had started 18th. Jim Sandusky, who came of out retirement for the race, finished third followed by Leland Bushong and Jason Buss. Strayer [Read More]

Spring Challenge checkers fly for Foster at Sunset Speedway Park

By Ben Deatherage BANKS, Ore. (May 24) – Bubba Foster led the entire distance of the IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modified feature Saturday, on opening night of Sunset Speedway Park’s Memorial Weekend Spring Challenge. Foster got out in front on the first lap and hold of the likes of Mark Carrell in the final laps to earn the victory, his first of the season. Carrell was a close second while third place went to Kenny Miller.