Newswire

Craft returning to home state as Canyon Speedway AZ promoter

PEORIA, Ariz. – David Craft comes home this season, as the new promoter at Canyon Speedway AZ. The Arizona native, also starting his second year in charge at Nebraska’s Lincoln County Raceway, and his wife Penny take over at Peoria where IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks, Karl Kustoms Northern SportMods, Mach-1 Sport Compacts and newly-sanctioned STARS Mod Lites will fill Saturday cards. “I spent a lot of years in Arizona. We have family here and Arizona has been a big part of our lives. We’re pleased to be back,” said Craft. “It’s a special place for us.” Craft started racing a Modified in Arizona and will commute between tracks in the spring and fall, focusing on Lincoln County when Canyon Speedway AZ is closed in July and August. “I know all racers want a shot at winning. We’re going to work very hard at being consistent in tech and treating all drivers fairly,” he said. “Consistency is another thing we like about IMCA. We don’t have to reach out to [Read More]

IMCA announces rookie of the year eligibility for 2021

VINTON, Iowa – Rookie of the year eligibility guidelines for the nine IMCA divisions have been announced for the 2021 season. Drivers with 10 or fewer sanctioned starts in a division will now be eligible for rookie status; the previous maximum number of starts had been four. Due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, eligible drivers, who did not win national or regional rookie of the year awards in 2020 will automatically be signed up to contend for those awards again this year. Also, drivers are not allowed to drop down a division(s) and be considered a rookie, with the divisional progression of order being Sport Compact, Hobby Stock, Mod Lite, Northern and Southern SportMod, Stock Car, Modified, Sprint Car and Late Model. With the introduction of the STARS Mod Lite division this year, no Mod Lite rookie of the year will be named in 2021. There are no restrictions on what other classes Mod Lite drivers can race in during the division’s first year of IMCA sanctioning. Last year’s national rookies of the [Read More]

Weekly line-up procedures, draw/redraw events changed for 2021

VINTON, Iowa – A fine-tuning of weekly line-up procedures has been announced for the 2021 IMCA race season. Drivers will draw for heats on their first night, then are lined up by their most recent three-event point average for subsequent track point night shows at that track. Drivers who miss a week or weeks will not lose their point average. “We had previously used a running average. The benefit of this new structure is that drivers are not penalized for missing a race night,” explained IMCA President Brett Root. “Once a driver establishes a point average, they maintain it for the rest of the season based on their last three weekly events.” Late Model drivers will continue drawing the first two nights. In addition to opening night, tracks may now have one draw/redraw program for every four weekly races scheduled during the season. Those programs must be requested and pre-approved by IMCA. “Both of these changes are excellent examples of our continuous efforts to adapt and provide the best weekly racing formats possible,” Root said. [Read More]

More familiar look to IMCA point structure for 2021 season

VINTON, Iowa – After a unique 2020 season, IMCA point structures will have a familiar, but different look in 2021. IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing national and regional point standings for Modified, Stock Car and Hobby Stock drivers will be based on their best 25 finishes of their first 50 home region starts this season. National standings for Northern SportMods, Sport Compacts and newly-sanctioned STARS Mod Lites will also be based on the best 25 of the first 50 starts, while Late Model, RaceSaver Sprint Car and Southern SportMod national standings are based on the best 20 of the first 40 starts. A maximum of 15 bonus points, determined by average car counts, will be awarded for each of as many as two Modified, Stock Car, Hobby Stock, Northern SportMod and Sport Compact track championships. Bonus points will be awarded for one Late Model, Southern SportMod and Mod Lite track championship, and for one Sprint Car track or series championship. Tracks must schedule and complete at least eight races for the full bonus to be [Read More]

Pettit, Dotson, Arneson new to All-Star ballot

VINTON, Iowa – Jim Pettit II, Ethan Dotson and Casey Arneson each put their name on the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot with IMCA Modified feature wins. Pettit paced the season opener at Antioch Speedway while Dotson was a three-time winner and Arneson won once at Cocopah Speedway’s IMCA.TV Winter Nationals. Tanner Black and Chaz Baca, already All-Star candidates, were also winners at Cocopah. The list of All-Star candidates now includes: Jeff Aikey, Austin Arneson, Casey Arneson, Chaz Baca, Eric Barnes, Brandon Beckendorf, Eddie Belec, Chad Bennett, Tom Berry Jr., Tanner Black, Steven Bowers Jr., Ethan Braaksma, John Campos and Cayden Carter. Chris Carter, Kellen Chadwick, Ty Clemens, Nick DeCarlo, Casey Delp, Shane DeVolder, Spencer Diercks, Ethan Dotson, Tommy Dove, Chris Elliott, Shawn Fletcher, Troy Foulger, Tripp Gaylord and Mike Goodson. Jordan Grabouski, Matt Guillaume, Michael Hale, Chase Hansen, Kyle Heckman, Toby Herring, Ryan Heskett, Kollin Hibdon, Jacob Hobscheidt, Bobby Hogge IV, Bobby Horton, Jerry Hunt and Mitchell Hunt. Nate Jones, Billy Kendall, Corey Kortum, Cody Laney, Jeff Larson, Cody Leonard, Jimmy Lipke, Wade Lumsden, [Read More]

Dotson dominates finale for IMCA.TV Winter Nationals

By Ben Deatherage SOMERTON, Ariz. (Jan. 16) – Ethan Dotson dominated the seventh and concluding round of the IMCA.TV Winter Nationals Saturday at Cocopah Speedway, topping another $1,000 to win main event and wrapping up the IMCA Modified series point title. Casey Arneson grabbed the initial race lead and held onto the position until the fourth lap when Dotson made the pass on him. Dotson soared on the high side of the racing surface and was able to construct a large lead over the rest of the competition. Two stoppages put pressure on Dotson when it came to restarts. They turned out to be the only thing to slow him down as he dominated the rest of the distance to pick up his third Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot qualifying win of 2021. Jeff Larson ended in second with 12th starting Brandon Beckendorf third. The rest of the top five finishing order included Kollin Hibdon and Chaz Baca. The Somerton oval wrapped up the series with another night of sensational races with more than 150 IMCA competitors in [Read More]

Baca reigns at IMCA.TV Winter Nationals, night six wins to Ryland, Johnson, Olson

By Ben Deatherage SOMERTON, Ariz. – The defending Shaw Race Cars Western Region champion parked in victory lane Friday, night six of the IMCA.TV Winter Nationals at Cocopah Speedway. Chaz Baca took the lead in the opening stages of the IMCA Modified feature. Baca eventually was tracked down and passed on lap 13 by Tim Ward. Ward attempted to construct a sizable interval over Baca and the rest of the field but ran into heavy lapped traffic. In the closing stages of the feature Ward and Baca dueled one another for the win. Baca made a decisive pass in slower traffic that gave him the advantage on the final circuit and held on for the $1,000 win in the non-stop race. It was his first of the season and marked the fourth different winner in six races at the Winter Nationals. Baca was already of the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot. Ward was second with two-time Winter Nationals winners Tanner Black and Ethan Dotson next across the stripe. Kollin Hibdon was fifth IMCA entries in four divisions from 15 [Read More]

IMCA Modifieds are new in 2021 at Washington’s Grays Harbor Raceway

ELMA, Wash.– Grays Harbor Raceway becomes the newest home for IMCA Modifieds in the Pacific Northwest. Bert Johnson, general manager at the 3/8-mile clay oval at the Fairgrounds in Elma, Wash., announced that opening night for the sanctioned division would be April 17, with the 2021 IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing point season running through Sept. 18. “We probably have the largest number of Modifieds of any track in the Pacific Northwest now,” said Johnson. “The response we got about sanctioning with IMCA during our drivers’ meeting was very positive. We like the uniform rule package and when our guys go to other tracks to race, they know they’ll be legal when they get there.” “Another thing sanctioning with IMCA does is give our drivers the opportunity to race for national, regional and state championships,” he added. “It gives them a little push while representing our track.” Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot qualifying specials on the tentative schedule are the $1,200 to win West Coast Modified Clash on June 26 and the $2,500-plus to win Shipwreck Beads Modified Nationals [Read More]

IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National Point Standings through Jan. 13

IMCA Modifieds – 1. Tanner Black, Otis, Kan., 156; 2. Ethan Dotson, Bakersfield, Calif., 150; 3. Zane DeVilbiss, Farmington, N.M., 143; 4. Jeff Larson, Freeport, Ill., 136; 5. Casey Arneson, Fargo, N.D., 131; 6. Ricky Alvarado, Hotchkiss, Colo., 121; 7. Russell Allen, Brawley, Calif., 116; 8. Jason Wolla, Ray, N.D., 111; 9. Chaz Baca, Mesa, Ariz., 110; 10. Casey Skyberg, Rapid City, S.D., 109; 11. Jerry Flippo, Bakersfield, Calif., 107; 12. Kenny Wallace, Imperial, Mo., 104; 13. Brandon Beckendorf, Danube, Minn., 92; 14. Braxton Yeager, Green River, Wy., and Travis Denning, Sterling, Ill., both 88; 16. Kyle Heckman, Bakersfield, Calif., 84; 17. Tim Ward, Chandler, Ariz., and Kelsie Foley, Tucson, Ariz., both 83; 19. Dave Cain, Corcoran, Minn., 82; 20. Chris Morris, Taylor, Texas, 81. IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars – 1. Kyle Heckman, Bakersfield, Calif., 151; 2. Blake Adams, Stacyville, Iowa, 149; 3. Bo Partain, Casa Grande, Ariz., 148; 4. Zachary Madrid, Phoenix, Ariz., and Michael Sheen, Lamesa, Texas, both 147; 6. Aaron Spangler, Dove Creek, Colo., 146; 7. D.J. Werkmeister, Mesa, Ariz., 144; 8. Nicholas Johnson, [Read More]

Bombardo, Partain, Dotson, Spangler get wins in fast-paced IMCA.TV Winter Nationals features

SOMERTON, Ariz. (Jan. 14) – Brandon Bombardo, Bo Partain, Ethan Dotson and Aaron Spangler all took their turns in victory lane during the course of 85 consecutive caution-free laps on night five of the IMCA.TV Winter Nationals at Cocopah Speedway. Bombardo led start to finish in an IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock feature last interrupted by a caution with 10 laps to go. Partain and Dotson duplicated that flag-to-flag feat in 25-lap Karl Kustoms Northern SportMod and IMCA Modified main events, respectively. Spangler then inherited the front spot 11 laps into the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car feature after leader Kyle Heckman drove off with a flat tire. He held off Andy Altenburg to the end of a third consecutive green to checkered 25-lapper. Joshua Cordova and then Matt Olson headed the pursuit of Bombardo before 10th starting Mitchell Mohler Sr. charged into second with seven laps left. Olson ended in third. Partain had his hands full with Josh Most before his challenger slowed and exited for the infield in the late going. Shane Paris and Fred Ryland [Read More]