Newswire

After racing with the big boys, Baca is best in IMCA’s Shaw Race Cars Western Region

MESA, Ariz. – Chaz Baca started 2020 racing with the big boys. He ended it hoisting the big trophy. The IMCA Modified driver from Mesa, Ariz., recorded a single-season career-best 16 feature wins to earn the first Shaw Race Cars Western Region championship of his career. Sixth nationally, his awards haul also included Battle Mountain Raceway and Cocopah Speedway track and KMJ Performance Arizona State crowns. “Winning the region is really a big thing for us. We’ve been trying to do it for years,” he said. “When you look at how many states are in this region, it’s definitely exciting to have accomplished this.” Baca got off to a fast pre-pandemic start, winning seven of his first 22 starts. Two of those checkers came in Arizona Dirt Track Tour battles with home state hero Ricky Thornton Jr. “I got to race with the big boys in the tour and beat Ricky twice. He’s fast everywhere but he grew up here and he knows these tracks,” Baca said. “Being able to race with, and beat [Read More]

Different approach guides Guillaume to 2nd Razor Chassis South Central crown

HASLET, Texas – Matt Guillaume’s goals for a low-key season were to have fun, make some charges to the front and win some IMCA Modified races. He did all that and won a regional championship, too. Guillaume topped the Razor Chassis South Central Region for the second time in his career, earning Boyd Raceway and Southern Oklahoma Speedway track titles and the KMJ Performance Oklahoma State crown as well. “I hadn’t even looked at points until there were about three weeks left in the season. I wasn’t trying to win track championships. I wanted to get feature wins,” said the Haslet, Texas, charger. “I didn’t set out to do anything points wise. I would love to have had more wins but all the top four finishes certainly helped.” Guillaume saw mixed results in four early season starts. He was the king of consistency once racing resumed, complementing four feature wins with 17 top five finishes. “We ran well and had good performances but DNFs for silly reasons early. After tracks closed (for the pandemic) we [Read More]

Grabouski catches stride, then captures career fifth Jet Racing Central Region title

BEATRICE, Neb. – First he caught his breath. Then Jordan Grabouski caught his stride. The defending champion in both IMCA Modified and IMCA Sunoco Stock Car divisions, Grabouski pared his starts in both classes while racing to a career fifth Jet Racing Central Region crown and finishing sixth in rookie standings for IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Cars. “While we missed 10-20 starts and all the early-season specials, it gave us a chance to catch our breath. Never in a million years did I think we’d be able to win the region,” he said. “It was definitely a challenge but I felt like we were able to catch our stride as we got closer to the end of the season.” Grabouski totaled 11 wins and won track championships at hometown Beatrice Speedway, Eagle Raceway and U.S. 30 Raceway. He swept Salina Speedway’s Mid-America Clash on the final weekend of the point season before winning Oktoberfest at Beatrice. “We took Sundays off for family (Grabouski and wife Whitney look forward to the arrival of second daughter) during the [Read More]

Hunt checks Dirt Works Eastern Region title quest off IMCA Modified bucket list

KENT CITY, Mich. – There was never any question that Mitchell Hunt was going to race an IMCA Modified. With the book closed on his sixth season in the division, the only question left is where to display his Dirt Works Eastern Region championship trophy and Thunderbird Raceway and Winston Speedway track championship plaques. Just 21, the Kent City, Mich., chauffeur had seven feature wins and another 11 top five finishes in his 28 regional starts. He was 14th in national point standings. “The regional championship was a big surprise. After tracks in Michigan opened in June, we were pretty much racing for fun,” he explained. “We got rolling with the July 11 win at Thunderbird and started chasing it from there. The wins and top five’s started to roll off more.” “We looked at the points a couple weeks before we left for Super Nationals and realized we just had to win those two track championships and get the bonus points,” he continued. “Everything just fell into place. I’m glad I was able to check [Read More]

19 IMCA Modified drivers new to 2021 Fast Shafts All-Star ballot

VINTON, Iowa – Another 19 IMCA Modified drivers have put their names of the 2021 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot. Matt Guillaume, champion of the Razor Chassis South Central Region and the KMJ Performance Oklahoma State king, is among the new candidates. He’s joined by fellow state champs Eric Barnes in Illinois; John Campos in Oregon; Chris Carter in Arkansas; Ty Clemens in Montana; Toby Herring in New Mexico; Corey Kortum in Idaho; Wade Lumsden in Nevada; Chris Mills in South Dakota; Max J. Quint in Colorado; James Roete in Florida; Jesse Rogotzke in Minnesota; Brad Smith in New York; Bart Taylor in Wyoming; Marcus Tomlinson in North Dakota; Jon White Jr. in Texas; and Jerry Wilinski in Wisconsin. New All-Stars Cody Leonard won the Fall Classic at Heart O’ Texas Speedway while Tanner Black topped night two of the Turkey Classic at Cocopah Speedway. Regional champions Chaz Baca in the Shaw Race Cars Western, Tom Berry Jr. in the Side Biter Chasss North Central, Jordan Grabouski in the Jet Racing Central and Mitchell Hunt [Read More]

Reynolds reigns as IMCA’s first Junior National Champion

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – After racing to national and regional rookie of the year honors in 2019, Kaden Reynolds set a goal of winning IMCA’s inaugural Junior National Championship in 2020. And after a month and a half delay to his season and 19 IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock feature victories, he had done just that. “We had ended our rookie season really strong and wanted to start 2020 strong and chase the Junior National Championship because this is the only year I’ll be eligible,” said Reynolds, a virtual spring graduate from Kennedy High School in Cedar Rapids. “It was our goal all year. We knew Dallon (Murty) was running for it, too. Being able to win it was pretty cool.” Nearly 400 drivers between the ages of 13 and 18 vied for the Junior National Champion’s crown, with standings based on their best 20 finishes in their first 40 starts. Like the eight IMCA divisional national champions, Reynolds receives a trophy, ring and jacket. All top 10 drivers in the Junior National Champion standings receive [Read More]

DeVries soars to third IMCA Lady Eagle championship

SPENCER, Iowa – Before they left the house to go racing, Kaytee DeVries promised young daughter Nova she’d do her best to win a trophy for her that night. DeVries did that on 19 occasions on the way to winning her third IMCA Lady Eagle crown. A veteran of eight Mach-1 Sport Compact campaigns, DeVries became the winningest female driver in IMCA history, pushing her career total to 59 checkers while racing to track championships at Buena Vista Raceway and Kossuth County Speedway. Despite the late start to the season, she made 51 starts at nine different tracks and posted wins in three different states. “It’s a good feeling to know you won something that so many other people are going after,” said DeVries, from Spencer, Iowa, and also the Lady Eagle winner in 2015 and 2016. “Each year I learn new things racing and it’s a big accomplishment to achieve it again.” “There’s a lot of good competition in this class and every season it gets better,” she continued. “I like going to different [Read More]

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Meyer wins national Mach-1 Sport Compact championship in car he couldn’t sell

PIERCE, Neb. – The car Ramsey Meyer couldn’t sell carried him to another IMCA national championship. Meyer raced to a career third Mach-1 Sport Compact national crown this season, winning 16 features and The New Raceway Park track title. Pretty good, considering he’d initially planned to spend the summer enjoying the new deck and patio he’d built at home. “At first I didn’t plan to race at all. I was still doing landscaping around my house,” said Meyer, from Pierce, Neb. “Then I thought I’d race a couple times, and then New Raceway Park opened. We put new tires on the car and washed it about a week before our first race.” The opening night checkers were the first of his nine wins in all at NRP. Meyer was also a three-time winner at Junction Motor Speedway while picking up single victories at Salina Speedway, Eagle Raceway, Park Jefferson Speedway and North Central Speedway. He’s been in double figures wins-wise each of his eight full seasons in the class and owns 229 career checkers. “We [Read More]

Smith rides fast start to first Northern SportMod national title

LAKE CITY, Iowa – Ten early season wins convinced Doug Smith this was the year to run for the IMCA national championship. Wins in his final two starts of the season wrapped up his first Karl Kustoms Northern SportMod crown. “I have never chased one (a national championship). I’ve always gone out and tried to win every race,” said the Lake City, Iowa, veteran, whose brothers David, Devin, Donavon and Dustin own IMCA national championships of their own. “There have been other years when I’ve had a lot of wins but not a lot of starts. This was just a good year.” The Buena Vista Raceway and Crawford County Speedway track and KMJ Performance State champion, Smith won 10 of his first 13 starts, collecting seven straight checkers from June 3-17. “That was definitely the best start to the season I’ve had and it came in a new Rage car. I think the start of the season was a combination of it being my third year in a Rage and we changed some mounts to [Read More]