Newswire

Independence checkers make Fitzpatrick first repeat Deery winner

INDEPENDENCE, Iowa (July 6) – Scott Fitzpatrick took home a prize better than any blue ribbon Wednesday night. Fitzpatrick became the first repeat winner in the 30th annual Deery Brothers Summer Series, topping the 40-lap main event for IMCA Late Models at Independence Motor Speedway. The Buchanan County Fair special checkers were worth $2,000. Fitzpatrick passed pole starter Jon Passick on the sixth circuit and led to the end of the 40-lapper. Denny Eckrich pulled close twice before Fitzpatrick got a lapped car ahead just after midway. The race had boiled down to a two-car battle, with Matt Ryan alone in third and points leader Jeff Aikey by himself in fourth, before the final caution came out with 12 laps left. Fitzpatrick then pulled away from the pack to win easily in front of Eckrich, Ryan, Aikey and Cayden Carter, who’d started 16th. Tyler Bruening took the initial green from 17th and ended in sixth. Provisional starter Andy Eckrich raced from shotgun on the field to ninth for hard charger honors. Fitzpatrick had won for the first [Read More]

Zrostlik takes Fever Heat Classic at Stuart

By Josh Reynolds STUART, Iowa (July 3) – Joe Zrostlik celebrated the Fourth a day early, with the $1,000 IMCA Late Model victory at Stuart Speedway’s Fever Heat Classic. Charlie McKenna and Paul Nagle were the lucky ones to draw 1-2 for the feature and it was McKenna leading through several early yellows. Once the cautions were sorted out, Corey Zeitner set the pace with McKenna not far behind. Zrostlik began to move forward around halfway and just past the 20th lap he passed Zeitner for the lead. Zrostlik went on to take the win and the $1,000 for the 30-lap inaugural event. Zeitner finished second with Jake Neal overcoming some early adversity to finish third. McKenna was fourth and Paul Glendenning fifth. Other winners included Jeff James in the Xtreme Motor Sports IMCA Modifieds, Brian Blessington in the IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, Austin Luellen in the Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMods, Buck Schafroth in the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks and Jake Benischek in the Mach-1 Sport Compacts.

Night two of Stock Car Shootout postponed

By Jeremy Fox OSKALOOSA, Iowa (July 6) – Early morning rains left the track and speedway grounds too wet to race night two of the Budweiser and Musco Lighting Stock Car Shootout at Southern Iowa Speedway As a result, the second night has been postponed to Wednesday, July 20. There will be a buy-in for new IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMods, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks and Mach-1 Sport Compacts that night. Also on the Southern Iowa Fair card are Xtreme Motor Sports IMCA Modifieds following the Hawkeye Dirt Tour. Bill and Ray’s will sponsor any new driver on July 20 who did not race Tuesday and pay their pit pass in the Stock Car, SportMod, Hobby Stock and Sport Compact divisions. The top eight in points from last night are locked in and will run a dash during the fair. Meanwhile any car that ran Tuesday night plus new cars will race heats and “B” features to qualify for the main event. The Lee County Speedway portion of the Shootout is on for [Read More]

Martin sprints to URSS Boothill Showdown Steve King Memorial checkers

DODGE CITY, Kan. (July 3) – Now a resident of Lincoln, Neb., Jason Martin rarely gets an opportunity to race in front of his native Liberal, Kan., friends and family. Martin took full advantage of the opportunity to do just that by leading wire-to-wire in the 25-lap URSS vs. Precise Racing Products Sprint Car portion of the Boothill Showdown Steve King Memorial at Dodge City Raceway Park to take the $2,000 winner’s share. “There were some bad boys behind me. I had to be on my ‘A’ game to keep them there,” Martin said after the triumph over a field of 39 competitors. After a sixth-place run from 18th in Friday’s preliminary event, Martin earned a position in Sunday’s redraw after heat race action and pulled the pole starting position for the feature event with reigning track champion Luke Cranston alongside. Martin gunned into the lead at the outset and kept Cranston at bay throughout, surviving three minor cautions in the opening 15 rounds and then one final stoppage after 22 laps. Martin held off [Read More]

Driver appreciation, free grandstand admission Friday at Farley

By Jerry Mackey FARLEY, Iowa – Farley Speedway will host a full program of IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing action this Friday, July 8, featuring free grandstand admission on Driver Appreciation Night. The 3/8-mile dirt oval will host six classes of race cars headlined by the IMCA Late Models. Hot laps get underway at 7 p.m. with racing at 7:30 p.m.

Cranston takes URSS Dodge City prelim

DODGE CITY, Kan. (July 1) – In the 20-lap URSS vs. Precise Racing Products DCRP Sprint Car feature, Luke Cranston took advantage of a lap six restart and never looked back en route to his second consecutive Dodge City Raceway Park triumph. “The car was working really good early on. It felt like it slowed a little later in the race though,” Cranston commented. If it lost any speed at all, it wasn’t noticeable as Cranston weathered several cautions along the way to capture the victory in the first URSS National event of the season. While Cranston rallied from the sixth starting position to take the lead away from Darren Berry on a lap six restart, the battle for position in his wake was intense throughout with Taylor Velasquez ultimately making his way into the runner-up position by sliding past Mike Peters with the white flag in sight. Peters settled for third behind Cranston and Velasquez with Steve Richardson finishing fourth after losing a pair of positions following a lap 13 caution. Ty Williams raced [Read More]

Ward wins eighth at Tri-City

AUBURN, Mich. (July 1) – A.J. Ward captured his eighth Main Street Seed and Supply IMCA Modified win of the season at Tri-City Motor Speedway Friday night. The main event was loaded with drama and excitement as Ward was forced to start 19th in the 20-car field for the 20-lap mid-season championship. The father and son combination of Rusty Zeigler and Ken Zeigler won their heats and led the feature field to green. Rusty Zeigler spun and collected a number of competitors. Once back to green, Ken Zeigler was challenged on lap four by Chad Wernette, who continued to lead until lap 13 when mechanical issues caused him to spin and bring out the caution. With Wernette having to go to the pits, the lead was handed over to Todd Matheson. Matheson’s lead would be short lived as Ward, who was on a mission after an earlier heat incident, pulled the slide job on Matheson in turn four of lap 14. Ward went unchallenged for the final five laps to capture his eighth feature in [Read More]

Midweek events at Independence, Kossuth County next for Deery Series

VINTON, Iowa (June 29) – A pair of midweek events are next on the schedule for the 30th annual Deery Brothers Summer Series. Touring IMCA Late Models race for $2,000 to win and a minimum of $300 to start on Wednesday, July 6 at Independence Motor Speedway and Thursday, July 7 at Kossuth County Speedway in Algona. The series is still looking for its first repeat winner as Denny Eckrich, Curt Martin, Scott Fitzpatrick, Joel Callahan, Ray Guss Jr. and Justin Kay all have made their way to victory lane through the first six events. Seven-time champion Jeff Aikey maintains a tenuous hold on the point standings heading to Indee. The $9,325 tour point fund for the first half of the series will be paid to drivers in top 10 standings following the Algona event. This Independence show is during the Buchanan County Fair and there will be a separate entrance between the pit shack and the grandstand where fans can purchase spectator admission without paying to get into the fair as well. Tickets are $16 [Read More]

Dale Miller Memorial tonight at Independence

INDEPENDENCE, Iowa (July 6) – Tonight’s Dale Miller Memorial boasts a $7,000-plus purse for Performance Bodies IMCA Modifieds at Independence Motor Speedway. The second annual event helps kick off the 2016 Buchanan County Fair. The Deery Brothers Summer Series for IMCA Late Models and Albert Auto IMCA Northern SportMods complete the racing program. Miller was a big part of the Independence Motor Speedway racing family until his untimely passing in April of 2015. Miller, an employee of Performance Bodies prior to his passing, was a valuable member of the Josh Sherbon (no. 75 IMCA Modified) race team. His shocking passing affected several members of the IMS racing family. The Dale Miller Memorial was created in 2015 and it has grown ever bigger in 2016. Thanks to Wes and Tabitha White, co-owners of Albert Auto 380 in Urbana, the Performance Bodies IMCA Modified purse has seen a $1,000 increase. The winner will receive a $1,300 payday with $100 to start the main. It is a draw/redraw show battling for their share of the $7,000-plus purse and [Read More]

Grimes wins Jamestown’s Fourth of July classic

By Michael Savaloja The Jamestown Sun JAMESTOWN, N.D. (July 4) – Jason Grimes picked a great night to prove what Xtreme Motor Sports IMCA Modifieds can do at Jamestown Speedway. Grimes rumbled to the front of Monday’s 20-lap feature from the 11th starting position, and he’d put just over a four-second lead between his No. 99 and second place to capture the win and cap the annual Fourth of July Don Wilhelm Stock Car Classic. “Every dog has his day,” said Grimes, after collecting his first feature trophy of the year. “The car has been excellent. I just haven’t had any luck to go with it lately.” Grimes won in front of the best attendance the track has witnessed this summer. The track was in excellent condition, with minimal dust, for Monday’s field of 23 Modifieds. Grimes diced his way to third in the first seven laps and overtook pole sitter Trent Grager for the top spot after a crafty restart with 13 circuits remaining. Ryan Schroeder used the second position to put Grimes on [Read More]