Newswire

Spectacular run takes Opheim to $2,000 checkers at Kossuth County

ALGONA, Iowa (July 23) – Kevin Opheim was spectacular in winning Thursday’s IMCA Sunoco Stock Car Spectacular at Kossuth County Speedway. Opheim drew the pole and ran at the front of a 30-car field that ran 25 laps green to checkered. “Algona has changed the banking. There’s a good high side and a berm around the bottom. I love running there,” Opheim said following his $2,000 victory, his biggest payday in what is now 125 career wins in the division. “It took a little while to clear the 11 car (outride row one starter Shay Curtin) but when I did that I was able to move up.” Opheim stretched his lead to nearly a straightaway and was two lapped cars ahead of Curtin when he crossed the finish line. Dustin Larson, Derek Green and Elijah Zevenbergen rounded out the top five. The win was the sixth this season, and second locally, for Opheim, still campaigning in the car he built in 2000 and has piloted since 2001. Forty-three Stock Car drivers from six states were [Read More]

Kay bolts to Thursday Night Thunder Deery win at Webster City

WEBSTER CITY, Iowa (July 23) – Justin Kay made the scorer’s job easy in a fast-paced Deery Brothers Summer Series main event at Hamilton County Speedway. Kay started on the pole and led every time around the track in a 35-lap IMCA Late Model feature that ran caution free and highlighted the Thursday Night Thunder county fair show. The defending series champion and current point leader, Kay had a straightaway advantage over eventual runner-up Curt Martin by lap six; Martin and Andy Nezworski were running the same distance ahead of Ryan Griffith in fourth. After catching up with the back of the field on lap 11, Kay got as many as three cars between his back bumper and Martin. The white flag was out by the time Martin cleared the last of the lapped cars. He made up ground on Kay but couldn’t challenge at the finish. Nezworski, Griffith and Richie Gustin rounded out the top five. The $3,000 checkers were Kay’s career tour 14th, tying him for eighth on the all-time Deery Series wins [Read More]

Osborne Speedway hosts opening night fair races

By Mike Hughes OSBORNE, Kan. (July 22) – Racing action returned to Osborne Speedway for the first of two nights of racing action during the Osborne County Fair on Wednesday. Cody Gearhart made the long haul worthwhile as he led all 20 laps of the Xtreme Motor Sports IMCA Modified feature. Gearhart started outside pole and jumped to a quick lead and never looked back. The field bunched up after a lap seven caution for a spinning Joe Cleveland, but Gearhart drove away for the victory following the restart. David Murray Jr. chased Gearhart the entire distance but had to settle for second. Randy Wilson finished third, followed by Mike Petersilie and Jesse Richter. Chad Sterling took the lead from Robert Walker on lap six of the 15-lap IMCA Sunoco Stock Car feature. Sterling then drove on for a trip to the winner’s circle. Walker prevailed in the race for second, trailed by Shaylon Holloway, Nolan Remus and Chase Conaway. Jake Krone led all 12 laps in the caution-free Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMod feature. Tyler [Read More]

Deal capitalizes on late restart for IMCA Hawkeye Dirt Tour win at Alta

ALTA, Iowa (July 22) – Nick Deal became the sixth different winner in as many IMCA Hawkeye Dirt Tour events this season Wednesday at Buena Vista Raceway, on a night when Ricky Stephan nearly accomplished the impossible. Stephan had to restart at the back of the Xtreme Motor Sports IMCA Modified field after spinning before the first lap was scored. He used multiple lines to work his way through traffic and was leading when what proved to be the final caution waved with three circuits left. Deal had run near the front for most of the 25-lap feature. He capitalized on that late restart, passing Stephan for the $1,000 feature win and an early berth on the 2016 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot. Defending HDT champion Mike Van Genderen regained sole possession of the point lead with a third-place finish, one spot better than former co-leader Kyle Brown. Long-time leader Chris Abelson ended in fifth. Jeremy Mills led in the early going from his outside row one starting spot. Abelson rode the top side of [Read More]

Rookie Droste races to first Deery win at Quad City

EAST MOLINE, Ill. (July 22) – The top rookie contender in the Deery Brothers Summer Series became a first-time IMCA Late Model tour winner Wednesday night at Quad City Speedway. Tyler Droste led all 50 laps from the pole, beating Matt Ryan to the $3,000 checkers by the better part of a straightaway. “We’ve been close a few times. To finally get the win feels pretty good,” said Droste, at little more than 19 years of age the youngest driver to win a main event in the series’ 28-plus year history. “I knew that starting on the pole would give us a pretty good chance and we had a good car, but I didn’t know we’d be that good.” Brunson Behning, Jeff Aikey and point leader Justin Kay completed the top five. Kay, the defending tour champion, had started last in the field of 22 and steadily worked his way toward the front. Andy Nezworski, Kay’s closest competitor in the point standings, was sixth. Setting the tone for the night in winning his heat race, [Read More]

Hoffman earns grand Hobby Stock win

By Bob Coney JEFFERSON, Iowa (July 19) – IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock racing was the highlight of a wild night of IMCA action Sunday at Raceway Park. With $1,000 on the line to the winner, 25 drivers took to the track for the 20-lap Jim Johnson Memorial Race. Johnson was a long time racer and race supporter in the Siouxland area who passed away from cancer last year. The battle for the win for most of the race was between Aaron Shearn, John Cain, and Andy Hoffman. After a late caution, Hoffman came out on top in a final shootout over Cain, Shearn, and Tony Fetterman. In other action, Drew Johnson took the win in the Mach-1 Sport Compact feature over Lance Mielke, Luke Jackson, and point leader Cody Thompson. The Karl Chevrolet SportMod division hit the track with the top five drivers in the division separated by only six points. At the end of the night, Rusty Montagne took over the division lead with the feature victory followed by Todd Boulware, former point leader [Read More]

First checkers of season fly for Allen

ARLINGTON, Minn. (July 18) – Brandon Allen led the distance Saturday at Arlington Raceway to pick up his first IMCA Eagle Motorsports RaceSaver Sprint Car victory of the season. Allen took the lead on the opening circuit and was a quarter of a lap ahead of the field for most of the race. Seventh starting Michael Stien was gaining on Allen lap by lap but ran out of time and settled for second ahead of Trevor Serbus. Cory Probst crossed the stripe just inches ahead of Mike Voight for his fifth straight and eighth overall Eckblad Trucking IMCA Hobby Stock feature win. Clint Hatlestad caught Trent Loverude for the lead and eventual win in an MN 93 IMCA Modified feature that ran green to checkered. Josh Telecky had the lead in the B&B Racing Chassis IMCA Stock Car feature for the first six laps but the hood on his car flew up, causing a caution and sending him to the work area. Dan Mackenthun ran away from the field from that point. Matt Looft raced [Read More]

Andersen aces Northern SportMod main at Seymour

By Dave Panske SEYMOUR, Wis. (July 19) – J.J. Andersen got reacquainted with the folks in victory lane Sunday at Seymour Speedway, following his first win in more than four years. The O’Reilly Auto Parts IMCA Northern SportMod feature started with a lap two caution, then finished with 18 non-stop laps. Dennis Miesler moved from the second row into the lead and had Andersen behind after the restart. The pair ran ahead of the field while a battle for third developed between Scott Besaw, Jeremy Cota, Lucas Lamberies and Travis Arenz. Andersen wrestled the front spot away from Miesler on lap nine and began into building his lead. Miesler became part of the race for second and had Lamberies challenge for a few laps. Andersen collected the win ahead of Miesler and Lamberies. Benji LaCrosse won his second straight and career 101st Budweiser IMCA Modified feature. Travis Van Straten drove away with his third straight and sixth local Coors Light IMCA Sunoco Stock Car win of the season. The Kim Parsons Memorial Trophy Tour promoting organ and tissue donation [Read More]

Watson wins Wetzel Memorial

By Josh Reynolds STUART, Iowa (July 19) – John Watson was the big winner Sunday in Stuart Speedway’s John Wetzel Memorial for IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks. Shannon Anderson ran right behind or alongside most of the way, but couldn’t complete a last-lap pass of Watson, who went home with a career-best $1,000 victory. Austin Luellen, Bill Bonnett and Jamie Songer rounded out the top five. Watson and Nebraska racer Shawn Slezak led the field to green. Watson led early over Buck Schafroth and Anderson, with Eric Stanton and Luellen trucking to the front. The final caution of the contest waved on lap eight and Watson picked up where he left off, leading Anderson, Luellen and Stanton. Fifteenth starting Bill Bonnett made it to fourth on lap 18 as the top three stayed the same. Anderson made his move on lap 23, heading up to the top side of the track and setting up a last-lap effort for the win. As the front pair came out of the second turn on the last lap, Anderson dove [Read More]

Voting starts for IMCA Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational

BOONE, Iowa – First-round voting is now underway to determine 14 starters in the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational. All voting is conducted through the IMCA Facebook page. The list of candidates is divided alphabetically from A-J and K-Z and five votes must be cast for drivers in each half of the alphabet; ballots can be cast once a day per Facebook account. Voting ends at noon next Monday, July 27 to select 14 Xtreme Motor Sports IMCA Modified drivers from a candidate list that includes winners of events paying $1,000 or more held through July 15, plus 2014 state and regional champions. Another 14 All-Stars, chosen from 40-point feature winners of sanctioned Modified events held between June 19 and July 16, advance from the second round of voting scheduled for July 29 to Aug. 5. Two drivers from each of the five regions and four at-large drivers will be elected in each round of voting. The 12th annual invitational will be Friday, Sept. 11 during the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s at Boone [Read More]