Newswire

Sellers gets first career win on emotional night at Independence

INDEPENDENCE, Iowa (May 31) – Emotions were strong Saturday night at Independence Motor Speedway as those in attendance honored the memory of Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMod driver Brandon Smith. A weekly competitor in Independence throughout his career, Smith died in an accident in his garage over the weekend. Outside front row starter Lucas Lundry took the lead at the on-set of the 15-lap feature. He distanced himself from the pack while Matt McCahen and Dakoda Sellers pursued. While the race was already under caution on lap nine, a fire erupted from Lundry’s brakes which forced him to an early exit. That left McCahen and Sellers on the front row for the ensuing restart. Sellers shot into the lead when racing resumed and led the final six laps to score the first win of his career. McCahen ran second head of Kevin Hurst. Luke Pestka took the lead in lapped traffic to drive to his first win of the year in the IMCA Late Model feature. Russell Hesse led early and was pressured by Sean Johnson [Read More]

“Speedy” Bill Smith crosses the Finish Line

LINCOLN, Neb. – Victory Lane fell silent this weekend as the performance automotive community lost a pioneering racer, hot rodder and entrepreneur. “Speedy” Bill Smith, founder and owner of Speedway Motors, died May 30 at his home in Lincoln, Neb., just weeks before his 85th birthday. He is survived by four sons, their wives, ten grandchildren and an extended family of Speedway Motors employees and thousands of loyal customers. A Lincoln, Neb., native, Smith got hooked on cars early in life and began buying, fixing, and selling Model T’s for profit as a teen. Soon he was racing, first motorcycles, then cars, while attending classes at Nebraska Wesleyan University. After earning a degree in education, Smith followed his automotive passion and opened Speedway Motors in 1952, aided by a $300 loan from his wife Joyce. A combination of passion, tenacity and innovation allowed Smith to grow a small 20×20 storefront into a flourishing mail-order business and manufacturing empire. During its 62 years in business, Speedway Motors has grown to become one of the largest manufacturers, [Read More]

Seals-it returns as IMCA sponsor with awards in Deery Series, all eight sanctioned divisions

ELLINGTON, Conn. – A company already familiar to many IMCA drivers returns as a sponsor for special events in all sanctioned divisions this season. Seals-it gives $50 product certificates to designated place finishers at IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modified, IMCA Late Model, IMCA Eagle Motorsports RaceSaver Sprint Car, IMCA Sunoco Stock Car, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock, Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMod, Scoggin-Dickey Parts Center Southern SportMod and Mach-1 Sport Compact specials. Deery Brothers Summer Series competitors will be among the award recipients. Certificates will be mailed from the IMCA home office after official race results are received and can be applied toward purchases of seals, seal kits and a wide variety of high performance products from the Ellington, Conn., manufacturer. Seals-it had previously been a national sponsor for the Modified, Stock Car and Hobby Stock divisions from 2000-2002. “We’ve always had an interest in IMCA and have recognized what they’re doing to keep racing affordable,” Seals-it owner and president Skip Matczak said. “We’re concerned about Saturday night racing becoming out of touch to the average working [Read More]

IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National Point Standings Through May 29

IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modifieds – 1. Keith White, Little River Academy, Texas, 978; 2. Ryan Roath, Phoenix, Ariz., 954; 3. Ronnie Welborn, Princeton, Texas, 870; 4. Glen Hibbard, Euless, Texas, 865; 5. Dean Abbey, Waco, Texas, 862; 6. William Gould, Calera, Okla., 810; 7. Kyle Wilson, Monterey, Calif., 807; 8. Brian Schultz, Casa Grande, Ariz., 806; 9. Alexander Wilson, Salinas, Calif., 795; 10. Ben Ketteman, Pflugerville, Texas, 782; 11. Joe Spillman, Marble Falls, Texas, 735; 12. Ricky Thornton Jr., Chandler, Ariz., 730; 13. Jeff Streeter, Madera, Calif., 713; 14. Mike Jergens, Plover, Iowa, 706; 15. Josh Vogt, Santa Maria, Calif., 705; 16. Zane DeVilbiss, Farmington, N.M., and Tim Ward, Gilbert, Ariz., both 693; 18. Cayden Carter, Oskaloosa, Iowa, 687; 19. Tommy Fain, Abilene, Texas, 681; 20. Larry Hood, Bakersfield, Calif., 669. IMCA Late Models – 1. Todd Cooney, Des Moines, Iowa, 498; 2. Curt Schroeder, Ames, Iowa, 392; 3. Nick Marolf, Moscow, Iowa, 362; 4. Darrel DeFrance, Marshalltown, Iowa, 360; 5. Colby Springsteen, Wapello, Iowa, 357; 6. Curtis Glover, Des Moines, Iowa, 350; 7. [Read More]

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]

Ricochet shock guard awards are new for IMCA Modfieds, Northern SportMods

BRUSH, Colo. – Ricochet Race Components gives product awards this season, its first as an IMCA sponsor. Owned by veteran driver John Hansen, the Brush, Colo., company gives sets of three Ricochet shock guard covers to IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modified and Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMod competitors. “After running an IMCA special event last season we had several shocks damaged from debris on the track, as a result we saw the need to offer the racers a product to protect the shaft of the shock,” explained Hansen, who started Ricochet in April. “Other drivers expressed an interest in this product so we decided to give it a try.” Sets of three shock guard covers go to each of the five Modified regional champions, each Modified special series champion, fifth place finishers at each Kupper Chevrolet Dakota Classic Tour event and each XSAN Hawkeye Dirt Tour event, and to winners of 10 Modified specials throughout the season. The national Northern SportMod champion gets three shock guard covers, as do the top three finishers in both Modified [Read More]

XSAN Hawkeye Dirt Tour extends Perfect Attendance for all current drivers of the 2014 tilt

The XSAN Hawkeye Dirt Tour kicked off at I-35 Speedway in Mason City, Iowa, on May 26, 2014, and featured 40 IMCA Modifieds battling it out in a rain-shortened feature that saw Arizona’s 4TW Tim Ward win on the big half mile. At the pit meeting, IMCA Vice President of Operations Brett Root announced a bonus program for perfect attendance in 2014. If you are in the top ten in points at the next event and have attended all events you get a free entry fee, a $50 savings at each stop. The bonus program was expanded after Mason City. After discussions with the series sponsor XSAN, the new program is this: If you have perfect attendance you get free entry. It is not limited to the Top Ten. Forty drivers from Round 2 at Mason City, Iowa, are eligible for a free pass for Round 3 at Hamilton County Speedway in Webster City, Iowa, for the next run of the tour on June 3, 2014. XSAN will pick up the difference and pay your [Read More]

Deery Series, XSAN Hawkeye Dirt Tour share June 3 date at Webster City

WEBSTER CITY, Iowa (May 29) – The first of three racing doubleheaders this season for the Deery Brothers Summer Series and XSAN Hawkeye Dirt Tour is June 3 at Hamilton County Speedway. Traveling IMCA Late Models visit Webster City next Tuesday for a $3,000 to win, minimum $300 to start main event. The feature for IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modifieds is a Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot qualifier, paying $1,000 to win and a minimum of $150 to start. Also on the card are Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMods running for $750 to win and IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks chasing a $500 top check. Pit gates open at 5:30 p.m. and the grandstand opens at 6 p.m. Hot laps are at 7 p.m. and racing starts at 7:30 p.m. Spectator admission is $17 for adults, $6 for kids ages 7-15 and free for six and under. Pit passes are $30. Davenport’s Brian Harris took the checkers at Hamilton County on his way to winning the 2013 Deery championship. Jeff Aikey of Cedar Falls leads all drivers [Read More]