Newswire

Benning returns to promotional helm at Independence Motor Speedway

INDEPENDENCE, Iowa – Dana Benning returns to the helm at Independence Motor Speedway in 2015, this time with a partner. Benning and son Brady comprise B & D Promotions, which will oversee events at the 3/8-mile semi-banked clay oval. “It’s exciting to come back,” said Benning, who had promoted Independence from 2000-2002. “We put new lighting in 15 years ago and that was a starting point for improvements made since then. The facility has been much updated, so it’s kind of like walking into a turnkey operation.” A new victory lane and continued work on the racing surface are on the more immediate agenda at Indee with a new front straight catch fence in future plans. “There isn’t a lot of work that has to be done to the facility,” acknowledged Benning, most recently event manager at Benton County Speedway. “What we need to do is polish the show and make sure it continues being the best in Eastern Iowa.” Five sanctioned divisions, the IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modifieds, IMCA Late Models, IMCA Sunoco Stock [Read More]

Top five Modifieds, SportMod winner pass post-Duel In The Desert tire test

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Tire samples taken from top five finishers in the IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modified main event and from IMCA SportMod main event winner J.C. Howell revealed no use of any foreign substance(s) at the Duel In The Desert. This was the third year samples were taken from top finishing Modifieds and submitted to a testing laboratory following the special at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Terry Phillips, Jordan Grabouski, R.C. Whitwell, Johnny Scott and Chris Brown comprised the top five. With the increase in Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMod and Scoggin-Dickey Parts Center Southern SportMod entries – a record 96 competed at the Nov. 12-15 Duel – tire testing was expanded to include the winner of that main event as well. “Since results are final we will begin mailing the complete payout to all drivers who earned shares of the Duel In The Desert purse,” IMCA Vice President of Operations Brett Root said.

IMCA honors best of the best at national awards banquet

LINCOLN, Neb. (Nov. 29) – The best dirt track drivers in the nation were honored Saturday night in Lincoln, when IMCA hosted its national awards banquet. 2014 national champions taking their turn at the podium were Zane DeVilbiss, IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modifieds; Justin Kay, IMCA Late Models; Clint Benson, IMCA Eagle Motorsports RaceSaver Sprint Cars; Mike Nichols, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars; Shannon Anderson, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks; Matt Looft in the Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMods; Chad Hertel in the Scoggin-Dickey Parts Center Southern SportMods; and Nate Coopman in the Mach-1 Sport Compacts. Benson and Hertel were both first-time national kings. DeVilbiss, Kay, Looft and Coopman each reigned for the second time, Nichols and Anderson for the fifth. Modified regional champions were Zane DeVilbiss in the Larry Shaw Racing Western, William Gould in the Razor Chassis South Central, Johnny Saathoff in the Jet Racing Central, Chris Abelson in the Belleville Motorsports North Central and Chris Fleming in the Dort Works Eastern. Mike Nichols reigned in the Arnold Motor Supply Northern Region and Matt Guillaume repeated [Read More]

Taylor tops big money show at Desert Thunder Nationals

CASA GRANDE, Ariz. (Nov. 22-23) – The top check at Central Arizona Speedway’s inaugural Desert Thunder Nationals went home with a driver already familiar with victory lane at Casa Grande. Jeff Taylor led every time around the track in Sunday’s $3,000 to win IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modified main event. The 30-lapper ended green, white, checkered after a late caution and Taylor pulled away from Ricky Thornton Jr. to win by six car lengths. “We got into a little lapped traffic about halfway but that didn’t give us any trouble,” said Taylor, driving the Industrial Electric and Allgayer Inc.-sponsored ride. “We had a pretty good car.” Thornton challenged after one restart but wasn’t able to maintain the pace. Cody Graham and Tyler Mecl were next across the stripe as home state drivers ran 2-3-4. Graham had started 15th. Hunter Marriott raced from 22nd on the initial grid to round out the top five. Jesse Sobbing collected the $1,000 IMCA Modified checkers on opening night at Casa Grande. Thornton was second and Marriott was promoted to [Read More]

Motocross veteran races to success promoting Arizona tracks

SAN TAN VALLEY, Ariz. – A native of the Midwest with a two-wheeled background is finding success promoting racing on four wheels in Arizona. Jonah Trussel has raced motocross many of his 37 years and promoted events for that sport at Arizona Speedway for the past 8-1/2 seasons. A 1/3-mile dirt oval was built at the Apache Junction venue and IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modifieds joined regular shows beginning in 2011; Trussel kept the sanctioned division on programs at Central Arizona Speedway when he took charge of the Casa Grande track last January. “Promoting is something that I like to do. I enjoy being involved with racing and racers, and I’ve had fun doing it,” he said. “The better percentage of weekends of my life have been spent at the track, whether it be motocross or a dirt track. A lot of my buddies grew up driving stock cars so we spent a lot of time watching each other race.” The Indiana native began competing at a club-built motocross track conveniently located right across the [Read More]

Few changes made in IMCA rules for 2015 season

VINTON, Iowa – Few changes have been made in IMCA rules for next season. The quick change option for Modifieds was announced in August. Most of what will be different in 2015, noted IMCA Vice President of Operations Brett Root, are clarifications to the rules for 2014. Snell-rated SA 2015 helmets, as well as SA2005 and SA 2010, are approved for use in all divisions beginning next season. That’s the only difference in safety rules from this season to next. An industry trend is addressed with the addition of the term vortex generator in body rules for the Modifieds and SportMods. No additional fins, tips, wings or vortex generators will be allowed in any of those divisions. “We are seeing these items added to the bodies of race cars and being incorporated on roofs,” Root explained. “Google it and you’ll understand. A vortex generator is an aerodynamic add-on and will not be allowed.” Clarified exhaust rules for Modifieds, Stock Cars and SportMods give a maximum length of 19 inches for the collector and turndown. A [Read More]

Executive secretary filing out after 25 years with IMCA

VINTON, Iowa – IMCA’s longest tenured employee will end one career and start another on Nov. 26. Executive Secretary Rick Haefner will retire after more than 25 years with the sanctioning body. He’ll trade scheduling, record-keeping and correspondence chores for time with grandchildren, a honey do list, travel and plenty of golfing and fishing. “I’ll miss the people here and a lot of the people I’ve worked with in my 25-plus years at IMCA,” he said. “Meeting and making friends with so many different people from across the United States is what I’ve enjoyed most about working here.” IMCA had just four other full-time employees when Haefner punched in for his first day of work on March 3, 1989. He was in charge of points and membership, in a position created because of the amount of time his co-workers spent on the road and out of the office. There were 85 sanctions – 59 of them for Modifieds – at tracks in 15 states when Haefner started at IMCA. “The computers we were using then [Read More]

Longdale is new Oklahoma home for three IMCA divisions

LONGDALE, Okla. – Three IMCA divisions will have a second weekly Oklahoma home next season. Longdale Speedway, a ½-mile clay oval, adds IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modifieds, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars and IMCA SportMods to Saturday programs. The same classes return to Friday shows at Outlaw Motorsports Park in Wainwright. Both venues are owned by Jessie Hoskins. Longdale was completed and ran its first season this year; Hoskins purchased Outlaw from Carey Menasco this fall and got in four race nights. The 3/8-mile dirt facility has since undergone a major facelift on both the grandstand and pit sides. “I’m relatively new to the sport but what I’ve seen is that drivers want tracks to get on the same page with the same rules,” said Hoskins, who has raced a Scoggin-Dickey Parts Center Southern SportMod, most recently at the Duel In The Desert. “Having two tracks, I think this is the right thing to do. It’s the direction this sport is heading.” The first points races of 2015 at Longdale will be March 19-21. Outlaw opens [Read More]

Speckman tops Fan Favorite voting for fendered entries

By Ryan Clark SLEEPY EYE, Minn. – Aside from his travels during the Kupper Chevrolet Dakota Classic Stock Car Tour, Matt Speckman stayed close to home during the 2014 season. The Sleepy Eye, Minn., driver earned a handful of feature wins in weekly competition at Arlington Raceway, Murray County Speedway in Slayton and Redwood Speedway in Redwood Falls. Speckman earned one more win in November as the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car driver was the top vote-getter in the Sybesma Graphics IMCA Facebook Fan Favorite Contest for fendered divisions. He receives a mini-hood from Sybesma Graphics. “Our season was all right,” said Speckman. “We ended up with five wins.” Those wins were scattered at all three tracks where he competed regularly. Chasing points, though, wasn’t on Speckman’s list of priorities. “We weren’t really able to run for points anywhere,” he explained. “Since I went to the Dakota Tour, I had to miss some nights at home.” Speckman has made the Dakota Tour an annual part of his racing schedule in recent years. “A buddy of mine [Read More]

Record $75,000-plus in contingencies awarded to IMCA drivers in 2014

VINTON, Iowa – More than $75,000 in contingency awards will go to IMCA drivers, based on their participation in sign-up programs or having met other requirements unique to individual programs in 2014. “The value of contingency awards and cash prizes continues to increase each season,” noted IMCA Marketing Director Kevin Yoder. “I would encourage our drivers to redeem any mid-season or season-ending certificates as soon as possible, and to continue supporting the businesses that support them.” Certificates, cash and some product awards will be presented during the national awards banquet later this month in Lincoln, Neb. The rest will be mailed directly to drivers beginning in early December. The following contingency awards were not necessarily determined by actual regional finish, but by either driver sign-up sheets or other unique requirements. For all contingency awards winners where it applies, their actual finishing position, either regional or national, is in parenthesis. All awards are product certificates unless noted otherwise. AFCO Racing Products Top 3 Modified drivers in each region: 1) $250, 2) $150, 3) $50. Larry Shaw [Read More]