Events

Hawkeye Dirt Tour date at Oskaloosa rescheduled to July 15

OSKALOOSA, Iowa (June 11) – The IMCA Hawkeye Dirt Tour event scheduled tonight (Thursday) at Southern Iowa Speedway has been rescheduled due to inclement weather. The series for Xtreme Motor Sports IMCA Modifieds now travels to Oskaloosa for a Wednesday, July 15 show. That’s the night before the Harris Clash, also part of the Hawkeye Dirt Tour, at Knoxville Raceway. Next up for the HDT is the Thursday, June 18 event on Bud Night at Lee County Speedway in Donnellson. IMCA Late Models will now run Wednesday, June 24 at Southern Iowa Speedway.

Weekly

Stone returning to Merced in borrowed Modified

MERCED, Calif. – Paul Stone would rather drive someone else’s car than sit and watch the races at Merced Speedway on Saturday night. Because building his new IMCA Modified is taking longer than expected, Stone found another seat to sit in. He’ll be driving a car owned by Jack Mounce of Merced for the second time this season. “It’s like when you’re on the road and you are sleeping in a bed that isn’t yours. It never feels quite as good as the one you have at home,” Stone said. “An unfamiliar car adds an extra challenge to driving.” Stone, who is known nationally in the ranks of IMCA, will make Mounce’s car more like his own as the season progresses. Though the new car was all assembled in his garage early last week, it was unassembled by the week’s end. Stone is a perfectionist. He disassembled the car to have the parts powder-coated. The colorful coating will add extra protection to the car’s chassis. “I don’t think the new car will be seen that [Read More]

Feature

A perfect 10: Schedule announced for IMCA Haw­keye Dirt Tour

VINTON, Iowa – The Hawkeye Dirt Tour takes its first green flag Tuesday, May 12 at the home track of IMCA Modifieds, Benton County Speedway in Vinton. In all, 10 dates are on the schedule for the sixth annual series. Each feature pays a minimum of $1,000 to win and will be a Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot-qualifying event. The champion earns a $600 share of the tour’s $3,000 point fund, plus bonus points applicable toward national and regional standings. I-35 Speedway at Mason City hosts the Memorial Day special on May 25. Touring IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modifieds will be paired with the Deery Brothers Summer Series on June 9 at Jack­son County Speedway in Maquoketa. The tour is at Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa on June 11, Lee County Speedway in Donnell­son on June 18 and Hancock County Speedway in Britt on June 30. The Harris Clash show also brings Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMods to Knoxville Raceway on July 16. Buena Vista Raceway at Alta hosts the July 22 event. Dates Aug. 11 [Read More]

Feature

Mari tops October entries in non-fendered divisions

By Ryan Clark IMPERIAL, Calif. – What Lance Mari considered a mediocre year would be a successful one by the standards of many drivers. The Imperial, Calif., veteran earned three wins en route to a third place finish in the final standings at Cocopah Speedway, a mere 13 points short of earning his second straight track championship. He was also the winner of October’s Sybesma Graphics IMCA Facebook Fan Favorite Contest for non-fendered divisions. The honor earns him a mini-mod door courtesy of Sybesma. “We built a new car,” said Mari, “and when it’s on, it’s real good. When it’s not, it’s a struggle. I think we’re at the end of the struggles with it.” Mari, who runs MRT Race Cars, has built his own cars since the mid-2000s. “The newer designed car seems like it wants to work, it’s just a matter of putting it all together,” he explained. Along with the weekly battles at Cocopah, Mari did his fair share of traveling by following the Winter Challenge Series in Arizona and Kupper Chevrolet [Read More]

Weekly

Abelson ends incredible week at Raceway Park

By Bob Coney JEFFERSON, S.D. (July 20) – Chris Abelson capped an incredible week with his victory in the Jebro Inc. IMCA Modified division Sunday at Raceway Park. After picking up IMCA wins Wednesday at Buena Vista Raceway, Thursday in the Harris Clash at Knoxville Raceway and Friday at Crawford County Speedway, Abelson closed out the week by taking Sunday’s feature win over Sean Barrigan and Matt Bonine. Abelson had moved into the lead of the national points race following his win at Knoxville. In the Casey’s General Stores IMCA Stock Car division, Ryan Harris made it two wins in a row, topping Jim Hall and Todd Gereau for the feature victory. R.J. Merchant shot to the front early and held on for victory in the Skyline Casino IMCA Northern SportMod feature. Second was Rusty Montange, followed by Darin Roepke. The MOPAR IMCA Hobby Stock feature belonged to Craig Clift who held back championship contend­ers Andy Hoffman and Mike Hansen. The KISS 107.1 FM IMCA Sport Compact win went to defending champion Cody Thompson, who [Read More]

Dakota Mod Tour

Schroeder scores XSAN Hawkeye Dirt Tour checkers with late pass at Osky

OSKALOOSA, Iowa (July 15) – While the list of entries came from eight states and Canada, it was a driver from the Hawkeye State in victory lane following Tuesday’s XSAN Hawkeye Dirt Tour main event at Southern Iowa Speedway. Andrew Schroeder took advantage when race-long leader Todd Shute got high in traffic with four circuits left in the IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modified series 25-lapper, going low coming out of the second turn to take the front spot away. Schroeder pulled away to win by five car lengths, earning $1,000 and a spot on the ballot for the 2014 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot. Shute had started on the pole and ended second in the latest Hawkeye Dirt Tour feature to run caution free. Monday night HDT winner and current point leader Mike Van Genderen, Luke Wan­ninger and Jacob Murray completed the top five. After wrestling second away from Van Genderen on lap 11, Schroeder tried to sneak inside Shute, who pulled ahead and looked to have the race in hand until encountering the back [Read More]

Feature

Auringer earns second Hogan Memorial win at Benton County Speedway

By Ryan Clark VINTON, Iowa (July 13) – The last time J.D. Auringer won the Hogan Memorial, he led every lap except one. He did himself one better Sunday night at Benton County Speedway. Auringer, who first won the IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modified special in 2007, led all 40 laps Sunday night to earn his second victory in the event’s 20-year history. Auringer earned $1,250 for winning the race, plus $2,250 in lap money and the halfway leader bonus and additional bonus money to bring his total share of the purse to $3,850. He also receives a free wrap from Tenacity Graphics, plus a new Hoosier tire from IMCA. The win also put him on the ballot for the upcoming Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational. Forty-five Modified drivers from six states signed in to compete Sunday at Vinton. From his outside front row starting spot, Auringer pulled away from pole-sitter Jeremy Mills when the green flag waved. Running the high groove, Auringer built a straightaway lead and encountered lapped traffic while Hunter Marriott and Dan [Read More]

Feature

Hawkeye State Speedweek sports three XSAN Hawkeye Dirt Tour dates

VINTON, Iowa (July 11) – Following in the tire tracks of the high-paying Hogan Memorial, three XSAN Hawkeye Dirt Tour events are scheduled over the course of just five nights during the Hawkeye State Modified Speedweek. Touring IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modifieds race for $1,000 to win and a minimum of $150 to start on Monday, July 14 at Lee County Speedway in Donnellson and Tuesday, July 15 at Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa. Top prize is $2,000 at the Thursday, July 17 Harris Clash at Knoxville Raceway. That event pays a minimum of $250 to start. IMCA Modifieds race for as much as $4,000 to win when Hawkeye State Speedweek starts Sunday, July 13 with the Hogan Memorial special at Benton County Speedway. Pit gates open at 4 p.m. and racing starts at 6 p.m. at Vinton, where IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMods and IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks complete the program. Lee County opens the pit gates at 5 p.m. and waves the first green flag at 7:30 p.m. Monday. IMCA [Read More]

Events

$4,000 is possible to win at 20th annual Hogan Memorial

VINTON, Iowa (July 6) – It’s billed as the most antici­pated event of the year at Benton County Speedway and the 20th annual Hogan Memorial is a good bet to be just that. The Sunday, July 13 IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modi­fied main event pays $1,250 to win, an­other $50 for each of the 40 laps led, plus $250 to the leader at mid­way. With the addition of a $500 hard charger award, that makes for a potential payoff of $4,000. If not al­ready vote eligible, the winner will be added to the ballot for the 2014 Fast Shafts All-Star Invi­tational. Minimum start money has been upped to $200. Each heat race winner earns $100. IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National, Belleville Motorsports North Central Region and Allstar Performance State points will be awarded at the draw/redraw show. A mandatory caution will be thrown for a five minute break midway through the feature, with all cars stopping on the frontstretch. Two former race winners and the top two drivers in lo­cal track points who do [Read More]

Feature

XSAN Hawkeye Dirt Tour date at Lee County rescheduled to July 14

DONNELLSON, Iowa (June 19) – Another ominous forecast has resulted in another XSAN Hawkeye Dirt Tour postponement. With rain in the late afternoon and evening forecast, the IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modified tour event scheduled tonight (Tuesday) at Lee County Speedway in Donnellson has been moved to Monday, July 14. Program of events for that night is to be announced. The new date makes for an even busier week of racing for IMCA Modified drivers, following weekly races and the July 13 Hogan Memorial at Benton County Speedway in Vinton. The Hawkeye Dirt Tour is at Southern Iowa Speedway on Tuesday, July 15 and at Knoxville Raceway on Thursday, July 17 for the Harris Clash show; Oskaloosa’s regular weekly show is on the Wednesday between those dates.