Newswire

Hall of fame career ends for Crystal promoter Ron Flinn

CRYSTAL, Mich. (Feb. 15, 2023) – Looking back at the end of one era and the beginning of another, Ron Flinn hopes to be remembered for the respect he showed the drivers, race teams and fans. It’s a good bet he’ll be remembered for his height and his sense of humor, too. Owner and promoter Flinn and his wife Mary Jane have announced the sale of Crystal Motor Speedway, Michigan’s longest continuously sanctioned Friesen Performance IMCA Modified track. The Flinns and son Ryan have handed the keys to Jake LeBaron, Steven Vernon and Brian LeBaron and will help the new ownership team in the transition. “It’s been a long and treasured ride for sure. I have been so blessed,” said the 81-year-old Flinn, the tallest promoter in IMCA at 6-8 and a regular in senior basketball action across the country when not at the track. “I have been blessed by my racing families and my basketball families, to say nothing about my personal family. They are all near and dear.” Now a Michigan Motorsports Hall [Read More]

Speedway Motors renews Super Nationals, IMCA Weekly Racing support

LINCOLN, Neb.(Feb. 15, 2023) – Speedway Motors adds another new role to its support of IMCA and IMCA drivers, as part of the latest three-year sponsorship agreement with the sanctioning body. The Lincoln, Neb., high performance parts manufacturer, retailer and distributor has inked a new pact that runs through its 46th season as a sponsor of IMCA. 2023 also marks Speedway Motors’ 29th season as title sponsor of Super Nationals, the biggest and most prestigious event in all of dirt racing, and 16th as title sponsor of IMCA Weekly Racing, helping 200-plus tracks in the United States and Canada defray ongoing costs of holding sanctioned regular and special events. And following a 40th annual event that brought a record 1,000 entries to Boone Speedway, the upcoming Super Nationals marks Speedway Motors’ first as title sponsor of Manufacturers’ Row. “We are proud to continue our support of IMCA and the racing community through this multi-year agreement, helping customers build their dreams while keeping racing safe, fun and affordable,” said Speedway Motors President and owner Clay Smith. “Our roots are in [Read More]

Headed to Abilene for the Ice Breaker? Get your 2023 IMCA license before leaving home

ABILENE, Texas (Feb. 13, 2023) – Drivers headed to Abilene Speedway for this weekend’s IMCA.TV Ice Breaker should have their 2023 IMCA license purchased before heading to the track. Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, Smiley’s Racing Products IMCA Southern SportMods and Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compacts are on season-opening cards Friday, Feb. 17 and Saturday, Feb. 18. Drivers in each of those divisions who haven’t purchased new licenses yet can go to imca.com and complete that process, and make things a little easier for everybody at the pit shack and in the scoring booth. Stock Cars race for $1,500 to win and B & B Racing Chassis All-Star Invitational qualifying eligibility while Modifieds run for $1,500 top checks and Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifying eligibility both nights. Features for the Southern SportMods pay $1,000 to win and the Sport Compacts $350 to win. IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National, GRT Race Cars South Central and EQ Cylinder Heads Southern Region, Texas State and track points will be awarded for both draw/redraw programs. The Thursday, Feb. [Read More]

Schaeffer Oil primed to reward another record number of IMCA state champions

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (Feb. 13, 2023) – A record number of IMCA state champions earn product awards from Schaeffer Oil for a third consecutive season. The St. Louis-based synthetic oil, fuel additive and lubricants manufacturer gives two gallons of racing oil and four quarts of gear lube to each of the 130-plus state champions crowned in 2023. Schaeffer is in its fourth season of sponsorship and third as Official Lubricant of IMCA, and also renews awards for champions at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s and IMCA RaceSaver Nationals in September. STARS Mod Lite, Late Model, Sport Compact, Northern SportMod, Hobby Stock, Stock Car and Modified champions at Super Nationals, and the Sprint Car champion at the RaceSaver Nationals all receive cases of racing oil, gear lube and Penetro lubricant. “Many of our drivers are already loyal Schaeffer Oil customers and this program is unique in that it rewards so many different competitors in every state where there are IMCA sanctions,” observed Carson Becker-Gramm, marketing integration and sponsorship director for IMCA. “The first [Read More]

Sunoco signing on as title sponsor for Lone Star IMCA Stock Car Tour

KENNEDALE, Texas (Feb. 13, 2023) – The title sponsor of the IMCA Stock Car division is the new title sponsor of the upcoming tour for The Class Too Tough to Tame in Texas. Six race dates are on the Sunoco Race Fuels Lone Star IMCA Stock Car Tour schedule, starting with $1,000 to win, minimum $100 to start features Friday, March 3 and Saturday, March 4 at Kennedale Speedway Park. Drivers who are pre-registered and maintain perfect attendance tour earn progressive payouts from that point, $2,000 to win and a minimum of $200 to start Monday, March 6 and Tuesday, March 7 at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in Mesquite and $3,000 to win and a minimum of $300 to start Wednesday, March 8 and Thursday, March 9 at Heart O’ Texas Speedway in Waco. “This is a big deal. It’s not just the winners that are going to get more money every night,” tour director Jon Courchaine of Sniper Speed Chassis said, with a Texas-wide grin that stretched from El Paso to Port Arthur. “Plus, we have tons [Read More]

Perfect start to season sees Raffurty dominate IMCA Sugar Bowl Winter Nationals

CLEWISTON, Fla. (Feb. 11, 2023) – Dillon Raffurty thought he had the car to win last year’s Sugar Bowl Winter Nationals presented by Sunoco Race Fuels. When he returned to Hendry County Motorsports Park for the fourth annual IMCA STARS Mod Lite special, he won almost everything but Saturday night’s 50/50 drawing. Raffurty led all but the first circuit in winning the 30-lap headline event at Clewiston, taking the $7,500 checkers nearly four seconds ahead of runner-up Jimmy Wills. “This was the perfect way to start the season. Three points races and three wins,” said the two-time defending IMCA national champion from Kansas City, Mo. “Our total for the week (just shy of $10,000) was way more than I was hoping for coming down.” Fifty-eight drivers from a dozen states and Canada vied over the course of the Feb. 8-11 special and nine of those states were represented on Saturday’s main event grid. Defending race winner Ronnie Choate started outside Raffurty on the front row and led the first lap, then went to the back [Read More]

IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National Point Standings through Feb. 8, 2023

Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds – 1. Chaz Baca, Mesa, Ariz., 376; 2. Grey Ferrando, Stayton, Ore., 344; 3. Tim Ward, Harcourt, Iowa, 333; 4. Kollin Hibdon, Pahrump, Nev., 306; 5. Zachary Madrid, Phoenix, Ariz., 266; 6. Andrew Pearce, Oakley, Calif., 262; 7. Troy Morris III, Bakersfield, Calif., 250; 8. Jeremy Mills, Clear Lake, Iowa, 226; 9. Braxton Yeager, Green River, Wy., 220; 10. Kody Scholpp, Estevan, Sask., 207; 11. Jacob Hobscheidt, Plattsmouth, Neb., 203; 12. Devin Fouquette, Saint Cloud, Minn., 193; 13. Timothy Allerdings, Prescott Valley, Ariz., 189; 14. Jonathan Mawhinney, Las Vegas, Nev., 183; 15. Jerry Flippo, Clear Lake, Iowa, 174; 16. Tanner Black, Otis, Kan., 169; 17. Brady Bjella, Williston, N.D., and Brandon Beckendorf, Danube, Minn., both 168; 19. Steven Pfeifer, Minot, N.D., 166; 20. Dyllan Ricks, Boyden, Iowa, 165. IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars – 1. Zachary Madrid, Phoenix, Ariz., 468; 2. Irvin Roberts, Gresham, Ore., 412; 3. Chris McCurdy, Tempe, Ariz., 378; 4. Buddy Wade, Congress, Ariz., 337; 5. Jim Horejsi, Marshall, Minn., 318; 6. Jerry Flippo, Clear Lake, Iowa, 296; 7. Scott Sluka, [Read More]

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Beatrice has new promoter, four IMCA RaceSaver dates

BEATRICE, Neb. (Feb. 8, 2023) – New promoter Tommy Denton is already a long-time fixture at Beatrice Speedway. Denton takes over the top job at the 3/8-mile eastern Nebraska clay oval, where Friday night Speedway Motors Weekly Racing programs expand to six divisions. “We’re going to work on increasing grandstand attendance and car counts and will try to do some different things to accomplish that,” promised Denton, who’d raced bronco and factory stocks before joining the staff at Beatrice, doing the announcing before moving on to corner man and lineup board chores. “The first thing I did after I moved back here in 1980 was go to the race track. I want this track to be successful.” Bookended by Spring Nationals and Octoberfest specials, weekly races at Beatrice May 5 through Aug. 25 will again feature Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks, Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods and Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compacts. Beatrice will also crown its first-ever IMCA RaceSaver track champion, with Sprint Car dates scheduled May 12, [Read More]

Mod Lites of Arkansas, North Texas head to Louisiana for Caddo Parish Shakedown

VIVIAN, La. (Feb. 7, 2023) – The Mod Lites of Arkansas and North Texas Mod Lites come together for a two-day event at Ark-La-Tex Speedway in Vivian, La., Feb. 24-25. The Caddo Parish Shakedown marks the first time two IMCA STARS Mod Lite series have co-sanctioned an event. The Friday winner earns $500 while Saturday’s winner takes home $1,000. Drivers from Arkansas, Texas, Missouri, Tennessee and Iowa, among others, are expected to compete and will receive IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National, Mod Lites of Arkansas and North Texas Mod Lite series, and state points. “I’ve just started as the promoter of the North Texas Mod Lites and am looking forward to working with the Mod Lites of Arkansas and helping build this division,” said John Thiel Jr. “My focus is to build relationships and have fun in the process.” Mod Lites of Arkansas promoter Bryce Vowan noted the Caddo Parish Shakedown marked the first appearance for STARS Mod Lites at Vivian, now promoted by Kevin Rogers. “We have enjoyed working with other series in [Read More]