CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (Nov. 21, 2022) – They’re going to have to make room in the “little corner” of the race shop where Kaden Reynolds puts his trophies on display. Reynolds took his considerable on-track talent to the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car division in 2022, earning national and EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region rookie of the year awards. He won 14 features and clinched the track title at Benton County Speedway before returning to Boone and impressing at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. “We were real good this year. I was probably most happy with my consistency,” said Reynolds, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. “We raced weekly with some of the best drivers in the division, then went to Super Nationals and made a statement.” “It was pretty cool.”  He came to The Class Too Tough To Tame after three seasons in an IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock, winning rookie of the year in 2019, the Junior National Champion crown in 2020 and the national championship last year. “The biggest thing we had to do [Read More]

HARLAN, Iowa (Nov. 21, 2022) – The most unique of Mike Nichols’ 25-plus racing seasons had a familiar conclusion. Nichols earned the 11th national and EQ Cylinder Heads Regional championships of his IMCA Sunoco Stock Car career in 2022.  Those achievements, as well as Shelby County Speedway and US 36 Raceway track and Missouri State titles and 600th feature win in The Class Too Tough To Tame, all came despite a June 26 riding lawn mower accident that left Nichols with severe nerve damage in his left shoulder.  “It was dumb luck that I was still able to compete,” said Nichols, who ended up underneath the 1,300 pound mower following a hydraulics failure and a wild ride over a nine foot embankment. “My shoulder was essentially paralyzed and there was a learning curve for me from that point.”  “I know there are drivers out there who race with one hand. I am not one of those racers. If it had been my right arm, I wouldn’t have been able to shift,” he continued. “I had to pick up [Read More]

FARMINGTON, N.M. (Nov. 20, 2022) – A young driver who made it a point to race with and learn from veteran competition proved to be good as gold is achieving her goal of winning the Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compact rookie of the year award. Miley JoAnn Goldwich-Rhames became the first female driver, and the first from New Mexico to earn national rookie honors in the 4-cylinder division. She totaled 13 feature wins, making 50 starts at 11 different tracks in nine states. “I never thought we’d win that many. We really had to stay focused. We ran with a lot of good drivers everywhere we raced and I got a lot of help,” said Goldwich-Rhames, 14 years old and now a freshman at Farmington High School. “We learned a lot by watching videos and other drivers at the track.”  “Every track we went to, drivers gave me pointers and told me I was doing a good job,” she added. “There were drivers who loaned us parts and helped worked on the car when we needed [Read More]

MANKATO, Minn. (Nov. 20, 2022) – Nate Coopman was the up-and-coming young gun when he won his first Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compact national championship. Now he’s the wise old veteran, the division leader in both career wins and track titles, and five-time national champion in the 4-cylinder class.  The Mankato, Minn., driver, all of 30 years old, earned his latest national title, along with Arlington Raceway and Murray County Speedway track and the Minnesota State crown, on the strength on 17 feature wins. “We weren’t sure what the season was going to be like after a DNF on opening night at Arlington,” said Coopman. “We were pretty bummed about it, but we stayed at it and kept getting the wins and top five’s.” “Probably about mid-season we looked at points and figured we still had a pretty good shot at the national championship.”  Coopman was quick to right the ship after that early miscue, winning seven of his next eight and eight of his next 10 outings. Racing with his father Jerry, wife Stephanie when [Read More]

ROBINSON, Texas (Nov. 18, 2022) – After racing to his career first IMCA Smiley’s Racing Products Southern SportMod feature win, Trevor Cogburn celebrated the Texas way, ordering a Number One at Whataburger. After winning national rookie of the year honors, he’ll celebrate at the IMCA awards banquet in Lincoln, Neb.  The 17-year-old Robinson High School senior, a graduate of the local junior limited class, got Southern SportMod win number one midway through the season at home track Heart O’ Texas Speedway, then collected another three checkers on the way to earning top rookie honors.  “I wanted to get at least three wins this season. I wanted to be competitive and I wanted my family to be proud of me,” said Cogburn, who followed his father Chris into the division. “We were able to get four wins and numerous top fives.”  “Watching my dad is how I got started racing and how I’ve learned,” he added. “He’s helped me out a lot, especially this year. This is the first season he hasn’t raced in 30 years.”  [Read More]

ECTOR, Texas (Nov. 18, 2022) – All his success close to home this season means Rodney White will drive about as far getting to the IMCA national banquet as he did traveling to win an IMCA national championship. White won 15 of his 23 starts at Grayson County Speedway, just 10 miles from home in Ector, Texas, and made a single foray to Southern Oklahoma Speedway in earning the Smiley’s Racing Products IMCA Southern SportMod national crown. “Winning a national championship is something I always wanted to accomplish but didn’t know if I’d ever be able to do,” admitted White, who juggled work and family activities in becoming IMCA’s sole first-time national champion of 2022. “It hasn’t set in 100 percent yet but I’m sure it will when I’m sitting at the banquet in Lincoln. It sounds like I’m going to be the only (national champion) who doesn’t already know what to do there.” White knew what to do each and every night at the track, finishing outside the top five just twice. He started [Read More]