Newswire

Ward finds right IMCA Modified option to win fifth Dirt Works Eastern Region crown

IONIA, Mich. (Nov. 8, 2022) – A.J. Ward found himself almost out of options just 14 starts into his 2022 season. After wrecking and rebuilding his Friesen Performance IMCA Modified, the Ionia charger was fast but not fast enough and six checkers short of the long-time goal he had set of surpassing Rick Stout as the winningest driver in division history from Michigan. “We had already won six times, then got air borne and twirled around hard mid-May from an outside retaining wall tractor tire at Thunderbird Raceway,” explained Ward, in the hunt for Dirt Works Eastern Region and national championships as well. “We rebuilt the car but it just had that feeling where you knew you couldn’t get any more out of it. We were fast enough to do everything but win for about the next month.” “The change we made in our setup was the kind of stuff you do when you’re all out of options,” he continued, “but it worked and we started turning those second and third-place finishes into wins and [Read More]

A first for Montana as Clemens wins crown in IMCA’s Shaw Race Cars Western Region

BELGRADE, Mont. (Nov. 7, 2022) – The season where Ty Clemens wasn’t chasing points ended with him on top of point standings for the Shaw Race Cars Western Region. The 13-time Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature winner from Belgrade repeated as track champion at hometown Gallatin Speedway while becoming the first driver from Montana to win a regional championship in any IMCA division. “We were excited to win this. We weren’t points racing this season,” he said. “Last year we tried to race as much as we could, ran 58 nights and wore ourselves out finishing seventh nationally. This year we didn’t focus on points and did better, finishing sixth, because our top 25 finishes were better.” “It was a surprise to find out I was leading the regional points,” he added. “I didn’t know because it wasn’t something we were watching. I was talking to another driver at the track and he told me I was leading the points. I was just out there trying to win races. I wasn’t aware of where we [Read More]

Day adds national Modified rookie award to growing list of IMCA accomplishments

FARMERSVILLE, Texas (Nov. 7, 2022) – Matthew Day was enjoying a successful first Friesen Performance IMCA Modified season before taking a racing vacation to the Midwest. After an intense and personalized tech seminar in the pits at Deer Creek Speedway, he went home to Texas even faster. Already much accomplished in his brief IMCA career, the 19-year-old Farmersville flyer earned national and GRT Race Cars South Central Region rookie of the year honors, as well as Heart O’ Texas Speedway and Southern Oklahoma Speedway track titles and the Oklahoma State crown this season. “Winning 12 Modified features, finishing fifth in the nation and being the national rookie of the year was a much bigger deal than anything I’ve done before,” said Day, the top Southern SportMod rookie in 2020 and national champion in the division last season. “You have to have a good car and you have to know how to drive it, because you’re racing against the best drivers every night.” Day was a winner in just his third start this season, taking the [Read More]

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Grabouski gains appreciation of accomplishments along with record fifth IMCA Modified national crown

BEATRICE, Neb. (Nov. 4, 2022) – The decision to run for a record fifth Friesen Performance IMCA Modified national championship was made before Jordan Grabouski took the first green flag of the season. That goal now attained, he can look back with an appreciation for his career accomplishments, as well as those of the two drivers he’d shared the previous mark of four titles with. “We were able to accomplish a lot this season, but the Modified national championship is special,” said Grabouski, from Beatrice, Neb. “I can remember when I was crewing for Johnny Saathoff and he and David Murray Jr. would drive all over to race against each other. I know the grind they had to go through back in the day and it was cool to be able to watch their rivalry.” “Then you throw drivers like Kevin Larkins and David Trauernicht and a lot of other guys in the mix, and that made it something just to win a weekly show at tracks like Beatrice and Eagle,” he continued. “There would [Read More]

Harris Auto Racing, B & B Racing Chassis signed for Luxemburg Racing Show

By Joe Verdegan LUXEMBURG, Wis. (Oct. 31, 2022) – Harris Auto Racing of Boone, Iowa, and B & B Chassis of Belle Plaine, Minn., are among the early registrants for the eighth annual Luxemburg Racing Show, which will return to the Kewaunee County Fairgrounds Exposition Building in Luxemburg, Wis., on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023. According to show organizer Derek Moede, Kyle Brown will bring a new 2023 Harris Auto Racing SportMod chassis to show off while B & B owner Paul Burger will debut a new edition of a 2023 Stock Car chassis. “We’re excited to have these vendors from out of state come and support our show,” said Moede. “With this show now in its eighth year, it’s awesome to see the growth we continue to experience each year. This show remains the annual off-season gathering for the racing community.” As in past years, show hours will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Moede said he will begin sending out vendor information in the next few weeks. In addition to the multiple racing-related [Read More]

Top billing for IMCA Modifieds at Central Arizona’s November Grand Re-reopening, Showdown specials

CASA GRANDE, Ariz. (Oct. 28, 2022) – IMCA drivers will be Central Arizona Raceway bound for a pair of rich November specials. First is the Saturday, Nov. 5 Grand Re-reopening at Casa Grande, when fan favorite Ken Schrader joins the Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds running for $2,000 to win. Then it’s the Nov. 18-20 Showdown, highlighted by a $3,000 to win feature for the Modifieds on the final night. IMCA.TV broadcasts both specials. IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars and Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods both chase $1,000 top checks, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks run for $600 to win and Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compacts for $300 to win at the promoter Brad Whitfield’s Grand Re-reopening show. An open practice runs from 6-9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4. Pits open at 3 p.m. and the front gate opens at 5 p.m. and the first green flag flies at 6 p.m. on race day. Admission is $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and military and free for kids ages 12 and under. Friday and Saturday [Read More]

Grabouski and Jaxon Saathoff are IMCA Modified winners at Octoberfest

BEATRICE, Neb. (Oct. 21-22, 2022) – Jordan Grabouski added to his Octoberfest hardware collection on opening night, while Jaxon Saathoff started his on night two of Beatrice Speedway’s traditional season-ending special. Grabouski topped Friday’s Friesen Performance IMCA Modified main event and earned $1,000 for his career 11th Octoberfest victory since 2012. Saathoff checked out on everybody in winning the Saturday feature and $2,000. Grabouski started the opening night 25-lapper from ninth and caught Trey Duensing for the lead with three circuits left. His career seventh Modified win at Beatrice’s fall show is complemented by another four Stock Car triumphs. “We have had a lot of success here,” said the now five-time national and eight-time Modified track champion. “I was able to get around Trey after a restart and were able to pull away once we got in front. This might have been our last race of the year and if so, it was a good way to end the season.” Duensing, Saathoff’s father Johnny – another multi-time national and Beatrice champion and Octoberfest winner – Anthony [Read More]

Spahr in right place at right time to capitalize at Keystone RaceSaver Challenge

By Frank Buhrman PORT ROYAL, Pa. (Oct. 21, 2022) – Logan Spahr put himself in the right position to take advantage of Kenny Heffner’s misfortune, then kept his car in the right position despite a determined challenge by Garrett Bard, and those moves earned him the Keystone RaceSaver Challenge victory Friday at Port Royal Speedway. Also known as the Blue Collar Classic, the Keystone race ended the 2022 season for the IMCA RaceSaver Pennsylvania Sprint Series and capped a tremendous finish to the season for the former micro-sprint champion. A third-place finish in the season opener at Lincoln Speedway in March showed the team’s potential, but an early summer run of mechanical woes threatened the positive outlook. That all turned around in August, and at the end of that month, Spahr claimed the team’s first victory, at Selinsgrove Speedway, then added another Selinsgrove win four weekends later. After struggling most of the season at Port Royal, there was a fourth-place finish two weeks ago, setting the stage for Friday’s race. Still, it might not have happened [Read More]

Weaver wins sprint to Founder’s Cup

By Frank Buhrman PORT ROYAL, Pa. (Oct. 21, 2022) – Jeff Weaver outdueled fellow front-row starter Reed Thompson for the initial lead and held the advantage for the next 15 laps to win the Founder’s Cup feature for IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Cars Friday at Port Royal Speedway. The event is held as part of the River Valley Builders Pennsylvania Sprint Series Keystone RaceSaver Challenge, giving non-qualifiers for the Keystone race itself a meaningful event, which for most is their last of the season. Weaver, Thompson and several other front-runners provided some hot racing for fans who braved temperatures dipping into the 30s for the night’s final race. D.J. Cassler stoutly challenged Thompson for the runner-up spot, while third- and fourth-finishing Branstin Shue and Jarrett Rosencrance waged a laps-long war for those positions. Thompson mounted challenges following restarts on the first and eighth laps but Weaver was able to hold onto the top spot and score the win. Thompson’s runner-up finish came about 4-1/2 hours after he was inducted into the Pennsylvania RaceSaver Hall of Fame [Read More]