Newswire

Billy Ward Jr. services set for Saturday

CARLISLE, N.Y. (Dec. 6, 2022) – William “Billy” D. Ward, Jr., 65, of Ward Road died Sunday, December 4, 2022 at his residence following a brief illness. The former IMCA Modified driver was born April 5, 1957 in Cobleskill, the son of the late Roslyn (Walsh) and William D. Ward, Sr. He was a 1975 graduate of the former Cobleskill Central School and the successful, proud owner of WDW Trucking LLC, which he operated several years. His first love was his family, especially being with his grandchildren. His second priority in life were his trucks, then his race cars and most recently his new construction equipment and all the people he met and interacted with whether working or playing. Visitation is Friday, Dec. 9 from 5-7 p.m. at Mereness-Putnam Funeral Home, 171 Elm St., Cobleskill. A Celebration of Life will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 10 at the Ward Residence, at 170 Ward Road in Carlisle. Survivors include his wife Debra (Madl) Ward, whom he married June 7, 1978; his children and [Read More]

As promised, consistency, minor clarifications in 2023 IMCA rules

VINTON, Iowa (Dec. 2, 2022) – You’ll find consistency and minor clarifications but as promised no major changes in 2023 rules announced today (Friday) for six IMCA divisions. 2023 rules for Modifieds, Stock Cars, Hobby Stocks, Northern SportMods, Southern SportMods and Sport Compacts have been posted on the IMCA website. “We have specified transponder location for those divisions as a matter of consistency,” noted IMCA President Brett Root, “while pretty much everything else we did was clarify already existing rules.” “Most drivers are not going to be affected by anything they see in red in the 2023 rules,” he continued. “Drivers who had a legal IMCA car in 2022 will most likely have a legal car when they show up on Jan. 3 for practice night for the IMCA.TV Winter Nationals at Cocopah Speedway.” In addition to designated transponder location, the 2023 rule clarifications include: *Minimum two inch, maximum four inch roof sides are allowed for Modifieds Northern SportMods and Southern SportMods, and a maximum three inch rear roof curve is allowed for Modifieds and [Read More]

IMCA honors best of the best at 2022 national awards banquet

LINCOLN, Neb. (Nov. 26, 2022) – The best of the best were honored Saturday night as IMCA returned to Lincoln for the 2022 national awards banquet. Nearly 600 people attended the event, held at the Cornhusker Marriott. National champions honored during the evening were Jordan Grabouski, Friesen Performance Modified; Cory Dumpert, IMCA Sunoco Late Model; Justin Clark, IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car; Mike Nichols, IMCA Sunoco Stock Car; Dillon Richards, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock; Rodney White, Smiley’s Racing Products IMCA Southern SportMod; Matthew Looft, Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod; Dillon Raffurty, IMCA STARS Mod Lite; and Nate Coopman, Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compact. The Junior National Champion was Mike Smith and Lady Eagle was Shelby Alves. Modified regional champions were Ty Clemens in the Shaw Race Cars Western; William Gould in the GRT Race Cars South Central; Grabouski in the Jet Racing Central; Travis Denning in the Razor Chassis North Central; and A.J. Ward in the Dirt Works Eastern. Stock Car regional kings were Nichols in the EQ Cylinder Heads Northern and Blake Clark in the EQ [Read More]

Chevrolet Performance pays record $49,750 in bonuses to 2022 IMCA crate engine track champions

VINTON, Iowa (Nov. 30, 2022) – Chevrolet Performance bonuses totaling a record $49,750 have been paid to IMCA drivers winning track championships while competing exclusively with crate engines in 2022. In all, 168 Friesen Performance IMCA Modified, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock, Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod and IMCA Sunoco Late Model drivers received $250 checks for each of 199 track championships after indicating on their 2022 license application that they would run a crate engine. Chevrolet Performance introduced the original track championship bonus program in 2005 and has since paid more than $445,000 to IMCA drivers. “The numbers speak for themselves,” noted IMCA Marketing Integration and Sponsorship Director Carson Becker-Gramm. “Drivers competing with crate engines in these four divisions have literally been able to take their track championships to the bank.” IMCA Modified drivers who received bonuses for winning one or more track championships, with multiple track titles indicated in parenthesis, while competing with a crate engine included: Chris Abelson, Keaton Atkinson, Chaz Baca, Owen Barnhill (2), Jordan Bartz, Kenny Baumann, Austen Becerra (2), Cole [Read More]

Cook runs with the best, races to rookie honors in EQ Southern Stock Car Region

FORT WORTH, Texas (Nov. 28, 2022) – Cameron Cook went into his first IMCA Sunoco Stock Car season looking to run with the best and win rookie of the year. He did both, and became a state champion, too. The 22-year-old from Fort Worth won two features and consistently finished in the top five en route to earning both the EQ Cylinder Heads Southern Region rookie of the year award and the Texas State championship. “I’m a hometown kind of driver. I had run a factory stock since I started racing five years ago so I had never raced anything too extravagant. I wanted to race an IMCA Stock Car because those are some of the best drivers in the country,” Cook said. “You can only get so good running one class. Racing with the best makes you 20 times a better driver.” Campaigned in a 2021 Cadillac Chassis owned by Ryan and Christy Anderson, his first checkers came on Aug. 12 at Heart O’ Texas Speedway, his second just eight days later at Kennedale [Read More]

Seat time, good help boost Burlison in Jet Racing Central Region rookie quest

MALVERN, Ark. (Nov. 28, 2022) – Race fans around Arkansas and the drivers he competed against weren’t surprised to hear that Noah Burlison earned Jet Racing Central Region rookie of the year honors this season. It was Burlison himself who had to look twice when he saw his name in the press release from IMCA announcing the fact. “We just wanted to get a lot of laps under our belt and not tear up too much equipment,” said Burlison, from Malvern and the first Friesen Performance IMCA Modified driver from Arkansas to win the regional rookie title since 1998. “It never crossed my mind that we could win the rookie award. There was shock, surprise and awe, all of that.” “There’s a ton of good competition around here and seat time is important, but what helps a ton is when you’ve got to generations of the best drivers around helping you,” added Burlison, who benefitted from both the pit crew help and wisdom shared by uncle Charlie Armstrong and cousin Drew Armstrong. “There’s probably 40-50 [Read More]

Poel proves up to challenge in race for Dirt Works Eastern Region rookie award

NUNICA, Mich. (Nov. 28, 2022) – Jacob Poel turned his first laps in a race car at Thunderbird Raceway nearly 20 years ago. He raced to his first Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature win at the Muskegon oval this spring and collected five checkers in all in earning Dirt Works Eastern Region rookie of the year honors. “Last year I said, ‘Let’s get an IMCA Modified and a couple crate engines and race closer to home,’” stated Poel, from Nunica. “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the challenge and acclimated well to the division. I feel as if I have earned the respect of the other drivers and they’ve earned mine.” He’d win three times at Thunderbird and twice at Winston Speedway, counting nine runner-up showings among 25 top five finishes on the year. “I really like Thunderbird. I grew up racing there and that’s where the first laps I ever drove were at,” Poel said. “I can go out my driveway and be there in 22 minutes. Thunderbird is my favorite Michigan track. Racing and winning there [Read More]

Potential becomes reality in Becerra’s rookie Razor Chassis North Central Region campaign

CARTHAGE, Ill. (Nov. 28, 2022) – Potential quickly became reality in Austen Becerra’s first Friesen Performance IMCA Modified season. Becerra raced to eight feature wins – one of them good for a $5,000 payday – and two track championships in a campaign that ended with Razor Chassis North Central Region rookie of the year honors. “We were good right out of the box,” said Becerra, a quick learner in the new division after winning the Northern SportMod main event at the 2021 IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. “About the middle of last year, Jon Fuller asked me if I would be interested in racing a Modified.” “They bought a car – a 2020 Lethal – and we had some success in our starts after the IMCA point season ended. That’s when we knew we had the potential to win a lot of races this year. From Carthage, Ill., Becerra was track champion at both Lee County Speedway and 34 Raceway, finishing fifth in regional points and 12th nationally. Four of his checkers at [Read More]

Shaw Race Cars Western Region rookie Robertson punches ticket to IMCA banquet

RENO, Nev. (Nov. 28, 2022) – Katelynn Robertson punched her ticket to the national awards banquet, racing with the big boys and winning rookie of the year honors in the Shaw Race Cars Western Region. Robertson had a pair of feature wins and consistent showings throughout her 31 starts at six different tracks in California and Nevada, far exceeding any expectations she had for her first Friesen Performance IMCA Modified season. “At the beginning of the year, I didn’t think we’d see top five in anything,” admitted the Susanville, Calif., native and Reno, Nev., transplant. “Then we realized how close we were to being able to run at the front.” “That was pretty cool. I still can’t believe it. Winning the regional rookie of the year is one of my proudest accomplishments,” she continued. “It was definitely a lot of work. We ran with the big boys in the division, we did a lot of traveling and it all paid off. It was pretty neat to race from last to the top five and even [Read More]

2023 IMCA rules released after banquet weekend

VINTON, Iowa (Nov. 23, 2022) – The 2023 divisional rules will be posted on the IMCA website after the national banquet weekend. Accompanying stories on changes and/or clarifications in each division will be posted the same days. “The biggest single issue we have to address is phasing out the current Late Model tire with the new Hoosier manufactured National Late Model Tire,” noted IMCA President Brett Root. “We will make no major changes to rules that remain within our control.” “We try every year to eliminate any confusion in how rules are written and interpreted,” he continued, “and that remains a focus for 2023.”