Newswire

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]

Abbeys run 1-2-3 in Stock Car feature while Shepperd checks Fall Classic off bucket list

WACO, Texas (Oct. 22, 2022) – Their classic runs to the checkers at Heart O’ Texas Speedway’s 25th annual Fall Classic sent Dean Abbey and Jeff Shepperd home with $2,000 checks. Abbey outran brothers Westin and Jeffrey in Saturday’s main event for IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, earning family bragging rights for the night along with qualifying eligibility for the 2023 B & B Racing Chassis All-Star Invitational. And Shepperd won his first Fall Classic crown in nearly two decades of racing the season-ending special at Waco, topping the Smiley’s Racing Products IMCA Southern SportMod headliner ahead of Brandon Geurin and Kyle Wilkins. Dean and Westin Abbey ran side-by-side the first two times around the track in the Stock Car feature before Dean eked ahead racing down the front stretch. Westin’s pass for the lead on lap 15 was erased by a caution. The final yellow waved with two laps left and Jeffrey Abbey would complete his charge from 12th to complete the top three. “We haven’t raced together for a long time, let alone finished 1-2-3,” Dean [Read More]

IMCA honors 700-plus champions, top rookies at national awards banquet

LINCOLN, Neb. (Oct. 24, 2022) – Another record number of champions and rookies of the year will take their turn on stage at the IMCA national awards banquet. Drivers winning 700-plus national, regional, track, series and state championships, as well as national and regional rookie of the year honors during the 2022 race season will be recognized during the Saturday, Nov. 26 banquet, to be held at the Marriott Cornhusker Hotel in downtown Lincoln, Neb. More than 500 track and series, and 132 state titlists are among the champions crowned by IMCA this season. Banquet attendees can go to the IMCA website and purchase tickets for $35 each and make room reservations at the Cornhusker by using www.imca.com/banquet. Overnight accommodations can also be made by calling the Cornhusker at 866 706-7706 and requesting the IMCA group rate. Cocktails are at 5 p.m. Dinner will be served at 6 p.m. with the awards ceremony to follow. IMCA sponsors to be recognized during the evening include Performance Bodies for 40 years, Sunoco Race [Read More]

Official 2022 IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National Point Standings

Ties broken by 40/39/38 etc. feature finishes Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds – 1. Jordan Grabouski, Beatrice, Neb., 1,024; 2. A.J. Ward, Ionia, Mich., 1,019; 3. William Gould, Calera, Okla., 1,012; 4. Travis Denning, Sterling, Ill., 1,011; 5. Matthew Day, Farmersville, Texas, 999; 6. Ty Clemens, Belgrade, Mont., 998; 7. Owen Barnhill, Milton, Fla., 993; 8. Chaz Baca, Mesa, Ariz., 989; 9. Matt Werner, Geneseo, Ill., 983; 10. Jed Freiburger, Dubuque, Iowa, 983; 11. Kelly Shryock, Fertile, Iowa, 978; 12. Austen Becerra, Carthage, Ill., 976; 13. Jarrett Brown, Ainsworth, Iowa, 969; 14. Tim Ward, Harcourt, Iowa, 968; 15. Dallon Murty, Chelsea, Iowa, 966; 16. Chris Morris, Taylor, Texas, 966; 17. Jacob Poel, Nunica, Mich., 961; 18. Bricen James, Albany, Ore., 959; 19. Jeremy Mills, Clear Lake, Iowa, 959; 20. Chris Abelson, Sioux City, Iowa, 958. IMCA Sunoco Late Models – 1. Cory Dumpert, Newman Grove, Neb., 811; 2. Andy Nezworski, Blue Grass, Iowa, 791; 3. Jacob Waterman, Colona, Ill., 777; 4. Matt Ryan, Davenport, Iowa, 768; 5. Chase Osborne, Norfolk, Neb., 750; 6. Dalton Simonsen, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, [Read More]

Diamond Park Speedway family suffers huge and sudden loss

NASHVILLE, Ark. (Oct. 18, 2022) – The owners and staff of the Diamond Park Speedway suffered a huge loss this past week with the sudden and tragic passing of head scorer Miki Godwin. Miki had been a speedway employee under current ownership since 2017 and was a familiar face both when the gates were open and even when they were not. Godwin was more than just a scorer on race nights. She also handled driver 1099, sponsorship opportunities, really wherever help was needed – she was always willing to lend a hand to make her second home the best it could be. Survivors include her mother Brenda Godwin and Thomas Free of Murfreesboro; her son Austin White of Nashville (Nathan Johnson) of Russellville; daughter Morgan White of Nashville; special daughters Bailey Goldman of Nashville; Makayla Huffman of Delight; as well as her brother and sister Garry (Tammy) Nichols of Paragould. The family will receive friends and family from 6-8 p.m. tonight (Tuesday) at Latimer Funeral Home in Nashville. Funeral services will be 2 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 19, [Read More]

Westover, Guillaume, Poor each earn career second crowns at IMCA Southern Challenge

ABILENE, Texas (Oct. 15, 2022) – Kale Westover, Matt Guillaume and Bradley Poor each added second Ryan Bard Memorial Southern Challenge trophies to their IMCA hardware collections Saturday night. They each banked $2,500 for their latest Abilene Speedway feature wins as well. Westover came out of a last-chance qualifier, started 10th and won the Friesen Performance IMCA Modified main. Guillaume had just enough left to beat Chad Hertel to the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car checkers and Poor got rich dominating the Smiley’s Racing Products IMCA Southern SportMod feature at the 28th annual special. The 2019 Southern Challenge Southern SportMod winner, Westover found the top line in turns three and four to his liking and was in the lead before midway of the Modified 30-lapper. “I ran the top in three and four. I kept rolling the top in and it picked up more speed,” said Westover, newly eligible to qualify for the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational. “I grew up racing bullrings and I go good at pretty much every bullring I show up to.” “It means a [Read More]

Raffurty takes Texas-sized check home from inaugural Texas Mod Lite Nationals

WACO, Texas (Oct. 15, 2022) – After he consulted Google Maps to decide on gear for the weekend, Dillon Raffurty didn’t need any help finding the fastest way around Heart O’ Texas Speedway. Raffurty’s first visit to the Waco speedplant paid off with the $10,000 checkers at the first annual Texas Mod Lite Nationals. “It was a pretty good weekend,” understated Raffurty, who had collected 30 wins in defending his IMCA STARS Mod Lite national championship this season. “It was exciting. I couldn’t have asked for much more.” The Kansas City, Mo., star won both heat races and the Joe Butler Jr. Invitational, and finished fourth in the qualifying feature on Friday night. Satisfied with his setup, Raffurty eschewed hot laps before Saturday’s main event. He advanced to second early in the 30-lapper, closed on home state speedster Taylor Hunter in lapped traffic and made his pass to the front just pass midway. Hunter chased Raffurty to the checkers in a race that ran caution-free. “Size-wise, Heart O’ Texas is a combination on my home [Read More]

Mid-America Championship checkered flies for Jerovetz

BATESVILLE, Ark. (Oct. 15, 2022) – After an inauspicious start to the week, his third visit to Batesville Motor Speedway proved to be a $10,000 charm for Troy Jerovetz. Jerovetz raced from 15th starting to win Saturday’s Schoenfeld Headers Mid-America IMCA Sunoco Stock Car Championship. He collected the career-best payday after getting the front spot back from Zane DeVilbiss twice before leading the last 11 times around the track in the 50-lapper. “The biggest things we talked about before the race were saving our equipment, passing cars one at a time and seeing where we ended up,” said Jerovetz, from Iowa Falls, Iowa, and now guaranteed a starting spot in the B & B Racing Chassis All-Star Invitational. “This was definitely my biggest win and definitely the biggest win from the furthest back.” “I saw Zane on the outside at the point when we were committed to the bottom,” he continued. “From there we just kept hitting our marks and let the best car win.” DeVilbiss, winner of Thursday and Friday night World Stock Car Championship [Read More]