Newswire

Amarillo’s Route 66 Motor Speedway makes switch to IMCA Modifieds in 2022

AMARILLO, Texas – Christmas comes early for IMCA Modified drivers in the GRT Race Cars South Central Region, with the announcement that the division will join Saturday race programs at Amarillo’s Route 66 Motor Speedway beginning in 2022. The 3/8-mile clay oval is promoted by brothers Zach and Jeremy Gossett. Opening night for the upcoming IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing point season is April 23. “The IMCA Modifieds are a division we can build on,” Zach explained. “Cost is very important. We ran USRA for a while and slowly but surely the Modified numbers started dwindling. The cars had priced themselves out.” “We looked around a saw a lot of other tracks that were running IMCA, like Southern Oklahoma Speedway (in Ardmore) and getting good car counts,” he continued, noting the IMCA Modifieds will be an economical attraction to drivers in other classes. “We have around 30 cars in our local sportmod class and a lot of those drivers will be competitive in an IMCA Modified.” Both Zach and Jeremy Gossett raced street stocks, modifieds [Read More]

Early entries top 400 for 2022 IMCA.TV Winter Nationals

SOMERTON, Ariz. – After many conversations throughout the summer with drivers about the 2022 IMCA.TV Winter Nationals, the latest pre-entry numbers had Cocopah Speedway’s Brad Whitfield admittedly speechless. More than 400 drivers in six IMCA divisions are already pre-entered for seven nights of January racing at Somerton, coming from 21 states and two Canadian provinces. IMCA.TV Winter Nationals is presented by Yuma Insurance and broadcast by IMCA.TV. “It completely blows my mind that we will start the 2022 season with an IMCA crown jewel event with pre-entry numbers like these,” said Whitfield, who spent much of his summer traveling to tracks in the Midwest and talking to drivers one-on-one. “We had 108 cars for our Winter Nationals in 2020 and 275 for the inaugural IMCA.TV Winter Nationals in 2021. For 2022, we already have 420 pre-entries.” “I’m humbled, I’m blessed and I’m speechless” he continued. “I will do everything in my power to make sure that every driver who pulls into the pits and every fan that comes through the front gate has a good [Read More]

Bash at the Track special starts 2022 season at Mohave Valley

MOHAVE VALLEY, Ariz. – IMCA drivers in four divisions will end 2021 and start the 2022 race season at Mohave Valley Raceway. IMCA Modifieds run for $1,000 to win their Friday, Dec. 31 qualifying feature and for $2,200 to win their Saturday, Jan. 1 New Year’s Bash at the Track main event. IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars run for $1,000 to win, Karl Kustoms Northern SportMods for $750 to win and Mach-1 Sport Compacts for $500 to win both nights. Saturday’s Modified winner earns Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifying eligibility while the evening’s Stock Car winner becomes eligible to qualify for the B & B Racing Chassis All-Star Invitational. IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National, regional, KMJ Performance State and track points will be awarded for the Saturday show. There is no entry fee; car and driver is $45 and pit passes are $35. Spectator admission is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and military, $6 for kids ages 6-11 and free for ages five and under. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. and racing starts at [Read More]

IMCA Northern SportMods, Hobby Stocks new at Grays Harbor in 2022

ELMA, Wash. – Two more IMCA divisions debut on the dirt in Washington in 2022, with Karl Kustoms Northern SportMods and IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks joining select Saturday night programs at Grays Harbor Raceway. Northern SportMod race dates are May 14, June 25 during the third annual West Coast Modified Clash and July 22 and 23, as part of the 23rd annual Shipwreck Beads Nationals. Ten dates, from opening night April 16 to championship night Sept. 17, are on the tentative schedule for Hobby Stocks. “We brought the IMCA Modifieds back this year and the 2021 season was thrilling,” said Grays Harbor General Manager Bert Johnson, expecting even bigger and better things next season. “What we like best about these two new divisions is that they’re economical and come with their own sets of established rules.” “The point is, we want to allow people to build a car that is safe to race, have fun, and then move onto another division if they want.” The Modified Clash date at Elma doubles as the final night for [Read More]

IMCA Modified, Late Model, STARS Mod Lite drivers take special event finishes to the bank

VINTON, Iowa – Cash awards were paid throughout the 2021 season to IMCA Modified, IMCA Sunoco Late Models and IMCA STARS Mod Lite special events drivers. IMCA Modified drivers receiving $50 from Strange Oval and their respective qualifying events were Justin Whitehead at Southern Oklahoma Speedway’s Stampede; Kelly Shryock at Beatrice Speedway’s Spring Nationals; Troy Foulger at Merced Speedway’s Al Miller Memorial; Roger Witt at Legit Speedway Park’s Show-Me Showdown; and Raymond Lindeman at Antioch Speedway’s Big Kahuna. Randall Paxton at Penn Can Speedway’s Sean Lias Memorial; Mark Dahl at Dacotah Speedway’s Iron Man 100; Myron DeYoung at Crystal Motor Speedway’s IMCA Challenge; Cody Laney at 141 Speedway’s Clash at the Creek; and Jeff Olschowka at Winnemucca Regional Raceway’s High Desert Classic. Jerry Flippo at Bakersfield Speedway’s McGowan Memorial; Kyle Brown at North Central Speedway’s Land of 10,000 Lakes 10K; Braxton Yeager in the Mountain States Tour at Sheridan Speedway; Zach Olson in the Fireball Special at Electric City Speedway; and Keith Lamphere in the Billy Maynard Memorial at The Hill Speedway. Brian Brennan in the .38 [Read More]

Washington’s Skagit Speedway puts spotlight on IMCA Modifieds in 2022

ALGER, Wash. – IMCA Modifieds will take their turn in the spotlight at Skagit Speedway beginning in 2022. The 3/10-mile oval at Alger, located halfway between Seattle and Vancouver, B.C., off Interstate 5, becomes the second track in Washington State to sanction IMCA’s premier division. Eleven Saturday night shows leading up to the big $10,000 to win Survive The 55 special on the final weekend of the IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing point season Sept. 23-24. “Sanctioning with IMCA seemed like a no-brainer. It’s win-win for everybody, the drivers, the fans, the track owners,” explained Mike Anderson, partners with Kevin Rudeen and Peter Murphy in Fifty-Five Promotions, the ownership group that took charge at Skagit in mid-September. “Talking with our Modified drivers, they felt they were on an island and couldn’t travel much,” he continued. “We did much research and found out there was a lot of interest in racing here from Canadian drivers and Oregon drivers. It just made sense to get on the same page as the rest of the West Coast and the rest [Read More]

Services set this Saturday for Zach Smith

BRUSH, Colo. – Zachary Christopher Smith, age 35, passed away Dec. 12, 2021 in Brush, Colo. Zach was born on June 3, 1986 in Hoisington, Kan. A pillar in his community, Zach was a 2004 graduate from Fort Morgan High School. He was a local small business owner, amazing husband, father, son, uncle and friend to anyone he met. A family man to his core, Zach was the favorite coach in town; coaching T-ball, baseball and soccer. If he wasn’t on a field, he could be found on the race track or out hunting and fishing with his boys. Zach is survived by his wife, Cassandra Smith; their three sons, Hunter Smith, the IMCA national and Northern Region Hobby Stock rookie of the year this season, Houston Smith and Haxton Smith. He is also survived by his sister, Jen Vondy and husband Colby Vondy; parents, Richard and Angela Smith; grandparents, Ronnie Funk, Connie Meharg and Sue Wagner; mother-in-law, Anita Webster; sister-in-law, Kayla Hietbrink; nephews, Kamyrn Smith, Gunner and Boone Vondy and Kayson Hietbrink; and many [Read More]

$43,250 in Chevrolet Performance bonuses paid to IMCA crate engine track champions

GRAND BLANC, Mich. – Chevrolet Performance bonuses totaling $43,250 have been paid to IMCA drivers who won track championships while competing exclusively with crate engines in 2021. In all, 173 IMCA Modified, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock and Karl Kustoms Northern SportMod drivers received $250 checks, mailed this month from the IMCA home office. “Chevrolet Performance is such an ally in the promotion of IMCA dirt track racing and their yearly bonus program speaks for itself,” stated IMCA Marketing Director Kevin Yoder. “IMCA racers continue to cash checks for championships while competing with a reliable and sustainable motor program.” IMCA Modified drivers who received bonuses for winning one or more track championships while competing with a crate engine were: Chris Abelson, Mark Adams, Keaton Atkinson, Chaz Baca, Steven Bowers, Wayne Brooks, Jarrett Brown, Cody Burke, Craig Cassell, Alec Childs, Rick Chorniak, Ty Clemens, Brandon Clough, Brandon Conkwright and Troy Cordes. Sawyer Crigler, Shane DeMey, Travis Denning, Mike Densberger, Ryan Doyon, P.J. Dyke, Dwight East, Zach Fettinger, Trevor Fitz-Gibbon, Jerry Flippo, Zach Frederick, Jeremy Frenier, Chris Gallien, Josh [Read More]

Eibach rewards 94 IMCA state champions

CORONA, Calif. – More than 90 IMCA drivers winning state championships in 2021 earned post-season awards from Eibach Springs. Modified driver Tyson Blood, a first-time KMJ Performance state champion in Washington, was chosen by random draw to receive an Eibach-branded fire suit. Other first-time state champs receiving sets of springs were Owen Barnhill in Florida, Modified; Andy Nezworski in Illinois, Late Model; Renn Bane in California, Stock Car; Kyler Satran in North Dakota, Hobby Stock; Joey Klemish in New Mexico, Northern SportMod; Matthew Day in Oklahoma, Southern SportMod; and Dylan Dunn in Florida, Mod Lite. All state champions in those seven divisions receive $100 certificates from the Corona, Calif., manufacturer and 13-year IMCA sponsor. Eibach certificates with a total value of $9,400 were presented to drivers attending the national awards banquet in Lincoln, Neb., or mailed this month from the IMCA home office.

Winebarger, Luinenburg, Barribo, Mallicoat win Harris Race Tech Chassis School drawing

AMES, Iowa – Bob Harris Enterprises made special event victories pay off for four IMCA drivers this season. Collen Winebarger, Justin Luinenburg, Tyler Barribo and Izac Mallicoat have received certificates to attend Race Tech Info Dirt Chassis School sessions. All were selected by random draw from among top five finishers at designated specials for IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks and Karl Kustoms Northern SportMods, respectively. Winebarger was the Modified runner-up on night two of Cottage Grove Speedway’s Mark Howard Memorial Nationals while Luinenburg was the Stock Car winner at Park Jefferson Speedway’s Iron Cup. Hard charger Barribo took second in the Hobby Stock feature at RPM Speedway’s Fall Nationals and Mallicoat was second to the checkers in the Harris Clash main event for Northern SportMods. A top five driver in each of those 70 specials received a certificate for two free shock rebuilds. The 2021 season was BHE’s ninth as an IMCA sponsor.