Newswire

Another 18 IMCA Modified drivers new to Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot

VINTON, Iowa – Another 18 IMCA drivers have raced their way onto the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot by winning feature events that paid $1,000 or more. Jon DeBenedetti topped Southern Oregon Speedway’s Roger Haudenshild Tribute. William Gould, Jeff Taylor and Fred Wojtek all were All Star Shootout winners. John Hansen paced a Rudy Yeager Memorial main at Sweetwater Speedway and Michael Long was a Lee County Speedway Drive For Five winner. John Morris Classic winners at Arizona Speedway were Zachary Madrid and Ryan Roath. And Cody Thompson ruled Park Jefferson Speedway’s Memorial Day Duels. Winners of qualifying features at weekly race programs were Chris Abelson at Clay County Speedway and at Crawford County Speedway; Jerry Dedrick at Independence Motor Speedway; Shane DeMey at Crawford County Speedway; Brenten DeYoung and Jeffrey Reay, both at Thunderbird Raceway; Logan Drake at Bakersfield Speedway; Dennis LaVeine at 34 Raceway; Jake Nightingale at Dodge City Raceway Park; and Johnny Whitman at Shawano Speedway. Drivers winning qualifying events who were already on the ballot included Chaz Baca, Brandon Beckendorf, Tanner [Read More]

IMCA Midwest Madness Tour primed for June 27-July 1 run

JEFFERSON, S.D. – IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars headline each night of the upcoming Midwest Madness Tour presented by Western Iowa Racing Results. Both divisions race for $1,000 to win, with Modified features being qualifiers for the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot and Stock Car features for the B & B chassis All-Star event, on Sunday, June 27 at Raceway Park in Jefferson, S.D; Monday, June 28 at Park Jefferson Speedway in Jefferson, S.D.; Tuesday, June 29 at Clay County Fair Speedway in Spencer, Iowa; Wednesday, June 30 at Buena Vista Raceway in Alta, Iowa; and Thursday, July 1 at Stuart, Iowa, Speedway. Minimum start money is $150 for the Modifieds and $125 for the Stocks. Modified and Stock Car drivers must compete in at least four of the five events to be eligible for point funds to be paid to top five in points. IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks and Karl Kustoms Northern SportMods also race each night with point fund shares to be paid to the top four drivers in standings for [Read More]

Haudenshild Tribute IMCA Modified win is ‘something special’ for DeBenedetti

By Stephanie Deatherage WHITE CITY, Ore. (June 12) – An IMCA Modified driver who’s won a lot of big races in his career won one he described as “something special” Saturday night. Jon DeBenedetti was in and out of the lead before taking the $2,000 checkers at Southern Oregon Speedway’s eighth annual Roger Haudenshild Tribute. The new Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot qualifier had put an engine purchased out of a car that Haudenshild had sponsored into his own ride just the day before. “We put it in Friday and won with it on Saturday. That was pretty cool,” DeBenedetti said. “I told (the previous owner) I’d buy it and win with it and that’s exactly what I did.” He’d started third in the 30-lapper and fell back to fifth before running the inside line back to second, behind Zach Fettinger. DeBenedetti’s first pass to the front was negated by caution but he moved ahead following the next restart, on lap 13. Californian Darrell Hughes II saw his bold move rewarded with the front spot [Read More]

Tharp, Siems score first Bullring wins

VINTON, Iowa (June 13) – Brandon Tharp waited five years for his first feature win. It took him only another eight days to earn his second. Tharp, whose career first win came June 5 in Independence, earned his first Karl Kustoms IMCA Northern SportMod presented by Christie Door Company victory in front of his hometown crowd Sunday night at the Benton County Speedway Bullring. Eric Alexander led at the drop of the green and was pursued by Brady Hilmer throughout the 15-lapper. While that pair battled for the top spot, Tharp was working through the pack from a fourth row start. A pair of late cautions bunched the field and allowed Tharp the opportunity to strike. On the first of those two restarts, Hilmer miscued in turns one and two to bring out the caution, leaving Alexander with the lead and Tharp in the second row. When racing resumed a final time, Tharp slid beneath the race leader entering turn one and escaped with the top spot upon exiting turn two. He then drove to [Read More]

Mulvany first to East Moline IMCA Late Model checkers

By Rob Hinckley EAST MOLINE, Ill. (June 13) – The car tiptoed off turn four and all could feel Shawn Mulvany’s sigh of relief. Mulvany paced all 25 laps of the IMCA Sunoco Late Model feature Sunday evening at East Moline Speedway. “We almost stayed home,” Mulvany said in the winner’s circle. “We haven’t had much luck lately, struggling with little stuff.” B.J. Jackson showed his nose a couple times, but Mulvany stayed the course on the bottom groove. “This is great to finally get one at my home track. I think we finally found something. We haven’t been able to get forward so this is great.” The race went without a caution. Gary Webb, Jacob Waterman and Andy Nezworski started to close on the front battle and finished in that order behind Mulvany’s seventh career Late Model win, but first in a while. Travis Denning moved out front early and stopped Jeff Larson’s win streak at three in the IMCA Modified finale. Larson, Nezworski, Brandon Durbin and Doug Lenth followed. Jarett Franzen took the [Read More]

Lee Co. Drive For 5 IMCA Late Model win pays Elston $1K

By Brian Neal DONNELLSON, Iowa (June 11) – Tommy Elston drove to his first local IMCA Sunoco Late Model feature win of the season Friday, in the latest installment of Lee County Speedway’s Drive For 5. Elston caught up with the back of the field late in the contest but neither Nick Marolf or Mark Burgtorf could deny him the $1,000 checkers. Elston and Jay Johnson drew front row starts for the 25-lapper and Elston took advantage of his spot up front to lead lap one over Nick Marolf, who had started sixth and then quickly used the high side of the track to get to second. When Marolf got beside Elston five laps into the event, the leader moved up top to take the line away. Elston then started to pull away from Marolf and Burgtorf, who were battling for the runner up spot. On lap 22 Elston caught the back of the field, which allowed Marolf and Burgtorf to close on his back bumper. With only a couple of laps to go, however, neither driver could [Read More]

Hibdon’s North Dakota IMCA Modified success continues at Gumke Memorial

JAMESTOWN, N.D. (June 12) – Another IMCA Modified feature win at another North Dakota track put another $2,222 in Kollin Hibdon’s racing account Saturday night. Hibdon led all 25 laps of Jamestown Speedway’s second annual Don Gumke Racers’ Memorial, leading the way through lapped traffic the first 21 circuits and then outrunning teammate Casey Arneson after a caution with four laps left. “I’ve had the chance to get into the Arneson program and come to some nice, slick tracks that I’ve never been to before,” said the 17-year-old from Nevada, who’d taken the win and $5,000 top prize at last weekend’s 100-lap Iron Man special at Dacotah Speedway. “I’ve had a lot of really good mentors in my very few years of racing and have been in the lucky position of being able to pick myself up a couple (wins). I’m lovin’ it.” Rusty Kollman, Dave Shipley and Crist Pittenger completed the top five. Already on the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot, Hibdon won both his qualifying heats and started outside defending race winner Austin [Read More]

Big paydays for IMCA winners Friday at US 36

OSBORN, Mo. – Big paydays are in Friday, June 18 race night plans at US 36 Raceway. IMCA Modifieds run for $1,100 to win and a minimum of $125 to start their Modified Madness main event. Karl Kustoms Northern SportMods chase a top check of $1,066 and $100 to start their Wayne Hicks Memorial show, and IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars run for $1,000 to win and a minimum of $100 to start their Doyle Lance Remembrance Race. The Modified feature is a qualifier for the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot and the Stock Car winner becomes eligible to qualify for the B & B Chassis All-Star race. Hot laps are at 7:30 p.m. and racing starts at 8 p.m. at Osborn. Spectator admission is $20 for adults, $5 for kids ages 6-12 and free for five and under. The Friday show is presented by Miller Lite St. Joe Beverage.

Gray, Kuehl get Marshalltown wins

By Joyce Eisele MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (June 11) – Racing action continued at the Marshalltown Speedway on Friday night where it was Casey’s Salute to Marshalltown Firefighters, EMTs and First Responders/Chad Witte VIP Night. The IMCA STARS Mod Lites kicked off the feature racing with their 15-lap main event. Austin Gray led this one from start to finish to capture his first-ever win at the High Banks. Mike Kennedy chased Gray for the majority of the race but had to be content with a second place finish. Ben George was third, Kaden Cochrun took fourth and rounding out the top five was Rodney Brown. The Karl Kustoms Northern SportMod feature went to summer visitor Taylor Kuehl, who hails from Cave Creek, Ariz. The 20-year-old young lady started on the outside front row, and immediately grabbed the top spot. Eighth place starter Brayton Carter wasted no time moving into the runner up spot on lap three. It was a real contest between Kuehl and Carter, lap after lap running neck and neck. With five laps to go, [Read More]

Keller checks out at Mandan

By Rebecca Rattei MANDAN, N.D. (June 11) – Jeremy Keller checked out on everybody in winning Friday’s IMCA Modified feature at Dacotah Speedway. Tony Marsh started on the pole and when the green flag waved, the eighth starting Keller flew by on the outside and took the lead on lap one. Quentin Kinzley and Marcus Tomlinson battled for second place as Keller started pulling away. Kinzley cleared Tomlinson for second as Mark Dahl started reeling Tomlinson for third. It soon became a three-car battle for fourth between Tomlinson, Drew Christianson and Marlyn Seidler. Seidler split the middle and took the fourth position. Near the end of the race, Keller started catching lapped traffic but Kinzley struggled to reel in the leader. Keller led all 25 laps and won by a margin of six seconds over second place Kinzley. Dahl finished third while Seidler crossed the finish line fourth. Shawn Strand rounded out the top five. Lane Doll and Tanner Hofer led the field to the green flag in the Mach-1 Sport Compact feature. Alex Thompson grabbed [Read More]