Newswire

Baca reigns supreme at Central Arizona

By Ben Deatherage CASA GRANDE, Ariz. (Sept. 21, 2024) – In sheer dominance, defending Friesen Performance IMCA Modified national champion Chaz Baca put together a fantastic drive Saturday at Central Arizona Raceway. He seized the race lead from the very start of the feature and built a nearly six second advantage over the second-place finisher, securing his 26th open-wheeled victory of the season. Marvin Mueller and Bill Miller were second and third, respectively. Five other Speedway Motors IMCA Weekly Racing divisions attended the Pinal County Fairgrounds 3/8-mile clay oval. They included the IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks, Stealth Racing IMCA STARS Mod Lites and Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compacts. Winners were Bo Partain, Eric Winemiller, Nathan DeRagon, A.J. Whisler and Steve Carter. Partain made the high side work in his favor in the Stock Car main as he grabbed the torch and ran away from the rest of the field. Frustratingly, he did have to deal with three stoppages, which didn’t allow him to get too far ahead, [Read More]

Points powers to Saturday win at Willamette

By Ben Deatherage LEBANON, Ore. (Sept. 21, 2024) – After taking the lead in the first handful of laps, Salem sensation Trevor Points was victorious in the Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod feature at Willamette Speedway. It is the eighth time the 20-year-old has won in 2024, but the first time he’s done so at the Lebanon 1/3-mile clay oval. The main event began with Michael Lavery and Don Moore fighting it out for the lead. Moore won the race to the line but fell immediately under pressure from Nate Turnidge. Just as Turnidge seemed to be in a position to take over the top spot, a caution came out. Points strategically maneuvered into second on the restart and began to close the gap with Moore. Utilizing the inside line on the backstretch, Points made a brilliant move to seize control in turn three on the fourth circuit. The race would stay incident-free, allowing the new leader to assert his dominance with a significant lead. Even the race’s final yellow flag on lap 18 couldn’t [Read More]

McKellar wins battle at Bakersfield

By Ben Deatherage BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (Sept. 21, 2024) – In a display of sheer determination, Chris McKellar, starting from the ninth position, clinched a thrilling victory on the last corner of the last lap in the Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod feature at Bakersfield Speedway. After a relentless chase throughout the main event, the hometown driver, with unwavering faith in the high side, overtook the race leader to secure his first win of the season. Markus Frazier was the dominant force for much of the race, skillfully fending off occasional challenges and striving to widen the gap from the rest of the pack. The race took a dramatic turn when the final caution was displayed, setting the stage for a thrilling four-lap shootout. As the race neared its end, McKellar maintained a steady pace at the top of the track, while Adam Baker fiercely battled on the bottom for second place. The outcome seemed set until McKellar summoned his last burst of energy for a dramatic overtake for the lead on the final lap. Frazier [Read More]

Hearty wins two races on emotional Saturday night at Shelby County

HARLAN, Iowa (Sept. 21, 2024) – Jack Hearty won two races on Saturday night at Shelby County Speedway. The first was just to get his IMCA Sunoco Late Model on the track. The second was to win the Tiny Lund Memorial and Brandon Saltzman Showdown main event. Hearty, just 22 and from Omaha, won his career-first IMCA Late Model feature and $3,098 on a night dedicated to both the hometown hero and 1963 Daytona 500 champion and to the late 2021 track champion. “There have been a couple races where I’ve led late and had a tire blow out, or lost the lead after a late caution,” said Hearty, who got up at sunrise Sunday, walked from his camper and sat at the track, letting everything from the night before set in. “We had a caution with four to go and I knew Cory Dumpert was right behind me. I just told myself ‘Let’s go do what we know we can’ and it all worked out.” Dumpert, the five-time defending national champion, and Sterling Perkins [Read More]

Former regional director Ed Billings passes at 76

WAVERLY, N.Y. (Sept. 22, 2024) – Ed Billings, long-time director for IMCA’s Eastern Region, passed away Sunday night at Robert Packer Hospital, following a brief illness. He was 76. Retired from the Sheltered Workshop in Binghamton, Billings was involved in all aspects of dirt track racing and was with IMCA from 1999 to 2013, playing an integral role in the sanctioning body’s growth in terms of sanctioned tracks and membership in the northeast as well as filling the director’s role for the Empire State Series. “When Ed made the decision to step down from his duties with IMCA, I said he was one of the best hires this organization ever made,” commented IMCA President Brett Root. “That is still true today. While I appreciated his contributions to our sport in general and to IMCA in particular, I valued his friendship even more.” In addition to his parents Mitchell and Marion, he was preceded in death by his wife Janis (Jagger) Billings; two brothers and three sisters. He is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, Jason [Read More]

Sweep at Skyline nets NY-Penn Series crown for Morgan

CORTLAND, N.Y. (Sept. 20-21, 2024) – Going into the two night Turbo Blue Weekend at Skyline Motorsports Park, Rodney Morgan was second in points in the Close Racing Supply NY-Penn IMCA Modified Series standings with two wins on the season. At the end of the second night of racing, he had doubled his win total and was not only the points leader but his two feature wins clinched the title of the 2024 series for Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds. Morgan also becomes the first driver to have two championships in the four-year history ofthe series. Prior to this weekend’s racing, Morgan trailed Keith Lamphere by 15 points, but Lamphere became a new father this weekend and did not make the trip north. Twenty-two cars signed in for the Friday night show. The redraw put heat winners Tyler Belcher, Rich Michaels Jr. and Morgan all mid-pack. Logan Terry and Jason Butler led the lineup to the green flag. Butler was on top during the early laps, but Terry kept the pressure on and had the lead [Read More]

Arlington win is IMCA Stock Car first for Zimmerman

ARLINGTON, Minn. (Sept. 21, 2024) – A.J. Zimmerman got the best of 31 IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars for his first-ever feature win, in a race that went green to checkered Saturday at Arlington Raceway. Ryan Grochow paced the first three laps before Zimmerman took the high side and passed him to take over at the front. He encountered lapped traffic in the late going but protected his groove and went on to win. “This win has definitely been tough to get. It’s definitely been tough racing with these guys every week,” Zimmerman said. “We’ve been close a lot of times so it’s good to get this one. It was exciting.” He’ll add his trophy to the collection of hardware his father Mark, who made his 15th start of the season Saturday at Arlington, has compiled in his own career. Grochow fell back multiple positions which gave Brent Uecker the opportunity of moving up. He and Dakota Robinson were battling for the runner-up spot but it was Uecker at the line taking second while Robinson was third, just [Read More]

Mountain Blast Off for Moyac Missile

By Jim Haines NATURAL BRIDGE, Va. (Sept. 21, 2024) – Natural Bridge Speedway, located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, saw Moyac Missile Daren Bolac blast off and take the Virginia Sprint Series win Saturday night. This IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car race was a special feature-only event as part of the Tommy Bare Memorial Weekend. After a rain delay held up the feature, Matthew Leach and Bolac paced the field to green with Bolac out first on the lightning-fast track. Bolac was trying to take off but Dylan Shatzer and Jerald Harris broke away first to try to run him down. The trio was flying around, inching away from the rest of the pack until half-way when Shatzer went too high in turn three and four, going over the bank an ending his challenge. On the restart, Bolac and Harris took off with Matt Mullins now in third with the laps running down. Harris had closed a few times trying different lines and with the rear of the field coming up had another chance to make a charge. [Read More]

Hibdon gets his name on T-shirt with bucket list win at Jamestown

JAMESTOWN, N.D. (Sept. 21, 2024) – Kollin Hibdon wasn’t just happy about the bucket list win. He was happy about getting his name on the T-shirt. Hibdon led all 25 laps of Saturday’s Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature at Jamestown Speedway’s Stock Car Stampede, earning $3,069 and Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifying eligibility along with the bucket list checkers. Plus, he’ll see his name on the souvenir T-shirt sold at the 54th annual Stampede next September. “We’ve been in North Dakota for a few years now and it seems like we’ve won just about every special but this one,” said Hibdon, a Nevada native who just celebrated his 21st birthday late last month. “It means a lot to me to be able to win this race and I’m excited to get my name on the T-shirt.” The first 20 laps ran green; Travis Hagen and Zach Frederick headed the pursuit of Hibdon but never challenged and finished 2-3 behind him. Hibdon is headed back to his home state shortly. He’ll do some racing out west with his [Read More]

IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National Point Standings through Sept. 19, 2024

Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds – 1. Chaz Baca, Mesa, Ariz., 1,000; 2. Ethan Braaksma, Newton, Iowa, 987; 3. Tim Ward, Harcourt, Iowa, 979; 4. Chris Zogg, New Liberty, Iowa, and Troy Cordes, Dunkerton, Iowa, both 977; 6. Troy Morris III, Bakersfield, Calif., 971; 7. Grey Ferrando, Stayton, Ore., 968; 8. Jed Freiburger, Dubuque, Iowa, 966; 9. Myron DeYoung, Stanton, Mich., 965; 10. Jeremy Mills, Clear Lake, Iowa, 962; 11. Jeff Larson, Freeport, Ill., and Jeffrey Reay, Portland, Mich., both 957; 13. Austin Harnick, Clare, Mich., 949; 14. Jake McBirnie, Boone, Iowa, 942; 15. Matt Werner, Geneseo, Ill., 940; 16. Charlie Mohr, Bettendorf, Iowa, 939; 17. Jake Nightingale, Maize, Kan., 938; 18. Cole Czarneski, Denmark, Wis., 937; 19. Todd Shute, Norwalk, Iowa, 936; 20. Jacob Mallet Jr., Oakley, Calif., 935. IMCA Sunoco Late Models – 1. Cory Dumpert, Newman Grove, Neb., 795; 2. Travis Denning, Sterling, Ill., 791; 3. Anthony Roth, Platte Center, Neb., 777; 4. Evan Miller, Davenport, Iowa, 774; 5. Zach Zeitner, Bellevue, Neb., 766; 6. Mitch Morris, Long Grove, Iowa, and Andy Nezworski, Blue Grass, [Read More]