Newswire

United Rebel Sprint Series kicks off 2021 season at 81 Speedway

WICHITA, Kan. – The Drive to Zero POWRi United Rebel Sprint Series Presented by Mel Hambelton Ford Racing is slated to kick off its 16th season this Saturday, April 17. IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car Competitors will head to 81 Speedway in Wichita, Kan., for the first race of a brimming 32-event schedule in 2021. Racing starts at 7 p.m. Heading into a fresh season, competition is slated to be at its best in 2021. Coming off a slow start and off-schedule year due to restrictions throughout the country last year, the United Rebel Sprint Series looks ahead to the $1,000 to win season opener on Saturday. Under new ownership last year, 81 Speedway’s track surface has been excellent and provides some of the best racing in the state and a great field of cars is slated. The series has partnered with the Drive to Zero program to offer a $5,000 pay day to the 2021 United Rebel Sprint Series Champion. The Drive to Zero program was built with one goal in mind, to reduce fatalities and serious injuries that occur on Kansas highways. The program is designated [Read More]

Free grandstand admission for Friday Oil Capital show at Outlaw Motor Speedway

By John Rittenoure TULSA, Okla. – Friday night will be a night to remember for AmeriFlex Oil Capital Racing Series IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car fans. Outlaw Motor Speedway will host a complete night of racing and grandstand admission free. The April 16 feature winner will earn $1,000 with a $250 minimum paid to start. Heat race winners will earn $100. Five different winners, among them Joe Bob Lee, Johnny Kent, 2018 champion Alex Sewell, Noah Harris and Steven Shebester, have produced a balanced field coming into Friday night’s show. Pit gates open at 5 p.m. and the draw ends at 6:30 p.m. The drivers’ meeting is at 6:45 p.m., hot laps are at 7:30 p.m. and racing starts at 8 p.m. Pit passes are $35.

Cooper collects Marysville checkers

By Ben Deatherage MARYSVILLE, Calif. (April 10) – Former track champion Todd Cooper was back in victory lane following the second visit this season by Karl Kustoms Northern SportMods to Marysville Raceway. Four stoppages took place in the 20-lap affair, all within the first two laps being completed. Once racing got going, Cooper would take control of the first-place position. Cooper did get a little pressure from fellow Yuba City chauffeur Donnie Fortney but was able to keep his challenger in check. The 2019 track champion at Marysville, Cooper went on to lead the remaining 18 laps to earn his first Karl triumph of the new season and become the second different winner in as many events at Marysville. Jimmy Ford, another Yuba City runner, rallied to a second-place result while Sacramento’s Scott Savell placed third. The House of Merritt comprised the rest of the top five finishers. Damian, of Marysville, and Mike Merritt, from Yuba City, was fourth and fifth.

Mills scores first PASS win at Selinsgrove

By Frank Buhrman SELINSGROVE, Pa. (April 10) – Justin Mills narrowly outran fellow New Yorker Christian Rumsey in a one-lap shootout Saturday to claim his first Pennsylvania Sprint Series win in a 20-lap feature at Selinsgrove Speedway. Mills started third and chased polesitter Rumsey for a dozen laps before making the pass for the lead on lap 13. Rumsey hung tough and continued to challenge, though, and when the race was stopped with one lap to go he had a last chance, but Mills was up to the task and edged his challenger by less than one tenth of a second at the checkered flag. “That was a long red flag,” Mills said in victory lane. “I was just thinking where I should go, top or bottom. I knew the oil was there, so I was trying not to run into that. It just all worked out good.” The win was Mills’ first in an IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car. In a 10-race rookie season with PASS in 2020, Mills was usually fast but a fourth [Read More]

IMCA Stock and SportMod national, track champs score Bassett Racing Wheel awards

BURLINGTON, Wis. – National champions and track champions in three IMCA divisions again earn post-season awards from Bassett Racing Wheel. The Burlington, Wis., manufacturer and now 27-year sponsor gives sets of four wheels to IMCA Sunoco Stock Car, Karl Kustoms Northern SportMod and Smiley’s Racing Products Southern SportMod national champions. Track champions crowned in the same divisions receive $60 product certificates. “Bassett Racing Wheel supports IMCA racing because it represents the best weekly racing in the country. The rules package is consistent and affordable for racers who want to demonstrate their driving skills over the length of a season,” stated Bassett Director of Marketing & Sales Brian Gill. “We appreciate the dedication it takes to compete for track championships and look forward to rewarding the champions at the end of the 2021 season.” All Bassett Racing Wheel awards will be presented during the national IMCA banquet this fall or mailed beginning the following week from the IMCA home office. Bassett also returns for a 14th season to national decal programs for the SportMod divisions. All Northern [Read More]

Ryland tames Ocean Speedway for second straight week

By Ben Deatherage WATSONVILLE, Calif. (April 9) – The Karl Kustoms IMCA Northern Sport Mods made their second appearance of the 2021 season at Ocean Speedway Friday evening. On the opening start of the main event, Billy Robertson was the first to pace the field. A caution on the second lap bunched the field up, preventing Robertson from building a large lead. On the restart, Fred Ryland maneuvered his way to the front and was the leader of the third circuit. Once the Brentwood veteran obtained the top place position, Ryland began to check out from the rest of the pack. However, Ryland was not able to construct too large of a lead as an additional five stoppages occurred, which also took out the factor of lapped traffic. Despite the slowdowns and restarts, Ryland, who started eight,h won his fifth Karl Kustoms Northern SportMod feature of the new season. Randy Miller was the runner-up with third place going to Jim DiGiovanni. Adriane Frost placed fourth while Trevor Clymens wound up fifth.

Hogge, Fraser park it at Antioch

By Ben Deatherage ANTIOCH, Calif. (April 10) – Two IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing divisions returned to Antioch Speedway on Saturday, marking the fourth IMCA Modified and fifth Karl Kustoms Northern SportMod events of 2021 at the Contra Costa County Fairgrounds facility. The IMCA Modified main event was predominantly green to checkered. Only one caution took place and there was a total of three lead changes. Josh Combs beat the field to the line to be the leader of the opening circuit. Combs inhabited first place until lap three when Buddy Kniss got around him. Kniss stayed in front much of the race. Martinez regular Nick DeCarlo tried to get around him but with no success. After the lone caution, Salinas veteran Bobby Hogge brought the Paul Gugliemoni-owned entry into the mix and went side-by-side with Kniss and eventually DeCarlo joined the party. Kniss managed to keep back both Hogge and DeCarlo with seven to go. Hogge mounted one last charge to the front. He maneuvered his way to the front on lap 28 [Read More]

Thunderbird opens with Fast Shafts All-Star qualifier

MUSKEGON, Mich. – Opening night at Thunderbird Raceway features a $1,000 to win main event for IMCA Modifieds. The Saturday, April 17 headliner is a qualifier for the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot and is presented by Sprague Auto Parts. Gates open at 3 p.m. and the grandstand opens at 4:30 p.m. Hot laps start at 5 p.m. with racing at 6:30 p.m. Grandstand admission is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors, $5 for kids ages 6-11 and free for five and under. Spectators can bring small coolers only and no glass bottles. They are also asked to wear face masks until seated. Pit passes are $30.

Sawyer, Forster best in IMCA fields at Bakersfield

By Ben Deatherage BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (April 10) – Robby Sawyer and Zack Forster bested their respective IMCA features at Bakersfield Saturday evening. In the IMCA Modified main event, the early goings were dominated by Steve Noland, who held onto first until being overtaken on the fifth lap by Troy Morris III. Morris was the lead element of the field until he was passed on the eighth circuit. The driver to do that was Sawyer. Sawyer then began building a massive lead over the rest of the pack. The 30-lap affair would go non-stop and nothing stopped the fifth-starting Sawyer from collecting his first win of 2021. Ethan Dotson rallied from 19th starting to finish in second place while behind him, in third, was Morris. Making it an all-Bakersfield top five, Jerry Flippo crossed the wire fourth followed by Kyle Heckman in the Bill Henderson-owned entry. Cade Lewis showed the way early in the IMCA STARS Mod Lite feature. A lap one incident bunched the field and prevented Lewis from getting too far from the [Read More]

Towns tops Cottage Grove barnburner

By Stephanie Deatherage COTTAGE GROVE, Ore. (April 10) – Curtis Towns was the winner of a green to checkered IMCA Modified main event Saturday at Cottage Grove Speedway. Matthew Drager set the pace from the get-go but was soon in an exciting battle with Paul Rea. Rea, the long-time racer from Eugene, got around Drager on lap two only for Matthew to reclaim the top spot, on lap seven. Drager held first place for some time until Paul once again got around him on lap 11. Rea paced the field at a rapid pace using the high side of the race track. Slowly but methodically a couple cars gave chase including Towns. On lap 23, Towns worked the bottom of the race track, seizing the top place position and going on to win his first race of the year. Rea ended the night in second with third going to Bricen James. The Karl Kustoms Northern Sport Mods were in the house for the first time in the new campaign. Dustin Comer showed a lot of [Read More]