Newswire

URSS starts season Saturday at Dodge City

DODGE CITY, Kan. – Last week’s originally scheduled season opener at 81 Speedway for the Drive to Zero POWRi United Rebel Sprint Series presented by Mel Hambelton Ford Racing was postponed due to inclement weather. As a result, the season is now slated to kick off this Saturday, April 24 at Dodge City Raceway Park in Dodge City, Kan. The 3/8-mile semi-banked clay oval opens this year under new management. Long-time Sprint Car driver Craig Dollansky and his team have devoted hours of time and enhancements to the facility leading up to the season. A great field of cars is expected as drivers and teams look forward to racing under the new improvements and promoter. Hot laps are scheduled to begin at 6:15 p.m. on Saturday with the green flag flying over competition at 7 p.m. Grandstand admission is $10 with kids 12 and under admitted free of charge. The United Rebel Sprint Series will also award last year’s competitors with their respective trophies during or after the competition Saturday night. The series has partnered with the Drive to Zero [Read More]

PASS joins Open Wheel Madness at Port Royal

PORT ROYAL, Pa. – The Pennsylvania Sprint Series will be a part of Open Wheel Madness Saturday, April 24 at Port Royal Speedway. It’s the first of three Madness shows for PASS IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car teams; the others will be July 17 and Aug. 21. PASS will run a 20-lap feature each night at the Juniata County Speed Palace. This weekend’s show will be the second of 11 scheduled for PASS at Port Royal this season. ‘Nitro’ Nick Sweigart took the first on April 3. In the COVID-abbreviated 2020 season, PASS raced at the Port seven times, with Garrett Bard winning four of those events on his way to series, KMJ Performance State and IMCA RaceSaver National titles; he also was Port Royal track champ. Sweigart captured two wins and Derek Hauck won once. Sweigart and Bard are pre-registered for Saturday’s race, as is 2019 PASS, IMCA RaceSaver National and Port Royal Speedway champion Ken Duke Jr. Nathan Gramley, the 2016 track champion, also is expected. All total, more than 50 teams have pre-registered for the race. Gates open [Read More]

Drager, Bloom are IMCA winners at Cottage Grove

By Ben Deatherage COTTAGE GROVE, Ore. (April 17) – Cottage Grove Speedway got back to its racing ways on Saturday, April 17 with feature wins going to Matthew Drager in the IMCA Modifieds and Aaron Bloom in the Karl Kustoms Northern SportMods. The Modified main event was an absolute thriller. Chad Groves got his mount to the early race lead before Drager managed to hunt him down and overtake him at the line on the third complete circuit. On lap four, Groves went back in front but Drager reclaimed the position on the following lap. However, a caution would be waved before the fifth trip could be officially completed, giving the first place position back to Groves. On the upcoming restart, Drager was able to make it around Groves for the fifth lead change in as many laps. Drager had his hands full with both Groves and Jake Mayden turning up the heat. A couple yellow flags waved around the halfway mark, which kept the field tightly knit together. After a lap 14 restart, Groves stormed past Drager which [Read More]

Ferrando captures Grays Harbor opener

By Ben Deatherage ELMA, Wash. (April 17) – Engines fired up for the first time in 2021 at Grays Harbor Raceway on Saturday with 21 IMCA Modifieds contesting the evening’s main event. Tyson Blood moved his way into first place on the first lap. Devan West hunted down Blood in lapped traffic and overtook him for the lead. However, the pass was negated due to a yellow flag coming out before the lap could get registered, handing the top spot back to Blood. Several late-race restarts turned up the intensity for Blood. A lap 23 restart resumed the race and set up an opportunity for Grey Ferrando to have a shot at the coveted position. Despite starting all the way back in 18th, Ferrando worked his way patiently and methodically towards the front. As the white flag dropped, Ferrando found the opening he needed to challenge Blood. The two raced each other hard but it was Ferrando who had the advantage coming off the second corner and down the back straightaway. Ferrando went on to become the first driver to [Read More]

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Fast Shafts All-Star ballot adds four more candidates

VINTON, Iowa – Four more IMCA Modified drivers have raced their way onto the ballot for the upcoming Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational. The most recent additions are Cody Blixt, winner of the Saturday night Wild West Tour event at Battle Mountain Raceway, and Austin Kiefer, first to the checkers on opening night at Perris Auto Speedway. P.J. Egbert parked it in victory lane following a weekly show at Heart O’ Texas Speedway and Austin Wonch topped Winston Speedway’s Midwest Shoot-Out. Drivers already on the ballot winning recent qualifying events included Chaz Baca, Ethan Braaksma, Cayden Carter, Kellen Chadwick, Jordan Grabouski, Kollin Hibdon, Mitchell Hunt, Cody Laney, Jeff Larson, Dakota Sproul and Justin Whitehead. All-Star candidates now include: Jeff Aikey, Austin Arneson, Casey Arneson, Chaz Baca, Eric Barnes, Brandon Beckendorf, Eddie Belec, Chad Bennett, Tom Berry Jr., Tanner Black and Cody Blixt. Steven Bowers Jr., Ethan Braaksma, John Campos, Cayden Carter, Chris Carter, Kellen Chadwick, Ty Clemens, Nick DeCarlo, Casey Delp, Shane DeVolder, Spencer Diercks and Ethan Dotson. Tommy Dove, P.J. Egbert, Chris Elliott, Shawn Fletcher, [Read More]

Home track hero McGee gets first PASS win at Path Valley

By Frank Buhrman SPRING RUN, Pa. (April 17) – Full circle. Mikell McGee, a fourth-generation member of the family that built Path Valley Speedway, collected his first Pennsylvania Sprint Series feature victory in Saturday night’s 25-lap feature at his home track. In only his tenth PASS race, McGee survived a fierce battle – and contact – with Kenny Heffner, who also was seeking his first PASS win. Then there was the green, white, checkered finish with defending PASS and IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car national champion Garrett Bard on his bumper. McGee faced and rose above those challenges and came home the winner. Bard hung on for second, with second-year PASS driver Rowdy Heffner scoring a career-best third. Will Brunson also posted a career-best finish with his fourth and was the evening’s hard charger, advancing nine positions after starting 13th. Austin Reed completed the top five. The night was most disappointing for Heffner, who grabbed the early lead after fellow front-row starter Justin Mills jumped the cushion and had to retire his car. That made McGee Heffner’s [Read More]

Long distance chat with dad follows Blixt’s first IMCA Modified Wild West Tour victory

BATTLE MOUNTAIN, Nev. (April 16-17) – Like he does after every race, Cody Blixt had a chat with crew chief and father Kelly Saturday night at Battle Mountain Raceway. What was different this time is that Cody had just won his first IMCA Modified Pitt Stop Motorsports Wild West Tour feature, while his dad was in Kuwait, recently deployed with the National Guard. “We FaceTimed after I went through tech,” explained Blixt, the first Montana driver to win a Wild West Tour event and new to the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot after taking the $1,000 checkers. “He watched on IMCA.TV and was thrilled that I won. He told me how well I drove.” After a 10th place finish Friday night, Blixt drew the pole on night two and led start to finish. “It was 25 laps but it felt like the longest race ever,” said Blixt, chased by Bert Beech and opening night winner Chaz Baca. ”Last year I raced a lot of specials and ran almost 50 nights. The Wild West Tour win is [Read More]

Carter, Reynolds thrill in opening night wins at the Bullring

VINTON, Iowa – It was deja vu for Brayton Carter Sunday night at the Benton County Speedway Bullring. Two weeks after earning a last lap pass for the win in Frostbuster action, Carter repeated his late race heroics in the season points opener for the Karl Kustoms Northern SportMods presented by Christie Door Company. From his front row start, Brian Kauffman led throughout the 15-lapper, but was challenged by Kyle Olson during his time out front. Olson made his bid for the lead on two separate occasions, only to have those moves negated by a pair of cautions. By the time the last yellow waved to set up a two-lap dash to the finish, Carter moved into contention and was sitting outside of row two when racing resumed the final time. On the restart, Carter powered to the outside of Kauffman, who was committed to the low groove the entire race. The lead pair remained in close formation as Carter surged ahead coming off turn four to take the checkers by inches ahead of Kauffman. [Read More]

Defending champion smokes Virginia Sprint Series foes

By Jim Haines NATURAL BRIDGE, Va. (April 17) – The first dirt race of the year for the Virginia Sprint Series was an exciting one as defending champion Mike Leraas made his way to the front and fought off race-long challengers and a failure at the last lap but held on for the Saturday win at Natural Bridge Speedway. Matt Mullins and Chris Ware paced the IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car field to green. Ware was out first with Leraas, Bill Rice and Jerald Harris giving chase. Leraas got by, leaving Rice and Harris to fight with Ware for second. Ware got high in turn two with Harris getting by Rice to go after Leraas and Rice in a solid third. A quick spinner tightened up the field after they had caught the back of the field. Leraas was off again and Harris was right on him with Rice staying tough in third. The top two went after it lap after lap until coming down for the white flag Leraas started to smoke badly. But even with [Read More]