Newswire

IMCA addresses awarding of points despite participation restrictions

VINTON, Iowa – IMCA points will be awarded at sanctioned events with limits on entry numbers beginning this weekend. IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National, regional, state and track points will be given at those events as of May 15. “We are seeing more tracks with restrictions placed on them on state and local levels regarding their number of participants,” explained IMCA President Brett Root. “We have always had an unwritten policy against awarding points at events that limited entries, especially at track championship nights late in the point season when drivers were still competing for state, regional and national titles.” “This is a season like none of us have experienced, however,” he continued. “We will give track, state, regional and national points for races held beginning this Friday regardless of any restrictions placed on the number of participants.” That policy will likely remain in place through the end of the point season this fall. Tracks can indicate which points (national regional and state, or all points) are to be given when submitting race result [Read More]

Roth sweeps Spring Nationals with twin $1,000 IMCA Modified feature wins

JEFFERSON, S.D. (May 8-9) – Anthony Roth brought the broom to Park Jefferson Speedway, sweeping $1,000 to win Spring Nationals features for IMCA Modifieds on May 8 and 9. The 2019 Nebraska State champion and already a Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational candidate, Roth started from the pole and rumbled away to the opening night win after holding off challenges from track regular Chris Abelson and Colorado invader Ricky Alvarado. Front row starters Jesse Skalicky and Daniel Gottschalk got things off to a roaring start on Saturday, sliding and shooting for the lead while Shane DeMey joined the fray. Roth then threw a go for broke slide in turn three entering in the fourth position and exited in first. It was a position he would not relinquish. DeMey was second and hard-charging Tyler Frye was third. Shane Stutzman outran hard-charging rookie Justin Luinenburg and Taylor Williams for the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car win on Friday. Luinenburg, a former Hobby Stock national champion, held off Travis Barker and Elijah Zevenbergen in winning the Saturday show. Another Minnesota [Read More]

Sobbing, Drueke, Baumli, Stallbaumer win U.S. 36 Raceway openers

By Jacob Blair OSBORN, Mo. (May 8) – After a long wait for racing to return to the high banks of U.S. 36 Raceway, more than 100 IMCA entries hit the track on opening night Friday, May 8. In the IMCA Modifieds, Kelsie Foley, out of Tucson, Ariz., led the first half of the feature. Jesse Sobbing lurked behind as he methodically worked his way through the field. Using the high line, Sobbing worked around Foley and led the remaining laps to win the opening Modified race of 2020. Chad Andersen charged from a ‘B’ feature and 15th place starting position to finish second, with Foley third. Tyler Drueke dominated the IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car feature, leading every lap and cruising to Westfall GMC Victory Lane. Stuart Snyder finished second, with Cincinnati, Ohio driver Saben Bibent in the third spot. J.J. Baumli made quick work of the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car field, jumping to the early lead out of the fourth starting position. Mike Albertsen ran second most of the feature but never could run down [Read More]

IMCA home office re-opens

VINTON, Iowa (May 11) – The IMCA home office re-opened today with all employees returning to regular duties. Regular hours will be 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. “While we are open to individuals purchasing 2020 competitor’s licenses, necessary safety practices are in place for those entering or visiting our office. Most licenses are sold online and we encourage drivers to continue doing that,” noted IMCA President Brett Root. “More tracks are beginning to open or have announced their plans to do so and we look forward to the steady return of racing across the country.”

IMCA Late Model tire rule postponed until 2021

VINTON, Iowa – The no tire siping rule for IMCA Late Models has been postponed until 2021. That rule was originally to go into effect on June 1. “With the delay of the season at many tracks and no certain time table for all our Late Model tracks, it is in everyone’s best interest that we postpone this rule,” explained IMCA President Brett Root. Questions can be directed to IMCA Executive Director of Competition Dave Brenn at 785 307-8482, Late Model Division Director Joe Hayes at 319 389-2600 or Late Model Competition Director Randy Anderson at 309 269-6694.

Opening night set this Saturday at Boone Speedway

BOONE, Iowa – Iowa’s Action Track opens this Saturday with four IMCA divisions on the race night card. IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks and Karl Kustoms Northern SportMods chase IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly racing National, regional and state, but no track points when the green flag flies at Boone Speedway on May 16. Working with IMCA and following CDC social distancing guidelines permitted by the State of Iowa, Boone Speedway will be able to race with only pit-side attendees. Each participating race car will be allowed a total of 10 members, come and join your favorite driver in the pits. Fans will also be able to watch the race live via pay-per-view on the all-new IMCA.TV. Registration for the draw/redraw is required and can be done through the MyRacePass link on the track raceboone.com website. Updates on specific guidelines and procedures will be posted on social media and the website. Pit gates open at 1 p.m., hot laps are at 4 p.m. and racing starts at 5 p.m. Saturday.

Boone Speedway sets Friday practice session

BOONE, Iowa – An open practice session runs from 6-8 p.m. this Friday, May 15 at Boone Speedway. Pit passes will be $15, masks must be worn, hand sanitizer stations will be located around the speedway grounds and race teams must maintain social distancing. Opening night for IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks and Karl Kustoms Northern SportMods is Saturday, May 16. More information about Friday’s practice and Saturday’s opener is available on the track website or Facebook page.

Bethany Speedway opens with record numbers

By Chet Querry BETHANY, Mo. (May 9) – The first race of the season at Bethany Speedway started off with record-setting numbers: More race cars in the pit area than has ever been, including the Northwest Missouri State Fair; the biggest count of fans that has attended Bethany Speedway since they reopened for regular racing in 2018; and drivers representing 12 different states from as far as Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Arizona. Feature wins went to Steven Bowers Jr. in the IMCA Modifieds, Tyler Drueke in the IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Cars, J.J. Baumli in the IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars and Truman Asher in the Karl Kustoms Northern SportMods. The Modified feature was one of the best there’s been and ran green to checkered after two early cautions. Defending national champion Jordan Grabouski qualified through a ‘B’ feature and moved up quickly at the start. Chad Clancy jumped into the lead from his fifth place starting spot while right behind him came Bowers. Jesse Sobbing, who started 12th, went right to the top and passed his [Read More]

Sprint Series of Nebraska opening at US 36 Raceway, New Raceway Park

OSBORN, Mo. – The Sprint Series of Nebraska will be heading South to US 36 Raceway in Missouri on Friday, May 15 and then will head North on Sunday, May 17 to The New Raceway Park in Jefferson, S.D. “We are excited to finally get to kick off the first two IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Series of Nebraska Races,” says Sprint Series of Nebraska coordinator Racine Hadan. “Race tracks have been hit very hard here in Nebraska with all of the COVID-19 restrictions. Our first three races for the SSN Series were scheduled at Eagle Raceway, I-80 Speedway and Crawford County Speedway and were all canceled due to the COVID-19 restrictions.” Hadan is also the operations manager at Eagle Raceway in Eagle, Neb. “It’s pretty disappointing that we cannot race in Nebraska right now due to the 10 person rule so all our drivers and fans have to travel to different states just to go racing. We hope that the State of Nebraska officials let us open up soon,” she said. “I would think that they [Read More]

IMCA national champions headed to US 36, Bethany for IMCA openers

OSBORN, Mo. – Drivers with IMCA national championships already on their resumes begin their pursuit of 2020 honors this weekend at US 36 Raceway and Bethany Speedway. Jordan Grabouski, Mike Nichols and Austin Kaplan are among drivers from 10 states pre-entered for opening night events Friday, May 8 at Osborn and Saturday, May 9 at Bethany. IMCA Modifieds, IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Cars, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars and Karl Kustoms Northern SportMods are on both race night cards From Nebraska, Grabouski became the first driver to win two IMCA national crowns in the same season last year, topping point standings for both Modifieds and Stock Cars. He amassed 69 feature wins, two regional titles and eight track championships, all IMCA record totals for a single season. Eight-time national champion Nichols, a former Missouri state king, looks to add to his Stock Car division best 529-win total. Fellow Iowan Kaplan owns a Northern SportMod national crown and makes the weekend trip south as well. 2017 Jet Racing Central Region king Steven Bowers Jr., a six-time track and [Read More]