Newswire

Westin Abbey aces IMCA Lone Star Tour opener at Abilene

ABILENE, Texas (Feb. 15) – Following his opening night Sniper Speed Lone Star Tour win Saturday at Abilene Speedway, Westin Abbey will take aim at a much bigger payday. The three-time and defending EQ Cylinder Heads Southern Region champion topped the main event for IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, earning $1,000 and a shot at a $10,000 bonus if he can win Texas Motor Speedway’s Wednesday night Dirty 30 show as well. Eighty drivers from 11 states saw tour action at Abilene. Ninth in Friday’s opening night show at the Ice Breaker, Abbey won the first of 10 heat races, started outside the front row and caught Derek Green for the lead midway through the 30-lapper. Green, the Friday winner, ran side-by-side and bumper-to-bumper with Abbey the last half of the race. The front pair caught up to lapped traffic with two laps left but Abbey found the fastest way through and left Green to settle for second. “We didn’t know what the car was going to do. We changed a lot of stuff after the heat race,” [Read More]

McGaha, Tucker, Green are gold on opening night at Abilene Ice Breaker

ABILENE, Texas (Feb. 14) – Josh McGaha and Gabe Tucker made return trips to victory lane at Abilene Speedway, while Derek Green won in his first-ever outing at the Texas speedplant on opening night of the Ice Breaker. Multi-time track champion McGaha scored IMCA Modified career win number 92 Friday night while Tucker’s checkers were his Smiley’s Racing Products Southern SportMod career 113th. Minnesotan Green, meanwhile, led all 32 laps of the Prelude To The Tour feature for IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, contended by nearly 80 drivers. The checkers were his IMCA career 91st. Most recently the winner of Abilene’s 2019 season-ending Ryan Bard Memorial Southern Challenge, McGaha started from the pole, chased Mark Carrell across the stripe after the first lap and then went to the bottom for the lead on lap two. Jason Wolla settled into second on lap five. Carrell and Jesse Sobbing tussled over third following a lap 12 restart with Sobbing eventually getting the upper hand. Mike Hansen and Carrell completed the top five as McGaha pulled away to win by half [Read More]

Two titles for Thornton, Kuehl reigns over IMCA Arizona Dirt Track Tour SportMods

TUCSON, Ariz. (Feb. 15) – Ricky Thornton Jr. wrapped up two titles with feature victories while Brady Bjella became a first-time winner and ever-consistent Taylor Kuehl earned an IMCA Arizona Dirt Track Tour championship of her own Saturday at USA Raceway. Thornton led all but the first of 25 IMCA Modified main event circuits and all 20 times around the track in the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car feature. Alex Stanford was scored first on the opening lap of the Modified finale, but Thornton drove by in the first set of turns on lap two. He caught up with the back of the field on lap nine and led Stanford through traffic from that point. The race ran caution-free and Thornton avoided potential late drama with a nifty high side pass of two lapped cars. The $2,000 victory was Thornton’s second straight at Tucson, third of the tour and already Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot qualifying fifth of the season. Stanford was second and Drew Armstrong held off Jake O’Neil for third. Chaz Baca started 13th and [Read More]

Thornton is double winner, Becerra takes first IMCA Arizona Tour checkers at Tucson

TUCSON, Ariz. (Feb. 14) – Ricky Thornton Jr. was a double winner while Austen Becerra collected his first IMCA Arizona Dirt Track Tour checkers Friday at USA Raceway. Thornton won for the fourth time in five IMCA Sunoco Stock Car Tour starts, before outrunning Jeff Taylor and Alex Stanford for another IMCA Modified victory. In between those two features, Becerra rocketed from eighth starting to top the Karl Kustoms Northern SportMod main. He passed Clay Erickson and Brady Bjella following a lap 14 restart, then led to the finish. “I thought I had a third place car ‘til I got to lapped traffic,” the Carthage, Ill., charger said post-race. “But it worked out pretty good for us. It was good to click one off here.” Becerra had sandwiched fourth- and third-place finishes around a pair of 21st place showings in his four prior tour outings. His win was good for $750. Bjella and Bo Partain were one-two in the early going. Erickson owned the second spot after a lap four restart while Becerra motored along in [Read More]

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Drive For 5 leads to big IMCA Late Model payday at Lee County Speedway

DONNELLSON, Iowa – Five $1,000 to win features set the stage for a potential $5,000 IMCA Sunoco Late Model Drive For 5 payday this season at Lee County Speedway. Qualifier Night-branded Friday night features at Donnellson on April 17, May 8, June 12, July 17 and Aug. 7 each pay $1,000 to win. Drivers who compete in at least four of those events run for a top prize of $5,000 in the Saturday, Sept. 12 finale. Shottenkirk Parts Express, local sponsor of the division, is title sponsor of the Drive For 5 as well. Other sponsors include Ideal Ready Mix, J.J. Nichting Company Case IH and Floyd’s Waste Systems. “Lee County Speedway ran something like this forever ago over 10 nights and we decided to bring it back,” promoter Brian Gaylord said. “It’s going to be a great way to get even more Late Models to the track. I think we’re going to have to run a ‘B’ main every night.” IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National, E3 Spark Plugs Iowa State and track points [Read More]

RAM renews IMCA Stock, Hobby, SportMod awards

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Contingency awards from RAM Clutches go to drivers in four IMCA divisions again in 2020. The Columbia, S.C., manufacturer gives $50 product certificates to IMCA Sunoco Stock Car, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock, Karl Kustoms Northern SportMod and Smiley’s Racing Products Southern SportMod competitors. Top five eligible drivers in both regions for Stock Cars and for Hobby Stocks, and national Northern SportMod and Southern SportMod standings will receive those certificates at the IMCA awards banquet in November or by mail in December. “RAM is very proud to be back as a sponsor for these IMCA divisions. We are happy to support this great group of racers and watch as young and old alike achieve their dreams of racing on both the local and national levels,” said RAM’s Mike Norcia. Drivers in all four divisions are required to display two RAM decals on their race car, compete with a RAM manual transmission and return a completed sign-up form to the IMCA home office by Aug. 1 to be eligible. Information about RAM products is available [Read More]

IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National Point Standings through Feb. 13

IMCA Modifieds – 1. Chaz Baca, Mesa, Ariz., 470; 2. Jeff Taylor, Cave City, Ark., 313; 3. Casey Arneson, Fargo, N.D., 307; 4. Tim Ward, Chandler, Ariz., 283; 5. Lance Mari, Imperial, Calif., 276; 6. Zachary Madrid, Phoenix, Ariz., 259; 7. Braxton Yeager, Green River, Wy., and Marlyn Seidler, Underwood, N.D., both 231; 9. Justen Yeager, Green River, Wy., and Austin Kuehl, Cave Creek, Ariz., both 207; 11. Spencer Wilson, Minot, N.D., 205; 12. Ryan Roath, Peoria, Ariz., 192; 13. Bricen James, Albany, Ore., 187; 14. Austin Kiefer, Pahrump, Nev., 185; 15. Tom Berry, Newburg, N.D., 180; 16. Garth Dushanek, Red Deer, Alb., 170; 17. Michael Thing, Campo, Calif., 134; 18. Bobby Horton, Yuma, Ariz., 127; 19. Jerry Flippo, Bakersfield, Calif., 126; 20. Casey Skyberg, Rapid City, S.D., 121. IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars – 1. Andy Altenburg, Truman, Minn., 342; 2. Chanse Hollatz, Clear Lake, Iowa, 341; 3. Aaron Spangler, Dove Creek, Colo., 337; 4. Cody Center, Mesa, Ariz., 282; 5. Leslie Gill, Odessa, Texas, 250; 6. J.C. Parmeley, Peoria, Ariz., 247; 7. Steffan Carey, Bloomfield, N.M., [Read More]

Coleman Racing Products gives awards to IMCA Modified drivers for 15th season

MENOMINEE, Mich. – For a 15th consecutive season, IMCA Modified drivers from across the country will receive awards from Coleman Racing Products. Located in Menominee, Mich., the high performance parts manufacturer and distributor gives $50 product certificates to the sixth place driver in point standings and to the rookie of the year in each of the five Modified regions. Those certificates will be presented during the national awards banquet in November or mailed beginning the following week from the IMCA home office. “Coleman Racing Products is proud to sponsor the IMCA Modifieds for the 2020 season,” said Glenn Myers, “and hopes all racers have a successful and safe racing season.” Information about Coleman products is available by calling 800 221-1851, at the www.colemanracing.com website and on Facebook. “We have strung together three consecutive five-year milestones now with Coleman Racing Products and have appreciated every year of that support,” noted IMCA Marketing Director Kevin Yoder. “They have shown great dedication to our Modified division and racers have benefitted in the process.”

Arneson chased, challenged, but not caught in Casa Grande IMCA Modified tour main event

CASA GRANDE, Ariz. (Feb. 11) – He was chased and he was challenged, but Casey Arneson was never caught in Tuesday night’s Arizona Dirt Track Tour main event for IMCA Modifieds at Central Arizona Speedway. Two thousand dollars richer for his efforts, the North Dakota pilot led all 25 laps, challenged by Drew Armstrong and Jake O’Neil through midway, then chased across the stripe by 14th starting Alex Stanford and 17th starting Jeff Taylor. Multiple cautions made for slow going over the first five circuits before a lengthy green flag run. Arneson, already on the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot, and O’Neil had been working traffic when the yellow returned on lap 16. Ricky Thornton Jr., then Stanford ran in second from that point but neither could reel in Arneson. ‘B’ feature winner Taylor made his way to third with five laps left. Thornton held off Zachard Madrid in winning his third of four tour starts and second straight at Casa Grande. The sixth starting Madrid reeled in Thornton but couldn’t make his next-to-the-last-lap bid for the [Read More]