AMES, Iowa – Daniel Gottschalk and Michael Johnson will hit the books next year, courtesy of Bob Harris Enterprises. The names of both IMCA special events competitors were drawn from a pool of 35 eligible drivers to attend BHE Race Tech Info dirt chassis schools. Gottschalk won the IMCA Modified main event at RPM Speedway’s Fall Nationals while Johnson was runner-up in the Karl Kustoms Northern SportMod headliner during the Duel In The Desert at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Top five finishers at designated Modified, Northern SportMod and Smiley’s Racing Products Southern SportMod events were entered in the drawing and all received BHE certificates good for two shock rebuilds. Modified drivers receiving certificates included Austin Arneson, Casey Arneson, Tom Berry Jr., Cayden Carter, P.J. Egbert, Troy Foulger, Gottschalk, Jordan Grabouski, Eddie Kirchoff, Ryan McDaniel, Josh McGaha, Hunter Marriott, Terry Phillips, Joel Rust, D.J. Shannon, Casey Skyberg, Jesse Sobbing, Alex Stanford, Collin Thirlby, Ricky Thornton Jr., Dominic Ursetta and R.C. Whitwell. SportMod certificate recipients were Guy Ahlwardt, Lance Borgman, Brayton Carter, Kaden Honeycutt, Johnson, Luke Krogh, [Read More]

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – With a little help from a lot of their friends, Southern Oklahoma Speedway promoters John and Nicky Webb brightened the holiday spirits of young patients at the Jimmy Everest Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases in Children. The Webbs collected donations, purchased and transported more than 1,600 presents, distributed during a Tuesday party at the Children’s Hospital in Oklahoma City.  There were so many presents, in fact, that siblings, other patients at The Children’s Hospital and children and grandchildren of nurses got early Christmas gifts as well. “We were at lunch one day just talking about the holidays and just came up with the toy drive idea,” Nicky said. “I got out of the restaurant, called one of our sponsors and he said ‘Great, put me down for $500.’ By the end of the first day we had $1,400 in donations. We couldn’t believe how big it got.”   Other sponsors, drivers, Abilene Speedway and the Webbs’ Trucks Unlimited all chipped in. Nicky promoted the toy drive in an interview on a local [Read More]

COLUMBIAVILLE, Mich. – Back-to-back feature wins at Thunderbird Raceway put the wraps on Chase Burda’s history-making first IMCA season. The 14-year-old earned rookie of the year honors in the Dirt Works Eastern Region, becoming the youngest IMCA Modified driver to accomplish the regional feat. A consistent runner from his first night out in late April, the Lapeer High School freshman made like lightning in winning Aug. 24 and Aug. 31 main events at Muskegon, some three hours from his Columbiaville, Mich., home. “It was a big relief to finally get my first win. There was a big crowd and the track surface was great that night. It was super exciting,” he said. “We were confident the next weekend and were able to get the lead and the win. It was an awesome feeling to win back to back.” Burda had raced quarter midgets and then a street stock for two seasons before getting into a Modified. As a rookie, he campaigned in a 2017 GRT Chassis purchased last year and made the transition from a [Read More]

PAHRUMP, Nev. – Jake Pike’s first goal for his rookie season was just getting comfortable be­hind the wheel of his IMCA Modified. His second goal quickly became getting comfortable in victory lane. The 15-year-old from Pahrump, Nev., took the checkers in just his fifth start in the division, at Mo­have Valley Raceway on March 16. He won at the same venue two months later and raced at 19 different tracks in five states on the way to earning the Shaw Race Cars Western Region rookie of the year award. “I did not expect to win that soon. I was still trying to get comfortable in the car and everything fell into place,” said Pike, a sophomore at Pahrump Valley High School and son of 2001 regional cham­pion Jason Pike. “I started sixth, got to the lead and held on. My first IMCA Modified win is the biggest thing I’ve done in my life.” He’d raced in local modlite and mini dwarf classes before stepping up to a Modified, a 2010 Hughes Chassis purchased last fall [Read More]

PEORIA, Ariz. – Not long after IMCA made it official, the social media congratulations started rolling in for Big Daddy Race Cars Southern Region rookie of the year Nathan DeRagon. From Peoria and the first Arizona driver to earn the regional Hobby Stock rookie prize, DeRagon to­taled five wins and another top five finishes in just 18 freshman season starts. “The rules brought us in. I like being able to race at different tracks under the same set of rules,” said DeRagon, a native Californian. “We wanted to run for the state championship and regional rookie. We hit the midpoint of the season and had problems with the car but still won rookie of the year.” Travel buddy of ROY runner-up Scott Tenney, DeRagon had those mechanical issues figured out and finished the year with a flourish. He was a double winner at Canyon’s Dan Shepherd Memorial special, ran second and third at Cocopah Speedway, then ventured to Fairgrounds Speedway in Colorado to win twice on the final weekend of the IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly [Read More]

WEATHERFORD, Texas – Sam Spadaro Jr. got a few practice laps in his dad’s factory stock under his belt last year. In his first competitive season, the quick learner outran his father Sam Sr. in the race for the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car EQ Cylinder Heads Southern Region rookie of the year award. “I worked on his car. Dad let me drive after the races at Stephenville and I caught the bug,” Spadaro said. “He bought a race-ready Stock Car, I raced a converted factory stock and it was awesome. The adrenaline rush never went away. I think about racing even when I’m at work or at school.” Nineteen years old and now studying business and finance at hometown Weatherford Community College, Spadaro notched four top-five finishes in his final 12 starts of the season. Tenth in the regional standings, Spadaro was the runner-up at Boyd Raceway, tied for seventh in the standings at 281 with his father and ended in 11th at Kennedale Speedway Park. “I liked the competition. I could go from track to [Read More]