Newswire

Little line takes Gottschalk to big Fall Nationals payday

HAYS, Kan. (Oct. 5) – After finding a little line, Daniel Gottschalk took the big check at RPM Speedway’s Fall Nationals. A caution late in the 40-lapper helped open the door as Gottschalk topped the $5,000 Saturday night main event. “I didn’t know if I had a chance midway through but I found a little line and made it work,” said Gottschalk, who passed Tanner Black and Cody Laney for the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot qualifying victory. “I don’t get real emotional but that was probably the most excited I’ve ever been after taking the checkered flag.” Once in front, he pulled away on the white flag circuit and took the win half a second ahead of Black, who’d raced his way up from 14th starting. Laney, Jeff Taylor and defending race winner Jordan Grabouski completed the top five. “We broke last year at Fall Nationals and DNF’d,” said Gottschalk, who started seventh this time around and wheeled a Slider Chassis. “This year we found some extra speed. This was our last race of the [Read More]

IMCA season full of firsts ends with six first-time national champions

VINTON, Iowa (Oct. 8) – An IMCA race season that saw its share of first-time accomplishments will end with the crowning of six first-time national champions. Those titles went to Kenneth Duke in the IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Cars, Jeff Ware in the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks, James Hanusch in the Smiley’s Racing Products Southern SportMods and Alex Dostal in the Mach-1 Sport Compacts. Duke, from Selinsgrove, is the first Pennsylvania driver to win an IMCA national championship in any division. He won 10 features as well as Pennsylvania Sprint Series and E3 Spark Plugs Pennsylvania State titles. Columbus, Neb., pilot Ware was a 29-time feature winner and also the top driver in the Big Daddy Race Cars Northern Region, in Nebraska State points and in Boone County Raceway, Dawson County Raceway, Eagle Raceway and U.S. 30 Speedway standings. Hanusch hails from Belton, Texas. He had five feature wins and the 281 Speedway track title to his credit this season. Dostal collected 25 feature wins. From Glencoe, he’s also the Minnesota State and Arlington Raceway, Princeton [Read More]

US 36 Raceway postpones Missouri IMCA Nationals to Oct. 25 and 26

OSBORN, Mo. – Due to the weekend forecast of thunderstorms and cold temperatures, US 36 Raceway officials have postponed the Missouri IMCA Nationals to Oct. 25 and 26. Drivers from all across the region have planned to make the trip for the first ever event, and US 36 officials wanted to make the decision early to allow those drivers time to adjust their plans. Many contingency plans were discussed, and US 36 Raceway officials decided this to be the best possible option to complete a successful first ever event. Friday, Oct. 25 will be a practice night for all divisions. Saturday, Oct. 26 will include heats, “B” features and main events to crown the first-ever Missouri IMCA Nationals champions. Racing will start at 2 p.m. Pre-entry to the event will re-open and is available at https://www.myracepass.com/register/?n=17636. More information regarding the postponement of the Missouri IMCA Nationals will be made available soon.

Boyd Raceway hosts inaugural Fall Finale Oct. 11-12

BOYD, Texas – One thousand dollar checks go to the winners in four IMCA divisions at Boyd Raceway’s first annual Fall Finale next Friday and Saturday, Oct. 11 and 12. IMCA Modifieds, IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Cars, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars and Smiley’s Racing Products Southern SportMods all vie for $1,000 top prizes, with the Modified winner earning a 2020 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot berth as well. Mach-1 Sport Compacts run for a $200 top check. Start money is $150 for the Modifieds, $100 for the Sprints, Stocks and Southern SportMods, and $50 for Sport Compacts. Entry fees are $50 for the Mods, Sprints, Stocks and SportMods. Pit gates open at 3 p.m. Saturday. The draw closes at 5 p.m. and racing starts at 6 p.m. Spectator admission is $15 for adults, $8 for kids ages 6-11 and free for five and under. Pit passes are $35. Gates open at 5 p.m. for the Friday practice, which runs ‘til 10 p.m. Pit passes are $15 while grandstand admission is free. More information is available by [Read More]

Strand ends season with win at Oktoberfest

MANDAN, N.D. (Sept. 27) – Shawn Strand ended September with the IMCA Modified feature win at Dacotah Speedway’s Oktoberfest special. Strand caught Marlyn Seidler late in a 30-lapper that stayed green after two early cautions for the $1,000 checkers and Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot berth. “It was my last race of the year and I had a good car. It was a good way to put her away for the season,” he said. Seidler ended in second. Rounding out the top five were Travis Olheiser, 14th starting Travis Tooley and hard charger Jeremy Keller, who’d started 17th. Seidler had gotten out to a four to five car length advantage over the fourth starting Strand, maintaining that advantage while working lapped traffic. Strand then found the speed he needed on a higher line, catching the leader with six circuits left. The win was his fourth of 2019, his second of the season at Mandan and IMCA career 74th. Oktoberfest doubled as a Tri-City Modified Series event. Zach Frederick beat eighth starting Robby Rosselli and Kelly Jacobson [Read More]

Money banks second straight Salina Mid-America Clash win

SALINA, Kan. (Sept. 27) – A second straight Mid-America Clash feature win had Clay Money already looking forward to the 2020 season-ending special at Salina Speedway. Money topped Friday’s main event for IMCA Modifieds, earning $1,500 and a spot on the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot. “It’s pretty cool. I wish we could have gotten both shows in (Saturday was a rainout) and gone back-to-back racing against a lot of the best competition in Kansas,” said Money, who started outside row one and led the last 19 of 20 circuits. “Hopefully we can win it again next year.” Also the winner of a topless special at Salina earlier this season, he took the Friday checkers following a late restart, beating Dustin Daniels and Clay Sellard to the stripe. Tim Watts and 12th starting Kurtis Pihl rounded out the top five. “I just tried to hold my line and be smooth after the last restart,” he said. After a number of early restarts, Kyle Pfeifer raced from seventh starting to the lead five laps into the IMCA [Read More]

IMCA Modifieds chase $5,000 check at RPM Speedway’s Fall Nationals

HAYS, Kan. – IMCA Modifieds chase a top check of $5,000 at RPM Speedway’s Friday and Saturday, Oct. 4 and 5 Fall Nationals. The main event is a 2020 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot qualifier and pays a minimum of $400 to start. Also on the card for the 13th annual Fall Nationals are IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars racing for $3,000 to win and $250 to start, Karl Kustoms Northern SportMods for $2,000 to win and $175 to start, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks for $1,500 to win and $175 to start, and Mach-1 Sport Compacts for $400 to win and $50 to start. Adult grandstand admission is $15 while kids 12 and under get in free both nights when accompanying a paid adult. Pit passes are $30 on Friday and on Saturday. Racing starts at 5 p.m. each day. RACEceivers and transponders are required. Transponders can be rented at the track. he Britney Motorsports Fueled by Casey’s practice night for all divisions runs from 6-10 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 3. Grandstand admission is free and pit [Read More]

Late pass gives Schoknecht edge to Larson, Shryock tops IMCA Modified main at Arlington

ARLINGTON, Minn. (Sept. 28) – His last-lap pass to regain the lead took Jeff Larson to the $5,000 IMCA Sunoco Stock Car checkers at Arlington Raceway’s Scott Schoknecht Shootout. Larson led 11 early circuits before the seventh starting Dan Mackenthun found the extra bite on the bottom and buzzed by for the front spot. The rest of the 30-lap race went caution free with the lead pair battling back and forth as Larson had to contend with brother Dustin, who had moved up from his ninth place start. When the white flag came out, Jeff Larson stepped on the pedal and got around Mackenthun on the backstretch to take the checkered flag and the top check. Mackenthun took second ahead of Kelly Shryock, who passed Dustin Larson on the last lap. John Oliver Jr. rounded out the top five. Longest tow money of $300 went to Colorado’s Angel Munoz. The hard charger was Jeff Lyon, who passed 13 cars. Random $500 draws went to Chad Schroeder, Kevin LaTour, lap one leader Shaun Bruns and Matt [Read More]

Allstar Performance rewards winners of 10 or more heats with $100 certificates

WATERVLIET, Mich. – Allstar Performance makes heat race success pay off again this season for IMCA drivers in all divisions. The Watervliet, Mich., high-performance parts manufacturer gives $100 gift cards to drivers who won 10 or more heat races at sanctioned events this season and who send in photos providing proof of heat race winner decal placement. The driver with the most heat wins receives a $250 gift card. Photos should be directed to Marketing Director Kevin Yoder at kyoder@imca.com. Deadline for doing so is Wednesday, Nov. 13. Gift certificates will be presented during the national awards banquet on Nov. 30 or mailed from the IMCA home office beginning the following week. The 2019 season was the second for Allstar Performance as title sponsor of IMCA’s heat race winner decal program. “Now that the point season has wrapped up, we want to start recognizing drivers for their accomplishments in 2019,” Yoder commented. “Heat race wins are significant and winning 10 of them is an achievement Allstar Performance continues to support. Take time now to send photos [Read More]

Arnold Motor Supply Dirt Knights finale, IMCA Modified tour title to Richie Gustin

VINTON, Iowa (Sept. 28) – Richie Gustin clinched the Arnold Motor Supply Dirt Knights Tour championship by taking the green flag Saturday night. He earned $1,500 by taking the IMCA Modified checkers 25 laps later at Benton County Speedway. Gustin passed long-time race leader Cayden Carter following a restart with six laps left en route to his record-extending fifth tour win of the season. He became the 10th different driver to win the championship in as many years the tour has been held. Carter was a lapped car ahead of Gustin before that yellow and still had the lead when the 20th circuit was scored. Gustin had a half car length advantage at the stripe the next two times around, however, then pulled ahead. Carter, early leader Tim Ward, Joel Rust and Jeff Larson completed the top five. Hard charger Al Hejna advanced a dozen spots from his original starting position. The all-time leader with 13 tour victories, Gustin had also won at the Vinton Bullring in 2014. Already on the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot, he’ll [Read More]