Newswire

Goal accomplished: Richards is youngest to top Karl Kustoms Northern SportMod rookie points

LINCOLN, Neb. – Opportunities to race closer to home and at more tracks got Cade Richards into a Karl Kustoms Northern SportMod. Five feature wins and consistent top-five finishes wherever he raced landed the Lincoln, Neb., hotshoe the national rookie of the year award. “Rookie of the year was our goal from the start,” said Richards, who celebrated his 15th birthday just two weeks before the end of the point season in becoming the youngest driver to win that award in division history. “We raced against a lot of good drivers and that helped us out. We learned a lot from good competition.” The son of IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car driver Matt Richards and a freshman at Lincoln East High School, he made 55 starts at 10 different tracks in four states, finishing third at Park Jefferson Speedway and US 36 Raceway, fourth at Raceway Park and 17th nationally. Richards drove a homemade chassis his dad built 17 years ago, powered by a homebuilt engine he helped maintain. Career win number one came on July 14 at [Read More]

Smiley’s Racing Products Southern SportMod award is Underwood’s second IMCA rookie prize

TEMPLE, Texas – Larry Underwood will add a second IMCA rookie of the year award to his trophy case. The Temple, Texas pilot paced point standings for first-year Smiley’s Racing Products Southern SportMod drivers this season. He’d won rookie of the year in the Big Daddy Race Cars Southern Region for Hobby Stocks in 2016. “When we started racing this year, I put my mind to running for national rookie,” said Underwood, sixth nationally and driver of that sharp-looking ride with the Bradley Poor designed Day of the Dead themed wrap. “I knew I had to be consistent, I knew I had to race twice a week and I had some good people behind me to help me accomplish it.” “The best way to run for points is to run with people you’re running for points against,” added Underwood, who made 22 of his 45 starts in feature fields that included rookie runner-up Austin Moore. He was third in the points chase at 281 Speedway, behind national champion James Hanusch and Lady Eagle winner Taylor Florio, and [Read More]

Reynolds runs with the fast cars en route to top IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock rookie honors

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – Before he started racing an IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock, Kaden Reynolds told his grandfather he wanted to run with the fast cars. He ran and beat a lot of fast cars this season, winning 10 features along with national and Big Daddy Race Cars Northern Region rookie of the year awards. “This is a pretty good class with a lot of good drivers,” said Reynolds, 18 years old and a senior at Cedar Rapids Kennedy High School. “When I’m watching races, I try to learn from the fast drivers and pick up on the things they do.” “Shannon Anderson and Eric Stanton are two of my favorite drivers to race with,” he added. “Both are very, very good at what they do.” The former micro mod driver got his first Hobby Stock win in his second start in the class late in 2018, logging just four starts to keep his rookie status intact this season. Thirteenth nationally, Reynolds won three times each at Independence Motor Speedway, Marshalltown Speedway and Benton County [Read More]

High school freshman Burke is first in IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car rookie race

LEAGUE CITY, Texas – Two years before he even thought he’d be racing a Sprint Car, Trey Burke was winning races in the IMCA RaceSaver division. Burke’s three victories gave him the edge in rookie of the year standings for the winged class while consistency throughout the season landed him 17th place in the national point standings. At 14, the freshman at Lutheran South Academy in Houston became the youngest rookie of the year crowned in the history of the IMCA division. “It (the rookie points race) came down to feature wins and we were biting our nails before we found out we won it,” Burke said. “I didn’t think I would be racing a Sprint Car until I was 16 but I’m happy with how we did and I learned a lot this season, especially getting on and off the throttle and how to enter corners.” “Brad Benic joined us as crew chief about a fourth of the way through the season,” he continued. “We wouldn’t have done as well as we did without him.” [Read More]

10-year sponsor Kevko continues awards for IMCA rookies of the year, state champions

FAIRMONT, Minn. – Kevko marks a milestone while continuing an awards program for rookies of the year and state champions in five IMCA divisions in 2020. In its 10th season as an IMCA sponsor, the Fairmont, Minn., manufacturer gives claim or crate engine oil pans to the IMCA Modified, IMCA Sunoco Stock Car, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock, Karl Kustoms Northern SportMod and Smiley’s Racing Products Southern SportMod national rookies of the year. The more than 80 state champions to be crowned in the same divisions receive $50 product certificates. “I think 10 years with IMCA truly shows our dedication to weekly dirt track racers. We have been building quality products for over 30 years and it’s important to us to award outstanding performance each year,” said Kevko’s Josh Ruby. “Please contact us on any questions you may have and see how our products can benefit you this season!” Kevko certificates will be presented during the national awards banquet in November or mailed beginning the following week from the IMCA office. More information about Kevko oil pans [Read More]

Dallon Murty becomes youngest driver to earn IMCA Stock Car national rookie honors

CHELSEA, Iowa – A strong second half of the season helped Dallon Murty achieve the goals he’d set at the start of his first IMCA Sunoco Stock Car campaign. The 14-year-old from Chelsea became the youngest driver in division history to earn national rookie of the year honors, as well as the youngest rookie of the year crowned in the EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region. “Our goal was to win rookie but we got out to a slow start,” said Murty. “We got better and when we saw we had a shot at it, we decided to go for it.” The son of much accomplished IMCA veteran Damon Murty and a BGM High School freshman, he got his career first win in his 20th start in the class, on July 5 at Marshalltown Speedway. “That was a pretty good night,” said Murty, who took to the top of the oval and led start to finish of the 18-lapper. “We had the whole family and a lot of fans there. It was pretty cool to be able [Read More]

Oliver finds speed, challenge to his liking in IMCA Modified rookie of the year chase

DANVILLE, Iowa – John Oliver Jr. said he’d always wanted to race an IMCA Modified. He has national and Side Biter Chassis North Central Region rookie of the year awards, as well as the Lee County Speedway track title to show for his 2019 endeavors in the division. From Danville, Iowa and a long-time IMCA Sunoco Stock Car driver – Oliver was also track champ in the class at 34 Raceway this season – he won six of 35 starts with another 17 top five finishes in pacing first-year drivers nationally and in the region. “I’d always wanted to race a Modified and I wanted to try for rookie of the year. I liked the speed and the challenge more than anything,” said Oliver. “My first couple nights I did decent but driving a Modified was totally different from a Stock Car,” he continued. “I went to Andy Eckrich at Precision Performance and Dennis LaVeine and asked them what to do. The three of us got things figured out while guys like Joel Rust and [Read More]

Track title quest ends with Abbey’s third title in EQ Cylinder Heads Southern Stock Car Region

COMANCHE, Texas – Winning track championships were at the top of Westin Abbey’s to-do list at the start of the season. After collecting 17 IMCA Sunoco Stock Car feature victories, he had titles at 281 Speedway and Heart O’ Texas Speedway, as well as a career third EQ Cylinder Heads Southern Region crown to show for his 2019 efforts. “This one was more challenging, for sure,” stated the Comanche, Texas, pilot, when asked to compare the drive his latest championship to 2016 and 2018 crowns. “We wanted to win track championships in the Stock Car and factory stock. The regional championship wasn’t on my mind before mid-season. We’d led national standings, were looking good in points and decided to run for the region.” He took eight checkers at 281 and another seven at HO’T, then picked up single late-season wins at Kennedale Speedway Park and Boyd Raceway and finished third in the national point race. “I hurt a couple motors but didn’t have a lot of DNFs. Consistency was important,” said Abbey, who overcame a [Read More]

Up to challenge, Duggins completes drive to Big Daddy Race Cars Southern Region crown

FARMINGTON, N.M. – Gut check time for Jason Duggins came on Aug. 9. Duggins virtually totaled his IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock that evening and left Aztec Speedway trying to decide if he’d continue his quest for the Big Daddy Race Cars Southern Region crown. “It was a challenge. I could give up or I could regroup and come back,” he said. “I went home with a bad taste in my mouth but I had some friends help out and ran second the next night in a car that had been beat to crap. It definitely led to good things. I’m glad we kept going.” Those “good things” included eight feature wins – five of them after that wreck at Aztec – another 18 top five finishes, the Fairgrounds Speedway title, the regional crown and 18th place finish in the national point standings. “I think being in the national top 20 was more of an accomplishment than winning the region,” said Duggins, runner-up to fellow Farmington, N.M. driver and chassis builder Dennis Spencer in the 2018 regional [Read More]

Dominant, consistent Szecsodi races to first IMCA Dirt Works Eastern Region title

CLIO, Mich. – Domination at one track and consistency at another made Matt Szecsodi a regional champion. Szecsodi won nine of 13 starts at Silver Bullet Speedway and complemented one win with six-second place finishes at Tri-City Motor Speedway, earning track championships at both venues. That combination paved the way to the top spot in point standings in the Dirt Works Eastern Region for IMCA Modifieds. “It really feels good. It’s an honor to be crowned champion of the region,” said the Clio, Mich., driver, 13th nationally, “and I hope I can represent it well.” Szecsodi’s first regional title came in his 20th year racing and 10th competing exclusively on dirt. “We had finished second to A.J. Ward in the region last year and thought it would be great to try again,” he said. “We wanted to focus on our local tracks but all the rainouts had us sweating. We had 40-plus starts last year and they were all in Michigan. We had 33 starts this year and that included a couple trips to New York to make [Read More]