Newswire

Thornton steals the show at Nodak

By Jackson Braun MINOT, N.D. (July 7) – Ricky Thornton Jr. may have had the worst redraw of the IMCA Modified heat race winners at Nodak Speedway, but he maneuvered his 20RT machine through the field and grabbed a cool $2,400 check in Sunday’s second installment of the Kupper Chevrolet Dakota Classic Tour. The 2015 tour champion started outside row four alongside the winner of the opener at Jamestown, Tom Berry Jr. Chris Schroeder and Iowa wheelman Justin O’Brien led the field to green. O’Brien tried to get a jump on Schroeder, but Schroeder took the field by surprise and powered his machine below O’Brien’s back into the top spot. Racing action was fierce in between the cautions. Lucas Schott challenged O’Brien for second early on. Schott and O’Brien had a handful of cars to fend off, as the likes of Thornton, Berry, Jason Wolla, Hunter Marriott and Robert Hellebust contended for top five positioning. On a restart after the halfway point in the race, Thornton got a couple good runs in the corners and [Read More]

White takes home biggest share of green from Cardinal’s 10th annual Sheen Memorial

EUNICE, N.M. (July 6) – What a difference from a year ago. Dustin White didn’t complete a lap at the 2018 Kelly Sheen Memorial Shootout, pulling off with fuel issues before even seeing the green flag. Now fast forward to Saturday night when he took home the biggest share of the green after winning Cardinal Speedway’s 10th annual event. What became $2,100 checkers with late additions to the purse flew ahead of Justin Graves and hard-charging Michael Sheen, the three-time and defending race winner, who’d taken the $1,000 challenge to start in back after running second in the Friday qualifier. “Winning this race is huge for me,” said White, from Lamesa, Texas. “I come from the same town as Kelly and have become good friends with (his son) Michael the last couple years. He’s helped me out a lot.” White started sixth and was running second to his father and former race winner Cary when the competition caution came out halfway through the 40-lapper. “I knew right where I was going (after the restart),” said White, [Read More]

Hiatt hauls home Eagle hardware

By Greg Soukup EAGLE, Neb. (July 6) – Shane Hiatt scored his first Hoosier Tire IMCA Modified feature win of the season at America’s Home Track Saturday night. “It’s been a long time coming,” Hiatt said from victory lane at Eagle Raceway. “We’ve been kind of struggling with this new car but we put in a lot of hours in the shop this week and really dug deep to see if we could make it any better. All the hard work paid off, finally!” Trent Roth’s led the opening lap with Hiatt, Chad Andersen and Jan Korth the rest of the top four. Mike Densberger passed Korth the next lap, then moved to third with 13 circuits remaining. Roth was pounding the cushion and Hiatt was hugging the bottom as the battled. Hiatt finally got past Roth using the low line with seven to go and held him off for the victory. “That was a good race with Trent,” said Hiatt. “When we got to lapped traffic, I saw there was less traffic down on the bottom so [Read More]

Christians cashes in at 141 Speedway

By Greg Aregoni FRANCIS CREEK, Wis. (July 6) – Jeremy Christians told Santa Claus he would take care of his own stocking stuffer present by taking home the $1,200 IMCA Sunoco Stock Car payday on Christmas in July Night Saturday at 141 Speedway. Christians played The Grinch to 38 other competitors. Christians and Rod Snellenberger drew the front row for the feature and Christians took quick advantage of his outside starting spot and got around Snellenberger. Snellenberger stayed with the leader but had heavy pressure from Shawn Havel, who made his way around Snellenberger and set his sights on the top prize. Christians rode around the rim of the speedway with Havel trying multiple lines throughout the event to try and make the pass. Havel got an A for effort but could never make a good enough charge. Christians never faulted and took home the win and $1,200 payday in front of Havel. Snellenberger won a late-race, three car battle over Aaron Stolp and John Heinz to finish third in the green to checkered finish. Cody [Read More]

IMCA national champions earn QuickCar awards

LEBANON, Tenn. – The eight IMCA drivers earning national championships this season see their efforts recognized by QuickCar Racing Products. The Lebanon, Tenn., manufacturer and seven-year sponsor awards 3-gauge panels to national IMCA Modified, IMCA Sunoco Stock Car, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock, Karl Kustoms Northern SportMod and Smiley’s Racing Products Southern SportMod champions. The national IMCA Late Model champion receives a 4-gauge panel set and both IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car and Mach-1 Sport Compact national champions get 2-gauge panel sets from the Lebanon, Tenn., manufacturer. Those awards will be presented during the national IMCA banquet in November. “QuickCar is proud to continue our partnership with IMCA to award the national champions for their tremendous accomplishments,” said Danny Knowles. “We look forward to our continued support of IMCA and the IMCA racers.” QuickCar manufactures a wide variety of high performance products that also includes volt meters, water pressure kits, tachometers and switch panels. Information about the complete QuickCar line of products is available at the www.quickcar.com website, by calling 800 997-7333 and on Facebook. “The QuickCar gauge panel [Read More]

Dallon Murty earns first career IMCA Stock Car win

By Joyce Eisele MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (July 5) – Friday’s IMCA Sunoco Stock Car feature at Marshalltown Speedway was one for the record books as 14-year-old Dallon Murty, son of the “Chelsea Charger” Damon Murty, led all 18 laps to score his first career win in the division. Murty set his ride to the top of the track much like his dad, and finished well ahead of second place Steve Meyer. Shawn Ritter finished in third place, Todd Reitzler was fourth, and Dave Atcher completed the top five. Todd Cooney had to fend off Jeremiah Hurst most of the 20-lap IMCA Late Model feature in order to capture his second feature of the season. Cooney came from eighth starting spot to take the win. Hurst, who started ninth, finished as the runner-up. Leah Wroten paid her second visit to victory lane in winning the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock main event. Wroten started eight and quickly moved herself forward, taking the top spot at lap three. She never looked back from there on, on her way to [Read More]

Big night for Vollbrecht, Wilkinsons

By Randy Pospishil sports@norfolkdailynews.com NORFOLK, Neb. (July 7) – Parker Vollbrecht has spent a number of laps chasing Ramsey Meyer of Pierce around race tracks. In fact, Vollbrecht also trailed Meyer in the Mach-1 Sport Compact standings by 11 points entering Sunday night’s special Lynn Langenberg Memorial. But during the main event on Sunday, Vollbrecht led for seven-straight laps, then re-passed Meyer during the last lap of a green, white, checkered finish for his second Off Road Speedway win of the season, and gave Meyer Racing Team much of the credit. “Since 2017, when I won my first feature here, this is (Meyers) car; not many people know that,” Vollbrecht said. “Besides that, I blew up a motor in Albion (Boone County Speedway) maybe three weeks ago, and they helped me fix it. I wouldn’t be here without them; every time I break something they’ll fix it.” With the lead in hand for those seven laps, Vollbrecht was headed for the finish line until a caution forced the three-lap race to the finish, which also [Read More]

Soppe scores seventh at Maquoketa

By Rob Hinckley MAQUOKETA, Iowa (July 6) – Like a lot of drivers, Tyler Soppe surveyed the right side damage to his car. Unlike the others, he did it in Hoker Trucking/C&W Trucking/Kam Koncepts Victory Circle after taking another 15-lap B&D Pit Stop IMCA Northern SportMod feature Saturday evening at Maquoketa Speedway. “Seemed like a top side track, but made the bottom stick and here we are,” Soppe said. “This is our 15th win of the year and each one seems different.” His seventh Maquoketa win came on Husco International Family Night before a great pre-fireworks display crowd. Soppe jetted from his ninth starting spot on the bottom groove and passed Jacob Ellithorpe on lap nine. He also endured several cautions to wait out the win. “I knew Jacob was sticking high and a tough run,” Soppe added. “This was different type of track, more of a hammer down, but we can adjust.” Ellithorpe would later drop out. Kyle Olson, Rusty Deshaw, Jerry Miles and 17th-starting Brandon Tharp rounded out the top five. Jeremiah Hurst [Read More]

Switch in lines pays off for Callahan

By Rob Hinckley DUBUQUE, Iowa (July 7) – A change of plans for Joel Callahan. The Dubuque veteran switched lines on the fly and took the Eichman’s Bar and Grill IMCA Late Model 25-lap feature Sunday evening on his home track. “I thought it would be a top side track, but that changed,” Callahan said in Dubuque Speedway’s Hoker Trucking/C&W Trucking/Kam Koncepts Victory Circle. “It got treacherous up there so we hooked up down low.” Callahan rolled off fifth and quickly moved into the fray for the point. He moved past Ron Klein on a late restart en route to the win. Luke Goedert also found the bottom to his liking and took second late. Klein, Jeremiah Hurst and Luke Merfeld followed. Jason Schueller took off from the pole and paced all 20 Merfeld Brothers Automotive IMCA Modified feature circuits. Bryce Garnhart charged from a late restart past Matt Gansen and Mark Schulte to take the runner up spot. Jed Freiburger took fifth. Kelsy Hayes roller her ride in turn one just four laps from [Read More]

Berry rides hot streak on the way to opening night Dakota Tour checkers

By Jackson Braun JAMESTOWN, N.D. (July 6) – Tom Berry Jr. has been on fire in North Dakota this season, grabbing five wins in June and seven total victories in weekly races and special events this year. Berry’s eighth IMCA Modified victory of the season was by far the biggest, as the opening circuit of the 30th annual Kupper Chevrolet Dakota Classic Modified Tour at Jamestown Speedway ended up in his hands, along with a $2,400 check and Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot berth. 2014 tour champion Jeff Taylor and 2014 Jamestown winner Justin O’Brien led the 29-car field to green. Jeff Taylor’s car did not fire correctly following an early restart and he fell back and retired from the field. This gave O’Brien the lead on a track where he has had past success. Misfortune struck a few more past tour champions as three-time and defending champion Hunter Marriott, dropped out early in the running. 2015 tour champion Ricky Thornton Jr. also found his way back to the pit area during a caution, paving [Read More]