Newswire

Four IMCA divisions headline five April Frostbuster dates

VINTON, Iowa (March 26, 2024) – It’s the spring version of Iowa Speedweek as four IMCA divisions travel to five different tracks for Wednesday-Sunday, April 3-7 Frostbuster specials. Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds race for $1,000, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars for $750 and both Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods and IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks for $500 to win each night beginning at Independence Motor Speedway, with dates at Stuart Speedway, Marshalltown Speedway and Boone Speedway leading up to the finale at Benton County Speedway in Vinton. Frostbuster champions earn the biggest share of $1,000 point funds and will be eligible for race of champions events at the upcoming IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. Modified and Stock Car feature winners become eligible to qualify for their respective All-Star Invitationals. Gates open at 5 p.m. with 6:30 p.m. hot laps and racing at 7 p.m. on April 3 at Independence and on April 4 at Stuart. Spectator admission is $20 for adults and $10 for students ages 11-17, with kids 10 and under free at [Read More]

Grabouski, Ward near IMCA Modified milestones, Ware sweeps Spring Nationals Stock Car features

BEATRICE, Neb. (March 22-23, 2024) – Jordan Grabouski and Tim Ward each took another step toward Friesen Performance IMCA Modified milestones with Spring Nationals feature wins. Jeff Ware, meanwhile, got the Beatrice Speedway monkey off his back with Friday and Saturday night victories at the 31st annual special. Grabouski’s 290th IMCA Modified win on opening night at his hometown track doubled as his Spring Nationals career 14th in the class dating to 2011. Ward’s Saturday checkers were his career 95th, his last win at Beatrice having come in IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing action in 2013. Both features paid $2,500 and both winners were already Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifying eligible. Grabouski had taken advantage of the extra week after Spring Nationals was postponed to build a new car. He used lapped traffic and then a restart to his advantage in taking the lead with 10 laps to go on Friday and winning ahead of Ward and Troy Cordes. “That car was a bare frame on Monday. Friday was the first time that car saw dirt,” said Grabouski, [Read More]

Arlington puts wraps on 2023 season with annual awards banquet

MORTON, Minn. (March 16, 2024) – The 2023 Arlington Raceway Awards Banquet was held at Jackpot Junction on March 16. Perfect attendance awards were given out to drivers who participated in every event and the top 10 in each oval track division received awards sponsored by Hess Technology. Champions in each class honored were Friesen Performance IMCA Modified, Clint Hatlestad; IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car, Matt Johnson; IMCA Sunoco Stock Car, Dan Mackenthun; IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock, Cory Probst; Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod, Matt Looft; and Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compact, Alan Lahr. ‘Cause It’s Fun awards were given to Wayne Govig, Modified; Justin Allen, RaceSaver Sprint Car; A.J. Zimmerman, Stock Car; Nick McConnell, Hobby Stock; Broddy Enter, Northern SportMod; and David Marshall, Sport Compact. Rookie awards were given to J.J. Reimers, Modified; Jeremy Snow, RaceSaver Sprint Car; Patrick Schauer, Stock Car; Ben Davis, Hobby Stock; Joey Reimers, Northern SportMod; and Emily McConnell, Sport Compact. Most Improved awards were given to Clint Hatlestad, Modified; Brett Allen, RaceSaver Sprint Car; Brent Uecker, Stock Car; Dan Probst, Hobby Stock; [Read More]

IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National Point Standings through March 20, 2024

Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds – 1. Chaz Baca, Mesa, Ariz., 845; 2. Troy Morris III, Bakersfield, Calif., 755; 3. Kollin Hibdon, Pahrump, Nev., 608; 4. Tim Ward, Harcourt, Iowa, 520; 5. Grey Ferrando, Stayton, Ore., 407; 6. William “Bill” Miller, Yuma, Ariz., 400; 7. Devon Reed, Woodland, Wash., 389; 8. Jerry Flippo, Osage, Iowa, 363; 9. Spencer Wilson, Minot, N.D., 361; 10. Michael Leach, Sun River, Mont., 341; 11. Tyson Blood, Tumwater, Wash., 334; 12. Austin Kuehl, Cave Creek, Ariz., 311; 13. Braxton Yeager, Green River, Wy., 297; 14. Jonathan Mawhinney, Las Vegas, Nev., 296; 15. Ethan Braaksma, Des Moines, Iowa, 290; 16. Mike Dimond, Rapid City, S.D., 278; 17. Eddie Belec, Arvada, Colo., 267; 18. Jeremy Mills, Clear Lake, Iowa, 265; 19. Bryson Yeager, Green River, Wy., 254; 20. Jess Brekke, Devils Lake, N.D., 233. IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Cars – 1. Trey Schmidt, Conroe, Texas, and Dusty Ballenger, Harrisburg, S.D., both 40; 3. Trefer Waller, Oneill, Neb., 39; 4. Chase Schubert, Huffman, Texas, Lee Goos Jr., Hartford, S.D., and Cody Price, Princeton, Texas, each 38; 7. [Read More]

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Wulf jumps at chance to promote Junction Motor Speedway

McCOOL JUNCTION, Neb. (March 21, 2024) – Randy Wulf Jr. still remembers helping load up a race car for the first-ever opening night at Junction Motor Speedway years ago. He’ll remember the excitement surrounding the opening night show at McCool Junction this season from an entirely different perspective. Wulf is the new promoter at Junction, where IMCA Sunoco Late Models, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks, Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods and Mach-1 Sport Compacts fill Saturday night race cards. “Promoting a race track is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time,” said Wulf. “I have been taking to (Junction owner) Delmar Friesen and jumped at this chance.” Co-owner with brother Chad of Prowler Chassis, Wulf is “a dirt guy by trade” and will handle track prep for the 3/8-mile dirt oval personally. “I want to get the track as smooth as I can,” he said. “We’ve been trying to make sure the crew coordination is there and everyone knows their job, and make this a good place for lots of [Read More]

New Davenport promoter already impressed by local support

DAVENPORT, Iowa (March 20, 2024) – Jeff Struck puts a check on his bucket list this season, as the new promoter at Davenport Speedway. The former driver and now Davenport business owner takes charge at the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds venue, where IMCA Sunoco Late Models, Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks and Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods will run on Friday nights. The 2024 point season at Davenport runs from April 12 to Aug. 23. “I’ve been impressed by the number of local drivers and local businesses that support racing,” Struck said. “The community has shown that Davenport is a racing staple, locally, regionally and nationally.” Sanctioned Late Models have proven to be a weekly staple there since 1998, joined by Modifieds in 2009, Northern SportMods in 2013 and the Hobby Stocks this season. “What I like most about IMCA is that their rules keep everyone on the same level. I think IMCA racing is closer than open-style racing,” said Struck. “Open-style does have its share of good, side-by-side racing but it seems more [Read More]

Sanction is new for IMCA Mod Lites at Missouri’s Benton Speedway

BENTON, Mo. (March 20, 2024) – The slogan at Benton Speedway is You Name It, We Race It. Beginning this season, Stealth Racing IMCA STARS Mod Lites will race at the Missouri track, located two hours from St. Louis on Interstate 55, in the southeast tip of the Show-Me State. The sanctioned class will run two Saturdays a month from April 13 to Sept. 28. “We had Mod Lites here six nights last year, averaged about 15 cars a night and had 28 of them for our special event at the end of the season,” said promoter Justin Johnson. “We want to build this class more in Southeast Missouri and felt that sanctioning was the best way to do that. Collaborating with Friday night tracks means drivers in the area will be able to race twice a week.” “There are a good chunk of drivers in east Central Missouri,” he added. “We’ll definitely pull drivers from Arkansas and there’s another good group in Southern Illinois.” The Johnson family farmed nearby and donated the gumbo for the [Read More]

Late life adventure brings Fairchild back as promoter at Salina

SALINA, Kan. (March 19, 2024) – A “late life adventure” brings Chuck Fairchild back to Salina Speedway. Five IMCA divisions and Johnny Cash and his Ring of Fire classic are coming back, too. Fairchild, who bought the 3/8-mile clay oval midway through his first stint promoting the central Kansas track from 1997-2008, returns to the helm at Salina this season. Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks, Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods and Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compacts are on Friday night cards from May 3 to Sept. 27. “Call it a late life adventure,” explained Fairchild, who answered his cell phone while doing mid-morning laps on a grader. “I’d been retired to Florida the last six years but this came up and my wife Lisa told me I could go back and run the track. We’ll lock the house up and live here eight months of the year.” Fairchild grew up at Salina, where his dad owned cars, and raced a sprint car before promoting and then buying the track. He promised [Read More]

PASS ready to kick off 2024 season at Path Valley March 30

By Frank Buhrman SPRING RUN, Pa. (March 19, 2024) – With more than 200 events Path Valley is the longevity leader! The River Valley Builders Pennsylvania Sprint Series kicks off its 26th season of economy Sprint Car competition in appropriate fashion on Saturday, March 30, racing at the active track where it has competed more often than anywhere else, the quarter-mile, high-banked “bullring” that is Path Valley Speedway. Located near Spring Run in far northern Franklin County, Path Valley was built and opened in 1987 to take advantage of the blossoming popularity of micro sprint racing but in 2000, then-new promoters Jack and Vicki Flowers and John Winsett decided to try out a new division of full-sized economy sprint cars that also were running at nearby Hesston Speedway. On Aug. 4, 2000, the Pennsylvania Sprint Series made its first Path Valley appearance, with Roger Fickett taking the checkered flag over a 17-car field. Since that night, more than 200 PASS races have been run at Path Valley, by far the most at any track. At [Read More]