Newswire

Stakes are high for IMCA’s Duel In The Desert

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – What happens in Vegas this week will be the talk of the dirt track racing nation. Las Vegas Motor Speedway rolls out the red carpet for hundreds of IMCA drivers and thousands of fans traveling to the Entertainment Capital of the World for the 18th annual Duel In The Desert special Nov. 11-14. Xtreme Motor Sports IMCA Modifieds race for $7,777 to win and a minimum of $777 to start their main event on Saturday. Nov. 14 at the half-mile Dirt Track. Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMods run for $1,777 to win that evening. Two hundred and twenty-five drivers have pre-entered for the Duel. Ken Schrader and Kenny Wallace join the IMCA Modified field in seeking the big payday and a spot on the ballot for the 2016 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot. Heat races, “B” features and qualifying features are on Thursday and Friday, Nov. 12 and 13 race programs. Modified qualifiers pay $777 to win and SportMod qualifiers $500 to win both nights. Last-chance races and both Modified Young Guns and [Read More]

Abelson’s Modified trophy is new to IMCA national championship hardware collection

SIOUX CITY, Iowa – Chris Abelson got to celebrate his birthday the way few other IMCA drivers have. The Sioux City, Iowa, driver blew out the 44 candles on his cake on the final day of the point season before getting the call congratulating him for winning the 2015 Xtreme Motor Sports IMCA Modified national championship. “I could sit back and relax. I was kind of glad the season was over,” admitted Abelson, also the winner of 32 features, three local track titles and a second straight Belleville Motorsports North Central Region crown. “After we got done racing (at September Fest in Beatrice) we came home and waited to hear something official.” That waiting process is something Abelson is already familiar with. He was the Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMod national champion eight years ago and joins just a handful of drivers to have earned national crowns in more than one division. “I think the national championship just kind of happened in the Northern SportMod. It wasn’t something we were trying for,” Abelson said. “We were [Read More]

Luinenburg will take national IMCA Hobby Stock crown home to Minnesota

READING, Minn. – With a month to go in the 2015 point season, Justin Luinenburg sat down and penciled out that he still had a pretty good chance at winning the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock national championship. Those calculations proved correct. Luinenburg topped six features in his stretch run and became the first Minnesota driver to capture the title in the 25 years the division has crowned a national champion. “We had decided at the start of the year that we were going to run a lot, but we weren’t going to run for national points,” explained the Reading racer. “Things really didn’t start falling into place until the last seven or eight nights, then we raced much as we could.” “We got to where we needed three or four more wins to do it and fortunately they came for us,” he continued. “Finishing races was important and I can’t say enough about maintenance. Another thing that really helped us this year is that we ran a 2015 Terminator and as the season went [Read More]

Reaction runs gamut following Frye’s Northern SportMod title

BELLEVILLE, Kan. – After an uncharacteristic 2014, Tyler Frye got back into a chassis he’d had so much success with in the past. The result was 33 feature wins, three track titles and his career first Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMod national crown. “After last year, there was a huge feeling of relief. We were all in shock for a while,” Frye admitted. “We were pretty sure we’d won the national championship but it was nerve wracking waiting for the official call from IMCA.” The Belleville, Kan., clipper had averaged better than 20 feature wins each of the five previous seasons before winning just 14 times last year. “We used the same shocks and setup that we had before but we just never got the car to work for us,” he explained. “So we went back to a DMR by BMS car this year, ran second on opening night of Spring Nationals at Beatrice and won the second night. We knew we were onto something and just had to fine tune it a little.” After getting [Read More]

Super Nationals crown caps Coopman’s 2015 campaign

MANKATO, Minn. – It’s hard to believe, but Nate Coopman had an even better season in 2015 than he did in 2014. The Mankato, Minn., driver won a second straight and career third Mach-1 Sport Compact national championship, 48 of 62 starts – including 25 straight during one early stretch during the point season, and track titles at Arlington Raceway, Fairmont Raceway, Nobles County Speedway and Redwood Speedway, plus Allstar Performance Minnesota State and North Star Touring Series crowns. The icing on the cake, however, was a convincing win at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. For all his many accomplishments in the 4-cylinder class, September success at Boone Speedway had eluded Coopman until this year. “Winning Super Nationals was the highlight of my season by far. That was my main goal from the start of the year,” he said. “I broke while leading with five to go at Boone last September and that was still on my mind late in the race this year.” “I was still shaking when I got [Read More]

Wilson stays sharp despite rainouts to win first IMCA Sprint Car national championship

NORTH RICHLAND HILLS, Texas – A solid month of rain in Texas sent Chad Wilson out of state to keep his sprint car racing skills sharp, but probably not the way you’d expect. Wilson had raced his way to the top of the IMCA Eagle Motorsports RaceSaver Sprint Car national point standings by winning the May 2 main event at Kennedale Speedway Park. Then the dark clouds moved in to stay and the North Richland Hills, Texas, pilot didn’t get back on the big dirt tracks until after the calendar had flipped over to June. “We had rain like crazy. We had like 11 rainouts and didn’t race for a solid month,” Wilson said. “I didn’t think I had a chance at the national championship so what I was doing was driving four hours to race radio controlled sprint cars in Lawton, Okla.” Using a hand control to accelerate, brake and steer a 1/10 scale sprinter kept the competitive fires stoked and Wilson was ready to resume what would prove to be a successful pursuit [Read More]

Van Straten streaks to national IMCA Stock Car championship

HORTONVILLE, Wis. – Travis Van Straten’s championship season is proof that hard work and patience pay off. So does a little luck. Thirty-four feature wins, including an incredible 11 straight checkers at Shawano Speedway, paved the way for Van Straten’s drive to the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car national crown. “A lot of times it seemed like someone upstairs wanted us to win this thing. There were definitely times when someone was watching over us,” said Van Straten, citing a main event won despite a loose wheel as one example. “There were nights when I had to ask myself ‘Is this really happening?’ usually I’m the guy who should have won but then something went wrong at the last minute.” There were few last-minute disappointments to speak of in 2015. Van Straten completed a rare Friday, Saturday, Sunday sweep at OshKosh SpeedZone Raceway, Shawano and Seymour Speedway in July, a month that saw him win eight of 11 outings. With the national points chase narrowed to a battle with five-time and defending champion Mike Nichols, the [Read More]

Brad Sites is best in Empire State Series finale, Eddie Sites captures third IMCA Modified tour title

KIRKWOOD, N.Y. (Oct. 30) – Brad Sites won his second Empire State Series feature of the season while his brother Eddie wrapped up a tour career third title with a runner-up finish Friday at Five Mile Point Speedway. The Xtreme Motor Sports IMCA Modified win paid $400. Brad Sites started outside the front row, ran side-by-side with defending series champion James Cornell for six circuits and then motored away to the checkers. He built a sizable lead before the third and final caution came out late in the 20-lapper. “The track was nice, tacky and black, just the way my car likes it,” he said. I don’t think anyone had anything for us until after that last caution. I looked and there was Eddie, and I had to hold him off for the win.” Brad Sites’ first win this season came in May at Skyline Raceway; the Kirkwood checkers were his Empire State Series career fourth. Eddie Sites’ first two Empire State Series titles came in 2011 and 2012. Chris Fleming, the 2010 series champion, [Read More]

Seymour Speedway banquet set for Nov. 14

SEYMOUR, Wis. – The 32nd annual NEW DIRT awards banquet will be held on Saturday night, Nov. 14, at Doxbee’s Banquet and Buffet in Seymour. Cocktail hour will be from 5-6 p.m. Serving of the chicken and beef tips dinner starts at 6 p.m. with the awards program to follow. Top 10 drivers in each division this season at Seymour Speedway receive trophies. Rookies will be announced in each division as well. Free beer and a raffle follow the awards. Tickets are $25 each through the club meeting tonight (Monday, Nov. 2) at Doxbees. Tickets will be $30 per person after the meeting and until Nov. 10. No tickets will be sold at the door. Ticket requests can be directed to Dave Panske at PO Box 3021, Oshkosh, Wis., 54903, or by calling 920 231-1157. Tickets will be available at the meeting tonight.

Canyon’s Desert Classic pays IMCA Modified winner $5,000

PEORIA, Ariz. – The Xtreme Motor Sports IMCA Modified win will be worth $5,000 at Canyon Speedway Park’s Desert Classic special. Set for Friday and Saturday, Nov. 6 and 7, the Desert Classic is a qualifying event for the 2016 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot and pays a minimum of $300 to start. Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMods will race for $400 to win both nights. Entry fee for the Modifieds is $100. Pit gates open at 4 p.m. and the grandstand opens at 5 p.m. both days. Hot laps are at 6 p.m. and racing starts at 7 p.m. Spectator admission is $18 for adults, $10 for kids ages 7-12 and free for ages six and under. Pit passes are $30 for members and $35 for non-members. More information is available at the www.canyonspeedwaypark.com website or by calling 602 258-7223.