Newswire

Snowbird Classic set for Jan. 17-18 at Arizona Speedway

QUEEN CREEK, Ariz. – IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modifieds race for $1,250 to win both nights of Arizona Speedway’s Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 17-18 Snowbird Classic. Both features are qualifying events for the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot. Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMods will join XMods in $600 to win features each night. IMCA legal mufflers are required in both sanctioned divisions. Weekend entry fees are $100 for the Modifieds and $60 for the Northern SportMods. The same amounts will be paid to start the respective features. Non-qualifier pay is $50 for the Modifieds and $40 for Northern SportMods. Modifieds vie for IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National, Larry Shaw Racing Western Region and Allstar Performance State points. Pit gates open at 2 p.m. and the grandstand opens at 4 p.m. both days. Racing starts at 6 p.m. Adult grandstand admission is $15. Pit passes are $30. More information is available at the www.arizonaspeedway.net website, on Facebook or by calling 480 926-6688.

McDaniel makes mark as West Coast Nationals conclude at Chowchilla

CHOWCHILLA, Calif. (Jan. 4) – Ryan McDaniel hit his marks lap after lap as he stayed a step ahead of Cody Laney to win the final IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modified feature of the West Coast Nationals Weekend Sunday evening at Chowchilla Speedway. “As fast as it was up there on the top of the track, I wasn’t about to venture anywhere else,” McDaniel said in victory lane. “It was a racy track, but there was no way he (Laney) was going to get me from the bottom.” McDaniel, already on the ballot for this September’s Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational, earned $2,000 for his efforts. Laney stayed at the bottom of the track, thwarting third place finisher Paul Stone’s bid for second. Stone was the top local driver in the event. “He showed me a nose, but I kept ahead,” the 19-year-old Laney said of Stone. “I just couldn’t catch McDaniel. I knew I had to try something, but nothing seemed to work.” Stone tried his best to crack the top two. “I pushed a [Read More]

Late arrival Cleveland is first to IMCA West Coast Nationals finish at Merced

MERCED, Calif. (Jan. 3) – Duane Cleveland opened his trailer Saturday morning for the first time since racing in Las Vegas two months ago and unloaded the car that won the IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modified feature on night two of the West Coast Nationals at Merced Speedway. “At seven this morning, I decided to race today and took the car out of its trailer and scaled it,” Cleveland said from victory lane. “I got to Merced just in time for the show.” The win paid $2,500 and put Cleveland on the ballot for September’s Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational. Cleveland took the lead early in the 30-lap feature after battling Oregon traveler Tom Berry Jr. Cleveland was never to be challenged for the rest of the distance. Berry, who had never before raced at Merced, held off Kellen Chadwick until the waning moments of the race. Chadwick took up the chase of Cleveland but time ran out before he could catch him. “It was a good time out there. The track was great,” Cleveland said. [Read More]

Foulger brews up popular win in West Coast Nationals opener at Antioch

ANTIOCH, Calif. (Jan. 2) – Four-time track champion Troy Foulger and Jeremy Hoff were victorious in the first half of the IMCA West Coast Nationals Friday night at Antioch Speedway. Foulger outdueled Kellen Chadwick after a dogfight for the ages in the IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modified main event. Hoff fought off challenges from Wayne Dotson, then from Fred Ryland and Bubba Nelson to capture the biggest win of his young career in the Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMod feature. Foulger’s victory paid $2,500; he was already on the ballot for this year’s Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational. Hoff’s checkers were good for $1,750. Both features were 30 laps. A huge victory lane celebration followed Foulger’s popular win. He caught Chadwick, beating him on the last restart, and took the high groove to victory lane. Chadwick lost second to Nick DeCarlo on the last lap. “I watched Kellen for a few laps and figured how to take his line away,” said Foulger, who proved his nickname Tricky is no misnomer. “I ran the top and stayed above [Read More]

West Coast Nationals start IMCA’s 2015 point season

ANTIOCH, Calif. – The IMCA West Coast Nationals is a first for Oval Motorsports, Inc. tracks Antioch Speedway, Merced Speedway and Chowchilla Speedway. They are also the first races in the nation to offer coveted 2015 IMCA points for drivers in the IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modified and Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMod divisions. The concept of a multi-track event beginning on New Year’s Day is the brainchild of veteran promoter John Soares, whose family has promoted racing in California for more than a half century. “I’ve always wanted to try a New Year race,” says Soares. “This year, the calendar was right for the concept. New Year’s Day is on Thursday and Friday is an off-day for many people.” Soares will open the pit gates of Antioch Speedway at 10 a.m. on New Year’s Day. Grandstands will open at 4 p.m. A complete program with two features for the Modifieds and two features for the Northern SportMods begins at 5 p.m. The top four cars in each race will go into the draw for the [Read More]

IMCA considering shift in 2015 regional boundaries

VINTON, Iowa – IMCA is considering a shift in regional boundaries for both the Stock Car and Hobby Stock divisions, and creation of regions for Northern SportMods in 2015. What would become the Western region would be the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. The Eastern region would include Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, North Dakota, Saskatchewan, South Dakota and Wisconsin. No changes would be made numbers-wise or geographically in the five Modified regions; no regions for Southern SportMods would be created. “Shifting from North and South regions to East and West would balance out our membership better, especially in the Stock Car and Hobby Stock divisions,” IMCA Vice President of Operations Brett Root said. “ East and West regions would be much closer to 50/50.” “We’ll continue to research a possible change in regional boundaries and make an announcement on our decision in early January,” he added.

It’s official: Burg tops voting for 2014 Sybesma Fan Favorite honors

ADEL, Iowa – His Sybesma Graphics IMCA Facebook Fan Favorite vote total from August has made Andrew Burg a two-time winner. The IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock driver from Adel, Iowa, was the winner in the fendered half of voting that month. He’d end the year with the highest number of votes of any fendered or non-fendered winner and receives a 2015 competitor’s license from Sybesma. “We’re working on next year’s car now. I can’t complain about anything this season,” Burg said. “We won once at Boone, won once at Stuart and won the last-chance qualifier at Super Nationals, then started 25th and finished ninth in the main event.” He’ll race Fridays at Marshalltown, Saturdays at Boone and Sundays at Stuart in 2015. To help pay the racing bills, Burg officiates at as many as four boys and girls basketball doubleheaders a week during his “off-season.” He’ll whistle somewhere between 60 and 70 games in 2014-2015, his eighth season on the court. Burg also umpires softball as his schedule permits in the summer and is part [Read More]

Hagen, Dotson win drawings to attend 2015 Bob Harris Race Tech Info chassis schools

AMES, Iowa – Travis Hagen and Ethan Dotson won drawings to attend upcoming Bob Harris Enterprises Race Tech Info dirt chassis schools. Winners of 30 designated IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modified specials and 15 Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMod specials in 2014 were eligible for those drawings. Hagen, from Williston, N.D., won the main event at Billings Motorsports Park’s Modified Mayhem on July 19. Dotson is from Bakersfield, Calif., and won the Pat Pettit Shootout at Ocean Speedway on Oct. 4. Race Tech Info chassis school registrations are valued at $249 each. Drivers and crew members interested in attending can check advertisements in the Inside IMCA newsletter for upcoming sessions.

Thunderhill Raceway drivers’ meeting is Friday, Dec. 19

By Edward Anschutz STURGEON BAY, Wis. – Thunderhill Raceway preps for the 2015 season and will hold its drivers meeting on Friday, Dec. 19 at The Draft Haus Sports Bar at 7 p.m. The Draft Haus is located at 901 Egg Harbor Road in Sturgeon Bay. Fresh off the $30,000 contingency awards banquet last month, promoter Woody Wodack feels the track gaining traction heading for the 2015 season. “We put together one of the best contingency packages any dirt track in northeastern Wisconsin has ever seen,” he said. “Every driver who ran the qualifying number of nights was rewarded greatly for their loyalty. This season, the plan is to build on last year’s success.” Pit spots must be paid for before or at the meeting. Any pit stalls that remain unpaid or open will then go to a lottery of drivers who want to purchase them. Memberships will also be available for purchase which allows for a few bucks off your pit pass throughout the season. Several other items will be addressed at the meeting [Read More]

Ganskow calls it a promotional career after 29 years at U.S. 30 Speedway

COLUMBUS, Neb. – One era has ended and another begun at U.S. 30 Speedway. Promoter Louise ‘Sam’ Ganskow called it a career following the 2014 race season after 29 years. She has sold the track to daughter Mari and son-in-law Ron Melcher. Mari and sisters Michelle Rosno and Debi Kleinheksel will continue to share race director duties. She and husband of 13 years Kenny have got plans to do some traveling, enjoy his vintage racing and help out when needed at the 1/3-mile clay oval. “People have been telling me I should stay one more year and promote U.S. 30 for 30 years,” Ganskow said. “I tell them 29 is my age. It’s the number of Kenny’s race cars and I’m totally satisfied with retiring after 29 years because that’s my number.” U.S. 30 was a family operation from the time the late Darrell Duane ‘Abe’ Lincoln built the track in what had been a soybean field in 1985. Abe, Sam, their children and grandchildren worked (and played) at the track, sanctioned by IMCA since [Read More]