Newswire

Record $75,000-plus in contingencies awarded to IMCA drivers in 2014

VINTON, Iowa – More than $75,000 in contingency awards will go to IMCA drivers, based on their participation in sign-up programs or having met other requirements unique to individual programs in 2014. “The value of contingency awards and cash prizes continues to increase each season,” noted IMCA Marketing Director Kevin Yoder. “I would encourage our drivers to redeem any mid-season or season-ending certificates as soon as possible, and to continue supporting the businesses that support them.” Certificates, cash and some product awards will be presented during the national awards banquet later this month in Lincoln, Neb. The rest will be mailed directly to drivers beginning in early December. The following contingency awards were not necessarily determined by actual regional finish, but by either driver sign-up sheets or other unique requirements. For all contingency awards winners where it applies, their actual finishing position, either regional or national, is in parenthesis. All awards are product certificates unless noted otherwise. AFCO Racing Products Top 3 Modified drivers in each region: 1) $250, 2) $150, 3) $50. Larry Shaw [Read More]

2,958 IMCA drivers get point fund shares

VINTON, Iowa – Point fund checks will be presented or mailed to 2,958 IMCA drivers this year. That number represents more than 40 percent of the licensed drivers competing in 2014. A total of $607,983 will be paid, based on national, regional, special series and local track standings. “There isn’t another sanctioning body that pays so much to so many different drivers,” noted IMCA Vice President of Operations Brett Root. “We’re very proud of that at IMCA.” Individual point fund amounts are published in the second section of the November Inside IMCA newsletter.

Sanction awards given during IMCA national banquet

LINCOLN, Neb. – Thirty-eight tracks will be honored with sanction awards during the national IMCA banquet on Saturday, Nov. 29 in Lincoln, Neb. Thirty-year Modified sanction awards go to Eagle Raceway, Grayson County Speedway and the Iowa State Fairgrounds Speedway, Modifieds. Tracks receiving 25-year sanction awards for Modifieds are Bakersfield Speedway and Kings Speedway. Twenty-year sanction awards go to Boone County Raceway, Boyd Raceway, Brewerton Speedway, Dawson County Raceway and Heart O’ Texas Speedway for Modifieds; Quad City Speedway for Late Models; and C.J. Speedway for Stock Cars. Receiving 15-year awards will be Estevan Motor Speedway, Kennedale Speedway Park and Williston Basin Speedway, all for Modifieds; Abilene Speedway, Stock Cars and Hobby Stocks; Cardinal Speedway, Nodak Speedway, Shawano Speedway and WaKeeney Speedway, all for Stock Cars; and Fairmont Raceway and Independence Motor Speedway for Hobby Stocks. Ten-year sanction awards go to 85 Speedway, Abilene Speedway, Boyd Raceway, Cardinal Speedway, Grayson County Speedway and Heart O’ Texas Speedway, all for Southern SportMods; Benton County Speedway, Boone Speedway and Iowa State Fairgrounds Speedway, all for Northern SportMods; [Read More]

Heckman spins, wins Pahrump’s Day After The Duel backwards

PAHRUMP, Nev. (Nov. 16) – Although he crossed the finish line backwards, Kyle Heckman captured the $1,500 first place prize money at the Day After The Duel IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modified event at Pahrump Valley Speedway Sunday evening. By virtue of winning his heat race and a straight-up starting order, Heckman led every lap of the 30-lap affair, winning over teammate R.C. Whitwell. Both drove Victory Circle chassis cars owned by Bill Henderson. William Gould overcame an early flat to return with a vengeance to take the third spot. Heckman jumped out to an early lead over pole sitter and defending race winner Randy Thornell. Scott Lenz ran third before the 10th starting Whitwell moved into third by lap five. Despite several yellow flags for spinning drivers that slowed the event, Heckman was up to the challenge on every restart. Coming out of turn four heading for the win, he tangled with a lapped car and spun across the finish line backwards, barely ahead of second place Whitwell and Gould. Cody Laney and Lenz [Read More]

Record 91 IMCA state champions rule in 2014

VINTON, Iowa – IMCA crowned a record 91 Allstar Performance state champions in 2014. That number is four more than the previous mark set last year and includes 55 drivers who won career-first state titles in any division. RaNai Toler became just the third driver to win two state crowns the same season, ruling Mach-1 Sport Compact standings in Colorado and New Mexico. If not already vote eligible, their state championships put 23 IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modified drivers on the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot. Brandon Beckendorf captured his career fourth and second straight Modified prize in Minnesota. Drivers winning back-to-back titles included Paul G. Jones Jr. in Wyoming, Jesse Taylor in Colorado and A.J. Ward in Michigan. Cory Sample also became a two-time king in Nevada. Taylor topped Colorado Stock Car point standings in 2012. Earning their first state crowns were Ryan Roath in Arizona, Brint Hartwick in Arkansas, Kyle Wilson in California, Blake Lyle in Idaho, Brandon Durbin in Illinois, Ronn Lauritzen in Iowa, Clay Sellard in Kansas, Jeremy Meirhofer in Montana, [Read More]

IMCA Modifieds headline Desert Thunder Nationals at Central Arizona

CASA GRANDE, Ariz. – After racing for $1,000 on opening night, IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modified drivers vie for $3,000 to win on night two of the inaugural Desert Thunder Nationals at Central Arizona Speedway. Both Saturday, Nov. 22 and Sunday, Nov. 23 features are Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot qualifying events. A minimum of $75 will be paid to start on Saturday. Sunday’s runner-up earns $1,500 with $1,000 paid for third. Minimum start money is $150. Non-qualifiers get $50 on Saturday and $60 on Sunday. Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMods will run with XMods for $500 to win Saturday and $750 to win Sunday. IMCA legal mufflers are required. An open practice runs from 6-9 p.m. Friday. Pit gates open at 2 p.m., the grandstand opens at 4 p.m., hot laps are at 5 p.m. and racing starts at 6 p.m. on Saturday. On Sunday, gates open at 10 a.m., the grandstand opens at 11:30 a.m., hot laps are at 12:30 p.m. and racing begins at 1:30 p.m. Entry fee for the weekend is $175 [Read More]

Phillips rules Duel Modifieds, Howell paces SportMods at LVMS

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (Nov. 15) – Teammate Jordan Grabouski made it close in the final laps but there was no denying Terry Phillips a third career Duel In The Desert title Saturday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Phillips ran in front the last 35 circuits in the caution-free, 40-lap main event for IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modifieds at the LVMS half-mile Dirt Track. He led by as much as a straightaway before being slowed by a lapped car, holding on to beat Grabouski to the $7,777 checkers by little more than a car length. Also the 2010 and 2011 Duel winner, the new Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot qualifier was followed across the stripe by Grabouski, R.C. Whitwell, Johnny Scott and Chris Brown. J.C. Howell dominated from start to finish in winning the 25-lap main event for Scoggin-Dickey Parts Center Southern SportMods and Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMods. That victory paid $1,777 and came ahead of Robert Elliott, Gabe Tucker, Daniel Gottschalk and Tyler Fain. A record 332 drivers from 26 states and three Canadian provinces [Read More]

Scott, Phillips, Elliott are first in Friday Duel In the Desert qualifiers

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (Nov. 14) – Johnny Scott and Terry Phillips both took $777 checkers but better yet qualified for Saturday’s IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modified Duel In The Desert main event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Top four finishers from each of the two Friday Modified features at LVMS move on to the $7,777 to win show. Drivers from eight different states advanced from night two of the 17th annual special. Scott, from Shreveport, became the first Louisiana driver to qualify for the main event at the half-mile Dirt Track. Phillips hails from Springfield, Mo., and will be in the running for his career third Duel title. Scott won in front of Chris Brown of Cleveland, Texas, Kyle Strickler of Mooresville, N.C., and Robert Hellebust of Minot, N.D. Chasing Phillips across the stripe were Jordan Grabouski of Beatrice, Neb., R.C. Whitwell of Tucson, Ariz., and Jeff Taylor of Cave City, Ark. Robert Elliott of Clinton, Okla., won the Friday SportMod qualifier and pocketed $500. He’ll be joined on Saturday’s outside row by fellow top [Read More]

Duel In the Desert is another record-breaker; Saathoff, Shute, Howell win qualifying features

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (Nov. 13) – Car count records fell and checkered flags flew for qualifying feature winners Johnny Saathoff, Todd Shute and J.C. Howell on opening night of the IMCA Duel In The Desert special at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Three hundred and thirty-two IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modifieds, Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMods and Scoggin-Dickey Parts Center Southern SportMods saw action Thursday evening on the LVMS half-mile Dirt Track. That’s the highest total car count in the 17-year history of the event. A record 96 SportMods took to the track, 22 more than the previous best set last year. Top four finishers from each of the two Modified qualifiers advance to the $7,777 to win show on Saturday. Saathoff, from Beatrice, Neb., and the 2004 and 2009 Duel winner, raced from eighth starting and beat Ryan Ruter of Kanawha, Iowa, Jake O’Neil of Tucson, Ariz., and William Gould of Calera, Okla., to the finish line in the first Modified qualifier. From Des Moines, Iowa, Shute started fourth in the second qualifier and won ahead [Read More]

Californians pace pre-entries for IMCA’s Duel In The Desert

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (Nov. 10) – A caravan of California drivers will be headed to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the IMCA Duel In The Desert. Ninety-three Golden State competitors are among the 286 pre-entries for the Nov. 12-15 special, to be held on the half-mile Dirt Track at LVMS. In all, 205 IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modified drivers from 24 states and three Canadian provinces, and 81 Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMod and Scoggin-Dickey Parts Center Southern SportMod drivers from 18 states and one province are early entries for the 17th annual special. Modifieds race for $7,777 to win and a minimum of $777 to start their Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot qualifying event on Saturday, Nov. 15. Two preliminary features Thursday, Nov. 13 and on Friday, Nov. 14 each pay $777 to win. Saturday’s top prize for the SportMods is $1,777. Those divisions will compete in the same races with their existing 2014 rules; qualifying features on Thursday and Friday pay $500 to win. The Modified entry list now includes 61 drivers from California, [Read More]