Newswire

Executive secretary filing out after 25 years with IMCA

VINTON, Iowa – IMCA’s longest tenured employee will end one career and start another on Nov. 26. Executive Secretary Rick Haefner will retire after more than 25 years with the sanctioning body. He’ll trade scheduling, record-keeping and correspondence chores for time with grandchildren, a honey do list, travel and plenty of golfing and fishing. “I’ll miss the people here and a lot of the people I’ve worked with in my 25-plus years at IMCA,” he said. “Meeting and making friends with so many different people from across the United States is what I’ve enjoyed most about working here.” IMCA had just four other full-time employees when Haefner punched in for his first day of work on March 3, 1989. He was in charge of points and membership, in a position created because of the amount of time his co-workers spent on the road and out of the office. There were 85 sanctions – 59 of them for Modifieds – at tracks in 15 states when Haefner started at IMCA. “The computers we were using then [Read More]

Longdale is new Oklahoma home for three IMCA divisions

LONGDALE, Okla. – Three IMCA divisions will have a second weekly Oklahoma home next season. Longdale Speedway, a ½-mile clay oval, adds IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modifieds, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars and IMCA SportMods to Saturday programs. The same classes return to Friday shows at Outlaw Motorsports Park in Wainwright. Both venues are owned by Jessie Hoskins. Longdale was completed and ran its first season this year; Hoskins purchased Outlaw from Carey Menasco this fall and got in four race nights. The 3/8-mile dirt facility has since undergone a major facelift on both the grandstand and pit sides. “I’m relatively new to the sport but what I’ve seen is that drivers want tracks to get on the same page with the same rules,” said Hoskins, who has raced a Scoggin-Dickey Parts Center Southern SportMod, most recently at the Duel In The Desert. “Having two tracks, I think this is the right thing to do. It’s the direction this sport is heading.” The first points races of 2015 at Longdale will be March 19-21. Outlaw opens [Read More]

Speckman tops Fan Favorite voting for fendered entries

By Ryan Clark SLEEPY EYE, Minn. – Aside from his travels during the Kupper Chevrolet Dakota Classic Stock Car Tour, Matt Speckman stayed close to home during the 2014 season. The Sleepy Eye, Minn., driver earned a handful of feature wins in weekly competition at Arlington Raceway, Murray County Speedway in Slayton and Redwood Speedway in Redwood Falls. Speckman earned one more win in November as the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car driver was the top vote-getter in the Sybesma Graphics IMCA Facebook Fan Favorite Contest for fendered divisions. He receives a mini-hood from Sybesma Graphics. “Our season was all right,” said Speckman. “We ended up with five wins.” Those wins were scattered at all three tracks where he competed regularly. Chasing points, though, wasn’t on Speckman’s list of priorities. “We weren’t really able to run for points anywhere,” he explained. “Since I went to the Dakota Tour, I had to miss some nights at home.” Speckman has made the Dakota Tour an annual part of his racing schedule in recent years. “A buddy of mine [Read More]

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]