Newswire

Practice sessions return to Willamette Speedway

By Ben Deatherage LEBANON, Ore. (March 4) – For years, Friday nights at Willamette Speedway mostly meant a chance for drivers to shake down their car before the big race on Saturday, to fine tune their machines and troubleshoot any hiccups their mounts were giving them. Open practices are back on select dates at the historic 1/3-mile clay oval in 2014 after a couple years’ hiatus. “After not having practices for the last couple years, drivers started giving us feedback,” commented Track Manager Chris Nofziger. “They told us that they felt they would be more competitive if there was a night or two during the year where they could come out and just figure stuff out. With us bringing practices back, I think fans will see our already quality competition get even tougher.” The first opportunity for cars to hit the track in 2014 will be during two test and tune sessions on Saturday, April 5 and Friday, April 11. The first race of the upcoming campaign is slated for Saturday, April 12. The four [Read More]

Eagle Motorsports returns in title sponsorship role for IMCA RaceSaver Sprints

LINCOLN, Neb. (March 3) – Eagle Motorsports returns for a second season as title sponsor of the IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car division. The Lincoln, Neb., sprint car chassis manufacturer and high performance parts retailer again furnishes a portion of the $2,600 point fund to be paid to top 10 drivers in national point standings for the winged class. IMCA Eagle Motorsports RaceSaver Sprint Cars ran in Texas, Minnesota, Nebraska and Virginia last year. New sanctions in Iowa and Colorado have already been announced for 2014. Drivers must display two Eagle Motorsports decals on their race car to be eligible for point fund money. Point fund checks will be presented during the national awards banquet in November, or mailed beginning the following week from the IMCA home office. “In addition to the point fund contribution, Eagle also awards a free chassis kit to the national champion and national rookie of the year,” noted IMCA Marketing Director Kevin Yoder. “Last season that ended up being the same driver but with a new crop of talented rookies combined [Read More]

Canyon success continues for Thornton at Copper on Dirt

By Lonnie Wheatley PEORIA, Ariz. (Feb. 28) – Ricky Thornton Jr. added another IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modified triumph to his impressive early season total during the Friday Copper On Dirt program at Canyon Speedway Park. After winning four of six features in Winter Challenge Series action, Thornton picked up right where he left off by leading all the way to take the checkered flag ahead of reigning track champion Jason Noll. Thornton drew the pole start and jumped out to an immediate lead in the 25-lap feature. Logan Drake and Mike Wedelstadt, making their first starts of the year, challenged but to no avail as the field waded through three yellow flags. The seventh starting Noll then took over second to put the pressure on Thornton but fell short in the closing laps. Thornton earned $600 for the win. The rest of the top five included Drake, Wedelstadt and Ryan Roath. Saturday’s program was rained out. Feature results – 1. Ricky Thornton Jr.; 2. Jason Noll; 3. Logan Drake; 4. Mike Wedelstadt; 5. Ryan [Read More]

Mid-America Modified Championship rescheduled to March 20-22

BATESVILLE, Ark. (March 3) – Winter decided it wasn’t ready to give up after all. As a result, the Mid-America Modified Championship special at Batesville Motor Speedway has been rescheduled to Thursday, Friday and Saturday, March 20-22. Promoter Mooney Starr said the two-week postponement would allow for optimum track conditions and a better shot at good racing weather. IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modifieds will race for $1,500 to win in Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot qualifying events all three nights at Batesville. Features pay a minimum of $200 to start. IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National, Jet Racing Central Region and Allstar Performance State points will be awarded each night. An early entry fee of $100, good for all three nights, can be paid by Saturday, March 8. More information about the Mid-America Modified Championship is available by calling 870 251-0011 or 870 613-1337, and at the www.batesvillemotorspeedway.net website. Pit gates open at 4 p.m. and the grandstand opens at 5:30 p.m. each day. Hot laps are at 6:30 p.m. and racing starts at 7 [Read More]

Hibbard checks out in Lone Star Series win at Kennedale

KENNEDALE, Texas (March 1) – Glen Hibbard checked out on everybody before taking the IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modified checkers Saturday at Kennedale Speedway Park. Hibbard started the Spring Kick-Off main event from outside row one and led all 20 circuits to take the $600 victory and career-first Texas Lone Star Series win. “We hit the set up dead on,” said Hibbard, who piloted a new Phoenix Race Chassis across the stripe. A couple restarts and lapped traffic didn’t slow Hibbard much as he won comfortably ahead of Jeff Emerson, Keith White, J.P. Dowell and Chris Elliott. Also winning tour features were defending champion Gabe Tucker in the Southwest Racing Specialties Southern SportMod Lone Star Series main and Kirk Martin in the Wild Child Race Cars Stock Car headliner. Tucker wheeled the same Express car he won the 2013 Scoggin-Dickey Parts Center Southern SportMod national title in to his first triumph of the new season. He started seventh, was running at the front by midway and held off Justin Cass and Jake Upchurch following restarts [Read More]

Speedway Motors continues support of IMCA Weekly Racing Series

LINCOLN, Neb. (March 2) – One of the longest partnerships in all of motorsports continues this season as Speedway Motors continues its invaluable role as title sponsor of the IMCA Weekly Racing Series. America’s Oldest Speed Shop, located in Lincoln, Neb., has been affiliated with IMCA since 1950 and returns in the second of another five-year program benefitting sanctioned tracks and drivers alike. “We have supported IMCA for well over half a century now and continue to be excited about this relationship,” said Speedway Motors founder and chairman of the board Bill Smith. “It’s more important than ever to keep weekly dirt track racing safe, fun and affordable for the grassroots racer. IMCA has done a great job of supporting racers by maintaining common sense rules and a strong network of tracks across the country.” Speedway Motors again provides jackets, tech official shirts, flags and banners, plus discounts on tech inspection equipment, to help IMCA tracks defray costs of their weekly shows. And drivers completing rookie application forms receive $100 gift cards from Speedway Motors [Read More]

Goode takes promotional reins at Heart O’ Texas

WACO, Texas (March 2) – The ink was hardly dry on the purchase agreement before David Goode was back in promoter mode. Goode is the new promoter and co-owner with Jerry Frydrych of Heart O’ Texas Speedway. The quarter-mile oval opens for its 20th consecutive season of IMCA racing this Friday, March 7. All four sanctioned divisions, the IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modifieds, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks and Scoggin-Dickey Parts Center Southern SportMods, return to regular weekly programs. “I don’t feel like I’ve been out of racing at all,” said Goode, former promoter at Texas Thunder Speedway, which closed and gave way to urban development last year. “We raced at Killeen right up until Boone and I drove a Modified at Super Nationals. We finalized the deal to buy Heart O’ Texas on Jan. 15 and I’ve been working on the track ever since.” They’ll run on a dirt surface that’s already been reshaped to a true oval. “This track is a quarter mile 10 feet off the bottom. We’ve moved [Read More]

IMCA Modifieds visit Las Vegas Motor Speedway for midweek twinbill

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (March 2) – A pair of $750 to win features are on the card when IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modifieds travel to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for a midweek doubleheader on the half-mile Dirt Track. World of Outlaws STP Sprint Cars are also on March 5 and 6 FVP Outlaw Showdown programs at LVMS. West Coast Late Models run on Wednesday and West Coast 360 Sprints run on Thursday. Modified features pay a minimum of $75 to start and $50 in non-qualifier money. IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National, Larry Shaw Racing Western Region and Allstar Performance State points will be awarded. Pit gates open at 2 p.m., the front gate opens at 5 p.m. and Modified heat races start at 6:35 p.m. both nights. Entry fee is $20. Pit passes are $40 for IMCA members and $50 for non-members. Grandstand admission is $39 each night. Reserved seating is $40 for one night or $80 for both nights. More information is available by calling 805 714-8538.

Razor Chassis takes sharp title role as sponsor of IMCA’s South Central Region

PLATTE CENTER, Neb. (Feb. 28) – A familiar name in the chassis building business is the new title sponsor of the South Central Region for IMCA Modifieds. Razor Chassis, owned by Travis Roth, pays part of the $6,000 point fund for top 10 drivers in the region that includes tracks in Texas and southern New Mexico. “We want to be a good representative for this region,” said Roth, who relocated Razor to Platte Center from LeMars, Iowa, after completing his purchase of the company last May. “We want to grow our business and there are new opportunities for us to do so in both states.” Razor builds both Modified and Northern SportMod chassis and took top Manufacturers’ Cup honors in the North Central region in 2013. “What I’ve enjoyed most about this business is the customers. I enjoy helping them become better drivers and win more races,” Roth said. “Our motto has been ‘We help build champions.’ We want to help drivers be successful.” Constant research and development goes into those efforts. Chris Abelson, Travis [Read More]

Crawford County Speedway sanctions Sprint Cars with IMCA

DENISON, Iowa (Feb. 28) – A class of race cars previously featured during fair specials joins weekly shows this season at Crawford County Speedway. IMCA Eagle Motorsports RaceSaver Sprint Cars make their debut at Denison during the Deery Brothers Summer Series program at Denison on April 5. They’ll be part of regular Friday races from May 2 through Aug. 22. Season championship night for five other sanctioned divisions, the IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modifieds, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks, Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMods and Mach-1 Sport Compacts, will be Aug. 29. “We were looking for a division that complemented the rest of our regular classes and the Sprint Cars do that,” Race Director Kay Schurke explained. “This is one way we can expand our fan base. We have a lot of people in the area who like Sprint Cars and I know drivers in the other classes like watching them, too.” Schurke anticipates sharing Sprint Car drivers with Eagle, Neb., Raceway, a Saturday night venue some two hours to the west. Eagle [Read More]