2027 Late Model Rules

November 3, 2026

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Feature

IMCA Releases 2027 Rules with Minor Changes

By Ben Deatherage VINTON, Iowa (Nov. 2, 2026) — IMCA has released its 2027 rules package, featuring minor updates and clarifications across several divisions, along with changes to helmet requirements and head and neck restraint regulations for minor drivers. In the Sunoco IMCA Stock Car and Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stock divisions, frame ground clearance must measure a minimum of 6.5 inches and a maximum of nine inches beneath the oval frame holes, identified as letters D and K in the 1978-88 Monte Carlo frame drawing. Floating or removable bars are not permitted in either division. Stock Cars will no longer be permitted to use Camaro nosepieces on anything other than the Camaro MD3 body, while Hobby Stocks will not be allowed to use lightweight pressure plate. For Karl Kustoms IMCA Modifieds, Speedway Motors fabricated lower A-frames, part numbers 91035297-L and 91035297-R, have been added to the rules. The interior deck must also be level from left to right within a one-inch tolerance. The Karl Kustoms IMCA Northern SportMod division will have the same interior deck requirement, [Read More]

Feature

Every Point Counts as Vlies Captures First Northern SportMod National Title

By Ben Deatherage CASCO, Wis. (Oct. 20, 2026) — CASCO, Wis. (Oct. 20, 2026) — At just 19 years old, Coy Vlies accomplished something no Wisconsin driver had done before, becoming the first from the Badger State to capture the Karl Kustoms IMCA Northern SportMod national championship. The Casco racer was also the youngest of IMCA’s 2026 national champions, prevailing in the closest national championship battle of the season by edging Jarett Franzen by a single point after a campaign that produced 19 feature victories in 45 starts. For Vlies, the possibility of winning a national championship seemed like a long shot entering the year, particularly with Wisconsin’s limited weekly racing opportunities compared to other parts of the country. “I thought going into the season if winning a national championship in the state of Wisconsin was even possible because you can only race two times a week up here,” Vlies said. “But everything fell the right way this year, and it all worked out.” Driving the Prestige Custom Cabinetry & Millwork/Vlies Custom Race Bodies/Casco Kids Zone No. [Read More]

Feature

Cogburn Returns Stronger to Capture First Southern SportMod National Championship

By Ben Deatherage ROBINSON, Texas (Oct. 22, 2026) — After coming up just short of a national championship in 2025, Trevor Cogburn returned with unfinished business in 2026. The 21-year-old Robinson, Texas, racer captured his first Smiley’s Racing Products IMCA Southern SportMod national championship. Cogburn also earned his first Texas State championship and repeated as Heart O’ Texas Speedway track champion, completing a season that began with a determination to settle the score after narrowly missing the national title the previous year. His championship continued Texas’ dominance of the division, making Cogburn the 11th consecutive driver from the Lone Star State to capture the national title. Since the division began crowning national champions in 2005, Texas drivers have claimed 21 of the 22 championships, with Jesse Baldwin of New Mexico in 2015 the lone exception. In 2025, Cogburn finished tied for the national points lead but lost the championship on a tiebreaker determined by the number of 40-point victories. “We just decided to come back stronger this year and put on a show,” Cogburn said. Driving [Read More]