BatesvilleMotorSpeedway Archives

$30,000 Awaits Race for Hope 71 Winner at Batesville

By Ben Deatherage BATESVILLE, Ark. (Sept. 17, 2026) — One of the richest Karl Kustoms IMCA Modified events of the entire season returns to Batesville Motor Speedway Sept. 30-Oct. 3 with First Community Bank’s 10th annual Race for Hope 71 presented by IMCA TV. The four-day event culminates with a 71-lap championship feature paying $30,000 to win, while a deep purse will reward competitors throughout the field. The runner-up will earn $12,500, with $11,500 going to third, $11,250 to fourth, and $11,000 to fifth. Sixth through ninth pay $10,800, $10,600, $10,400, and $10,200, respectively, while the 10th-place finisher will still collect $10,000. The payout continues with $6,000 for 11th and $3,000 for 12th. Positions 13th through 17th pay $2,000, $1,900, $1,800, $1,700, and $1,600, respectively, with every starter finishing 18th through 30th earning $1,500. In addition to the $30,000 payday, the Race for Hope 71 will serve as a qualifying event for the 2027 Fast Shafts All-Star Modified Invitational at the Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s, with the winner earning eligibility to attempt [Read More]

$10,000 Awaits Stock Car Winner at Batesville’s Mid-America Championship

By Ben Deatherage LOCUST GROVE, Ark. (Sept. 16, 2026) — A $10,000 payday and an automatic berth in the 2027 B&B Racing Chassis All-Star Stock Car Invitational are on the line when Sunoco IMCA Stock Cars headline the 31st annual Schoenfeld Headers Mid-America IMCA Stock Car Championship at Batesville Motor Speedway. The three-day event runs Sept. 17-19 at the Locust Grove oval, with Karl Kustoms IMCA Modifieds also on the program all three nights. The Mid-America Championship culminates with a 50-lap Stock Car finale Saturday night, paying $10,000 to win and $800 to start the 25-car field. The runner-up earns $5,000, third pays $2,500, fourth $1,250 and fifth $1,000. In addition to the winner’s share of the purse, Saturday night’s Stock Car champion will automatically qualify for the 2027 B&B Racing Chassis All-Star Stock Car Invitational during the Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s at Boone Speedway. The entry fee is $150 per class. Fans unable to attend can watch all three nights live on IMCA TV, where America comes to watch racing. Additional [Read More]

Gavin Lowe: Growing Into the Next Chapter

By Ben Deatherage VILONIA, Ark. (May 7, 2026) — In a town where there isn’t much to do and not many places to go, people tend to find something to hold onto. For Gavin Lowe, that something came early. Before he could drive. Before he could reach the pedals without help. Before most kids knew what they wanted to be. It was already there. In the shop and at the track. And in the people around him. Built Into It “I started racing at 5 when I was in kindergarten in a go-kart that my dad got me for Christmas,” Lowe said. Racing wasn’t something he discovered. It was something he grew up around. “I got into racing through family,” Cody said. “My godfather and dad did it their whole life. I helped them all the time and didn’t think I would do it myself.” That connection goes back decades. Cody and Pressley both got into racing around 1987, when Cody’s father let Pressley drive one of his older cars. It didn’t take long for it [Read More]

Raffurty Victorious Under the Starrs in Batesville MLA Opener

By Bryce Vowan BATESVILLE, Ark. (Apr. 11, 2026) — Five-time and defending Stealth Racing IMCA Mod Lite national champion Dillon Raffurty charged from the fifth starting position to capture the Mod Lites of Arkansas season opener at Batesville Motor Speedway on Saturday night. The Kansas City, Missouri, native arrived late after a seven-hour haul, but Raffurty wasted no time getting up to speed at Mooney Starr’s facility. After limited hot laps, he went on to win his heat race, setting himself up with a fifth-place starting spot for the feature. After battling runner-up Blake Wilson for the top spot, Raffurty took the lead on lap five and never looked back, picking up his fifth feature win of 2026 as he chases a sixth national crown. The victory added to earlier wins during the IMCA TV Winter Nationals in Arizona in January, along with a triumph at I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park in his home state of Missouri last month. Blake Wilson rebounded from an earlier incident in the season to finish second, while his father, [Read More]

Taylor Takes Batesville Stock Car Victory at Wimp Reed Memorial Arkansas Spring Nationals

By Ben Deatherage LOCUST GROVE, Ark. (Mar. 28, 2026) — Peyton Taylor capitalized on early misfortune and never looked back in winning the Sunoco IMCA Stock Car feature at the Wimp Reed Memorial Arkansas Spring Nationals. The 25-lap, $1,500-to-win main event served as a qualifier for the B&B Racing Chassis All-Star Stock Car Invitational to be held during the Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s, placing Taylor on the eligibility list to attempt to qualify. Taylor assumed command just a few laps into the race after early leader Curtis Cook, who had grabbed the point on the opening circuit from the bottom, suffered mechanical issues and was forced to retire. Once out front, Taylor — wheeling the Cadillac Chassis house car no. 11T for car owner Jack Sullivan — quickly built a sizeable advantage. Behind him, a spirited battle for second developed between 2024 Natural State Nationals winner Hayden Linn and T.J. Herndon, the winner of the final night of the 2024 Arkansas Spring Nationals. Herndon initially secured the runner-up spot before a caution [Read More]

Arkansas Spring Nationals Returns as Batesville Motor Speedway Invests in Upgrades

By Ben Deatherage LOCUST GROVE, Ark. (Mar. 12, 2026) — Batesville Motor Speedway will host the Arkansas IMCA Spring Nationals “Wimp” Reed Memorial on March 26-28, featuring Karl Kustoms IMCA Modifieds and Sunoco IMCA Stock Cars. The three-day program opens Thursday, March 26 with a practice session only. Pit passes will be $30, while grandstand admission will be free for spectators that evening. The racing portion of the weekend starts Friday, March 27 and continues through Saturday, March 28 with full shows each night. Karl Kustoms IMCA Modifieds and Sunoco IMCA Stock Cars will each race for $1,500 to win nightly. Modified feature winners will earn Fast Shafts All-Star Modified Invitational qualifying eligibility, while Stock Car feature winners will do the same for the B&B Racing Chassis All-Star Stock Car Invitational. Entry fee for both divisions is $50 per night, and non-qualifiers will receive $50 in tow money. Pit gates open at 4 p.m. each day. For the Friday and Saturday race programs, draw opens at the pit gate, hot laps are scheduled for 7 p.m., [Read More]

DeVilbiss Powers to Second Race For Hope 71 Victory at Batesville

By Ben Deathearge LOCUST GROVE, Ark. (Oct. 11, 2025) — Zane DeVilbiss stole the spotlight Saturday night at Batesville Motor Speedway, powering to victory in the 9th Annual Race For Hope 71 presented by IMCA.TV. The Friesen Performance IMCA Modified standout from Farmington, N.M., earned $4,000 for the 40-lap triumph — his first win of the season and second career Race For Hope 71 victory, adding to his 2021 triumph. With the win, DeVilbiss became just the second driver ever to capture the event more than once, joining three-time winner Ricky Thornton Jr. The victory also locked him into eligibility for the 2026 Fast Shafts All-Star Modified Invitational at Boone Speedway. Defending race winner and 2020 National champion Tom Berry Jr. grabbed the early advantage after a tight first-lap duel with 2023 event winner Wendell Wallace. Berry, piloting the Andrews Autosport No. 11 owned by Spencer Andrews, stretched his lead until heavy lapped traffic closed the gap. Two-time and reigning Super Nationals champion Tim Ward, driving the Doug and Amy Eckrich No. 151, climbed to second on [Read More]

Race For Hope 71 Offers Big Money, Big Action Oct. 9–11 at Batesville Motor Speedway

By Ben Deatherage LOCUST GROVE, Ark. (Sept. 21, 2025) — The 9th annual Race For Hope 71 presented by IMCA TV returns to Batesville Motor Speedway for three straight nights, Thursday–Saturday, Oct. 9–11, with a complete Friesen Performance IMCA Modified show and full payout each night. A new-for-2025 format puts real money on the line every time the green drops: $3,000 to win on Thursday, $3,000 to win on Friday, and $4,000 to win on Saturday. Sweep all three features and collect a $2,000 bonus; win two of the three and add a $1,000 bonus. It’s $12,000 possible to win across the weekend for one driver under the three-night format. Grandstands open at 5:30 p.m. nightly. Adults are $15 on Thursday and Friday and $20 on Saturday; youth 12–15 are $10; kids 11 and under are free. Pits open at 4:00 p.m. each day with pit passes $40 nightly and ages 6–11 $20. Driver entry is $50 per night. Teams can enter online at batesvillemotorspeedway.com or call 870-613-1337 for details. The Race For Hope 71 delivers three full [Read More]

Abbey Charges Late to Mid-America Stock Car Championship Win at Batesville

By Ben Deatherage LOCUST GROVE, Ark. (Sept. 27, 2025) — The $7,500-to-win Mid-America Stock Car Championship produced a thriller Saturday night at Batesville Motor Speedway, with Jeffrey Abbey of Rhome, Texas, charging late to capture his first-ever win in the marquee event. Abbey also pocketed a $500 bonus for displaying a Schoenfeld Headers logo on his car, bringing his total payday to $8,000. Peyton Taylor paced the opening circuits in the Brandon & Jodi Simon-owned no. 20PT, building a three-second advantage before a lap-16 caution erased his lead. Taylor pulled away again on the restart, but Iowa’s Dallon Murty, a two-time Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s winner, closed in from second. After another restart on lap 30, Murty worked the high side to take over the top spot on lap 33. Taylor refused to back down, and the pair traded the lead until Taylor nosed back ahead on lap 38 and began to build an edge. Meanwhile, Curtis Cook, piloting the Jayson and Tonya Hefley no. 82, pressured Murty for second, allowing Taylor [Read More]

Batesville Motor Speedway to Host 30th Annual Schoenfeld Headers Mid-America IMCA Stock Car Championship Sept. 25–27

By Ben Deatherage LOCUST GROVE, Ark. (Sept. 18, 2025) — The 30th Annual Schoenfeld Headers Mid-America IMCA Stock Car Championship returns to Batesville Motor Speedway on Thursday through Saturday, Sept. 25–27, 2025, with three nights of Sunoco IMCA Stock Car racing action and a $20,000-to-win, $1,000-to-start main event. The 3-day event kicks off on Thursday, Sept. 25, with practice at 7:00 p.m. and is followed by racing at 7:30. Drivers will compete each night with double heats and draw for positions on Thursday and Friday nights. Drivers will accumulate points and will run a nightly feature as well. On Friday, Sept. 26, we will follow the same format with drivers drawing for positions with double heats and a nightly feature to accumulate points. Hot Laps at 7:00 p.m. with racing to follow at 7:30. Saturday will again see hot laps at 7:00 p.m. and racing at 7:30. The Top 16 in points will advance to the 50-lap Schoenfeld Headers Mid-America IMCA Stock Car Championship main event paying $20,000 to win on Saturday night, September 27. The [Read More]