BatesvilleMotorSpeedway Archives

Grabouski grabs Race For Hope 74 qualifier Win

By Mike Spieker BATESVILLE, Ark. (Sept. 29) – Jordan Grabouski captured the third and final Race For Hope 74 qualifying night feature Friday at Batesville Motor Speedway. Grabouski started fourth on the 30-car starting grid before taking the lead on lap eight. “Sometimes when you struggle, you need to do your homework. We did our homework tonight and made a few changes on the car. The thing was a rocketship tonight,” said Grabouski in victory lane. Travis Dickson took the lead on the opening lap from the outside front row starting spot. Meanwhile, Grabouski moved by Chad Andersen and Brian Hartwick to claim the runner-up spot at the completion of lap one. Seventh starting Jason Wilkey charged his way into third by lap three after driving around Anderson. The caution waved on lap five after Hartwick spun in turn four. Jacob Murray had nowhere to go and made heavy contact with Hartwick. Both drivers were OK. On the restart, Dickson pushed into turn one, which allowed Grabouski to easily take the lead exiting turn two. Tyler [Read More]

Kay captures Thursday Race For Hope 74 IMCA Modified qualifier at Batesville

By Mike Spieker BATESVILLE, Ark. (Sept. 28) – Justin Kay captured night two of the inaugural Race For Hope 74 IMCA Modified special at Batesville Motor Speedway Thursday evening. Kay led 21 of the 25 laps en route to the victory, which locked him into the front row for Saturday’s $20,000 to win main event. “I’ve never been here before. What an awesome race track,” said Kay in victory lane. “I knew what line I needed to run and I just had to hit my marks. Ricky (Thornton Jr.) has been so good lately and Kelly (Shryock) has been doing this a long time … this is just awesome. I’m so excited.” The race got underway with Kay, Dennie Gieber and Jason Wilkey on the front row for the three-wide start. The green flag was quickly replaced with the caution on the opening lap as Tyler Droste and Tyler Stevens got together exiting turn four. Droste was able to rejoin the field while Stevens was done for the night. On the complete restart, Wilkey raced his [Read More]

Strickler dominates opening feature at the Race For Hope 74

By Mike Spieker BATESVILLE, Ark. (Sept. 27) – Kyle Strickler backed up his overall quick time qualifying run on Tuesday with a dominating performance in Wednesday night’s Race For Hope 74 IMCA Modified preliminary feature. The Mooresville, N.C., driver started in the middle of the front row for the three-wide start, which ran 10 rows deep. Strickler jumped out to the lead on the opening lap as Wendell Wallace and Steven Bowers Jr. settled into second and third, respectively. Strickler quickly opened up a full straightaway lead by lap five, while Wallace and Bowers fought for the runner-up position. As Strickler approached lapped traffic at the midway point of the 25-lap event, he didn’t waste any time getting around slower cars. The two-time IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s champion made a three-wide pass around two lapped cars that were battling for position as he continued to stretch out his lead over Wallace. Strickler was still battling heavy lapped traffic as the race advanced to the closing stage but he held a steady [Read More]

Strickler paces IMCA Modifieds during Race For Hope 74 time trials

By Mike Spieker BATESVILLE, Ark. (Sept. 26) – A stout field of 91 IMCA Modifieds checked in at Batesville Motor Speedway for the first of five nights of action during the Race For Hope 74. Tuesday began with practice for all competitors and concluded with time trials, which set heat race lineups for the remainder of the week. Kyle Strickler of Mooresville, N.C., set the overall quick time with a lap of 16.913 seconds, averaging 79.82 mph around the high-banked, 3/8-mile clay oval. Strickler was the only driver to run a lap in the 16-second bracket. Chris Abelson of Sioux City, Iowa, was second quick with a time of 17.068. Both drivers have locked themselves into Saturday night’s $20,000 to win, minimum $2,000 to start main event by virtue of their top-two qualifying efforts. Wednesday through Friday’s program will feature 15 qualifying heat races with a nightly feature, where the top eight finishers will automatically transfer into Saturday’s main event. On Saturday, the night will be highlighted by the 74-lap, Race For Hope 74 feature. [Read More]

Hobby Stock

Speedway Motors IMCA Weekly Racing National Point Standings through April 9, 2026

Karl Kustoms IMCA Modifieds – 1. William Gould, Calera, Okla., 510; 2. Jared Maupin, Helotes, Texas, 402; 3. Luke Silber, Laveen, Ariz., 399; 4. Jonathan Mawhinney, Las Vegas, Nev., 357; 5. Jason Barnhill, Milton, Florida, 324; 6. Kollin Hibdon, Pahrump, Nev., 314; 7. Chris Smith, Brewton, Alabama, 306; 8. Dylan Thornton, Belle Plaine, Iowa, 300; 9. Jake Pike, Pahrump, Nev., 298; 10. Steven Whiteaker, Robstown, Texas, 287; 11. Justin Erickson, Glendale, Ariz., 282; 12. Brandon Beckendorf, Danube, Minn., 280; 13. Dean Abbey, Boyd, Texas, 271; 14. Ethan Braaksma, Newton, Iowa, and Gage McCaughan, Scottsdale, Ariz., both 270; 16. Trevor Egbert, Belton, Texas, 267; 17. Troy III Morris, Waterloo, Iowa, 264; 18. Mark Carrell, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., 263; 19. G. W. IV Egbert, Belton, Texas, 262; 20. Chaz Baca, Jewell, Iowa, 260. Sunoco IMCA Stock Cars – 1. Cameron Starry, Robstown, Texas, 635; 2. Shelby Williams, Bonham, Texas, 561; 3. Blake Clark, Joshua, Texas, 529; 4. Curt Lund, Redwood Falls, Minn., 470; 5. Dillon Richards, Wymore, Neb., 403; 6. Mike Albertsen, Audubon, Iowa, 400; 7. [Read More]

Feature

STIMS Rebrands and Expands Points Fund for 2026 Campaign

By Ben Deatherage VINTON, Iowa (Apr. 10, 2026) — The Southern Touring IMCA Modified Series enters a new era in 2026, rebranded as STIMS and presented by On Demand Shirts, with a 16-race schedule, a boosted points fund, and every feature paying at least $1,000 to win. The series, formerly known as the South Texas IMCA Modified Series, continues to spotlight Karl Kustoms IMCA Modifieds and has already completed its first two races of the season at Texana Raceway Park in March, where strong car counts and a pair of different winners helped set the tone for the year ahead. Each race serves as a qualifier for the Fast Shafts All-Star Modified Invitational to be held during September’s Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. All races from March through September also award National, GRT Race Cars South Central Region, and Texas State points. James Cole now steps into the spotlight as series director after working behind the scenes last season, helping shape the direction of the tour as it continues to grow. “I love [Read More]

Feature

Chris Carroll: Second Lap of Racing for a Purpose Bigger Than Himself

By Ben Deatherage SPRING BRANCH, Texas (Apr. 9, 2026) — On Christmas Day 2020 in Cozumel, with the ocean still and the world quiet, Chris Carroll made a decision that didn’t make sense to anyone but him. He was done racing. Everything tied to it—cars, equipment, years of work—was going up for sale. Just like that. For three decades, racing had been the rhythm of his life. The noise, the grind, the long nights in the shop, the chase from one track to the next—it was all he knew. And now, in a single moment, he was ready to walk away from it. His wife, Melanie, didn’t understand it either — especially when she woke up to find everything had already been sold online. “Now we are going to have to buy it all back again,” she told him. But something in him said it was time. So he stepped away. And for a while, the silence held. No race nights. No engines firing. No next event on the calendar. Just the kind of quiet that [Read More]