beatricespeedway Archives

Joey Hergott Memorial starts IMCA weekly point season at Beatrice

BEATRICE, Neb. (April 12, 2024) – Beatrice Speedway remembers a long-time race fan and racing supporter on opening night Friday, April 26. The inaugural Joey Hergott Memorial sees Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods in the spotlight, running for $2,024 to win and a minimum of $200 to start. Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds run for $1,224 to win, $100 to start and Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifying eligibility, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars run for $1,024 to win, $124 to start and B & B Racing Chassis All-Star qualifying eligibility. Rounding out the race card are IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks in a $524 to win feature, Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compacts in a $175 to win main event and Stealth Racing IMCA STARS Mod Lites. Purses will be increased as additional donations are received. A new Hoosier racing tire will be awarded to both hard charger and a mystery position finisher in Modified, Stock Car and Northern SportMod features, a new Primewell tire to the hard charger and mystery position finisher in the Hobby Stock main. Zeitner & [Read More]

Grabouski, Ward near IMCA Modified milestones, Ware sweeps Spring Nationals Stock Car features

BEATRICE, Neb. (March 22-23, 2024) – Jordan Grabouski and Tim Ward each took another step toward Friesen Performance IMCA Modified milestones with Spring Nationals feature wins. Jeff Ware, meanwhile, got the Beatrice Speedway monkey off his back with Friday and Saturday night victories at the 31st annual special. Grabouski’s 290th IMCA Modified win on opening night at his hometown track doubled as his Spring Nationals career 14th in the class dating to 2011. Ward’s Saturday checkers were his career 95th, his last win at Beatrice having come in IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing action in 2013. Both features paid $2,500 and both winners were already Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifying eligible. Grabouski had taken advantage of the extra week after Spring Nationals was postponed to build a new car. He used lapped traffic and then a restart to his advantage in taking the lead with 10 laps to go on Friday and winning ahead of Ward and Troy Cordes. “That car was a bare frame on Monday. Friday was the first time that car saw dirt,” said Grabouski, [Read More]

Beatrice Speedway postpones Spring Nationals to March 22, 23

BEATRICE, Neb. (March 13, 2024) – A recent snowfall measured at 3-1/2 inches cost Beatrice Speedway invaluable track prep time, and the result is postponement of the season-opening Spring Nationals. The 31st annual special at Beatrice has been rescheduled for Friday and Saturday, March 22 and 23 and track officials believe the extra week will provide the time they need to have the racing surface ready for competitors in five IMCA divisions. The practice session open to Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks, Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods and Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compacts runs from 7-9:30 p.m. Thursday, March 21. Modifieds race for $2,500 to win and Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifying eligibility each night while Stock Cars run for $1,000 to win on Friday, $2,000 to win Saturday and B & B Racing Chassis All-Star Invitational qualifying eligibility both nights. Northern SportMods run for $1,000 to win, Hobby Stocks for $500 to win and Sport Compacts for $200 to win each night. IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National and [Read More]

Beatrice Speedway rolling out red carpet for five IMCA divisions at 31st Spring Nationals

BEATRICE, Neb. (March 5, 2024) – The green flag flies for another of IMCA’s longest running specials when Beatrice Speedway hosts the 31st annual Spring Nationals on Friday and Saturday, March 15 and 16. Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds race for $2,500 to win, a minimum of $250 to start and Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifying eligibility each night of the traditional season opener for drivers from across much of the Central United States and points beyond. IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars run for $1,000 to win on Friday, $2,000 to win Saturday and B & B Racing Chassis All-Star Invitational qualifying eligibility both nights. Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods run for $1,000 to win, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks for $500 to win and Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compacts for $200 to win each night. Drivers in all five divisions can go to www.beatricespeedway.com to pre-register. IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National and Nebraska State points will be awarded in all divisions, along with Jet Racing Central Region points for the Modifieds, EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region points for Stock Cars [Read More]

Beatrice reschedules 30^th annual Spring Nationals

BEATRICE, Neb. (Feb. 28, 2023) – Track officials at Beatrice Speedway looked at the extended weather forecast, understandably didn’t like anything about it and have announced the 30th annual Spring Nationals will be postponed a week to Friday and Saturday, March 17 and 18. Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds are the headline division for the milestone event, racing for $2,500 to win, a minimum of $250 to start and Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifying eligibility each night. IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks and Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compacts also race both nights. Drivers in all divisions can pre-register at beatricespeedway.com and on MyRacePass. An open practice session runs from 7-9:30 p.m. Thursday, March 16. Pit gates open at 2 p.m. and racing starts at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. Gates open at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday and racing starts at 4 p.m. Patchy rain on Friday and potentially heavy snow on Saturday, along with high temperatures in the low to mid 30’s are in the forecast for original Spring Nationals race dates March 10 and [Read More]

Beatrice has new promoter, four IMCA RaceSaver dates

BEATRICE, Neb. (Feb. 8, 2023) – New promoter Tommy Denton is already a long-time fixture at Beatrice Speedway. Denton takes over the top job at the 3/8-mile eastern Nebraska clay oval, where Friday night Speedway Motors Weekly Racing programs expand to six divisions. “We’re going to work on increasing grandstand attendance and car counts and will try to do some different things to accomplish that,” promised Denton, who’d raced bronco and factory stocks before joining the staff at Beatrice, doing the announcing before moving on to corner man and lineup board chores. “The first thing I did after I moved back here in 1980 was go to the race track. I want this track to be successful.” Bookended by Spring Nationals and Octoberfest specials, weekly races at Beatrice May 5 through Aug. 25 will again feature Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks, Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods and Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compacts. Beatrice will also crown its first-ever IMCA RaceSaver track champion, with Sprint Car dates scheduled May 12, [Read More]

Denton tabbed as DC, promoter at Beatrice Speedway

BEATRICE, Neb. (Dec. 21, 2022) – The Gage County Ag Society has named Tommy Denton as the Director of Competition and Promoter for the Beatrice Speedway 2023 season, starting Jan. 1, 2023. Tommy brings with him a long history and depth of experience and knowledge of the Beatrice Speedway and racing community. After moving from Denver to Nebraska in the early 1980s, Tommy started racing at Beatrice Speedway, and in his words “has been at the track every Friday or Saturday night since.” He was later hired as an announcer for the track and in the early 2000’s took on flagging in turns two and three, and then moved to being the infield pit announcer. In addition to his other roles, Tommy has served as the Director of the Beatrice Speedway Hall of Fame since 2011, where he has worked to preserve the history of the track and its racers. He is well connected not only at the Beatrice Speedway, but also at other local tracks including Jefferson County Speedway, where he has been a [Read More]

Grabouski and Jaxon Saathoff are IMCA Modified winners at Octoberfest

BEATRICE, Neb. (Oct. 21-22, 2022) – Jordan Grabouski added to his Octoberfest hardware collection on opening night, while Jaxon Saathoff started his on night two of Beatrice Speedway’s traditional season-ending special. Grabouski topped Friday’s Friesen Performance IMCA Modified main event and earned $1,000 for his career 11th Octoberfest victory since 2012. Saathoff checked out on everybody in winning the Saturday feature and $2,000. Grabouski started the opening night 25-lapper from ninth and caught Trey Duensing for the lead with three circuits left. His career seventh Modified win at Beatrice’s fall show is complemented by another four Stock Car triumphs. “We have had a lot of success here,” said the now five-time national and eight-time Modified track champion. “I was able to get around Trey after a restart and were able to pull away once we got in front. This might have been our last race of the year and if so, it was a good way to end the season.” Duensing, Saathoff’s father Johnny – another multi-time national and Beatrice champion and Octoberfest winner – Anthony [Read More]

McBirnie rules Nebraska’s Dirt Crown in first IMCA Modified outing at Beatrice

BEATRICE, Neb. (March 26, 2022) – Jake McBirnie was the winner the first night he brought an IMCA Modified to Beatrice Speedway while Benji Legg was the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car winner on a night he hadn’t even planned to race. McBirnie topped the Saturday Nebraska’s Dirt Crown Spring Tour main event for the Modifieds, earning $2,500 and Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifying eligibility for his start-to-finish run at the front of the 25-lapper. Legg’s $2,000 checkers made him eligible to qualify for the B & B Racing Chassis All-Star Invitational. His career third win in the class also came in his first start since rolling on night two of Beatrice’s Spring Nationals. Making his first start of 2022, McBirnie drew the inside row two start, moved to the pole when Clay Money couldn’t answer the call and promptly led the distance, outrunning 12-time and defending track champion Johnny Saathoff to the finish line in his first start of the season. “We had a pretty good car. It was a pretty fun night,” McBirnie said. [Read More]

James’ patience rewarded with first Spring Nationals IMCA Modified win

BEATRICE, Neb. (March 20, 2022) – Fifteen years and 21 laps of patience paid off for Jeff James. James finally chased down Tim Watts, then led the last four times around the track for the much anticipated Spring Nationals IMCA Modified feature win Sunday at Beatrice Speedway. “I followed him and I followed him and I followed him, and I was finally able to sneak up underneath him,” said James, $2,500 richer and newly eligible to qualify for the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational. “We’ve been coming to Beatrice for the better part of 15 years and have never won one before. We’ve been trying and doing a lot of different things for a lot of years. It’s a relief to finally win one.” James had started outside Watts on the front row. Jacob Hobscheidt, Todd Shute and Johnny Saathoff, a seven-time Spring Nationals winner, completed the top five. James’ victory came in his sixth start in a second-hand 2020 Rage by Precision Performance. He’d posted second- and third-place finishes in the same ride last fall [Read More]