beatricespeedway Archives

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]

Saturday night special again for Grabouski with IMCA Modified and Stock Car Spring Nationals wins

BEATRICE, Neb. (March 19, 2022) – Opening night of the 2022 Spring Nationals looked a lot like opening night of the 2021 special. Just like he did last March, Jordan Grabouski won both IMCA Sunoco Stock Car and IMCA Sunoco Modified features at hometown Beatrice Speedway Saturday night. The two sets of checkers upped his Spring Nationals career record total to 14, a dozen of them in a Modified and dating to 2008. “It was fun. It’s kind of crazy to think about,” said Grabouski, who motored to B & B Racing Chassis All-Star Invitational qualifying eligibility with the $2,000 Stock Car win before taking the $2,500 Modified victory. “Every year you ask, ‘How can I do it again?’ but we had some luck and it all played out. It was awesome.” Grabouski raced from ninth starting to battle Tyler Frye and take over the lead with five laps to go in the Stock Car headliner. Frye, the Saturday winner at Beatrice Octoberfest last fall, stayed right behind to the finish. Kyle Vanover, Scott Brown [Read More]

Spring Nationals postponed to Saturday, Sunday

BEATRICE, Neb. – Mother Nature had other ideas again and the 29th annual Spring Nationals at Beatrice Speedway will now be held Saturday and Sunday, March 19 and 20. Pit gates open at 4 p.m. and racing starts at 6 :30 p.m. Saturday. Gates open at 11 a.m. with racing at 1 p.m. on Sunday. IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks, IMCA Northern SportMods and Mach-1 Sport Compacts fill both Spring Nationals cards.

Beatrice hosts rescheduled IMCA Spring Nationals March 18-19

BEATRICE, Neb. (March 7, 2022) – Spring Nationals now bring five IMCA divisions to Beatrice Speedway on Friday and Saturday, March 18 and 19. Forecasts for inclement weather have forced track officials to postpone the 29th annual event. IMCA Modifieds race for $2,500 to win, a minimum of $250 to start and Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifying eligibility, while IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars run for $1,000 to win and a minimum of $100 to start on Friday, $2,000 to win and a minimum of $200 to start on Saturday, and B & B Racing Chassis All-Star Invitational qualifying eligibility both nights. IMCA Northern SportMods run for $1,000 to win and $100 to start, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks for $500 to win and $75 to start each night, and Mach-1 Sport Compacts for $200 to win each night. Modified drivers are guaranteed $100 a day in tow money. Entry fees, which can be mailed to the speedway at Box 753 in Beatrice, Neb., 68310, are $130 for both days or $80 for one day for Modifieds; $35 each [Read More]

Storybook night at Beatrice sees Frye win Octoberfest IMCA SportMod, Stock features

BEATRICE, Neb. (Oct. 15-16) – After making his first trip to victory lane at Beatrice Speedway, Tyler Frye described the Saturday Octoberfest show as a pretty remarkable night. After his second main event win, it became a storybook night. Frye borrowed a ride from Cody Williams and won the Karl Kustoms Northern SportMod feature, then wheeled his own IMCA Sunoco Stock Car to the checkers. He started fourth in the Northern SportMod main, worked the top side from the get-go and was in the lead for good when the second of 20 laps was scored. That victory, ahead of Kaylin Lopez and Adam Armstrong, was his first at Beatrice’s fall special since his 2015 national championship season. The Stock Car win came from the pole and in just his sixth start in that ride. “The car felt awesome. I knew from lap one that I had a good car,” Frye said. “I ran my line and hoped no one stuck their nose under or around me. It’s awesome to win in a car we bought [Read More]