centralarizonaraceway Archives

Thompson Outduels Richards to Win Night Three of Winter Nationals

By Ben Deatherage (Photo Courtesy of Pixel Boss Productions) Casa Grande, Arizona (January 10, 2025)—The third event of the 2025 IMCA TV Winter Nationals, presented by Pitt Stop Motorsports, had an exciting race in the Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stocks, showcasing once again the “Dillon & Dillon Show.” In the end, Dillon Thompson emerged victorious in a nail-biting finish. The twenty-lap race began with Thompson leading, closely followed by Dillon Richards in second place. The non-stop feature saw the top two drivers pull away from the rest of the field, racing around the track bumper-to-bumper at time. As the race approached its final five laps, lapped traffic became a critical factor. Tension escalated when Richards pulled out of line and dove under Thompson as they approached the white flag. The two drivers found themselves neck and neck, racing three-wide with a lapped car in the mix as they crossed the finish line, only to have one more lap to battle it out. Thompson gave it his all on the final lap to maintain his lead and [Read More]

Heinrich Captures Stock Car Winter Nationals Glory with Last Lap Pass

By Ben Deatherage (Photo Courtesy of Pixel Boss Productions) Casa Grande, Arizona (January 9, 2025) — Todd Heinrich brought the Central Arizona Raceway crowd to its feet by winning the race to the finish line in the Sunoco IMCA Stock Car feature during the second night of the IMCA TV Winter Nationals presented by Pitt Stop Motorsports. The veteran driver from Fargo, North Dakota, who started in third position, earned his first career Winter Nationals feature victory. The 25-lap contest kicked off with Heinrich outpacing Gary Pesicka to lead the initial lap. From there, the two drivers engaged in a thrilling cat-and-mouse battle on the 3/8-mile clay oval. Pesicka’s patience paid off when he finally passed Heinrich on the eleventh lap. However, Heinrich refused to let him pull away and regained the lead with ten laps remaining. Not to be outdone, Pesicka reclaimed the lead once again on lap seventeen. The climactic moment came when Heinrich powered up beside Pesicka, with the two drag racing down the back stretch on the final lap. The outcome [Read More]

Entries already top 200 for IMCA Winter Nationals

CASA GRANDE, Ariz. (Dec. 17, 2024) – As the online promotions state, Winter Is Coming and Central Arizona Raceway is the place for IMCA drivers in six divisions to be in January. The Casa Grande oval hosts the fifth annual Winter Nationals, sponsored by Pitt Stop Motorsports and broadcast by IMCA.TV, Jan. 8-11 and 15-18. “We have well over 200 entries, from 20-plus states and three Canadian provinces, already and I expect the total car count to be somewhere in the neighborhood of 250 to 260,” said promoter Brad Whitfield. “This will be the first Winter Nationals held at Casa Grande, we’ve made a lot of improvements here and we’re looking forward to see the fruits of our labor flourish.” Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars run for $1,000 to win and Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational or B & B Racing Chassis All-Star Invitational qualifying berths each night while Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods run for $1,000 to win and IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks for $500 top checks. Winter Nationals champions in those divisions receive fire [Read More]

Hibdon dominates finale for IMCA Modifieds at Showdown

By Ben Deatherage CASA GRANDE, Ariz. (Nov. 24, 2024) – In a year chock full of notable wins, Kollin Hibdon decided to add another marquee event to that list. The Pahrump, Nev., transplant, now calling Fargo, N.D., his residence, led the entire $3,000 to win finale for the Friesen Performance IMCA Modified finale at Central Arizona Raceway’s Showdown presented by Toste Construction. Unlike the previous two nights, several restarts played a pivotal role in the race. They proved to be a relief for the leader as he could catch his breath during the cautions. On one occasion, Hibdon faced heavy congestion from lapped traffic when he approached the tail end of the lead lap field around the halfway mark, but the caution came out before he risked any chance of giving up any of his already established advantage to the next car in line. Two-time defending national champion Chaz Baca held onto second while North Dakota veteran Shawn Strand crossed the line in third. The IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods, IMCA [Read More]

Hibdon hustles, Czarneski triumphs on Showdown night two

By Ben Deatherage CASA GRANDE, Arizona (Nov 23, 2024) – In a thrilling bout of action on night two of The Showdown, presented by Toste Construction, Kollin Hibdon made a decisive late-race move to win the Friesen Performance IMCA Modified main event after starting sixth in the stoppage-free 25-lap feature at Central Arizona Raceway. Bryson Yeager held the marshal’s baton when the race began after grabbing the lead in the early going. Trying to pull away from the rest of the competition, he receive immense pressure from Robby Sawyer around the halfway point. Sawyer was as the young man from the Cowboy State of Wyoming held on to the top spot in a nail-biting battle. While the two drivers in the front waltzed on the top side of the track, Hibdon began to gain on both drivers via the inside portion of the racing surface. The Pahrump, Nev., native and Fargo, N.D., transplant powered his way to the point on lap 18 and effectively negotiated slower traffic to earn the victory. Yeager held on to [Read More]

Baca visits victory lane twice during Showdown opener

By Ben Deatherage CASA GRANDE, Ariz. (Nov. 22, 2024) – Chaz Baca, reigning national champion of the Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds and the Shaw Race Cars Western Region, showcased his dominance at Central Arizona Raceway to score a big win on the first night of The Showdown presented by Toste Construction. The Mesa maestro obtained the lead just before the midway point of the 25-lap feature at Casa Grande. Montana standout Joey Price paced the field early. He would receive a strong challenge from Baca around lap six but kept him at bay. The two-time national champion would pressure again and get the necessary run-off of turn four on lap nine to become the new pacesetter. From there, Baca handled the rest of the distance without issue despite some congested lapped traffic. North Dakota traveler Shawn Strand ended the race second with Price in third. IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks and Stealth Racing IMCA STARS Mod Lites were also on hand. Baca, Taylor Kuehl, Zack Tate and [Read More]

Baca reigns supreme at Central Arizona

By Ben Deatherage CASA GRANDE, Ariz. (Sept. 21, 2024) – In sheer dominance, defending Friesen Performance IMCA Modified national champion Chaz Baca put together a fantastic drive Saturday at Central Arizona Raceway. He seized the race lead from the very start of the feature and built a nearly six second advantage over the second-place finisher, securing his 26th open-wheeled victory of the season. Marvin Mueller and Bill Miller were second and third, respectively. Five other Speedway Motors IMCA Weekly Racing divisions attended the Pinal County Fairgrounds 3/8-mile clay oval. They included the IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks, Stealth Racing IMCA STARS Mod Lites and Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compacts. Winners were Bo Partain, Eric Winemiller, Nathan DeRagon, A.J. Whisler and Steve Carter. Partain made the high side work in his favor in the Stock Car main as he grabbed the torch and ran away from the rest of the field. Frustratingly, he did have to deal with three stoppages, which didn’t allow him to get too far ahead, [Read More]

Morris finds setup solution, Beeter and Parker both end IMCA Early Thaw with first feature wins

CASA GRANDE, Ariz. (Jan. 27, 2024) – Just in time, Troy Morris III found the setup that took him to the winner’s circle at Central Arizona Raceway. The Californian had broken before completing a lap on opening night of the Ernie Mincy Early Thaw, then ran 10th in the next three Friesen Performance IMCA Modified features at CAR. Then the lightbulb came on and Morris was fourth in the Friday night show. Saving the best for last, he won the 25-lap finale … from 12th starting … and $1,250 on Saturday. “We have always struggled at Casa Grande because of the banking. It took us until the last two nights to figure out how to get the car to turn the way we wanted it to,” Morris said. “We finally found a base setup we could use before the heats on Friday.” He started on the outside row and followed the high line to the front the next night. “Starting that far back, I didn’t think I had anything to lose by trying it and literally drove [Read More]

IMCA 115th for Alvarado, firsts for Johnson and Schrader

CASA GRANDE, Ariz. (Jan. 26, 2024) – Ricky Alvarado raced to his 115th IMCA feature win on the same night Tyler Johnson raced to his IMCA first. Popular visitor Ken Schrader had the Central Arizona Raceway crowd on its feet as well on Friday, night five of the Ernie Mincy Early Thaw. Alvarado, from Hotchkiss, Colo., led every lap in topping the caution-free Friesen Performance IMCA Modified main, earning $1,000 and Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifying eligibility while the 14-year-old rookie Johnson led the distance in the $750 to win feature for Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods. Schrader’s first IMCA Sunoco Stock Car checkers were good for $750 and made him eligible to qualify for the B & B Racing Chassis All-Star Invitational. “We raced here 11 years ago – it’s been a long time – and I ran second and third that weekend in one of Tommy Fain’s Modifieds,” recalled Alvarado, who pitted next to his Stock Car driving friend from Abilene, Texas, at Casa Grande. “This has been a good start to the year [Read More]

Stoked for sure, Woodie celebrates first win at Ernie Mincy Early Thaw

CASA GRANDE, Ariz. (Jan. 25, 2024) – There was no shortage of adjectives following Kaden Woodie’s career-first Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod feature win Thursday at Central Arizona Raceway. The long tow from Milaca, Minn., topped the final feature of the Ernie Mincy Early Thaw show, ahead of Cam Reimers and Clay Erickson. “It was awesome. It was exhilarating for sure,” said Woodie, who made the trip from north of the Twin Cities with his dad Paul and crewman Shawn Hess. “My team and I have been putting in the work. I was stoked, for sure.” He led all 20 circuits from the pole, building an advantage of 5-1/2 seconds and catching up with the back of the field before a lap 14 caution. Two more cautions came out before the race ended green, white, checkered. “It was definitely run being out front and lead. I’d checked out before the first caution,” said Woodie, twice a runner-up during the season-opening IMCA.TV Winter Nationals at Cocopah Speedway. “I could hear Cam behind me after the last [Read More]