gallatinspeedway Archives

IMCA MODtana Madness win is top payday of career for Clemens

BELGRADE, Mont. (June 29, 2024) – A career-best payday awaited Ty Clemens at the conclusion of Gallatin Speedway’s 55-lap MODtana Madness main event. Clemens collected $5,000 plus qualifying eligibility for the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational along with the Friesen Performance IMCA Modified checkers Saturday at his hometown track. “We worked really hard for this last year and again this year. When you win, it makes everything worth it,” said Clemens, the 2023 race runner-up. “It feels super good to win against a stout field, especially when the money is good and the grandstands are full.” Braxton Yeager, 16th starting Jeremy Meirhofer, Trayke Metz and 14th starting Michael Hale completed the top five. Clemens had run first and third in his heat races, then fourth in the pole dash on Friday. He ran in the top three up to the mandatory fuel stop 17 laps into Saturday’s main event, then took over at the front as the track took rubber. “I focused on staying smooth and saving my right rear tire,” said Clemens, who wanted to have plenty [Read More]

Alvarado’s racing vacation starts with IMCA Modtana Madness win

BELGRADE, Mont. (July 1, 2023) – Ricky Alvarado started his 2023 Friesen Performance IMCA Modified racing vacation with the $5,000 checkers at Gallatin Speedway’s inaugural Modtana Madness special. The veteran from Colorado won both his heat races and the pole dash Friday night at Belgrade, then led all 55 laps of Saturday’s main event. “It has been a while since I ran that many laps and it has been maybe 10 years since I won $5,000 so it was pretty exciting to pull that off,” Alvarado said. “I had never raced at Gallatin before and the facility is beautiful. The weather was about as perfect as you could ask for and it was neat to race in front of such a big crowd.” Already Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifying eligible, Alvarado won ahead of home state drivers Ty Clemens, Davon Jadwin and Jordan Tocci. Wyoming’s Braxton Yeager completed the top five as Modtana Madness presented by NAPA Auto Parts drew 51 IMCA entries. “We had a break on lap 25 for fuel. At the start the track was tacky [Read More]

IMCA Modifieds race for $5,000 at Gallatin’s Modtana Madness special

BELGRADE, Mont. (June 15, 2023) – Big money is at stake for Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds in Big Sky Country. Gallatin Speedway’s first annual Modtana Madness presented by NAPA Auto Parts is slated Friday, June 30-Saturday, July 1 and boasts a $5,000 top prize. While the winner gets the biggest check and becomes eligible to qualify for the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational, the runner-up takes home $3,000 and third place pays $2,000. Drivers finishing in the top 10 bank at least $1,000 and making the main event pays $400. Entry fee is $100, pit passes are $35 and IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National, Shaw Race Cars Western Region, Montana State and track points will be awarded. Pit gates open at 4 p.m. and the grandstand opens at 5 p.m. both days with hot laps at 6:30 p.m. and racing at 7 p.m. Spectator admission is $20 for adults and free for kids ages 12 and under. More information is available from promoter Dave Weisz at 406 388-9666 and on Facebook. NAPA Auto Parts stores teaming up [Read More]

Feature

Jake Smith Holds On to Earn SportMod Glory at Winter Nationals

By Ben Deatherage (Photo Courtesy of Pixel Boss Productions) Casa Grande, Arizona (January 11, 2025)—A packed crowd at Central Arizona Speedway was thrilled by an incredible Friesen Performance IMCA SportMod feature where Jake Smith fended off fierce competitors to claim victory during the fourth round of the 2025 IMCA TV Winter Nationals presented by Pitt Stop Motorsports. This win marked Smith’s first triumph during the Winter Nationals, and he faced a challenging path to victory lane. The twenty-lap finale began with North Dakota’s Gabe Deschamp surging to the front from the initial start. Deschamp set a steady pace, but as the race continued, the top three competitors began to cluster together around the midway point. Smith and Taylor Kuehl were the two contenders trying to catch the leader. On lap fourteen, the man from St. Joseph, Minnesota, Smith, executed a brilliant double overtake, diving under Kuehl and Deschamp to take control of the top position. Kuehl managed to pass Deschamp and entered second place, putting pressure on Smith from the high [Read More]

Feature

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]

Feature

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]