maquoketaspeedway Archives

Ellithorpe Tops Tough Stock Car Field at Maquoketa

By Jerry Mackey MAQUOKETA, Iowa (May 30, 2026) — Maquoketa Speedway hosted racing Saturday night as drivers contended with a slick and challenging racing surface that offered multiple racing grooves throughout the evening. The Sunoco IMCA Stock Cars produced one of the night’s best races as Maquoketa native Jacob Ellithorpe scored his first hometown victory of the season. Ellithorpe started on the front row and found himself locked in a race-long duel with fifth-starting Gage Neal. The lead changed hands several times as the two accomplished drivers put on a show for the fans before Ellithorpe edged Neal by a narrow margin at the checkers. The victory was Ellithorpe’s third EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region win of 2026, his first at Maquoketa Speedway this season, and came one night after winning at Davenport Speedway. Neal finished second ahead of Casey Shelliam. Kodey Miles advanced from 10th to fourth while Joe Bonney rounded out the top five. The feature was red-flagged early following a hard rollover involving Mitch Current. Fortunately, Current was not injured. Jewell Breaks Through [Read More]

Birkhofer Scores Birthday Victory at Maquoketa

By Jerry Mackey MAQUOKETA, Iowa (May 16, 2026) — The Sunoco IMCA Late Models saw a strong field of 19 drivers take the green for their main event Saturday night at Maquoketa Speedway. Muscatine’s Cruz Birkhofer celebrated his 24th birthday in style by scoring a hard-fought feature victory. Starting second, Birkhofer raced the topside of the smooth racing surface to perfection while holding off a hard-charging Ron Klein at the checkers. Klein, from Dubuque, advanced from seventh to finish second, while Davenport’s Matt Ryan charged from 10th to third. Mitch Morris and Dustin Smith rounded out the top five. The victory was Birkhofer’s second win of the season after also scoring a triumph the previous night at Davenport Speedway. The Karl Kustoms IMCA Northern SportMods put on an exhibition of slide jobs Saturday night as fans witnessed one of dirt racing’s most exciting moves lap after lap. Multiple drivers traded the lead throughout the feature before Maquoketa’s Jarrett Franzen made the winning move entering turn two on the white flag lap. Franzen then held off a [Read More]

Diercks Holds Off Larson for Maquoketa Modified Victory

By Jerry Mackey MAQUOKETA, Iowa (May 2, 2026) — The Karl Kustoms IMCA Modifieds at Maquoketa Speedway Saturday night saw Davenport’s Spencer Diercks take off from his front row starting spot and sail on to pick up his first win at Maquoketa Speedway this season and his second of 2026 in the Razor Chassis North Central Region. Diercks held his line and fended off a hard-charging Jeff “Bone” Larson for the victory. Larson, who started tenth, slipped slightly on the white flag lap, allowing Diercks to cross the line more than a car length ahead. Shane Paris finished third, followed by Charlie Mohr and Matt Werner. The Sunoco IMCA Stock Cars turned into a family affair as the Miles family claimed three of the top four spots. Kodey Miles of Bernard scored his first Maquoketa Speedway victory and his first win of the season in the EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region by topping a very strong field. Pressley Harrington of Oshkosh, Wisconsin charged from tenth to finish second, while Jordan Miles and Jerry Miles completed the [Read More]

Neal Returns from Retirement to Win Maquoketa Stock Car Thriller

By Jerry Mackey MAQUOKETA, Iowa (Apr. 25, 2026) — The 2026 racing season got underway Saturday night in grand style at the quick quarter-mile dirt track located on the Jackson County Fairgrounds at Maquoketa Speedway, and the Sunoco IMCA Stock Cars delivered a classic feature as drivers raced three- and four-wide throughout the entire main event. Terry Neal came out of retirement to race one of Colton and Danielle Dirks’ Stock Cars, and the elder Neal showed he still has the ability to wheel a race car in fine fashion. Neal fought off constant challenges from Oshkosh, Wisconsin’s Pressley Harrington to score the win by less than a car length, his first of the year in the EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region. David Brandies ran up front the entire race before settling for third ahead of Neal’s son, Gage Neal. Casey Shelliam was fifth after starting 12th. The Karl Kustoms IMCA Modified feature saw past Maquoketa and national champion Bone Larson wheel the P.J. Kostenbader-owned No. B1 to the win on opening night. Larson was fortunate [Read More]

Dockter and Chipp Deliver Last-Lap Thrillers in Maquoketa Modifieds

By Jerry Mackey MAQUOKETA, Iowa (Sept. 20, 2025) — The racing was second to none as two nights of action at Maquoketa Speedway provided thrilling finishes and plenty of wheel-to-wheel battles during the All-Star Classic weekend. The Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds contested 20-lap feature events both nights, and both mains went caution-free, flag-to-flag. Friday night’s main event came down to the white flag as Norwich, N.D., driver Zach Dockter pulled off a dramatic last-lap pass on race leader Troy Cordes, slipping by as the two exited turn four to the checkers. Saturday’s finale was equally exciting as Brennen Chipp used a crossover move in the last set of turns to fend off a slider from Drew Janssen and secure the victory. Stock Cars Split Dramatic Maquoketa Weekend The Sunoco IMCA Stock Cars also ran 20-lap features each night, with loaded fields showcasing some of the Midwest’s best. On Friday, Maquoketa Speedway regular Andrew Burk of Milan, Ill., earned the win by less than a car length over John Oliver Jr. Oliver came back even stronger on [Read More]

Maquoketa Speedway Set To Host “All Star Classic” Sept. 19-20

By Jerry Mackey MAQUOKETA, Iowa (Sept. 16, 2025) — The quick ¼-mile dirt track located on the Jackson County Fairgrounds in Maquoketa is set to host the first of two major fall races. The Maquoketa Speedway will present the “All Star Classic,” promoted by Darkside Promotions, this Friday and Saturday, Sept. 19–20. Friday, Sept. 19, and Saturday, Sept. 20, will both feature complete programs with the Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds, Karl Chevrolet IMCA Northern SportMods, Sunoco IMCA Stock Cars, Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stocks, and the Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compacts. Hot laps are scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Friday and 5:30 p.m. Saturday. The final race of the season at Maquoketa Speedway will be held Oct. 16–18, when Darkside Promotions hosts the annual Iowa Dirt Nationals. Camping is available on the Jackson County Fairgrounds, and reservations can be made by contacting Darkside Promotions. For those unable to attend in person, all the action will be broadcast on IMCA TV affiliate Done Right TV.

Sheldon Oberle: Hoosier on the Hunt for a Super Nationals Win

By Ben Deatherage BATTLE GROUND, Ind. (Aug. 15, 2025) — At just 26 years old, Sheldon Oberle already holds a distinction no one else from his state can claim — the only Indiana native to win a Sunoco IMCA Stock Car feature. That milestone came June 14 at Maquoketa Speedway, a night that felt like the payoff for years of work. “That was a long time coming,” Oberle said. “The competition is so hard, and to win it coming from seventh—it gave me the confidence I needed that I don’t suck,” he laughed. Oberle’s connection to the sport started long before he was born. “My grandpa, Billy Neal, was the first to race in the family, but he ran asphalt,” Oberle said. “My mom grew up going to the track, and my dad was always around cars. That’s how they got together.” Even as a kid, speed was part of his everyday life. “I’ve been driving before I was adding and subtracting. I was four years old in a go-kart my dad got me, and we’d [Read More]

Doubleheader Weekend Set for Maquoketa Speedway August 15–16

By Ben Deatherage MAQUOKETA, Iowa (Aug. 12, 2025) — Maquoketa Speedway will be rocking with two full nights of racing action on Friday and Saturday, August 15–16, featuring the Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds, Sunoco IMCA Stock Cars, and Karl Chevrolet IMCA Northern SportMods. Both nights will be run under the draw/redraw format and will award Speedway Motors IMCA Weekly Racing National, Razor Chassis Northern Central Regional, and Iowa State points. The Modified and Stock Car features will be Fast Shafts All-Star Modified Invitational and B&B Racing Chassis All-Star Stock Car Invitational qualifying events. Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds and Sunoco IMCA Stock Cars will race for $1,000 to win on Friday and $1,500 to win on Saturday. Karl Chevrolet IMCA Northern SportMods will chase $750 top prizes each night. Friday night’s schedule also includes Hoker’s Haul for Toys for Tots from 4 to 5:30 p.m., where fans can drop off new, unwrapped toys near the grandstand entrance. On Saturday, the toy drive continues from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the same location. After the races on [Read More]

Ryan Rules Late Models at Maquoketa

By Jerry Mackey MAQUOKETA, Iowa (Aug. 9, 2025) — Infrequent visitor Matt Ryan dominated the 25-lap Season Championship feature at Maquoketa Speedway for the Sunoco IMCA Late Models. Starting inside the second row, Ryan quickly powered to the front and led the remainder of the race, taking the win ahead of seventh-starting Logan Veloz. The points battle came into the night with Jake Morris holding a slim two-point lead over Steve Johnson. When the checkers waved, Morris finished one spot behind Johnson — enough to claim the IMCA Late Model track championship by a single point. Ryan’s victory was his third of the season, each coming at a different track. Diercks Delivers in Modifieds The Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds Season race came down to a head-to-head battle between Spencer Diercks and Charlie Mohr. Both drivers ran the high side with precision, but a slight bobble by Mohr opened the door for Diercks to take the lead and drive away to victory. Mohr held second ahead of Justin Veloz. Despite a sixth-place finish, Jaden Fryer had built [Read More]

Nigh Notches First 2025 Late Model Win in Wild Maquoketa Finish

By Jerry Mackey MAQUOKETA, Iowa (Aug. 2, 2025) — The Sunoco IMCA Late Models at Maquoketa Speedway saw front row starter Doug Nigh and 10th-starting Evan Miller swap the lead several times throughout the 25-lap feature. As the laps wound down with the two still battling for the top spot, a late race caution set up a three-lap dash to the finish. The lead pack behind Nigh was scrambled, and Logan Veloz made a last-minute charge to finish right on the heels of Nigh. Nigh scored his first win of the season, while Miller held on for third ahead of Bryce Garnhart. Schueller Goes Flag-to-Flag for First Maquoketa Modified Victory The Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds saw a strong field of 18 drivers take the green flag for their 20-lap feature. Jason Schueller took the green from the pole and led the main event flag-to-flag. Schueller’s win was far from easy as he was pressured early by fellow front row starter Brandon Jewell, and late in the race, Shane Paris closed the gap and settled for second [Read More]