MohaveValleyRaceway Archives

Morris, Hogge, haul to first wins of season at Mohave Valley IMCA Meyer Showdown

BULLHEAD CITY, Ariz. (Feb. 17-18, 2023) – Two of the California drivers who made long tows to Mohave Valley Raceway loaded up with early-season, shot-in-the-arm type Friesen Performance IMCA Modified wins at the end of the Bill and Shirley Meyer Showdown weekend. Bakersfield’s Troy Morris III won the Friday feature and $1,000 while Salinas veteran Bobby Hogge collected Saturday’s $1,500 checkers. Their wins were the first of the season for both drivers and came in Morris’ 11th start and Hogge’s sixth outing of 2023. Morris had made a single prior visit to Bullhead City, finishing second on a weekly show last spring. Wheeling the Victory ride his father drove in 2022, he got the best of Cody Laney in the battle for second, then reeled in leader Timothy Allerdings. “I was able to set the pace from there and won by three and a half seconds,” said Morris, who took the checkers running in lapped traffic. “It was definitely rewarding to be able to go down there and win. It reassured me that I was still [Read More]

IMCA Modified sweep for Dotson at Mohave Valley’s Showdown special

BULLHEAD CITY, Ariz. (Feb. 4-5) – Ethan Dotson won the IMCA Modified feature at $1,250 on opening night of Mohave Valley Raceway’s Bill & Shirley Meyer Showdown. He doubled that payout and swept the weekend with the Saturday night checkers at Bullhead City. Dotson saw his early season success continue in his first-ever visit to Mohave Valley, winning from the ninth starting spot on Friday and taking the $2,500 win from the fifth spot on night two. “This track is pretty different than anywhere I’ve run before,” Dotson said following wins number six and seven on the young season. “We had a pretty good cart both nights. The weekend was not bad at all.” Already eligible to qualify for the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational, Dotson used a late restart to his advantage in winning the Friday feature. He started fourth after the caution waved with six laps left, then motored to the front with four laps to go and crossed the stripe ahead of Dalton Houghton and Kelsie Foley. Dotson needed 10 laps to get [Read More]

Happy start to New Year for Laney with IMCA Modified Bash at the Track victory

By Ben Deatherage BULLHEAD CITY, Ariz. (Jan. 1) – Saturday rang in the new year and Mohave Valley Raceway’s New Year’s Bash at the Track was celebrated as the first event of the 2022 IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing season. Cody Laney was the $2,022 IMCA Modified winner and Larry Brigner collected $1,000 for the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car checkers. Ryan Peery scored the $750 Karl Kustoms Northern SportMod victory while Ken McWilliams banked $500 for taking the Mach-1 Sport Compact win. Already Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifying eligible, Laney had the field covered and had no issues with restarts in the Modified main. The Torrance, Calif., chauffeur was #StephanieStrong after heartbreaking mechanical problems took him out of action in the final moments in the Friday program. Apache Junction driver Brigner jetted to the point of the 20-lap Stock Car main event. However, Trevor Hidalgo, managed to get around him on the second circuit. Night one winner Chris McCurdy Jr. obtained the top place position around the halfway mark. His tenure as the pacesetter lasted [Read More]

Bash at the Track special starts 2022 season at Mohave Valley

MOHAVE VALLEY, Ariz. – IMCA drivers in four divisions will end 2021 and start the 2022 race season at Mohave Valley Raceway. IMCA Modifieds run for $1,000 to win their Friday, Dec. 31 qualifying feature and for $2,200 to win their Saturday, Jan. 1 New Year’s Bash at the Track main event. IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars run for $1,000 to win, Karl Kustoms Northern SportMods for $750 to win and Mach-1 Sport Compacts for $500 to win both nights. Saturday’s Modified winner earns Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifying eligibility while the evening’s Stock Car winner becomes eligible to qualify for the B & B Racing Chassis All-Star Invitational. IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National, regional, KMJ Performance State and track points will be awarded for the Saturday show. There is no entry fee; car and driver is $45 and pit passes are $35. Spectator admission is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and military, $6 for kids ages 6-11 and free for ages five and under. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. and racing starts at [Read More]

Pike, Whisler shine at Mohave Valley

BULLHEAD CITY, Ariz. (May 22) – Jake Pike and A.J. Whisler raced their way to victory lane at Mohave Valley Raceway Saturday night. In the IMCA Modified main event, Sean Stewart put his mount in front of the pack before an early caution. On the restart, Stewart’s heavy pressure came from Pike, who was fast on the restart but could not get around Stewart for the lead. However, that would change when the second yellow flag flew several laps later. Stewart still paced the field when things returned to green but Pike rearranged his game plan and motored his way around Sean Stewart via the high side. Once in the lead, Pike cruised right along and a long green flag presented lapped traffic but had no effect on the quickness of the pacesetter. Pike was the first to the line when the checkered flag waved, earning his third win of 2021 and first since conquering the field at California’s Perris Auto Speedway on May 15. Carson Russell placed second while third went to Frank Russell Jr. Stewart [Read More]

Raucci victorious at Mohave Valley Raceway

By Stephanie Deatherage MOHAVE VALLEY, Ariz. (May 1) – After several weeks off, Mohave Valley Raceway roared back to life on Saturday and Vinny Raucci Jr. raced to the IMCA Modified feature win. Raucci wasted no time in getting out front on the initial start of the 25-lap main event. He had to deal with several restarts and some pressure from Frank Russell Jr. Raucci mastered what proved to be the final restart and went on to win his first race at Mohave Valley this year. He is the sixth different driver to win in seven races in the IMCA Modifieds in 2021 at MVR. Russell held onto second while Ryan Cotrell took third. Rick Durica and Ronnie Meyer Jr., completed the top five.

Mohave Valley Raceway celebrates 25th, Baca celebrates IMCA Modified feature win

MOHAVE VALLEY, Ariz. (April 14) – Consistency has Chaz Baca on top of IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National and Larry Shaw Race Cars Western Region point standings. Speed put him in victory lane Saturday at Mohave Valley Raceway’s 25th anniversary special … twice. Baca led the last 10 laps in winning the IMCA Modified feature, and $1,500. He also scored the $1,000 checkers in a borrowed dwarf car. “This race has been on our schedule for about a month,” he said following the four-hour tow home to Mesa. “It’s the first time I’ve won two big money races on the same night. It feels pretty good. We were super excited.” Baca ran second in his heat, started the main event from eighth and was up to second just after midway in the 25-lapper. He was reeling in pole starter Bill McIntosh before a caution, then took the lead after the ensuing restart. Mike Kirby ended in second with Leland Hibdon, Clint Reichenbach and McIntosh completing the top five. Already on the Fast Shafts All-Star [Read More]

Carter turns potential of Arizona desert into 25-year sanctioned Mohave Valley

MOHAVE VALLEY, Ariz. – Where others might only have seen sand and mesquite trees, Walt Carter saw potential in 40 acres of Arizona desert. The promoter of what is now the longest continuously IMCA sanctioned track in the state and one of the longest such in the Larry Shaw Race Cars Western Region, Carter now looks forward to the 25th anniversary celebration at Mohave Valley Raceway this spring. IMCA Modifieds headline the Saturday, April 14 event. They’ll run for an expanded purse and be joined on the evening’s card by dwarf cars. “We have been IMCA sanctioned since day one. I’m not a big special event guy but we will have a little something special for our 25th anniversary,” Carter said. “Weekly racing has always been our bread and butter and it always will be.” Mohave Valley held four sanctioned events in 1993, the first won by Wyatt Ehrp before Don Berger won the last three features and the track championship. Remarkably, just a month and a half had separated the first day of work [Read More]