southernsportmodsupernationals Archives

They’ll be smokin’ hot at the IMCA Southern SportMod Super Nationals

KENNEDALE, Texas (Aug. 28, 2024) – Call the fire department right now, James Lopez knows he’s going to have a barnburner on his hands. More than 60 drivers are already pre-registered for the third annual IMCA Southern SportMod Super Nationals powered by Smiley’s Racing Products, coming up Sept. 5-7 at Lopez’ Kennedale Speedway Park. Each and every one of those drivers comes to town aiming to take the $5,000 top check in the Saturday main event. “We’ve already got a packed field entered. There’s a bunch of guys coming who are way fast not just at their home track but wherever they race,” said Lopez. “There will be a lot of good cars out there.” An open practice on Thursday, Sept. 5 will be followed at about 8:30 p.m. by All-Star qualifying, open to any driver who has won at least one sanctioned feature this season, and then by a party in the pits sponsored by Generation Race Cars. All SportMods run two heats on Friday and lock in the top eight for the main event [Read More]

Southern SportMod Super Nationals conclude with $5,000 checkers at KSP

KENNEDALE, Texas (July 31, 2024) – You can almost predict what he’ll say, when you ask Kennedale Speedway Park promoter James Lopez about the upcoming IMCA Southern SportMod Super Nationals powered by Smiley’s Racing Products. The third annual event, scheduled Thursday through Saturday, Sept. 5-7, promises Lopez, will be super. The $5,000 to win, minimum $500 to start 30-lap main event on Saturday night is a shoo-in to feature the best drivers competing weekly in the division in Texas and Oklahoma. Total purse for the Big Dance is more than $20,000 with another $4,000-plus paid to drivers in Friday’s All-Star race. “Our qualifying format will be very similar to last year,” Lopez said. “One thing that we’re doing differently is a fan vote to add one driver to the All-Star race and a different driver will be elected to start at the back in the $5,000 to win main event.” Pre-registration for drivers to be vote eligible is required by Aug. 14: Voting will be conducted on MyRacePass and starts Aug. 16 for the All-Star [Read More]

Focus turns to track prep for Sept. 7-9 Southern SportMod Super Nationals

KENNEDALE, Texas (Aug. 29, 2023) – Sponsorships and contingency awards have been finalized. Early registration is winding down, and new Hall of Famers have practiced their thank you’s. The focus, then, on the IMCA Southern SportMod Super Nationals powered by Smiley’s Racing Products is getting Kennedale Speedway Park in the best shape it can be in for the second annual spectacular Sept. 7-9. Smiley’s Racing Products Southern SportMods race for $5,000 to win and a minimum of $500 to start their Saturday night main event, a 30-lapper with a purse that totals more than $20,000. While keeping up with weekly racing and with all that money on the line, promoter James Lopez and his crew have turned their focus 24/7 to getting the quarter-mile dirt oval as close to perfect as possible. “The biggest thing we have been doing for the last six weeks or so now is track preparation,” stated Lopez. “We are lucky to have one of the most knowledgeable and winningest racers to ever put on a helmet, with over 50 years [Read More]

Done just in time, new bridge is a big deal for Smiley’s Southern SportMod Super Nationals

KENNEDALE, Texas (July 24, 2023) – Being able to host hall of fame night in conjunction with the second annual IMCA Southern SportMod Super Nationals powered by Smiley’s Racing Products, says promoter James Lopez, is a pretty big deal. Not having to take the detour from town to get to Kennedale Speedway Park will be a pretty big deal, too. The new, wider bridge on New Hope Road that takes traffic over Kennedale Creek, to and past the track opened late last week. Traffic of all shapes and sizes had been rerouted since last year, with the entrance to the pit area at KSP tantalizingly close but on the wrong side of the orange and black detour signs. “If you knew how long you had to drive around to get to the track …” Lopez began. “It’s a long ways, especially if you’re coming from the north or the west and you’re hauling a trailer. The detour was probably 10 miles. Smiley’s isn’t that far from here and you had to take the detour to [Read More]

Smooth ride takes Mikulencak to crown at IMCA Southern SportMod Super Nationals

KENNEDALE, Texas (Sept. 10, 2022) – His strategy was simple, once Marcus Mikulencak got to the front of Saturday’s Smiley’s Racing Products IMCA Southern SportMod Super Nationals feature field. “I tried to stay smooth and not make any mistakes,” Mikulencak said after taking the $5,000 checkers in the inaugural event at Kennedale Speedway Park. “We were pretty good up front but I figured with the competition we had that we could have company up there.” Bradley Poor and Brandon Geurin both advanced seven spots to finish second and third, respectively. Michael Dabney was a plus nine to fourth and Alex Hickham, winner of Friday’s All-Star race, ended in fifth. Mikulencak ran fourth and then won his second qualifying heat on opening night, drawing the inside row two start for the 30-lap main. “We didn’t make any changes in setup from Friday. We were able to get the lead early,” he said. “There were a couple cautions and we were able to get through lapped traffic pretty easy.” His career best payday included a $2,000 bonus [Read More]

Voting set Aug. 22-25 to fill All Star field at IMCA Southern SportMod Super Nationals

KENNEDALE, Texas (Aug. 18, 2022) – The starting field for the Sept. 8-10 IMCA Southern SportMod Super Nationals will be determined on the oval at Kennedale Speedway Park. Friends and fans of Smiley’s Racing Products Southern SportMod drivers have a say, however, in deciding 16 of the 20 starters in the weekend’s All Star race. Four drivers – Rowdy Day, Michael Dabney, John Reid Jr. and Cody Smith, earned guaranteed berths in that $1,000 to win race with late May IMCA All Star Shootout feature wins. Their competition will include drivers winning at least one feature and elected to the field in balloting Aug. 22-25 through the RaceOnTexas website. “This is the chance for fans to get their favorite driver or drivers elected to start this race,” explained promoter James Lopez. “We’re updating the list of eligible drivers every Friday and expect to have votes tabulated some time in the evening on the 25th.” Divisional title sponsor Smiley’s Racing Products is also sponsor of the Southern SportMod Super Nationals, which pays $3,000 to win, a [Read More]

Barbecue, a band and bag tossing on the weekend card at IMCA Southern SportMod Super Nationals

KENNEDALE, Texas (July 21, 2022) – Even when they’re not racing for shares of a $20,000-plus purse, drivers can look forward to plenty of fun off the track at the Sept. 8-10 IMCA Southern SportMod Super Nationals. Kennedale Speedway Park and event promoter James Lopez reports that Fox Mechanical Air Conditioning & Heating out of Springtown has signed on as sponsor for the barbecue party in the pits Thursday night, with the Jeff Martin Band taking the stage that evening. The South Dallas Cornhole Club sponsors the Saturday bag tossing tournament that starts at 11 a.m. “We want to make this a fun event for drivers and fans of all ages,” said Lopez. “We’re looking at some other different things for folks to do during the weekend and will announce the when and where when we get the details ironed out.” Divisional title sponsor Smiley’s Racing Products sponsors the inaugural event, which pays $3,000 to win and a minimum of $300 to start. Main event qualifiers take home more than $16,000 while qualifiers for the [Read More]