VINTON, Iowa — Ben Deatherage, a familiar face and voice to IMCA fans through IMCA.TV, has been named the new publicist for the International Motor Contest Association. He steps into the role following the retirement of longtime IMCA public relations director Bill Martin.
Deatherage will be responsible for compiling race reports, press releases, and human-interest features on the drivers and events that comprise the Speedway Motors IMCA Weekly Racing program. He will also continue his work with IMCA.TV.
“I’m excited to meet the challenges of this new opportunity,” said Deatherage. “Bill was such a major influence on me and an incredible help in my career. He left some big boots to fill.”
A native of Cottage Grove, Oregon, Deatherage’s love for racing began early—he attended his first race at just seven days old. Since then, his passion for motorsports has continued to grow.
“I’ve loved IMCA racing since I was a kid in the 1990s, watching drivers like David Gould, Robert Hand, Bruce Ray, and many others in the IMCA Modifieds race at Cottage Grove. It’s been amazing to see the next generation of those families carry on the tradition. When IMCA returned to the Pacific Northwest in 2013, I was overjoyed.”
Deatherage began announcing at age 15 at Cottage Grove Speedway. Over the years, he’s worked with various racing tours west of the Rockies. He became a full-time motorsports writer in 2007 and joined the IMCA.TV team in 2021. Since then, he has become a fixture at major IMCA events, including the IMCA.TV Winter Nationals, IMCA Wild West Speedweek, and the Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals, fueled by Casey’s. Most recently, he joined the broadcast teams for the Dakota Classic Modified Tour and Florida’s IMCA.TV Clash on the Coast.
His journey hasn’t been without challenges. Diagnosed with leukemia at just three months old, he fought through the disease and was declared cured at the age of eight. In 2021, his wife Stephanie passed away from COVID shortly after the birth of their son, Grant.
“Ben is a hard guy not to like,” said IMCA President, Brett Root. “He brings a passion regarding dirt track racing that’s very evident. He’s been through an incredible amount of personal adversity. He grew up around dirt track racing and is a lifelong race fan. He’s going to fit in very well here at IMCA. We’re excited to have him on our team.”
When he’s not working on racing-related projects, Deatherage enjoys spending time with his children and his fiancée, Jenna, who recently returned to her native Oregon from Indiana. He’s an avid reader with a personal library of over 1,000 books, covering subjects ranging from ancient history and the World Wars to Star Wars, the Napoleonic Wars, and, in particular, the American Civil War.