Hobby Stock News

By Ben Deatherage ESTEVAN, Sask. (Aug. 10, 2024) – Austin Daae had himself quite a night at Estevan Motor Speedway’s $1,000 to win IMCA Sunoco Stock Car, presented by The Floor Store, special. The hometown hotshoe motored to his fifth win of the season, fourth of 2024 at Estevan and became B & B Racing Chassis All-Star Invitational qualifying eligible as well with the Saturday checkers. Daae and Mike Hagen battled for the early lead in the 20-lpper. Daae, starting from the inside pole, quickly gained momentum while Hagen focused on keeping Troy Heupel at bay. As the race developed and stayed green, Hagen reeled in Daae while still holding off Heupel. Hagen put up a formal but unsuccessful challenge for the lead around midway. Chase Davidson launched a challenge of his own, contesting Heupel for third. His persistence paid off when he finally got around on lap 14. Meanwhile, Daae pulled away to secure the win. Hagen was second, with Davidson completing the podium in third. Three other Speedway Motors IMCA Weekly Racing divisions [Read More]

By Greg Soukup EAGLE, Neb. (Aug. 10, 2024) – For those of you who aren’t familiar with Billy Alley, he was a fixture at Eagle Raceway and other tracks until his father passed away in 2020. Alley decided to step away from the sport he loved and just came back to Eagle last week, finishing 11th in the IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car ‘B’ feature. Saturday night proved to be his triumphant return as Alley led every lap in winning the Work Hard, Play Hard Night main event, beating Stu Snyder, Gene Ackland and Jason Danley to the stripe in a green, white, checkered finish. “It’s a tough deal out here, racing against the cars at Eagle Raceway. When I stepped away I never thought I would be back,” said Alley. “I tried to figure out how many years I’ve been away from Eagle but I never thought  I was going to win a Sprint Car race again in my life, let alone here at Eagle Raceway. “It’s a pretty proud moment for me. I’m happy and grateful that Toby Chapman [Read More]

By Randy Pospishil sports@norfolkdailynews.com NORFOLK, Neb. (Aug. 10, 2024) – Tejay Mielke, Travis Landauer and Willy Kirk all won IMCA main events Saturday at Off Road Speedway. Mielke began the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car feature in the middle of the pack but used two caution restarts to move into the top five, battling with Cameron Wilkinson and Justin Bertschinger to challenge race leader Kyle Wilkinson. Mielke pulled away from that competition to pursue Kyle Wilkinson, closed the distance, then passed on the outside of turn four to take over the lead. Four laps later, despite one final caution, Mielke took the checkered flag for the win. Cameron Wilkinson, meanwhile, had been in third place behind the leaders but passed brother Kyle immediately after that last caution, spun out as the cars entered turn four on the final lap, leaving brother Kyle to secure second place with Derek Sehi finishing third. In the IMCA Sunoo Hobby Stock feature, Landauer parlayed a chance to start on the pole into a wire-to-wire win, while the other front-row starter, [Read More]

By Ben Deatherage RAPID CITY, S.D. (Aug. 9, 2024) – Friday had Black Hills Speedway fire things up again at the South Dakota 1/2-mile oval. The Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds and Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stocks filled the pit area as the two sanctioned divisions on the card. Jack Hubbard Jr. sprinted to the early lead in the Modified ranks. However, Brent Nielsen closed the gap between himself and the leader to contest for first place. Nielsen successfully obtained the position by moving inside Hubbard at the line on lap three. From there, the new pacesetter had no issues. He extended his lead to a sizable advantage and took care of business the rest of the distance to win by 6.551 seconds after starting last in the lineup.  The race for second was a thrilling battle that kept the audience on the edge of their seats. Nate Hand made a daring move to secure the runner-up spot, with Hubbard and Adam Boggs following closely behind. Brent Nielsen was nothing short of dominant in winning Friday’s Friesen [Read More]

OAKLEY, Kan. (Aug. 9, 2024) – Brady Bencken raced his way into the IMCA history book Friday night but probably wasn’t the proudest person standing in victory lane. Bencken won for the 100th time in his IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock career at home track Thomas County Speedway and was joined after the checkers flew by father Rod and grandfather Wes in displaying the congratulatory banner. “It’s pretty big. When I got my first track championship, it was unbelievable. Now we’re 10 years down the road and 100 wins. It’s pretty neat,” the Oakley, Kan., driver said. “I didn’t even realize until last year that we were even that close. I was just racing, not paying attention to the wins, and then IMCA contacted me.” “It’s a pretty big accomplishment.” Bencken has racked up a lot of pretty big accomplishments since recording his first Hobby Stock win, also at Thomas County, in 2014. The 2016 Kansas state and an 11-time track champion, he won at least 10 features every season from 2016 to 2021. Bencken had a [Read More]

ARLINGTON, Minn. (Aug. 10, 2024) – New cars in victory lane and a rain-free evening provided a great night of racing for the Back to School Kids’ Night at Arlington Raceway.  Hunter Hanson had some bad luck in the IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car feature as he had a commanding lead before his motor expired on lap four and he drove to the infield, ending up in a water hole off the front straightaway. Hannah Graf then took the lead on the restart with Brett Allen and Matt Johnson behind her racing side-by-side and trading second and third. Allen got to second and had his sights on Graf but it was Graf taking the checkered first with Allen following and Johnson in third. There were three different leaders in the Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod feature and close racing throughout the entire 15 laps. The early leader was Tony Stephensmeier, who saw Joey Reimers get around him on the third circuit. On the 10th lap, a tire was hit in turn four, causing a yellow flag. That [Read More]

By Joyce Eisele BOONE, Iowa (Aug. 10, 2024) – Boone Speedway held another of its weekly racing series events Saturday with only one more week of points racing to go. Two drivers picked up their first season wins as Tyler Pickett took the checkers in the IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars and Dustin Filloon went to victory lane for the first time when he won the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock feature.  Jake McBirnie won the Friesen Performance IMCA Modified main event, Brayton Carter took the honors in the Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods and Bryan Zehm was the winner of the Stealth Racing IMCA STARS Mod Lites.  Feature racing kicked off with the 15-lap Mod Lite main. William Nobles was holding down the lead when the race was red flagged at lap three when Joel Huggins, in just his second night out this year, rolled several times in corner one as he appeared to wheel hop a car trying to avoid another that was sitting still on the track. It was a relief to have Huggins emerge from [Read More]

VINTON, Iowa (Aug. 11, 2024) – Dallon Murty was the $2,000 winner in the Bald Tire Bash Sunday night at Benton County Speedway. The event, which required a maximum tire tread depth of 1/8” in the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car division, featured a 40-lap feature that Murty dominated once he got out front. Kyle Olson was the early leader in the Christie Door Company main event. He was pressured by Kaden Reynolds and Damon Murty while Dallon Murty was making his way through traffic from the fifth row. A terrific battle among the front-runners ensued before Dallon Murty made his way to the front around midway. He then built a lead of over four seconds while his pursuers jockeyed for position behind him. Despite lapped traffic slowing his progress late, Murty raced to the convincing win ahead of Reynolds. Buck Schafroth, who started 16th, ran third ahead of Damon Murty. Jacob Snyder’s weekly improvement in the Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds paid off Sunday night. He topped the Wright Way Trailers 20-lapper to earn the first [Read More]

By Jerry Mackey MAQUOKETA, Iowa (Aug. 10, 2024) – The Maquoketa Speedway hosted Fan Appreciation Night on Saturday sponsored by our friends at Oly’s Garage in Preston and the Hayes Family Farms of Monmouth and 124 race teams packed the pit area for another action-packed night of racing on the ¼-mile dirt oval located on the Jackson County Fairgrounds.  The IMCA Sunoco Late Model feature took the green with Michael Leal pacing the field early from his pole position start. Kelly Pestka applied pressure early while Travis Denning was steadily advancing to the front, working the extreme high line around the smooth track. Denning was able to take the lead as the feature closed in on the 10 to go mark. Denning went on to record the win from his ninth position start. Steve Johnson turned in another strong run in advancing seven spots to cross under the checkers in second ahead of Don Pataska.  The Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds saw another first time winner in 2024 for point racing at the Maquoketa Speedway. The Concrete [Read More]

By Joyce Eisele MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (Aug. 9, 2024) – It was a beautiful night for racing at Marshalltown Speedway on Friday when it was VESSCO/BHE/RBF Electric night at the track.  Those sponsors added extra money to the SportMod, Hobby Stock and Mod Lite classes, all paying $1000 to win.  Visiting driver in the IMCA Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods Tyler Inman took the checkers in that division. It was another visitor on the night, Brandon Nielsen, taking the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock win, and Jon Padilla was back in victory lane in the Stealth Racing IMCA STARS Mod Lites Tripp Gaylord matched his opening night win when he took the checkers in the IMCA Friesen Performance Modifieds, Michael Jaennette was the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car winner and Michael Gardner won the IMCA Mach-1 Sport Compact feature.   The Northern SportMod 16-lap feature ran first. Inman, a hired gun for the evening, redrew the outside front row starting spot and from there on out, never looked back on his run to the checkers and the win. Cory Van Zante [Read More]

By Chad Meyer BRITT, Iowa (Aug. 10, 2024) – Eddie Belec had a DNQ and a rainout to show for his first visit to Hancock County Speedway. He has a Friesen Performance IMCA Modified career-best $5,000 payday to show for his second. The Colorado speedster led all 40 laps of Saturday’s Night of 1,000 Stars main event at Britt, the final event of IMCA Speed Week. “This is huge. We’re lucky enough that we get to race with these guys a few times a year. I get to watch them a lot and see them win a lot of races,” he said from victory lane. “When you can come out and line up with them and win, it feels pretty good, for sure.” “I had a few notes from last year and we did make some changes from Friday,” added Belec, who had run third in the opening night qualifier. “I knew we could make the car a little bit better because I knew the track was going to be a little bit different because [Read More]

Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds – 1. Chaz Baca, Mesa, Ariz., 999; 2. Ethan Braaksma, Newton, Iowa, 981; 3. Tim Ward, Harcourt, Iowa, 974; 4. Chris Zogg, New Liberty, Iowa, 965; 5. Troy Morris III, Bakersfield, Calif., 961; 6. Troy Cordes, Dunkerton, Iowa, 959; 7. Jed Freiburger, Dubuque, Iowa, 955; 8. Grey Ferrando, Stayton, Ore., 954; 9. Jeremy Mills, Clear Lake, Iowa, 953; 10. Myron DeYoung, Stanton, Mich., 944; 11. Jeff Larson, Freeport, Ill., 940; 12. Jeffrey Reay, Portland, Mich., 939; 13. Charlie Mohr, Bettendorf, Iowa, 933; 14. Matt Werner, Geneseo, Ill., 925; 15. Todd Shute, Norwalk, Iowa, 924; 16. Jake McBirnie, Boone, Iowa, 922; 17. Ben Chapman, Clarence, Iowa, 920; 18. Jacob Mallet Jr., Oakley, Calif., 908; 19. Jake Nightingale, Maize, Kan., and Izac Mallicoat, Boone, Iowa, both 907. IMCA Sunoco Late Models – 1. Cory Dumpert, Newman Grove, Neb., 786; 2. Travis Denning, Sterling, Ill., 771; 3. Evan Miller, Silvis, Ill., 765; 4. Andy Nezworski, Blue Grass, Iowa, 750; 5. Zach Zeitner, Bellevue, Neb., 731; 6. Jesse Bodin, Silvis, Ill., 728; 7. Mitch Morris, Long Grove, [Read More]

ALGONA, Iowa (Aug. 8, 2024) – Tim Ward didn’t quite have the track figured out, but he figured that no one would catch him if he didn’t change what he was doing. He was right about that, and $5,600 richer after the checkers flew Thursday night at Kossuth County Speedway’s Gene Schattschneider Memorial feature for Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds. Ward swapped the lead with pole starter Zach Dockter on each on the first four circuits, then led to the end of the 25-lapper. Dockter stayed close right through the first 10 laps, then gave way to Joel Rust following a restart. Rust ran second the rest of the way. “It was fun racing with Zach, hats off to him for a good run,” Ward said of their lengthy side-by-side duel.  “The track changed on me a bit and I wasn’t sure where to run, so we struggled just a bit,” he added. “I wasn’t sure exactly where to run but figured it would be hard for Joel to get around me if I kept doing [Read More]

VINTON, Iowa (Aug. 8, 2024) – In what has become an annual event for the IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars presented by Christie Door Company, the Bald Tire Bash will highlight racing action this Sunday, Aug. 11 at Benton County Speedway. The draw/redraw special for the Stock Cars will boast a $2,000 winner’s share in a $200 to start main event at The Bullring. There is no entry fee.  Maximum tire tread depth allowed for the division that evening is 1/8”. IMCA state, regional and national points only will be awarded for the Stock Cars. IMCA weekly points racing will continue Sunday for Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds presented by Wright Way Trailers, Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks presented by iHeart Radio and Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compacts. INEX Legends presented by Legends.Direct will also compete Sunday night. In addition to the racing program, Sunday is Kids’ Backpack Night for the youth in attendance. As of last Sunday, the Lil’ Racer Car Club collected nearly 140 backpacks full of school supplies for the giveaway. [Read More]

SPENCER, Iowa (Aug. 7, 2024) – He was chased and he was challenged but Dylan Thornton was never caught. Thornton led every lap of Wednesday’s Clay County Fairgrounds Speedway Clash main event for Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds, keeping Tim Ward behind him the first 20 laps and holding Tom Berry Jr. at bay the last 10 times around the track. The IMCA Speed Week win was also Thornton’s Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifying third and was good for $2,500. He parried a last-turn slider from Berry, winner of Tuesday’s Harris Clash, to secure that big check. “I saw his (Berry’s) nose so I knew he was close enough to slide me,” he said. “What you have to do coming down the backstretch is not make a mistake and not stuff it into the fence or something stupid, you have to be able to turn back down.” “We actually went home after last night, woke up this morning, decided we were too dumb to quit and decided to drive four hours back up this way,” said Thornton, who’d [Read More]