Dan Engledow

Bubak is best on opening night at RaceSaver Nationals

By Greg Soukup EAGLE, Neb. (Aug. 30) – His Friday night qualifying feature win earned Jake Bubak $700 and the pole start for Sunday’s RaceSaver Nationals main event. Eighty-nine IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car teams from 14 states saw action on opening night at Eagle Raceway. Chasing Bubak to the stripe and joining him in the first three rows of the main event grid were Jason Martin, Kaleb Johnson, Trevor Grossenbacher, Anton Hernandez, Ethan Barrow, Jake Martens, Andy Shouse and Justin Clark. Johnson led lap one of the qualifier with Bubak, Martin and Luke Cranston close behind. Bubak took advantage of a lap two restart and snagged the lead while Martin passed Johnson the next time around. The track was lightning fast as the leaders jumped to the high side and began to pull away from the pack. Bubak stretched his lead to six car lengths by lap 14 but he could not shake Martin completely. Martin managed to close on him in heavy lapped traffic as the race went the rest of the way caution [Read More]

Rust runs away from IMCA Modified foes at Prelude

By Joyce Eisele BOONE, Iowa (Aug. 31) – A whopping 323 cars checked in to the Boone Speedway for the running of the Wild Rose Casino and Resort Prelude to the Super Nationals Saturday night and the $1,000 to win IMCA Modified feature went to Joel Rust. On a hot streak of late, Rust started sixth and grabbed the lead from Dennis LaVeine, then fended off challenges by Kyle Brown and Jeremy Mills before pulling away on the high side. Kyle Brown took second, Cody Laney came from 12th to finish third, Kelly Shryock started 10th and finished fourth and Richie Gustin was fifth after starting 15th on the field. Jeremy Mills was running third on the white flag lap, slipped high in turn four and fell back to finish 11th. Rust was already on the ballot for the 2020 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational. Thirty-four heat races and 17 “B” features were required to set the main event grids for the Prelude. Kelly Shryock was the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car winner, John Watson topped the IMCA [Read More]

Arneson’s great night at Deer Creek ends with IMCA Modified Harris Clash checkers

SPRING VALLEY, Minn. (Aug. 6) – An IMCA Modified driver who’s been racking up some impressive wins this summer added another one to his resume Tuesday nigh Austin Arneson topped the 28th annual Harris Clash at Deer Creek Speedway, leading the last 11 of 30 laps and outrunning fellow North Dakota hotshoe Tom Berry Jr. in the dash to the checkers coming out of the final turn. “It was a great night for me. It was a fun race with a lot of sliding back and forth,” said Arneson, who earned $3,000 for the victory in addition to a 2020 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot berth. More than 140 race teams from 14 states saw action in front of another big Clash crowd at Spring Valley. Berry had caught race-long and defending Clash winner Cayden Carter for the lead on lap 18, then saw Arneson drive by the next time around. He couldn’t quite make a last-shot slider stick, however, and had to settle for a close second. Carter, hard charger Jake O’Neil and Ricky Thornton [Read More]

Kossuth County Dirt Knights rained out, rescheduled

ALGONA, Iowa – Tonight’s (Thursday) Arnold Motor Supply Dirt Knights Tour event at Kossuth County Speedway has been rained out and rescheduled for Aug. 1. The county fair show at the Home of Thursday Night Thunder features IMCA Modifieds running for $1,500 to win along with a 2020 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot berth. IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks and Karl Kustoms Northern SportMods all vie for $1,000 to win; Mach-1 Sport Compacts complete the program. IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National, regional and E3 State points will be awarded; track points will also be awarded in the Stock, Hobby, SportMod and Sport Compact divisions. Pit gates open at 5 p.m. and drivers should use the south entrance. Hot laps are at 7 p.m. sharp with racing to follow. Grandstand admission is $10 for adults and free for ages 14 and under. Pit passes are $30.

Further amendments made to 2019 Late Model rules

VINTON, Iowa – On the heals of the PRI trade show last week, several clarifications and rule amendments have been made to the IMCA Late Model division for 2019. As announced in November, bump stops will be legal for use in the division; however, “spring” bump stops will not be permitted. All bump stops must be of rubber or a similar material composition. Additionally, spring rubbers will be allowed as well for the 2019 racing season. “Although confusing on the surface, these two issues are separate and will be treated as such during inspection,” stated IMCA President Brett Root. As previously announced, a 604 Chevrolet Performance engine option will be new in 2019. Drivers utilizing a spec engine must run an unaltered one inch carburetor spacer. The approved spacer is the Governor spacer no. 100 125000 with four .95-inch restrictors, no. 100-125095. “The restrictor plate on the spec engines will be a work in progress throughout 2019, We’re reviewing dyno numbers as this release is being produced,” said Root. “We’ll do our best to monitor the [Read More]

Hughes, Alvarado visit victory lane at Duel in the Desert opener

By Mike Spieker LAS VEGAS, Nev. (Nov. 8) – The 21st annual IMCA Duel in the Desert kicked off Thursday evening at the Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. With the largest number of pre-entries in five years, the IMCA Modifieds boasted a field of 206 drivers, while the Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMods came in at a record 97 entries. Jason Hughes and Ricky Alvarado picked up $777 wins in their respective IMCA Modified features. The first main event began with Hughes taking the lead from the pole position, but the race was quickly slowed on lap one for a multi-car pile up in turn one. On the ensuing restart, Hughes led over Tom Berry Jr. and Peyton Taylor as Cody Laney slipped from second to fourth. R.C. Whitwell took advantage of the lap five restart, moving by Laney for the fourth and final transfer position to Saturday night’s $7,777 to win main event. Whitwell applied heavy pressure on Taylor but couldn’t complete the pass. Hughes and Berry broke away from the rest of the [Read More]

Deery Series finale set for Friday at Davenport Speedway

DAVENPORT, Iowa (Sept. 18) – The final event of the 32nd annual Deery Brothers Summer Series gets top billing at Friday’s Governor’s Cup Iowa State Championship at Davenport Speedway. The Sept. 21 feature for touring IMCA Late Models pays $2,000 to win and a minimum of $300 to start. Wheatland’s Justin Kay brings the point lead to town in pursuit of his career third tour title; he already owns top trophies from 2014 and 2015. Kay is also the winner of the most recent Deery event held at Davenport, in September of 2014. Jeff Aikey of Cedar Falls leads all drivers with six career tour wins at the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds oval. Pit gates open at 3 p.m. and the grandstand opens at 5 p.m. on Friday, Hot laps are at 6 p.m. with racing to follow on the quarter-mile. Spectator admission is $20 for adults, $18 for seniors and students, and free for kids 12 and under. Pit passes are $35. IMCA Modifieds race for $1,000 to win their Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational [Read More]

Aikey adds to IMCA Super Nationals legacy with Modified championship

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 8) – A driver who’s made plenty of history at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s made even more Saturday night. Jeff Aikey, a six-time Late Model champion at America’s Racin’ Vacation, started on the pole and led all 40 laps of the Modified main event at Boone Speedway. He’s the fourth driver to win Super Nationals crowns in multiple divisions and just the second to earn Late Model and Modified titles, joining Kevin Pittman in that accomplishment. His total of seven championships is a Super Nationals record. Only two cautions came out over the course of the 40-lapper and Aikey pulled away after restarts on the second and eighth circuits. Ryan Ruter ran second much of the distance before giving way to Cayden Carter with four laps left. Six lapped cars separated Aikey and Carter at the checkers. Ethan Dotson started 13th and completed the top four. “My car was extremely good, probably the best it’s been hooked up all year,” Aikey said. “When I came down here [Read More]

Veronica Anderson

While drivers are living out their dreams on the track at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s, Veronica Anderson is living out her dream in tech. The 19-year-old daughter of Late Model Director Randy Anderson has worked full-time as part of Executive Director of Competition Dave Brenn’s crew at Boone Speedway this week, doing everything from checking safety gear, carburetors, and ignition boxes to pulling mud plugs. “I’d love to do this every year,” said Anderson, a graduate of the Universal Technical Institute and most recently the Mercedes Benz program in Long Beach, Calif. “It’s fun and I get to learn a lot. It’s one thing to sit in the stands but to get hands-on experience is definitely better.” Anderson learned the tech inspection ropes from her father and more than a few dinnertime conversations have been spent discussing the finer points of the job. She’ll go home on Sunday, get moved to Chicago on Monday and then start a job with Mercedes Benz on Tuesday. Anderson hopes to start her own [Read More]

Friday Stock Car qualifiers go to Strickler, Wagner

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 7) – Kyle Strickler and Shawn Wagner were Friday Stock Car qualifying feature winners Friday at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. Strickler, twice a Super Nationals Modified champion, made his first start in the division in a loaner from Elijah Zevenbergen. Second across the stripe in the opening qualifier, he was moved up to the top spot when Wayne Gifford was disqualified in post-race tech for an engine component infraction. The first driver from North Carolina to make the stock car dance, Strickler was scored ahead of Todd Reitzler, 2003 and 2004 champion Randy Brands, and 2007 champion Kevin Opheim. Wagner led all 25 laps of the second qualifier, outdistancing the 16th starting Huls following a long green flag run. Troy Jerovetz was third and Smith, the 2014 champion and last year’s runner-up, was fourth after Mitch Ross was disqualified for a steering component violation. The top four from each race advance to the outside row of Saturday’s main event grid. Brands will make his career eighth start, [Read More]