IMCA, Author at IMCA - International Motor Contest Association

Thunderhill Raceway drivers’ meeting is Friday, Dec. 19

By Edward Anschutz STURGEON BAY, Wis. – Thunderhill Raceway preps for the 2015 season and will hold its drivers meeting on Friday, Dec. 19 at The Draft Haus Sports Bar at 7 p.m. The Draft Haus is located at 901 Egg Harbor Road in Sturgeon Bay. Fresh off the $30,000 contingency awards banquet last month, promoter Woody Wodack feels the track gaining traction heading for the 2015 season. “We put together one of the best contingency packages any dirt track in northeastern Wisconsin has ever seen,” he said. “Every driver who ran the qualifying number of nights was rewarded greatly for their loyalty. This season, the plan is to build on last year’s success.” Pit spots must be paid for before or at the meeting. Any pit stalls that remain unpaid or open will then go to a lottery of drivers who want to purchase them. Memberships will also be available for purchase which allows for a few bucks off your pit pass throughout the season. Several other items will be addressed at the meeting [Read More]

Ganskow calls it a promotional career after 29 years at U.S. 30 Speedway

COLUMBUS, Neb. – One era has ended and another begun at U.S. 30 Speedway. Promoter Louise ‘Sam’ Ganskow called it a career following the 2014 race season after 29 years. She has sold the track to daughter Mari and son-in-law Ron Melcher. Mari and sisters Michelle Rosno and Debi Kleinheksel will continue to share race director duties. She and husband of 13 years Kenny have got plans to do some traveling, enjoy his vintage racing and help out when needed at the 1/3-mile clay oval. “People have been telling me I should stay one more year and promote U.S. 30 for 30 years,” Ganskow said. “I tell them 29 is my age. It’s the number of Kenny’s race cars and I’m totally satisfied with retiring after 29 years because that’s my number.” U.S. 30 was a family operation from the time the late Darrell Duane ‘Abe’ Lincoln built the track in what had been a soybean field in 1985. Abe, Sam, their children and grandchildren worked (and played) at the track, sanctioned by IMCA since [Read More]

Scorpion renews awards for drivers with top win totals in each IMCA Modified, Stock region

OCALA, Fla. (Dec. 11) – Scorpion Racing Products makes winning pay off in two IMCA divisions again in 2015. The Ocala, Fla., high performance parts manufacturer and distributor gives a set of Race Series rocker arms to drivers with the most 40-point feature wins in each of the five regions for IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modifieds and in both Arnold Motor Supply regions for IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars. Drivers with the second through fifth highest win totals in each region all receive $100 product certificates. 2015 will be Scorpion’s seventh year as a marketing partner with IMCA and third consecutive season as part of the national decal program for Modifieds. All Modified drivers are required to display two Scorpion decals in a designated location on their race car, and provide photographic proof of decal placement to IMCA to be eligible for national point fund shares. Photos can be emailed to Marketing Director Kevin Yoder at the IMCA home office (kyoder@imca.com). “Scorpion has been a great partner for the past six years and we’re excited about [Read More]

Four IMCA divisions on track next season at new Off Road Speedway

NORFOLK, Neb. (Dec. 9) – Off Road Speedway puts four IMCA divisions on the track on Saturday nights beginning next April. The new 1/3-mile clay oval, located southeast of Norfolk, will feature IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMods, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks and Mach-1 Sport Compacts in weekly race programs. Jerry Pospisil, who built and operated a go-kart track in Norfolk for more than 20 years before promoting Blackbird Bend, will be in charge of the Kevin Signor-owned facility. Signor also owns Off Road Ranch, the adjoining motocross track. “Other tracks around here are IMCA so it makes sense to sanction, too,” Pospisil said. “That will give drivers another place to race for IMCA points.” An open practice session is tentatively scheduled for April 4. First IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing track points will be given April 11, with season championship night set for Sept. 4. Off Road Speedway will be part of the Arnold Motor Supply Northern Region for Stock Cars and the Big Daddy Race Cars Northern Region for Hobby Stocks. [Read More]

IMCA crate engine track champions earn $32,500 in Chevrolet Performance bonuses

GRAND BLANC, Mich. (Dec. 8) – Bonuses totaling $32,500 will be paid by Chevrolet Performance to IMCA drivers winning 2014 track championships while competing exclusively with crate engines. One hundred and six different drivers in the IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modified, Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMod and IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock divisions won a total of 130 track titles with crate engines this season. Bonuses of $250 per track championship will be mailed this month from the IMCA home office. This was the first season in a three-year bonus agreement with Chevrolet Performance announced in March. “We celebrated our 10th anniversary of partnership with Chevrolet Performance when we recognized Bill Martens on behalf of Chevrolet at our recent national awards banquet,” noted IMCA Marketing Director Kevin Yoder. “During that time Chevrolet has awarded well over $100,000 in track champion bonus money to IMCA racers across the country and we are proud to give back through that relationship.” The 42 crate-powered Modified drivers winning 49 track titles and $12,250 in bonuses were: $750 – Chris Abelson. $500 [Read More]

Brinn adds awards in IMCA partnership pact through 2019

BAY CITY, Mich. (Dec. 5) – Two IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modified series champions will earn Brinn transmission rebuilds each year as part of a new agreement covering the 2015-2019 race seasons. The top drivers in point standings for the Kupper Chevrolet Dakota Classic Tour and for the XSAN Hawkeye Dirt Tour both receive transmission rebuilds from the Bay City, Mich., manufacturer. Brinn will give $50 product certificates to top five place finishers at 30 IMCA special events in 2015. Those drivers will be entered in a post-season drawing, with the winner also receiving a new Brinn transmission. Product certificates will be mailed from the IMCA home office after official results from specials are received. Recipient of the transmission for 2014 was Ryan Roath of Phoenix, Ariz., runner-up in the Sept. 20 Desert Classic main event at Canyon Speedway Park. Also new to the Brinn program is a Predator transmission to be awarded to the pole starter at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s Saturday night main event. All 33 qualifiers for [Read More]

Huset’s, I-90 sanction IMCA RaceSaver Sprints in 2015

VINTON, Iowa – Two South Dakota tracks with storied traditions of Sprint Car racing are the latest to join the IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Series. Huset’s Speedway in Brandon and I-90 Speedway at Hartford will welcome the IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Cars in 2015. RaceSaver, a division of IMCA will run Saturdays at I-90 and Sundays at Huset’s. Opening night at I-90 is scheduled for April 25, with weekly point races continuing into September. The schedule at Huset’s is to be announced, with opening night tentatively in early May and point races running to mid-September. “We like the consistency of the RaceSaver rules. There’s one set of rules for a division that’s affordable and fun and they’re the same for tracks from Pennsylvania to South Dakota,” Huset’s promoter Steve Rubin said. “I like the economics of the class. Drivers can’t just go out and spend a lot of money on an engine to buy wins. There aren’t enough fish in the pond to support higher-cost classes,” he continued. “I think the consistency and longevity of motors will [Read More]

Bittner is best for 4th straight season in Lady Eagle points

NORFOLK, Neb. – A season of firsts was accompanied by a fourth-time accomplishment for Tiffany Bittner. The first female driver to win two IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock track titles in the same season, Bittner also raced to her career-first Allstar Performance Nebraska State championship crown while collecting a fourth straight Design 500 Lady Eagle trophy. The Lady Eagle prize is awarded to the female driver with the highest point total earned at IMCA sanctioned events during the regular season. Nearly 200 drivers in eight divisions contended for that honor in 2014. “Winning the Lady Eagle isn’t getting any easier. We about gave up before we decided to hit some late-season specials,” admitted Bittner, a Norfolk native and eight-year veteran of the Hobby Stock class. “This was definitely the hardest one of the four to win because of work and because we had so many rainouts.” Champion at both Boone County Raceway in Albion and U.S. 30 Speedway at Columbus, Bittner collected six feature victories and another 30 top five finishes in 62 starts. Sixty of [Read More]

New IMCA, RaceSaver pact guarantees national rules, promotion of Sprint class

VINTON, Iowa – Christmas came early for Sprint Car drivers across the country, in the form of a new, joint venture between IMCA and RaceSaver. Under terms of the agreement, RaceSaver founder French Grimes agreed to allow IMCA long-term use of RaceSaver rules for weekly, regional series and special event use. In return, IMCA will provide administration, support existing sanctions and promote new sanctions for the Sprint Car class that will be known as RaceSaver, a division of IMCA. “The signing of this historic partnership strengthens RaceSaver and IMCA, and secures our position as the largest sprint car sanctioning body in existence,” Grimes emphasized. “RaceSaver brings more than 1,000 Sprint Cars in 17 states and IMCA brings an organization that has supported local weekly racing with a national structure.” “RaceSaver participants, regions and tracks can now have the benefit of IMCA’s national structure, insurance programs for participants, and comprehensive programs for regional and national champions,” he continued. “French has developed one of the most cost-effective and innovative engine packages in Sprint Car racing and it [Read More]

IMCA Modifieds, Northern SportMods new at North Central Speedway in 2015

BRAINERD, Minn. – Saturday night race programs at North Central Speedway feature two IMCA sanctioned divisions beginning next season. Both the IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modifieds and Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMods join weekly shows at the 1/3-mile, D-shaped dirt speedplant near Brainerd. “What drew our attention to IMCA was the support they give, from the president on down, to their tracks. They want us to succeed,” said K.T. Torbert, promoter of the Cliff Sasker-owned venue for the past four years. “There’s definitely a different feel in sanctioning bodies. IMCA wants to work with us.” In all, seven classes of race cars will run Saturdays at Brainerd beginning on April 25. The point season continues through the Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 5 and 6 Mighty Axe special. “The IMCA Modifieds and Northern SportMods are divisions our drivers can easily transition to,” noted Torbert. “Everybody likes the Modifieds. They’re a thriller.” “SportMods give drivers the ability to move up and not break the bank,” she continued. “You don’t have to have a gazillion sponsors to do it.” [Read More]