Ryan Clark

Shaw Race Cars Western Region rookie Robertson punches ticket to IMCA banquet

RENO, Nev. (Nov. 28, 2022) – Katelynn Robertson punched her ticket to the national awards banquet, racing with the big boys and winning rookie of the year honors in the Shaw Race Cars Western Region. Robertson had a pair of feature wins and consistent showings throughout her 31 starts at six different tracks in California and Nevada, far exceeding any expectations she had for her first Friesen Performance IMCA Modified season. “At the beginning of the year, I didn’t think we’d see top five in anything,” admitted the Susanville, Calif., native and Reno, Nev., transplant. “Then we realized how close we were to being able to run at the front.” “That was pretty cool. I still can’t believe it. Winning the regional rookie of the year is one of my proudest accomplishments,” she continued. “It was definitely a lot of work. We ran with the big boys in the division, we did a lot of traveling and it all paid off. It was pretty neat to race from last to the top five and even [Read More]

2023 IMCA rules released after banquet weekend

VINTON, Iowa (Nov. 23, 2022) – The 2023 divisional rules will be posted on the IMCA website after the national banquet weekend. Accompanying stories on changes and/or clarifications in each division will be posted the same days. “The biggest single issue we have to address is phasing out the current Late Model tire with the new Hoosier manufactured National Late Model Tire,” noted IMCA President Brett Root. “We will make no major changes to rules that remain within our control.” “We try every year to eliminate any confusion in how rules are written and interpreted,” he continued, “and that remains a focus for 2023.”

Results

IMCA Mod Lite star Wilson set to race ‘Down Under’ this holiday season

By Justin Newman MABELVALE, Ark. (Nov. 22, 2022) – Arkansas IMCA STARS Mod Lite hotshoe Blake Wilson is poised and ready to take his talents to the “Land of the Long Weekend” in late December, where he will compete in three events in Queensland, Australia. Locally and nationally, Wilson is a perennial favorite any time he unloads his STARS Mod Lite. Wilson has raced with and beat some of the United States and Canada’s best racers in the Mod Lite division. It was only fitting he head down under to see how the Aussies stack up. Just the same, the racing surfaces and facilities are not quite like the wide-open racy tracks here. Wilson will be hosted by Australian Mod Lite race team ABI2RACE from North Queensland. Abi Meehan, who drives the no. 23 Mod Lite, and her family have been planning this trip with Blake for a couple years now and are keen to see how the young USA racer handles their unforgiving Aussie tracks. Wilson will be thrown into the mix with some veteran drivers [Read More]

Randall brings Six Pack theme to track in Big Daddy Northern Region rookie chase

PARK RAPIDS, Minn. (Nov. 22, 2022) – If the remake of the movie Six Pack was filmed in Minnesota, Randy Randall would be the obvious choice for the lead role previously played by Kenny Rogers. His six children would play the titular race car savvy kids in the cast. From Park Rapids, Minn., Randall brought a Six Pack theme to the track, making most of his 37 IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock starts at home state venues Buffalo River Speedway, North Central Speedway and Red River Valley Speedway. He shared time behind the wheel, catching up on bonding with oldest son Brayden before he went into the United States Marine Corps in August. “I had always liked the movie and my kids like working on the car as much as I do,” said Randall, also father to Reid, McKenzie, Gracie, Blake and Dixon and rookie of the year in the Big Daddy Race Cars Northern Region. “They will probably all be involved in racing at some points in their lives.” The 49-year-old Randall bought a car from friend Chad Visser [Read More]

A first for Utah as Thorne tops national IMCA Hobby Stock rookie points race

HERRIMAN, Utah (Nov. 22, 2022) – Getting to race against more cars got C.J. Thorne into the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock division. Three feature wins and season-long consistency got him the national rookie of the year award. From Herriman, Thorne became the first driver from Utah to win a national IMCA rookie award in any division, and the second from the Beehive State to earn the Big Daddy Race Cars Southern Region rookie prize in as many seasons. “I raced in open wheel classes since I was seven and came to the Hobby Stocks from a 360 open wing sprint car class,” said the 20-year-old Thorne. “We were racing in fields of 5-7 cars. A friend, Andy Pearce, suggested that I should get a Hobby Stock and run with more cars.” He bought a former Drew Schafer ride for his rookie campaign, making all but two of his 38 starts at home state tracks and 24 of those at Desert Thunder Raceway. Thorne’s career first win in the class came on May 7 at Price. [Read More]

Duggins’ fourth straight regional crown raises the bar for IMCA Hobby Stocks

FARMINGTON, N.M. (Nov. 22, 2022) – “Unbelievable” was the word Jason Duggins had used to describe the 2021 IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock season. His 2022 season was even better. Duggins raced to a division record fourth straight regional title, winning 23 features at six different Big Daddy Race Cars Southern tracks. “At the end of last season, I told myself I wasn’t going to go for the fourth one. I wanted to venture out more and race at different tracks,” said Duggins, from Farmington, N.M. “Then we got to racing our weekly tracks and the car counts just exploded in Utah.” “We were getting 12-16 or more cars a lot of nights. It was just a lot of fun and I raced as much as I could,” he continued. “Every weekend it seemed like there were more people building cars or buying cars or asking about how they could get a Hobby Stock.” He had shared the division record of three consecutive regional championships with Shannon Anderson, who ruled the Big Daddy North from 2008-2010 [Read More]

Richards gets serious after spring success chasing national IMCA Hobby Stock crown

WYMORE Neb. (Nov. 22, 2022) – Over the winter, Dillon Richards and his crew laughed about the idea of running for another national championship. Their early spring success got them thinking more seriously about it. Richards, from Wymore, Neb., would become just the seventh driver to win national crowns in different IMCA divisions, adding the 2022 Sunoco Hobby Stock trophy to a collection that already includes the 2017 Mach-1 Sport Compact hardware. “We joked about it over the winter, then we won Spring Nationals at Beatrice, the Dirt Crown Spring Tour at Thayer County and both nights of the Sunflower Classic at RPM Speedway,” he said. “That’s when we decided to get serious and pursue it.” “We really focused on Beatrice Speedway and Eagle Raceway,” added Richards, track champion at both. “We are not a big-time race team. We work out of a two car garage so any time we raced three nights a week, it was a lot of work.” He won 11 times at Eagle and six times in all at Beatrice. Richards’ [Read More]

IMCA young gun, Stock Car fan Clark earns EQ Southern Region Stock Car crown

JOSHUA, Texas (Nov. 21, 2022) – Blake Clark didn’t just emerge as one of the top young guns in the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car division this season. He’s also become a first-rate spokesman for The Class Too Tough To Tame. The 19-year-old from Joshua, Texas, enjoyed a breakout 2022 campaign, winning 19 features and repeated as Boyd Raceway track champion on the way to capturing the EQ Cylinder Heads Southern Region crown. “I love the Stock Car division,” said Clark, who doubled his career win total in his first season behind the wheel of the 2019 Terminator purchased from Leslie Gill that Steffan Carey had won the Southern Region with two years ago. “I love the competition, the setup and the suspension. You can make an IMCA Stock Car work and race door-to-door anywhere on the track.” His father Thomas was the Stock Car champion at Boyd in 2001. Junior mini graduate Clark followed him into the class in 2017, running a homebuilt car and winning what had been a previous season-best 14 times last year. [Read More]

Reynolds makes statements on track with IMCA Stock Car rookie awards, success at Boone

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (Nov. 21, 2022) – They’re going to have to make room in the “little corner” of the race shop where Kaden Reynolds puts his trophies on display. Reynolds took his considerable on-track talent to the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car division in 2022, earning national and EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region rookie of the year awards. He won 14 features and clinched the track title at Benton County Speedway before returning to Boone and impressing at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. “We were real good this year. I was probably most happy with my consistency,” said Reynolds, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. “We raced weekly with some of the best drivers in the division, then went to Super Nationals and made a statement.” “It was pretty cool.” He came to The Class Too Tough To Tame after three seasons in an IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock, winning rookie of the year in 2019, the Junior National Champion crown in 2020 and the national championship last year. “The biggest thing we had to do [Read More]

Nichols overcomes unique challenges for 11th IMCA Stock Car national championship

HARLAN, Iowa (Nov. 21, 2022) – The most unique of Mike Nichols’ 25-plus racing seasons had a familiar conclusion. Nichols earned the 11th national and EQ Cylinder Heads Regional championships of his IMCA Sunoco Stock Car career in 2022. Those achievements, as well as Shelby County Speedway and US 36 Raceway track and Missouri State titles and 600th feature win in The Class Too Tough To Tame, all came despite a June 26 riding lawn mower accident that left Nichols with severe nerve damage in his left shoulder. “It was dumb luck that I was still able to compete,” said Nichols, who ended up underneath the 1,300 pound mower following a hydraulics failure and a wild ride over a nine foot embankment. “My shoulder was essentially paralyzed and there was a learning curve for me from that point.” “I know there are drivers out there who race with one hand. I am not one of those racers. If it had been my right arm, I wouldn’t have been able to shift,” he continued. “I had to pick up [Read More]