Ryan Clark

Shenandoah checkers are VSS second straight for Harris

By Jim Haines SHENANDOAH, Va. (Sept. 17, 2022) – Jerald Harris made it two Virginia Sprint Series feature wins in a row Saturday night, following his run to the checkers at Natural Bridge Speedway with the Saturday checkers at Shenandoah Speedway. The feature-only event had Caleb Harris and Bill Rice leading the field to green, with Rice out first and Harris closing in a couple laps while bringing Billy Hubbard along with him. Rice had a good line and kept them off until lap eight when Jerald Harris went high and made the pass stick. Hubbard kept working on Rice to make sure Harris didn’t get away and got a big run to second as quickly as he could. Harris and Hubbard were going after the top spot lap after lap but at the cost of tire smoke. Harris used a higher line and Hubbard was trying a low line but with a few laps to go, Hubbard coasted to the infield, done for the night leaving Harris out front and nursing his tires to [Read More]

Reed snares Race to Hunting Season PASS win at Selinsgrove

By Frank Buhrman SELINSGROVE, Pa. (Sept. 17, 2022) – Austin Reed captured his second major race of the Pennsylvania Sprint Series season Saturday, leading from start to finish to capture the Pennsylvania Game Commission-sponsored Race to Hunting Season at Selinsgrove Speedway. The win came 2-1/2 months after Reed’s victory in the Nittany 40 at Clinton County Speedway. Those have been the two highest-paying PASS events among the 33 run so far this year. That race had featured a furious battle between Reed and Garrett Bard, but while Selinsgrove was hardly easy, nobody got alongside Reed to attempt a pass, and his final margin of victory over runner-up Josh Spicer of Julian was 1.615 seconds. The moment of uncertainty for Reed’s win came on lap 17, when Doug Dodson hit the wall in turn two, bringing out the race’s only caution and erasing a huge lead. But Reed got a good jump on the restart and the crowd’s attention soon turned to a torrid battle for third place between Logan Spahr and Bard. For several laps they traded slide jobs [Read More]

Brenten DeYoung is best at Great Lakes Nationals

CRYSTAL, Mich. (Sept. 18, 2022) – The latest addition to Team DeYoung’s Great Lakes Nationals trophy collection will have a special place in the display case. Brenten DeYoung topped the 50-lap, $3,000 to win special for Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds Sunday at Crystal Motor Speedway. The checkers were his career first at one of the premier events for the division in Michigan and in the Dirt Works Eastern Region, and came ahead of his father and seven-time Great Lakes Nationals king Myron. “It’s incredible,” the younger DeYoung said following his second feature win of the season at the family’s long-time home track. “This is a race I’ve wanted to win for a long time and I’m grateful to finally pull it off.” Fourth on the initial grid, he moved up to the outside of the front row following a lap one restart, used the outside line to pass pole starter Nathan Patrick going into the first turn and led every time around the track. Multiple cautions kept the field close throughout before DeYoung was able [Read More]

Maquoketa Speedway to host inaugural Gil Short Memorial

By Jerry Mackey MAQUOKETA, Iowa (Sept. 19, 2022) – Maquoketa Speedway will bring the 2022 racing season to a close this weekend with the first annual running of the Gil Short Memorial. Two full nights of racing will be held at the Jackson County Fairgrounds quarter-mile dirt track. Short was the chief and founder of the Speedway Fire Rescue group that serves many Eastern Iowa race tracks by providing safety equipment and personnel. The Friday, Sept. 23 program sees Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds headlining the action with a $1,200 first place prize on the line. Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods battle it out for a $750 top prize, also racing will be the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks. Friday night will also be the Maquoketa Speedway 2022 Hall Of Fame Induction night. Honorees will include Phil Roberts, Larry Goldbeck, Dan Garland and Duke Jackson. Action will get underway with hot laps at 6:30 p.m. and racing to follow. Saturday, Sept. 24 will see IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars racing for a $750 top prize. Saturday will also be Back To [Read More]

IMCA Super Nationals history for Olmstead with RoC win and Hobby Stock championship

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 10, 2022) – Zach Olmstead thought he had the car to win the Saturday show at Boone Speedway last September. That same ride took him straight to the history book at the 40th annual IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. Olmstead became the first driver to win both the Stephenville Starter Race of Champions and the Hobby Stock championship event at the same Super Nationals, topping Tuesday’s RoC and the Big Dance on Saturday. He had worked his way up from 10th starting and was running close, but not too close, to the front stretch calamity that kayoed race-long leader Brandon Nielsen, defending champion Mike Smith and Jimmy Johnson. “It’s humbling,” said Olmstead, who had finished fourth in his one prior main event start, in 2018. “Last year we won the Prelude and the race of champions. I felt like we had a winning car but got taken out and didn’t qualify. This year I wanted to go back and prove it.” Still on board the same 2019 Brendan Eilts Racing & [Read More]

Looft’s IMCA Super Nationals SportMod championship is best birthday present ever

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 10, 2022) – Matthew Looft brought home his first IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s championship and the best birthday present an 8-year-old boy could ask for on the same night. Looft raced from 13th starting and held off familiar weekly foe Colby Fett Saturday in winning the Northern SportMod main event and $5,000 Saturday at Boone Speedway. “I promised to do my best to give my son Brayden a tall trophy for his eighth birthday,” said Looft, from Swea City and IMCA’s four-time and defending national champion. “We have gotten a lot of help from a lot of people and have won a lot of races and this was the biggest by far.” “A national championship is pretty cool. At Super Nationals there are 171 other cars and you’re racing against the best drivers in the country just to get in the feature,” he continued. “All the pressure is on one night. You can have some bad nights when you race during the season but you can’t have a bad [Read More]

Murty races to rare Stock Car repeat crown at IMCA Super Nationals

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 10, 2022) – A race that began as a battle between two of the best young guns in the division became a battle between father and son on championship night at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. When both those battles at Boone Speedway were over, Dallon Murty had defended his Stock Car championship, becoming just the second driver in division history to go back-to-back at America’s Racin’ Vacation. “This was a really special win. There’s a lot of weight lifted off your shoulders when you’re the defending champion and can win again,” said Murty, 17 years old, from Chelsea and a senior at BGM High School. “Last year’s win was probably my best ever because it was my first. This win and last year are at the top of all my wins, by far.” A record 246 Stock Car drivers competed at the 40th annual Super Nationals and the main event saw 30 of the best of them racing for a $7,500 top check. Murty had become the youngest champion [Read More]

IMCA Modifieds chasing $4,000 top checks each night of Batesville’s Sept. 22-24 Race For Hope 71

BATESVILLE, Ark. (Sept. 14, 2022) – A lot of talent and a little luck could send one lucky driver home with as much as $13,000 from Batesville Motor Speedway’s September 22-24 Race For Hope 71. The new format for the sixth annual special, presented by IMCA.TV, sees Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds racing for $4,000 to win along with Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational eligibility each night Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with the top driver in points for the three shows earning a $1,000 bonus. Runners-up each night get $2,000 with $1,250 for third and $1,000 for fifth. Qualifying for the feature pays a minimum of $400 and non-qualifier pay is $100. Drivers can enter at www.batesvillemotorspeedway.com or by calling 870 613-1337. Entry fee is $150 if paid by Sept. 18 or $200 after that date. IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National, Jet Racing Central Region and Arkansas State points will be awarded each night. Pit passes are $35 and spectator admission is $20 for adults, $5 for youth ages 13-15 and free for kids 12 and under. All [Read More]

Berry wears Modified crown at 40th annual IMCA Super Nationals

BOONE, Iowa (Sept. 10, 2022) – A season that’s seen more than its share of high points for Tom Berry Jr. saw its highest on Saturday, in the final race of the 40th annual IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. Berry added the title of Super Nationals champion to his already lengthy IMCA resume, passing Kollin Hibdon just before midway and leading to the end of the 40-lap Modified feature. More than 250 Modifieds were among the record 1,000 cars that competed at Boone Speedway during the week and Berry had the fastest of them in taking the $10,000 top check. “This was definitely our biggest win. It means a lot to our entire team,” said Berry, who won a host of special events around the Midwest leading up to Super Nationals. “We have been coming here since 2014 and we’ve been competitive the last four years.” “We’ve had our ups and downs at Boone,” continued the Oregon native, fourth in the Big Dance on 2020 and the first car out of last year’s [Read More]

Smooth ride takes Mikulencak to crown at IMCA Southern SportMod Super Nationals

KENNEDALE, Texas (Sept. 10, 2022) – His strategy was simple, once Marcus Mikulencak got to the front of Saturday’s Smiley’s Racing Products IMCA Southern SportMod Super Nationals feature field. “I tried to stay smooth and not make any mistakes,” Mikulencak said after taking the $5,000 checkers in the inaugural event at Kennedale Speedway Park. “We were pretty good up front but I figured with the competition we had that we could have company up there.” Bradley Poor and Brandon Geurin both advanced seven spots to finish second and third, respectively. Michael Dabney was a plus nine to fourth and Alex Hickham, winner of Friday’s All-Star race, ended in fifth. Mikulencak ran fourth and then won his second qualifying heat on opening night, drawing the inside row two start for the 30-lap main. “We didn’t make any changes in setup from Friday. We were able to get the lead early,” he said. “There were a couple cautions and we were able to get through lapped traffic pretty easy.” His career best payday included a $2,000 bonus [Read More]