Ryan Clark

Washington’s Skagit Speedway puts spotlight on IMCA Modifieds in 2022

ALGER, Wash. – IMCA Modifieds will take their turn in the spotlight at Skagit Speedway beginning in 2022. The 3/10-mile oval at Alger, located halfway between Seattle and Vancouver, B.C., off Interstate 5, becomes the second track in Washington State to sanction IMCA’s premier division. Eleven Saturday night shows leading up to the big $10,000 to win Survive The 55 special on the final weekend of the IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing point season Sept. 23-24. “Sanctioning with IMCA seemed like a no-brainer. It’s win-win for everybody, the drivers, the fans, the track owners,” explained Mike Anderson, partners with Kevin Rudeen and Peter Murphy in Fifty-Five Promotions, the ownership group that took charge at Skagit in mid-September. “Talking with our Modified drivers, they felt they were on an island and couldn’t travel much,” he continued. “We did much research and found out there was a lot of interest in racing here from Canadian drivers and Oregon drivers. It just made sense to get on the same page as the rest of the West Coast and the rest [Read More]

Services set this Saturday for Zach Smith

BRUSH, Colo. – Zachary Christopher Smith, age 35, passed away Dec. 12, 2021 in Brush, Colo. Zach was born on June 3, 1986 in Hoisington, Kan. A pillar in his community, Zach was a 2004 graduate from Fort Morgan High School. He was a local small business owner, amazing husband, father, son, uncle and friend to anyone he met. A family man to his core, Zach was the favorite coach in town; coaching T-ball, baseball and soccer. If he wasn’t on a field, he could be found on the race track or out hunting and fishing with his boys. Zach is survived by his wife, Cassandra Smith; their three sons, Hunter Smith, the IMCA national and Northern Region Hobby Stock rookie of the year this season, Houston Smith and Haxton Smith. He is also survived by his sister, Jen Vondy and husband Colby Vondy; parents, Richard and Angela Smith; grandparents, Ronnie Funk, Connie Meharg and Sue Wagner; mother-in-law, Anita Webster; sister-in-law, Kayla Hietbrink; nephews, Kamyrn Smith, Gunner and Boone Vondy and Kayson Hietbrink; and many [Read More]

$43,250 in Chevrolet Performance bonuses paid to IMCA crate engine track champions

GRAND BLANC, Mich. – Chevrolet Performance bonuses totaling $43,250 have been paid to IMCA drivers who won track championships while competing exclusively with crate engines in 2021. In all, 173 IMCA Modified, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock and Karl Kustoms Northern SportMod drivers received $250 checks, mailed this month from the IMCA home office. “Chevrolet Performance is such an ally in the promotion of IMCA dirt track racing and their yearly bonus program speaks for itself,” stated IMCA Marketing Director Kevin Yoder. “IMCA racers continue to cash checks for championships while competing with a reliable and sustainable motor program.” IMCA Modified drivers who received bonuses for winning one or more track championships while competing with a crate engine were: Chris Abelson, Mark Adams, Keaton Atkinson, Chaz Baca, Steven Bowers, Wayne Brooks, Jarrett Brown, Cody Burke, Craig Cassell, Alec Childs, Rick Chorniak, Ty Clemens, Brandon Clough, Brandon Conkwright and Troy Cordes. Sawyer Crigler, Shane DeMey, Travis Denning, Mike Densberger, Ryan Doyon, P.J. Dyke, Dwight East, Zach Fettinger, Trevor Fitz-Gibbon, Jerry Flippo, Zach Frederick, Jeremy Frenier, Chris Gallien, Josh [Read More]

Eibach rewards 94 IMCA state champions

CORONA, Calif. – More than 90 IMCA drivers winning state championships in 2021 earned post-season awards from Eibach Springs. Modified driver Tyson Blood, a first-time KMJ Performance state champion in Washington, was chosen by random draw to receive an Eibach-branded fire suit. Other first-time state champs receiving sets of springs were Owen Barnhill in Florida, Modified; Andy Nezworski in Illinois, Late Model; Renn Bane in California, Stock Car; Kyler Satran in North Dakota, Hobby Stock; Joey Klemish in New Mexico, Northern SportMod; Matthew Day in Oklahoma, Southern SportMod; and Dylan Dunn in Florida, Mod Lite. All state champions in those seven divisions receive $100 certificates from the Corona, Calif., manufacturer and 13-year IMCA sponsor. Eibach certificates with a total value of $9,400 were presented to drivers attending the national awards banquet in Lincoln, Neb., or mailed this month from the IMCA home office.

Winebarger, Luinenburg, Barribo, Mallicoat win Harris Race Tech Chassis School drawing

AMES, Iowa – Bob Harris Enterprises made special event victories pay off for four IMCA drivers this season. Collen Winebarger, Justin Luinenburg, Tyler Barribo and Izac Mallicoat have received certificates to attend Race Tech Info Dirt Chassis School sessions. All were selected by random draw from among top five finishers at designated specials for IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks and Karl Kustoms Northern SportMods, respectively. Winebarger was the Modified runner-up on night two of Cottage Grove Speedway’s Mark Howard Memorial Nationals while Luinenburg was the Stock Car winner at Park Jefferson Speedway’s Iron Cup. Hard charger Barribo took second in the Hobby Stock feature at RPM Speedway’s Fall Nationals and Mallicoat was second to the checkers in the Harris Clash main event for Northern SportMods. A top five driver in each of those 70 specials received a certificate for two free shock rebuilds. The 2021 season was BHE’s ninth as an IMCA sponsor.

IMCA releases 2022 Northern SportMod, Modified, Stock Car, Late Model rules

VINTON, Iowa – 2022 rules for another four IMCA divisions have been announced and posted on the IMCA website. Rules items to note for Karl Kustoms Northern SportMods include: *The minimum wheelbase is 108 inches, the maximum wheelbase 112 inches with a maximum one inch difference from side to side. *Air cleaner top is a maximum of six inches above the hood. *Must use 16 inch minimum, 19 inch maximum lower control arms. The rear lower control arm must be centered under the axle tube (with a one inch tolerance) and bolted a minimum of two inches to a maximum of five inches from the bottom of the housing. *Tires may be ground, straight siped or grooved. *The air cleaner top, stud and base cannot direct air into the carburetor. No top flow housings, air cleaner inserts or cold air boxes. *All engines must use unaltered MSD #8727CT rev control and maximum 6,200 rpm chip for crate engines and maximum 6,800 rpm chip for claim engines. *No oil pan vents. “Any of the Northern SportMod [Read More]

Cocopah starting new season with 2nd annual IMCA.TV Winter Nationals

SOMERTON, Ariz. – They had so much fun last year that Cocopah Speedway will start the 2022 race season with the second annual IMCA.TV Winter Nationals. IMCA Modifieds run for $1,000 to win, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars and Karl Kustoms Northern SportMods both for $750 to win and IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks for $500 to win in feature events Wednesday, Jan. 5; Thursday, Jan. 6; Friday, Jan. 7; and Saturday, Jan. 8; and again in shows Thursday, Jan. 13; Friday, Jan. 14; and Saturday, Jan. 15. IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National, Shaw Race Cars Western, EQ Cylinder Heads Southern and Big Daddy Race Cars Southern regional and KMJ Performance Arizona State points will be awarded each night. Modified winners become eligible to qualify for the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational, Stock Car winners for the B & B Racing Chassis All-Star Invitational. An open practice runs from 6-9 p.m. Jan. 4 at Somerton. Another open practice, as well as $1,000 to win Stock Car and Hobby Stock features and the $1,000 to win Gene Freeman [Read More]

Record number of champions honored at 2021 IMCA banquet

LINCOLN, Neb. (Nov. 27) – A record 700 champions and rookies of the year were honored as IMCA returned to Lincoln for the 2021 national awards banquet. National champions from both the 2021 and 2020 seasons took their turn at the podium during the Saturday night celebration of dirt track success. 2021 national champions were Jeff Larson, IMCA Modified; Cory Dumpert, IMCA Sunoco Late Model; Justin Clark, IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car; Mike Nichols, IMCA Sunoco Stock Car; Dillon Raffurty, IMCA STARS Mod Lite; Kaden Reynolds, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock; Matthew Looft, Karl Kustoms Northern SportMod; Matthew Day, Smiley’s Racing Products Southern SportMod; and Caine Mahlberg, Mach-1 Sport Compact. Raffurty is the first-ever Mod Lite national champion. Dumpert and Nichols both defended titles won in 2020, when the banquet was canceled because of Covid. Also winning national crowns last season were Tom Berry Jr., Modified; Garrett Bard, Sprint Car; Cory Probst, Hobby Stock; Doug Smith, Northern SportMod; and Ramsey Meyer, Sport Compact. Both a video tribute to the late Jason Smith and remarks by Speedway Motors [Read More]

GRT Race Cars inked as new sponsor for IMCA Modified South Central Region

GREENBRIER, Ark. – GRT Race Cars returns the support in 2022 as new title sponsor of IMCA’s South Central Region for Modifieds. Now the four consecutive time Manufacturer’s Cup winner in the region, GRT will provide a portion of the $6,000 point fund to be paid to top 10 drivers in point standings for drivers competing at tracks in Texas, southern Oklahoma and southern New Mexico. “Approximately 70 to 75 percent of the cars we build are IMCA Modifieds, Stock Cars and SportMods,” said GRT owner Wes Wise. “We want to support the drivers who support us.” Wise has worn many other hats during his career in motorsports, from driver and car owner to promoter at Central Arkansas Motor Speedway. He purchased the Greenbrier, Ark., chassis builder early this year, taking ownership on Feb. 1. “I’ve always been around GRT. It was local to us and things worked out where I had the opportunity to buy it,” explained Wise, also the owner of an excavation business. “It’s definitely a change of pace with a different [Read More]

NY-Penn IMCA Modified Series ready to invade New Jersey

BRIDGEPORT, N.J. – You know what they say, there’s a first time for everything. In the spirit of that, the 2022 season will start at the Bridgeport Speedway with a first for the state of New Jersey. For the first time since the IMCA-sanctioned Modified division was created in 1979, the open-wheeled beasts will slide around a track in The Garden State. After a successful 2021 season, NY-Penn IMCA Modified Series officials have come to an agreement with the Bridgeport Speedway to open their season at the famed New Jersey oval on March 26, 2022. Since the date was released, anticipation for the event has been high among drivers and fans alike. “From what I have been reading and heard from the banquet we had, drivers seem excited for this opportunity,” said Series Director Jake Maynard. “The fans in New Jersey are thrilled to see the IMCA Modifieds for the first time in person. Who knows, this could become something bigger than expected!” Not only will this event kick off the series’ season, it will [Read More]