Ryan Clark

Lauritzen takes thrilling Modified win

By Joyce Eisele MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (Aug. 2) – Two drivers earned their first local victories of the year in the IMCA Modified and Karl Kustoms Northern SportMod divisions, while the IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars and IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks saw repeat winners Friday at Marshalltown Speedway. The 20-lap IMCA Modified feature was up for grabs between three drivers. Tim Ward hustled from 10th starting to the lead by lap seven, only to have Joel Rust and Ronn Laurtizen tag in behind. Rust got the upper hand with six laps left but it was still anyone’s race between Rust, Lauritzen, and Ward as the laps wound down. Lauritzen gained the lead on lap 18 only to have Rust regain it on the white flag lap, but the race the checkers found Lauritzen surging ahead to cross the finish line first. Rust was the runner-up followed closely by Ward in third. A yellow at lap 13 bunched the Northern SportMod field and on the restart, Johnathon Logue made the pass into the runner-up spot, and then with [Read More]

Fairmont date will be Minnesota first for IMCA Arnold Motor Supply Dirt Knights

FAIRMONT, Minn. – Regardless of who stands in victory lane, history will be made Wednesday night at Fairmont Raceway. The Arnold Motor Supply Dirt Knights Tour makes its first-ever visit to Minnesota on Aug. 7, with IMCA Modifieds running for $1,500 to win and a spot on the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot during the Bob Shryock Memorial program. All but three of the previous 91 events in the tour’s 10-year history have been held in Iowa, with two in South Dakota and a single foray to Wisconsin. Pit gates open at 3 p.m. and the grandstand opens at 5 p.m. tomorrow at Fairmont. Hot laps are at 6:30 p.m. with racing to follow. Grandstand admission is $15 for adults, $12 for students ages 13-17 and kids 12 and under are free when accompanying a paid adult. Pit passes are $30 IMCA.TV broadcasts Wednesday’s Dirt Knights program. Final tour dates of 2019 are Sept. 21 at 34 Raceway and Sept. 28 at Benton County Speedway. Arnold Motor Supply Dirt Knights Tour top 20 point standings [Read More]

Hodges take Lincoln County championship night honors

By Kelly Ninas NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (Aug. 3) – Championship night played out in front of a packed house Saturday at Lincoln County Raceway. Holding off all challenges, Cole Hodges captured the IMCA Modified feature after working his way into contention from a fifth row start position, taking the lead with just five laps remaining and then keeping David Murray Jr. at bay. Jacob Olmstead led all but the opening circuit in winning another Karl Kustoms Northern SportMod main. Equally dominating, Casey Woken led all from the second lap on to earn the hard-fought IMCA Sunoco Stock Car victory with many heavy hitters trying unsuccessfully to catch up. Starting up front and staying up front, Zach Olmstead won the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock feature. Lonnie Lenser Jr. became the winner of the Mach-1 Sport Compact feature after the apparent top two finishers were disqualified in post-race tech.

Drivers must pre-enter for Super Nationals to compete in Aug. 31 Prelude at Boone

BOONE, Iowa – Modified, Stock Car, Northern SportMod and Hobby Stock drivers must be pre-entered for the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s to compete in the Saturday, Aug. 31 Wild Rose and Casino Resort Prelude at Boone Speedway. “There were approximately 240 cars entered in the Prelude last year. Those types of numbers have a tremendous effect time-wise on the sign-in and lineup process,” explained IMCA President Brett Root. “Accepting unexpected and large numbers of late entries effects the entire process and would result in a late start and late conclusion to the Prelude race program.” The Prelude Modified feature pays $1,000 to win and is a qualifying event for the 2020 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot. IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National and E3 Spark Plugs Iowa State points will be awarded in all four divisions. Modifieds earn Side Biter Chassis North Central Region points, with EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region points going to the Stock Cars and Big Daddy Race Cars Northern Region points to the Hobby Stocks. Grandstand admission [Read More]

Meyer motors to more Kossuth County success at Harken Memorial

By Greg Grabianowski ALGONA, (Iowa (Aug. 3) – Another big event at Kossuth County Speedway brought out the best in Nick Meyer Saturday night. The IMCA Modified winner at last month’s Salute to Veterans special, Meyer returned to victory lane in the Harken Memorial, held on the second night of racing during the county fair. Jeremy Mills and Ben Kraus brought the field to the flag stand for what would prove a caution-free contest. Mills grabbed the early lead but Meyer took over the top spot on the third lap and cruised to the feature win. Mills placed second followed by Austin Wolf, Rob Hughes and Cody Knecht. Jake Masters drew the pole for the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car feature and accepted the challenge to start at the back of the 23-car field with the chance to earn an extra $500 if he could win the race. One lap after an early restart, Derek Green took over as the new leader. He continued to dominate the race and went onto the victory as Masters used [Read More]

Early entries top 110 for 28th annual IMCA Harris Clash

SPRING VALLEY, Minn. – Early entries are in hand from more than 110 drivers for Tuesday’s Harris Clash. IMCA Modifieds and Karl Kustoms Northern SportMods headline the 28th annual event at Deer Creek Speedway on Aug. 6. Thirteen states are represented by the list of pre-registered competitors. Modifieds race for $3,000 to win, plus a $500 bonus if their chassis was built by a Manufacturers’ Cup participant, plus a berth on the 2020 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot. Top prize for the Northern SportMods is $1,200. New this year is the 10-lap, $1,000 to win Harris Clash Race of Champions open to all former Clash winners and sponsored by Wehrs Machine and Racing Products. The highest finishing non-qualifier in that race receives a provisional start in the main event. Pre-registered Modified drivers include: Chris Abelson, Sioux City, Iowa J.D. Auringer, Waterloo, Iowa Aaron Benson, Clear Lake, Iowa Tom Berry Jr., Newburg, N.D. Jacob Bleess, Chatfield Ethan Braaksma, Newton, Iowa Mike Burbridge, Delhi, Iowa John Burrow Jr., Denver, Colo. Cayden Carter, Oskaloosa, Iowa Rob Charapata, Green Bay, [Read More]

California driver strikes gold on Super Saturday at Boone

By Joyce Eisele BOONE, Iowa (Aug. 3) – Californian Cody Laney collected the IMCA Modified checkers and $1,000 at Boone Speedway’s Super Saturday show, which drew 160 entries in all. Laney led all 20 laps and won going away, earning a spot on the 2020 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot. Another Californian, Ethan Dotson, drove his ride from sixth to finish second in the Watermelon Classic headliner. Thor Anderson ran at the front of the field all race and finished third, fourth went to Randy Havlik, and Jeff Aikey finished fifth. Ricky Thornton was the $1,000 TiLUBE Challenge winner earlier in the evening while Richie Gustin pocketed $500 for taking the Second Chance Showdown. Brandon Pruitt took advantage of his outside front row starting position, grabbed the lead immediately and held off some heavy competition in leading all of the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car feature. Shaun Wirtz caught Bryant Johnson using the top of the track and led the last 10 circuits to top the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock main. The victory was the second [Read More]

Soppe speeds to topless win at Maquoketa

By Rob Hinckley MAQUOKETA, Iowa (Aug. 3) – As the yellow flag waved the car may have slowed down, but Tyler Soppe’s mind kicked into high gear. “I really didn’t want to see those cautions, but that’s part of it,” Soppe said. He reformed strategy and still raced to the 30-lap B&D Pit Stop IMCA Northern SportMod topless special win Saturday evening at Maquoketa Speedway. “Obviously the place to be was on the bottom (groove),” Soppe added in Hoker Trucking / C&W Trucking / Kam Koncepts Victory Circle. “We used where we needed to get to the front. The yellows hurt as the car was bogging down at the end. I knew guys like the 12D and 21 were close and we were able to pull away some.” Soppe won his heat from the front row and redrew No. 8 for the feature. He was one of two cars that utilized the middle groove early and took the point from T.J. Fortmann on lap three. A lap two caution sent four of the top six [Read More]

Gansen rolls to Dubuque IMCA Modified win

By Rob Hinckley DUBUQUE, Iowa (Aug. 4) – He hit the gas early and never looked back. Matt Gansen raced to the front from his fifth starting position and won his second race in the last three tries at Dubuque Speedway Sunday evening. The Merfeld Brothers Automotive IMCA Modified ace took the non-stop 20-lap affair over early leader Timmy Current, Bryce Garnhart, Jed Freiburger and Jeff Larson. Jason Roth finally got the monkey off his back in the Peosta Warehousing Logistics IMCA Northern SportMod 15-lap finale. After leading the previous three, he kept it on top this night for the win. Fellow Wisconsin driver Travis Fecht, Jake Murphy, Justin Becker and Mitch Current followed. Becker started the race in the rear. Cole Mather topped the K Motorsports IMCA Stock Car 10-lap feature one more time. Freiburger, in Justin Brimeyer’s machine, Reece Norton and Kenny Taylor were next. Daniel Wauters made a late slide job on Shane Oberbreckling work and hung on to win the Kinsella Concrete IMCA Hobby Stock 10-lap main. Brian Brunscheen, Brandon White [Read More]

IMCA Modified stars will shine at Aug. 8-10 Hancock County Speedway specials

BRITT, Iowa – The stars of the IMCA Modified galaxy shine on three consecutive rich nights of racing at Hancock County Speedway. The Night of 1,000 Stars on Thursday, Aug. 8 pays a guaranteed $3,500 to win and $250 to start, plus a bonus of $1,000 to the leader at halfway and another $1,000 if the winner has perfect attendance at Britt this season. Winning the Night of 10,000 Stars on Friday, Aug. 9 pays $7,000, plus $1,000 bonuses to the halfway leader, for perfect attendance and for having won on Thursday as well. A minimum of $300 will be paid to start that main event. And the Saturday, Aug. 10 Bob Shryock Memorial All Stars pays $3,000 to win and a minimum of $250 to start. Thirty cars start three-wide in 50-lap main events on Thursday and Friday. Twenty-four cars take the green in Saturday’s 40-lapper. All three events are draw/redraw, are qualifiers for the 2020 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot and will be broadcast by IMCA.TV. IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National, Side [Read More]