Ryan Clark

Return to Hancock County, Hobo 100 win result in career-best payday for Cornelius

BRITT, Iowa (July 26) – Dean Cornelius came to Britt Friday night with the same setup that had put him in Hancock County Speedway’s victory lane in May. He left town with the Hobo 100 IMCA Sunoco Stock Car feature win and a career-best payday of $4,300. Curt Lund made it a back-and-forth battle before Cornelius regained the upper hand. Jake Masters challenged late but couldn’t catch the leader before the checkers flew at the end of the caution-free 25-lapper. “I was faster off turn four,” Cornelius said of the duel with Masters. “I knew I’d be all right if I didn’t make a mistake and just kept doing what I was doing.” Cornelius had started fourth and passed Ned Kalis and then Lund for the lead. Thirteenth starting Matt Speckman, Lund and 14th starting Derek Green completed the top five. Cayden Carter advanced 10 positions to sixth. A first-time Hobo 100 entrant, Cornelius ran second after starting dead last in his heat race. “We won there in May and came back with the same setup. [Read More]

Last-minute campaigns underway for Super Tuesday IMCA Fast Shafts All-Star voting

VINTON, Iowa (July 29) – IMCA Modified candidates have today to do last-minute campaigning before Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballots are cast. Twenty-eight of the 30 drivers starting the All-Star Invitational will be elected on Super Tuesday tomorrow, July 30: All voting will be through the IMCA Facebook page with the electronic polls open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. CST. The top three vote recipients from each of the five Modified regions are guaranteed starting spots, with their region of candidacy determined by where they made the majority of their IMCA sanctioned starts. The next 13 drivers with the highest vote totals, regardless of region, become All-Stars. Completing the field will be drivers with the top national point total and with the most 40-point feature wins as of Aug. 29 competing at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. The $1,000 to win, 30-lap event will be held Sept. 6 at Boone Speedway. All-Star drivers receive firesuits from Velocita and mini-replica drive shafts from event title sponsor Fast Shafts by Axle Exchange. [Read More]

Deery Series has new point leader for Friday show at Lee County

DONNELLSON, Iowa – There’s a new point leader when the Deery Brothers Summer Series makes its much anticipated return to Lee County Speedway this Friday. The Aug. 2 event at Donnellson is the fifth installment of the 2019 IMCA Late Model tour. Joel Callahan of Dubuque is one of the four different drivers with series wins thus far and put his name at the top of the point standings with a fifth place finish last Wednesday at West Union. Friday’s main event, the 495th in series history, pays $2,000 to win and a minimum of $300 to start. Pit gates are open all day. The grandstand opens at 5:30 p.m., hot laps are at 7 p.m. with racing to follow. Spectator admission is $15 for adults, $13 for seniors, $5 off for veterans, $8 for students ages 11-17 and free for ages 10 and under. Pit passes are $30 for adults, $20 for kids ages 7 to 13, $15 for ages 4-6 and $5 for three and under. Also running are IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, Karl [Read More]

Gretz, Dix, Schneider win Big Three

By Greg Aregoni FRANCIS CREEK, Wis. (July 27) – Greg Gretz held off a hard-charging Josh Long to claim the IMCA Modified feature win Saturday at 141 Speedway. It was his first win of the season. Gretz started up front and his racer was on point for 20 straight laps as he never relinquished the lead, while Long started ninth and quickly worked his way through the field. Long got to the second spot only to see the leader using a perfect line. Long searched high and low around the 1/3 mile but could never find enough to get past. An instant classic, as they say in the sports world, is what the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car feature brought to the table. Larry Karcz Jr. started off up front and looked to have his night all planned out in victory lane. Unfortunately for Karcz, Rick Dix decided not to settle for third. Dix ran the bottom in the early stages but decided to go out of line with Todd Augustian and make a charge back to [Read More]

IMCA Harris Clash returns to Deer Creek Speedway Aug. 6

SPRING VALLEY, Minn. – The Harris Clash returns to Deer Creek Speedway on Aug. 6, with IMCA Modifieds and Karl Kustoms Northern SportMods headlining the 28th annual event. Modifieds race for $3,000 to win, plus a $500 bonus if their chassis was built by a Manufacturers’ Cup participant, along with 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 Tuesday night main event. IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National and E3 Spark Plugs Minnesota State points will be awarded in both divisions; Modifieds also earn Side Biter Chassis North Central Region points. Pit gates at Spring Valley open at 3 p.m. and the grandstand opens at 4 p.m. Hot laps are at 6 p.m. with the drivers’ meeting and racing to follow. Spectator admission is $20 [Read More]

Johnson brothers square off in Norfolk feature

By Randy Pospishil sports@norfolkdailynews.com NORFOLK, Neb. (July 27) – When racing returned to Off Road Speedway Saturday night after a two-week hiatus, results included a battle between brothers, a pair of first-time winners, and a sixth trip to victory lane for a driver in the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock division. In the IMCA Late Model feature, brothers Jim and Chris Johnson pulled away from a 15-car field to wage a two-car competition, which dated back several years, according to Jim. “We’ve raced against each other a lot of times in 31 years, but going head-to-head like this hasn’t happened a lot of times, but enough times,” Jim said. “We used to share a stock car back in 1988; he’d run at Hartington, and I’d race it at Riviera. When Hartington’s track closed we each had to have our own cars.” The brothers continued to race stock cars for a number of years, until eventually switching over to compete in the Late Model division. Jim, who is two years younger than his brother, burst into the [Read More]

Duke wins Clinton County PASS battle

By Frank Buhrman LOCK HAVEN, PA. (July 26) – Ken Duke Jr. emerged from an intense, nearly race-long three-car battle to win the 25-lap IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car event co-sponsored by the Pennsylvania Sprint Series and Laurel Highlands Sprint Series Friday at Clinton County Motor Speedway. Duke took his sixth PASS event of the season and third at Lock have. Most of the race was a dogfight between Duke, polesitter John Walp and outside front-row starter Dylan Proctor, with Proctor leading the most laps but all three drivers taking turns at the front. After Duke, who had started third, grabbed the lead for the final time, Walp spun and had to restart in the rear. That enabled sixth starting Jack Frye to move into third but he was unable to challenge for the lead. Scott Ellerman finished fourth and Scott Lutz finished fifth. Feature results – 1. Ken Duke Jr.; 2. Dylan Proctor; 3. Jake Frye; 4. Scott Ellerman; 5. Scott Lutz; 6. Reed Thompson; 7. Dakota Schweikart; 8. Jeffrey Weaver; 9. Dale Schweikart; 10. Tylor [Read More]

IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National Point Standings through July 25

IMCA Modifieds – 1. Jordan Grabouski, Beatrice, Neb., 1,189; 2. Kelly Shryock, Fertile, Iowa, 1,158; 3. Anthony Roth, Columbus, Neb., 1,148; 4. William Gould, Calera, Okla., 1,111; 5. Shane DeMey, Denison, Iowa, 1,106; 6. Joel Rust, Grundy Center, Iowa, 1,099; 7. David Goode Jr., Copperas Cove, Texas, 1,094; 8. Chris Morris, Taylor, Texas, 1,081; 9. Clay Money, Penokee, Kan., 1,061; 10. Tim Ward, Chandler, Ariz., 1,051; 11. Zachary Madrid, Tucson, Ariz., 1,035; 12. Jarett Franzen, Maquoketa, Iowa, 1,030; 13. Jeremy Mills, Britt, Iowa, 1,014; 14. Jim Thies, Mapleton, Iowa, 1,001; 15. Kelsie Foley, Tucson, Ariz., 995; 16. Aaron Johnson, Brainerd, Minn., 987; 17. Kevin Green, Waco, Texas, 980; 18. Sean Barragan, Sergeant Bluff, Iowa, 973; 19. Jeff “Bubba” Stafford Jr., Wittmann, Ariz., 939; 20. Cody Knecht, Whittemore, Iowa, 938. IMCA Late Models – 1. Matt Ryan, Davenport, Iowa, 593; 2. Cory Dumpert, York, Neb., 592; 3. Jeff Aikey, Cedar Falls, Iowa, and Jeremiah Hurst, Dubuque, Iowa, both 583; 5. Justin L. Kay, Wheatland, Iowa, 582; 6. Andy Nezworski, Buffalo, Iowa, 575; 7. Todd Malmstrom, Hampton, Ill., 553; [Read More]

IMCA’s best Modified drivers battle in Harris Auto Racing Race of Champions

BOONE, Iowa – It’s been one of the biggest Modified races on the IMCA schedule for more than three decades. And Jason Wolla will return to Boone Speedway in September, looking to defend his Harris Auto Racing Race of Champions title on the biggest stage in all of dirt track racing. The 31st annual Harris Race of Champions matches 12 of IMCA’s best Modified drivers in a 12-lap contest on Saturday, Sept. 7, the final day of the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. Wolla became the 22nd different driver, and the first from North Dakota, to win the Harris RoC. He appreciates the achievement every bit as much today as he did while standing trophy in hand on the infield stage last September. “Any time you go to Boone and compete with that level of racers, it’s a big deal. “I enjoyed the race and hopefully we can repeat,” said IMCA’s 2017 national champion. “It means a lot to have this win on your resume.” Two hundred and five drivers, from 23 states and [Read More]

Abelson captures Dirt Knight Tour bounty at BVR

ALTA, Iowa (July 24) – Add a new title to Chris Abelson’s racing resume: Bounty hunter. Abelson led all 30 laps of Wednesday’s Arnold Motor Supply Dirt Knights Tour main event at Buena Vista Raceway, earning $2,000 for the IMCA Modified feature victory plus the $500 bounty offered to the driver who could stop Richie Gustin’s series streak. Abelson drew the pole and tussled with California challenger Cody Laney before and after restarts on the 18th circuit. The last 12 laps ran green. Laney stayed close but had to settle for second. Gustin, chasing a record fourth straight tour victory, started seventh and finished third. Completing the top five were in the Al Ritts Memorial race were Joel Rust and Kelly Shryock. Hard charger Craig Reetz started 10th and finished 10th. Abelson was already on the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot. His third feature win of the season was his Arnold Motor Supply Dirt Knights Tour career sixth. The 2016 tour champion also won at BVR in 2011 and 2016. Other Wednesday winners at Alta were Stefan [Read More]