Ryan Clark

22 IMCA rookie winners earn Speedway Motors gift cards

VINTON, Iowa (May 9, 2024) – Twenty-two IMCA rookie drivers have already raced to career-first feature wins this season. Each receives a $50 gift card from Speedway Motors. IMCA Modified rookies winning first features have been J.C. Wilson at Southern Raceway on Feb. 3, William Bartlett at Southern Raceway on April 6 and Blaise Lewis at East Moline Speedway on April 21. April 12 saw a pair of first-year IMCA Late Model drivers in victory lane, Tyler Iverson at Junction Motor Speedway and Mitch Morris at Davenport Speedway. Stock Car rookies racing to coveted first feature wins were Cutter Spalding at Heart O’ Texas Speedway on March 1, Tate Elkins at Two Dollar Pistol Motor Speedway on March 30, Nick Posey at Central Arizona Raceway on April 13 and Colby Fett at Clay County Fair Speedway on April 15. Payce Herrera paced the Feb. 17 Hobby Stock headliner at Mohave Valley Raceway. SportMod winners included Tyler Johnson at Central Arizona Raceway on Jan. 26, Blaine Smith at Kennedale Speedway Park on March 30, Barry Halley [Read More]

$2,000 is top check at Hancock County’s IMCA Spring Fling SportMod Nationals

BRITT, Iowa (May 8, 2024) – The stars of IMCA’s Northern SportMod division will shine the brightest next Monday night at The Home of the Stars, Hancock County Speedway. Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods race for $2,000 to win and a minimum of $200 to start their May 13 Spring Fling Nationals main event. The runner-up earns $1,250, third place is good for $1,000 and fourth place pays $700. Tow money is $75 and entry fee is $50. SportMods can also pre-register on My Race Pass. Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds run for $1,000 to win and $100 to start, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars for $750 to win and $75 to start in their respective All-Star Invitational qualifying eligibility features. Top check in the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock feature is $400. All classes are draw/redraw. The Spring Fling SportMod Nationals are presented by Gold-Eagle Cooperation and will be broadcast by IMCA.TV. Pit gates open and the grandstand opens at 5 p.m. Hot laps are at 7 p.m. with racing to follow. Pit passes are $35 Friday’s early Mother’s [Read More]

$750 top prize, All-Star eligibility are at stake for IMCA Stock Cars Friday at CJ Speedway

COLUMBUS JUNCTION, Iowa (May 9, 2024) – Both a $750 top check and B & B Racing Chassis All-Star Invitational qualifying eligibility are on the line for IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars Friday night at CJ Speedway. Race night sponsor Superior Steering Wheels and Graphics has added to purses for each sanctioned class running May 10 at the Louisa County Fairgrounds venue. The Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature now pays $900 to win – that amount will be bumped up and the race would be a Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational event if additional sponsors kick in another $100 – and both IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock and Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod features pay $700 to win. Runner-up in the Hobby Stock feature earns $425. Pit gates at Columbus Junction open at 5:30 p.m. and the grandstand opens at 6 p.m. Hot laps are at 6:30 p.m. with racing to follow. Spectator admission is $10. Pit passes are $30.

Notable IMCA Northern SportMod win is Carter’s career 100th

OSKALOOSA, Iowa (May 6, 2024) – The details of Brayton Carter’s racing career are recorded in a growing collection of notebooks, detailing everything from where he started to where he finished. The footnote to the May 6 Monday Night Madness main event at Independence Motor Speedway was that it was the 100th feature win of his Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod career. “It’s huge,” the Oskaloosa driver said after becoming just the ninth driver in division history to reach the triple digit mark. “We’ve always tried to be consistent. We’ve gone out every race and tried to do our best.” Carter has consistently been among the best in the class since his rookie campaign and particularly over the last five seasons, averaging 16 feature wins per. He’s captured five track championships, including three straight at Stuart Speedway from 2020-2022, and is coming off a career-best 23-win campaign last year. Four of those 2023 checkers came at Indee, where Carter has now won all five of his career starts. “I like tracks like Marshalltown, Stuart, Cedar County and [Read More]

Shootout sees All Stars of IMCA in action May 22-25

ARDMORE, Okla. (May 9, 2024) – Three IMCA divisions are back in All Star action before the Memorial Day holiday. Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds run for $1,000 to win and $100 to start, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars and Smiley’s Racing Products IMCA Southern SportMods both for $750 to win and $75 to start at All Star Shootout events fueled by IMCA.TV on May 22 at Southern Oklahoma Speedway, May 23 at Grayson County Speedway, May 24 at Heart O’ Texas Speedway and May 25 at Kennedale Speedway Park. Point fund shares will be paid out in all three divisions. Should all four events be held as scheduled, the top drivers in points for Modifieds and Stock Cars will be eligible to qualify for their respective race of champions at the upcoming IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s while the SportMod champion is guaranteed a starting spot in the IMCA Southern SportMod Super Nationals powered by Smiley’s Racing Products main event at KSP in September. Bonus money is also at stake for the Modifieds, [Read More]

Berry continues fast start to season with IMCA Modified Monday Night Madness win

INDEPENDENCE, Iowa (May 6, 2024) – Tom Berry Jr. made his first racing visit to Independence Motor Speedway while testing the Friesen Performance IMCA Modified competition in the Midwest nine years ago. He returned to win the Monday Night Madness Summer Challenge Series opener, leading all 30 laps and pocketing $2,000. “We’ve definitely had a good start to the year,” understated Berry, after wheeling the fastest of 44 Modified entries to victory lane. “There was a stout field of cars here tonight and they did a great job with the track. You could run different lines. I could move around when I needed to.” Ethan Braaksma, another driver who’s enjoyed a good start to the season, was second and Tim Ward was third. Joel Rust and Spencer Diercks completed the top five. Berry won his heat from seventh starting to earn the pole for the main event. Braaksma mounted an early challenge and back-to-back cautions flew before the last nine laps ran green. Berry stretched out his advantage over the last five of those circuits [Read More]

Cram racing to remember a brother who protected, served

ALGONA, Iowa (May 3, 2024) – Randy Cram will remember an important member of his race team every night at the track this season. Cram’s brother Kevin, an officer with the Algona Police Department, was killed in the line of duty last September. In his memory, Cram’s Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod sports a wrap designed by Elite Signs that incorporates Kevin’s badge on the nose and roof, his badge number and the slogan I’ll Finish This Fight on both sail panels and Iowa Concerns for Police Survivors (or COPS) logos on both door panels. “We’ve finished top 10 before. Hopefully, maybe this year we can get a top five,” said Cram, who will race Thursdays at hometown track Kossuth County Speedway, Fridays at Hancock County Speedway in Britt and select Saturdays at Boone Speedway. “Of course, the best scenario would be to win a race for him but that’s a lot to ask for. I’m going against the Fett brothers and Matt Looft. There’s a lot of good competition to go up against here.” “We’ve got to [Read More]

Familiar faces find victory lane at Benton County Speedway

VINTON, Iowa (May 5) – Drivers who’ve experienced their share of success at Benton County Speedway added to their impressive careers Sunday night at The Bullring. Three drivers who stood atop their respective division’s wins list found victory lane again Sunday night. The all-time leader in Friesen Performance IMCA Modified wins in Vinton, Troy Cordes drove the high side to a thrilling win in the Wright Way Trailers 20-lapper. Jerry Dedrick and Jesse Belez shared time out front before Jacob Snyder raced the low side into the lead a couple laps into the event. While Snyder pulled away, Trevor Fitz raced through traffic from the fourth row and Cordes set sail from row three. With Fitz running low and Cordes up top, Snyder’s pursuers closed in on the race leader before Cordes eventually swept around the outside on the final lap to steal the win. It was his division-leading 64th in weekly racing history at The Bullring. Snyder crossed the line second ahead of a hard-charging Drew Janssen and Ben Chapman. Brandon Tharp led throughout the [Read More]

Eagle win is IMCA Modified first for Harker

By Greg Soukup EAGLE, Neb. (May 4, 2024) – Where could you see 151 cars signed in, running a race program that included five main events, four ‘B’ features, three ‘C’ features and two ‘D’ features and the final checkers at 10:30 p.m.? Eagle Raceway fit that bill Saturday night with IMCA feature wins going to Shawn Harker, Brandon Horton, Kyle Vanover, Dillon Richards and Cole Wayman. Harker’s Friesen Performance IMCA Modified win was his career first win in the class. He’d be in the pits ‘til the wee hours of the morning getting congratulations from friends and fellow racers along with early birthday greetings. “It feels great. We’ve come close a lot of times and this time the circumstances finally worked out for us,” said Harker, who collected track titles at Eagle in 2018 and 2021 while totaling 40 Northern SportMod checkers plus special events wins in Las Vegas and around the Midwest before moving to the Modified three years ago. “Coming to the checkers I thought ‘Finally, I finally got the monkey off [Read More]

Belec tops season opener at Sherman County

By Sheldon Wickwar GOODLAND, Kan. (May 4, 2024) – Score a Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature win for a 16th straight season for Eddie Belec, this one coming on opening night at Sherman County Speedway. The Arvada, Colo., clipper got the lead from the get-go, outrunning Kyle Rohleder and Tony Acierno following the single, early caution. “It was pretty smooth sailing,” Belec said following career win number 62 in the division. “We were nervous our first few seasons in a Modified. We looked around and wondered how the other guys did it, so we’ve come a long ways.” “We’ve had a lot of good help over the years,” he added. “I never thought we would have the success we’ve had.” Other winners were Tyler Tipton in the IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, Cody Williams in the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks, Monty Nordyke in the Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods and Brock Leibhart in the Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compacts. Tipton took the lead early in the Stock Car main, staying in front to the finish as Kolby Stegman [Read More]