Ryan Clark

Thornton takes opening night feature win at Race For Hope 74

By Mike Spieker BATESVILLE, Ark. (Sept. 26) – Picking up where he left off last year, Ricky Thornton Jr. raced to the opening night feature win of Mark Martin’s Race For Hope 74 at Batesville Motor Speedway. Thornton, who is the defending champion of the Race For Hope 74, led all 30 trips around the high-banked three-eighths mile clay oval en route to the Wednesday evening IMCA Modified win. “The car was really good tonight. I was able to jump out front and really run my own race,” said Thornton after the race. “We’ll probably make a few small changes for Saturday but we are excited to roll from the pole.” The top eight finishers in the Wednesday qualifier are locked into Saturday’s $20,000-to win, 74-lap main event. Those drivers include Thornton, Cayden Carter, Jason Hughes, Justin Kay, Drew Armstrong, Ken Schrader, Zack VanderBeek and Joel Rust. Armstrong ran in the runner-up position until the lap 12 restart when Hughes snuck underneath him in turns one and two. On the following circuit, 10th place runner Jake [Read More]

Five IMCA divisions at Sherman County Flatlander

GOODLAND, Kan. – Five IMCA divisions are on the Friday and Saturday, Sept. 28 and 29 Flatlander Fall Classic card at Sherman County Speedway. IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars both race for $1,000 to win, Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMods and IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks for $750 to win and Mach-1 Sport Compacts for $200 to win. Modified features are qualifying events for the 2019 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot. IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National, regional and state points will be given and numerous contingencies awarded for the draw/redraw special. Both race programs get underway at 5:30 p.m. Mountain Time. Pit passes are $30 and camping is $10 a day. More information is available by calling 785 821-1128. Rain date is Sunday, Sept. 30. The Flatlander Festival will be held in Goodland this weekend, with a car show, motorcycle show, vendors and games, among other attractions.

Jones wins first IMCA Modified feature at Southern Oregon

By Don Martin II WHITE CITY, Ore. (Sept. 22) – Holding off late pressure from C.J. Putnam, Preston Jones scored the victory in the 25-lap IMCA Modified main event Saturday at Southern Oregon Speedway. This was the first career win in the division for Jones. Jones passed Jentzen Knips for the lead and was pulling away before a lap 15 caution. After a lap 17 yellow, Putnam made a serious bid to take the lead on the restart and grabbed the spot with an inside pass exiting the fourth turn. The lead was short-lived, however, as Jones beat him back to the line to lead the 19th lap. The front two cars ran closely as Zack Fettinger had settled into the third position. A multi-car tangle brought out the final yellow flag on lap 21. Jones led the restart with Putnam giving him all the pressure he could handle. Putnam attempted to get by several times in the remaining four laps, but Jones held him off for the hard-earned victory. Fettinger finished third. Leading all [Read More]

Schoknecht Memorial is Saturday at Arlington

ARLINGTON, Minn. – More than $20,000 has been added to IMCA Sunoco Stock Car and IMCA Modified purses for Saturday’s Schoknecht Memorial at Arlington Raceway. Stock Cars run for $4,000 to win and Modifieds for $2,000 to win their Sept. 29 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot qualifier. There’s also extra money to be paid to drivers in other classes during the season championship program, which also features IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Cars, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks, Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMods and Mach-1 Sport Compacts. Money added to the purse was donated by individuals and businesses in memory of Scott Schoknecht, a friend of many in the racing community who passed away unexpectedly last summer. The grandstand will open at 1:15 p.m. as go-kart heats begin at 1:30 p.m. and their features are at 3:30 p.m. The big track heats begin at 4 p.m. For additional information, check out the Arlington Raceway website or Facebook site. In the event of rain, the event will be held Sunday, Sept 30 at 3 p.m.

Sheyenne Speedway ends first IMCA Modified season on Sunday

LISBON, N.D. – Sunday’s Battle at the Boneyard wraps up the first season for IMCA Modifieds at Sheyenne Speedway. Track, North Dakota state, Jet Racing Central Region and IMC Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National points are at stake at the Sept. 30 show. Just four points separate the top four drivers going into the finale. Start time is 3 p.m.

Lapped traffic is a late menace before Dennis wins Stuart’s Ron Little Memorial

By Josh Reynolds STUART, Iowa (Sept. 22) – Lapped traffic was almost a factor in the final laps, but Jesse Dennis picked up the IMCA Modified win and $1,500 payday at Stuart Speedway’s Ron Little Memorial. Dennis had taken the lead early in Saturday’s 30-lap race with Red Monson and then Cody Laney in the second spot. Laney made a charge and got up alongside Dennis a few times but couldn’t quite get the pass completed. A couple cautions slowed the field, but each time it was Dennis, Laney and Monson at the front. At the checkered flag it was Dennis picking up the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot-qualifying win. Laney finished second with Monson third, Richie Gustin fourth and Kelly Shryock fifth. One hundred and eighteen cars overflowed the pits for the 20th annual event. Sixth-starting Mike Nichols charged into the lead on lap two and drove to a convincing IMCA Sunoco Stock Car win ahead of Bryan Snell and Brandon Pruitt. Eric Stanton led start to finish in the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock [Read More]

22 candidates added to Fast Shafts ballot

VINTON, Iowa – Another 22 IMCA Modified drivers have raced their way onto the ballot for the 2019 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational. IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s champion Jeff Aikey is part of that elite group of new candidates. All-Star Invitational winner Hunter Marriott was already vote eligible as was Harris Auto Racing Race of Champions winner Jason Wolla, who’d won two East-West Clash features at Gillette before making the tow to Boone. Casey Arneson topped Jamestown Speedway’s Stampede and Kyle Olberding ruled Septemberfest at Beatrice Speedway. Guy Norton and Ryan Roath split Shootout features at Canyon Speedway Park while Trevor Miller was a double winner at Central Arizona’s Hank Arnold Memorial. Darrell Hughes took the big check at Merced Speedway’s Ed Parker Memorial, Alex Stanford scored top honors at Bakersfield Speedway’s Mike Moshier Classic and Anthony Roth paced Dawson County’s Connie Jewett Memorial. Robby Sawyer motored to a pair of All Star Modified Tour checkers. Joel Rust prevailed at the Showdown in MoTown and Michael Hale was a Fall Roundup winner [Read More]

Race For Hope 74 practice, time trials start Tuesday

BATESVILLE, Ark. – Practice and time trials get underway Tuesday night at Batesville Motor Speedway for the top-paying IMCA Modified event of the season. A $20,000 share of the $150,000 Mark and Arlene Martin Hope For Arkansas Foundation Race For Hope 74 main event purse goes to the winner of the Saturday, Sept. 29 headliner. Twenty-seven drivers take the green flag in a race that pays a minimum of $2,000 to start. All IMCA rules will apply and IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Motors Weekly Racing National, Jet Racing Central Region and Arkansas State points will be awarded. Race For Hope 74 will be broadcast by IMCA.TV. Presenting sponsor is Sweet Manufacturing. Fifteen heat races will be held each night Wednesday through Friday. “D,” “C” and “B” races will follow qualifying features those evenings with points to be awarded toward a special race. Both the Race of States, featuring the fastest car from each state that does not qualify for the main event, and the Manufacturers’ race, featuring the fastest non-qualifying car built by each manufacturer [Read More]

Arneson, Krogh have adversaries’ numbers at Jamestown Stampede

JAMESTOWN, N.D. (Sept. 22) – Numerologists in the grandstand had to enjoy the outcome of IMCA Modified and Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMod main events Saturday at Jamestown Speedway’s Stampede. Casey Arneson, driving the number 2 car, topped the $2,000 to win Modified main event while Luke Krogh rode the number 47 Northern SportMod entry to the winner’s circle at the 47th annual event. Arneson had top-three finishes in two previous starts at Jamestown. He caught Dave Shipley for the lead on the 10th of 25 circuits and then outran Allen Kent in the race for the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot qualifying checkers. “It was pretty surreal. I’ve never dreamed of being able to do this,” he said. “My car is number 2, it was Sept. 22 and the only time I looked at a clock during the day, it was 2:22. And I drew two. Shipley, Trent Grager and Dale Mathison completed the top five. Krogh started from the pole put was but back to third after track officials ruled he jumped the initial [Read More]

Olberding overcomes Septemberfest foes for first IMCA Modified win of 2018

BEATRICE, Neb. (Sept. 21-22) – The final night of Beatrice Speedway’s Septemberfest special was the setting for Kyle Olberding’s first IMCA Modified feature win of the season. Olberding’s flag-to-flag, Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot qualifying run to the $2,000 checkers came ahead of a determined Shane Hiatt and helped right the 2018 ship some for the number 75 team. “It worked out perfect for us,” said Olberding, who ran 16th in his Friday night qualifier but finished second in his heat and drew the outside pole for the main event on Saturday. “We had a good car, we got a good start from the original green and led every lap.” Hiatt was following a higher line and made the finish uncomfortably close for Olberding. Justin Jurgens, Jordan Grabouski and Dan Nelson completed the top five. “I concentrated on keeping everybody behind me and hitting my marks,” Olberding said after the 30-lapper. “I was glad I could get this win for my crew, especially after the year I’ve had.” The Septemberfest payday was Olberding’s career best. [Read More]