Ryan Clark

Leraas spins, wins at Shenandoah

By Jim Haines SHENANDOAH, Va. (April 21) – After an early spin, Mike Leraas raced to the front of the field to take his first Virginia Sprint Series win of the season Saturday at Shenandoah Speedway. Chris Ware and Bill Rice pacing the IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car field to green and stayed side-by-side before an early yellow flew. Rice got the lead on the restart with Tony Harris all over him and Ware in third. Harris worked his way to the front on lap seven but Leraas was gaining speed on the bottom and closing in after passing Rice for second. As the laps wound down Leraas, used a low line to take the lead just as Ware got by Rice for third. Leraas was fastest on the bottom as he flashed under the checkered flag with a five car length cushion over Harris. Ware was third. The next race scheduled is a return to Natural Bridge Speedway on Saturday, May 12.

IMCA Modifieds are new at Crowley’s Ridge Raceway

PARAGOULD, Ark. – The race track that’s been featured on the big screen and small screens all across the country will feature IMCA Modifieds beginning this season. Crowley’s Ridge Raceway opens Saturday, April 28. IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National, Jet Racing Central Region, Arkansas State and track points will be awarded through Sept. 29. “My dad raced and when I came back to Arkansas in 1986, I decided to build a track,” explained Trent Francis, who now operates the quarter-mile red clay oval with his wife Brenda and daughters Paige and Peggy. “I went to the Race For Hope (at Batesville Motor Speedway) last fall and met with IMCA about sanctioning.” “We average 100 cars and have a capacity crowd every night,” continued Francis, who talks racing regularly with I-30 Speedway promoter Tracey Clay. “We have been a Modified track for 16 years but basically in the last five years guys have gotten crazy with big engines racing for $400 to win. I got tired of handing the check to the guy who spent [Read More]

IMCA Modifieds return to Sycamore Speedway in Illinois this weekend

MAPLE PARK, Ill. – A berth on the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot is at stake when IMCA Modifieds return to Sycamore Speedway for a Saturday, April 28 show. The main event at the 3/8-mile clay oval at Maple Park, Ill., pays $1,200 to win and a minimum of $150 to start with up to 15 entries; the winner earns $1,500 if there are more than 16 entries. IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National, Side Biter Chassis North Central Region and Illinois State points will be awarded. There is no entry fee and pit passes are $30. Grandstand admission is $12 for adults, $5 for kids ages 5-11 and free for four and under. Gates open at 4 p.m. and the grandstand opens at 6 p.m. The drivers’ meeting also starts at 6 p.m. with hot laps and racing to follow. More information is available from General Manager Tiffany Olson at 815 895-5454, on Facebook and Twitter. The track website is www.sycamorespeedway.com. A smartphone app can also be downloaded from the Apple App Store or [Read More]

Smith scores PASS win at Port Royal

PORT ROYAL, Pa. (April 21) – Kyle Smith was the winner when the Pennsylvania Sprint Series returned to Port Royal Speedway Saturday for Beer Hill Cup race number two of the season. Dylan Shatzer ran the middle groove while others ran the high side and led the first four laps. Christian Rumsey took over up front before Smith used a lap seven restart to gain the lead. Jeff Miller Jr. garnered a second place finish while hard-charging Darren Miller ran out of laps and settled for third. Unseasonable temperatures had officials expecting a car count in the mid-20s but a warmer than anticipated weekend helped put 40 IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Cars in the pits for the Alan Kumpf benefit event. Kumpf ran the number 40 which matched the unexpected car count. Many PASS teams made their first start of the season and Western Pennsylvania racers eager to get started traveled to the Speed Palace. A total of $821 was raised for the family of Kumpf, who was a part-time racer for more than a decade [Read More]

Kay takes Deery Brothers cash at Tipton again

By Mike McGuire TIPTON, Iowa (April 21) – Justin Kay continued his winning streak at Cedar County Raceway in Saturday’s 2018 Deery Brothers Summer Series opener. However, Kay needed nearly all the 50 laps of the IMCA Late Model tour main event to get the job done. “This is probably one of the tracks in the area I have some of the most laps on. It’s 25 miles from our shop and where I started 15 years ago in a 4-cylinder,” he said. “I just love that place.” Ryan Dolan jumped out to the early lead from the pole. As Dolan pulled away, the third-starting Kay and Andy Eckrich became locked in a fierce battle for second. The pair swapped the position several times before Terry Neal used the very bottom groove to work his way into second. Unfortunately, Neal’s race ended several laps later as he coasted into the infield. Kay finally managed to shake Eckrich with 10 laps to go and started to chase down the leader. He drove around Dolan with five [Read More]

IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National Point Standings Through April 19

IMCA Modifieds – 1. Chaz Baca, Mesa, Ariz., 929; 2. Hunter Marriott, Brookfield, Mo., 596; 3. Jeffrey Abbey, Comanche, Texas, 588; 4. Colin Deming, Hobbs, N.M., 581; 5. Kelsie Foley, Tucson, Ariz., 563; 6. William Gould, Calera, Okla., 451; 7. Matt Guillaume, Haslet, Texas, 444; 8. Cody Laney, Torrance, Calif., 426; 9. Rob Slott, New Waverly, Texas, 417; 10. Marlyn Seidler, Underwood, N.D., 411; 11. Cory Sample, Winnemucca, Nev., 407; 12. Ricky Thornton Jr., Clive, Iowa, and Chase Allen, Midlothian, Texas, both 404; 14. Chris Bragg, Springtown, Texas, 386; 15. Spencer Wilson, Minot, N.D., 382; 16. Brent Schlafmann, Bismarck, N.D., 373; 17. Jason Noll, Peoria, Ariz., 370; 18. Josh McGaha, Abilene, Texas, 368; 19. Brandon Hood, McGregor, Texas, 359; 20. Chad Melton, Mineral Wells, Texas, 356. IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Cars – 1. Austin Mundie, Carrollton, Texas, 148; 2. Marcus Thomas, Corsicana, Texas, 141; 3. Shane Gloeckler, Joshua, Texas, 140; 4. Blake Baccus, Crandall, Texas, 127; 5. Logan Scherb, Decatur, Texas, 122; 6. Grant Duinkerken, Riverdale, Calif., Trey Schmidt, Spring, Texas, and Mark Klis, Waxahachie, Texas, [Read More]

Inclement weather postpones Modified Stampede at Dodge City

By Lonnie Wheatley DODGE CITY, Kan. – Mother Nature continues her domination of Dodge City Raceway Park in 2018 with Saturday’s scheduled event atop the 3/8-mile clay oval in southwest Kansas postponed due to inclement weather. With forecasts of excessive rain and frigid temperatures, Saturday’s sixth annual Modified Stampede has been rescheduled for Saturday night, May 19. The event will feature a $750 winner’s share for IMCA Modifieds with Precise Racing Products DCRP Sprint Cars, IMCA SportMods, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars and IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks in action as well. With the opener nixed for a third consecutive time, Dodge City Raceway Park will now kick off the 2018 season on Saturday, May 5, with a full card of championship chase action.

17 builders enter 10th annual IMCA Manufacturer’s Cup contest

VINTON, Iowa – Seventeen chassis builders vie for national and regional honors in IMCA’s 10th annual Manufacturer’s Cup contest. The national crown will be accompanied by a $500 prize and trophy while plaques go to the top builder in each of the five Modified regions. Standings will again be based on makes of chassis driven by top 10 drivers in each region. 2018 champions will be named based on points for individual regions while the builder with the highest point total overall will be named IMCA’s national Manufacturer of the Year. “Many of the best chassis builders in the nation are part of this program,” noted IMCA Marketing Director Kevin Yoder. “We are coming off the best year in contest history, with different winners in each of the five regions and a close contest nation-wide that sets up a good encore for 2018.” First-time Manufacturer’s Cup entries are Fury Chassis of Stuart, Neb., Lethal Chassis of Mooresville, N.C., and Longhorn Chassis of Trinity, N.C. Builders returning to Cup competition include B & B Racing Chassis [Read More]

IMCA.TV broadcasts details of awards for feature winners, early Super Nationals entries

SILVER BAY, Minn. – Win an IMCA feature this season and you could tune in to watch yourself take the checkers courtesy of IMCA.TV. The official network of the International Motor Contest Association gives a free one-year membership to the winner of a monthly drawing; drivers in all divisions who won sanctioned features will be entered, with drawings held through the end of the calendar year. IMCA.TV features live streaming subscription races with replay archives. Viewers can tune in to the biggest specials, series and weekly racing events on their computer, tablet or mobile phone. In addition, IMCA.TV will award a complimentary pay-per-view six-day America’s Racin’ Vacation package to the first pre-entered Modified driver from each state competing for the first time at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. Those entries will be accepted beginning Monday, June 4. “The popularity of the TV broadcasts is growing and there was a mutual desire to give back to the racers who put on some of these great shows,” said IMCA Marketing Director Kevin Yoder. “This is a program designed to [Read More]

IMCA Modifieds on Friday card at Southern Oklahoma

ARDMORE, Okla. – IMCA Modifieds make their first of seven Friday night appearances at Southern Oklahoma Speedway on April 20. Pit gates and the grandstand both open at 5 p.m., hot laps are at approximately 6:30 p.m. and racing starts at 7:30 p.m. IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National, Jet Racing Central Region or Razor Chassis South Central Region, Oklahoma State and track points will be awarded. Other upcoming Friday events for IMCA Modifieds at Southern Oklahoma are May 18, June 1 and 15, July 20, Aug. 17 and Sept. 14. The Sprint Series of Oklahoma is also on tomorrow night’s card at Ardmore. Grandstand admission is $15 for adults, $10 for ages 6-12 and free for five and under. Pit passes are $30.