Feature Archives

Notable season sees Shepperd change dynamics in drive to IMCA Southern SportMod national crown

WACO, Texas (Oct. 21, 2024) – Twenty years after he first gave any thought to being an IMCA national champion, Jeff Shepperd has started making notes about who all to thank when his turn comes to speak at the IMCA awards banquet in November. Shepperd won 13 features, along with the track title at Cotton Bowl Speedway, in racing to the 2024 Smiley’s Racing Products IMCA Southern SportMod national crown. “We basically did the same thing we’ve always done,” said the veteran from Waco, more than a little motivated to run for the top spot on the podium this year after his national runner-up finish last season. “We tried to bring the best prepared car to the track that we could, and we tried to get a little bit more sponsor help throughout the year to keep fresh tires on the car, which I think is a huge key in this division.” “Everything we have, motor, transmission, rear end, we try to get the best we can get. Other than that, we just try to [Read More]

Wisdom, Batt, Spalding each bank $2,000 at Southern Challenge

ABILENE, Texas (Oct. 19, 2024) – Kyle Wisdom had impressed at last year’s Southern Challenge Ryan Bard Memorial, racing from his ‘B’ feature to finish fourth in the Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature. He turned heads again at Abilene Speedway’s 30th annual season-ending event on Saturday night, this time winning the main event and $2,000. “I’ve run second here in a SportMod a couple times and raced the Southern Challenge in a Modified four times but have never been able to win it before,” said the hometown hotshoe, newly eligible to qualify for the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational. “It’s something every driver around here wants to do. It means a lot.” Wisdom had started from the pole in the Friday night qualifier but was a DNF after getting into the wall with six laps left. Returning to the speedway the next day, he made the most of Scotty Cook’s expertise and the track wrecker “to correct the geometry” and got the wheels and tires on with all of three minutes to spare before hot laps. Wisdom [Read More]

Never give up attitude drives Dumpert to record sixth straight national crown in IMCA Late Model

NEWMAN GROVE, Neb. (Oct. 17, 2024) – While there’s a lot to be said for consistency, Cory Dumpert credited a never give up approach to his latest IMCA Sunoco Late Model national championship season. The Newman Grove, Neb., driver collected 15 feature wins en route to his sixth consecutive national title, a record for IMCA’s modern (1979-) era. “That’s pretty cool, surreal, really,” said Dumpert, also the Nebraska State champion for a sixth straight season, as well as track champion at both Boone County Raceway and Off Road Speedway. “We started racing a Late Model with IMCA in 2019 and while we’ve had a lot of success since then, this season was definitely the most challenging and our most rewarding championship.” “Consistency was important – on paper it shows 38 top five’s – but there was a lot of stuff that happened that we had to overcome, too,” he’d add. “It was a terrible year with some of the mechanical stuff that happened but it was still a very rewarding year.” “We just never gave up.” [Read More]

Winter Nationals title gives boost to Baca in race to second straight IMCA Modified national crown

MESA, Ariz. (Oct. 16, 2024) – After penciling out his 2024 race schedule, Chaz Baca figured he had a pretty good shot at winning a second straight Friesen Performance IMCA national championship. And after racing to a confidence boosting IMCA.TV Winter Nationals crown, he did just that. “It was a goal from the start this year. We saw the weekly schedules that we were going to be able to do in Arizona and thought we’d have plenty of races to be able to do it again,” explained the Mesa speedster, who’d become the first driver from Arizona to win an IMCA national crown last year. “After the way Winter Nationals went, we thought we had a pretty good shot at it and we just ran for it right away.” Baca totaled a single-season best 28 feature wins in his ninth Modified campaign while adding his fourth Shaw Race Cars Western Region crown in five years and fifth straight and career seventh Arizona State title to his IMCA resume. He also won Modified track titles at [Read More]

IMCA announces 2024 national champions

VINTON, Iowa (Oct. 15, 2024) – Record-setting racers and first-time kings and a queen are among the 2024 national champions announced today by IMCA. Mike Nichols’ 13th IMCA Sunoco Stock Car crown is the most all-time in IMCA while Cory Dumpert’s sixth straight IMCA Sunoco Late Model title sets a new record for the sanctioning body in its modern (1979-) era. Kaylee Richards became the first driver to win both a national championship, in the Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compacts, and Lady Eagle award. Other first-time national champs were Lee Goos Jr. in the IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car and Jeff Shepperd in the Smiley’s Racing Products IMCA Southern SportMods. Matthew Looft’s Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod title was his career seventh, Dillon Raffurty’s Stealth Racing IMCA STARS Mod Lite crown his career fourth. Chaz Baca went back-to-back in the Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds and Cory Probst topped the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock standings for the second time. A 30-time feature winner, Nichols complemented his latest national title with EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region and Crawford County Speedway, [Read More]

Berry brings broom to Batesville’s IMCA Race for Hope 71

BATESVILLE, Ark. (Oct. 12, 2024) – The last thing Tom Berry Jr. loaded in his trailer Saturday night was the broom. Berry completed his three-night sweep of Batesville Motor Speedway’s Race for Hope 71, leading all 71 laps of the $7,500 to win Friesen Performance IMCA Modified main event. Coupled with $2,500 feature wins Thursday and Friday and a $2,500 bonus for winning all three nights, his weekend take added up to $15,000. “It was an awesome payday,” acknowledged Berry, already Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifying eligible. “I had it in my mind going down there that I might be able to win three in a row if everything worked out the way we needed it to.” “Also, I was alone this weekend. I had no crew, it was just me and my dog Sidekick,” he added. “I had a few people jump in and help me with the fuel stop but other than that it was a one man band all weekend, so to run that good being alone was pretty cool.” Berry, third [Read More]

DeVilbiss delivers another big money IMCA win at Batesville

BATESVILLE, Ark. (Oct. 12, 2024) – Another big money race at Batesville Motor Speedway ended with Zane DeVilbiss taking home the big money. The Farmington, N.M., flyer led the last 33 of 50 laps in winning Saturday’s Schoenfeld Headers Mid-America IMCA Sunoco Stock Car Championship. “The track’s been beautiful. That’s why we love coming to Batesville. I drive 17 hours to race here,” said DeVilbiss, trying to make himself heard over the noise of the fireworks that followed his run to the $10,000 checkers. “I wish this was my home track.” Those sentiments are understandable as DeVilbiss raced to a career-best $50,000 payday at Batesville’s IMCA Modified Race for Hope 71 in 2021. Third in last year’s Mid-America main event, he started outside Dallon Murty on the front row and chased the Chelsea Charger the first 17 times around the track. DeVilbiss was scored in the lead by all of nine thousandths of a second on the next circuit. Murty stayed close while Peyton Taylor rallied after restarting at the tail early on, racing into [Read More]

Czarneski stars at 141 Car Wars finale

By Joe Verdegan FRANCIS CREEK, Wis. (Oct. 11, 2024) – 2024 track champion Cole Czarneski stormed past Shawn Kilgore on a lap nine restart into the lead and cruised to victory in the Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature at 141 Speedway’s Car Wars curtain closer. The victory was worth $2,000 and Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifying eligibility for the second-generation ace. Kilgore swapped the lead with fellow front row starter Cody Apfelbeck for the first several circuits. While that scrum was going on up front, Czarneski, who started 10th on the grid, quickly threaded his way through traffic, jumping into the third spot on lap four. Czarneski quickly closed in on the lead duo and a three car duel quickly evolved for the lead. Czarneski worked the high line inches from the concrete retaining wall and the lead trio began weaving through lapped cars by lap eight. A lap nine yellow tightened up the field and when racing resumed, Czarneski made his move. Czarneski skillfully weaved his way through those lapped cars and fought off a [Read More]

Bill Bowers Memorial checkers fly for Pearce

By Candice Martin ANTIOCH, Calif. (Oct. 5, 2024) – Andrew Pearce won the 49-lap Friesen Performance IMCA Modified main event Saturday at Antioch Speedway. The occasion was the fifth annual Bill Bowers Memorial. The win was worth $1,500, plus Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifying eligibility and a special winner’s flannel jacket in memory of Bowers. Pearce had won Friday night feature as well. Bobby Hogge IV started on the front row and was looking for his career second win in this event. He charged into the early lead ahead of Pearce and defending race winner Troy Foulger. An outside pass on the front stretch gained Foulger second on lap eight. The yellow flag waved moments later for a Chris Long spin. Hogge continued to lead the restart with Pearce moving back into second. Hogge slowed as Pearce and Foulger raced by. The yellow flag ended up waving on lap nine for Hogge. Pearce led Foulger and Kellen Chadwick on the restart. Following a yellow flag on lap 16 for Randy Shafer, Chadwick moved past Foulger [Read More]

Another rookie finds NY-Penn IMCA Modified success at Woodhull

WOODHULL, N.Y. (Sept. 28, 2024) – Dalton Maynard sold out his crate sportsman equipment and joined the Friesen Performance IMCA Modified ranks for the 2024 Close Racing Supply NY-Penn Series presented by Insinger Performance season. The New Albany, Pa., pilot struggled a bit with the change, with good runs through the season but inconsistent results, as he learned the changes needed in set up and driving style. The S&S Custom Auto Body team showed up at Woodhull Raceway determined to pull out a solidresult in the MJH Oilfield-sponsored season finale and instead of a period, Maynard’s story ended with an exclamation point. After a second place finish in his heat race put him on the inside of the second row for the main, the rookie grabbed the lead on the second lap and fought off every challenge to record his first IMCA feature win, earning $1,000 and Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifying eligibility as well. The redraw put four-time series winner Rodney Morgan on the outside of the front row while three-time winner Keith Lamphere [Read More]