Feature Archives

Ex-mechanic Mahlberg is Mach-1 Sport Compact national champion

DUNLAP, Iowa – An on-track career that started in a mechanics’ race has taken Caine Mahlberg to an IMCA national championship. The 13-year veteran from Dunlap, Iowa, raced to 17 feature wins and track titles at Shelby County Speedway and Crawford County Speedway in earning the 2021 Mach-1 Sport Compact national crown. “It still hasn’t sunk in yet. I’ve finished second but never even had a track championship before,” said Mahlberg, now sixth on the all-time wins list for 4-cylinder division with 73 career victories. “I know it’s been a long time since an Iowa driver won the national championship (the only other Iowan was Jena Barthelmes, in 2007) because every other year it was somebody from Minnesota or Nebraska, so it means a lot for me to be able to do it.” Mahlberg crewed for brothers Shannon and David before getting behind the wheel himself. “They used to race two man cruisers at Harlan and I used to work on their car all the time,” he explained. “Shannon started racing 4-cylinders and I drove [Read More]

Spangler collects Colorado Stock Car first EQ Cylinder Heads Southern Region crown

DOVE CREEK, Colo. – Early season races in Arizona laid the foundation for Aaron Spangler’s regional championship run. His success at tracks closer to home cemented it. Spangler, from Dove Creek, won 19 IMCA Sunoco Stock Car features in four states to become the first Colorado driver to win the EQ Cylinder Heads Southern Region crown. Three of those wins were complemented by a dozen top five finishes in 21 starts at Grand Canyon State venues. Spangler then won another 16 times in 38 home state, New Mexico and Utah starts. “We were fortunate this year in that we got to spend a lot of the winter racing in Arizona. I was learning and trying some different things the first half of the season and got faster the second half,” he said. “”We’re right in the four corners (geographically) and can go in all directions to race in Colorado, Utah and New Mexico.” Sixth in national standings, Spangler topped Fairgrounds Speedway point standings. His seven wins at Cortez this season included the $1,600 Ute Mountain [Read More]

Keen on weekly track support, Nichols earns 10th Stock crown

HARLAN, Iowa – An achievement that stands out in Mike Nichols’ latest IMCA Sunoco Stock Car national championship season isn’t one he’ll be getting a trophy or plaque for, but it’s one that he’s most proud of. Nichols became the first driver in IMCA’s modern era with 10 national titles while adding 22 feature victories and two track championships to his all-time IMCA best totals in both categories. “One thing that makes me smile is that in today’s age of chasing specials, we supported four weekly tracks that are loyal to IMCA and had perfect attendance at three of them this season,” said Nichols, who ran a Thursday through Sunday gauntlet at U.S. 30 Speedway, Crawford County Speedway, Shelby County Speedway and Dawson County Raceway. “We raced every weekend through our work schedule and still had perfect attendance at three tracks. That’s becoming more rare.” “I’m old school and I’ve been at this longer than almost everybody else,” added Nichols, now a 20-year veteran of the division. “If a special comes up and it’s convenient [Read More]

Duggins’ unbelievable year ends with third straight title in IMCA’s Big Daddy Southern Region

FARMINGTON, N.M. – Jason Duggins drove through the night, then put the final touches on a new car at the track before making his first start of the season in January. He put the final touches on a third straight Big Daddy Race Cars Southern Region championship with his 28th and 29th IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock wins on the season’s final weekend in September. “It was an unbelievable year,” said Duggins, from Farmington, N.M. and sixth in national point standings. “You never know when your last win is coming and I cherished every one of them.” The Fairgrounds Speedway track champion made all but one of his 44 starts outside his home state, starting the year at Cocopah Speedway’s Winter Nationals and logging some 22,000 miles supporting tracks in Colorado and Utah. “We built a new car, a Grumpy Chassis, in a month and put the finishing touches on at the track,” said Duggins, who debuted that new ride on Jan. 6 at Cocopah. “I put the car in the trailer and drove through the night to [Read More]

Fender fan Reynolds races to IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock national crown

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – Kaden Reynolds describes himself as “kind of a fender fan.” Now he’s an IMCA national champion, too. The Cedar Rapids, Iowa driver got an early season shot of confidence and won 30 features on the way to the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock national crown. “Everybody goes into the year thinking about or hoping to have a good season,” said Reynolds, national rookie of the year in the division in 2019 and IMCA’s first-ever Junior National Champion in 2020. “Winning seven of our first eight starts was a real confidence booster. It solidified the idea of us going for the national championship.” “It’s definitely cool to win pretty much the biggest awards I could,” he added. “My mom said something like I got a three-peat. It’s awesome.” The Big Daddy Race Cars Northern Region champion also won track titles this season at Marshalltown Speedway and Independence Motor Speedway while running third at Benton County Speedway. His 11 wins at Marshalltown included the Dale DeFrance Memorial in May, his nine wins at Vinton [Read More]

Thornton, DeVilbiss deal Saturday IMCA Duel wins

LAS VEGAS (Nov. 13) – There was a time when Ricky Thornton Jr. and Zane DeVilbiss went to Las Vegas and wondered where their good luck went. Now they’ve both repeated as winners of rich IMCA main events Saturday night at the 24th annual Karl Chevrolet Duel in the Desert. Thornton took home $10,000 after taking the IMCA Modified checkers while Devilbiss’ latest IMCA Sunoco Stock Car win at the half-mile Dirt Track paid $5,000. “It’s nuts. I had struggled there for a while and now I’ve won the Duel two years in a row,” said Thornton, who had started from the pole and chased Cody Laney most of the 25-lapper, getting the lead back with five circuits left. “It’s definitely special to win here. This is just five hours from where I grew up and my whole family gets to come.” Laney had climbed from the sixth position to take the lead at the conclusion of the sixth lap. Thornton kept pace with Laney until six laps remained. Thornton attempted a slide job at that [Read More]

Anderson, Forster earn Friday IMCA Duel wins

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (Nov. 12) – The first two IMCA champions at the 24th annual Karl Chevrolet Duel in the Desert were crowned Friday at The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway as Logan Anderson and Zack Forster took home titles. Anderson won the Karl Kustoms Northern SportMod title and $5,000 while Forster won the first-ever STARS Mod Lite championship and $1,500. Jorddon Braaten joined Anderson on the front row of the Northern SportMod grid. Anderson built a four second lead in the first 11 laps of the race but his advantage was erased by the first caution of the main event. A multi-car tangle on the restart sidelined several contenders including Chase Alves and Brett Berry. Alves had climbed from 10th to fourth place. Anderson remained unchallenged in the final 10 laps of the race, leading wire-to-wire for the victory. Dylan VanWyk, Matt Sanders, Braaten and Danny Concelman completed the top five. Forster and Randy Bryan led the field to the green in the 20-lap STARS Mod Lite championship feature. Following a caution on [Read More]

Bannister making a name for himself with Northern SportMod rookie of the year award

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – Tyler Bannister started his first Karl Kustoms Northern SportMod season racing with “name” drivers at Cocopah Speedway’s Winter Nationals. He ended the season making a name for himself as the national rookie of the year. Bannister, 19, won eight features – three of them during California Speedweek – track championships at hometown Bakersfield Speedway and at Merced Speedway, and was seventh in the national points race. “Rookie of the year was not something we were really running for at the start of the season. We had a lot of ups and downs throughout the year,” said Bannister, who contended with Izac Mallicoat and fellow Californian Ryan Peery for the rookie prize. “I knew I had to not stress out and just do as well as I could every night. I think my parents and my crew were more worried than I was.” Bannister raced with his father Jason in most of his 38 starts, joining him in the Northern SportMod division after running bandolero and legends cars on asphalt and a local [Read More]

Looft delivers career fourth Karl Kustoms Northern SportMod crown

SWEA CITY, Iowa – Matthew Looft wasn’t kidding when he said chasing points were not in the plans for 2021. Looft and wife Brittney were expecting their third child and as a result, he’d be racing for fun and supporting tracks closest to their rural Swea City, Iowa home. A single-season career best 27 feature wins later, however, Looft delivered his career fourth and division-best Karl Kustoms Northern SportMod national championship. “We never thought it would happen. Everything just worked out,” said Looft, who watched the Salute to Veterans race at Kossuth County Speedway on the delivery room TV prior to the 1:33 a.m. July 30 arrival of daughter Brynlee. “The whole season was pretty crazy, really. One distinct memory I’ll never forget was winning the Salute to Veterans race at Clay County Fair Speedway while my wife was having contractions in victory lane. I suggested she stay home that night, but I didn’t win that battle. Brynlee was born a day later.” Starting his first season in a Skyrocket Chassis by B & B, Looft picked up the opening [Read More]

Two more drivers punch tickets to Karl Chevrolet Duel in the Desert championship features

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (Nov. 11) – Two more drivers are locked into Saturday’s IMCA Modified championship feature following qualifying feature victories on Night 3 of the 24th annual Karl Chevrolet Duel in the Desert at The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Winners of qualifying features receive automatic bids into Friday and Saturday night’s championship features in four divisions at the Duel in the Desert: IMCA Modified, Karl Kustoms Northern SportMod, IMCA Sunoco Stock Car and IMCA STARS Mod Lite. Based on points, the top 15 starters for championship features are now set for each of the four classes. Each championship feature will carry up to 24 cars; the remaining spots will be filled on Friday and Saturday during their respective heat races and last chance qualifying races. For a full breakdown of Thursday night’s results, click here for the Box Score. For final qualifying points, click HERE. In IMCA Modified action on Thursday night, Jacob Hobscheidt of Plattsmouth, Neb., took the lead for good on lap seven and continued on to victory over Bricen James. [Read More]