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FREEPORT, Ill. – A company that’s in the safety business every day has diversified its product line to support emergency personnel on the front line of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Hooker Harness has begun manufacturing fabric masks for the Stephenson County Health Depart­ment, for use by local Emergency Management Services.  “We’re happy to contribute to this any way its needed. We’re in the safety business every day,” noted company owner Scott McPhillips. “Everyone has to do what they can. People bring in extra material and we used several hundred yards of elastic that we had on hand.” In its sixth season of IMCA sponsorship, the Freeport, Ill., custom seatbelt and shoulder harness manufacturer has already completed several hundred masks. They are cleaned and sanitized at another location, then packaged and shipped to EMS departments.  “This has been a big change for us because most of what we do is heavy duty sewing,” McPhil­lips said. “Most of our staff brought in their personal sewing machines to work with the lighter materi­als.” With shortages of Personal Protective Equipment [Read More]

GLENDALE, Ariz. – His career first Karl Kustoms Northern SportMod feature win in hand, Clay Erickson can now sharpen his focus on chasing points. Erickson had recorded seven top five finishes in 13 starts before topping the March 7 main event at Canyon Speedway Park. He’d been the runner-up in two of the three outings that preceded that first-ever win. “We had gained a lot of confidence and knew we could run up there. It’s just been a matter of seat time and finishing races,” said Erickson, from Glendale and consistent throughout February’s Arizona Dirt Track Tour. “We’d come close a couple times and it was just a relief to win. We were finally able to finish.” “We were so happy. So many people who have supported us we’re there that night,” he added, “and everybody was excited.” Erickson’s father David had raced in a local stock class at Manzanita Speedway. He ran a go-kart for a single season as a youngster, then followed friend Tony Miller into the Northern SportMod class on the final [Read More]

LINCOLN, Neb. – Long-time IMCA Modified driver Kevin Larkins is among the seven new mem­bers of the Nebraska Auto Racing Hall of Fame.  From Greenwood, Larkins began his driving career as a 17-year-old in 1982, and after spending three seasons in a sportsman car placed his emphasis on IMCA Modifieds beginning in 1985.  In 1994, he racked up 24 feature race wins, earning the North Central Region championship and finishing a close second in the final IMCA national point standings. During his 33-year driving career, Larkins raced at more than 100 tracks in nearly two dozen states, scoring over 250 feature race wins and winning 19 track championships. During that pe­riod, he raced both dirt and asphalt Late Models, Sportsmen, Sprint Cars and Modifieds.  Larkins’ IMCA career totals include 148 feature victories and 16 track titles. In the early 1990s, after working for Sardeson Racing in Greenwood for nearly eight years, he opened Larkins Racing in Adams where he built upwards of 30 Modifieds each year. In 1995, Lar­kins began working at Speedway Motors in Lincoln, [Read More]

WINNEMUCCA, Nev. – Cole Jones looked forward to the level of competition he faced in his home state of Nevada as an IMCA Modified rookie.  He’ll look to improve on a learning season of consistent finishes with his first career feature win in the division this year. The 17-year-old speedster and Lowry High School senior moved up to the Modified after success­ful stints in both go-karts and a local 4-cylinder mini mod class. Twenty of his 22 starts in 2019 came at Nevada venues, including seven at hometown Winnemucca Regional Raceway.  “We felt good about what we had accomplished in a mini mod and wanted to see if we could com­pete in an IMCA Modified,” Jones explained. “There are a lot of IMCA Modifieds in the area and the level of competition is very high.”  “The learning curve was huge. The speed and suspension in a Modified is way different than in a mini mod,” he continued. Jones also took his on-track education to Battle Mountain Raceway, Summit Raceway, Lovelock Speedway and Fernley 95A Speedway, [Read More]

HEBRON, N.D. – Tanner Hofer is racing for much more than feature wins and track championships this season. The third-year Mach-1 Sport Compact driver from Hebron will donate half his winnings to the North Dakota chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. North Dakota has the 10th highest suicide rate in the nation, claiming the life of one state resident every 57 minutes. Hofer decided to dedicate his upcoming campaign to the cause of prevention and awareness following the Aug. 21, 2017 death of his cousin A.J. “A.J. is the biggest part of why I’m doing this. I race for him and under him. I feel like I’m racing for him every time I race,” said Hofer, who will take to the track in a car wrapped by Demon Decals and with a hood emblazoned with the suicide awareness ribbon, the date of A.J.’s death and checkered flags symbolizing angel’s wings. “The hood is for my cousin. The car is for everyone has gone through this. We’ll accept donations and hope to make a check [Read More]