Newswire

North Dakota driver Deschamp soars to new heights

BOTTINEAU, N.D. – His fascination with buttons and gauges and all things mechanical first took Gabriel Deschamp to the dirt track. Then it took him to the skies. The 19-year-old from Bottineau got his private pilot’s license this summer and has already begun studies toward a degree in commercial aviation at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks. He’ll drive, or maybe fly, home on the weekends to continue quests for Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod track titles at hometown Thunder Mountain Speedway and at Nodak Speedway in Minot. “Ever since I was younger, I liked buttons and gauges, and race cars and planes both have a lot of them,” explained Deschamp. “It’s just something I’ve always been interested in, and one of the things I like best about flying is the freedom. You can get to other places quickly and easily. And it’s pretty cool when you’re in control of where you’re going.” He’d built and flown his own balsa wood radio controlled planes before following his grandfather and father Beau – now [Read More]

Champions crowned at Marshalltown Speedway

By Joyce Eisele MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (Aug. 18, 2023) – It was North 3rd Avenue Dairy Queen Larry Wollam Season Championship Night at the Marshalltown Speedway on Friday. Feature wins went to Todd Shute in the Friesen Performance IMCA Modified division. It was Austin Kaplan winning the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car main event and Logan Anderson took the honors in the Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods. Bradly Graham won the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock feature, and Joe Glick won the Stealth Racing IMCA STARS Mod Lites and Mitchell Bunch saw checkers in the Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compacts. Only one feature winner of the night was also crowned a track champion, that being Shute in the Modifieds. Sport Compacts were the first on the track for their 15-lap feature and Mitchell Bunch led all 15 laps on his way to the checkered flag. He had pulled away from the field when a yellow flew at lap 10. This put Kolby Sabin on his tail for the restart. Bunch maintained his lead when the race went green, but a couple of laps later, [Read More]

Rookie Vlies cashes in at Outagamie Speedway

By Edward Anschutz SEYMOUR, Wis. (Aug. 18, 2023) – A rookie driver cashed in big Friday at Outagamie Speedway’s $1,000 to win special for Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods. Tyler Demars set the pace on the opening laps. A caution on lap four allowed rookie Coy Vlies a shot at Demars and he took it. As the field took the green, Vlies threw a slider going into turn one and made a clean pass for the lead. Vlies was able to keep the field at arm’s reach the rest of the way to score the win and a $1,000 payday for his efforts. Jordan Jahnke placed a solid second, Dylon Waldvogel placed third and Matt Radtke was fourth. The first 17 laps of the Friesen Performance IMCA Modified headliner clicked off quickly as Marcus Yarie paced the field. Benji LaCrosse worked from row six and into the runner-up position just past the midway point. A caution with three to go saw Yarie and LaCrosse tangle on the restart. To his dismay, LaCrosse’s machine sustained damage from the [Read More]

Burns wins barn burner at Kossuth County

By Greg Grabianowski ALGONA, Iowa (Aug. 17, 2023) – James Burns made an exciting pass coming out of turn four with one lap to go for the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock feature win Thursday at Kossuth County Speedway. Micah Lavrenz was the leader after the first lap. Burns edged ahead but fell all the way back to seventh after getting a little tag on the tail from Lavrenz that got him loose and his car sideways. Jay Sidles took advantage of the front two getting together and led for the next five laps as Brandon Nielsen, Josh Sidles and Burns slowly reeled him in. Nielsen took over the top spot on lap eight as Josh Sidles and Burns went door-to-door for the runner-up spot in the race. Burns constantly made up ground on entry into the corners and got past Josh Sidles and went to work on passing Nielsen. The Algona driver continued to put pressure on the back bumper on the veteran Spencer driver and pulled a great move coming out of turn number [Read More]

IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National Point Standings through Aug. 17, 2023

Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds – 1. Chaz Baca, Mesa, Ariz., 994; 2. Matthew Day, Farmersville, Texas, and William Gould, Calera, Okla., both 979; 4. Jeff Larson, Freeport, Ill., 978; 5. Tim Ward, Harcourt, Iowa, 976; 6. Myron DeYoung, Stanton, Mich., 973; 7. Joel Rust, Grundy Center, Iowa, 970; 8. Clint Hatlestad, Glencoe, Minn., 958; 9. Anthony Roth, Platte Center, Neb., 956; 10. Jeremy Mills, Clear Lake, Iowa, 955; 11. Jed Freiburger, Dubuque, Iowa, 954; 12. Todd Shute, Norwalk, Iowa, and Troy Morris III, Bakersfield, Calif., both 952; 14. Travis Denning, Sterling, Ill., 950; 15. Chris Zogg, New Liberty, Iowa, 941; 16. Kaleb Emerson, Weatherford, Texas, 940; 17. Charlie Mohr, Bettendorf, Iowa, 931; 18. Brenten DeYoung, Carson City, Mich., 924; 19. Jake Nightingale, Maize, Kan., 921; 20. Collin Thirlby, Grawn, Mich., 920. IMCA Sunoco Late Models – 1. Cory Dumpert, Newman Grove, Neb., 795; 2. Andy Nezworski, Blue Grass, Iowa, 779; 3. Cade Richards, Lincoln, Neb., 771; 4. Alex Banks, Newman Grove, Neb., 762; 5. Kale Kosiski, Omaha, Neb., 755; 6. Chase Osborne, Norfolk, Neb., 754; 7. Christopher [Read More]

PASS to joins All Stars Sunday at Selinsgrove

By Frank Buhrman SELINSGROVE, Pa. (Aug. 18, 2023) – The River Valley Builders Pennsylvania Sprint Series joins Tony Stewart’s Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions this Sunday at Selinsgrove Speedway to honor the memory of one of the region’s legendary sprint car drivers, Kramer Williamson, with the running of the Kramer Cup. The IMCA RaceSaver sprinters will run qualifying events and a 20-lap feature in support of the All Star’s $10,000-to-win feature. Coming off a super successful weekend that saw 41-car fields at both Lincoln and Bedford Fairgrounds Speedways, PASS will be looking for another strong turnout to turn heads among those on hand for the traveling All Stars. Leading the group will be point leader Logan Spahr, who has won nine of the first 20 PASS features run this year and is looking at the possibility of setting a single-season victory record, set by Logan Wagner in 2013 and tied by Garrett Bard last season, with 12 wins each. Spahr scored a dominating victory Sunday in the Junior Ritchey Tribute at Bedford, but he [Read More]

Sobiesczyk sails to redemption and $10K at Captain of the Creek

FRANCIS CREEK, Wis. (Aug. 16, 2023) – Tyler Sobiesczyk earned $10,000 worth of redemption Wednesday night at 141 Speedway’s East Central Coin Captain of the Creek. The Shawano speedster got to the lead late in the 50-lapper, then outran fellow Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod heavyweights Logan Anderson, Colby Fett and Cam Reimers to the career-best payday. “It doesn’t get any better than this. Everything just came together for us,” Sobiesczyk said following his eighth checkers of the season. “We’ve been having an awesome year in general but to win this crown jewel race is huge. It’s huge for me as a driver, it’s huge for our team and huge for our sponsors, especially doing it racing against so many good drivers.” He’d started second and pursued Coy Vlies early on, then lost another position when Anderson drove by and into the lead. The chase was on from that point, with Sobiesczyk catching Vlies and finally reeling in Anderson in heavy lapped traffic. “For a while I was trying to stay relevant. The middle line [Read More]

IMCA Modified, Stock Car All-Star qualifiers on Saturday card at Abilene

ABILENE, Texas (Aug. 17, 2023) – A pair of All-Star Invitational qualifying features are on the Saturday card at Abilene Speedway. The Aug. 19 Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature pays $1,000, the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car feature $750, making those winners eligible to qualify for the upcoming Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational and B & B Racing Chassis All-Star Invitational, respectively. IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National, regional, Texas State and track points will be awarded. Pit passes are $30. Pit gates open at 5 p.m. and the grandstand opens at 6 p.m. Hot laps are at 7:30 p.m. with racing to follow. Both All-Star races are sponsored by Snappy Lube of Abilene.

First Washington entry getting back on track at Super Nationals

PUYALLUP, Wash. – Nine years after his last race, Will Taylor became the first Washington State driver to register for the 41st annual IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. An Arkansas native and traveling respiratory therapist by profession, Taylor is now working out of Puyallup. He’ll make the trip to Boone Speedway via Batesville, where Kevin Shaw is getting his 2005 Shaw ride race-ready. “This was a track championship winning car for Shawn Walsh,” said Taylor. “I’m hoping some of his good luck rubs off on me.” The upcoming Super Nationals are a bucket list race for Taylor, a proud member of the Shaw racing family and three-time spectator at America’s Racin’ Vacation, most recently in 2019. “I’ve been a part-time racer. I have no sponsors. I’ve raced when I could and picked up another shift when I needed to pay for it,” he said. “I want to finish my races at Boone, not go out on the wrecker and take the car home in one piece.” Taylor grew up going to races every weekend, [Read More]

Rescheduled Sunoco Bonus nights next at Davenport, 34

DAVENPORT, Iowa (Aug. 16, 2023) – A pair of Sunoco Race Fuels bonus nights rained out earlier this month are on the IMC Late Model schedule for the upcoming weekend. The division title sponsor awards $250 bonuses to feature winners Friday, Aug. 18 at Davenport Speedway and Saturday, Aug. 19 at 34 Raceway in West Burlington. Drivers can receive the bonus one time in a season so the $250 would be given to the top finishing non-winning driver either night, if the winner has already earned the bonus at another track. Friday’s season championship night show at Davenport also features Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars and Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods, along with the Ryan McDermott Memorial Race for the local 4-cylinder class. Pit gates open at 4 p.m., the grandstand opens at 5:30 p.m. and racing follows 6:30 p.m. hot laps. Pit passes are $30 for adults and $15 for kids. Spectator admission is $15 for adults, $5 for kids ages 5-12 and free for four and under. Saturday is the [Read More]