Newswire

Feature

Ward opens Winter Challenge weekend with win at Canyon

By Lonnie Wheatley PEORIA, Ariz. (Jan. 23) – Tim Ward raced forward from the seventh starting position to take IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modified honors over a stout field of 41 competitors on opening night of the Winter Challenge Weekend at Canyon Speedway Park. The new Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot qualifier earned $1,250 and took the checkered flag ahead of defending track champion Ricky Thornton Jr. as Missouri’s Hunter Marriott topped his “B” feature and rallied from 18th to take third. Brian Schultz raced from 15th to fourth with defending national champion Zane DeVilbiss rounded out the top five. Ward was quickly up to second and led briefly before a couple early cautions. Thornton passed him for the front spot before two more yellows came out. After falling back to third, Ward got his opportunity when the caution flag waved again late in the contest. He went high to pass Schultz and then Thornton coming out of turn two and down the back straightaway, and drove to his first feature win of the season. [Read More]

Feature

Brett Root named president of IMCA

VINTON, Iowa – Brett Root will follow in some big footsteps at IMCA. Root succeeds his mother Kathy as president of the Vinton-based automotive racing sanctioning body. She’d purchased IMCA and sister company CarPac Publications from the family of Keith Knaack in the mid-1990s. “I realize that I am just the third president of IMCA since the 1970s. It’s good company to be in,” said Root. “I hope everyone understands how important IMCA is to me. I couldn’t see myself doing anything else.” Root started working part-time at CarPac on his 14th birthday in 1986. The University of Northern Iowa graduate joined IMCA full-time as marketing director in July of 1997. He became vice president of operations in 1999, spending as much as 10 months every year traveling to IMCA sanctioned tracks, special events and trade shows around the country. “My responsibilities have shifted more to day to day operations and race night issues so I have traveled less the last couple years,” Root said. “Hiring Jim Stannard as director of track relations and Dave [Read More]

Deery Bros Late Model Summer Series

Crawford County on schedule for April 4 Deery Series opener

DENISON, Iowa (Jan. 23) – The 2015 Deery Brothers Summer Series will take its first green flag at Crawford County Speedway. After inclement weather washed out numerous attempts to bring the series back to Denison last spring, the upcoming IMCA Late Model tour travels to Crawford County for open­ing night action on Saturday, April 4. In all, the 29th annual series currently has 16 dates. The first 15 of those events pay $3,000 to win and a mini­mum of $300 to start. Additional tour dates are still pending. “It’s nice to have our highest paying race as the series finale at the Yan­kee Dirt Track Classic at Farley Speedway,” Tour Director Kevin Yoder said. “That feature pays $7,500 to win so it should make for an exciting conclusion to the series.” The one previous Deery race at Denison was held in 1994. Kossuth County Speedway in Algona has also hosted just one tour event, in 2008, and brings the series back for a July 2 show. “If we get all our races in, this year’s [Read More]

Feature

Deery Series pole starters receive Justice Brothers/Gillund awards

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (Jan. 23) – Every driver starting on the pole in a Deery Brothers Summer Series main event this season is a guaranteed award winner. Justice Brothers and Gillund Enterprises give a car care package to the driver taking the green from inside row one at all IMCA Late Model tour features again in 2015. Drivers must display two Justice Brothers decals on their race car to be eligible. They’ll receive car care packages once the pole is determined. Ten different drivers enjoyed pole starts over the course of the 2014 Deery Series, with Tyler Bruening, Joel Callahan, Ray Guss Jr. and Justin Kay each drawing the spot twice. One-time pole starters were Mike Cothron, Andy Eckrich, Tommy Elston, Nick Marolf, Jason Rauen and Colby Springsteen. Gillund distributes Justice Brothers Car Care products manufac­tured for high-performance and commercial vehicles and begins its 19th season as a marketing partner with IMCA. The Eden Prairie, Minn., company in­troduced the Deery Series pole starter prize in 2011. Information about the JB brand is available at the [Read More]

Feature

Smiley’s adds Sprint Cars to post-season IMCA program

MESQUITE, Texas – Drivers in a sixth sanctioned division receive awards this season, with the addition of Sprint Cars to the Smiley’s Racing Products program with IMCA. The high-performance parts manu­facturer and distributor gives $50 gift cards to top 10 finishers in national point standings for IMCA Eagle Motorsports RaceSaver Sprint Cars, Scoggin-Dickey Parts Center Southern SportMods and Mach-1 Sport Compacts. Gift cards of the same value, also redeemable at Smiley’s Mesquite, Texas, location go to top 10 drivers in the Razor Chassis South Central Region for IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modifieds, the EngineQuest Southern Region for IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars and the Charger Chassis Southern Region for IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks. “Smiley’s Racing Products is a natural partner with the Sprint Car division and by adding their support it strengthens their presence outside of Texas with our Eagle Motorsports RaceSaver Sprint Cars,” said IMCA Marketing Director Kevin Yoder. “Smiley’s has been a great partner over the years and we appreciate owner Tom Lorenz and his entire staff for their continued support.” Also home to [Read More]

Feature

Bloomington brings IMCA RaceSaver Sprints to Indiana

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (Jan. 22) – The 2015 season will be the first for IMCA and RaceSaver at a track with an already long and distinguished Sprint Car history. Bloomington Speedway features the IMCA Eagle Motor Sports RaceSaver Sprint Car division on Friday programs beginning April 17. IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National, Allstar Performance State and local track points will be awarded through season championship night on Aug. 21. Weekly features will pay $600 to win and a minimum of $150 to start. “I like the total package of IMCA and RaceSaver,” explained third-year General Manager Kris Kirchner. “I come from the 410 (sprint car) world and know that people who want to get into that have to spend a lot of money.” “I’ve heard more and more about RaceSaver and know that a guy can get into the class, race and not be broke at the end of the day,” he added. Dan Roberts, a co-owner of the ¼-mile, high-banked clay oval located in south central Indiana, suggested track officials look into RaceSaver. “The [Read More]

Feature

No changes in IMCA procedures, points, regional boundaries for 2015

VINTON, Iowa – You’ll have to look pretty hard to find differences between 2014 and 2015 IMCA proce­dures. Aside from some wording in the engine claim pro­cess, there isn’t any. Both the point system and how bonus points are awarded will be the same this season as last. IMCA Presi­dent Brett Root also noted there won’t be any change in re­gional boundaries for Stock Cars and Hobby Stocks. “We announced in December there was a possibility of realigning those borders and creating regions for the Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMods,” he said. “After much discussion, we determined that changing the borders for Stock Car and Hobby Stocks was feasible but at this time, not necessary.” “There definitely will be regions, likely east and west, for the Northern SportMods in 2016,” Root added. “They are now our second largest division in terms of mem­bers and regions would make perfect sense.” The areas of the country represented in top national Modified standings last season dispelled any notions to make bonus point changes. “Everyone has an idea on how [Read More]

Feature

Checkers fly for Baldiviez in Cocopah’s first IMCA Sunoco Stock Car feature

SOMERTON, Ariz. (Jan. 16) – The checkered flag flew Friday for Manny Baldiviez, on a night of firsts at Cocopah Speedway. Baldiviez won the first-ever weekly IMCA Sunoco Stock Car feature held at Cocopah and in Arizona. The victory was also his first in sanctioned competition and followed an inadvertent 360 degree turn after the race was over. “The fans enjoyed it,” the Chula Vista, Calif., driver reported good-naturedly. “It was a pretty fun race and I really enjoyed it.” Baldiviez started fifth and had the lead midway through the 15-lapper. Nine cars comprised the inaugural field and runner-up honors went to Joey Essary. Local street stocks give way to IMCA Stock Cars this season at Cocopah. Just two points had separated Baldiviez from the final title awarded in that class last year. “I’m really going to focus on the championship this season,” said Baldiviez, a six-time street stock feature winner in 2014. “This track has been getting better every year. Their name has been getting out more in the racing world, which is great [Read More]

Events

Emerald Coast Tour brings IMCA Modifieds back to Florida, Alabama

FOLEY, Ala. – A new series for IMCA Modifieds will make its share of history during the sanctioning body’s centennial season. The inaugural Bay Area Modifieds Emerald Coast Tour features 15 dates at Southern Raceway in Milton, Fla., Northwest Florida Speedway in Blackman and Flomaton, Ala., Speedway. Each feature event will pay a minimum of $500 to win and start as many as 24 cars. “IMCA has been in this area before and we want to bring them back,” said Tour Director Jay Wells. “I’m a strong believer in IMCA. Having IMCA, their rules package and procedures will be a real plus.” “There are already a lot of drivers around here who have raced IMCA before and have cars that are IMCA legal,” Wells continued. “Racing had gotten too expensive for many of them but now they’re taking their cars out of storage and getting them ready to race. The response has been tremendous.” The series opens April 11 at Flomaton, also site of May 9, June 6 and 13, and July 18 events. Northwest [Read More]

Feature

Forsberg teaches Sport Compact lessons, returns to classroom to focus on own studies

SLAYTON, Minn. – After teaching her competition a thing or two, Stephanie Forsberg is going to concentrate on the classroom. Forsberg raced to her third consecutive Mach-1 Sport Compact track championship at hometown Murray County Speedway in 2014. She was a nine-time winner at Slayton, capturing her final vic­tory of the season and career 26th checkers on the day after her 20th birthday. “I just like this class and the people I race with,” said Forsberg, who had started racing in a non-sanctioned 4-cylinder hornet class at the tender age of 13. “I took some lumps and nearly totaled my first car before we sold it.” She was 15 when she came home and announced that not only was she ready to get back on the track, she’d already bought a car. Forsberg returned with a pink ride in honor of her grand­mother Maddy, who’d been diagnosed with breast cancer. “I always had a passion for racing. I grew up around the track and I missed it,” she said. Forsberg enjoyed a career-type season in [Read More]