Newswire

Van Ooyen returns to victory lane at Seymour

By Dave Panske SEYMOUR, Wis. (June 22) – Chas Van Ooyen Jr. won his first Coors Light IMCA Stock Car feature at Seymour Speedway since Aug. 2 of 2009 Sunday night. Jake Lunderby led the opening lap Van Ooyen taking over the top spot on lap two. Rod Snellenberger moved into third on lap third and moved right behind the leader. Van Ooyen was hooked up in the second groove and Snellenberger was hugging the inside line. Barry Van Straten moved into third and made a three-car run for the lead through the first half of the race. By then, Van Ooyen and Snellenberger had started to pull away from the pack in a side-by-side battle that continued to the finish of the non-stop race. Snellenberger would charge up to the door several times over the last half of the race but each time, Van Ooyen had the answer on the outside. With a couple laps left, Snellenberger made a last-ditch effort to take the lead, running dead even at the white flag. Mike Wedelstadt [Read More]

Aug. 1 is deadline for sign-up forms, car photos

VINTON, Iowa – Friday, Aug. 1 is the final date for submission of contingency sign-up forms, rookie of the year applications and car photos proving required decal placement. IMCA drivers who don’t meet that deadline are not eligible for post-season cash and product awards. The rookie application is published in the newsletter and is posted online. Sign-up forms were included in decal packets. Drivers who need sign-up forms or another set of decals can contact IMCA Marketing Director Kevin Yoder at 319 472-2201 or kyoder@imca.com. Car photos can be emailed to the same address. “I prefer that photos show the entire car, not just the decals on the door panel,” Yoder said. “That way we can use photos for Sybesma Graphics Facebook Fan Favorite contest as well.”

Another 11 IMCA rookie feature winners get Speedway Motors award packages

LINCOLN, Neb. – Eleven more IMCA rookie drivers have received $100 gift cards and prize packages from Speedway Motors after winning career-first features. By division, those drivers include: IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modified – Chris Heim at WaKeeney Speedway on May 4; Jake Strayer at Quad City Speedway on May 25; Brenten DeYoung at Crystal Motor Speedway on May 25; and Kenny Baumann at Billings Motorsports Park on June 7. IMCA Eagle Motorsports RaceSaver Sprint Car – Tony Dowd at Kennedale Speedway Park on May 17. Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMod – Jorddon Braaten at Southern Oregon Speedway on May 17; and Rich Pavlicek at Buffalo River Race Park on June 8. Scoggin-Dickey Parts Center Southern SportMod – Garett Rawls at Heart O’ Texas Speedway on May 30. Mach-1 Sport Compact – Austin Maxwell at Aztec Speedway on May 3; Jacob Kofoot at Hancock County Speedway on May 16; and Colton Florea at Algona Raceway on May 31.

Zoubek takes first win of season Saturday at Eagle

By Greg Soukup EAGLE, Neb. (June 21) – Bob Zoubek put the problems behind him and won his first Kaplan University IMCA Modified feature of the season at Eagle Raceway. Zoubek took the Saturday checkers ahead of Clint Homan, Shane Hiatt and Johnny Saathoff. “This was my first win anywhere this year. We’ve been having big problems all year,” Zoubek said. “I got a good start, moved to the top where nobody was running and found a smooth line.” Jason Martin raced from 12th starting to his fourth Mud In America IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car feature win of the season at Eagle. Trent Roth also started 12th and took over the lead with three laps left in winning his first NAPA IMCA Northern SportMod outing at Eagle. Jason Kohl’s first Eagle win in nine years of racing came in the Valentino’s IMCA Hobby Stocks. Brandon Thornton was best in the Sam’s Club IMCA Sport Compact feature.

Budweiser Mid-Season Championships, Deery Series next up in Independence

By Ryan Clark INDEPENDENCE, Iowa – With half of the season behind us, Budweiser Mid-Season Championships are next up at Independence Motor Speedway. The mid-year special is slated for Saturday, June 28. The format for the mid-season points race will be the same as a normal weekly show. Heat race lineups will be staggered and inverted based on season point averages. Grandstand admission is $10 for adults and $8 for seniors and students. Kids 11 and under will be admitted free to the grandstands if accompanying a paid adult. Pit passes are $25. Gates open at 4 p.m. with hot laps at 6 and racing to follow. Tuesday, July 1 will be the annual visit for the Deery Brothers Summer Series for IMCA Late Models. The top touring Late Model drivers in the region will converge on the Independence oval to chase the $3,000 winner’s share. Last season, Justin Kay earned his career first series win at Independence when he ended the four-race winning streak of eventual tour champ Brian Harris. Sanctioned Karl Chevrolet Northern [Read More]

Wilinski notched second Modified win of season at Shawano

By Scott Owen SHAWANO, WiS. (June 21) – Jerry Wilinski won his second IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modified feature of the season Saturday at Shawano Speedway. Sophomore speedster Chad Olson grabbed the lead on lap one, then held off charges by veterans Eddie Muenster and Wilinski. Wilinski, who started ninth, made his pass for the lead on lap 12. Wilinski led to the end while Olson, Muenster, Marcus Yarie, Cody Hudson, and Mark Weisnicht waged a great battle for the next five spots on the track. At the end it was Wilinski, Muenster, Yarie, Hudson, Weisnicht, and Olson making up the top six in a race that ran green to checkered. Travis VanStraten won his second straight race and took home $700 after winning the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car feature after post-race disqualification of the apparent winner. Brandon Nygaard led the first two laps of the Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMod feature before Jordan Bartz took the lead away on lap three. It would be all Bartz for the rest of the race. Joey Taycher tried [Read More]

Plum picks up sweet prize in non-fendered voting for June

By Ryan Clark SIOUX CITY, Iowa – One of the original 54 Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMod drivers to compete at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s in 2005, Aaron Plum said he’s in the sport simply to have fun. The veteran from Sioux City, who owns his own sign shop, is the June winner of the Sybesma Graphics IMCA Facebook Fan Favorite contest for non-fendered divisions. Plum, who has had his share of ups and downs this season, isn’t focused on chasing wins and points. “We’ve had our feature wins and we’ve raced for points in the past,” said Plum, who is in his 10th year in the division. “We’re focused on having fun with everything right now.” Despite his up and down season, Plum realizes you need to accept the bad nights on the track to have a greater appreciation for the good nights. “We’ve had some heat wins and some good finishes but we’ve broken some stuff too,” he stated. “It could be a lot better, but it also could [Read More]

Lemmens’ Stock Car tabbed as June’s best fendered entry

By Ryan Clark MILWAUKEE, Wis. – Luke Lemmens earned his first feature win of the season a couple weeks ago in his IMCA Sunoco Stock Car and received some off the track accolades this month as well. Lemmens, in his fourth year in the division, was voted the winner of the Sybesma Graphics IMCA Facebook Fan Favorite Contest for fendered divisions. A regular competitor at 141 Speedway in Francis Creek and Luxemburg Speedway, the Milwaukee driver is pleased with the first couple months of his season. “We’ve had some ups and downs, but it’s been a good year,” said Lemmens, who has earned six top-five finishes in 10 events this season. A part-time racer at Luxemberg, Lemmens is racing for points at 141 Speedway, however he admits that’s no small task. “I’m sitting third right now,” he stated of the point standings at 141. “J.J. Heinz and Rod Snellenberger are ahead of me.” Perennial front-runners on the Wisconsin ovals, Lemmens is pleased he can contend with Heinz and Snellenberger on a regular basis. “Those guys [Read More]

IMCA champions receive awards from RH2

RIVERSIDE, N.J. – Fourth-year IMCA sponsor RH2 gives new awards to IMCA champions this season. Main event winners in the Modified, Late Model, Stock Car, Northern SportMod, Hobby Stock and Sport Compact divisions at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s all earn sets of custom molded Nitro helmet speakers. National champions in those divisions receive the same awards. RH2, located in Riverside, N.J., sells and services communication equipment and does all radio programming for IMCA during Super Nationals. More information is available by calling 609 876-9530. “With the increased usage of one-way communication at IMCA sanctioned events the new RH2 Nitro helmet speakers are a wonderful investment,” noted IMCA Marketing Director Kevin Yoder. “Since we are awarding each of these champions with a free helmet, we thought it would be a great opportunity to have them come equipped with the latest in listening technology.”

Moser Engineering continues awards for IMCA Modified, Stock, Hobby and SportMod drivers

PORTLAND, Ind. – Moser Engineering embarks on a second decade as an IMCA marketing partner, with awards for drivers in five sanctioned divisions. Awards from the Portland, Ind., rear end components manufacturer will be given based on national or regional point standings; other recipients include designated place finishers at as many as 80 special events. Runners-up in each of the five IMCA Modified regions and in both IMCA Sunoco Stock Car regions get $300 product certificates. Runners-up in standings for the two IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks regions and national standings for both Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMods and Scoggin-Dickey Parts Center Southern SportMods both receive $200 certificates. Those awards will be presented during the national IMCA banquet in November. Moser also gives $100 product certificates to designated place finishers at selected specials for the same five divisions; those awards are mailed from the IMCA home office the week after each event is held. Information about Moser products is available by calling 260 726-6689 and at the www.moserengineering.com website.