BatesvilleMotorSpeedway Archives

Batesville celebrating 50th season with new IMCA Stock Car sanction, rich special events

BATESVILLE, Ark. – IMCA Modified and IMCA Sunoco Stock Car drivers will be big winners all season long as Batesville Motor Speedway celebrates an event 50 years in the making. The newly sanctioned Stock Car division joins IMCA Modifieds on Friday nights during the IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing point season that runs from April 2 through Sept. 17. Batesville then puts the finishing touches on its 50th anniversary season with the $50,000 to win Race For Hope 71 for IMCA Modifieds Sept. 23-25 and the $50,000 IMCA Stock Car spectacular Oct. 14-16. “My wife Connie and I have promoted this track since 1993 and we want the 50th anniversary season to be really special,” said Batesville boss Mooney Starr. “These events pay a massive amount of money, especially for the Stock Cars.” This season marks the 22nd that IMCA Modifieds will race weekly at Batesville while the IMCA Stock Cars replace a local street stock class. “That had been a great class and we’d get 100-120 cars at the end of the season for a $10,000 to win [Read More]

Thornton goes 3-for-4 with latest Race For Hope win

BATESVILLE, Ark. (Oct. 11) – New car? No problem. Thornton topped the $12,000 to win Race For Hope 71 feature for IMCA Modifieds at Batesville Motor Speedway. Sunday’s checkered flag run was his second straight and third in the four years the event has been held. “It’s awesome to be able to win this race three out of four years. This was definitely one of our biggest wins,” said Thornton, who led start to finish in the 71-lapper. “We brought a new car (a Lethal Chassis), went back to our notes and didn’t have to change a thing all week.” Already on the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot, Thornton set fast time to start the week and never slowed down. After rain postponed the main event from Saturday night to Sunday afternoon, he weathered a handful of cautions before and after the mandatory fuel stop on lap 40. The final yellow came with three laps left. Jake O’Neil pulled to Thornton’s back bumper before chasing him to the checkers. “This year we were really good [Read More]

Batesville’s IMCA Modified Race For Hope boasts $12,000 payday

BATESVILLE, Ark. – One of the biggest races on the IMCA Modified calendar will benefit two area non-profit organizations this season. Batesville Motor Speedway’s fourth annual Race For Hope 71 is Oct. 6-10, with $12,000 paid to win and a minimum of $1,500 to start the main event. The Saturday night main event is a qualifier for the 2021 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot. Top two finishers in each heat on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday advance to qualifying features that send the top 10 finishers to the inside, middle and outside rows, respectively, of Saturday’s 30-car starting grid. Drivers who don’t advance to the nightly feature earn points in one of four (B-C-D-E) non-qualifier races. Pit gates open at 4 p.m. and the grandstand opens at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Racing starts at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Friday; sponsor awards will be presented and drivers introduced beginning at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, with the race program to follow. The 71-lap feature will be halted for a fuel stop on lap 40 Spectator admission [Read More]

Foul forecast washes out Batesville

BATESVILLE, Ark. – Forecasts for too much rain and not enough drying time before the weekend have forced Batesville Motor Speedway to call off the March 20 and 21 Arkansas Spring Nationals. The event will not be rescheduled.

Thornton dominates opening night of Race For Hope 71

By Mike Spieker BATESVILLE, Ark. (Sept. 26) – After having the first two scheduled nights postponed due to rain, the third annual IMCA.TV Race For Hope 71 got underway Thursday night at Batesville Motor Speedway. Ninety-five of the best IMCA Modified drivers from across the country were checked in for action at the high-banked three-eighths mile oval. Inaugural Race For Hope 71 champion Ricky Thornton Jr. of Adel, Iowa, by way of Chandler, Ariz., cruised to the 30-lap qualifying A-main feature win. Thornton started on the inside of row two and quickly moved by front row starters D.J. Shannon of Merced, Calif. and Curtis Cook of Conway, Ark. Once out front, Thornton Jr. distanced himself from the rest of the field. “The car was really good. We were able to get into the lead on the first or second lap, then I just kind of rolled around the bottom,” said Thornton. “I looked at the track right before our feature and decided to make a few changes. I think that really helped us a bunch. We should be [Read More]

IMCA Modifieds are Batesville bound for Sept. 24-28 Race For Hope

BATESVILLE, Ark. – One of the biggest races for IMCA Modifieds will also benefit two area non-profit organizations this season. Batesville Motor Speedway’s third annual Race For Hope 71 is Sept. 24-28, with $15,000 paid to win and a minimum of $2,000 to start the main event. More than 60 drivers will earn at least $1,000 during the Saturday, Sept. 28 program alone. Saturday’s main event is a qualifier for the 2020 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot. IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National, Jet Racing Central Region and E3 Spark Plugs Arkansas State points will be awarded. Saturday’s “D” main pays $2,000 to win and a minimum of $400 to start, the “C” main pays $3,000 to win and a minimum of $600 to start, and the “B” main pays $4,000 to win and a minimum of $1,000 to start. Top two finishers in each of 15 heats on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday advance to qualifying features that send the top 10 finishers to the inside, middle and outside rows, respectively, of Saturday’s 30-car starting [Read More]

Seidler finds success at Arkansas Spring Nationals

BATESVILLE, Ark. (March 22) – Marlyn Seidler had mixed success in his early-season IMCA Modified foray to Arizona. He traveled to Arkansas and Batesville Motor Speedway to get his first feature win of the year, and the 88th of his career in the division on Friday night. Seidler started on the pole and led all 25 laps of the star-filled Arkansas Spring Nationals main event. Jeff Taylor, Tyler Stevens, Kelly Shryock and Ken Schrader rounded out the top five. “Winning a race like this is a big deal for an old, gray-haired dirt farmer,” said Seidler, who earned $2,000 and a Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot berth along with the checkers. “There were a lot of good cars here and I’m grateful that I’m still able to run with these guys.” The North Dakota long tow had to beat Taylor to the first turn. He was already into lapped traffic before a pair of cautions came out near midway. The race stayed green from that point and Seidler checked out, winning comfortably ahead of Taylor. “I’d [Read More]

IMCA Modifieds to headline Arkansas Spring Nationals

BATESVILLE, Ark. – IMCA Modifieds run for $2,000 to win and Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot berths on both nights of Batesville Motor Speedway’s Friday and Saturday, March 22 and 23 Arkansas Spring Nationals. Both features pay $1,500 to the runner-up. Minimum start money is $250. IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing National, Jet Racing Central Region and E3 Spark Plug Arkansas State points will be awarded. The pit gate opens at 4 p.m., the grandstand opens at 5:30 p.m., hot laps are at 7 p.m. and racing starts at 7:30 p.m. each night. Spectator admission is $10 for adults and free for kids ages 14 and under. Pit passes are $35. An open practice will be from 6:30-9:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 21. Pit passes that evening are $20. Overnight accommodations are available by calling the Ramada Inn at 870 698-1800, Holiday Inn Express at 870 698-2700 or Comfort Suites at 870 698-1900. Additional information about Arkansas Spring Nationals is available by calling 870 251-0011, at the www.batesvillemotorspeedway.com website and by emailing csstarr2@yahoo.com.

Mark Martin’s second annual Race For Hope 74 at Batesville Motor Speedway a huge success

By Mike Spieker BATESVILLE, Ark. (Sept. 29) – IMCA Modified entries topped the 130 mark and traveled from more than 20 states and Canada for Mark Martin’s second annual Race For Hope 74 at Batesville Motor Speedway Troutman, N.C.s Kyle Strickler, already on the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot, led the distance en route to Saturday’s $20,000 payday. Defending race winner Ricky Thornton Jr. and Jordan Grabouski completed the top three. A purse of more than $150,000 was paid to the 28 main event qualifiers Qualifying feature winners Thornton, Strickler and Grabouski, made up the front row for the three-wide start. Thornton placed his bid for the lead on an early restart but Strickler had the momentum down the back straightaway to hold the point. Behind the leaders, Grabouski and Chase Allen swapped the third spot on lap four, with Grabouski holding onto the position. The bottom became the preferred groove for the entire field as the race approached the lap 40 fuel stop. Thornton slipped from second to fourth following the lap 35 restart [Read More]

Thornton takes opening night feature win at Race For Hope 74

By Mike Spieker BATESVILLE, Ark. (Sept. 26) – Picking up where he left off last year, Ricky Thornton Jr. raced to the opening night feature win of Mark Martin’s Race For Hope 74 at Batesville Motor Speedway. Thornton, who is the defending champion of the Race For Hope 74, led all 30 trips around the high-banked three-eighths mile clay oval en route to the Wednesday evening IMCA Modified win. “The car was really good tonight. I was able to jump out front and really run my own race,” said Thornton after the race. “We’ll probably make a few small changes for Saturday but we are excited to roll from the pole.” The top eight finishers in the Wednesday qualifier are locked into Saturday’s $20,000-to win, 74-lap main event. Those drivers include Thornton, Cayden Carter, Jason Hughes, Justin Kay, Drew Armstrong, Ken Schrader, Zack VanderBeek and Joel Rust. Armstrong ran in the runner-up position until the lap 12 restart when Hughes snuck underneath him in turns one and two. On the following circuit, 10th place runner Jake [Read More]