Six UMP Modified Drivers Earn Gators at VSP

 Two long days on the road and we have made it from Arizona to Florida and have arrived just in time to pick up the early action at Volusia Speedway Park. 

On Tuesday night, February 3rd, the UMP  Modifieds were the special attraction, running a one division show that highlighted the drivers in that division of open wheel racing. Normally when the Modifieds are running at VSP as a part of Speedweeks, they are the secondary division to some kind of winged class, but on Tuesday night this year, they got to run a program where they were the entire show. 

Actually the Monday night previous was also scheduled to be a one division program for them but because of a wind driven postponement, the ASCS Sprints also ran with them last night.

Ninety six Modified drivers signed in to race on Tuesday night with them scattered from in the infield to all around the Gator Pond back behind the track on the North side and even beyond. The prime pit area off turns one and two however, are reserved for the WoO Sprint Cars who were arriving during the course of the show as they nestle in for their four nights of racing starting on Wednesday. 

Much has been made about the new clay applied to the track here at VSP and it certainly is different than the surface that was on the track previously. It has a very greasy feel and almost feels like "Silly Putty" and not surprisingly, some drivers really like it while others, not so much. It does really seem to hold the moisture and on a cool night like Tuesday with just the one class racing, the track remained greasy virtually throughout the program. Cleaning up the race cars, many of which had numbers on the right side covered with dirt, is a real task for the crews and I'm told that if it isn't taken off quickly, it stains, much like Lake Superior Red Clay. 

Most of this week, an interesting and unusual format is used for the Modifieds, one that is not seem at other tracks but one that VSP has been using for a number of years. 

Of course, all cars will qualify for after all, this is UMP and they normally qualify everything except the Food Trucks. The drivers are then split into six feature races where everyone gets to race a main event, no matter how slow they are. The top four drivers in each feature are inverted and along with purse money, drivers are racing for points that will help line up the "Big Gator" events that they will be racing later this week. 

With ninety six drivers on hand, sixteen are scheduled for each feature with twenty laps the distance. A relatively quick, six race program is both good for a mid week show, especially on a night like Tuesday was as the Winter blast that has struck Florida was in full effect with temperatures dropping into the thirties over night and with the dampness here, a cold night doesn't feel much more penetrating than in Florida. 

The cars are split into two flights with each flight setting up three heat races. Quickest timer overal was Ricky Thornton Jr as 17.058 seconds which would give him a second row starting position. The track slowed down for group two with Zeke McKenzie quickest at 17.571. 

It was feature racing early and often with six mini features starting right after the opening ceremonies. 

Feature one saw Lethal chassis owner David Stremme battle with UNOH driver Aidan Hinds on the opening lap. Hinds surprisingly got the better of Stremme to lead the opening lap but then David was able to get around the college driver to take the lead. Three yellows in the first two laps kept things bunched but the last eighteen would go green to checkers. Thornton Jr eventually got to second and he set out after Stremme. 

The slick track saw Thornton Jr push up in the corners several times, slowing his efforts but eventually, as the race laps went by, Ricky caught Stremme and made a hard challenge, diving low in the corners but he wasn't able to steal the lead with Stremme driving on for the win. Hinds settled for third with Kyle Hammer coming from twelfth for fourth ahead of Treb Jacoby. 

Feature two had Mike McKinney on the pole and he took the initial lead with Ray Kable and the Koehler brothers, who just had to be in the same race to confuse things since they both carry the #114. 

A spin with one lap complete slowed things and on the green, Jordan Koehler made a power move, blasting past both Kable and McKinney to take over the lead. Jordan Koehler pulled away from the field with the next yellow for McKinney who slowed with a flat tire. 

Kable spun on the green, Even Koehler slowed eventually and suddenly Ray Bollinger, who didn't pass a car on the track, suddenly found himself in second after starting twelfth. Jordan Koehler had a big lead and despite nearly knocking down the wall on the last lap, he came home for the win easily, with Bollinger, Evan Taylor, Dave Wietholder and Michael Altobelli next in line but far behind. 

Feature three saw a dominating run by Trevor Neville. He battled on the opening lap with Trevor Spaulding, fought him off for the lead and then simply drove away from the field, despite the race being bogged down by four yellow flags. 

Each time Neville would pull away from the pack and run alone. Kenny Wallace eventually found his way into second but he was well behind Neville who earned an easy win. Spaulding settled for third with Drake Troutman and Cole Czarneski completing the top five. 

Feature race four had a wild last lap that had the crowd excited on on their feet. Chris Wilson started on the pole and led the opening lap. Justin Stone moved into second but both McKenzie and Charlie Mefford were drivers to watch. McKenzie got to second by the halfway point and was putting pressure on Wilson, while Mefford, who started seventh, drove up to fourth by that point also. 

McKenzie continued to shadow Wilson and on lap fifteen, he was able to drive into the lead, despite Wilson fighting hard to hold him back. A debris yellow with just two laps to go set up a wild finish. McKenzie still led but Mefford made a wild move form third, passing Wilson and then going for the lead down the back chute on the final lap. He threw his car very hard into the corner as he tried to get under McKenzie but instead the two made contact with Mefford nearly parking on the nose of the McKenzie machine. 

While these two were sliding around the track and trying to disengage from each other, Wilson zigzagged through the action, found clear track and drove on for the win. McKenzie got loose from the tangle and was able to finish second with Brad DeYoung crossing the line third. Mefford dropped all the way back to ninth. 

Tyler Nicely led from start to finish in feature five but he got a scare late in the race from Kyle Strickler. Nicely started on the pole and led the opening lap, after which a big crash on the following lap caused a delay and sent a number of drivers to the pits. 

As Nicely drove away from the field on the restart, Strickler started to move, slowly but surely cutting into the lead of Nicely as the final nineteen laps would go green to checkers. Gradually, as Nicely had to work the heaviest lapped traffic of any of the races, Strickler continued to close in and with a few laps to go, he was with in striking distance. 

He threw a spectacular slider at Nicely in turn one but his car got all out of control and only a great save kept him from spinning out. Nicely used this issue to gain ground and he then drove on for a comfortable win. Strickler recovered to finish second over Pierce McCarter. Dalton Lanich finished fourth, the last car on the lead lap with the frantic pace set. 

Michael Ledford sat on the pole for feature six but on the green he shot straight up the track toward the wall as the moisture kept coming to  the surface on the damp night. Will Krup took advantage of the situation to drive under Ledford and take the lead. 

Those two were the story of the rest of the race as Ledford continued to chase Krup through four yellow flags. But no matter what Ledford tried, he simply couldn't cut into the lead of Krup. 

However, this race had a crazy finish also as approaching the final corner with a comfortable lead, Krup got into some water on the track dumped by a slower car and he slid up and plowed into the wall hard, but he did have a big enough lead to limp across the line for the win in his damaged machine. Ledford settled for second with Trent Young third. 

All racing was complete well before 10 pm on what was a very brisk February night in central Florida. All I know is that I didn't have to get bundled up like this last week. 

Beckendorf Finally Gets CAR Modified Win in Series Finale

 It has been a grueling series for the IMCA drivers that have been racing in the Winter Nationals here for the last eleven days at the Central Arizona Raceway at Eleven Mile Corner near Casa Grande Arizona. Eight full racing programs plus a ninth race for the Hobby Stocks along with two practice nights has been a chore for even the largest of racing teams. But the drivers and their teams stuck it out and even on the last night of racing, there were some excellent races with the highlight being yet another last corner pass for a feature race win. 

On Saturday night it was the Modifieds that put on the show and for Brandon Beckendorf, who himself was the victim earlier this week of a final corner pass that cost him a feature race, Saturday was vindication as he pulled the same kind of maneuver, passing Ethan Braaksma coming to the white flag and then holding on for the win. 

Cole Suckow became a first time winner in the series as he topped the Sport Mod feature while Austin Jahnz scored back to back wins, taking both the Friday night and Saturday night Hobby Stock feature wins. 

Not to be left out was Stock Car driver Cameron Starry. The most successful of all the drivers that raced here over the past weeks, he won a series high fifth feature race to wrap up the Stock Car portion of the program. 

There can be no doubt that the drivers really supported this series in 2026 as for the final event of the long grind, one hundred and seventy seven drivers still signed in to race including a half dozen that were making their first starts of the series. It was also quite surprising that the Sport Mods, with fifty eight drivers signing in to race, had their largest car count of the entire series for the finale. 

There were no changes in the format for the finale and a total of twenty six qualifying events would set the field for the four feature races. Using the rotating order they have done all week, the Stock Cars would see the track first for their main event. 

"Wahoo" Mike Albertsen earned the pole position and he would grab the initial lead with Mike Vondrak and Curt Lund pulling in behind him. Six laps of racing were held before the first yellow flag for a spinner in turn one and Starry, who started eleventh, was already up in the top five. He was "married" to the low groove, a line that has served him well all week and he was able to drive to the inside of driver after driver and then beat them out of the corners to gain positions. 

By the halfway point of the race, he was up to third when another yellow slowed the action. Vondrak selected the high side for the restart and Starry was likely thrilled as when the green  flag dropped , he blasted into the corner low and on exit, became the new leader. 

While Starry was now in control, Jeremy Richey seemed to have found momentum on the high side of the track after restarting fifth, he surged up to second and seemed to be perhaps a challenger to Starry. 

However, following the final yellow on lap fourteen, Richey seemed to have lost that burst and he started to fade back as the laps ran down. Starry, meanwhile, was in command and no one offered any challenges to his leadership of the race. Blake Clark had by far his best run of the series as after starting sixteenth on the grid, he worked his way up to fifth by the last restart and then just kept on moving forward, as he took the second spot away from Vondrak at the end. Curt Lund came home fourth with Richey trailing. 

The Modifieds served up another in what has been a series of thrilling finishes in their feature. Early on, it appeared to be an Ethan Braaksma benefit night as he started on the pole and took the initial lead with Beckendorf quickly finding second. A grinding crash with just one lap completed in turn four eliminated several drivers but on the restart, it again was a two car race with Braaksma leading and Beckendorf trying to find a way to catch him. 

A tough battle for third found Bryson Yeager and Kollin Hibdon exchanging slide jobs on nearly every corner as they jockeyed for position. After a lap four yellow for another spin, the last sixteen laps of the race would go nonstop with Beckendorf continuing his chance. 

As the race started to go into its second half, Brandon was slowly catching the leader as the distance between the two shrunk a little each lap. With just a few laps to go, Braaksma came up on a slower car, however not so slow that he could just motor past him and this gave Beckendorf a great opportunity to close up on the leader. 

Braaksma was between a rock and a hard place as he didn't know whether to try to pass the slower car on the top or the bottom. With Beckendorf right with him, Ether opted to try and drive around the slower car on the top side and this opened the door to Beckendorf who was able to squeeze between Braaksma and the slower car and clear Ethan to take the white flag. 

Braaksma tried to catch back up on the final lap but Beckendorf was in control as he drove under the checkers to score a very thrilling win. Yeager held off Hibdon for third and Dylan Thornton, who started ninth, was able to crack the top five late. 

Suckow has been in the running all week with both of his race cars but until Saturday, had not put it all together to record that first win. However, that changed in the Sport Mod feature as he led from start to finish to score a resounding win. After grabbing the initial lead, he had Tyler Johnson chasing him after starting right behind him in the twenty lapper. 

A lap six yellow bunched the field and back on green, Ben Reierson surprised Johnson by driving past him to take over the second spot. Also on the move was previous winner Trevor Noonan who also got past Johnson by the halfway point of the race. 

A late yellow set up a five lap dash to the finish but Suckow was in control and Reierson was not able to close the advantage held by Suckow. Noonan gave Reierson plenty of pressure at the end before settling for third. Johnson finished fourth with Bubba Stafford Jr. coming from eleventh to complete the top five. 

For the second straight night the Hobby Stock feature saw Austin Jahnz come home the winner. He started on the pole, jumped into the lead immediately and then pulled away from the pack for the win. The feature would go green to checkers and Jahnz established a solid line up front and no one else was able to challenge him. 

While he was able to open up some ground on the pack, the battle for second through fifth was a tight one with drivers taking turns trying to slid inside of each other in the corners on what was a fast groove up against the wall. And while they kept pushing the issue with each other, Jahnz was comfortably in front of them and didn't have to worry as long as he didn't make a mistake. 

With a flawless run, he crossed the finish line as the winner. He was trailed by Joel Magee, Morgan Olmstead, Zach Bierman and Steve Bitting Jr. For the second straight night, all drivers that started the main event were still on the track at the finish. 

Along with the feature winners, point champions in all four classes received awards following the racing action. The point champions included Thornton, Starry, Noonan and Magee. 

Dates have already been announced for the 2027 IMCA TV Winter Nationals with nine nights of racing with a practice session on January 21st and racing to start on the 22nd through the 31st with the Gene Freeman Pit Stop Contest held on the 27th. This will give the track crew just a bit more time to prep the grounds following the Wild West Shootout before the Winter Nationals starts. 

The series just concluded was certainly a great success with what ever measuring tool you use. Lots of drivers from many states and nice crowds in the stands also. Lots of excellent racing, a good track surface and speedy programs all make this a most attractive Winter destination. This is an event that race fans should put on their "to do" list. 

Thanks to promoter Brad Whitfield and his great staff. They must be exhausted after going nonstop for nearly a month. Surprisingly, they don't even take a week off after the completion of these two huge series run back to back as they are right back at it next Saturday with a program featuring Sprint Cars. 

Baca Jr and Noonan Last Lap Victors at CAR

 Friday night, January 30th the IMCA Winter Nationals continued with round seven of the series at the Central Arizona Raceway in Casa Grande. Things started out a little bit slower than had been the norm for this series with more yellows, more crashes and even a bit of controversy between drivers and  drivers and track officials in the early going that seemed to bog things down. 

However, whatever had slogged things down early was gone by feature time as the drivers presented four excellent main events with both open wheel classes determining their winners with last corner exciting passes that had the crowd excited. 

The car count remained strong for the Friday night session here during week two with one hundred and ninety three teams signing in to race in just four classes with eight new teams making their first appearances of the Winter Nationals. 

The format for the events remained the same as it has with only the Hobby Stocks not needing a B Feature while the other three classes needed multiple ones to determine the twenty six starters for feature racing action. It would seem that some drivers felt a strong need to get into the features as more aggressive driving seemed to be the order across the board with several instances of drivers upset with each other due to some perhaps overly hard racing moves. However, in the end the only driver to visit victory lane that hadn't been there previously this week was Stock Car driver Shelby Williams. 

The Modified feature was one of the two events to produce a last lap pass for the win. With Dylan Thornton starting on the outside pole, many assumed that he would again add to his feature win total of the week and while he did take the initial lead, it was not to be for the Belle Plaine Iowa driver on this night. Chaz Baca Jr started right behind Thornton and quickly moved to the second place with Bryson Yeager, Brandon Beckendorf and Troy Morris III next in line. 

Baca Jr began to pressure for the lead and on lap six he drove to the cushion and powered past Thornton to take over the top spot. The second yellow of the race flew with eight laps complete and Beckendorf had moved up to third at this point. Before another lap could be completed, a grinding crash in turn one sent several cars to the pits with damage and yet another yellow for a spin topped off the first ten laps of racing. 

Finally everyone settled down and the last half of the race would produce much drama. Baca Jr. continued to lead with Beckendorf moving past Thornton into second and beginning to close on the leader. They got side by side and fought it out for a couple laps before Beckendorf drove past on the outside to take over the top spot. 

Brandon would pull away for several laps after grabbing the lead but Baca Jr refused to yield and began to mount a charge of his own to catch back up. As the laps ran down, he got closer and closer as Beckendorf pushed as hard as he could be he seemed to have lost just a bit of grip running the top side of the track. 

As the white flag waved, the lead was down to a car length and the pro Arizona crowd was cheering on the efforts of Baca Jr. They came out of the final corner side by side but Baca Jr had the momentum and he crossed the line the winner by a car length as Beckendorf's efforts for a feature win were again short cutted. 

 Thornton drove a steady race for third with Kollin Hibdon and Troy Morris III completing the top five in a race that saw about a third of the starters in the infield before it was completed. 

Bud Martini led nineteen and three quarter laps of the Sport Mod feature but unfortunately for the Minnesota driver, twenty laps was the racing distance on Friday night and Trevor Noonan made an exciting last corner pass to take the win. 

Martini had gotten the jump on Tyler Johnson to start the race and he led early with Cole Suckow and Danny Wagner chasing. After an early yellow for a lap three spin, there was a long period of green flag racing and Martini was flying as he opened up almost a half straightaway lead over the pack. Noonan, who had started fourth but had fallen back out of the top five, had fought his way back to fourth at the halfway point of the race with Eric Winemiller next in line. 

Martini's big lead, however, was lost after a lap thirteen spin and pack style racing was the order of the day for the rest of the event. Martini had Johnson trying to pass him in every corner with Tyler looking to his inside. Meanwhile, Noonan was picking up the pace in fourth as he race Suckow hard for that spot and all four were closely bunched. 

The white flag saw the top four still tight together with Johnson working the low side and Martini trying to seal him off but this opened the top lane for Noonan. With the top four still tight together on the final tour, Johnson tried again to get inside Martin but this gave Noonan an open lane on the top side and he drove very hard into turn three where he got traction. As Martini slid up off the final corner, there was just a lane open on the top and Noonan blasted off the final corner and edged past Martini to win an exciting race. Johnson was a very close third with Suckow and Bubba Stafford Jr completing the top five. 

Shelby Williams finally got off the snide in the Stock Cars as he won his first feature of the series but had to fight off another driver also looking for win number one. Braden Richards used the outside pole to take the early lead over Bo Partain. Partain, however, would fight back and drive under Richards on lap three to take the top spot. Some great racing took place between the two over the next few laps as they raced side by side and swapped the top spot back and forth three times at the line. 

With a lap six pass by Partain, he finally secured the top spot which he would hold for a number of laps. Williams started seventh on the grid and slowly worked his way to the front, moving to second at the halfway point of the race, only to have to fight to hold off Richards for that position. 

However, Williams really started to pick up the pace at this point as he pressured Partain for the point, finally taking over the lead on lap fifteen as the top six drivers continued to run in a tight pack. One last yellow with seventeen laps complete when Partain and Angel Munoz got together which enraged Partain, led to a short sprint to the finish. 

Williams was up to the task and he fought off Richards to take the win. Curt Lund, who spun on lap two and had to go tail back, worked his way back up to third at the finish with Dillon Richards and Munoz completing the top five. 

Austin Jahnz led from start to finish to win the Hobby Stock feature, his second win of the series. It ws tough duty though, as he had a group of drivers riding his rear bumper for the entire race and one slip up would have cost him. Jahnz made a great move on the opening lap as he got under Joel Magee and was able to edge past him to take over the lead as the pack lined up single file and rode the outside wall, a pattern that the Hobby Stocks have found over the series is best for them come feature time.

Momentum is huge and the best way is to line up behind each other and then dive down a lane to try and made a pass. Tyler Thompson was having his best run of the series so far as he moved into second spot and rode the bumper of Jahnz while Magee, Morgan Olmstead and Zach Bierman jockeyed for position behind those two. 

Jahnz never made the mistake that might have cost him and he drove home for the win. Last lap maneuvering found Magee taking second over Thompson, Bierman and Olmstead. 

The final evening of the IMCA TV Winter Nationals will be held on Saturday night with all four classes again racing a full show with point titles also on the line. 

Fourth Wins For Thornton and Starry Highlight Thursday Winter Nationals at CAR

 As the IMCA TV Winter Nationals at the Central Arizona Raceway at Eleven Mile Corner near Casa Grande Arizona starts to wind down, some drivers are now starting to assert their dominance over the rest of the competition. Leading the way in those drivers who have "spanked" the field on multiple occasions are Modified driver Dylan Thornton and Stock Car pilot Cameron Starry. 

On Thursday night, the Iowa from California Thornton and Texas driver Starry both won their fourth feature races of this two week series and did so in fine style, despite both having to weather some strong challenges before crossing the line as winners and heading to victory lane. 

The other two divisions saw first time feature winners as North Dakota driver Nathan Speten topped the Sport Mods and with a late pass, Minnesota's Zach Bierman edged out as the winner in the Hobby Stock feature. 

The car count remains solid as he edge through the middle part of the second straight week of racing as one hundred and seventy seven drivers in four classes signed in to race on Thursday night , including five teams making their initial run of the series. 

Using a rotating order of presenting the racing action, on Thursday night it would be Stock Cars up first for their twenty lap main event. Twenty six drivers took the green flag with outside pole starter Dillon Richards taking the initial lead. Chaz Baca Jr was on the move early, driving from the third row into the runner up slot quickly, with the first yellow coming with four laps complete when top five racer Braden Richards plunked the turn four wall and ground to a halt. 

On the green, Richards continued to lead with Baca Jr all over him as eventual winner Starry was already up to fourth spot. Just one lap later, Baca Jr leaned on Richards in turn four and wedged himself into the top spot. By lap seven, when the yellow waved once again for a stalled car, Starry was up to second place. 

Cameron was good using both the low and high side of the track and Baca Jr simply didn't have enough speed to hold back Starry and on lap nine he drove past Baca Jr to take over the lead, just before a grinding crash in turn two eliminated Jim Horejci, Kaden Woodie and Dayton Ullrich. 

The final half of the race would click off nonstop and Starry pulled away from the pack with no one able to stay up with him, much less provide any kind of challenge. He crossed the line with room to spare with Baca Jr coming home second. Curt Lund elbowed his way into third at the midpoint of the race and would remain in that spot the rest of the event with Justin Luinenburg and Dillon Richards completing the top five. 

Thornton won his fourth Modified feature of the series but it was a hard fought battle and he didn't make the winning pass until lap twenty two as he argued for the front spot most of the race with Brandon Beckendorf. 

Thornton started on the pole and took the immediate lead with Beckendorf quickly advancing a row and moving into second. Only two laps into the race, a wild multicar accident in turn three found Troy Morris III sitting upside down on top of another car with several other cars stacked in the pile. All drivers were fine but not so much for several race cars. 

Thornton continued as the leader for only three more laps as while he ran the low side, Beckendorf moved up to the cushion and buzzed right past Thornton on lap five to take over the top spot. He then began to put distance on the pack as it looked like he might secure his first win of the series. Ethan Braaksma moved into third by the halfway point of the race with Kevin Williamson and Justen Yeager next in line. Those two would not stay there however, as Williamson soon after suffered from rear end problems in his car while Yeager faded back into the pack. 

The leaders came upon some slower traffic but Beckendorf navigated them well and continued to maintain his lead. The race changed dramatically however, when a yellow was triggered on lap nineteen by a spinning driver on the front chute. Ironically, Justin Erickson spun off the front bumper of Thornton who was trying to lap him when he inadvertently spun him out. 

Accident or not, the yellow was a huge benefit to Thornton, particularly when Beckendorf, who was so fast on the cushion, opted to race low after the green came back out. Thornton took advantage of this decision, moving to the cushion and building up momentum and with just three laps to go, blasting back into the lead. Beckendorf pushed as hard as he could, but the opportunity had been lost and he had to settle for second behind Thornton who visited victory lane once again. 

Braaksma ran third virtually the whole race with Logan Drake and an eighteenth starting Bryson Yeager completing the top five. 

Bud Martini started on the pole and took the early lead in the Sport Mod main event with Cole Suckow and Nathan Speten moving in behind him. Martini, however, was quick and he was able to build up a nice sized lead in the early going. All this ended however, when top five runner Bubba Stafford Jr spun in turn three and the yellow waved. 

Speten got a great restart as he was able to get to the inside of Martini driving into turn one and he came out of the corner as the leader. Speten opened up a comfortable lead as Martini faded and eventually dropped out of the race. Tyler came a long way through the pack after starting eighteenth, moving into second by the halfway point of the race and seemingly a strong challenger to Speten. 

Speten, however, would have none of that as he pulled away from the pack and no one was able to get near him and provide a challenge. Late in the race, Payce Herrera found extra speed and he passed Johnson to get the second spot. Previous winner Trevor Noonan came home fourth with Suckow rounding out the top five. 

The Hobby Stock feature ran off green to checkers and saw a four car breakaway from the rest of the pack. Joel Magee got the jump on the field and was the early leader. Zach Bierman, Austin Jahnz and Morgan Olmstead lined up behind Magee and the top four pulled away from the field in a high speed train. 

All were running on the top side up against the wall with one or more drivers periodically trying to drop down a lane and break the chain, and while they tried, they found it didn't work and they quickly settled back in line. They continued in this fashion deep into the race where late in the contest, Bierman was able to make a little more progress when Magee bobbled just slightly. 

Bierman got to the inside of Magee and was able to squeeze past him as they came to the white flag. Showing he was indeed faster, he then pulled away on the final circuit uncontested to take the win. Magee settled for second with Jahnz, Olmstead and Tyler Thompson finishing up behind him. All sixteen drivers that took the green were still on the track at the finish. 

Sunny skies and seventy degree temperatures are predicted for the final two rounds of this year's Winter Nationals.  

 

Braaksma, Noonan and Magee New Winners at CAR

 Week number two of the IMCA Winter Nationals at the Central Arizona Raceway began on Wednesday night, January 28th and three first time winners found victory lane in racing action conducted on the three eighth mile oval. Ethan Braaksma, Trevor Noonan and Joel Magee were all first time winners here this year while Cameron Starry continued his strong run with his third win of the series so far. 

One hundred and seventy drivers signed in to race in what is now a four division program through the conclusion of the series on Saturday night. Typically the Modified division looses about twenty to twenty five drivers from the first to the second week and that was the situation again this year with sixty five signing in to race on Wednesday. The Sport Mods and Stock Cars generally hold pretty consistent from week one to week two although last year the Stock Cars had their largest car counts for the second week of the series but that is not the case so far this year. The Hobby Stock numbers have been down from start to the present in 2026 and that continued. It should be pointed out though that thirty drivers signed in to race on Wednesday night that hadn't been here at all for week one so there is different look so far to week two fields. 

The format would remain the same for the conclusion of the series with drivers drawing for their starting positions in heat races and the top fourteen automatically making the feature which guarantees heat race winners a starting spot in the mains plus the highest passing points drivers to make up the top fourteen. Everyone else runs a B Feature with twenty six drivers starting the main events except for the Hobby Stocks were everyone running gets to be in the feature. 

The series is in a nice rhythm now with one class hot lapping each night to get the track ready and then the green flag drops, generally somewhere between 3:45 pm and 4 pm. The only stoppage is for track prep before the last set of B Features and then its straight through to the conclusion with the show, depending on yellow flags etc, normally concluding somewhere around 8:30 pm. 

The lineup for the Modified feature, which was first up, looked to be serving up a two car battle between Braaksma and Dylan Thornton who would start in the first and second rows of the main and for much of the contest, that was indeed how it played out. 

However, late in the race, there would be a couple of other drivers that would insert themselves in the battle and down the wire, it was a four car battle for the win. 

Braaksma led early with Thornton moving to second behind him and riding in close formation. Kollin Hibdon, who moved from eighth to fourth on the opening lap was also a factor with Jonathan Mawhinney and Brandon Beckendorf next in line. Chaz Baca Jr, considered a factor in the outcome, was instead in the infield early with mechanical issues. 

Braaksma continued to lead but Thornton moved in close and was making some preliminary moves for a strike in the final few laps when the yellow waved for the first time with just four laps remaining. 

The restart, as restarts often do, completely changed things with both Hibdon and Beckendorf putting a strong challenge on Thornton and Braaksma used that opportunity to pull away from the field. Hibdon threw the first slider but then Beckendorf was able to get past both drivers and he closed rapidly on Braaksma on the last couple laps. One late charge came up just short as Braaksma won by a half car length, or .036 seconds. Thornton was able to hold off Hibdon by a half length for third with Mawhinney rounding out the top five. Only four drivers didn't finish in the quick race. 

The nonstop Stock Car feature saw Starry and Jordan Zillmer trade the lead back and forth before Starry assumed control. Starry took the early lead from the outside of row one with Zillmer, Bo Partain and Payce Herrera close behind. Starry was running the low line and Zillmer was the first to find the top side groove. 

Once he moved to the cushion, he began to quickly close on the leader and on lap seven, he buzzed past Starry on the front stretch to take over the point. Curt Lund, Kaden Woodie and Shelby Williams moved into the top five at this point. 

Zillmer continued to lead but he started to struggle just a bit in the corners, having to back down on entry and losing a little speed and Starry saw this, dropped down a groove and was able to squeeze past Zillmer to retake the lead on lap thirteen. After that ,Starry began to pull away as Zillmer was taking much heat from drivers behind him looking to pass. 

While Starry was gone and drove on for the win, there was quite a scramble on the final two laps as Zillmer couldn't fight off all the challengers with Lund getting past him for second and then Woodie and Partain on the final lap as well. All but two starters were still around to take the checkered flag. 

The Sport Mod feature got off to a rocky start as while Mike Goodwin took the initial lead, only one lap was completed before a collision on the front chute saw Chad Dolan jump the wheel of another competitor and take a hard flip in front of the crowd. He was OK but the car was clearly not. 

Two more laps were made before the yellow flew for a spin with Herrera moving into second at this point. The final seventeen laps, however, would go green to checkers with Bud Martini moving into second and then three laps later, passing Goodwin to take over the lead. 

However, Martini soon had a challenge to his lead as Trevor Noonan, who started ninth and one row behind Martini, moved in to challenge for the top spot. Using the higher line on the track, he was able to drive past Martini on lap eleven and then quickly pulled away from the field. The top three in fact, really got stretched out from the field, all riding comfortably in their positions. 

They would finish in that order with Tyler Johnson and Herrera completing the top five. All drivers finished on the lead lap but there were eight in the infield by the time the checkers flew. 

A mechanical issue greatly affected the outcome of the Hobby Stock feature that saw seventeen drivers take the green. Austin Jahnz started on the pole and took the early lead with Zach Bierman following in his tire tracks and Morgan Olmstead moving into third. 

One lap ten a grinding two car collision took place in turn one that produced a red flag as Wesson Edwards-Miller took a hard hit that shook him up. He walked to the ambulance with some assistance and the race was able to continue. 

Joel Magee had moved past Bierman into second as the first half dozen or so drivers were lined up in tight order, all rolling the high groove around the track. Suddenly, in turn four on lap thirteen, Jahnz's car started smoking badly, he immediately lost power and the field drove past him. He was able to limp  to the infield but that incident gave Magee the opportunity to take over the lead. 

The last seven laps were a two car battle with Bierman pushing hard in the corners, trying to get a run at Magee but he just couldn't get the momentum he needed and Magee would keep him at bay and drive on for the win. Nick Biggs had a strong run to finish third with Tyler Thompson and Olmstead completing the top five. 

All four classes will be back in action on Thursday night as the IMCA Winter Nationals continues.  

Madrid Wins Eichelberger Clash at CAR

 Week number two of the DeVilbiss Racing Chassis, IMCA TV Winter Nationals powered by Pitt Stop Motorsports & Dynamic Drivelines began on Tuesday night, January 27th with the running of the Amber Eichelberger Hobby Stock Clash. Along with the Hobby Stock special, the Gene Freeman Memorial Pit Crew Challenge was held along with the second race of the year by the Figure Eight group of drivers. 

The Pit Crew Challenge is always a fun event with about two dozen teams in various classes entered. The competition requires each team to change a right rear tire with just two crew members as the race car rolls to a halt and then the car makes one lap of the track with the entire process timed. The winning team managed to break the fifty second barrier with the Madrid team taking the gold. 

Seventeen drivers took the green flag for the Hobby Stock special held in tribute to Amber Eichelberger. This race was the only one held on the circle track on Tuesday so the Hobby Stock drivers found the racing surface to be much different than it had been for their previous races run last week. It was much heavier and a bit on the wet slick side, giving some of the drivers fits in the early going 

Three different drivers led this thirty three lap race at some point with Nick Biggs drawing the outside pole and leading lap one. However, he slipped up the track in turn four with Drew Barry sliding to his inside and taking over the lead. Biggs then assumed the runner up slot and he closing followed Barry for a number of laps. 

Anthony Madrid had started seventh but he was on the move, getting past both Joe Peterson and Morgan Olmstead to assume the third spot. He continued to charge as he got by Barry for second, only to slide up  the track on one of the remaining slick spots and give Biggs back the second spot. 

Austin Jahnz moved into the top five by the halfway point but he was nearly a half lap behind as the field was spread around the three eighth mile track. This all ended with seventeen laps completed when Gage Curran slowed with overheating issues, triggering the first yellow of the event and bunching up the top five. 

Barry continued to lead with Madrid and Jahnz, who had moved up to third, closing following him. Madrid looked to the inside of Barry on several occasions but Drew continued to hold his line and maintain the top spot. 

Barry was just five laps away from victory when everything unraveled for him. As he drove into turn four, his car pushed way up the track and he saw Madrid and Jahnz pass him. Barry then rolled to a halt and needed a wrecker to leave the track as a right front suspension issue ended his race and his chance for victory. 

Madrid inherited the lead but he had Jahnz following him closely. Jahnz looked to the inside of the leader, pushing hard into the corner. The outcome was delayed once more when a two car pile up in turn three slowed things with just two laps to go. 

The restart saw Jahnz give it his best effort as he drove hard into  the corners but Madrid held his line and would cross under the duel checkers with several car lengths on the field as the winner. Jahnz took home second with Zach Bierman charging up to third. Peterson and Biggs completed the top five. 

Winner Madrid and the Madrid Racing Team donated their first place winnings of one thousand dollars to the Eichelberger benefit fund as victory lane proved to be a very emotional place for many. 

The evening concluded with an open practice session for all classes of cars racing the Winter Nationals which resumes on  Wednesday night with a full program for four IMCA divisions. At least twenty drivers that did not race during the opening weekend were on hand Tuesday to get some laps in advance of week two. 

Four New Winners as Winter Nationals Reaches the Halfway Point

 The IMCA TV Winter Nationals at the Central Arizona Raceway reached its halfway point with the running of its fourth straight night of racing here on Saturday night, January 24th. When all was said and done, four drivers, two of them local competitors, won for the first time here this week and a couple of winning streaks were halted at the same time. 

Along with two Arizona drivers, Chaz Baca Jr and Eric Winemiller who won for the first time, Nebraska driver Morgan Olmstead and Texas' Shelby Williams also earned their first victories of the Winter Nationals. 

The car count was again outstanding as for the fourth straight night there were well over two hundred drivers that signed in to race in the four classes plus the Mod Lites that competed. Comparing this year's turnout to that of 2025 for the opening week of the series, all four nights have seen the Modifieds top the biggest night of last year while the Sport Mods and Stock Cars have run very similar to last year's turn out. Only the Hobby Stocks have lagged from last year and that number has been relatively small. 

For the second straight night, rain showers have skirted the track with there actually being a few sprinkles that have fallen from time to time but nothing that has slowed the action. And just after the final checkered of the night waved, it did indeed start to rain just a bit harder so we managed to avoid what was considered to be a major weather outbreak for the area. 

Qualifying would be similar to previous nights with B Features needed for all classes except the Hobby Stocks and twenty six drivers would make the main for all classes. 

Stock Cars hit the track first for their twenty lap main event, a race that would eventually see three different leaders before the checkers waved. David Pearson held the pole position but as has been the case often so far this week, the outside pole has been the place to be and it was again as Curt Lund, a previous winner so far this week, used that outside line to take the early lead. Mike Vondrak, Cameron Starry, going for his third straight win and Dillon Richards battled hard for second. Richards eventually was able to grab the runner up slot as the top ten or so drivers ran in tight formation. 

Lund looked to be in good shape as the race neared its halfway point when suddenly he pushed up the track in turn one, opening the door for Richards who drove past to take over the lead. Starry, Shelby Williams who started seventh and Vondrak were all close behind as the halfway point was reached. 

Williams was gaining ground as he moved up to second and when Richards pushed up the track in turn four just two laps later, Williams was right there to take over the lead. Two laps later the first yellow of the race slowed the action when Starry slowed on the back chute. 

Back under green, a big pileup occurred that slowed the race once again and eliminated Vondrak from the running. This set up a four lap dash to the finish and Williams pulled away from the field as he was strong on the restart. He would not be challenged as he then went on for the win. Richards faded back just a bit, losing spots to a hard charging Chaz Baca Jr and Lund who made a comeback after falling back a bit. Mike Albertsen completed the top five. 

Baca Jr quickly exited his Stock Car and jumped into his Modified and the results were excellent for him as he then led from start to finish to take the Modified feature. Joey Price started on the pole but when he left Baca Jr a sliver of and opening on the inside, Baca Jr jumped right at the chance and he led the opening lap. After that, he was gone with no one to challenge him. 

Ethan Braaksma moved into  the second spot with Kollin Hibdon next in line as the top three put distance on the field. This race had a long period of green flag racing which saw the field start to stretch out with Kevin Williamson and Troy Morris III moving into position behind the top three. 

It looked like this race would go green to checkers but a late spin set up a two lap sprint to the finish. Baca Jr was not about to slip up at this point as he again pulled away from the pack and opened up some distance on the field, not about to misstep as he drove on for the win, making for a very successful evening's racing. 

The green flag restart was beneficial to Hibdon as he got past Braaksma to take over the second spot and Ethen was not able to regain that position before the checkers. Tom Berry Jr put on a charge from start to finish as after starting fifteenth, he was able to get all the way up to fourth at the finish with Troy Morris III completing the top five in a finish that could be seen at any central Iowa track all Summer where all five could be found in 2025. 

Three time winner Dylan Thornton had a tough night. He drew poorly for his heat and was the last guaranteed starter in the main that didn't have to run a B Feature. He started fourteenth in the main and was only able to gain one position before the checkered flag fell. 

While the Modifieds were not able to accomplish a green to checkers feature race, the Hobby Stocks stepped to the track next and did just that with twenty five of them going nonstop for twenty laps. 

After coming close to victory earlier this week, Morgan Olmstead was not about to let his brother or any one else keep him out of victory lane on Saturday. He started on the outside pole, quickly built up a sizable lead and with no yellows to bunch up the pack, drove for the win. 

In the early going, Austin Jahnz was fairly close but Olmstead gradually pulled away from him and they would run alone, comfortably unchallenged in the top two spots. 

While the top two spots were settled early, a dandy battle for third lasted much of the race with Greg Kohl fighting with Joel Magee and Nathan Kohl. They raced in tight formation for much of the race and in the last couple laps, Nathan was able to drop down a lane on the track and drive by both Magee and Greg to take second with Magee doing the same to Greg to complete the top five. 

The Sport Mod feature got off to a terrible start when in turn one on the opening lap, a big scrum in the pack sent former feature winner Tyler Johnson flipping where he was then slammed by another car. Fortunately no injuries were the result but several drivers were eliminated. 

After a second yellow for a two car spin, the first lap was finally completed with Matthew Frazier jumping into the lead. He was quickly challenged by Eric Winemiller and two laps later Winemiller drove into the lead. 

Two more yellows in the first six laps kept the field bunched but finally all out racing broke out and Winemiller continued to lead with Trevor Noonan, who started fifth, driving into the second spot. Payce Herrera moved into third with Troy and Nathan Speten next in line. 

Noonan began to reel in Winemiller and closed to his rear bumper just after the halfway point and on lap thirteen he slid under Winemiller to take over the top spot. This, however, seemed to ignite Winemiller and he came back strong, returning the favor with his own slider and retaking the lead. 

At this point, Winemiller seemed to find another gear and he started to pull away from Noonan and open up a lead. As Noonan lost ground, he then began to be challenged for second by Troy Speten who had started ninth and as Winemiller drove home for the win, somewhat of a surprise as he has been mostly on the "struggle bus" until tonight, Speten moved into second with Noonan settling for third. Completing the top five were Herrera and Cole Suchow. 

Despite the threatening weather, the biggest crowd of the week was on hand for Saturday night's show and they were rewarded with another competitive and swiftly presented program. A note in passing here that since there are a very large number of Canadians on hand, both in the pits and in the grandstand it would seem only fair that their anthem also be played. Back in my own upper Midwest where there are often Canadian drivers on hand racing from either Ontario or Manitoba, the Canadian National Anthem is routinely played weekly. 

Everyone now gets just a little time to relax and refresh. Practice is scheduled for next Tuesday with the final four nights of racing scheduled for next Wednesday through Saturday. Four classes will be in racing action with the Mod Lites on their way to Florida to race.