CASA GRANDE, Ariz. — As the online promotions state, Winter Is Coming and Central Arizona Raceway is the place for IMCA drivers in six divisions to be in January.
The Casa Grande oval hosts the fifth annual Winter Nationals, sponsored by Pitt Stop Motorsports and broadcast by SPEED SPORT.TV affiliate IMCA.TV, Jan. 8-11 and 15-18.
“We have well over 200 entries, from 20-plus states and three Canadian provinces, already and I expect the total car count to be somewhere in the neighborhood of 250 to 260,” said promoter Brad Whitfield. “This will be the first Winter Nationals held at Casa Grande, we’ve made a lot of improvements here and we’re looking forward to see the fruits of our labor flourish.”
Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars run for $1,000 to win and Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational or B & B Racing Chassis All-Star Invitational qualifying berths each night while Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods run for $1,000 to win and IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks for $500 top checks.
Winter Nationals champions in those divisions receive fire suits and helmets and become eligible to qualify for their respective race of champions at the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s.
Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compacts are on Jan. 8-11 cards, racing for $350 to win. Stealth Racing IMCA STARS Mod Lites run Jan. 15-18 for $500 to win each night.
IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing national, regional and state points are at stake each night.
“The weather will be great and the new location at Casa Grande, between Phoenix and Tucson, is a real attraction. There are a lot of golf courses, eateries and shopping opportunities,” said Whitfield.
“But the real draw will be eight days of racing,” he continued. “We’ve added clay around the track, both corners are symetrical and racing has gotten better with the addition of the new retaining wall. Guys can’t banzai it into the turns, slide off and force us to throw a yellow.”
Racing starts at 2 p.m. each day. Open practices are from 6-9 p.m. Jan. 7 and Jan. 14.
The Gene Freeman Memorial pit crew challenge, open to Modified, Stock Car and SportMod crews, is Jan. 14 and pays $1,000 to win. A 30-lap, $1,000 to win non-points race for the Hobby Stocks is also on the card that evening.