International Motor Contest Association
The International Motor Contest Association (IMCA) was organized in 1915 by J. Alex Sloan, and is currently the oldest active auto racing sanctioning body in the United States. IMCA is currently headquartered in Vinton, Iowa, and features several classes and divisions of weekly racing in six geographical regions of the United States.
History
Sloan, a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was instrumental in establishing the IMCA and ran more races than all other promoters in the United States combined, all under IMCA sanction. After Sloan's death in 1937 his son, John Sloan, continued to manage the IMCA. Under John Sloan’s leadership, IMCA continued to grow and held its first Late model race on November 9, 1947, in Lubbock, Texas. In the late 1970s, Keith Knaack introduced the IMCA Modified division. In 1996, Kathy Root bought IMCA from Kathryn and Karolyn Knaack. As of January 2015 Brett Root succeeded his mom, Kathy Root to become the IMCA President. Kathy will continue to be involved with IMCA as chair of the executive committee and on a consulting basis.
Classes of cars sectioned by the IMCA
- IMCA Modified – Modified race cars with open wheels in the front and closed wheels in the back
- IMCA Latemodel – full-bodied late model race cars
- IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car – traditional non-winged and winged sprint cars
- IMCA Stockcar – full-bodied production stock cars
- IMCA Hobby Stock – 8-cylinder rear wheel drive entry-level division
- IMCA Northern Sportmod – same as modifieds but with smaller engines and more restrictive rules
- IMCA Southern Sportmod – Similar to Modified but with full GM Metric Frame
- IMCA Sport Compact – 4-cylinder front wheel drive stock cars
Major races
The IMCA championships are held annually at the IMCA Supernationals at Boone Speedway in Boone, Iowa. Another major race is the Harris Clash held at Knoxville Raceway which was developed as a race with somewhat of an emphasis on chassis manufacturers. The IMCA Boone super nationals is the biggest event held by IMCA. It happens once a year around the second week of September. This event has the most imca modifeds in one event.
Trivia
The 1963 and 1964 IMCA champion, driver Dick Hutcherson, was not eligible for the 1965 NASCAR Grand National Series Rookie of the Year, which he won nine times and finished second in the standings, it was given to Sam McQuagg. NASCAR's rookie standards have since changed to being based only on the Sprint Cup Series.
Images
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Northern Sport Modifieds
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IMCA Modifieds
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IMCA Stock Cars
References
External links
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