There is a sweeping change at the dirt tracks in California and it has made its way to the Pahrump Valley Speedway. This year there has been a big switch from International Motor Contest Association West Coast Super Stocks to the IMCA Modifieds and there may be a possibility the IMCA WCSS might be disbanded next season.
Chad Broadhead, the Pahrump Valley Speedway owner, has noticed the change, but really can’t put his finger on why. Sure he has an idea, but to him it does not make sense.
Before the season started, The IMCA took over as the governing body of the WCSS, which is owned by Chris Kearns. According to Broadhead, this was just a change in the governing body and really was not a big deal.
“It’s the mentality of the drivers. If you were to ask the drivers of the WCSS and say, ‘Isn’t this what you wanted?’ They would say, ‘Well we didn’t really want IMCA to get involved.’ You can’t have your cake and eat it too. All the tracks went IMCA so we did too and why shouldn’t we? Some say the drivers don’t want to buy the license. So the drivers jumped ship from WCSS and went over to IMCA Modifieds. They still have to pay for an IMCA Modified license,” Broadhead said.
He said all IMCA is doing for WCSS is running the points system for them.
“The IMCA WCSS is still the same rules. IMCA WCSS is being cancelled for next season. All the tracks are banning this class. It’s not just one, it’s all of them. When Santa Maria Race Track in Nipomo, Calif. is only getting five to six Super Stocks, there is a problem,” Broadhead explained.
Broadhead said there have been at least five to six racers that he knows of here in Pahrump that sold their WCSS and moved to IMCA Modifieds.
For the Pahrump Valley Speedway, the counts range anywhere from two to five IMCA Super Stocks each race. Is the class truly dead? This remains to be seen. Chris Kearns wasn’t available for comment.
Kevin Yoder, director of IMCA marketing, has been left scratching his head over this. It didn’t make sense to him. He said his organization does not make the decision to get rid of the class. That would be up to WCSS.
“It’s not ours to do away with. We don’t write the rules for that class. The only thing we do for WCSS is keep track of their points,” Yoder said.
Yoder said he wasn’t on the pulse of the WCSS drivers and really doesn’t know what is behind the exodus. His opinion is only speculation.
“The only thing I can think of is maybe the drivers are making the choice on their own. They have seen our news letter and have seen the benefits of our organization and chose to race in our organization because there are a few more options to race in IMCA Modifieds,” he said.
This will affect the Sam Stringer Memorial Race, which in the past honored Sam Stringer by racing WCSS. This year Steve Stringer, the oldest son of Sam, said the family decided to change from WCSS to IMCA Modifieds.
“I understand what Sheree is doing. She is doing it for the scholarship. Whatever it takes, I don’t care what the class, I will do it,” Broadhead said.
Steve Stringer agreed with Broadhead and said the family changed to IMCA Modifieds for the race count. He bought a new IMCA Modified for this year and has raced all IMCA Modified for the year. He said he likes the wild suspension of the Modifieds.
“Yes, Sam drove a WCSS for the last years of his life, but that was not all he drove. The race was centered around the Super Stock, but the class has died. He did drive an IMCA Modified and that is why we changed,” Steve said.