MCTAVISH CROWNED I.M.C.A. CHAMPION

Stories by Robert K. Rooney

After 15 years of trying, Justin McTavish has joined his father, Barry, as an I.M.C.A. Canada Modified champion. The 32-year-old Onoway, AB, resident won the title on pavement, even though the majority – about three-quarters - of I.M.C.A. Canada shows run on dirt tracks.

There has never been any doubt about Justin’s ability over the years, but he hasn’t really been the luckiest racer on the circuit.

“This year, things worked out for him,” said I.M.C.A. Canada President Bruce Hampton. “Nothing went wrong.”

Racing 14 times at three Alberta tracks – Hythe Motor Speedway, Edmonton International Raceway and Medicine Hat Speedway – McTavish earned the track title at both Hythe and EIR. He also won two of three races in the SilverStar Challenge and then led flag-to-flag in the non-points Roy Ross Memorial 47 to put his name on I.M.C.A.’s biggest trophy.

Multi-time series champion Garth Dushanek earned far more points than any other racer by making no fewer than 21 races but didn’t run the complete schedule anywhere. Since the points system only counts a racer’s 12 best finishes, and counts track titles as maximum-points victories, Dushanek finished second to McTavish by five points.

Third place man Bill Stuart finished one point back of Dushanek after contesting 19 races. At least he took the track champion at Central Alberta Raceway in Rimbey, Alberta. Johnny Beaumont, Jr. ran 15 races, all on dirt, this year. His efforts earned him fourth in the final standings and the track title at Taylor Speedway in British Columbia. The Dinosaur Downs champion was ageless Roger Bonneville, who ran 15 dirt races and finished fifth overall. The track champion at Swift Current Motor Speedway was Brody Crowe. Chase Guidolin is the SportMod division champion. Rookies of the Year are Mike Hanson in the Modifieds and Trevor Brown in SportMod.

In 2022, there were 59 drivers who earned I.M.C.A. Canada points. There were 55 races on seven different tracks – three paved and four dirt – in all three Western provinces.

“It was a good year,” said Hampton. “There were lots of racers, new racers and the tracks came on board. We didn’t even have many rainouts.”

Thomas Takes Wescar Spoils

The No. 19 Chevrolet of Kendall Thomas has always been there in WESCAR competition. In 2022, his years of effort were finally rewarded with the series championship. In five races on four paved ovals in British Columbia, Thomas had a worst finish of fourth. At the season opener in Penticton and at the third race – Billy Barker Days in Quesnel – he scored the triple. Kendall took the pole, won his heat, and finished first in the main. In race two, at PGARA in Prince George, he finished second to Jarrett Bonn.

The Agassiz round was won by Korbin Thomas, but Kendall was fourth. Korbin won the final at Penticton, too, and this time Kendall was third.

Calvin Bagshaw was runnerup in WESCAR points and earned Rookie of the Year honours. Sheldon Mayert was third in the final standings.

O’CONNELL WINS SUPERTRUCK TITLE

Dusty O’Connell of Lloydminster, AB defended his 2021 Super Truck Racing Series Championship after a nine-race chase that extended over all three Western Provinces.

The Super Trucks had a doubleheader in Penticton, BC, another doubleheader in Hythe, AB and appeared three separate times in Saskatoon, SK.

The series also raced in Medicine Hat and finished off in Regina, where O’Connell capped off another championship year by winning the main.

Brian Sparks of Edgerton, AB was runner-up in the standings and Cam Medd of Spruce Grove, AB was just behind. Jacob Brownell of Red Deer is the 2011 Rookie of the Year and Heidi Dyck was honoured with the Most Valuable Player award. IT