The EMOD/INCAR/USA/TOP SPEED ICAR Story by: Kevin Allgire In the mid eighties there was a buzz in the Central Indiana racing community about a new, affordable race car called an IMCA Modified. This car was half Open Wheel and half Stock Car and real affordable too. With the encouragement of local racers Dave Duncan, Billy Weise, Joe Beaver and Randy Burrow, local race car builder Dave Dayton built the first IMCA Modified Race Car in the Mid-West. After a year of promoting the car and racers ready to build, the big question was where can we race? Mt Lawn Speedway in New Castle, Indiana came to the rescue. Needing a new head liner class the Mods now had a home to build from. A few years later, with great success at Mt. Lawn, Dave Dayton formed the EMOD (Economy Modified Oval Division) traveling series, to expose modified racing to other race tracks and racers. The E-Mods ran Salem and Winchester Speedways, on the half mile high banks. Anderson Speedway along with the Indianapolis Speedrome were some of the first race tracks to host the newly formed EMOD Series. The E-Mods, as they were known back then were not strictly run on asphalt either, Paragon Speedway, Gas City, Brownstown and Lawrenceburg Speedway were among the first dirt tracks to sanction EMOD events. As the EMOD racing series grew and Dave Dayton approached retirement, the EMOD SERIES was at a cross roads, will it continue on or dwindle away from the lack of leadership? In the early nineties, Al Larson was brought in to run the series. He had worked for the founding IMCA organization in Iowa and wanted to branch out and do his own thing with modifieds. Al did a great job and eventually bought the EMOD Series from a retiring Dave Dayton. In order to do this Al brought in a partner, Jim Minick of Ft. Wayne, Indiana. Jim had recently retired from Government Service and needed to fill his time with a new challenge. As Partners and marriage sometimes do, Jim bought out Al Larson a year later and re-named the EMOD Series, INCAR,International Championship Auto Racing. Jim had big plans and wanted to use modifieds as a stepping stone for something far grander than a grass roots traveling series. He had secured the Modifieds there first corporate sponsor, Jasper Engines & Transmissions, and created great exposure for them. But, it just wasn’t the great, top of the line sanctioning body that Jim had envisioned INCAR would be. Thus in the late nineties Jim had decided to retire to Florida and sell INCAR to the highest bidder. The only thing wrong with that plan was there was no unique individual, at that time, that wanted to be a promoter. Jim ran the series one more year, looking for that buyer, but to no avail. By the last race at Salem Speedway in the fall, Jim was desperate, with the threat of dissolving INCAR, Steve Ellis, of Ellis Race Cars stepped into the picture. Having built several of the modifieds at his Fortville, Indiana shop, Steve new that the series needed to continue. So with great reluctance, he made a deal with Jim and acquired the modified series. The whole time, Steve thought he would just keep it going until he could find a buyer and sell. Steve hired Keith Beeching as his race director and filled in the rest of the crew. He established a web page for the series and named the series the USA Modified Series after 9/11. When Jasper’s contract ran out he secured O’Reilly Auto Parts as the title sponsor. A few years later a retiring modified racer, who Steve new well, Todd Van Kleeck, bought the series, but after a short time health issues forced him to give the series back. Finally, with the economy in trouble, Steve realized that he would have to downsize and cut the huge drain that having the series had put on his business. After much discussion he convinced series director Keith Beeching to purchase the series. Keith did the best he could during his time as owner of the USA Modified Series but decided after only a couple years to step down and sell the series. That is when a former track promoter and a longtime flagman partnered up with the help of their wives to purchase the International Championship Auto Racing, LLC. called the USA Modified Series. Wes & Crimson Parrish along with Weo & Connie Schweyer officially took possession of the series on November 12, 2011. In 2012 INCAR was purchased by Dave & Jody Muzzillo and it became The Top Speed Fabrication ICAR Modified Tour. Keeping racing costs down is the goal of the Muzzillos. By 2013 this Modified Series became the most wellknown Open Wheel racing series in the Midwest. Some of the best Modified racers in the Northern USA travel with this series. The series races at tracks in Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio.
Posted on: Sun, 06 Oct 2013 15:28:06 +0000
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