Mod lite driver Nathan Wolfe drove too far to let this wild ride end his IMCATV Winter Nationals. He hauled 1200 miles, one way, from Lee’s Summit, Missouri, to Central Arizona Raceway.
On Thursday night he rolled his mod lite in turn two during a heat race.
“My car fishtailed, then spun and dug in and went up in the air,” Wolfe said. “It started into a barrel roll, and then we went over four times.”
Wolfe was not injured. He sat in a Kirkey full-containment seat paired with a Crow five-point harness. Wolfe wore a Zamp helmet and a HANS device.
“This car is my one and only car — that’s why it’s important to repair it and keep it racing,” Wolfe said. “You have to finish to win, so we have to get back out there.”
Within four hours, his car returned to the track for the feature. Wolfe started last in the 23-car feature and worked his way to 11th at the finish.
“I’m here for the fun, and I don’t want to miss a race,” Wolfe said. “There was a lot of damage from the crash, but I had plenty of help.”
Help begets help. For 12 years, Wolfe has served as cook for IMCA mod lite champ Dillon Raffurty and his crew.
“I have to keep that big boy fed,” Wolfe said. “I travel with my car and a charcoal grill [and] I shop for steak, burgers, and I bring Kansas City’s famous Italian sausages with me. My specialty is bacon-wrapped tenderloin.”
Maybe that’s the winning recipe for Dillon Raffurty. Raffurty has won an incredible five consecutive IMCA national mod lite titles, from 2021 to 2025.
Nathan Wolfe continued racing throughout the weekend, finishing 19th on Friday and 14th on Saturday. Dillon Raffurty won two of the three nights, missing just by one spot for a clean sweep on Saturday.
Mike Adaskaveg has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
