The International Super Modified Association was founded in 1974 by multi-time Oswego Speedway champions Jim Shampine and Nolan Swift to ensure the future and longevity of supermodified racing. With the help of a Central New York businessman, Tom Heveron, Shampine and Swift formed ISMA as a forum for owners and drivers to express their ideas and opinions.

ISMA's initial goals were to upgrade supermodified racing with better safety conditions, offer more events per season, ensure sufficient purses, and aid drivers and teams. The association worked with track managements in making decisions and in discussing ways of improvement.

The club encouraged new drivers and owners to join supermodified racing, worked to capture racetracks' interest in supermodified racing, and helped to promote the division to a wider audience.

Heveron became the original ISMA president and was aided by Shampine as the vice president and Fred Graves as the secretary and treasurer. These three men and numerous others led ISMA through its developmental stages.

The new supermodified racing association soon negotiated with western New York’s Lancaster Speedway, now known as Dunn Tire Raceway Park, for a 40-lap race held on July 3, 1974 which saw Richwood, Ohio’s Todd Gibson garner the association's first feature win. The following year ISMA booked races at Fulton (N.Y.) Speedway with a $5,000 purse and $1,000 to win.

In 1976, ISMA developed a point fund with tracks contributing $500- $1,000 per race to this fund. Unlike most other point systems, ISMA adopted a system that awards points to the car owners, citing the fact that the association was an owners club rather than drivers. This “owners points” policy is still intact today.

By 1977 ISMA had accomplished sanctioning over $96,000 in purse money and races, adding a point fund of $4,400 paid by promoters, offering tow money at all ISMA-sanctioned races, having insurance certificates from each promoter on file, and working with other promoters for more races.

The ’77 season saw ISMA events at Ontario, Canada’s Delaware and Flamboro speedways, New Hampshire’s Star Speedway, Connecticut’s Thompson Int’l Speedway and Fulton. Thirty-five years later, Delaware, Star and Thompson continue as ISMA host tracks in 2012.

Today, ISMA continues at the forefront of supermodified sanctioning bodies, pioneering the franchise system, in which teams purchase a franchise at the beginning of the season. Creating a win-win situation for both the teams and promoters, each of the franchise teams are allowed to miss up to three shows during the race season while being guaranteed a minimum starting purse of $1,000 at each event. This system helps to ensure solid, stable car counts and a successful event for the promoter.

Over the past decade, ISMA has sanctioned between 13 and 17 shows a year, including two of the prestigious supermodified races – the July Hy-Miler Nationals at Sandusky (Ohio) Speedway, which has been a staple ISMA event since 1978, and September’s Star Classic at the quarter-mile Star bullring, an event that has a history dating over 40 years.

ISMA continues to look to the tracks of the past to preserve its history, while searching for new venues to move into the future.

 

ISMA Driver Champions		ISMA All-Time Win List
1976 - Steve Gioia Jr.		1. Chris Perley, Mass. - 69 wins
1977 - Jim Shampine		2. Russ Wood, N.H. - 54
1978 - Steve Gioia Jr.		3. Bentley Warren, Maine - 47
1979 - Doug Heveron		4. Mike Ordway, N.H. - 36
1980 - Doug Heveron		5. Joe Gosek, N.Y. - 30
1981 - Doug Heveron		6. Dave McKnight Jr., Ontario - 20
1982 - Doug Heveron		Pat Abold, N.Y. - 20
1983 - Den Wheeler		8. Lou Cicconi Jr., Pa. - 16
1984 - Bentley Warren		9. Doug Heveron, N.Y. - 14
1985 - Steve Gioia Jr.		10. Dave Shullick Sr., Ohio - 12
1986 - Steve Gioia Jr.		11. Warren Coniam, Ontario - 10
1987 - Joe Gosek		Eddie Bellinger, N.Y. - 10
1988 - Bentley Warren		Joey Payne, N.J. - 10
1989 - Bentley Warren		Jim Shampine, N.Y. - 10
1990 - Bentley Warren		15. Steve Gioia Jr., N.Y. - 7
1991 - Russ Wood		Gene Lee Gibson, Ohio - 7
1992 - Pat Abold		Jim Cheney, Mass. - 7
1993 - Pat Abold		18. Randy Ritskes, N.Y. - 6
1994 - Russ Wood		Dave Shullick Jr., Ohio - 6
1995 - Mike Ordway		Nokie Fornoro, Pa. - 6
1996 - Russ Wood		21. Gary Allbritain, Ohio - 5
1997 - Russ Wood		Doug Saunier, Ohio - 5
1998 - Mike Ordway		Gary Morton, Ontario - 5
1999 - Russ Wood		24. Dick Batchelder, Mass. - 4
2000 - Joe Gosek		Den Wheeler, N.Y. - 4
2001 - Dave McKnight Jr.		Dave Simard, N.H. - 4
2002 - Russ Wood		Rob Summers, Conn. - 4
2003 - Chris Perley		27. Paul Richardson, N.H. - 3
2004 - Chris Perley		Doug Didero, N.C. - 3
2005 - Pat Abold		Davey Hamilton, Idaho - 3
2006 - Chris Perley		Scott Martel, Mass. - 3
2007 - Chris Perley		Ted Christopher, Conn. - 3
2008 - Chris Perley		Greg Furlong, N.Y. - 3
2009 - Chris Perley		Tim Jedrzejek, Ohio - 3
2010 - Russ Wood		Bobby Santos III, Mass. - 3
2011 - Russ Wood		Justin Belfiore, Mass. - 3
2012 - Mike Lichty		Mark Sammut, Ontario - 3
		Mike Lichty, Ontraio - 3
		Johnny Benson Jr., N.C. - 3
		38. Todd Gibson, Ohio - 2
		Larry Record, Mass. - 2
		Bobby Stelter, N.Y. - 2
		Jamie Moore, N.Y. - 2
		Mike McLaughlin, N.Y. - 2
		Nick Fornoro, Pa. - 2
		Jim Shirey, Ohio - 2
		Kyle Carpenter, Mass. - 2
		48. Richie Evans, N.Y. - 1
		Fred Graves, N.Y. - 1
		John McLaren, Mass. - 1
		Nolan Swift, N.Y. - 1
		Jimmy Winks, N.Y. - 1
		Howie Brown, N.Y. - 1
		Kempton Dates, N.Y. - 1
		Dave Thomas, N.H. - 1
		Chuck Ciprich, N.Y. - 1
		Gus Olexen, Ohio - 1
		Jerry O'Neil, N.Y. - 1
		Tom Marks, Mich. - 1
		Kevin Lyons, N.Y. - 1
		A.J. Michaels, N.Y. - 1
		Tim Nelson, N.Y. - 1
		Gary Griffin, - 1
		Bob Fitzpatrick, Mass. - 1
		Cliff Graves, N.Y. - 1
		Randy Sweet, Mich. - 1
		Kenny Bell, N.Y. - 1
		Johnny Payne, N.J. - 1
		Rick Wentworth, Mass. - 1
		Mike Ordway Jr., N.H. - 1
		Ray Graham Jr., Iowa - 1
		A.J. Russell, Calif. - 1
		Charlie Schultz, Ohio - 1
		Randy Burch, Ohio - 1
		Jeff Locke, N.H. - 1
		Ben Seitz, Mass. - 1
		David Gruel, N.Y. - 1
		Ryan Coniam, Calif. - 1
		Jon McKennedy, Mass. - 1
		Bobby Dawson, Ohio - 1