International Supermodified Association

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International Supermodified Association

Sport	Auto racing
Jurisdiction	United States, Canada
Abbreviation	ISMA
Founded	1974
Headquarters	Oswego, New York
Official website
www.ismasupers.com

The International Supermodified Association (ISMA) is a sanctioning body of short track auto racing in the United States. It is the largest sanctioning body of Supermodified racing, an open wheel discipline popular in Upstate New York.

The ISMA was founded in 1974 by multiple time Oswego Speedway champions Jim Shampine and Nolan Swift. With the help of a local businessman, Tom Heveron, they formed ISMA as a forum for owners and drivers to express ideas and opinions that some they felt that they were not allowed to under the management of Oswego Speedway and ensure the discipline's future.

The goals were to upgrade Supermodified racing with better safety conditions, more events per season to ensure sufficient purses and to aid drivers with their race related problems. The association worked with track managements in making decisions and in discussing ways of improvement. The club encouraged new drivers and owners interested other tracks in Supermodified racing and helped to make the division stronger and more well known to a wider audience.

Tom Heveron served as the sanctioning body's president and led ISMA through its developmental stages, with the help of Vice President Jim Shampine and Secretary/Treasurer Fred Graves. ISMA negotiated with Lancaster for a 40 lap race held on July 3, 1974, which Todd Gibson of Richwood, Ohio won. The following year, ISMA booked races at Fulton Speedway with a $5,000 purse and $1,000 to win.

Starting in 1976, ISMA developed a point fund with tracks contributing $500– $1,000 per race to this fund. Unlike most other point systems, ISMA awards points to the car owners as ISMA is an owners club rather than drivers. Joining the Heveron, Shampine and Graves team, Shirley Letcher took over the responsibility for the point system. In just three seasons, ISMA had accomplished sanctioning over $96,000 in purse money and races, adding a point fund of $4,400 paid by promoters, having tow money at all of the ISMA sanctioned races, having insurance certificates from each promoter on file, and working with other promoters for more races in 1977. Steve Gioia, Jr. became ISMA's first points Champion. ^[1]

ISMA continues to be 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 19 franchise teams are allowed to miss up to 3 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.

ISMA has generally sanctioned between 13–17 shows a year including two of the prestigious Supermodified Triple Crown Series at 1/4-5/8 mile paved short tracks located in 6 states and Canada. In 2023, ISMA merged with the Midwest Supermodified Series (MSS), focusing on events in New York, Ohio and Michigan. The 2024 schedule includes races at Oswego, Evans Mills (New York), Sandusky, Lorain County (Ohio), Lee, Claremont (New Hampshire), Berlin (Michigan) and Caraway (North Carolina).

Bracketed numbers denote cumulative number of championships.

Competitors notable outside of ISMA:

• Bentley Warren- 37 IndyCar Series starts including the 1971 and 1975 Indianapolis 500
• Doug Heveron- 96 professional NASCAR starts, 1 IndyCar Series start, attempted 1983 Indianapolis 500
• Joe Gosek- Started the 1996 Indianapolis 500
• Davey Hamilton- 56 IndyCar Series starts including 14 Indianapolis 500 starts; with a best finish of 4th
• Doug Didero- 3 professional NASCAR starts, 6 IndyCar Series starts, attempted 2000 Indianapolis 500
• Mike McLaughlin- 318 professional NASCAR starts with 6 wins, 1988 Winston Modified Tour Champion
• Johnny Benson Jr.- 503 professional NASCAR starts with 18 wins, 1995 Busch Series Champion, 2008 Craftsman Truck Series Champion, 1993 ASA National Tour Champion
• Bobby Santos III- 7 professional NASCAR starts, 2010 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion
• Ted Christopher- 29 professional NASCAR starts, 48 NASCAR Modified wins, 2008 Whelen Modified Tour Champion, 2x 24 Hours of Daytona starts

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