Baca regroups, races to Eggstravaganza checkers

While the race was briefly more exciting than he wanted it to be, Chaz Baca was nonetheless the IMCA Modified winner at Cocopah Speedway’s Easter Eggstravaganza. (Photo by Bobby McMorris)

SOMERTON, Ariz. (April 9, 2022) – Saturday’s IMCA Modified main event at the Cocopah Speedway Easter Eggstravaganza got exciting when Chaz Baca didn’t want it to.

After catching Ryan Roath for the lead and working his way through lapped traffic, the two-time defending Shaw Race Cars Western Region and track champion nearly lost the handle with eight circuits remaining in the $1,000 to win feature.

“It was definitely a get your heart rate going thing,” Baca said after the near disaster. “Luckily we were able to regroup the last few laps and finish it off.”

The checkers were the sixth of the season for Baca, already Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifying eligible.

Russell Allen was the runner-up and Roath ended in third. 

Bo Partain topped the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car feature in front of Baca and Jake Nelson. Shelby Alves also notched win number six of the year in the IMCA Northern SportMods, chased across the stripe by Miles Morris and Ty Weidner.

D.J. Werkmeister paced the Mach-1 Sport Compacts with ninth starting Jaxon Sanchez and Ryan Brooks rounding out the top three.

The biggest winner of the night moneywise was Thomas Daffern, who pocketed $400 for the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stock victory plus the $931 bounty on Bobby Horton.

Horton was the runner-up and third was Joshua Cordova.