Patterson prevails in photo finish at Southern Oregon

Modified, Northern SportMod, Results

Carter Patterson’s margin of victory was just over four hundredths of a second in the Saturday main event for Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds at Southern Oregon Speedway. (Photo by Carole Bryan, Shadows of Light Photography)

By Ben Deatherage

WHITE CITY, Ore. (Sept. 21, 2024) – The 2024 season championship at Southern Oregon Speedway came down to the last lap in the Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds.

Carter Patterson beat title contender Ray Kniffen Jr. to the checkered flag by 0.043 seconds. The 17-year-old Lebanon driver now has two wins this season in the Shaw Race Cars Western Region.

Albert Gill started the main event off as the leader. Setting a quick pace, he unfortunately experienced issues that forced him to pull in the infield on lap eight. That transformed a three-car race for second into a contest for the lead, with Patterson picking up the position.

The race for the runner-up spot ended up being a battle for the championship between Kniffen and Kenny Boardman Jr. Kniffen would secure second with six to go and reeled in the leader with a couple of circuits left to cover.  

Patterson and Kniffen would go side-by-side in the final two laps, with neither driver letting the other gain the upper hand. The defending Oregon State champion had a slight edge when things were settled at the double checkers.

Kniffen was a respectable second, with third going to Boardman.  When the dust settled, Kniffen and Boardman were tied in the points championship, but with Boardman the only one of the two to have accumulated a main event victory, he would win the track title.

Also in action were the Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods.

Matt Sanders had the initial lead in that finale  but Ethan Killingsworth would stay in close stride before eventually grabbing the lead on lap five.  The main event had just one stoppage, which put heavy lapped traffic in play.

Killingsworth had to deal with some congestion of slower cars on the 15th trip around the 3/8-mile clay oval. Jorddon Braaten did his best to close in on the leader but ran out of laps as the Yreka, Calif., native was first at the finish line. With 13 sanctioned wins in the 2024 season, six coming at SOS, Killingsworth was also the track champion.

Braaten was second, while third place was credited to Austin Petray.

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