By Ben Deatherage
(Photo Courtesy of Pixel Boss Productions)
Casa Grande, Arizona (January 8, 2025) — 17-year-old Luke Silber achieved a significant upset in the Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds at the IMCA.TV Winter Nationals presented by Pitt Stop Motorsports at Central Arizona Raceway. The Laveen driver took command of the lead at the initial start after a brief battle with the defending Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals champion Dylan Thornton.
The race was a non-stop affair, with the outside polesitter quickly building a substantial lead. However, he faced a setback when he went over the cushion in turn four, making contact with the wall midway through the race. Fortunately, this misstep did not slow his pace, and he successfully navigated the slower traffic, ultimately securing his first-ever Winter Nationals feature win.
Defending National and Shaw Race Cars Western Region titleholder Chaz Baca Jr. rallied to finish in second place, overtaking Thornton late in the 25-lap main event.
The event also featured four additional Speedway Motors IMCA Weekly racing divisions: Sunoco IMCA Stock Cars, Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods, Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stocks, and Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compacts. The winners in these divisions were Braden Richards, Ryan Peery, Dillon Richards, and Billy Foultz.
Braden Richards made his first Winter Nationals appearance since 2022, when he competed in the IMCA Northern SportMod category. In his debut Winter Nats race in the IMCA Stock Car classification, he led the entire distance despite facing challenges from Cole Czarneski and fellow Iowan Mike Albertsen.
On the final lap, Albertsen attempted to overtake Richards, but all three drivers were involved in a crash in the first corners. Fortunately, both Richards and Albertsen managed to continue and retain their positions. During a green-white-checkered restart, Richards again faced challenges from Albertsen and Kansan Jason Rogers, but he was able to cross the finish line first, earning his first Winter Nationals victory.
Albertsen finished second, with Rogers taking third.
In the IMCA Northern SportMod main event, Tyler Johnson started strong, leading early on. However, he soon lost the top spot to Minnesota’s Jake Smith, who made a decisive move around the outside on the fourth lap. Things intensified when the race saw its only stoppage at the halfway mark on lap ten. After the restart, 20-year-old Ryan Peery made a strategic double overtake under both Johnson and Smith, claiming the lead. Peery maintained his position for the remainder of the race, celebrating his second career Winter Nationals win, his first since 2022, and in a brand-new car.
Smith finished an impressive second, while Taylor Kuehl, who started in tenth, rounded out the podium in third.
In the IMCA Hobby Stocks, Dillon Richards secured Winter Nationals success for the fourth time in his career. The Beatrice, Nebraska, native and 2022 National Hobby Stock champion took the lead early and overcame three restarts while fending off the challenges of a determined Dillon Thompson to secure the victory.
Thompson, who kept pace with Richards at various points, finished as the runner-up, followed by Morgan Olmstead in third, making it an all-Nebraska podium.
Lastly, the night concluded with the IMCA Sport Compacts, where Billy Foultz of Descanso, California, achieved his third career win at Winter Nationals through a fiercely competitive feature race. The Southern Californian expertly handled challenges from Nebraskan Joseph Baker and Iowa’s Gilbert Aldape. Despite the late race pressure, Foultz held off all competitors.
Baker and Aldape finished in second and third, respectively.
The event was broadcast live on IMCA TV.