
By Ben Deatherage
(Photo Courtesy of Pixel Boss Productions)
Casa Grande, Arizona (January 10, 2025)—The third event of the 2025 IMCA TV Winter Nationals, presented by Pitt Stop Motorsports, had an exciting race in the Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stocks, showcasing once again the “Dillon & Dillon Show.” In the end, Dillon Thompson emerged victorious in a nail-biting finish.
The twenty-lap race began with Thompson leading, closely followed by Dillon Richards in second place. The non-stop feature saw the top two drivers pull away from the rest of the field, racing around the track bumper-to-bumper at time. As the race approached its final five laps, lapped traffic became a critical factor.
Tension escalated when Richards pulled out of line and dove under Thompson as they approached the white flag. The two drivers found themselves neck and neck, racing three-wide with a lapped car in the mix as they crossed the finish line, only to have one more lap to battle it out.
Thompson gave it his all on the final lap to maintain his lead and secure his first feature win at the Winter Nationals. The result snapped Thompson’s two second-place finishes in the last two nights and broke Richards’s win streak.
Richards finished a strong second, and defending series champion Cody Williams took third.
The event also featured the Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds, Sunoco IMCA Stock Cars, Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods, and Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compacts. Chaz Baca Jr., Dallon Murty, Robbie Thome, and Gilbert Aldape each claimed victory in their respective divisions.
Reigning National and Winter Nationals champion Chaz Baca Jr. showcased his skill in the IMCA Modifieds, quickly pulling ahead at the start of the main event and maintaining a rapid pace throughout the race. Baca used the multiple restarts from all the caution periods to his advantage, ultimately earning his sixth career Winter Nationals win, which places him second on the all-time wins list.
Brandon Beckendorf finished as the runner-up, while Jeremy Mills secured third place.
Dallon Murty had an impressive performance in the Sunoco IMCA Stock Cars. The Chelsea, Iowa driver, utilizing a Jeremy Richey fielded car, successfully held off a determined challenge from Jason Rogers in the race’s closing laps despite encountering a trio of caution flags. Following the final restart, Rogers made a strong effort to take the lead but fell short, allowing Murty to claim his first Winter Nationals feature trophy.
Rogers finished in a close second, with Wyoming’s Braxton Yeager in third place.
Chad Dolan started strong in the IMCA Northern SportMod finale but faced some pressure from Robbie Thome, who seized the lead on the 11th lap shortly after the final restart. The race remained caution-free, allowing Spaulding, Nebraska’s Thome, to dominate and secure his second consecutive win.
Gabe Deschamp finished second, continuing his streak of consistent finishes, while Ryan Peery was given credit for third.
Lastly, the IMCA Sport Compacts saw an incident-free main event. Iowan Kaytee DeVries initially pulled ahead, but Gilbert Aldape and Chris Boulware Jr. began to close the gap as the race progressed. Boulware managed to overtake Devries on lap four, but Aldape took the lead from him shortly after. Aldape built a significant lead, ultimately earning his first Winter Nationals feature win.
Boulware finished in second place, followed by DeVries in third.
The event was broadcast live on IMCA TV.