By Ben Deatherage
CLEWISTON, Fla. (Feb. 8, 2025) — Jaedon McDowell once again proved his dominance in the Stealth Racing IMCA STARS Mod Lites, capturing the final night of the 2025 Sugar Bowl and Florida Winter Nationals at Hendry County Motorsports Park. Despite a late caution that set up a dramatic green-white-checkered finish, the Murfreesboro, Tennessee racer held his ground to secure his first career Sugar Bowl victory after finishing fourth in 2024. The event drew 49 teams from across the United States and Canada.
The race opened with a thrilling battle between McDowell and defending Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s champion Riley Clem. McDowell managed to edge ahead of Clem and quickly set a blistering pace.
A few restarts prevented McDowell from building a massive lead, but a well-timed caution on lap fifteen spared him from navigating heavy lapped traffic. As the race neared its conclusion, a late yellow flag set up a high-stakes green-white-checkered restart, giving challengers one last shot at an upset.
2022 Sugar Bowl winner Ronnie Choate, also from Tennessee, stayed glued to McDowell’s rear bumper, making a daring attempt to sweep around the outside in the closing laps. However, McDowell fended off the challenge to claim the $3,000 payday and his third victory of the 2025 Florida Winter Nationals.
For the third consecutive Florida Winter Nationals feature, Choate finished as the runner-up. His consistency, however, was rewarded, as he clinched the overall Florida Winter Nationals championship.
Texas racer Scott Jordan rounded out the podium with a strong third-place effort.
The event was broadcast live on IMCA TV affiliate Done Right TV.
