By Steven Blakesley
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (Mar. 8, 2025) – Bakersfield’s Robby Sawyer kicked off the new era of dirt track racing at Bakersfield Speedway at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway, using a last lap slidejob to win the 2025 Opening Night Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature. The feature win paid $750 and was the inaugural event of the partnership of the two speedways, racing at the newly redesigned one-third mile dirt track adjacent to Kern Raceway.
“We lost our brakes early in the race. I didn’t think I had anything. I was just trying to stay consistent. I don’t think I was the better car,” Sawyer said. “Rob Gallaher – I’ve been driving for him for two years and I had yet to win for him. So to do it at home is huge!”
The season is a new partnership between Bakersfield Speedway promoter Scott Schweitzer and Kern Raceway promoter Tim Huddleston, with racing taking place at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway dirt track. A strong crowd filled the new grandstands at the one-third mile dirt track.
Sawyer leapt ahead of the 22-car field for the IMCA Modified feature to a 2.8-second advantage. That lead was nullified on lap five when Jacob Mallet, Jr. bounced hard off the turn three berm for a caution flag. 2024 Bakersfield Speedway champion Gavyn Manning chipped away from his tenth starting position, using a restart on lap eight to drive around the outside of Bobby Hogge IV.
A caution on the following lap gave Manning an opening. Manning slid underneath Sawyer in turn four to lead lap ten. Sawyer reeled Manning in through lapped traffic but Manning held court. A caution with two laps to go set up a green-white-checkered finish. Sawyer dove inside Manning into turn one but fell short. Coming to the white flag, Sawyer wound up for his big move. Sawyer tried the slidejob again in turn one and completed the pass narrowly to take the coveted win in Shaw Race Cars Western Region action. Manning finished second followed by Hogge, Brad Pounds of Bakersfield, and Shawn Natenstedt of Fernley, Nevada.
Eleventh starting Tyler Bannister of Bakersfield marched through the field to win the 25-lap Karl Chevrolet IMCA SportMod feature worth $600 to win. Bannister’s father Jason took the lead from the outside pole at the start. A long battle developed between Matthew Frazier of Santa Maria and seventh starting Tanner Thomas of Atwater. Thomas and Frazier traded the position over a series of restarts, both times using the top side.
A four-car pileup in turn one closed the gap between Jason Bannister and the rest of the lead pack. Jason Bannister slowed to avoid a slower lapped car on the front stretch, allowing Thomas to snooker the lead on lap 14. The caution then flew when Cale Kanke of Frazier Park spun off the lapped car in turn one.
Tyler Bannister restarted on the outside of the second row and charged to the outside of Thomas, storming to the lead on lap 16. Tyler Bannister led the remaining laps for the win, followed by Thomas, Jason Bannister, 20th starting Tate Loftis, and a resurgent Kanke.
Austin Van Hoff of Chowchilla won the 20-lap Sunoco IMCA Stock Car feature at Bakersfield Speedway at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway. VanHoff used a power move around the outside to make the decisive pass for the win and a $400 prize against his EQ Cylinder Heads Southern Region competitors.
Bakersfield’s Wayne Dotson executed a cross-over pass at the start to lead the race over VanHoff. Behind them, Ron Meyer tagged the wall on the front stretch and collected Jake Archibald for the first caution.
On the restart, Van Hoff powered around the outside to lead lap two with defending champion Tom Smith taking over second as well. Austin Pugh of Hanford flipped in turns one and two to bring out the red flag on lap four. Pugh was uninjured. On the restart, Raymond Noland worked the bottom to take over second from Dotson.
VanHoff drove off to a 1.7 second advantage at the finish line with Noland second. Roger Holder finished third followed by Smith and Steven Johnson.
The event was broadcast live on IMCA TV affiliate Track Vision TV powered by Low Budget TV.
