
By Steven Blakesley
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (May 10, 2025) – 2024 Bakersfield Speedway champion Gavyn Manning continued to build momentum towards a 2025 title, winning his second Friesen Performance IMCA Modified race of the season during round four at Bakersfield Speedway at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway on Saturday night.
Manning and Austin Kiefer claimed the IMCA Modified heat races before Manning lined up tenth for the 30-lap, $750-to-win feature. Incoming second in points Brad Pounds tagged the turn four wall for a caution on lap nine. The restart allowed Kiefer and Manning to challenge race leader Justin Crockett. Kiefer slid Crockett in turn two and went wide, opening the bottom for Manning to drive underneath and lead lap 10.
Manning led the rest of the way for the convincing win, his third in the Shaw Race Cars Western Region, followed by Kiefer and Bryan Clark.
Ninth-starting Tyler Bannister charged into the lead by lap 10 in the Karl Chevrolet IMCA SportMods 25-lap feature and never relinquished it for a $600 score. Baypoint’s Danny Wagner led the first nine circuits. A restart on lap 18 adversely impacted Wagner’s race, when he spun on the restart and fell outside of the top 10.
Bannister led Dylan Wilson by 1.5 seconds at the finish with incoming points leader Tate Loftis in third.

Tyler Bannister muscles his way to the front in the Karl Chevrolet IMCA SportMod feature, claiming victory at Bakersfield Speedway. (Photo by Tom Macht)
Nicholas Johnson had a dominating win in the Sunoco IMCA Stock Car 20-lap feature event, enjoying a 2.2 second advantage at the finish. David Pearson of Ridgecrest finished second followed by Jacob Van Essen, Justin Schweitzer, and Raymond Noland.

Nicholas Johnson cruises to a dominant Sunoco IMCA Stock Car win at Bakersfield Speedway, finishing with a 2.2-second margin. (Photo by Tom Macht)
The event was broadcast live on IMCA TV affiliate Track Vision TV powered by Low Budget TV. Catch every lap again with the IMCA TV Replay Subscription, available for just $24.99/month. And don’t miss Season 2 of the Boone Docuseries, now streaming exclusively on IMCA TV.