By Sheldon Wickwar
WaKEENEY, Kan. (May 16, 2025) — The Sunoco IMCA Stock Car feature on night one of the John Fose Memorial and Wall of Fame Weekend at WaKeeney Speedway delivered a memorable performance to honor one of Kansas racing’s most beloved figures. With a front row led by Bill Brack and Garrett Hager, the 20-lap main event quickly came to life when Brett Berry powered his way through a three-wide opening corner to seize the early lead. From there, the veteran driver from Kinsley held a steady pace despite persistent pressure from rising stars Tathan Burkhart and Kyle Pfeifer.
Berry, who has already built a decorated IMCA career with wins in the Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMods, Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stocks, and Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds, added another division to his list with his first career Stock Car victory in the EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region. Burkhart stormed through the field from deep in the lineup to finish second and earned hard charger honors by gaining nine spots, while Pfeifer settled into third after a strong mid-race surge.
Cross Untouchable in Hobby Action!
The Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stocks main event started with a front row of Tyler Heath and Levi Jones, Heath took an early lead until turns three and four when he went for a spin in the front of the field, luckily only collecting one or two other cars. Eric Cross got the lead quickly after the restart and started to click off laps.
Meanwhile, Dylan Bell and the Olmstead brothers, Zach and Morgan, were moving through the field. Eric Cross held off his good buddy Dylan Bell to score his second win of the season in the B&B Racing Chassis Northern Region, after winning in Salina, last Saturday night. Dylan Bell finished second, running his streak to eight top three finishes, in eight races. Third went to Zach Olmstead.
Eric Cross picked up his second Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stock victory of the 2025 season at WaKeeney Speedway, holding off Dylan Bell in Friday’s main event. (Photo by Carl Larson-Photos by Red)
Walt Returns to SportMod Victory Lane
In the Karl Chevrolet IMCA Northern SportMod twenty-lap main event at WaKeeney Speedway, Warren Huffman and CJ Pfannenstiel led the field to green, with Huffman setting the early pace. But it didn’t take long for the heavy hitters to make their presence known. Adam Weber and Blaine Walt began slicing through the pack, with Walt especially on the move—charging from his 12th starting spot to crack the top five by lap seven.
Blaine Walt continued his charge to the front and eventually took over the race lead. Although some cautions brought the field back together, once Walt had clean air, he was untouchable. He went on to score his second win of the 2025 season, adding to his earlier victory at Hays. Cody Gearhart made a late-race push to finish second, while Chad Dolan crossed the line in third.
Blaine Walt charged from 12th starting to the front to win the Karl Chevrolet IMCA Northern SportMod feature at WaKeeney Speedway, his second win of the season. (Photo by Carl Larson-Photos by Red)
Schwien Holds off Porter in Compact Action
The Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compact main event began with Connor Schwien and Madison Reed on the front row, and it didn’t take long for Schwien to take command of the race. In the closing laps, Gage Porter made a strong effort to work the inside groove but couldn’t complete the pass. Connor Schwien picked up his second win of the season after winning in Hays earlier on the year. Second was Gage Porter and third was Jake Schwien.
Connor Schwien captured his second win of the 2025 season in the Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compacts, holding off a late bid from Gage Porter. (Photo by Carl Larson-Photos by Red)
Gottschalk Adds Another Modified Win
The Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds closed out the night’s program. The feature lineup began with Dalton Bell and Daniel Gottschalk on the front row, and Gottschalk quickly jumped out to the early lead. Gottschalk led wire to wire, holding off charges from Eddie Belec, Dakota Sproul and Brett Berry.
On the final restart, Berry looked to have a strong run at completing the sweep but couldn’t quite get past Gottschalk. Daniel Gottschalk scored his third win in as many feature events, all coming in the Jet Racing Central Region. Second was Brett Berry while Eddie Belec was third.
Daniel Gottschalk made it three wins in as many starts with a flag-to-flag victory in the Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature at WaKeeney Speedway. (Photo by Carl Larson-Photos by Red)
The event was broadcast live on IMCA 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.
