Kohl Finds Top Gear Late To Win in Hobby Stocks at North Central

Hobby Stock, News, Northern SportMod, Results, Sport Compact, Stock Car

Nathan Kohl tracked down early leader Andrew Malinowski and never looked back en route to his third B&B Racing Chassis Northern Region win of 2025 in the Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stocks. (Photo by Stephanie Frederick)

By Chris Kolstad

BRAINERD, Minn. (May 24, 2025) — Rookie Andrew Malinowski wasted no time jumping to the lead in the Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stock main event and held the top spot through the halfway mark at North Central Speedway. But once Fort Ripley’s Nathan Kohl found his rhythm, the race was all his. Kohl took the lead and never gave it back, scoring his third B&B Racing Chassis Northern Region win of the season and second at the Brainerd facility.

Junior Kohl followed his brother across the line in second, while 10th-starting Mark Johnson steadily worked his way through the field to complete the podium in third.

Fort Ripley’s Nathan Kohl poses in North Central Speedway’s victory lane after scoring his second local win of the season in the Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stock division. (Photo by Stephanie Frederick)

Johnson Unchallenged in Flag-to-Flag Stock Car Victory

Tim Johnson left no doubt in the Sunoco IMCA Stock Car feature, leading all 25 laps in a dominant drive to the checkers. Brody Carlsrud and Tim Gonska pursued throughout, but Johnson was never seriously threatened en route to his third EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region victory of the year.

Tim Johnson was untouchable in the Sunoco IMCA Stock Car main event, leading all 25 laps for his third EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region win of the season. (Photo by Stephanie Frederick)

Martini Shakes Off Cautions for SportMod Score

A caution-filled start set the tone for the Karl Chevrolet IMCA Northern SportMod feature, with four yellow flags slowing the first four laps. Jake Kierstad briefly took the lead on lap two before a caution reverted the order and put Troy Jordan back out front. Once the race resumed, Bud Martini surged ahead and began a back-and-forth battle with Kierstad for the top spot.

Martini finally secured control on lap 10 and held on through the final circuits to earn his sixth win of the season and fourth at North Central. Kierstad and Jordan completed the top three.

Bud Martini worked his way through early cautions and a fierce battle with Jake Kierstad to win Saturday’s Karl Chevrolet IMCA Northern SportMod feature in Brainerd. (Photo by Stephanie Frederick)

Roush Celebrates Birthday With Sport Compact Triumph

The most unpredictable race of the night came from the Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compacts. Front-row starter Colton Lodermeier led early, but two cautions on the opening lap shook up the field. Once things settled, eighth-starting Russell Kiker Jr. grabbed the lead on lap seven. But the top spot didn’t stay his for long—10th-starting Travis Roush used the high side to take command just one lap later.

With three laps to go, Hunter Carlson moved past Kiker into second and made a charge at the leader, but Roush stayed strong to celebrate his 35th birthday in victory lane. Carlson and Kiker rounded out the podium.

Travis Roush celebrated his 35th birthday with a win in the Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compacts main event at North Central Speedway. (Photo by Stephanie Frederick)

The event was broadcast live on IMCA TV affiliate Dirt Race Central. 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.

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