By Ben Deatherage
VINTON, Iowa (June 24, 2025) — Despite the final two nights falling to rain, the 2025 edition of the IMCA Wild West Speedweek completed five races in six nights across four different Oregon tracks. Three divisions crowned champions following intense competition in the Pacific Northwest.
Bricen James delivered a masterclass across the Friesen Performance IMCA Modified division to secure his second career Speedweek title, backing up his 2022 crown. The Albany, Oregon native tied the all-time record for most wins in a single Speedweek with four, matching Kellen Chadwick (2016), Collen Winebarger (2019), and himself. But this time, James set a new record with four straight Speedweek feature wins.
Driving the Schram Motorsports-owned no. 13, James won the opener at Southern Oregon Speedway, both nights at Coos Bay Speedway, and added another triumph at Douglas County Dirtrack before finishing second at Cottage Grove Speedway on Wednesday, June 19.
Kevin Williamson of Coburg, Oregon rebounded from adversity all week to finish second in the standings aboard the Superior Fuel Cells-fielded No. 42. He came from the back, advanced through B-mains, and even overcame a blown engine in the early rounds, still managing a seventh-place finish each of the first three nights. Williamson then added a fourth at Roseburg and third at Cottage Grove.
Rounding out the top three was Yreka, California’s Ethan Killingsworth, who never finished outside the top 10. He ran eighth at Southern Oregon, second and ninth at Coos Bay, then fifth at Roseburg and seventh at Cottage Grove.
Brookings, Oregon’s Matt Sanders continued his Speedweek dominance with a second straight Karl Chevrolet IMCA Northern SportMod championship. He became the all-time SportMod Speedweek feature winner and tied Ethan Killingsworth’s 2023 record of four wins in a single week.
Sanders nearly swept the week, winning at Southern Oregon, Sunday at Coos Bay, Roseburg, and Cottage Grove. His only non-victory came Monday at Coos Bay, where he finished second.
Matt Sanders of Brookings, Ore., powers through a corner at Southern Oregon Speedway during IMCA Wild West Speedweek. Sanders captured his second straight Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMod Speedweek crown. (Photo by Shadows of Light Photography)
Buddy Kniss made the long haul from Oakley, California, and delivered consistent results to finish second in points. He was third at Southern Oregon, notched a pair of fifth-place finishes at Coos Bay, was fourth at Roseburg, and ended the week sixth at Cottage Grove.
Third in the standings was Aaron Bloom of Creswell, Oregon, driving the Schram Motorsports no. 333. Bloom was the only driver to beat Sanders all week, winning the Monday show at Coos Bay. He also finished second at Southern Oregon, third in the Sunday Coos Bay race, had a rough 17th at Roseburg, and bounced back with third at Cottage Grove.
Colville, Washington’s B.J. Wild put together a consistent and dominant week to win his first-ever IMCA Wild West Speedweek championship in the Sunoco IMCA Stock Cars. Driving the Dwayne Klein-owned No. 22K, Wild finished second in the opener at Southern Oregon and swept both nights at Coos Bay. His “worst” finish was fourth at Roseburg, followed by a strong second at Cottage Grove to lock up the title.
B.J. Wild of Colville, Wash., wheels the Dwayne Klein-owned no. 22K en route to the 2025 IMCA Wild West Speedweek Sunoco Stock Car championship. (Photo by Shadows of Light Photography)
Tyler Pagel of Madras, Oregon came home second in the standings. He finished sixth at Southern Oregon, then placed second and fourth in the Coos Bay doubleheader. He was third at Roseburg and eighth at Cottage Grove.
Sixteen-year-old Mason Myers from Culver, Oregon, rounded out the podium in points. He kicked things off with a fifth-place finish at Southern Oregon, added fourth and third-place finishes at Coos Bay, and was runner-up at Roseburg before closing the week in 17th at Cottage Grove.
Race fans who missed any of the action can relive every lap on-demand with an IMCA.TV Replay subscription for just $24.99 a month.
