By Sheldon Wickwar
HAYS, Kan. (Jul. 12, 2025) — The Ellis County Fair featured two nights of intense IMCA racing at RPM Speedway, and the stars came out to shine as Zach Olmstead, Tyler Watts, and Dakota Sproul all pulled off weekend sweeps in their respective divisions. Saturday’s program was particularly special, featuring a multi-groove track and the emotional season debut of Brooke Russell, who honored her late uncle Danny with a tribute wrap on her car.
Olmstead Sweeps the Hobby Stocks
Zach Olmstead was simply untouchable in the Hobby Stock ranks. Starting up front in Saturday night’s 20-lap main event, he set the pace and never looked back. Early challenges from Cole Schulte and Randie McRoberts faded as cautions bunched up the field. That only seemed to fuel Olmstead, who kept firing off perfect restarts notching his 14th win in the B&B Racing Chassis Northern Region.
Behind him, Mitchell Fischer and James Phelps put on a show of their own, slicing through the field in a caution-filled contest.
Watts Wins in SportMods
Tyler Watts continued his winning ways with a commanding victory in the Karl Chevrolet IMCA Northern SportMod division, notching his sixth win of the year. Carson Lang led the early laps before Watts muscled past and drove off into the night.
The real drama came behind him, as a mid-pack collision resulted in Shannon Maughlin — subbing in for his daughter Brianna — going for a slow roll after contact with a spun car. Thankfully, Maughlin walked away unhurt.
Jacob Olmstead kept Watts honest and finished second, followed by Blaine Walt.
Sproul Untouchable in Modifieds
Fresh off the Dakota Classic Modified Tour, Dakota Sproul came home to Hays and reminded everyone why he’s a force to be reckoned with in the Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds. After a thrilling last-lap pass on Friday, he dominated Saturday’s 20-lapper from the drop of the green flag. Even with a few cautions, nobody had anything for Sproul, who cruised to his sixth win of the season with five coming in the Jet Racing Central Region.
Kyle Rohleder was the best of the rest in second, with Clay Money charging five spots to claim third.
Burkhart Powers Through Stock Car Field for Victory
Tathan “TwoFiddy” Burkhart made a statement in Saturday’s Sunoco IMCA Stock Car main event. Starting mid-pack, Burkhart cut through the field and battled Jason Rogers for the lead in a back-and-forth slugfest. He completed the comeback to score his fifth win of the season in the EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region.
Rogers settled for second, with early leader Michael Pepper finishing third. Burkhart’s seven-spot charge earned him hard charger honors.
Schwien Brothers Duel Again in Sport Compacts
The Schwien brothers brought the crowd to its feet in Saturday’s 12-lap Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compact feature. Jake and Connor ran side-by-side nearly the whole race, keeping fans guessing who would come out on top. In the end, it was Jake who prevailed for his second win of the year — both coming at RPM Speedway.
Connor finished a close second, followed by Gage Porter. Though no major drama unfolded, the precision and respect shown between the siblings provided one of the night’s most entertaining duels.
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. Don’t miss Season 2 of The Boone Docuseries, now streaming exclusively on IMCA TV.
