By Ben Deatherage
ALTA, Iowa (Aug. 4, 2025) — Cody Thompson kicked off Iowa Speedweek in style, charging from 10th to win the Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature on opening night of the Battle of the Beaver at Buena Vista Raceway. It was his sixth win of the season in the Razor Chassis North Central Region and second trip to victory lane at Alta in 2025, joining last month’s Kyle Suter Memorial triumph.
Minnesota’s Jesse Rogotzke led the opening 13 circuits before a caution reset the field. Wisconsin’s Cole Czarneski, defending 141 Speedway Modified and Sunoco IMCA Stock Car champion, took command on the restart and held off Rogotzke’s counterattack before another yellow slowed the action.
That opened the door for Thompson, who challenged after the restart and took over the lead for good on lap 20, pulling away to seal the win. Czarneski outdueled 2019 Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s champ Ethan Dotson, driving the Jacob Snyder-owned No. 98, for second.
Brands Charges Late to Claim First Stock Car Win of 2025
Randy Brands rallied from sixth starting to win the Sunoco IMCA Stock Car feature on Monday night. The two-time Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s Stock Car winner from Boyden soared around the high side to take the lead on lap 17 and secure his first EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region victory of the season.
Early on, Jake Masters and Mike “Wahoo” Albertsen scrapped for the lead before Masters broke free. Tim Rupp, the reigning BVR track champion, closed in on lap 11 just as a yellow flew. Brands used the restart to begin his march, storming past Rupp and Masters before taking over.
Behind him, a wild scramble developed for second, with 10-time track champ and 2006 National champion David Smith rallying from 12th to the runner-up spot and 2001 Super Nationals winner Brian Blessington claiming third.
Smith Fends Off Montagne for Eighth SportMod Score
Lake City’s Mike Smith recorded his eighth Karl Chevrolet IMCA Northern SportMod victory of the season—and second at Buena Vista Raceway—with a wire-to-wire win during Monday’s main event. The two-time Super Nationals Hobby Stock champion quickly established himself as the car to beat after grabbing the point at the start.
Rusty Montagne, a two-time BVR champ and reigning seven-time South Dakota State titlist, gave chase after a handful of early cautions. Montagne managed to edge ahead briefly before Smith regained control at the line and took off for good. Montagne held onto second while Joe Reetz rounded out the podium.
Ullrich Adds Eighth Win to 2025 Hobby Stock Campaign
Dayton Ullrich put together another dominant outing by leading every lap of the Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stock feature. The Kiron driver collected his eighth B&B Racing Chassis Northern Region win of the year and second at Alta.
Ullrich overcame a lap one caution and maintained his lead through a pair of late-race yellows. Will Smith closed in twice but could not match Ullrich’s momentum. Smith ended the race in second and Justin Frederick took third.
Thompson Takes Third Different Track with Sport Compact Win
Sioux City’s Tyler Thompson secured his third Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compact win of the year and did so at a third different venue, taming the Alta oval Monday night during Battle of the Beaver festivities.
Thompson took the lead from early pacesetter Levi Volkert on lap four. A lap five caution slowed things briefly, but Thompson checked out after the restart. Brooke Osler and Cody Gorden—both defending champions at Kossuth County and Buena Vista respectively—completed the top three.
The event was broadcast live on IMCA TV affiliate Advantage 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.
