Braaksma Banks $10,000 Legends of Dirt Modified Shootout at Southern Oregon

Feature, Modified, News

Ethan Braaksma, of Newton, Iowa, celebrated in victory lane after outdueling Bricen James to win the 40-lap, $10,000-to-win Friesen Performance IMCA Modified Legends of Dirt Shootout at Southern Oregon Speedway, the biggest payday of the year in Oregon. (Photo by Shadows of Light Photography)

By Ben Deatherage

WHITE CITY, Ore. (Aug. 16, 2025) — Ethan Braaksma, of Newton, Iowa, rose to the occasion Saturday night at Southern Oregon Speedway, outdueling Bricen James to win the 40-lap $10,000-to-win Friesen Performance IMCA Modified Legends of Dirt Shootout, the biggest payday in Oregon this year. The event drew a massive field of 52 entries for the weekend.

Two-time reigning IMCA Wild West Speedweek champion Bricen James jumped to the early lead in the Schram Motorsports no. 13, holding command through a pair of cautions on laps seven and ten. That opened the door for two-time reigning Dakota Classic Modified Tour and 2025 IMCA TV Winter Nationals champion Braaksma, who powered the Curtis and Tiffany Town-owned no. 24 to the front with a move out of turn two.

The race reached its halfway point with Braaksma in control, though multiple cautions kept the field tight. When the green waved for the final time on lap 22, the race’s intensity ramped up, and heavy lapped traffic entered the picture on lap 31. James closed back in, briefly retaking the lead in a furious side-by-side battle, but Braaksma held the advantage each time at the line.

With the white flag in the air, 2019 Shaw Race Cars Western Region champion Bricen James made one final bid but nearly clipped the turn four wall. Braaksma held his line and outran him to the checkers for the $10,000 payday — his ninth win of the season. His 2025 résumé already features triumphs in the Harris Clash, Black Dirt Nationals in Iowa, and Wisconsin’s Clash at the Creek. Two of those wins have now come in the Western Region.

James settled for second, while 2020 California State Modified champion and three-time Central California Clash winner Troy Foulger drove Bill Bowers’ no. 49 car to a third-place finish.

Friday hosted two preliminary features. In the first, Braaksma prevailed over 2025 Frank Brewer Memorial G60 Classic winner Ethan Killingsworth — the reigning Karl Chevrolet IMCA Northern SportMod track champion at SOS— with Foulger completing the top three. In the second, James raced to victory ahead of the Superior Fuel Cells no. 42 of Kevin Williamson, the 2025 Douglas County Dirt Track champion, while Grey Ferrando, winner of the 2023 Survive the 55 at Skagit Speedway and 2024 Banks Mod Nationals, finished third.

The event was broadcast live on IMCA TV affiliate Dirt Oval TV. 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.

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