By Bill Martin
CALERA, Okla. (Oct. 29, 2025) — He’s been fast on dirt now for 31 years, but William Gould might have been fastest on pavement this season.
Gould hotshoed his way his way to 10 feature wins on his way to earning another GRT Race Cars Southern Region crown and finishing third in the Friesen Performance IMCA Modified national points race.
Most impressively, perhaps, the Calera, Okla., speedster won championships at tracks that raced on some of the same Saturday nights, Southern Oklahoma Speedway in Ardmore and Grayson County Speedway in Bells, Texas.
“We would race at Southern Oklahoma, where they run Modifieds first, then we would load up, haul ass 80 miles to Grayson County, unload and start last in the feature,” said Gould, who also boasted career second Oklahoma and seventh Texas State titles, plus the Sunoco IMCA Stock Car All Star Shootout title on his 2025 resume.
“There was one night when I got to Bells literally a minute late, as they were taking the green flag, so I didn’t get to start that race. Had I been able to, and replace a lower finish, who knows how or if that might have affected the national points race?” he asked. “For not having a Friday night track, we had a pretty good season.”
A six-time winner at Grayson County and a four-time winner at Ardmore, Gould won at both venues on April 12.
He collected double digit checkers for the seventh straight season, and for the 11th time dating to his successful 2013 national championship quest while moving to eighth on the all-time wins list for the division.
“This was a transition year for us, and our success was in large part with help from the Todd Short family and Kustom Machine Race Engines,” Gould said. “With the exception of our first four outings on a crate engine, we ran a spec engine the rest of the year. That meant lots of R and D for us and the machine shop. We still have much to learn but we seem to be getting a little faster all of the time.”
Just the second driver to earn multiple Modified state crowns in the same season, Gould is now tied with Sean Lias and Henry Witt Jr. with eight career regional titles. David Murray Jr. is the leader in that department with nine.
“What does winning an eighth regional championship mean to me? Ask me again in two years, because I plan on winning 10,” Gould said. “Right now, I’d say it’s pretty cool, but hopefully I have two more years in me and can keep doing it.”
Gould’s racing has long been a family endeavor. Wife Dana is his sole crew member while son David joined him on the track in all but one of his starts this season.
“Dana and I do everything. If I race two cars on any given night, she tows the other one with another truck and trailer. I’m pretty reliant on her,” Gould said. “It’s nice to have someone go with you who always has your best interest in mind and, no matter what happens, has your back. She helps with everything and only gets mad when she doesn’t get to go. She’s a nurse and is on call half a dozen or so nights during the season.”
David made 24 of his 25 starts running with his dad and finished fourth in the regional points race.
“It was cool to race with him, but it was a bit distracting at the same time. Regardless of what I was doing or how I was going, I couldn’t help but think about how he was doing or what was happening with his car,” Gould said. “As a dad, you think about your kid, their highs and lows. There’s nothing you can do when they’re sitting in their own race car, but you can’t help but think about them.”
“I tell him we’re here to race, do the best you can do and don’t go faster than you can control the race car.”
Former champion Josh McGaha and his son Jaxon, the regional rookie of the year, were also in the GRT Race Cars South Central Region mix, finishing second and third, respectively.
Feature Wins 10
Top Five’s 14
Total Starts 35
HIS CREW: wife Dana
HIS SPONSORS: Parents David and Debbie Gould; Gould Race Cars of Calera; Cullen Hill Racing of Ardmore; Nikole’s Country Store of Tishomingo; D & R Construction of Caney, Okla.; Kerry Fryar Motorsports of Merkel, Texas; the Todd Short family and Kustom Machine Race Engines, and Texoma Auto Care of Denison; Adams Automotive of Van Alstyne; Hideaway Poker Club of Plano; Ott’s Sand and Gravel of Sherman, Texas; Hanjack Farms of Ennis, Texas; Colby Miller Racing of Beaumont, Texas; Cam’s Auto Repair of Gainesville, Texas; Red Oak Family Dentistry of McKinney, Texas; Bet All Racing of Waco, Texas; MG Building Materials of San Antonio, Texas; Goode Towing of Killeen, Texas; Dave Leech Construction of Abilene, Texas; Smiley’s Racing Products of Mesquite, Texas; PEM of St. Clair, Mo.; BHE Shocks of Ames, Iowa; Fast Shafts of Des Moines, Iowa; and Wehr’s Machine and Racing Products of Bangor, Wis