By J.M. Hallas
PLEASANTON, Texas (Jan. 8, 2026) — When the $1,250-to-win, 20-lap IMCA Modified main roared to life for night two of the Texas Showdown at I-37 Speedway, Jared Maupin and William Gould stayed side by side into turn one. Gould drifted up slightly in turn two but came off the corner better to lead ahead of Maupin, night-one winner Cody Laney, and Izac Mallicoat going three-wide for second. Mallicoat was able to catch and pass Gould for the lead before a spin in turn four brought out the yellow.
On the restart, Mallicoat, Gould and Laney got away while Maupin ran side by side with Dean Abbey. Mallicoat quickly began to check out, leaving Laney and Gould tied at the rub rails for numerous laps. That battle allowed Mallicoat to stretch his advantage, reaching the halfway point ahead of Gould, Laney, Abbey and Maupin, who would later pull off, moving Steven Whiteaker Jr. into fifth.
By lap 15, Mallicoat had pulled away by about halfway back to Iowa — or a full straightaway. Gould and Laney continued their scrap for second while Whiteaker worked past Abbey for fourth and then began tracking down the lead duo in the closing laps. Out front, Mallicoat was catching the back of the field and maintained nearly a half-track advantage, cruising to the checkers for his first win of 2026 in the GRT Race Cars South Central Region.
The Boone, Iowa, native also added his name to the eligibility list to try and qualify for the Fast Shafts All-Star Modified Invitational, set for September at the Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s.
Gould and Laney finished second and third, respectively. Whiteaker charged from 13th to fourth, with Abbey rounding out the top five.
Williams Whips ’em in Stock Car Feature
The start of the $1,000-to-win, 20-lap Sunoco IMCA Stock Car feature saw Jeramey Bradley and Shelby Williams go door to door, with Bradley leading lap one. Williams, Dan Mackenthun, Mason Martin and Beau Collins filled out the top five. Williams stayed committed to the high side alongside Bradley before taking over the top spot on lap three.
In the pack, Cody Leonard, Boone Evans and Shawn Graham went three-wide for seventh and nearly four abreast off turn four. Martin grabbed second from Bradley on lap eight just before Tommy Fain was turned around in turn four.
On the restart, Bradley made a dive-bomb move on the bottom to get by Martin and pull alongside Williams, but it was all for naught when night-one winner Cameron Starry and Gregory Muirhead tangled, resulting in another caution. Bradley attempted the move again on the next restart but came up short of Martin.
At the midpoint, it was Williams, Martin, Bradley, Mackenthun and Collins holding down the top five. Bradley would then get loose, losing several positions before being turned on lap 12. Following the restart, Mackenthun slipped by Martin and briefly showed Williams the nose while Graham and Leonard went side by side for fifth. That door-to-door, corner-for-corner fight lasted five laps.
Williams, enjoying the scraps behind him, was able to ease away before Martin finally secured second with two laps to go. By then, the Bonham native, Williams, had built nearly a half-straightaway advantage and cruised to his first EQ Cylinder Heads Southern Region victory of 2026.
The win also places Williams on the eligibility list to try and qualify for the B&B Racing Chassis All-Star Stock Car Invitational at the Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals.
Martin finished second, followed by Mackenthun in third. Leonard came home fourth, with Graham rounding out the top five.
