By Ben Deatherage
OCALA, Fla. (Feb. 9, 2026) — Riley Clem continued his dominant run through the 2026 Florida Winter Nationals, capturing the Stealth Racing IMCA Mod Lite feature on night three of competition and the opening round of the Bullring Bonanza at Marion County Speedway. The Bakersfield, California, standout led every lap of the 20-lap main event on the 1/5-mile oval to secure his third victory in three Winter Nationals starts.
Clem beat defending Florida Winter Nationals champion Ronnie Choate to the lead on the opening start and quickly established control before an early caution slowed the pace. Multiple stoppages repeatedly erased his advantage, but Clem remained flawless on each restart. Brandon Dennis, the 2024 Delaware State champion, surged into second late, while the 2023 Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s winner, Choate, and Missouri’s Billy Beard waged a spirited battle for a podium position through the middle stages.
A late caution on lap 18 set up a green-white-checkered finish, but Clem once again executed perfectly, driving away over the final circuits. Dennis finished second, with Ohio’s Carson Hubbard charging to third at the line. Billy Beard settled for fourth, followed by his brother Jaggar in fifth.
Missouri’s Mike La Brot earned hard charger honors, advancing 11 positions from 20th to ninth.
The 21-car field represented nine U.S. states and one Canadian province.
The victory added to an already lucrative stretch for Clem, who has now bagged $5,200 in winnings over the last week. The 2024 IMCA Super Nationals winner collected $3,000 and $1,000 during Sugar Bowl competition at Hendry County Motorsports Park and also captured a $700 Dash for Cash bonus during the weekend.
The event was broadcast live on IMCA TV affiliate Mad Speed 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, streaming exclusively on IMCA TV.