By Ben Deatherage
WACO, Texas (Apr. 24, 2026) — Kaufman’s Cody Smith delivered a thrilling late-race pass to win the Sunoco IMCA Stock Car feature at the 7th annual Baby Blue Harcrow Memorial at Heart O’ Texas Speedway. The 30-lap, $3,015-to-win main event served as a qualifier for the B&B Racing Chassis All-Star Stock Car Invitational to be run at the Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s, placing Smith on the eligibility list. The victory also marked Smith’s first EQ Cylinder Heads Southern Region win of the season.
Three-time EQ Cylinder Heads Southern Region champion Westin Abbey set the early pace, fending off heavy pressure from two-time region titlist Blake Clark. Clark briefly worked his way past Abbey before a stoppage negated the move, forcing him to regroup for another charge. Through multiple restarts and challenges, Abbey continued to control the point while a tight battle for second unfolded behind him.
As the race wore on, 2023 Baby Blue winner Cody Smith emerged as a contender, climbing into second on lap 17 after methodically working his way forward from eighth. With the leaders slicing through lapped traffic, Smith closed the gap and made his move on lap 20, edging past Abbey at the line by a razor-thin 0.014-second margin to take over the top spot. From there, Smith executed perfectly in traffic and held strong over the final circuits to secure his second career Baby Blue Harcrow Memorial victory.
2026 IMCA TV Winter Nationals champion Cameron Starry finished second at the line, followed by Abbey in third, Clark in fourth, and three-time Texas State champion and five-time Heart O’ Texas track champion Jason Batt in fifth.
Bryan Harcrow earned hard charger honors, advancing from 25th to 13th.
A total of 38 IMCA Stock Cars signed in for the night.
Pirkle Powers Through Field for Heart O’ Texas Modified Triumph
Jacob Pirkle used patience, timing, and traffic to perfection in capturing the Karl Kustoms IMCA Modified feature. The Midlothian motorist charged from 10th to win the 20-lap contest, marking his second Heart O’ Texas victory of the season and his fifth GRT Race Cars South Central Region win in six starts in 2026.
B.P. White led the early laps, holding off advances from eight-time and defending South Central Region champion William Gould following an early caution. As the leaders reached lapped traffic, Gould made a decisive move on lap six, slipping past both White and a slower car to take command.
Pirkle soon entered the picture and tracked down Gould, utilizing a lapped car as a pick to make a decisive pass for the lead on lap nine. After a caution shortly after, Pirkle was flawless on the restart and drove away from the field, navigating traffic with ease to secure the win.
Gould, the 2013 National IMCA Modified champion in the Kerry Fryar Motorsports No. 60, settled for second. 1995 track champion Paul White was third, followed by David Gould in fourth and Raymond McSpadden in fifth.
Bowles Capitalizes to Claim First SportMod Win of Season
Michael Bowles took advantage of a mid-race misfortune to score the Smiley’s Racing Products IMCA Southern SportMod feature victory. The Italy driver piloted the Toby Grissom-owned No. 2T to his first win of the season after inheriting the lead midway through the 15-lap main event.
Nathan Northcott dominated the early stages, leading from the outset and building a commanding advantage while working lapped traffic by lap four. However, mechanical issues struck on lap eight, forcing Northcott to retire and handing the lead to Bowles. On the restart, Bowles quickly separated himself from the field and maintained a comfortable advantage to the finish.
2024 National IMCA Southern SportMod champion Jeff Shepperd charged from 10th to finish second, while reigning track champion Trevor Cogburn placed third. Billy Gould Jr. and Colton Birmingham completed the top five in fourth and fifth.
The event was broadcast live on IMCA TV. Catch every lap again with the IMCA TV Replay Subscription, available for just $25.99/month. And don’t miss Season 2 of the Boone Docuseries, streaming exclusively on IMCA TV.
