By Sheldon Wickwar
WaKEENEY, Kan. (Apr. 25, 2026) — Dakota Sproul completed a dominant weekend sweep in the Karl Kustoms IMCA Modifieds, leading the way in Saturday’s twenty-lap feature at WaKeeney Speedway’s Christmas City Clash.
Starting alongside Dalton Murphy on the front row, Sproul quickly jumped to the early advantage and remained in control while Tanner Black, Clay Money, and Daniel Gottschalk all applied pressure throughout the event. A repeat of Friday’s feature with roles reversed developed as Sproul worked through lapped traffic with second place closing in.
After using a last-lap pass to win Friday night, Sproul held off Money on Saturday to secure his first two wins of 2026 in the Jet Racing Central Region, a strong rebound after not finishing either night of the Sunflower Classic at RPM Speedway in Hays.
Money finished second, Gottschalk was third, Brett Berry fourth, and Black completed the top five. Gottschalk earned hard charger honors after gaining six positions following an early spin.
Money, Dylan Sherfick, and Gottschalk won heat races, while Brandon Clough claimed the B feature.
2Fiddy Capitalizes in Stock Car Feature
A late restart reshuffled the deck and opened the door for Tathan Burkhart in the Sunoco IMCA Stock Car feature.
Troy Burkhart and Johnny Yutterman brought the field to green, with the “Gentle Giant” pacing the race for much of the distance before slipping back in the closing laps. Tathan Burkhart took advantage, jumping to the lead and holding off challenges from both Johnny and Quinton Yutterman to secure the win.
Burkhart earned his first victory of the season in the EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region. Johnny Yutterman, Friday night’s winner, finished second, followed by Quinton Yutterman, Doug Holzmeister, and Kyle Pfeifer. Hard charger honors went to Kyle Clough, who gained ten positions.
Pfeifer, Burkhart, and Brendyn Nordyke won heat races.
Higdon Tames Sport Compacts
Kiowa Higdon methodically worked his way to the front to take control of the Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compact feature.
Gage Barton and Kaishen Brack led the field to green, with Brack pacing the early laps while chasing a weekend sweep after his Friday victory. Higdon steadily closed in, eventually taking the lead and holding on for his second win of the season to go with a previous triumph at Beatrice Speedway.
Connor Schwien charged through the field to finish second after a strong side-by-side battle with Brock Leibhart, who was third. Gage Porter finished fourth, and Brack slipped to fifth. Schwien earned hard charger honors after gaining nine spots.
Porter and Higdon won heat races.
Thompson Sweeps Hobby Stock Action
Mechanical heartbreak for one driver turned into opportunity for another in the Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stock feature.
Aiden Miller led early and appeared poised for his first career win before engine trouble ended his night. Tyler Thompson inherited the lead, but Dillon Thompson quickly worked past and led the rest of the way.
Dillon Thompson secured his second win of the season in the B&B Racing Chassis Northern Region, both coming during the Christmas City Clash weekend. James Phelps finished second, Tyler Thompson was third, Trent Matson rallied to fourth after a tough Friday, and Brady Bencken rounded out the top five. Matson earned hard charger honors after gaining seven positions.
Mitchell Fischer, Bencken, and Matson won heat races.
Barnhart Sweeps SportMod Shows
Josh Barnhart capped off a perfect weekend by completing a sweep in the Karl Kustoms IMCA Northern SportMods.
Dylan Cherry led early after a strong start from the front row in his WaKeeney Speedway debut, but Barnhart stayed within striking distance and eventually made the winning move.
Barnhart went on to collect his first two wins of the 2026 season. Cherry finished second, Blaine Walt was third, Ryan Kirchoff fourth, and Dylan Jacobson fifth. Rookie Dylan Bell earned hard charger honors after gaining ten positions.
Cherry, Kirchoff, Brian Conness, and Trevin Frye won heat races, while Kamren Gruber claimed the B feature.
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.
