By Ben Deatherage
BEATRICE, Neb. (July 13, 2026) — The Third Annual Joey Hergott Memorial opened with the Sunoco IMCA Stock Cars split into a pair of 22-lap, $3,000-to-win segments, with the finishing order of the opening segment setting the inversion for the second, which paid the Joey Hergott Memorial title.
Jeff Ware, the 2019 Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stock national champion, led the opening laps of the first segment before Chandler, Arizona’s Ricky Thornton Jr. stormed to the front on lap three in the Jordan Grabouski-provided No. 20RT. Thornton steadily pulled away and was never seriously challenged the rest of the distance.
Jordan Grabouski, the 2019 IMCA Stock Car national champion, worked his way into second on lap 15, while Ware held on for third. Five-time defending Beatrice Speedway champion Kyle Vanover finished fourth, followed by Hayden Linn of Arkansas.
Thornton elected to completely invert the entire field for the second 22-lap segment, placing Oskaloosa, Iowa’s Cayden Carter on the front row. Driving the Michael Peterson-owned No. 1X, Carter outdueled Cole Czarneski for the lead on the opening lap before surviving three cautions.
Czarneski, the 2024 141 Speedway Stock Car champion, gradually reeled Carter back in before the final restart, but Carter executed another flawless launch and drove away to capture the Third Annual Joey Hergott Memorial.
The victory was Carter’s fourth EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region win of the season, with each coming at a different track.
The second segment also served as a qualifier for the B&B Racing Chassis All-Star Stock Car Invitational to be held during the Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. With the victory, Carter became eligible to attempt to qualify for the invitational later this year.
Czarneski finished second, Braden Richards was third, and Thornton charged from 20th to fourth after an unscheduled pit stop under caution to earn hard charger honors. Cameron Starry completed the top five.
A total of 64 Sunoco IMCA Stock Cars signed in for the Third Annual Joey Hergott Memorial.
Thornton Collects $16,026 Modified Prize
Multi-division Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s champion Ricky Thornton Jr. earned the $16,026 top prize in the Karl Kustoms IMCA Modified feature after capitalizing on late misfortune for Jordan Grabouski.
Grabouski, the five-time IMCA Modified national champion and 10-time defending Beatrice Speedway track champion, won an opening-lap battle with defending Iowa state champion Spencer Diercks and quickly established himself as the driver to beat.
Starting fourth, Thornton steadily worked his way forward in the Jordan Grabouski-owned No. 20RT, advancing to third on lap five before slipping past Diercks for second on lap 10. As Grabouski sliced through heavy lapped traffic beginning on lap 12, Thornton gradually erased the advantage and began challenging on the inside.
The race turned on lap 19 when Grabouski got sideways in turn four, handing Thornton the lead.
A caution with eight laps remaining erased Thornton’s advantage, but he executed another perfect restart and drove away for his second Razor Chassis North Central Region victory of the season.
The feature also served as a Fast Shafts All-Star Modified Invitational qualifier to be held during the IMCA Super Nationals. Thornton had already secured eligibility to attempt to qualify for the invitational the night before.
Diercks finished second, Terry Phillips crossed the stripe third, and 2024 Marshalltown Speedway title winner Tripp Gaylord held off 2024 Wisconsin state champion Cole Czarneski in the battle for fourth. 2021 IMCA Super Nationals winner Cody Laney earned hard charger honors after advancing from 21st to sixth.
A total of 65 Karl Kustoms IMCA Modifieds signed in for the Third Annual Joey Hergott Memorial.
Sachau Repeats in SportMods
Jake Sachau made it back-to-back Joey Hergott Memorial victories in the Karl Kustoms IMCA Northern SportMods after taking advantage of late heartbreak for Caleb Woodard.
Woodard led the opening laps before Sachau, the two-time reigning IMCA Super Nationals winner, climbed into second after an early battle with two-time Nebraska state champion Justin Svoboda.
Starting third, the Manning, Iowa, driver stalked Woodard throughout the 25-lap contest before Woodard suffered a flat right rear tire with only a handful of laps remaining. Sachau inherited the lead on lap 21 and drove away for his 10th victory of the season and first at Beatrice Speedway in 2026.
Two-time defending Eagle Raceway champion Cole Wayman advanced from seventh to finish second ahead of Svoboda. The 2019 Beatrice Speedway track champion Adam Armstrong finished fourth, while 2026 IMCA TV Winter Nationals champion Trevor Noonan rounded out the top five in the Trevor Lahr-owned No. 66. Kash Wenske earned hard charger honors by charging from 18th to eighth.
A total of 43 Karl Kustoms IMCA Northern SportMods were on hand.
Lierz Inherits Hobby Stock Victory
Nick Ronnebaum appeared poised to capture the Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stock feature after leading every lap despite several cautions.
Instead, heartbreak struck on the final circuit when the three-time Salina Speedway champion suffered a flat tire, allowing Baileyville, Kansas’ Chris Lierz to race past for the dramatic victory.
The triumph was Lierz’s first B&B Racing Chassis Northern Region victory of the season.
Ryan Roschewski finished second, followed by two-time Beatrice Speedway champion Taylor Huss, Brent Beaumont and Dalton Young. James Phelps earned hard charger honors by racing from 20th to 10th.
A total of 35 Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stocks signed in for competition.
Martinez Victorious in Sport Compacts
John Martinez made just his second Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compact start of the season count by collecting the feature victory.
Two-time defending Beatrice Speedway champion and 2024 IMCA Sport Compact national rookie of the year Johnny Thomas led the opening lap before 2022 Nebraska state champion Kaden Murray took command on lap two. Multi-time RPM Speedway and WaKeeney Speedway champion Kiowa Higdon assumed the lead on lap seven before Martinez mounted his charge.
Starting eighth, the reigning IMCA Sport Compact national champion battled Higdon for several laps before taking command on lap 11 and driving away for his first victory of the season.
Higdon finished second ahead of Thomas, while Gage Porter and Tobey VanLaningham completed the top five. Gilbert Aldape earned hard charger honors by advancing from 21st to seventh.
A total of 34 Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compacts were entered.
The event was broadcast live on IMCA TV affiliate Advantage Racing 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.
