By Jerry Mackey
COLUMBUS JUNCTION, Iowa (July 24, 2026) — Cole VanDerWal turned in a flawless performance Friday night at CJ Speedway, sweeping both Karl Kustoms IMCA Northern SportMod features during the marathon program.
In the makeup feature from July 3, VanDerWal charged from fifth to the front after starting from the third row. Defending track champion Dylan VanWyk sliced through the field from 16th and briefly led two laps during the middle stages before VanDerWal regained the top spot and drove away for the victory.
VanWyk finished second after a 14-position charge, while Justin Schroeder advanced seven spots to third. Justin Heuer crossed the line fourth, Colton Zaputil was fifth, and Levi Gaunt earned hard charger honors by racing from 22nd to sixth with a 16-position advance.
VanDerWal completed the sweep in the regularly scheduled feature, racing from ninth starting position to collect his fifth victory of the season at Columbus Junction.
Todd Hansen turned in his best finish of 2026 by claiming second, while Colton Laymon also recorded his best finish of the campaign in third. Gaunt again earned hard charger honors, advancing 10 positions from 14th to fourth. Justin Schroeder completed the top five.
Richardson Doubles Up in Hobby Stocks
Tucker Richardson enjoyed a perfect evening, sweeping both Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stock features.
In the July 3 makeup feature, Richardson charged from fourth to the front for the victory. Dalton Weepie advanced from 10th to finish second, Austin Stalder was third, Luke Phillips charged from 23rd to fourth, and Billy Stanford rounded out the top five.
Phillips earned hard charger honors with a gain of 19 positions.
Richardson completed the sweep in the regularly scheduled feature by charging from eighth to the front while utilizing the extreme high groove around the high-banked oval. The victory was his fourth in the B&B Racing Chassis Northern Region this season, with three of those wins coming at CJ Speedway.
Billy Stanford finished second, Jaice Tuttle crossed the line third, Weepie rallied from 10th to fourth, and Garrett Porter completed the top five.
Richardson earned hard charger honors in the second feature as well, advancing seven positions.
Wood Wins Stock Car Makeup and Bell Captures Nightcap
Nathan Wood strengthened his points lead by winning the Sunoco IMCA Stock Car July 3 makeup feature.
Starting fifth, Wood raced to the front before holding off Dustin Griffiths, who charged from ninth to second. Norman Bean finished third, Jordan Miles was fourth, and Mike Van Utrecht advanced from 11th to fifth.
The victory was Wood’s eighth EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region win of the season, with seven of those triumphs coming at CJ Speedway. Jerry Miles earned hard charger honors by advancing nine positions from 17th to eighth.
Bell celebrated his return to regular competition by capturing the regularly scheduled Stock Car feature.
Bell led the field to the checkers after holding off current point leader Wood, who stormed from 12th to second to earn hard charger honors. Austin Kemper finished third, while Kirk Kinsley advanced 12 positions from 16th to fourth. Chad Krogmeier rounded out the top five.
The victory added Bell’s name to the list of 2026 EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region winners.
Banks Leads Modified Feature Flag-to-Flag
Brandon Banks wasted little time taking command of the Karl Kustoms IMCA Modified feature, grabbing the lead from his outside front row starting spot before leading every lap.
Behind Banks, the battle for the remaining podium positions featured plenty of action. Blaine Webster worked his way from seventh to second using a series of well-executed slide jobs, while Kurt Kile recovered from an early pit stop to charge from ninth to third.
Banks’ victory added his name to the list of 2026 Razor Chassis North Central Region winners.
Kolton Osborn finished fourth, while Dakota Simmons rounded out the top five.
Kile earned hard charger honors with a six-position advance.
