September 28, 2026

Johnson Strikes Late as Bannisters Secure Bakersfield Championships

Modified, News, Northern SportMod, Results

MOD Brad Pounds VL PB Tom Macht — Brad Pounds celebrates his Karl Kustoms IMCA Modified feature victory on Sept. 26, at Bakersfield Speedway at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway. Pounds earned his third DeVilbiss Racing Chassis Western Region victory of the season, with all three coming at Bakersfield. (Photo by Tom Macht)

By Steven Blakesley

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (Sept. 26, 2026) — Tyler Bannister and Jason Bannister completed championship-winning seasons at Bakersfield Speedway at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway on Saturday night during Championship Night on the dirt.

Brad Pounds, the 2025 Karl Kustoms IMCA Modified track champion, dominated the 20-lap feature. Pounds started fourth and drove to his third DeVilbiss Racing Chassis Western Region victory of the season, with all three coming at Bakersfield.

Newly crowned 2026 track champion Tyler Bannister finished second after starting from the pole, while Markus Frazier was third and Rob Sanders fourth. Pounds also won the heat race.

The Karl Kustoms IMCA Northern SportMods led the action with 15 entries on hand and an exciting 25-lap championship finale.

Jason Bannister built a sizeable advantage on several occasions, but a pair of cautions on lap 16 erased his lead and tightened the field for the closing stages.

Ethan Johnson took advantage of the opportunity. Johnson worked the high side and drove around Bannister in turn four to take the lead on lap 20 before going on to his fourth victory of the 2026 season. Two of those wins have come at Bakersfield.

Bannister settled for second but secured the 2026 track championship. Matthew Frazier finished third, while Dylan Wilson charged from 12th to fourth. Tate Loftis completed the top five after starting eighth.

Frazier and Loftis were the SportMod heat race winners.

The night’s action aired live on IMCA TV affiliate TrackVision TV powered by Low Budget TV. Catch every lap again with an IMCA TV Replay Subscription for just $25.99/month. Plus, stream Season 3 of the Boone Docuseries exclusively on IMCA TV.

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