By Candice Martin
ANTIOCH, Calif. (Sept. 26, 2026) — Troy Foulger completed a remarkable comeback from a flat tire with a last-lap pass to win the $1,000 Sunoco IMCA Stock Car feature, while Andrew Pearce collected $3,049 in the Karl Kustoms IMCA Modified headliner during Saturday night’s seventh annual Bill Bowers Memorial at Antioch Speedway.
After a hard crash in his own car at Boone Speedway two weeks earlier during the Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s, Foulger climbed aboard the Mike Villanueva-provided entry for the Bill Bowers Memorial.
Terry DeCarlo Jr. grabbed the early lead before track champion Fred Ryland moved into second following a lap two restart. DeCarlo spun in turn one to bring out a caution on lap five, while Foulger headed to the pits with a flat tire.
Ryland inherited the lead over Kenneth Robles and Nick DeCarlo. Another caution came on lap eight before Robles used the bottom of turn two to take the lead from Ryland on lap 10.
Behind them, Foulger was mounting his charge back through the field.
The final caution came on lap 14 for Dave Hill, with Robles leading Ryland and Nick DeCarlo back to green. Foulger continued his march and used an inside pass to take third from DeCarlo on lap 18.
One lap later, Foulger went underneath Ryland on the frontstretch to grab second. That left him one lap to track down Robles.
Foulger closed quickly and got a run underneath Robles exiting the final turn. The two raced back to the stripe, where Foulger completed the comeback with the last-lap pass for the $1,000 victory.
It was Foulger’s fourth EQ Cylinder Heads Southern Region victory of 2026, with all four coming at Antioch. The win also earned Foulger eligibility to attempt to qualify for the 2027 B&B Racing Chassis All-Star Stock Car Invitational at Super Nationals.
Robles settled for second, followed by Ryland, Nick DeCarlo, and Jason Robles.
Pearce Controls 40-Lapper for Second Bill Bowers Memorial Win
Pearce started from the front row alongside Ryan McDaniel and quickly established himself as the driver to beat in the 40-lap Modified feature.
The Oakley driver took command at the initial green with Bobby Hogge and Foulger in pursuit. Gavyn Manning moved into third on lap three before the leaders encountered slower traffic by lap six.
Foulger raced past Manning for third on lap seven, while the first caution came on lap 11 when Gary Hetrick stopped in turn one.
Pearce maintained the lead over Hogge and Foulger on the restart and remained in command through the halfway point. Another caution on lap 20 erased his advantage.
Foulger used the bottom of turn four on the ensuing restart to take second from Hogge. Another yellow came on lap 22 for Chris Long and Kyle Bryan.
Pearce again controlled the restart while the positions behind him continued to change. Manning moved into third before Hogge reclaimed the spot with an inside pass on the frontstretch on lap 24. Manning answered in turn four on lap 28 to regain third.
Hogge surrendered fourth to Andrew Peckham on lap 33 before retiring three laps later.
Nobody had an answer for Pearce, who went on to collect the $3,049 payday and his second Bill Bowers Memorial victory.
The triumph was Pearce’s third DeVilbiss Racing Chassis Western Region win of 2026 and second at Antioch this season. The victory also earned him eligibility to attempt to qualify for the 2027 Fast Shafts All-Star Modified Invitational at Super Nationals.
Foulger earned $1,500 for second, Manning took home $1,000 for third, Peckham finished fourth, and Paul Guglielmoni completed the top five.
Foulger was the only Modified driver to win both of his heat races. Hogge, Pearce, Manning, and McDaniel also recorded heat victories.
Crebs Makes It Two Straight at Antioch
Bo Crebs continued his recent success at Antioch with a $1,000 victory in the 20-lap Karl Kustoms IMCA Northern SportMod feature.
Jason Ryan Jr. led early over Brent Curran and Mark Garner before a lap three caution for Joel Hannagan. Crebs capitalized on the restart and moved into the lead.
State champion Jeff Bentancourt used the high side of turn four to take third on lap five, but a multi-car incident one lap later brought the race to a stop. Trent Golden got out of shape on the backstretch and made contact with Bentancourt, who got into Garner. Kelly Campanile then had nowhere to go and struck Golden’s stopped car. Nobody was injured.
Crebs continued to lead Curran and Ryan after the restart. Fred Ryland moved past Ryan for third on lap 10 before the final caution came on lap 16.
Crebs handled the final restart and drove the Jerry Movrich-owned entry to his second consecutive Antioch victory.
It was Crebs’ seventh win of the 2026 season and his second at Antioch.
Curran finished second, Ryan was third, Joseph Pato took fourth, and Trevor Clymens completed the top five.
