By Ben Deatherage
ROME, Pa. (Oct. 22, 2026) — More than two decades after stepping away from racing, Charlie Fulton has found his way back behind the wheel and into championship recognition. The 54-year-old Rome, Pa., driver earned the 2026 Close Racing Supply Eastern Region Rookie of the Year award in the Karl Kustoms IMCA Modified division, completing a successful return to the sport he first became involved with nearly 30 years ago.
Driving the Fulton Automotive/TL Powell Transport/Ed Carley Motorsports No. M64, Fulton recorded two feature victories, four podium finishes, 16 top fives, and 26 top-10 finishes in 29 feature starts across 33 events attended. Both victories came at The Hill Speedway, where he visited victory lane June 19 and Aug. 7.
Fulton’s interest in racing began through his sister and brother-in-law, who have owned Modifieds for more than 30 years. He started competing around 1998 before stepping away in 2000, eventually returning in 2024 to race in the local Stock Car division.
“I used to race a long time ago and got out of racing in 2000 and I kind of decided to get back into racing a couple of years ago and built a local stock car and ran that a few races for a year and was looking at the IMCA Modifieds and decided to get one of them last year,” Fulton explained.
A victory in one of the region’s biggest Modified events in 2025 encouraged Fulton to pursue rookie honors the following season.
“I ran it a couple of races last year and picked up a pretty big win at the Ed and Jan Billings Memorial,” Fulton said. “I always try to set a goal and wanted to see how I could do in the regional rookie race and decided to go to Florida for the Clash on the Coast.”
His trip to Florida proved challenging. Fulton struck the wall during his first practice lap, leaving his car damaged and preventing him from getting it completely repaired during the event.
“I actually hit the wall first lap of practice and couldn’t get the car fixed to 100% and tested some things and just built a notebook for racing back home,” Fulton recalled.
Despite the difficult start, the experience provided valuable information that helped him prepare for the remainder of the season.
Back in the Northeast, Fulton concentrated much of his racing at The Hill Speedway, the only Pennsylvania facility offering weekly IMCA Modified competition. Additional opportunities came through Woodhull Raceway, Thunder Mountain Speedway, and the NY-Penn IMCA Modified Series.
Rainouts and limited racing opportunities presented challenges, but Fulton continued gaining experience while establishing himself as a consistent contender.
“I had a couple of wins at The Hill and had a couple get away from me due to part failures,” Fulton said. “I just stuck with it and had a pretty good season.”
Fulton was particularly successful at The Hill Speedway, where he recorded 10 top-five finishes in 16 starts. He also collected five top fives in six appearances at Woodhull Raceway.
While attending the 2025 Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s to help a friend, Fulton purchased a new GRT Race Cars chassis from Manufacturers Row. He assembled the car and made one start with it late in the 2026 season.
His return has also given him an opportunity to witness the growing interest in IMCA Modified racing throughout the Northeast.
“I think that IMCA is going to be growing in this area,” Fulton said. “I like this class. I’m all for it, and I think it’s a good deal, and there’s a lot of guys calling me up and asking about it, and we’re picking up more cars.”
“It was good overall year,” Fulton said. “I’m still learning, and I’m hoping to get better.”
Feature Wins: 2
Total Top Fives: 16
Total Starts: 33
His Pit Crew: Wife Carrie, niece Caitlyn, Alex Everly
His Sponsors: Fulton Automotive, TL Powell Transport, Ed Carley Motorsports, TSS, Forbes Machine Shop, High Point Trading, Moose Racing Engines, DEF Construction, Clark’s Hauling and Dumpsters, D&L Construction, United Training Facility, Beyea Headers, and Winters