By Ben Deatherage
FERTILE, Iowa (Oct. 20, 2025) — Kelly Shryock added another remarkable chapter to his legendary career, capturing the National Sunoco IMCA Stock Car championship while driving the Shryock Racing Components/Skyrocket Chassis/Cooter Built Engines by Troy Swearingen/Schluetter Body Shop no. 3 provided by longtime car owner Mike Hauan at Lake Mills Motorsports.
His 2025 campaign produced 21 feature wins in 44 starts, including eight at Kossuth County Speedway, five at Hancock County, three each at Clay County Fair and Worthington Speedways, and two at Boone, along with 33 podiums, 36 top-five finishes, and 40 top-tens — all but four of his starts among the top 10. The year also brought a sweep of track championships at Kossuth County, Hancock County, and Clay County Fair Speedways and his first EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region title. His 21 victories were the most he’s ever recorded in a Sunoco IMCA Stock Car season.
The Kossuth crown marked his fourth career championship at the Algona oval — following a streak of three straight from 2020 through 2022 — while the Hancock title was his second, adding to his 2023 triumph. The championship at Clay County was his first of his career in the Stock Car.
Shryock has piloted for Hauan’s Lake Mills Motorsports team for the last seven seasons. Together they faced an unexpected mid-year challenge when Shryock made the bold decision to retire the team’s proven silver car and rolled out a brand-new orange Skyrocket. The car’s second night out came during the Black Dirt Nationals at Hancock County Speedway on July 22, where Shryock promptly drove it to victory.
“This year was pretty good,” Shryock reflected. “We started looking at things like, ‘hey, if we keep winning, maybe we can do this.’ We threw a little wrench in the fire when we decided to build my own Stock Car, so we parked the silver one that had been unbelievably fast. Then came the challenges of a new car in the middle of trying to win a championship. It was trying — it takes a lot of luck.”
The switch paid off almost immediately, with back-to-back victories the following week during the Salute to Veterans Tour at Kossuth County and Boone Speedways.
Kelly Shryock earned his first career IMCA Sunoco Stock Car national championship in 2025. (Photo by Tom Macht)
Through the heart of the summer, Shryock hit his stride with a blistering stretch that saw seven wins in eight starts between mid-May and late June, including four straight at Kossuth County Speedway. He followed that with another dominant run in July, winning five consecutive features across Kossuth, Hancock, and Boone — a stretch that cemented his championship lead and showcased the reliability of the team’s new orange Skyrocket.
Consistency proved the theme of Shryock’s summer, highlighted by multiple weekends of consecutive wins — including three-night streaks across Kossuth and Hancock County Speedways.
“Doing the best you can is one thing, but to get the championship you’ve got to win,” he said. “That puts a lot of pressure on you — it’s not easy to do, for sure. I started in 1984, and we sucked really bad when I first started,” he laughed. “So this is pretty cool to do.”
The 2025 season marked Shryock’s 41st year of racing.
“First, I want to thank and give glory to the Good Lord for the blessing on my life and racing career. I also want to thank all the great supporters — from Mike and the whole crew that have been behind me — and our great sponsors like Shryock Racing Components, Skyrocket Chassis, Lake Mills Motorsports, Cooter Built Engines by Troy Swearingen, Schluetter Body Shop, Fuel Graphics, Balanced Speed, AERO Race Wheels, Swift Springs, Horsepower Hunter Chassis Dyno, Utility Fleet Specialist, Tire Demon, Gearhead, Integra Shocks, and R&S Racing, who helped make this stock car program possible. I also want to thank my long-time sponsors who have supported my racing career for many years like Houston Specialty Products, Linn Paper Stock, DK Arndt CPA, Bob Sikes, Fast Shafts, Wehrs Machine, Hundley and Son Trucking, R&R Towing, D&E Services, Superior Fuel Cells, Justice Brothers, Mike & Ashlie Jergens.”
Feature Wins 21
Total Top Five’s 36
Total Starts 44
His Pit Crew: Mike Hauan, Jon Mathies, Troy Swearingen, “Farmer”, Justin Taylor, Ryan Kohlhass
His Sponsors: Shryock Racing Components, Skyrocket Chassis, Lake Mills Motorsports, Cooter Built Engines by Troy Swearingen, Schluetter Body Shop, Fuel Graphics, Balanced Speed, Aero Race Wheels, Swift Springs, Horsepower Hunter Chassis Dyno, Utility Fleet Specialist, Tire Demon, Gearhead, Integra Shocks, R&S Racing