February 20, 2026

Bakersfield Speedway Season Opener Shifts to One-Day Winter Clash Saturday

Feature, Modified, News, Northern SportMod, Stock Car

By Steven Blakesley

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (Feb. 19, 2026) — Bakersfield Speedway at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway will launch its 2026 campaign with the Winter Clash, now scheduled as a one-day event on Saturday, Feb. 21, following wet weather throughout the week. Originally planned as a two-day program, all Friday racing activities have been consolidated into Saturday, creating a full night of racing for one ticket price.

Competition will feature Karl Kustoms IMCA Modifieds, Karl Kustoms IMCA Northern SportMods, and Sunoco IMCA Stock Cars, with all divisions competing for championship points.

Grandstand gates open at 2 p.m., with hot laps and qualifying set for 2:45 p.m. Opening ceremonies are scheduled for approximately 5 p.m., followed by heat races and main events for all classes.

Race fans can save on general admission by purchasing tickets in advance at BakersfieldSpeedway.com. Adult tickets are $22 online, including fees, or $25 at the gate. Kids ages 6–12 are $10 in advance or $12 at the gate, while children five and under are admitted free.

Parking is free. Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway is located at 13500 Raceway Blvd., near Enos Lane and Interstate 5 in Bakersfield.

bakersfieldspeedway

Family time in victory lane as young star Lewis is first-time IMCA Mod Lite winner

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – When Cade Lewis won his career-first IMCA STARS Mod Lite feature, his father Colby enjoyed seeing the checkers fly from one of the best seats in the house … behind him on the track at Bakersfield Speedway. Cade, just 14 but already a 10-year racing veteran, topped the May 8 main event at Bakersfield. Colby, a former Major League pitcher with considerably more experience on the mound than on the dirt, was more than happy to end the night with a mid-pack finish. “It was pretty cool. This win proves I’ve come a long way and am still on the path to go up,” said Cade, who graduates this week from the eighth grade at St. John’s Lutheran School in Bakersfield. “It meant a lot for me to win and it meant a lot for my dad to be there with me in victory lane. He supports me in what I do and it’s cool to beat him on the track.” He’s progressed from go-karts and will see much of the country [Read More]

McGowan Memorial is Saturday at Bakersfield

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – Bakersfield Speedway returns to action this Saturday with the Richie McGowan Memorial special. IMCA Modifieds race for $1,000 to win their June 27 Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational ballot-qualifying feature. Top prize for the Karl Kustoms Northern SportMods is $700. Pit gates open at 3 p.m. and racing starts at 6 p.m. Grandstands remain closed and a limit of five people will be allowed into the pit area, including the driver, per race team. The event will be broadcast on pay per view. Pit passes are $35. Pill draw is $10. Information about the draw/redraw show is available on Facebook or by calling 661 393-3373.

Pike Rules IMCA Modifieds at Bakersfield

By Steven Blakesley BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (Mar. 29, 2025) – Pahrump, Nevada’s Jake Pike battled past Bakersfield’s Gavyn Manning over the final three laps to win the Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature at Bakersfield Speedway at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway. 22 IMCA Modifieds took the green flag for the 30-lap feature. Pike started eighth and advanced into the lead past Austin Keifer of Corona on lap 13. Keifer tracked him back down before a caution flew on lap 17. Pike held court on the subsequent restart. 11th-starting Gavyn Manning and 13th-starting B-Main transfer Ricky Childress, Jr. battled for second position. Childress retired from the race on lap 20, however. A caution on lap 27 set up a three-lap shootout between Pike and Manning. Manning drove inside Pike and the pair raced side-by-side through turns three and four. Manning pushed up the track with his front wheels in the air, allowing Pike to drive around the outside to maintain the lead. Pike grabbed the $750 checkered flag, his first this season in the Shaw Race Cars Western Region, [Read More]

Feature

Bakersfield Speedway Season Opener Shifts to One-Day Winter Clash Saturday

By Steven Blakesley BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (Feb. 19, 2026) — Bakersfield Speedway at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway will launch its 2026 campaign with the Winter Clash, now scheduled as a one-day event on Saturday, Feb. 21, following wet weather throughout the week. Originally planned as a two-day program, all Friday racing activities have been consolidated into Saturday, creating a full night of racing for one ticket price. Competition will feature Karl Kustoms IMCA Modifieds, Karl Kustoms IMCA Northern SportMods, and Sunoco IMCA Stock Cars, with all divisions competing for championship points. Grandstand gates open at 2 p.m., with hot laps and qualifying set for 2:45 p.m. Opening ceremonies are scheduled for approximately 5 p.m., followed by heat races and main events for all classes. Race fans can save on general admission by purchasing tickets in advance at BakersfieldSpeedway.com. Adult tickets are $22 online, including fees, or $25 at the gate. Kids ages 6–12 are $10 in advance or $12 at the gate, while children five and under are admitted free. Parking is free. Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway is [Read More]

Feature

Florida Bullring Recharged Under New Ownership Ahead of IMCA TV Clash On The Coast

By Ben Deatherage BAKER, Fla. (Feb. 18, 2026) — A new chapter is underway for Northwest Florida Speedway, as Ron Wolverton has officially taken ownership of the Baker, Florida ¼-mile facility, launching an ambitious revival effort aimed at preserving grassroots racing while positioning the venue for long-term growth. For Wolverton — a lifelong drag racer turned dirt track promoter — the journey into ownership has been nothing short of extraordinary. “The whole thing has been a miracle after miracle,” Wolverton said. “We pulled off a construction feat that even the big guys couldn’t pull off. We didn’t start until January 9 before we got to moving dirt, and I couldn’t have done it without all the volunteers and community members that came out to help.” Among the most notable upgrades has been the restoration of the racing surface itself. Wolverton and his team worked to bring the track back to its roots by reconditioning the oval with original dirt pulled directly from the property versus having it hauled in from elsewhere. Now entering his first season [Read More]

Feature

Hunt The Front Revives Southern Raceway and Launches New Era

By Ben Deatherage MILTON, Fla. (Feb. 18, 2026) — Southern Raceway is entering a new era as the Hunt The Front group has officially acquired the 3/8-mile clay oval in Milton, Florida, launching a revitalization effort that will see the venue operate as Hunt The Front’s Southern Raceway. The ownership group — brothers Jonathan, Joshua, and Joseph Joiner and their wives Shadow, Elizabeth, and Kayla — makes the project a true family-driven endeavor. A centerpiece of the track’s competitive foundation will remain the Karl Kustoms IMCA Modified division, continuing a sanctioning relationship that dates back more than three decades. Southern Raceway first joined the Speedway Motors IMCA Weekly Racing program in 1993, when Robert Miley became the inaugural track champion. Events at the facility will again award track, Florida State, Close Racing Supply Eastern Region, and National points. For Joshua Joiner and the entire Hunt The Front team, the acquisition was as much about preservation as it was progression. “Our big fear was the track was going to go away,” Joiner said. “There were discussions and [Read More]

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