March 24, 2026

Merritt Dominates Marysville SportMod Feature for First Win of 2026

SPM Mike Merritt OT PB Jessica Cucuk — Mike Merritt powers around Marysville Raceway on Mar. 21 and later won the 20-lap Karl Kustoms IMCA Northern SportMod feature. (Photo by Jessica Cucuk)

By Troy Hennig

MARYSVILLE, Calif. (Mar. 21, 2026) — Yuba City chauffeur Mike Merritt was dominant during the Karl Kustoms IMCA Northern SportMod 20-lap main event at Marysville Raceway. Merritt passed Thomas Reynolds for the lead on lap two and never looked back, opening a sizeable advantage. Merritt beat second-place Dan Brown Jr. by nearly four seconds at the checkered flag to score his first win of the year.

Jason Clayton Jr. ran in the third spot for most of the race but unfortunately pulled off the track with less than two laps to go. This moved Oregon’s Travis Pruitt into third after starting ninth. Cole Fear finished fourth, while Reynolds secured the fifth spot at the finish.

Brown Jr. won the first heat race, and Jeff Bentancourt picked up the win in heat race two.

The event was broadcast live on IMCA TV affiliate NorCal Speed. Catch every lap again with the IMCA TV Replay Subscription, available for just $24.99 per month. And don’t miss Season 2 of the Boone Docuseries, streaming exclusively on IMCA TV.

marysvilleraceway

Clymens Cashes In at Marysville with SportMod Triumph

By Troy Hennig MARYSVILLE, Calif. (May 31, 2025) — The Karl Chevrolet IMCA Northern SportMod feature at Marysville Raceway was a thrilling one, with a host of top drivers battling up front throughout the 20-lap contest. Mark Garner led early until Brentwood’s Trevor Clymens made his move around lap three to take over the top spot. A caution on lap five slowed the pace, but once the race resumed, Clymens was lights out. He built a massive lead until another yellow flew with six circuits remaining, erasing his advantage and stacking the field for a high-pressure restart. Clymens was up to the challenge, pulling away once again and never looking back. It marked Clymens’ second win of the season but his first visit to victory lane at Marysville in 2025. Hard-charging Danny Wagner advanced through the field to take second, while Garner held steady to round out the podium in third. The event was broadcast on IMCA TV affiliate NorCal Speed. Catch every lap again with the IMCA TV Replay Subscription, available for just $24.99/month. And [Read More]

Cooper collects Marysville checkers

By Ben Deatherage MARYSVILLE, Calif. (April 10) – Former track champion Todd Cooper was back in victory lane following the second visit this season by Karl Kustoms Northern SportMods to Marysville Raceway. Four stoppages took place in the 20-lap affair, all within the first two laps being completed. Once racing got going, Cooper would take control of the first-place position. Cooper did get a little pressure from fellow Yuba City chauffeur Donnie Fortney but was able to keep his challenger in check. The 2019 track champion at Marysville, Cooper went on to lead the remaining 18 laps to earn his first Karl triumph of the new season and become the second different winner in as many events at Marysville. Jimmy Ford, another Yuba City runner, rallied to a second-place result while Sacramento’s Scott Savell placed third. The House of Merritt comprised the rest of the top five finishers. Damian, of Marysville, and Mike Merritt, from Yuba City, was fourth and fifth.

Merritt Capitalizes on Final-Turn Spin for Marysville Win

By Troy Hennig MARYSVILLE, Calif. (Apr. 5, 2025) — Olivehurst’s Shaun Merritt took advantage of a dramatic last-turn twist to claim Saturday’s Karl Chevrolet IMCA Northern SportMod feature at Marysville Raceway. Merritt led early but soon found himself under relentless pressure from Tyler Rodgers, a former Diamond Mountain Speedway track champion. Rodgers stayed glued to Merritt’s rear bumper and finally slipped underneath to take the lead on lap 10 out of turn two. Once in front, Rodgers looked untouchable, stretching his advantage to more than seven seconds as the laps wound down. But in a shocking turn of events, Rodgers spun in turn four coming to the checkered flag, handing the win to Merritt. Rodgers still managed to cross the line in second, with Jimmy Ford rounding out the podium. The event was broadcast live on IMCA.TV affiliate NorCal Speed. Missed the action? Watch every lap on-demand with the IMCA TV Replay Subscription, available for $24.99/month.

Feature

14th Annual Sunflower Classic Returns to RPM Speedway March 26–28

By Ben Deatherage HAYS, Kan. (Mar. 24, 2026) — RPM Speedway will host the 14th Annual Sunflower Classic presented by Nutrien Ag Solutions on March 26–28 at the 3/8-mile Kansas oval, featuring a full slate of Speedway Motors IMCA competition. Karl Kustoms IMCA Modifieds headline the program and will race for $1,000 to win each night. Each night’s feature will serve as a qualifier for the Fast Shafts All-Star Modified Invitational to be held during the Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s in September. Sunoco IMCA Stock Cars will compete for $750 to win nightly, while Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stocks and Karl Kustoms IMCA Northern SportMods will each race for $500 to win. Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compacts will battle for $200 top prizes. The three-day program opens Thursday, March 26 with a Test-N-Tune session. Grandstand admission will be free that evening and pit passes are $25. Racing begins Friday, March 27 and continues Saturday, March 28 with two complete draw-redraw programs that pay full purses each night. Gates open at 3:00 p.m., hot laps [Read More]

News

Merritt Dominates Marysville SportMod Feature for First Win of 2026

By Troy Hennig MARYSVILLE, Calif. (Mar. 21, 2026) — Yuba City chauffeur Mike Merritt was dominant during the Karl Kustoms IMCA Northern SportMod 20-lap main event at Marysville Raceway. Merritt passed Thomas Reynolds for the lead on lap two and never looked back, opening a sizeable advantage. Merritt beat second-place Dan Brown Jr. by nearly four seconds at the checkered flag to score his first win of the year. Jason Clayton Jr. ran in the third spot for most of the race but unfortunately pulled off the track with less than two laps to go. This moved Oregon’s Travis Pruitt into third after starting ninth. Cole Fear finished fourth, while Reynolds secured the fifth spot at the finish. Brown Jr. won the first heat race, and Jeff Bentancourt picked up the win in heat race two. The event was broadcast live on IMCA TV affiliate NorCal Speed. Catch every lap again with the IMCA TV Replay Subscription, available for just $24.99 per month. And don’t miss Season 2 of the Boone Docuseries, streaming exclusively on IMCA [Read More]

Feature

Estes Pounces Late to Capture Gene Adamcik Memorial Win at HOT

By Ben Deatherage WACO, Texas (Mar. 20, 2026) — Claud Estes III capitalized on a late-race opportunity to score an emotional victory in the RaceSaver IMCA Sprint Car feature at the 10th annual Gene Adamcik Memorial at Heart O’ Texas Speedway. Louisianan Thomas Johnson, the reigning 105 Motor Speedway track champion, jumped to the lead at the drop of the green and held off an early charge from Estes. The Mannsville driver briefly took command on lap three, only for Johnson to edge back ahead at the stripe and begin building a solid advantage. Johnson encountered lapped traffic on lap eight, but continued to maintain control until a critical moment on lap 11. After hopping over the cushion in turn four, Johnson lost momentum, allowing Estes to pounce and reclaim the lead. From there, the 2024 track champion pulled away and never looked back, scoring his first win of the season. Daniel Estes Jr. finished second, while Landon Valenzuela came home third. Mark Zoeller earned hard charger honors with a fourth-place finish, and Johnson recovered to [Read More]

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