April 30, 2026

Burke Dominates Watsonville’s First Modified Race of 2026

MOD Cody Burke VL PB Top Dawg Photos — Cody Burke of Salinas celebrates in victory lane at Watsonville Speedway on Apr. 3 after winning the Karl Kustoms IMCA Modified feature, the division’s first race of the season, and his first DeVilbiss Racing Chassis Western Region victory of 2026. (Photo by Top Dawg Photos)

By Gary Thomas

WATSONVILLE, Calif. (Apr. 3, 2026) — Past Karl Kustoms IMCA Modified track champion Cody Burke of Salinas led all 25 laps in the first race of the season for the division at Watsonville Speedway on Friday. Burke hit his marks down low each time and held off a relentless Andrew Pierce to earn his first win of the year in the DeVilbiss Racing Chassis Western Region.

Pierce, Troy Foulger, Logan Drake, and Nick DeCarlo followed him across the line.

The Karl Kustoms IMCA Northern SportMods put on a fantastic main event for the fans. With track conditions in superb shape, the 20-lapper saw multiple leaders and a finish that wasn’t decided until the very end.

Kingsburg’s Todd Carlock led the early stages in his no. 7 mount before having a moment midway through the contest. The always-fast Jason Ryan Jr. then took over and led the second half of the race, as he, Bo Crebs, and Austin VanHoff battled intensely.

Lapped traffic created a frantic finish that saw VanHoff take full advantage, picking the right lanes to move into the lead. He led the final circuits to claim the exciting victory—his first of the 2026 season—over Ryan, Tanner Thomas, Crebs, and his sister, Emali VanHoff.

The event was broadcast live on IMCA TV affiliate Stars On Dirt TV. Catch every lap again with the IMCA TV Replay Subscription, available for just $24.99/month. Don’t miss Season 2 of the Boone docuseries, now streaming exclusively on IMCA TV.

watsonvillespeedway

Stone Scores Big in Stock Cars at Watsonville

By Gary Thomas WATSONVILLE, Calif. (Apr. 17, 2026) — A total of 26 Sunoco IMCA Stock Cars packed the pit area for the inaugural American Giuliani Construction and Restoration Classic on Friday night at Watsonville Speedway, and when all was settled it was veteran driver Paul Stone who claimed the $2,500 grand prize. Stone began the evening by qualifying second overall and shot to the lead by way of the pole position in the feature. The Winton driver ended up leading every lap, but it was far from easy. A relentless Tyler Bannister ran the high scary side of the quarter-mile oval and gave it everything he had in an attempt to wrestle away the lead. Stone was smooth as glass on the bottom, however, and never gave Bannister an opportunity to pounce. A late caution set up a green-white-checkered finish that went into overtime. During the restart, Stone hit his marks to claim the Ed Entz checkered flag for victory over Bannister, 12th-starting Lance Hurst, Fred Ryland, and Terry DeCarlo Jr. It was Stone’s third [Read More]

King Holds Strong at Watsonville for First SportMod Triumph

By Gary Thomas WATSONVILLE, Calif. (Mar. 27, 2026) — The Karl Kustoms IMCA Northern SportMods brought a fantastic 24-car field to Watsonville Speedway on Friday. Pismo Beach driver Landon King rocketed out to the early lead in the 20-lap finale. Bakersfield’s Nicholas Johnson was on the move right from the get-go and assumed the runner-up spot on lap eight. Johnson applied pressure to King and seemed to have the speed to win, but got into a spin seven circuits shy of the finish to draw a caution. King, who cut his teeth in Outlaw Karts, went on to tally his first Watsonville Speedway IMCA Northern SportMod triumph. Following King across the stripe were Ethan Johnson, Jason Bannister, Danny Wagner, and Buddy Kniss. The Watsonville Speedway debut of the Sunoco IMCA Stock Cars saw the main event go right down to the wire. A solid field of 16 IMCA Stock Cars came out and provided some excellent action in their finale. Atwater racer Mike Villanueva ended up leading all 20 laps, but he certainly had to work [Read More]

Rob Gallaher: From Racer to Promoter and Building Watsonville Speedway’s Future

By Ben Deatherage WATSONVILLE, Calif. (Mar. 19, 2026) — A new era is underway at Watsonville Speedway, and Rob Gallaher is leading the charge. The longtime racer and successful businessman has taken over as promoter of the ¼-mile clay oval at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds, a facility long known to fans as Ocean Speedway. With a blend of fresh ideas, deep racing roots, and strong community backing, Gallaher is determined to build on the track’s legacy while pushing it forward. “I’m enjoying this,” Gallaher said. “There’s a lot to do in a short amount of time, but the support from the sponsors and the community has really fired me up and created a lot of energy for me to do the best job I can.” A Storied Facility With a Strong Foundation Watsonville Speedway has been a cornerstone of California dirt track racing since opening in 1960. The track crowned its first Karl Kustoms IMCA Modified champion in 2004, when Kenny Nott put his name into the record books. Nott went on to become one [Read More]

2026 Super Nationals

New Drivers Added to B&B Racing Chassis All-Star Stock Car Invitational Eligibility List Following April Qualifiers

By Ben Deatherage VINTON, Iowa (Apr. 30, 2026) — More drivers were added to the Sunoco IMCA Stock Car eligibility list for the B&B Racing Chassis All-Star Stock Car Invitational following April competition, with additional wins by drivers already eligible strengthening an already deep field. Drivers become eligible by winning IMCA-sanctioned events paying $1,000 or more to win, earning the opportunity to attempt to qualify for the invitational, held during the Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s in September at Boone Speedway. Winners of events paying $5,000 or more are guaranteed starting positions in the invitational. Jordan Grabouski earned eligibility with his April 18 victory in the Icebreaker Challenge finale at Eagle Raceway, a qualifier held in the EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region. Kyle Vanover, who was already on the eligibility list following his Spring Nationals win at Beatrice Speedway in March, added another qualifier qin with his April 17 Icebreaker opening night triumph at Eagle. Dillon Solum earned eligibility with his April 29 victory at Stuart Speedway during the Dynamic Drivelines Dirt Duel. [Read More]

2026 Super Nationals

April Qualifiers Add New Names to Fast Shafts All-Star Modified Invitational Eligibility List

By Ben Deatherage VINTON, Iowa (Apr. 30, 2026) — Additional drivers were added to the Karl Kustoms IMCA Modified eligibility list for the Fast Shafts All-Star Modified Invitational following April competition, while several already eligible drivers added to their season win totals. Drivers become eligible by winning IMCA-sanctioned events paying $1,000 or more to win, earning the opportunity to attempt to qualify for the invitational, held during the Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s in September at Boone Speedway. invitational. In the Jet Racing Central Region, Jordan Grabouski earned another qualifying victory on April 17 at Eagle Raceway during the first night of the Icebreaker Challenge, while Cody Laney added to his total with a win the following night in the finale. The GRT Race Cars South Central Region saw multiple already eligible drivers return to victory lane. Steven Whiteaker Jr. continued his strong season with a qualifying win on April 25 at 105 Motor Speedway during Southern Touring IMCA Modified Series competition. Jared Maupin added another South Central Region qualifier with a win [Read More]

Feature

IMCA Summer Nationals Brings Big Money to Independence Motor Speedway

By Ben Deatherage INDEPENDENCE, Iowa (Apr. 29, 2026) — The 3rd Annual IMCA Summer Nationals is set to deliver four days of high-paying action at Independence Motor Speedway, running Sunday, May 31 through Wednesday, June 3. After the first two editions were held at Clay County Speedway in Spencer, the event shifts to Independence for 2026, continuing its mission of providing racers a lucrative, multi-day showcase to kick off the summer racing season in the Midwest. The inaugural Summer Nationals drew more than 100 IMCA Stock Cars and 100 IMCA Northern SportMods, and the event has since expanded to include all five Speedway Motors IMCA Weekly divisions. This year’s total purse exceeds $200,000. Over the course of the week, competitors in Karl Kustoms IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Stock Cars will race for a combined $13,000 to win, while IMCA Northern SportMods compete for $8,000, Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stocks for $5,500, and Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compacts for $2,750. A new addition for 2026 is the Invitational Night on Monday, June 1, featuring all five divisions. The Invitational [Read More]

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