Bellm Captures First Stock Car Win of ’26 at El Paso County Opener

Layne Bellm of Broomfield celebrates her Sunoco IMCA Stock Car victory at El Paso County Raceway on Apr. 4, scoring her first EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region win of the 2026 season. (Photo by Photo-Bandit)

By Suzan McCoy

CALHAN, CO (Apr. 4, 2026) — The 2026 season roared to life at El Paso County Raceway with a full night of racing action across four Speedway Motors IMCA Weekly divisions, delivering competitive battles and standout performances across the board.

Starting off the night, Layne Bellm of Broomfield dominated the Sunoco IMCA Stock Car feature, leading all laps from the pole to earn the win—her first in the EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region. Brian Lessig Jr. crossed the line in second, followed by Brian Lessig Sr. in third. Phil Reid and Hunter Harvey rounded out the top five.

The night’s largest field belonged to the Karl Kustoms IMCA Northern SportMods, where North Dakota’s Stan Tomlinson stole the show. Starting third, Tomlinson worked his way to the front to claim the win. Travis Palmer made an impressive run from seventh to finish second, with Scott Clay rounding out the podium. Hard chargers David Alvarez and James Jarnot completed the top five after starting deep in the field.

In Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stock action, Brayson Siegle of Pueblo powered to victory after starting second, earning his first win of the current campaign in the B&B Racing Chassis Northern Region. Wade Petty finished runner-up, while pole-sitter Stacee Payne settled for third after leading early laps.

In the Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compact division, James Embree led from the drop of the green to secure the victory. Sean Frank and Nathaniel Harris followed in second and third, respectively, with Johnny Adams and Melanie Robinson completing the top five.

The event was broadcast live on IMCA TV. Catch every lap again with the IMCA TV Replay Subscription, available for just $25.99/month. And don’t miss Season 2 of the Boone Docuseries, streaming exclusively on IMCA TV.