By Kaden Krebs
MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (April 24, 2026) — Racing roared back to life at Marshalltown Speedway Friday night as drivers and fans alike shook off a long offseason and uncooperative spring weather.
In the Sunoco IMCA Stock Cars, Austin Kaplan of Collins executed a thrilling last-lap pass off turn four to narrowly edge Johnny Spaw at the stripe. Kaplan started 11th and scored his first win of the year in the EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region. Spaw had been under constant pressure throughout the race from a hard-charging field that included Braden Richards and Maguire DeJong, with a late caution involving DeJong adding even more late-race drama. Richards completed the top three, with Todd Reitzler fourth and Thor Anderson fifth.
A similar story unfolded in the Stealth Racing IMCA Mod Lites. Joel Huggins appeared to have the race in hand, leading nearly every lap, but it was Ben George of Altoona, who started 12th, making the decisive move when it mattered most, slipping past on the final circuit to steal the win. It was George’s first victory of the new campaign. Austin Gray completed the podium, with Colin Anderson fourth and Colby Oberembt fifth.
The Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stocks featured another momentum swing. Kale Hensley jumped out to an early lead, but Slater’s Eric Knutson, who started seventh, stayed within striking distance. Following a caution that tightened the field, Knutson surged to the front and held strong through a late restart to secure his first win of the year in the B&B Racing Chassis Northern Region. Tom Killen Jr. charged from 12th to finish second, followed by McNeese and Brad Graham, while Eric Stanton completed the top five.
In Karl Kustoms IMCA Northern SportMod action, Colton Livzey controlled much of the race before Dylan Van Wyk of Oskaloosa, who started 10th, found speed late. Van Wyk powered to the lead and never looked back, surviving a late caution to claim his second win of the year after a triumph at Boone Speedway on April 18th. Livzey, Cam Reimers, Brayden Shepherd, and Kyle Olson rounded out the top five.
The Karl Kustoms IMCA Modified feature showcased a hard-fought battle at the front, with Marshalltown’s Tom Berry Jr., originally from Medford, Oregon, fending off heavy pressure from Braaksma and Flippo to earn the victory. It was Berry’s second win of the season in the Razor Chassis North Central Region after a win at Stuart Speedway on April 8th. Braaksma and Flippo completed the top three, with Chaz Baca Jr. fourth and Tripp Gaylord fifth.
In the Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compacts, Mitchell Bunch of Des Moines dominated the feature after starting sixth, pulling away from the field in commanding fashion to earn his first win of the year. Tyler Fiebelkorn and Katelynn Watts completed the top three, with David Kimmel fourth and Campbell Tressler fifth.
