By Ben Deatherage
COTTAGE GROVE, Ore. (Apr. 25, 2026) — The 2026 season opener at Cottage Grove Speedway featured 14-year-old Rowen Lancaster of Eugene turning in a remarkable performance in the Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compacts, dominating the 20-lap feature to score his first career victory in his division debut.
Lancaster wasted little time establishing himself as the driver to beat, leading the opening lap before a caution on lap three slowed the pace. On the restart, he quickly separated from the field and began building a commanding advantage.
By the midway point, Lancaster had constructed a sizable lead and showed no signs of slowing, even after encountering lapped traffic on lap nine. Smooth and consistent, he maintained his pace throughout the remainder of the race.
At the checkered flag, Lancaster crossed the line with a margin of victory exceeding seven seconds, completing a wire-to-wire effort in impressive fashion.
Eric Cooper finished second, while defending track champion Dusten Henderson charged from 15th to third. Charles Trissell and 2024 Oregon State champion Burnie Bryant completed the top five.
James Seizes Opportunity to Score Modified Win
Bricen James capitalized on a late-race incident to capture the Karl Kustoms IMCA Modified feature, advancing from ninth to earn his first DeVilbiss Racing Chassis Western Region victory of the season in the 25-lap main event.
Grey Ferrando, the 2017 track champion and 2024 Cocopah Speedway titleholder, jumped to the early lead after getting around Curtis Towns on the opening circuit. Following a lap one caution, Ferrando was strong on the restart and began to check out from the field.
As lapped traffic came into play on lap seven, the battle for second intensified. James, the 2019 Western Region champion, two-time Oregon State titlist, and two-time reigning IMCA Wild West Speedweek champion, worked his way into the runner-up position on lap 13 and began to close in.
A caution on lap 15 cleared traffic for the leader, but the race took a dramatic turn on lap 18. Ferrando got sideways in turns three and four while negotiating the surface, nearly collecting James. The Albany driver skillfully avoided contact in the Jerry Schram-owned No. 13 and inherited the lead.
From there, James was in complete control. Despite a pair of late cautions, he executed each restart cleanly and pulled away to secure the win.
Eric Ashley rallied from 14th to finish second, making the pass in the closing laps. Towns, the 2013 Oregon State champion and three-time track titlist, was third, followed by Brett Muth in fourth. Ferrando recovered to round out the top five.
Ashley and Austin Petray shared hard charger honors, each advancing 12 positions, with Petray climbing from 18th to sixth.
The event was broadcast live on IMCA TV affiliate Dirt Oval TV. Missed the action? Catch every lap on demand with an IMCA TV Replay Subscription—available now for just $25.99/month. Plus, don’t miss Season 2 of The Boone Docuseries, streaming exclusively on IMCA TV.
