Hogge Scores Exciting Watsonville Modified Victory

Feature, Modified, News, Northern SportMod

Bobby Hogge of Salinas, Calif., celebrates his Karl Kustoms IMCA Modified feature win at Watsonville Speedway on May 8—his second DeVilbiss Racing Chassis Western Region victory of the season. (Photo by Top Dawg Photos)

By Gary Thomas

WATSONVILLE, Calif. (May 8, 2026) — Legendary driver Bobby Hogge grabbed the lead on lap 12 of the Karl Kustoms IMCA Modified main event and never looked back, scoring his second DeVilbiss Racing Chassis Western Region win of the season—both coming at Watsonville Speedway.

The 25-lap finale began with Salinas veteran Robert Marsh pacing the early circuits, while a tight battle brewed just behind him. Jim Pettit II of Prunedale and Hogge raced side-by-side for second, keeping fans locked in as the front-runners battled on the quarter-mile.

Pettit surged to the lead on lap eight, with Hogge slipping into second at the same time. The two Hall of Famers then staged a thrilling duel for the top spot before Hogge powered past Pettit on lap 12. Once out front, Hogge pulled away to secure another Watsonville triumph and accept the Ed Entz checkered flag.

Martinez racer Nick DeCarlo turned in a standout performance, charging from eighth to finish second. DeCarlo steadily worked through the field and made his move past Pettit with four laps remaining. Pettit settled for third, followed by Logan Drake and “Tricky” Troy Foulger.

The Karl Kustoms IMCA Northern SportMods feature was a caution-filled contest, but Bay Point’s Danny Wagner stayed composed throughout to earn his first win of the season. Wagner held off a strong challenge from Tanner Thomas in the closing laps. Matthew Frazier, Landon King, and Austin Van Hoff completed the top five. Notably, each of the top four finishers advanced eight positions from their starting spots.

A solid field of 23 IMCA Northern SportMods competed.

The Sunoco IMCA Stock Cars belonged to Winton’s Paul Stone. Starting fifth, Stone took the lead from Todd Gomez on lap two and drove away from the field to capture his fourth EQ Cylinder Heads Southern Region victory of the season, with half of those wins coming at Watsonville. Troy Foulger finished second, followed by Gomez, Justin Villanueva, and Adriane Frost.

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 $25.99/month, and don’t miss Season 2 of the Boone docuseries, streaming exclusively on IMCA TV.

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