By Jason Allen
WHITE CITY, Ore. (May 16, 2026) — Brett Provost and Albert Gill Jr. led the field to green in the $1,000-to-win Karl Kustoms IMCA Modified feature Saturday night at Southern Oregon Speedway.
Gill jumped out to the early lead and paced the opening five laps before Ethan Killingsworth took over the top spot with a slider in turn two. A caution one lap later for debris slowed the field, but Killingsworth quickly rebuilt his advantage on the restart.
Behind him, an intense three-wide battle for second unfolded between Matt Sanders, Nick Trenchard, and Ryan Peery. Trenchard eventually worked past Sanders and Peery to move into the runner-up position.
Killingsworth held a commanding lead until Hudson Shoemaker spun on the backstretch exiting turn two, bringing out another caution with 10 laps remaining. On the restart, Killingsworth drifted into the loose cushion in turn two, opening the door for Trenchard and Sanders to capitalize.
Trenchard took over the lead while Sanders and Killingsworth traded sliders over the next several circuits. Out front, Trenchard pulled away to score his first victory of the season in his first DeVilbiss Racing Chassis Western Region triumph of 2026.
The race also served as a Fast Shafts All-Star Modified Invitational qualifier, placing Trenchard on the eligibility list to attempt to qualify for the prestigious event at the Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s in September.
Sanders finished second while Killingsworth settled for third. Trenchard and Sanders each advanced nine positions after starting 10th and 11th, respectively.
Braaten Breaks Through in SportMod Main Event
Mike Medel jumped out to the early lead in the $1,000-to-win Karl Kustoms IMCA Northern SportMod feature after overtaking Nick Berryhill on lap two.
Medel built a commanding lead before John Wilson spun in turn four to bring out the first caution four laps into the race. During the stoppage, Justin Dorr exited with a broken front end, while Evan Scroggins continued despite heavy damage to the right side of his car.
When racing resumed, Jorddon Braaten quickly worked his way forward and took over second as Berryhill advanced as well. Braaten grabbed the lead on lap nine and never looked back.
The win was Braaten’s first of the 2026 season at Southern Oregon Speedway after battling mechanical issues in recent weeks.
Vinny DeBenedetti delivered an impressive drive from 10th to second, while Connor Franklin earned hard charger honors after advancing 10 positions from 15th into the top five.
