By Ben Deatherage
ST. HELENS, Ore. (June 14, 2026) — Grey Ferrando added another chapter to his IMCA Wild West Speedweek résumé by winning the first-ever series event held at River City Speedway in the Karl Kustoms IMCA Modifieds.
Defending DeVilbiss Racing Chassis Western Region and Oregon State champion Kevin Williamson paced the opening laps aboard the Superior Fuel Cells-owned No. 42. Two-time defending Wild West Speedweek SportMod champion Matt Sanders quickly emerged as a challenger and briefly completed a pass for the lead before a caution negated the move.
A three-car battle between Williamson, Sanders and Ferrando erupted after the restart. Ferrando, the 2024 Cocopah Speedway and 2017 Cottage Grove Speedway track champion, edged ahead by just .014 seconds at the line on lap eight to seize the lead before a pair of cautions kept the field tightly bunched. Sanders secured second on lap 10 and remained within striking distance as lapped traffic entered the equation on lap 16.
A caution on lap 20 removed heavy traffic from the picture and set up another showdown between the leaders. Sanders mounted several bids for the top spot, but Ferrando remained in control. The final caution on lap 23 proved equally dramatic, as opening-night winner Collen Winebarger charged from 12th starting position into second and closed rapidly over the closing laps.
Winebarger, the two-time series champion in the John Gaynor-owned No. 99X, repeatedly challenged Ferrando during the final five circuits, but the Scio driver answered every challenge to secure his third career Wild West Speedweek victory and first not earned at Coos Bay Speedway. Ferrando’s sixth DeVilbiss Racing Chassis Western Region win of 2026 has come at five different racetracks.
The race was a Fast Shafts All-Star Modified Invitational qualifier. Ferrando was already on the eligibility list and remains eligible to attempt to qualify for the event at the Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s in September.
Winebarger finished second, followed by Sanders in third. Two-time defending Speedweek champion Bricen James rallied from 15th to fourth after mechanical issues in his heat race and earned hard charger honors. Williamson completed the top five.
Berkeley Prevails in Stock Car Thriller
Chase Berkeley won a back-and-forth Sunoco IMCA Stock Car feature to collect his 12th career IMCA Wild West Speedweek triumph.
Toby McIntyre led the opening laps and repeatedly turned back challenges following cautions on laps two and eight. Tyler Pagel applied pressure early before Berkeley, the three-time series champion from Colville, Washington, moved into second on lap nine and began stalking the leader.
The two engaged in a spirited battle for the top spot until a caution with 10 laps remaining temporarily halted the action. McIntyre gained breathing room on the restart, but Berkeley came charging back and completed the winning pass on lap 23 by a razor-thin .014-second margin.
Once out front, Berkeley pulled away over the final circuits to secure his first EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region victory of the season.
McIntyre finished a strong second. Defending series champion B.J. Wild guided the Dwayne Klein-owned No. 22K from ninth to third. Pagel crossed the line fourth, while Jeff Lovell completed the top five.
Points Goes Back-to-Back in SportMods
Trevor Points continued his strong start to Speedweek by capturing his second consecutive Karl Kustoms IMCA Northern SportMod feature victory.
The Salem driver, a two-time Oregon State champion and winner of the opening round, grabbed the lead at the drop of the green and immediately established himself as the driver to beat. Kody Greer stayed within striking distance throughout much of the race, but Points consistently maintained a comfortable advantage.
The race’s lone caution came on lap 14 and gave the field one final opportunity to challenge. Points responded with a flawless restart and quickly rebuilt his lead before encountering lapped traffic during the closing laps.
Unfazed, Points drove away for his second win of the season and third career Wild West Speedweek triumph. It was also his first series victory away from Sunset Speedway Park after earning his previous Speedweek wins at the Banks oval.
Greer held on for second following a spirited late-race battle. Ricky Ashley, aboard the T.R. Points Trucking-owned No. 8511, finished third. 2024 National Rookie of the Year and Arizona State champion Tyler Johnson crossed the stripe fourth, while Chad Knee rounded out 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.
