Bannister Leads Every Lap for Bakersfield Modified Win

Modified, News, Northern SportMod, Results

Tyler Bannister celebrates in victory lane after leading all 25 laps of the Karl Kustoms IMCA Modified feature at Bakersfield Speedway at Kevin Harvick's Kern Raceway on June 13. The Bakersfield, Calif. driver earned his seventh DeVilbiss Racing Chassis Western Region victory of the season and second triumph of 2026 at his home track. (Photo by Tom Macht)

By Steven Blakesley

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (June 13, 2026) — Points leader Bannister dominated the 25-lap Karl Kustoms IMCA Modified feature at Bakersfield Speedway at Kevin Harvick’s Kern County Raceway, leading all the way from the pole position after winning his heat race earlier in the evening. The Bakersfield driver scored his seventh victory of the season in the DeVilbiss Racing Chassis Western Region and his second at Bakersfield in 2026.

One of the night’s biggest storylines involved 2024 track champion Gavyn Manning, who was among four drivers attempting double-duty between Santa Maria Speedway and Bakersfield Speedway. After winning earlier in the evening at Santa Maria, Manning charged into second place before mechanical issues ended his bid for another victory. Race Liberante finished second, followed by Markus Frazier and Rob Sanders, who were also among the double-duty competitors. Pat Petrie completed the top five.

Jason Bannister led all 25 laps of the Karl Kustoms IMCA Northern SportMod feature to secure his third victory of the season, with all three wins coming at Bakersfield Speedway. Dylan Wilson delivered one of the strongest runs of the night, advancing from 10th to finish second. Chris McKellar crossed the stripe third, followed by Ethan Johnson and Nicholas Johnson.

Steven Johnson broke through for his first EQ Cylinder Heads Southern Region victory of the season in the Sunoco IMCA Stock Car main event. Johnson started fifth and worked his way to the front to defeat points leader Jacob Van Essen. Justin Schweitzer finished third, Tom Smith was fourth, and Billy Simkins rounded out the top five.

The night’s action aired live on IMCA TV affiliate TrackVision TV powered by Low Budget TV. Catch every lap again with an IMCA TV Replay Subscription for just $25.99/month. Plus, stream Season 2 of the Boone Docuseries exclusively on IMCA TV.

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