By Nick Robbins
PETTY, Texas (Sept. 5, 2026) — The Southern Touring IMCA Modified Series presented by On Demand Shirts closed out the summer with a bang, rolling into Rocket Raceway Park for the 12th Annual Bryan Mize Memorial. The two-night stop drew a season-high 38 Karl Kustoms IMCA Modifieds on Friday, followed by a stout 33-car field on Saturday, as racers looked to bank valuable points with just three point races remaining.
Friday’s program saw Bonham, Texas racer Mitchell Clement charge from fifth to win the DIY Equipment Sales and Rental Heat One over Trevor Egbert. Steven Whiteaker Jr. took the Sundowner Performance Diesel Heat Two, Jason Ingalls grabbed 3-D Landscaping and Irrigation Heat Three, and point leader Jared Maupin worked his way to the front of Heat Four for the win.
Maupin carried that momentum into the 25-lap, 38-car feature, leading every lap from the pole for his sixth STIMS victory of the season and seventh GRT Race Cars South Central Region win of 2026. Johnny Torres shadowed him the whole way to finish second, with Whiteaker Jr., Ingalls, and Clement rounding out the top five. Midlothian’s Jacob Pirkle put together the drive of the night, rallying from a B-Feature win all the way to seventh at the checkers to claim the Mike Terry Motorsports Hard Charger Award. Robbie Daniels and P.J. Egbert also stormed forward from deep in the field, each gaining nine positions to crack the top 15.
Rocket Raceway Park stayed busy on Saturday, and it was Pirkle picking up right where he left off. Cody Tidwell, Jason Ingalls, Jared Maupin, and Tim Clonch won the night’s four heat races, while Mason Day topped the 15-lap B-Feature — though a pre-feature issue kept him from taking the green for the A-Main. Up front, Pirkle started second and took command in the 25-lap feature, holding off Maupin at the line to score his second STIMS win of the year and his eighth in the GRT Race Cars South Central Region. Jake Upchurch came home third, with Shawn Marquez Jr. and P.J. Egbert completing the top five. Trevor Egbert made the run of the race, driving from 20th to eighth to earn the Mike Terry Motorsports Hard Charger Award.
Maupin’s Friday win and steady Saturday runner-up kept him firmly atop the STIMS standings as the series pushes toward its season finale at I-37 speedway, with Whiteaker Jr. and Torres still in pursuit. Both nights served as Fast Shafts All-Star Modified Invitational qualifiers for the Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. Both winners were already eligible from wins earlier this season.