Bannister Charges to Watsonville Modified Victory
By Gary Thomas WATSONVILLE, Calif. (Aug. 7, 2026) — The 25-lap Karl Kustoms IMCA Modified finale provided another entertaining battle Friday night at Watsonville Speedway, with Tyler Bannister charging through the field on the high side to score his 11th DeVilbiss Racing Chassis Western Region victory of the season. Several movers and shakers highlighted the feature, with the eventual winner even making a stop in the work area early in the evening. Multi-time Watsonville champion Cody Burke led the opening laps before Markus Frazier slipped by to take command with Jim Pettit II also in the mix. Frazier maintained the lead until the always-fast Robby Sawyer powered past on lap 14. By then, Bannister had methodically worked his way forward by running the cushion around the quarter-mile. He cracked the top five on lap 13 and surged into second with six laps remaining before hounding Sawyer for the lead. Bannister completed the winning pass on lap 22 and held off Sawyer to earn the victory. The Bakersfield driver now owns 11 DeVilbiss Racing Chassis Western Region [Read More]
