Articles by Ryan Clark

By Ben Deatherage OCALA, Fla. (Feb. 12, 2026) — Corey Babbitt put together a dominant performance Thursday night, capturing the Stealth Racing IMCA Mod Lite feature during night six of the 2026 Florida Winter Nationals at Ocala Speedway. The New Caney, Texas, driver took command early and never relinquished it, mastering multiple restarts on the 3/8-mile oval to secure his first series victory of the season. Ohio’s Carson Hubbard led the field to green and paced the early circuits, but Delaware’s Ryan McKinney quickly went to work on the high side in pursuit of the lead. A charge into the marbles cost McKinney momentum, allowing Corey Babbitt to slip into second. From there, the New Caney, Texas driver wasted little time tracking down Hubbard, executing a clean inside pass at the stripe on lap three to take command. When the green-flag rhythm set in, Babbitt began stretching his advantage before cautions on laps six and seven reset the field. Behind him, a three-wide battle for second erupted between McKinney, Hubbard, and defending Florida Winter Nationals champion [Read More]

By Ben Deatherage EAGLE, Neb. (Feb. 12, 2026) — Eagle Raceway, long known as “America’s Home Track,” has officially been passed down to the next generation of the Hadan family, as Racine Thompson has been named the new promoter of the famed Nebraska 1/3-mile oval. Roger Hadan, who has owned Eagle Raceway since 2007 after leasing and promoting the facility in 2006, formally handed over day-to-day leadership to his daughter with the goal of continuing the track’s long-standing success and family legacy. Racetrack promotion runs deep in the Hadan family. Roger’s grandfather, Albert Hadan, built the historic Sunset Speedway in Omaha, embedding the sport into the family’s foundation. With a desire to ensure racing remains strong in Eagle for years to come, the transition to Racine represents both continuity and evolution. Thompson has spent her entire adult life at the raceway. Since her parents took over operations, she has worked in virtually every role imaginable at the facility. “When my parents purchased the track in 2007, I’ve worked there since then,” Thompson said. “I started off [Read More]

By Ben Deatherage OCALA, Fla. (Feb. 11, 2026) — Ronnie Choate of Cookeville, Tennessee, delivered a dominant performance in the Stealth Racing IMCA Mod Lite feature on night five of the 2026 Florida Winter Nationals, capturing the 20-lap main event at Ocala Speedway. The defending Florida Winter Nationals champion controlled the race on the 3/8-mile oval to secure his first series victory of the season. Choate jumped to the early lead on the opening start and immediately established command. Behind him, a spirited battle for second unfolded in the opening laps between Texan Corey Babbitt and Delaware’s Ryan McKinney, with McKinney initially holding the position. A caution on lap seven reset the field, allowing Babbitt to move into second on the restart, but Choate quickly stretched his advantage once green-flag racing resumed. Another slowdown on lap 11 again erased the leader’s margin, yet Choate remained flawless on the restart, driving away from Babbitt and the rest of the field. Brandon Dennis worked past McKinney for third on lap 13, while Babbitt attempted to chip into Choate’s [Read More]