sunsetspeedwaypark Archives

Winebarger Scores First Win of Season in IMCA Wild West Speedweek Opener at Banks

By Ben Deatherage BANKS, Ore. (June 13, 2026) — Two-time IMCA Wild West Speedweek champion Collen Winebarger used a late restart to capture the Karl Kustoms IMCA Modified feature and open the 2026 tour at Sunset Speedway Park with his 14th career series victory. Jeff Lovell led the opening lap and quickly established a comfortable advantage. The leader encountered lapped traffic on lap eight but continued to maintain a strong pace as the race remained under green. A caution on lap 15 brought the field back together and allowed Winebarger, aboard the John Gaynor-owned No. 99X, to begin mounting a serious challenge. Another caution on lap 19 proved pivotal, as the Corbett driver maneuvered into the lead down the backstretch on lap 20. A final caution on lap 23 set up one more restart, but Winebarger was flawless when racing resumed and drove away for his first DeVilbiss Racing Chassis Western Region victory of the season. The win was his 14th career Wild West Speedweek triumph, second series victory at Sunset Speedway Park after previously winning [Read More]

IMCA Wild West Speedweek Set to Storm Oregon Border to Border June 13–20

By Jeremy Means VINTON, Iowa (June 9, 2026) — From the Columbia River on the Oregon–Washington border to the doorstep of California, the 2026 IMCA Wild West Speedweek will push drivers through eight consecutive nights of racing June 13–20. The tour opens at Sunset Speedway Park in Banks and heads south, testing teams across bullrings and bigger layouts before champions are crowned in the finale in Southern Oregon. Three Speedway Motors IMCA Weekly Racing divisions—Karl Kustoms IMCA Modifieds, Sunoco IMCA Stock Cars, and Karl Kustoms IMCA Northern SportMods—will be in action each night. Sunset Speedway Park opens the tour on Saturday, June 13, returning to its role as the “Banks Bullring.” Located just outside the Portland metro area, the quarter-mile oval sets the tone for the week with tight racing after weather impacted last year’s finale. Round two shifts to a new venue, River City Speedway in St. Helens, on Sunday, June 14. Situated near the Columbia River along the Oregon–Washington border, the tight and technical quarter-mile will host its first IMCA-sanctioned event, adding a fresh [Read More]

Ferrando Charges from Eighth for Sunset Speedway Victory

By Jack Mitchell BANKS, Ore. (May 30, 2026) — Karl Kustoms IMCA Modifieds packed the pit area Saturday night at Sunset Speedway Park, producing the division’s largest turnout of the season and one of its most entertaining races. Joey Tardio, piloting Jake Walters owned No. 67 machine, surprised many by leading the opening half of the feature. Behind him, an intense battle for second developed among Kenny Miller, Greg Walters and Jeff Lovell, with the trio frequently racing three-wide around the Banks bullring. While Tardio controlled the early stages, Grey Ferrando steadily worked his way forward from the eighth starting position. The Scio driver eventually took command on lap 11 and raced to victory, adding the feature win to his trophy dash triumph earlier in the evening. The victory was Ferrando’s fifth DeVilbiss Racing Chassis Western Region win of the season and his first of 2026 at Sunset Speedway Park. Tyson Blood turned in one of the night’s strongest drives, charging from 10th to finish second. Craig Cassell completed the podium while Jeff Lovell crossed the [Read More]

Cassell Sweeps Spring Challenge Weekend at Sunset Speedway Park

By Jack Mitchell BANKS, Ore. (May 24, 2026) — Craig Cassell put together a dominant weekend during the Spring Challenge at Sunset Speedway Park, sweeping both Karl Kustoms IMCA Modified feature events. Cassell, from Albany, took command of Saturday’s 30-lap feature after getting around early leader Jake Walters just a few laps into the contest. From there, he held off several challenges from Joey Tardio and Sedro-Woolley, Washington racer Adam Holtrop to secure the victory. Walters held on for second while Holtrop finished third in his Sunset Speedway Park debut after also earning a dash victory earlier in the evening. Utah driver Kevin Smith crossed the line fourth while Tardio completed the top five aboard Greg Walters’ No. 97 machine. Sunday’s $1,000-to-win 35-lap finale featured a slightly larger field and a stout challenge from Kevin Smith, who led the opening half of the race after making the long haul west. Cassell, however, used his experience around the Banks bullring to track Smith down and make the winning move near the halfway point. Once out front, he [Read More]

Jenner Perfect in Sunset Modified Main

BANKS, Ore. (May 9, 2026) — Matt Jenner put together a flawless performance in the Karl Kustoms IMCA Modified feature at Sunset Speedway Park, leading from start to finish in a clean and competitive main event. The Vancouver, Washington racer never relinquished command and kept challengers at bay throughout the contest to earn his first DeVilbiss Racing Chassis Western Region victory of the season. The best battle on the track came in the fight for second between Craig Cassell and Trevor LaBarge, with Cassell ultimately prevailing. LaBarge settled for third, while Dustin Cady crossed the stripe fourth and Jake Walters completed the top five after spending much of the race battling Kenny Miller, Cady, and his father, Greg Walters. In the Sunoco IMCA Stock Cars, Chase Berkeley made the long tow from Colville, Washington pay off with a dominant feature victory. The lone major incident came about halfway through the race when Jeremy Brookshire slapped the wall hard at full speed. Brookshire was thankfully okay, but the car suffered heavy damage. Berkeley controlled the race from [Read More]

Jenner Leads Flag-to-Flag in Modified Season Opener at Sunset Speedway Park

By Jack Mitchell BANKS, Ore. (May 2, 2026) — The Karl Kustoms IMCA Modifieds capped off opening night at Sunset Speedway Park—known as the “Banks Bullring” just outside the Portland metro area—with a 25-lap feature that kept teams busy from start to finish. Action picked up early on lap two when Lovell lost control in turn two, forcing Jake Walters up into the wall. The contact stripped away much of the bodywork on Walters’ machine and ended his race. The pace stayed demanding throughout the event, and late-race challenges continued as the field worked through traffic. On lap 19, contact between Lovell and Cassell in turn three created more damage, and one lap later Matt Jenner suffered a flat right rear tire, ending his night. Up front, Don Jenner of Vancouver, Washington stayed smooth and consistent, leading every lap to score his first win of the season in the DeVilbiss Racing Chassis Western Region. Trevor Labarge finished second, followed by Jeff Lovell, Craig Cassell, and Joey Tardio in the Greg Walters-provided No. 97 to complete the [Read More]

Jerry Schram: Not Done Yet

By Ben Deatherage VANCOUVER, Wash. (Mar. 18, 2026) — For years, Jerry Schram lived on borrowed time. Three days a week, four hours at a time — sometimes far more — he sat connected to a dialysis machine, waiting for it to do what his body no longer could. When the treatments ended, the exhaustion didn’t leave with him. It followed him home. “Dialysis is tough on you,” Schram said. “You start to think it’s killing you slowly — but it’s better than the alternative.” For nearly six years, that was life. Until March 3. That’s when everything changed. A Fight That Took Years Schram’s battle with kidney disease didn’t begin with a dramatic moment. It started quietly in November of 2017 during a routine physical, when doctors discovered blood in his urine. Follow-up testing revealed he was already in end-stage renal disease, operating at just 35 percent kidney function — something he hadn’t even realized. The seriousness of it didn’t fully hit until March of 2018, when he underwent hip replacement surgery and doctors warned [Read More]

James Makes History as First-Ever Repeat Winner of Banks Mod Nationals

By Ben Deatherage BANKS, Ore. (Aug. 9, 2025) — Albany’s Bricen James became the first repeat winner of the Whisler Construction Banks Mod Nationals presented by Schram Brothers Excavating, scoring his second career win in the event with a $2,000-to-win 40-lap Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature triumph at Sunset Speedway Park. The two-time reigning IMCA Wild West Speedweek champion and 2019 Shaw Race Cars Western Region champion wheeled the Schram Motorsports no. 13 to his eighth win of the season in the region and first at the Banks Bullring in 2025. Six-time track champion and 2024 Oregon State titleholder Craig Cassell paced the opening lap before James used the bottom groove to take over down the backstretch. The first caution slowed the pace on lap six, but once the field settled in, James stretched his advantage and reached lapped traffic on lap 20. Another yellow at lap 23 interrupted a spirited battle for second between Cassell and four-time Washington State champion Tyson Blood, who held the spot at the stoppage. James again pulled away on the [Read More]

Whisler Construction Banks Mod Nationals Set for August 9 at Sunset Speedway Park

By Ben Deatherage BANKS, Ore. (Aug. 2, 2025) — Sunset Speedway Park will be the place to be as the Whisler Construction Banks Mod Nationals presented by Schram Bros Excavating takes center stage on Saturday, August 9. Friesen Performance IMCA Modified drivers from across the area will converge on the tight ¼-mile bullring, all chasing a $2,000 payday in the 40-lap main event. The action-packed program will feature a unique qualifying and scramble-based format. Swan Island Sheet Metal qualifying will see all competitors time in via pill draw order, with the fastest car drawing for an invert chip to set up the heat race grids. Fast time receives $100, with second and third quick times each earning $50. James Gang Pizza Heat Races will consist of either three or four 10-lap heats, depending on car count. If three heats are run, the top four from each will transfer directly to the main; if four are run, the top three will advance. Heat winners and the fastest qualifying transfer driver will be locked into the Dirt Oval TV [Read More]

Blood Edges Patterson in Photo Finish at Sunset

By Jeremy Means BANKS, Ore. (Jun. 7, 2025) – The Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds headlined the night at Sunset Speedway Park, and what a show it was. Both the reigning Oregon and Washington state champions were in the house, and the action lived up to the billing. Oregon’s Carter Patterson set a torrid pace out front that could’ve gone unnoticed—if not for the war that broke out behind him for positions two through five. David Day, John Gaynor, Tyson Blood, and Devon Reed were locked in a relentless battle, often racing under a blanket and using multiple grooves across the Bullring. By the time Tumwater, Washington’s Tyson Blood finally broke through to second, he faced a mountain: a four-second gap to the leader, lap traffic, and just 15 laps remaining. But the driver of the no. 97TB wasn’t backing down. Lap after lap, Blood chipped away at the deficit. Catching the leader is one thing—passing is another. By the time he reached the rear bumper of Patterson’s no. 47 machine, the white flag was waving. What [Read More]