Foulger is double winner at Merced’s Central California Clash show

Feature, Modified, Northern SportMod, Stock Car

Troy Foulger won both Friesen Performance IMCA Modified and IMCA Sunoco Stock Car features during the Saturday Central California Clash show at Merced Speedway. (Photo by Tom Macht, www.photofinishphotos.com)

By Ben Deatherage

MERCED, Calif. (Aug. 10, 2024) – Troy Foulger celebrated his first win this season at Merced Speedway with fireworks.

The Oakley flyer celebrated twice when he returned to the Central Valley oval Saturday night for the latest installment of the Central California Clash.

Foulger, first to the checkers in the July 3 Friesen Performance IMCA Modified headliner at Merced, topped both the Modified and IMCA Sunoco Stock Car features at Merced. The Modified feature paid $1,000 to win with Foulger already Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifying eligible.

Jason Bannister was the Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod victor.

Cody Burke led the Modified pack in the early stages, challenged around the sixth lap by Foulger, who got around for the lead on the next circuit, with the lap scored complete just before what proved to be the only caution of the contest came out.  

On the restart, Burke was under fire from Paul Stone, a fight that Stone would win on the eighth circuit. Bobby Hogge followed, putting his machine into third the lap after.

As things started to calm down, Foulger set sail and took off from the rest of the competition to score his third victory of the season in Central California Clash competition. Stone held on to second while Jacob Mallet Jr., won the race for third at the line.

Justin Villanueva pulled ahead early on in the Stock Car finale as Mitch Machado and double-duty drivers Stone and Foulger battled over second.

Foulger got around Stone and Machado on lap nine to get to second and began to close in on the leader. Two circuits later, Foulger got on the inside of Villanueva and beat him back to the wire to become the new trailblazer.

Foulger kept control of the top spot to cruise on and win the main event, his Central California Clash second of 2024. Villanueva halted Stone’s rally late in the race to beat him for second at the finish line.

The feature-winning sweep was Foulger’s third this season, following double wins June 29 at Petaluma and Aug. 3 at home track Antioch. 

Buddy Kniss took control of the lead at the start of the Northern SportMod main, with Bannister applying pressure.

On-track action intensified when lapped traffic came into play at the halfway mark. Bannister was all over Kniss and obtained the lead after a dive to the inside; however, the caution came out, resulting in Kniss retaining the front spot.

Bannister’s patience paid off when he was able to make the run around Kniss to beat him to the line on lap 14. Kniss didn’t let him get away so easily, as he recovered the coveted position the next time around.

Jason Bannister won a Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod thriller in Central California Clash competition Saturday night. (Photo by Tom Macht, www.photofinishphotos.com)

The race for first hung in the balance for several circuits before Bannister blitzed his way ahead of Kniss, coming to the white flag and then held on at the checkers to score the triumph.

Kniss was second with Brent Curran completing the podium in third.

The event was broadcast by IMCA TV.

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