By Ben Deatherage
PAIGE, Texas (Mar. 15, 2025) — In a nail-biting showdown, Heath Stewart held off a relentless charge from two-time and defending track champion Brandon Geurin to clinch the Smiley’s IMCA Southern SportMod opener at Cotton Bowl Speedway. The battle came down to the final lap, with Stewart edging out Geurin at the line to claim his first win of 2025.
The 20-lap feature began with the 2023 track title winner, Stewart, blasting into the lead and quickly building a sizable advantage. As early as lap 4, lapped traffic came into play, but Stewart sliced through the congestion with precision. A caution with 8 laps remaining bunched the field back up, setting the stage for a dramatic finish.
On the Delaware double-file restart, Geurin and Trent Beaver pounced, turning the race for the lead into a three-wide brawl. Stewart somehow held his ground, but Geurin wasn’t done yet. With just two laps remaining, Geurin dove to the bottom, pulling alongside Stewart and making it a drag race to the white flag as the two were neck and neck at the wire. Down the backstretch, Geurin nosed ahead, but Stewart refused to back down, ripping around the high side and surging ahead to take the double checkered flags.
Geurin settled for a hard-fought second, while Beaver battled his way to a strong third.
Egbert Edges Torres in Intense Stock Car Showdown
Kempner veteran P.J. Egbert put on a masterclass drive in the Sunoco IMCA Stock Car main event, leading from start to finish and fending off a late challenge to secure his first win of the year in the EQ Cylinder Heads Southern Region.
Egbert rocketed to the front early, stretching out a commanding lead after an early caution. Behind him, the race for second was a hornet’s nest, with cars battling two and three wide in a high-speed chess match. Johnny Torres emerged from the fray on lap 11, using the high side to power into second after a lengthy duel with Austin Smith.
As the laps wound down, Torres set his sights on Egbert, inching closer with each circuit. With just a few laps remaining, Torres was breathing down Egbert’s neck, searching for a way around. But Egbert kept his faith in the bottom, hitting his marks perfectly and denying every advance.
When the checkered flags flew, Egbert crossed the line victorious, holding off Torres in a thrilling finish.
Torres settled for a well-earned second, while Smith muscled past Trevor Egbert in a tight scrap for third.
