By Ben Deatherage
MAQUOKETA, Iowa (Mar. 28, 2025) — Jeff Larson scored an emotional victory in the 25-lap Friesen Performance IMCA Modified main event, holding off a hard-charging Shane Paris in a thrilling late-race duel at Maquoketa Speedway.
Larson, the four-time defending Maquoketa track champion, 2021 IMCA Modified National Champion, and two-time Razor Chassis North Central Region titleholder, wasted no time getting to the front. Piloting the P.J. Kostenbader-owned No. B1, he blitzed from third to the lead on the backstretch of lap one. Behind him, Drew Janssen settled into second in the Danny Meier and Trent Guest-owned No. 127 as the top two began to distance themselves.
Charlie Mohr and Jaden Fryer waged war for third until Mohr finally secured the spot. The race stayed green for a long stretch, allowing Larson to build a sizable lead. A caution on lap 16, however, reset the field.
On the restart, Shane Paris – two-time IMCA.TV Winter Nationals winner – charged into third, then quickly took second by working the low groove. A late caution with five laps to go set up a dramatic finish.
Larson remained committed to the high side while Paris gained ground down low. The two ran side by side for several laps, with the race coming down to a thrilling final-lap battle. In the end, Larson edged Paris at the line for his first win of the 2025 season.
It was a deeply personal moment for the Freeport, Illinois sensation, who was overcome with emotion in victory lane—winning on the seventh anniversary of his father’s passing. Paris finished a close second, with Janssen rounding out the podium.
Murty Family Duel Highlights Stock Car Feature
The 20-lap Sunoco IMCA Stock Car main featured a family showdown between Damon and Dallon Murty. 2005 National champion Damon Murty took the early lead, but it wasn’t long before his son, Dallon, started applying pressure.
Dallon, a two-time Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s Stock Car winner, stalked his father through the early stages before the two went side by side following a lap 12 caution. Dallon edged ahead on lap 13 by rolling the center while Damon stayed married to the bottom.
A final caution with five laps to go set up one more restart. Dallon would nail it, and quickly pulled away, as Jeff Larson, doing double duty, threatened for a second. Earlier in the race, Larson executed a stunning triple overtake on the top side in the Lee Kinsella-owned No. 21 to climb into contention.
Dallon Murty cruised to his second win of 2025—and his first in his own equipment and in the EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region. The win was extra meaningful as the Murty family’s shop had burned down the week prior.
Damon held on for second with Larson completing the podium.
Silaggi Shines in SportMod Action
In the 15-lap Karl Chevrolet IMCA Northern SportMod main event, Nathan Silaggi, from Freeport, Illinois, wasted no time asserting himself as the one to beat. He took the lead early and never looked back.
Two-time defending track champion Jarett Franzen moved into second after getting around Wisconsin’s Mitchell Fairbank, and the front two separated themselves from the rest of the field.
Silaggi, making his first start in a brand-new ride, navigated lapped traffic cleanly in the final circuits to capture his first win of the season. Franzen finished second, while Levi Heath—a two-time Iowa State Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compact champion—made a late-race charge to grab third from Fairbank.
