By Sheldon Wickwar
WaKEENEY, Kan. (Apr. 18, 2025) — Daniel Gottschalk made the most of his 2025 debut, outdueling Greg Gustus in a spirited Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature Friday night at WaKeeney Speedway to earn his first score of the year in the Jet Racing Central Region. The race started off with a front row of Greg Gustus and Gottschalk, who battled closely throughout the feature, as each took turns leading at different points.
Late in the race, Gottschalk solidified the lead and ran away from Gustus en route to the victoyu. Second was Gustus, while third was Clay Money. Hardcharger in the main event was Brett Berry, who gained seven spots.
Burkhart Beats Holzmeister and Pfeifer to Win Stock Car Main
The Sunoco IMCA Stock Car finale touched off with a front row of Troy Burkhart and Doug Holzmeister, the duo ran closely throughout the feature until the closing stages, when Holzmeister fell off slightly. Kyle Pfeifer got by Holzmeister late but could not quite make a winning pass on Burkhart.
Troy Burkhart grabbed his second win of the season in the EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region after winning at RPM Speedway in Hays during the Sunflower Classic. Pfeifer claimed second with Holzmeister getting third.
Watts Outduels Weber in the SportMods
The finale for the Karl Chevrolet IMCA Northern SportMods started with a front row of Jacob Olmstead and Cody Gearhart, who controlled the early lead, with Watts and Adam Weber chomping for a mistake. Towards the end of the feature, Olmstead slid back on a restart and Gearhart suffered a mechanical failure, opening the door for Weber and Watts to put on a show for the WaKeeney fans.
Watts ultimately held off Weber to pick up his first win of the season. Second at the line was Weber, while Carson Lang got third.
Familiar Scene for Zach Olmstead in Victory Lane
The Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stock main event started with a front row of Tyler Heath and Konner Mikesell. The duo led early on, but quickly the Olmstead family duo of Zach and Morgan started slicing through the field. Zach got to the lead, and Morgan was up to about third when he spun himself out off turn four.
Zach Olmstead was untouched and cruised to his third win of the season in the B&B Racing Chassis Northern Region, previously winning at RPM Speedway during the Sunflower Classic and at Lincoln County Raceway in North Platte, Nebraksa. Dylan Bell was second followed by Heath in third.
Mortensen Best in Compacts!
The Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compact feature saw a front row of Kaishen Brack and Brock Leibhart, but quickly Kyle Mortensen seized control of the feature and ran away with the win—his first of the season.
Second was Connor Schwien, who battled back from an early flat tire in the feature. Third was Brock Leibhart, who rebounded after missing a shift on a late restart.
The entire event was streamed live on IMCA TV. Full replays are available now through the IMCA TV Replay Subscription, just $24.99/month. Already subscribed? Don’t miss the highly anticipated Season 2 of the Boone Docuseries, now streaming exclusively to the IMCA TV Replay platform.
