By Greg Soukup
EAGLE, Neb. (Apr. 18, 2025) — The 2025 first night of the Ice Breaker Challenge kicked off in spectacular fashion at Eagle Raceway, and the Friesen Performance IMCA Modified main event delivered one of the closest finishes the track has seen in recent memory, as Izac Mallicoat battled to the very last corner with his chassis builder, Jordan Grabouski.
Jaxon Saathoff led the initial circuit but would soon be doing battle with Mallicoat. Mallicoat took over the top spot from Saathoff on lap 3 but Grabouski continued to march his way to the front on lap 12, moving to second and then taking the lead from Mallicoat two laps later.
The stage was set for one of the most intense battles I’ve seen in a long time. Grabouski barely held off Mallicoat for the lead until five to go when Mallicoat took the top spot. Despite a furious challenge by Grabouski, including a last-ditch effort slide job out of turn four on the last lap Mallicoat held him off, winning by a scant .029 seconds. It is his second win of the season in the Razor Chassis North Central Region for the Boone, Iowa 18-year-old.
Grabouski was a respectable second followed by Iowa’s Justin Zeitner, in third.
This race was also a qualifier for the Fast Shaft All-Star Modified Invitational, to be run at the 2025 Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s. Mallicoat had already earned eligibility to qualify for the event due to winning the Frostbuster at Boone Speedway earlier in the month.
Grabouski Controls Stock Car Main for Eagle Victory
Double-duty running Grabouski took advantage of starting on the front row of the Sunoco IMCA Stock Car main event and grabbed the lead on lap 1, followed closely by Matt Boucher, Chad Andersen, and Cash Beckman. Andersen got past Boucher on lap 2 for second as the yellow flag flew on lap 5 when Beckman’s car was deemed to be too close to the racing surface.
Boucher and Kyle Vanover made contact on the restart, sending Boucher to the infield and moving Vanover into third. The next restart saw the front runner begin to break away from the balance of the field, stretching it to a full straightaway with 3 to go. Grabouski would dominate the rest of the way, leading to a win of over 3 seconds for his fourth Stock Car win of 2025 in the EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region.
Andersen and Vanover were the rest of the podium in second and third.
Nerud Cruises to SportMod Victory in Return to Eagle
The initial start of the finale for the Karl Chevrolet IMCA Northern SportMods saw Tyler Nerud use his front row starting spot to end lap 1 in first. Nerud comfortably negotiated the racetrack as the leader for the entire event to secure the win, his first of the new campaign.
Arie Schouten took second, with Adam Vrbka advancing to third midway through and staying there.
Richards Battles Through Mayhem for Hobby Stock Win
The Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stock feature started with Tyler Ramsey looping in front of the whole field in the first few turns. Luckily, there was a mad scramble to miss him, but Dillon Richards hit him hard with his front bumper, bending it badly. The first official lap lead was held by Colin Hein.
The next lap saw David Carter get loose after a bump by Hein. Richards grabbed the lead, moving Hein to second and Neil Pella into third. There were just eleven laps left when the red flag flew for a very dangerous incident. Tanner Dowty’s car nearly flipped coming to the flag stand but not quite, hitting the front stretch wall and coming to a halt on all four tires. Tanner was not seriously injured.
Dillon was the points champion in the Hobby Stocks last year and picked up right where he left off after starting in fifth. Richards has now amassed 15 wins this year with 7 coming into the B&B Racing Chassis Northern Region. Kansas’ Cody Williams won the race to the line for second with Pella grabbing third.
The entire event was streamed live on IMCA TV affiliate Advantage Racing 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.
