James, Ryland start IMCA Wild West Speedweek with wins at Yreka
By Ben Deatherage YREKA, Calif. (June 15, 2024) – Prospectors came to Yreka to strike in rich in the Gold Rush of the 1850s. Bricen James and Fred Ryland both struck gold of their own Saturday night at Yreka Speedway with feature wins on opening night of the IMCA Wild West Speedweek. James’ won the Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature and $1,000 while two-car star Ryland ruled both IMCA Sunoco Stock Car and Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMod main events. When the green flag came out for the Modifieds, Collen Winebarger beat the field to the line for the opening lap. The Corbett, Ore., chauffeur and 2021 Speedweek champion tried to get a big lead, but Tyler Blankenship kept it close for the first few laps. Winebarger got into a good rhythm and began to pull away from the rest of the pack, but before he could get too far ahead, the yellow flag came out with six laps down. Winebarger was masterclass on the restart as Blankenship and James, the 2022 Speedweek champion, battled [Read More]