PETALUMA, Calif. – Troy Morris III picked up his first IMCA modified victory of the week during round six of California IMCA Speedweek on Thursday at Petaluma Speedway.
Buddy Kniss took the lead at the start of the 25-lap feature, with Ethan Dotson chasing him in the early laps. A caution on lap four restacked the field, with Kniss initially holding serve during the restart. However, on lap six Kniss briefly lost control of his car in turns three and four, opening the door for Morris to slip into first place.
Morris now had the lead, but he also had Dotson hot on his heels as they raced through traffic. Dotson was able to get to Morris’ bumper, but was unable to complete the pass. Dotson made one last attempt to get by Morris on the final lap, but to no avail as Morris held on to pick up the victory.
Troy Foulger slipped by Dotson in the final corner to steal second, with Dotson settling for third. Nick DeCarlo and Jim Pettit II completed the top-five.
The Karl Kustoms IMCA Northern Sportmod main event started with Fred Ryland setting the pace at the front of the field. Jason Nation briefly pressured Ryland, but a caution on lap four reset the field.
Once racing resumed, Ryland and Nation separated themselves from the rest of the field. They had to deal with a few more caution periods, but each time they pulled away from the rest of the pack. Eventually Ryland found himself dealing with not just Nation, but also Tyler Bannister. A caution on lap 14 interrupted the battle at the front, but Ryland spun to miss the accident and was now out of contention.
That handed the lead to Nation, who was able to briefly hold off Bannister as Bannister found himself being challenged by Josh Most for second. However, Bannister soon pulled away from Most and closed back in on Nation with a few laps left.
Stuck in traffic, Nation had to put up a fight to try and keep Bannister behind him. On lap 23 Bannister was the leader at the flag stand, only for Nation to squeeze back into the lead. In the end, however, it was Bannister’s night as he got around Nation to take the lead and score the victory in the 25-lap feature.
Nation ended up second, with Most, Tanner Thomas and Jason Bannister following.
California IMCA Speedweek continues Friday at Placerville (Calif.) Speedway.