AUSTIN KIEFER WINS OPENING NIGHT OF 39TH BUDWEISER NATIONALS AT BAKERSFIELD SPEEDWAY

AUSTIN KIEFER WINS OPENING NIGHT OF 39TH BUDWEISER NATIONALS AT BAKERSFIELD SPEEDWAY

BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA (October 11, 2025) – Austin Kiefer of Corona earned his first victory of the 2025 IMCA Modified season in California, claiming the opening night of the 39th annual Budweiser Nationals at Bakersfield Speedway at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway. Kiefer had finished in the podium position multiple times this season but finally prevailed in Friday’s $1,000 to win feature. Photo by Tom Macht

“The car was good and we had a good starting spot so that helped a lot. This thing was just real easy to drive, I got tired there at the end. It was a dream to drive,” Kiefer said. “I feel like this place owed me a couple. It’s cool to get this win!”

Rosamond’s Dalton Houghton kicked off the 30-lap feature from the lead. Kiefer then seized the lead with Salinas’ Bobby Hogge working the middle, high, and low to navigate through the pack into second. Brad Watkins spun in turn one in the vicinity of the leaders for the first caution on lap seven.

Hogge challenged Kiefer for the top spot, showing nose on the inside to no avail. Hogge started to slip at the halfway point with a flat right rear tire. Houghton started to track down Kiefer before the caution flew for Hogge slowing.

The racing line moved to the top in turns one and two with Houghton and 2025 track champion Brad Pounds in pursuit of Kiefer. Houghton then tagged the turn two wall and Pounds capitalized, jumping inside to slide Houghton for second on lap 22.

Kiefer scored the coveted win followed by Pounds, Houghton, Hanford’s Eric Hamilton, and Bakersfield’s Rob Sanders.

2025 Bakersfield Speedway champion Tyler Bannister won the opening night of the IMCA Sport Modifieds at the Budweiser Nationals, worth $800 to win.

Bakersfield’s John Piker accumulated a quick early lead before Chris McKellar worked the high side to attempt to seize the lead. The yellow came out for Pismo Beach teenager Landon King spinning in turn two, nullifying McKellar’s pass.

McKellar was passed by the father and son duo of Jason and Tyler Bannister on the restart, dropping him to fourth.

A lap six caution set up a three-wide battle for the top spot on the restart. Jason went high and Tyler went low, splitting Piker. Jason led his son Tyler but jumped the cushion in turn four to open the bottom for Tyler Bannister. Tyler took the lead down the backstretch and led lap nine.

McKeller spun in turn two which collected Cale Kanke of Frazier Park for a caution on lap 11. After numerous cautions, Jason Bannister finally won the back-and-forth battle with Piker for second. Tyler Bannister topped his father Jason and Piker, with a charging Dylan Wilson finishing fourth from 17th on the grid. 15th starting Nicholas Johnson finished fifth.

The IMCA Stock Cars kicked off their weekend with an $800 prize on the line. Nicholas Johnson charged ahead to a 2.2 second advantage by the just sixth lap of the 25-lap feature and never relinquished the lead for his 13th win of the 2025 Bakersfield Speedway season.

Hanford’s Austin Pugh and Bobby Hogge of Salinas staged a furious battle for third with Hogge driving into the position on lap 10. Hogge then passed Justin Villanueva of Atwater for second. Johnson enjoyed a 6.5 second lead at that stage but it was erased when Villanueva slowed to a stop in turn one.

Hogge searched for a way around Johnson on the restart but Johnson was able to motor away. Hogge then lost a wheel on the backstretch, bringing out the caution flag with just five laps remaining. Nicholas Johnson scored the victory followed by a surging Jacob VanEssen who started tenth. Pugh had a strong return to IMCA Stock Car action with a third place run ahead of Billy Simkins and Justin Schweitzer.

The inaugural So-Cal Dwarf Cars feature at the Budweiser Nationals saw Bakersfield’s J.D. Brown defeat Camarillo’s Nick Velasquez for the 25-lap victory. Velasquez sailed his car underneath Brown in turns one and two on several occasions but could not complete the sliding pass. Ian Velasquez drove from eighth on the grid to finish third followed by Brandon Wiley and Robert Peters.

Ethan Johnson persevered over a green-white-checkered finish to win the Friday night action for the H&S Body Works Hobby Stocks. Matt Wankum jumped ahead at the start for the 25-lap feature. Madera’s Lance Hurst knifed to the bottom to take the lead while Ethan Johnson aimed to follow him on the bottom into second as well.

Hurst slowed suddenly in turn two to require a caution on lap three. Ethan Johnson used the restart to storm into the lead. Brooke Cimental and Brock Crawford hooked together in turn two to require a red flag on lap 17.

Additional issues for Lance Hurst set up a green-white-checkered finish but Johnson prevailed.  Ricky Childress, Jr. moved through the field from tenth starting position to finish second. Wankum, eleventh-starting Eric Cimental, and Marcus Wankum were the balance of the top-five.

Nicholas Johnson successfully handled multiple restarts to claim the American Stocks 25-lap feature for his 14th win overall for the season. Colby Ward, 2024 champion Sunnie Simkins, Jon McKinley, Sr., and Gerald McKellar chased Johnson across the finish line.

The 39th annual Budweiser Nationals at Bakersfield Speedway concludes on Saturday night October 11th with a complete show for all six divisions.

For more information on Bakersfield Speedway at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway, visit www.BakersfieldSpeedway.com or follow the speedway on social media. Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway is located at 13500 Raceway Blvd, near Enos Ln and Interstate 5 in Bakersfield.

Bakersfield Speedway at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway Budweiser Nationals October 10, 2025 – Race Results

IMCA Modifieds A Feature 1 (30 Laps): 1. 3AC-Austin Kiefer[4]; 2. 15B-Brad Pounds[8]; 3. 161-Dalton Houghton[1]; 4. 44-Eric Hamilton[9]; 5. 10N-Rob Sanders[7]; 6. 51G-Gavyn Manning[12]; 7. 21JT-Justin Crockett[5]; 8. 111-Logan Drake[10]; 9. 12-Tyler Blankenship[11]; 10. 51B-Bryan Clark[15]; 11. 15F-Markus Frazier[3]; 12. 28J-Brandon Jennings[17]; 13. 07T-Randy Thornell[14]; 14. 61X-Robert Witwer[13]; 15. 55-Brad Watkins[18]; 16. 2H-Bobby Hogge[6]; 17. 91G-Billy Griffin[2]; 18. (DNS) 11M-Wyatt Moody

IMCA Sport Mods A Feature 1 (25 Laps): 1. 151-Tyler Bannister[5]; 2. 51-Jason Bannister[3]; 3. 28P-John Piker[1]; 4. 80D-Dylan Wilson[17]; 5. 1N-Nicholas Johnson[15]; 6. ONE68-Bo Crebs[18]; 7. 14-Rich Denman[7]; 8. 18C-Chris McKellar[6]; 9. 40-Nick Spainhoward[12]; 10. 38-KC Keller[13]; 11. 172-Tyler Irwin[2]; 12. 29T-Talon Mulvey[10]; 13. (DNF) 43K-Landon King[19]; 14. (DNF) 68-Santiago Lopez[16]; 15. (DNF) 55K-Kegan Head[14]; 16. (DNF) 58M-Mike Merritt[9]; 17. (DNF) 91-Shannon Barton[11]; 18. (DNF) 33-Cale Kanke[8]; 19. (DNF) 99B-Paul Brown[4]

IMCA Stock Cars A Feature 1 (25 Laps): 1. 26-Nicholas Johnson[1]; 2. 54V-Jacob Van Essen[10]; 3. 18A-Austin Pugh[3]; 4. 68-Billy Simkins[4]; 5. 4-Justin Schweitzer[8]; 6. M16-Ron Meyer[7]; 7. 42F-Les Friend[9]; 8. 174-Bobby Hogge[6]; 9. 2H-Clarence Holbrook[5]; 10. 97-Justin Villaneuva[2]

H&S Body Works Hobby Stocks A Feature 1 (25 Laps): 1. 11-Ethan Johnson[4]; 2. 16-Ricky Childress Jr[10]; 3. 3M-Matt Wankum[1]; 4. 174-Eric Cimental[11]; 5. 91C-Marcus Wankum[7]; 6. N2DEEP-Colby Ward[6]; 7. 58T-Troy Thomas Jr[9]; 8. 86C-Clay Waters[13]; 9. 25B-Brooke Cimental[8]; 10. 47-Brock Crawford[5]; 11. 6X-Robert Lawler[14]; 12. 10H-Lance Hurst[3]; 13. 32-Jesse Bowles[12]; 14. X1-Bobby Gallaher[16]; 15. 21XXX-Bryson Wood[2]; 16. 79-Ryan Barnes[15]

American Stocks A Feature 1 (25 Laps): 1. N2DEEP-Nicholas Johnson[1]; 2. 40-Colby Ward[5]; 3. 68S-Sunnie Simkins[11]; 4. 70-Jon McKinley Sr[10]; 5. 12G-Gerald McKellar[3]; 6. 72-Mason Conway[4]; 7. 69X-Tyler Weeks[15]; 8. 0-Gene Glover[17]; 9. 31-Spencer Vasquez[2]; 10. 25-Carson Conway[12]; 11. 01-Johnny Pugh[14]; 12. 954-John Robinson[7]; 13. 48-Nick Diani[8]; 14. 83-Grant Perkins[18]; 15. 22J-Andrew Johnston[13]; 16. 29-Trenton Millard[16]; 17. 21X-Cameron Campbell[6]; 18. (DNS) 74M-Miranda Scott

So-Cal Dwarf Cars A Feature 1 (25 Laps): 1. 14-JD Brown[4]; 2. 41E-Nick Velasquez[3]; 3. 4E-Ian Velasquez[8]; 4. 33-Brandon Wiley[6]; 5. 5F-Robert Peters[10]; 6. 36E-Daniel Peters[14]; 7. 15E-Joe Bohard[9]; 8. 55F-Triston Peters[1]; 9. 48E-Trent Morley[7]; 10. 24E-Ryan Caldwell[21]; 11. 24-Ricardo Rivera[12]; 12. 21X-Dewey Myers[16]; 13. 3-Jimmy Miller[13]; 14. 91E-Scotty Preast[11]; 15. 97E-Tyler Fulcher[2]; 16. 18-Sunny Jr Sundberg[22]; 17. 33E-Matt Dickinson[20]; 18. 87E-Tommy Velasquez[15]; 19. 26F-Dan Varner[18]; 20. 20F-Ken Mcnulty[17]; 21. 15F-Chris Wilder[19]; 22. 24B-Sammi Rivera[23]; 23. 99E-Kameron Cowles[5]

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