Skagit Speedway officially returns to life this Saturday April 26th. The action-packed program for the 71st season opener will feature 410 Sprint Cars, IMCA Modifieds and Sportsman Sprint Cars. Subscribe to read more below.
Track: Skagit Speedway - Alger, WA
Classes:
- 410 Sprint Cars - $5,000 to win
- IMCA Modifieds - $1,000 to win
- Sportsman Sprint Cars - $1,100 to win
Tags: Skagit Speedway, 410 Sprint Cars, IMCA Modifieds, Sportsman Sprint Cars
Links:
Image credits: Nick Coward / RACECAR Illustrated
410 Sprint Cars
The premier weekly wild things with wings rightfully headline the season opener and, if last seasons record-setting narrative is anything to go by, Washington sprint car fans are in for a heck of a sequel in 2025.
Last season, veteran wheeler Jason Solwold won the battle, earning the drivers track-title despite going winless. But it was fan-favorite Trey Starks (pictured above) who won the war. Four wins included an emotional opening night triumph at the High Limit Skagit Nationals that helped the #55 earn the owners championship. In total ten different drivers visited Skagit Victory Lane in 410's last season.
Robbie Price finished third in points but waited until the final race to get his first 410 win at Skagit. Colby Thornhill was a two-time winner, Jesse Schlotfeldt broke through for his career first and Colton Heath shocked everyone by blowing the wing panels off the field to win his first 410 start in almost a decade.
Visitors made their mark on the Alger high-banks too. Landon Brooks blew-in early aboard the Wheatley-owned #45 machine, Rico Abreu (pictured below) doubled up to collect a West Coast record pay day, Corey Day added Super Dirt Cup to his growing list of achievements, and fellow California teenager Dominic Gorden got the biggest win of his career to date. Zeb Wise got the only win of his final season in the Rudeen Racing 26 on night two of Super Dirt Cup.
Trey Starks will continue to be red-hot favorite at Skagit on a weekly basis but with the continuing development of younger talent in the region it's safe to say wins will never be easy to come by. Thornhill and Price have travelled to race with High Limit already this year, but neither could get on the good side of Lady Luck.
Solwold continues to use veteran smarts to regularly finish up front, given the speed of the #18 it's remarkable they haven't won since July 22nd, 2023. Justin Youngquist returns to the seat fully recovered from his injury setbacks, his temporary replacementin the Dynes #95 Colton Heath is set to go full time in a Mike Brown backed Triple X and, after turning some heads late in 2024 Levi Klatt from Langley, BC has earned a full-time opportunity aboard a Fauver Racing owned hot-rod.
All this, combined with a near-certain influx of regular travellers and one-off ringers looking to pocket the hefty $5,000 weekly purse, race fans should prepare for some of the best 410 Winged Sprint Car racing in America!
IMCA Modifieds
IMCA Modifieds saw four different winners in points races last season, Jeff Westergard (pictured above) laid claim to three of them on the way to a track championship in his rookie season. Tyson Blood (pictured below in 2024) was the only other driver with multiple victories, the #97 collected two. James Bundy got an emotional first career Modified win, Rick Smith also joined the 2024 winners column back in June. Marshalltown, Iowa's Tom Berry Jr was untouchable in the $10,000 to-win 'Survive The 55' finale last September.
Westergard will return to defend his track title, the #66 looked on-song at last Saturday's practice day. Ben Gundersen returns, looking to go one better than last season's overall runner-up points finish. Adam 'Big Sexy' Holtrop hit the dirt at play day with a bang, rocking one of the wildest looking paint schemes in recent memory! Tyson Blood started his North West season off on the right foot with a win in the Grays Harbor Raceway opener last Saturday April 19th.
Sportsman Sprint Cars
Bouyed by weekly payout bumps, and then the recent announcement that Skagit Speedway will raffle off four RaceSaver engines at year-end, the budget friendly Sportsman Sprint Car class is set to once again be one of the most wide open championship battles in Alger this season.
2024 saw five different winners grace the stage, teenage sprint car rookie Levi Hillier nabbed four of them in seven starts, earning third place in overall points despite not even competing in every event. Kai Dixon became the second Canadian in succession to win the Sportsman track championship, locking down two wins on his way to the crown. Dixon moves on to 360 Sprint Cars this season while Hillier remains uncertain if he will get back in a Sporty this year. Alden Ostrom had a win in his family-owned car early in 2024, he'll be aboard the Winged Down #19 this season. Jesson Jacobsen (pictured above) could be a quiet favorite for the track championship, just one win for the #22J in 2024, but 8 top-5's was the consistency they'll need to repeat to compete on a weekly basis. As per normal a handful of rookie contenders will try their hand in the Sportsman ranks for the new season, look for impressive Deming Speedway micro sprint graduate Macie Logsdon (pictured below) to be at the top of the rookie class after a confident outing in the big car on practice day.
Image credits: Nick Coward / RACECAR Creative
Above: Legendary Skagit throttle-stomper Jason Solwold, 2024 410 Sprint Car Drivers Champion. Picture by Nick Coward / RACECAR Illustrated.
Above: Marshalltown, Iowa Modified wheel-man Tom Berry Jr, on his way to winning $10,000 in Skagit Speedway's West Coast Modified crown-jewel 'Survive the 55' event last September. Picture by Nick Coward / RACECAR Illustrated.
Above: Justin Youngquist returns to full-time duty after a season-ending wreck midway through last season. Youngquist did not miss a beat in last Saturday's practice, the popular local leadfoot was looking spicy around the top and not shy to squeeze the trigger! Picture by Nick Coward / RACECAR Illustrated.
Above: Adam 'Big Sexy' Holtrop brings some life back into the paint scheme with quite simply the raddest wrap we've seen in years. If 80's BMX bikes were race cars, this would be them. Picture by Nick Coward / RACECAR Illustrated.
Above: Alden Ostrom got a Sportsman Sprint Car win in his family owned car last season, this year he's in the Winged Down #19. Picture by Nick Coward / RACECAR Illustrated.
Above: Levi Klatt gets an opportunity aboard a beautifully prepared Fauver Racing 410 machine this season. Klatt turned heads after getting a chance to wheel a 410 against national competition late in 2024. Picture by Nick Coward / RACECAR Illustrated.
Above: Modified points runner-up Ben Gundersen returns this season, hoping to make it to victory lane after going winless in 2024. Picture by Nick Coward / RACECAR Illustrated.
Above: Colton Heath returns to regular 410 competition in 2025. Last year, Heath spent time in the Dynes Racing #95 as a replacement for the injured Justin Youngquist, remarkably sweeping (quicktime/heat win/feature win) the event in his first night out. Picture by Nick Coward / RACECAR Illustrated.