GAVYN MANNING PREVAILS IN 39th BUDWEISER NATIONALS AT BAKERSFIELD SPEEDWAY

BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA (October 12, 2025) – 2024 IMCA Modified track champion Gavyn Manning took his talents west to the all-new Bakersfield Speedway at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway and capped the season in style, winning the 39th Annual Budweiser Nationals on Saturday night. Manning’s victory completed the first Bud Nationals at the new location, part of the sprawling Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway complex. Photo by Tom Macht

Manning started on the pole position for the 30-lap feature which paid $1,500 to win. Billy Griffin spun from second in turn two for a caution on lap six.

Justin Crockett of Arroyo Grande spun on lap ten on the front stretch for the next caution. Robby Sawyer looked inside of 2025 track champion Brad Pounds for the second spot. Pounds used the top side to hold the position.

Pounds jumped the cushion in turn four and hit the wall but managed to narrowly hold onto the second position. Manning darted in and out of lapped traffic but on lap 24 slipped on the cushion, placing Pounds within a few car lengths. Manning put two lapped cars between himself and second place with just four laps remaining. Pounds and Sawyer then collided for the second position in turn one with three laps remaining, with Sawyer limping around the speedway over the final two laps.

Manning accumulated a 1.5 second lead over a surging Kyle Heckman who had avoided the fracas. Pounds stopped in turn four bringing out the caution with just one lap to go.

Manning survived the late race restart, topping a sliding Logan Drake of San Luis Obispo for the win. Heckman finished third followed by Salinas’ Bobby Hogge and Friday winner Austin Kiefer.

“We’ve been on the struggle bus bad lately. It feels good to come here and win the final night of the Bud Nationals. It was wild,” Manning said. “I heard yesterday there’s nobody that runs three and four around the top like Brad Pounds but we came out here and got it done.”

2025 track champion Tyler Bannister completed a weekend sweep of the IMCA Sport Modified action at the Budweiser Nationals, earning $1,800 in total awards for the weekend.

Yreka’s Bo Crebs led at the start of the 25-lap feature. Bannister worked his way forward and challenged Crebs in lapped traffic on lap eight. Crebs held the lead at that stage, with the duo stretching out a strong advantage over the pack. Bannister reloaded the barrels and made the decisive pass for the top spot on lap 14. Dylan Wilson paired a fourth-place finish on opening night with a second-place performance on Saturday. Chris McKellar, 14th-starting John Piker, and Nicholas Johnson rounded out the top-five.

Nicholas Johnson completed a sweep of his own in the IMCA Stock Cars, winning Saturday’s $800 prize in the 25-lap feature. Bakersfield’s Billy Simkins won an opening laps battle for the lead with Jacob Van Essen, having full control of the position by lap four. Justin Schweitzer, Ron Meyer, and Bobby Hogge raced three wide for fourth, eventually coming together hard on the front stretch to send Schweitzer flipping off the wall. He was uninjured but the incident required a red flag.

Van Essen worked the inside of Nicholas Johnson to preserve second place and turn his attention for the lead. Simkins, Johnson, and VanEssen then went three wide in turn two but Simkins held the point on lap eight.

Johnson slid Simkins on the following lap into turn three to nab the top spot. Johnson led the rest of the way for the 20-lap feature victory. Simkins settled for second while Van Essen held off Hogge for third. Justin Villanueva finished fifth.

Nicholas Johnson also filled in for Friday winner Ethan Johnson in the H&S Body Works Hobby Stocks, claiming the 25-lap victory for four total wins over the weekend.

Madera’s Lance Hurst and Marcus Wankum raced side-by-side at the start of the feature. The top-six competitors raced alongside each other over the opening run.

Ricky Childress, Jr. attempted to make the middle work from fifth and the leaders nearly went four-wide in turn two on lap three. An exciting and close battle ended when Wankum spun in turn four on lap four.

Childress edged forward on the bottom on the restart, seizing the lead on lap six over Hurst. The racing line moved higher and higher with drivers fanning out three- and four-wide for second. 11th starting Johnson moved into third. Wankum then spun in turn four again for a caution. Johnson drove past Hurst on the restart for second.

Johnson and Childress traded slide jobs and cross overs for the lead with Childress motoring past on the high side, leading lap 14. Johnson then used the outside himself to re-take the lead on lap 16. Johnson and Childress stormed the top over the final nine laps with Johnson taking the checkered flag. Childress pounded the turn three wall and slowed from second, handing the position to Eric Cimental. Bobby Gallaher finished third over Hurst and Matt Wankum.

Nick Velasquez of Camarillo won the weekend $1,000 prize in the So-Cal Dwarf Cars, taking Saturday’s victory to pair with a second place run on Friday night for the top weekend performance.

Scotty Preast of Santa Maria led lap one of the 25-lap race while Velasquez ran the extreme high side on Robert Peters for second. Velasquez used a lap four restart to march into second. Velasquez then used the high side on lap 12 to take sole possession of the lead. Dewey Myers of Ramona chased Velasquez through lapped traffic but Velasquez held court. Nick Velasquez won the inaugural Budweiser Nationals for Dwarf Cars. Myers finished second followed by Peters, Brandon Wiley, and Triston Peters.

Nick Spainhoward won the American Stocks finale for the Budweiser Nationals at Bakersfield Speedway in a thrilling finish of the 25-lap feature. Nicholas Johnson looked poised to sweep the weekend but slowed from the lead on lap 20, after leaving a trail of smoke for much of the race.

Spainhoward assumed the lead with Jon McKinley, Jr. in pursuit. Polesitter Jon McKinley, Sr. slowed to a stop with just three laps remaining, setting up a sprint to the finish between Spainhoward, McKinley, Jr. and Eric Cimental. Spainhoward slid up into McKinley, Jr. on the restart, nearly allowing Cimental to take the lead on the bottom. Spainhoward hung on for the $600 victory. Cimental drove into second followed by McKinley, Jr. Sunnie Simkins, and Carson Conway.

Bakersfield Speedway races again on October 25 with the NARC 410 Sprint Cars competing along with Western Midget Racing, So-Cal Dwarf Cars, and Western Racing Association.

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 11, 2025 – Race Results

IMCA Modifieds A Feature 1 (30 Laps): 1. 51G-Gavyn Manning[1]; 2. 111-Logan Drake[5]; 3. 11X-Kyle Heckman[9]; 4. 2H-Bobby Hogge[11]; 5. 3AC-Austin Kiefer[15]; 6. 10N-Rob Sanders[13]; 7. 161-Dalton Houghton[4]; 8. 21JT-Justin Crockett[7]; 9. 51B-Bryan Clark[8]; 10. 44-Eric Hamilton[16]; 11. 15F-Markus Frazier[19]; 12. 28J-Brandon Jennings[14]; 13. 61X-Robert Witwer[12]; 14. 07T-Randy Thornell[18]; 15. 91G-Billy Griffin[2]; 16. 15B-Brad Pounds[3]; 17. X-Robby Sawyer[10]; 18. 12-Tyler Blankenship[6]; 19. (DNS) 55-Brad Watkins

IMCA Sport Mods A Feature 1 (25 Laps): 1. 151-Tyler Bannister[4]; 2. 80D-Dylan Wilson[6]; 3. 18C-Chris McKellar[10]; 4. 28P-John Piker[14]; 5. 1N-Nicholas Johnson[8]; 6. 51-Jason Bannister[18]; 7. 14-Rich Denman[9]; 8. 40-Nick Spainhoward[16]; 9. 33-Cale Kanke[5]; 10. 38-KC Keller[1]; 11. ONE68-Bo Crebs[2]; 12. 172-Tyler Irwin[13]; 13. 15F-Matthew Frazier[12]; 14. 30H-Orion Messina[7]; 15. 29T-Talon Mulvey[17]; 16. 03F-Cameron Pywtorak[20]; 17. 58M-Mike Merritt[19]; 18. 91-Shannon Barton[21]; 19. 99B-Paul Brown[3]; 20. 43K-Landon King[11]; 21. 55K-Kegan Head[15]

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

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

American Stocks A Feature 1 (25 Laps): 1. 40-Nick Spainhoward[5]; 2. 21X-Eric Cimental[12]; 3. 17-Jon McKinley[4]; 4. 68S-Sunnie Simkins[11]; 5. 25-Carson Conway[8]; 6. 69X-Tyler Weeks[14]; 7. 72-Mason Conway[9]; 8. 31-Spencer Vasquez[13]; 9. 98-Gary Rayburn Jr[10]; 10. 954-John Robinson[2]; 11. 29-Trenton Millard[16]; 12. 83-Grant Perkins[17]; 13. 70-Jon McKinley Sr[1]; 14. N2DEEP-Nicholas Johnson[6]; 15. 12G-Gerald McKellar[7]; 16. 48X-Kevin Irwin[3]; 17. (DNS) 01-Johnny Pugh

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