Bakersfield driver rules the IMCA Winter Nationals

Dotson wins third modified feature event on series’ final night at Cocopah Speedway

After seven nights of racing, Ethan Dotson emerged as the king of the 2021 IMCA Winter Nationals presented by Yuma Insurance at Cocopah Speedway.

The driver from Bakersfield went home with three Modified Division feature event wins, capped off by another trip to victory lane in Saturday night’s grand finale.

Dotson also won the Thursday night feature, and coupled with his win on the third night of the Nationals pocketed $3,000 alone in winning prize money.

Matching Dotson’s win total for the seven-night series was Kyla Heckman, also from Bakersfield, who won the Saturday night Stock Car Division feature event after winning the Jan. 9 and 7 feature events as well.

The other winners during Saturday night’s finale were Brady Bjella, from Williston, N.D., in the Sport Modified Division, and Chandler’s Joe Peterson in the Hobby Stock Division.

Also on Saturday night, Yuma’s Hudson Morris won the Mini Dwarf Masters feature event, and Eastyn Figueroa won the Mini Dwarf Sportsman feature.

On Friday night, Mesa’s Chaz Baca took the Modified win, Fred Ryland, from Brentwood, Calif., won the Sport Modified feature, Nicholas Johnson, another driver from Bakersfield, won the Stock Car feature, and Matt Olson, from Franklin, Minn., won the Hobby Stock feature.

Saturday night’s Modified feature saw Dotson start from inside the second row and pass the early race leader, pole sitter Casey Arneson, from Fargo, N.D. on the fourth lap and never look back.

Jeff Larson, from Freeport, Ill., finished second behind Dotson, Brandon Beckendorf, from Danube, Minn., made up nine positions to finish third, Kollin Hibdon, from Pahrump, Nev., was fourth and Baca rounded out the top five.

In Saturday night’s Sport Modified feature, Bjella became the seventh different winner in that division. He passed Josh Most, from Red Oak, Iowa, on the 22nd lap to get the win,

Most was the feature event winner on the second night of the Nationals.

Chase Alves, from Casa Grande, was third Saturday night, Bo Partain, also from Casa Grande, the Thursday night winner, was fourth, and Erik Laudenschlager, from Minot, N.D., was fifth.

In the Saturday night Stock Car feature Heckman notched his third feature event win after starting fourth on the 26-car grid. Nicholas Johnson, from Bakersfield, the Friday night winner, finished second behind Heckman, Chanse Hollatz, from Clear Lake, Iowa, was third, Aaron Spangler, from Dove Creek, Colo., the Thursday night winner, ran fourth, and Blake Adams, from McIntire, Iowa, the Jan. 8 winner, ran fifth.

The Saturday night Hobby Stock finale saw Peterson start on the outside of the front row, take the lead on the third lap and cruise the rest of the way to his first win of the Nationals.

Olson, the Friday night winner and the Jan. 9 winner, finished second after starting fifth, Steve Bitting Jr., from Phoenix, was third, Yuma’s Scott Tenney ran fourth and Mitchell Mohler Sr., from Vista, Calif., was fifth.