7/9/2025
Sweetwater Speedway
Sweetwater Speedway Delivers Thrilling Races After Rain-Soaked Start
Rock Springs, WY – Despite a challenging start to the holiday weekend, Sweetwater Speedway roared back to life on July 5th, delivering an evening of high-octane racing that thrilled fans. The much-anticipated July 4th races were unfortunately rained out, a decision met with understanding as track crews and dedicated racers worked tirelessly, attempting to defy the elements and get the track ready. Their valiant efforts, though ultimately overcome by the weather, demonstrated their unwavering commitment to the sport.
The resilience extended beyond the track, with a special shout-out to Dave Pitt Construction. Their provision of crushed asphalt in the pit area proved to be a game-changer, preventing what could have been a muddy quagmire and ensuring the entire area remained functional and accessible for teams and fans alike. This thoughtful contribution was instrumental in the smooth running of the event.
The night started out with Combined Color Guard with members from the American Legions Archey Hay Post 24 and Tom Whitmore Post 28, American Legion Riders, VFW Post 2321 and the Sons of the American Legion and those organizations Auxiliary. They presented the flags with such precision and pride, and then to watch that first lap gave the crowd chills. Then the #29 Modified Driver Jim Shoemaker took a lap in his dad Jim Shoemaker’s memory. Jim had been helping coordinate this event at the track for the last ten years and we are happy to see his son keep the tradition alive. It’s a sacred moment that reminds us of service, sacrifice, and the unshakable bonds of family and community.
When the green flag finally dropped on July 5th, the action was fierce and unyielding. Each class was packed with drivers from seven states and as far away as Oklahoma. There was four-wide racing all night in all the classes. The special class of the evening was the High Plains Dirt Car Late Models and Jeremy Petty in the 77 from Smolan, Kansas took home the victory followed by Scott Cimfl out of Westminster Colorado and Wyatt Howard from Price Utah.
The IMCA Sport Mod winner was William Valdez in the 397 of Rock Springs. This is his first win at Sweetwater Speedway this season, but his second overall after bringing home a win last weekend at Diamond Mountain Speedway. Waylon Hale in the 43 out of Mancos Colorado was a new competitor on the track and also the hard charger moving up 10 spots to finish second for the evening.
The IMCA Modifieds saw 29 cars enter the event, but it was Green River Driver Bryson Yeager that drove up from an 8th place starting spot to claim the victory followed by brother Braxton Yeager. The hard charger for the night in Modifieds was Rock Springs driver Lakota Cleveland finishing 10th after a 24th place starting position. There was 4 wide racing all night in the division and the fans were on the edge of their seats to see who would come home victorious.
The IMCA Sport Compacts was won by the 59p of Ethan Poll. Ashley Warner in the 81 was the Hard Charger for the night advancing 8 spots. It was impressive to see 30 cars show up in the class to compete for 24 starting spots. They put on a great show and sent green to checkered without a single caution which is am impressive feat in any class.
The kids go-kart divisions were able to sneak in a daytime race on Saturday to ensure they got both nights of racing action despite the rainout. Our July 4th winners were Beginners B main- 17 Kimber Peterson, Beginners A main - 35G Karsyn Gann, Intermediate B main- 14 Ethan Crawford, Intermediate A main - 9 McCoy Puckett, and Advanced - 28 Tyson Stauffer. For Saturday night July 5th winners were Beginners B main- 8N Colton Nance, Beginners A main- 24K Karson Peterson, Intermediate B main-7M Mia Piazza, Intermediate A main - 7B Keegan Bertagnolli and Advanced - 2w Danica Delp.
Fans were treated to exceptional driving and daring maneuvers throughout the evening, making the July 5th races a memorable spectacle at the Sweetwater Speedway. The next races will be held on August 15th and 16th hosting the IMCA Stock Cars, Hobby Stocks along with the regular Modifieds, Sport Mods and Stock Cars.
Submitted By: Kara Beech
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