Race 4 of the Modified West Regional Series delivered the kind of showdown that changes a season. Ryan Hodge captured the win in a 28-lap battle where he and Brayden E Carter were absolutely inseparable from start to finish, and the results created a major swing at the top of the standings with three races remaining in the 7-race championship.
Up front, the story was control vs. comeback—then control again. Carter grabbed the early advantage and set the tone in the first half, but Hodge took over around the midway point and never gave the top spot back. Even after the lead swap, Carter stayed glued to Hodge’s rear bumper, closing in late and getting a shot or two to steal it back, but Hodge executed when it mattered most and sealed it. The lap chart shows it perfectly: Carter led 14 laps, Hodge led 14 laps, with one lead change separating them.
Hodge’s victory adds another milestone to an already strong career résumé: it was his 21st career win in his 68th career start. He paired that win with a steady pace across the run, while Carter maximized the points even without the trophy by earning the qualifying fast time bonus point. That single bonus point matters more than ever in this format—12 to win, one less per position behind—and Carter continues to squeeze every possible point out of each round.
The rest of the top five helped define the night, too. Brenden McGlothlin continued his surge with a podium in third, stacking another big points haul and proving he’s becoming a weekly factor. Right behind him, Jeremy Jenkins turned heads in his first career start, immediately landing a 4th-place finish—a debut that’s going to make people look twice the next time his name pops up in the entry list. Matthew Shultz rounded out the top five with a clean run forward from seventh to fifth.
If there was a hard-charger spotlight, it belongs to Doug Welch. Welch drove from 12th to 6th, gaining six positions and landing a critical points result that also translated to a huge jump up the standings. That kind of move is exactly how drivers can pull themselves into the season conversation as the calendar tightens up. Further back, Dylan Schriner and Robert Hentschel stayed in the mix inside the top eight, while Kason McCreery made a strong forward push into the top ten from 14th.
The points story, though, is where the real drama lives. Carter leaves Race 4 as the new championship leader with 41 points, and the gap is now eight points back to Aidan Strawberry at 33. Strawberry entered the night as the points leader, but contact while running near the top five broke his left front and forced a rough points result—exactly the kind of swing that can redefine a title chase in a short season. Meanwhile, McGlothlin’s momentum is real: he’s up to 3rd in points despite fewer starts than the leaders, and Welch’s charge has him tied at 4th as the battle for the top five tightens.
RESULTS (Race 4)
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Ryan Hodge, 2) Brayden E Carter, 3) Brenden McGlothlin, 4) Jeremy Jenkins, 5) Matthew Shultz, 6) Doug Welch, 7) Dylan Schriner, 8) Robert Hentschel, 9) Jeremy Fleck, 10) Kason McCreery, 11) Aidan Strawberry, 12) Cooper Ward2, 13) Jakob Chipps, 14) Talon Norco, 15) Silas Speicher, 16) Jennifer Schmitz, 17) Chad Johnston4
TOP 10 STANDINGS (After Race 4)
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Brayden E Carter — 41, 2) Aidan Strawberry — 33, 3) Brenden McGlothlin — 19, 4) Seth Gregory — 15, 5) Doug Welch — 15, 6) Jackson Mourad — 13, 7) Dylan VannyK3 — 13, 8) Ryan Hodge — 12, 9) Kason Capps — 11, 10) Joseph Grandy — 11
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