delivered exactly what this track is famous for: pressure, chaos, and a race that felt like it could flip on every corner. When the dust settled after 30 laps, Aidan Strawberry emerged with a huge win—his second of the season—and it couldn’t have come at a better time. With only two races remaining in the 7-race West Regional Series, Strawberry’s victory trimmed the points deficit and turned the title fight into a true down-to-the-wire showdown.

The opening moments set the tone immediately. The race started with trouble in Turn 1 when pole sitter Dylan Blackburn got turned after contact with Dylan VannyK3, sending Blackburn around in front of the field. That handed the early advantage to Kason Capps, who inherited the lead and tried to settle the race down from there. But Fairbury doesn’t let you relax—especially when the front-runners arrive at once.

Around lap 8, the race reached its boiling point. Capps, Brayden E Carter, and Strawberry went three-wide for the lead, and the intensity finally snapped when Capps went around after contact in Turn 4. Carter came out of it as the new leader, and from that moment on, the event turned into a sprint between the two championship heavyweights. Carter had the speed, Strawberry had the momentum, and every lap felt like a setup for the decisive move.

That move came on lap 14, when Strawberry cleared Carter and took command of the race. From there, Strawberry did what winners do at Fairbury—he put clean air to work and stretched the advantage while still keeping the pace hot. Officially, the laps-led numbers tell the full story of how the race evolved: Capps led 8 laps, Carter led 3, and Strawberry controlled the final 19 to close it out. Carter didn’t fade, though—he stayed close enough to keep the pressure on and also walked away with the fastest lap of the race (12.673), a reminder that the speed is absolutely there as the series heads toward the finish.

Behind the lead duo, the battle for the podium had its own storyline. Clyde Dunn delivered a standout run to finish 3rd in just a loaded field of competitors, while Capps salvaged a strong 4th after being at the center of the early lead fight. Blackburn, despite getting turned from the pole in the opening chaos, recovered to finish 5th and also banked the qualifying fast time bonus point—turning what could’ve been a disastrous start into a solid points day.

One of the biggest feel-good stories of the night belonged to Penny Stockton, who charged to 6th in their first career start. Fairbury is not an easy place to debut, and that kind of result instantly puts a new name on everyone’s radar going forward. And if you’re looking for the hard-charger of the race, it’s tough to top Doug Welch, who marched from 16th to 8th—a massive gain that also paid off in the standings.

And speaking of standings, this is where Fairbury truly mattered. Even with Strawberry winning and Carter finishing second, Brayden E Carter still holds the championship lead, now at 52 points, but Strawberry’s win pulls him closer at 45. That’s a 7-point gap with two races to go, and with this points system (12 to win, one less per position), that margin can swing quickly. The next layer of the standings got reshuffled too: Kason Capps jumped up to 3rd after just two starts, and Welch’s consistency has him tied on points with Capps, keeping the fight for the top five just as spicy as the title battle.

What’s Next
The series heads to I-55 Raceway next, and with two rounds left, every bonus point, every position, and every clean lap matters. Carter has the lead, Strawberry has the momentum, and the chase pack is close enough that one big night can completely reshape the final stretch.

RESULTS (Fairbury Speedway)

  1. Aidan Strawberry, 2) Brayden E Carter, 3) Clyde Dunn, 4) Kason Capps, 5) Dylan Blackburn, 6) Penny Stockton2, 7) Trey VannyK, 8) Doug Welch, 9) Phillip Osterholt, 10) Nicklelos Stiles, 11) Eric Mann3, 12) Landon Ferrell, 13) Brayson Lee, 14) Trevor Egbert, 15) Brad Itzman, 16) Dylan VannyK3

TOP 10 STANDINGS (After Race 5)

  1. Brayden E Carter — 52, 2) Aidan Strawberry — 45, 3) Kason Capps — 20, 4) Doug Welch — 20, 5) Brenden McGlothlin — 19, 6) Seth Gregory — 15, 7) Dylan VannyK3 — 14, 8) Jackson Mourad — 13, 9) Ryan Hodge — 12, 10) Joseph Grandy — 11

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