ROCK SPRINGS — The championship chase at Sweetwater Speedway came down to one final night, but Mother Nature had the last word.
Friday’s racing set the stage for what could have been a dramatic conclusion Saturday at the local dirt track. Instead, rain washed out the final night, bringing the 2026 season to an early close and leaving four IMCA track champions to celebrate their titles.
In the IMCA Sport Compact division, Cody Poll of Green River captured the track championship with 346 points. Poll finished fourth in Friday’s feature and held a four-point advantage over Rock Springs’ Travis Bott.
The narrow margin between Poll and Bott would have made Saturday’s final race one of the weekend’s biggest championship battles. With only four points separating the two drivers, the season-ending race had the potential to decide the title on the track. Instead, the rainout ended the chase with Poll on top. Bott finished second in the standings with 342 points, while Ethan Poll of Green River finished third with 315 points.
The IMCA Sport Mod championship also came down to a battle between two drivers from the same family. Slade Pitt of Rock Springs took the track championship with 333 points, finishing nine points ahead of his father, David Pitt. Slade strengthened his position Friday by winning the feature, while David finished second. That result left Slade with enough of a cushion to secure the championship when Saturday’s racing was canceled.
In the IMCA Modified division, Green River’s Braxton Yeager claimed the track championship with 329 points, finishing 18 points ahead of his brother, Bryson Yeager. Braxton closed the season with a victory Friday night, but Bryson’s night ended early after a collision with Richard Ungaro. Neither car was able to finish the race. Braxton’s championship capped a season in which the Yeager brothers occupied the top two positions in the track standings.
The IMCA Hobby Stock title went to Jeramy Johnson of Fairview, Utah, who finished the season with 342 points. Preslie Thorne of Herriman, Utah, was second with 325 points, 17 behind Johnson. Thorne finished second in Friday’s feature, while Johnson was third. Thorne had begun to close the championship gap, but the drivers never got the opportunity for another race as Saturday’s program was rained out. Johnson therefore held on to the championship and ended the season atop the Hobby Stock standings.
The weekend also marked the first appearance of Dirt Late Models at Sweetwater Speedway this season. Scott Cimfl of Westminster, Colorado, won Friday’s feature, with Joe Bellm of Broomfield, Colorado, finishing second and Jonathan Lindberg of Denver taking third.
Friday’s racing provided the final points night of the 2026 season, with Cody Poll, Slade Pitt, Braxton Yeager and Jeramy Johnson finishing atop their respective divisions to earn Sweetwater Speedway track championships.
The close championship battles added plenty of excitement to the final weekend, while Friday’s feature winners and strong finishes gave fans one last night of racing action at the track. With Saturday’s program canceled because of rain, the season officially came to a close, sending Sweetwater Speedway’s champions into the offseason with their 2026 titles secured.
