KENNEDALE, Texas — Kennedale Speedway Park has always been a favorite race track for William Gould and after Friday night it was easy to see why.
The veteran from Calera, Okla., led start to finish of the opening night Spring Kickoff feature for Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds, running in lapped traffic much of the way before taking the $1,000 win, his first of the season and career 191st in the class, well ahead of runner-up Matt Martin.
“The track was pretty fast, just the way I like it,” said Gould, a three-time track champion at KSP. “Starting on the pole, I felt like this was my race to lose but things went my way.”
“Kennedale is one of my favorite places. When it’s fast, it’s really fast,” the Kerry Fryar Motorsports pilot continued. “Now maybe I can get some of that speed to rub off on the stock car.”
Tenth on the all-time IMCA Modified wins list, Gould was already Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifying eligible.
Martin made his way to second from 10th starting. Completing the top five were Larry Adams, 14th starting Steve Askew and 17th-starting Cameron Wilson.
Kaufman’s Cody Smith got his 2024 IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing season started with a sweep, topping both Smiley’s Racing Products IMCA Southern SportMod and IMCA Sunoco Stock Car features.
Smith started fourth and passed Casey Brunson following a restart seven laps into the SportMod main, outrunning all would-be challengers to the $500 checkers from that point. Tommy Davis Jr. was second and Jerrett Bransom third.
Already B & B Racing Chassis All-Star Invitational qualifying eligible, Smith drew the pole start for the $750 to win Stock Car feature and drove straight to the top step of the podium, chased by Brandon McElroy and Gould.
“I had clean air and a clean track in front of me,” he said. “The track had a little bit of character but I was able to find the fast line.”
“It was a good night, a good start to the season.”
And Kyle Sale earned his first win in two-and-a-half years … the Crowley campaigner has raced part-time the last two seasons … after starting sixth in the Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compact feature.
He took the lead at midway and won ahead of Randy Martin and Chase Martin.
“It was great, and to beat the defending national champion was great,” said Sale, who’d managed to finish third despite getting turned around in his heat and then “started behind some pretty fast guys” in the $200 to win main event.
The same four divisions are in action again Saturday. SPEED SPORT TV affiliate IMCA.TV also broadcasts night two of the Spring Kickoff.