By Darren O’Dea
James McFadden won his fifth feature race for one of the newest sprint car teams on the block, Brady Motorsport, at the Perth Motorplex on Friday night.
The No. 23x, crewed by Kim Buswell and owned by former racer Sheldon Brady, has been on a mission since the new partnership was formed, just in time for the WA Sprintcar Championship, that was contested at the Perth Motorplex, back on Nov. 30.
Since then McFadden finished fourth in the Boxing Day show, before winning the first two nights of High Limit International: Perth, and then being pipped for the win by Kyle Larson for the $100,000 to win show on December 30.
The former Australian champion then won the Jan. 1 event at Bunbury Speedway and was third, back at the Motorplex on Jan. 2.
The team opted to skip the Jan. 4 show at Bunbury, but bounced back in commanding fashion at the Motorplex on Friday night, crossing the line ahead of Dayne Kingshott and American Cole Macedo.
McFadden was quickest in the first qualifying group, with his 13.086 second lap being enough to set the Victory 1 Performance Quick Time.
From there he was third in his heat race, after starting p4 and won the B Dash, after starting on the front row, on the inside of American Brad Sweet.
Kingshott, who started on the inside of McFadden on the front row, led for a few opening laps, but after that, it was McFadden who held the lead, surviving a number of challenges.
Kingshott was quickest in qualifying session two and third in his heat race, after starting from p4.
He earned his front row start after winning the A Dash.
Another podium finish has marginally increased the lead he had over rival Callum Williamson for the 2024-25 Maddington Toyota Sprintcar Series championship, with Williamson taking fourth.
Macedo claimed his second podium result of his maiden WA Speedweek series, onboard the Trent Pigdon owned No. 7.
He started fifth in the finale after being second quickest in qualifying session two – and was second to Sweet in his heat race.
Williamson started from seventh and moved up three spots, a big improvement on the DNS the team suffered at the last show, at Bunbury Speedway, last weekend.
He won a spirited battle with American Brock Zearfoss, with the two trading lines and places.
Zearfoss held on for fifth from South Australian Matt Egel, who started and finished sixth.
American Gio Scelzi was seventh, after 10th, while fellow countryman Justin Whittall was eighth, improving by five spots.
