3/1/2026
Marysville Raceway
Great Racing, Great Crowd, and Just a Great Opening Night Win for Marysville Raceway
Great Racing, Great Crowd, and Just a Great Opening Night Win for Marysville Raceway
MARYSVILLE, Calif., February 28, 2026…Sometimes you just must give yourself a pat on the back. In the day in age of negativity and on-line keyboard warriors who enjoy bashing the few remaining dirt tracks in California, Marysville Raceway got the overall win last night. Four divisions of cars, 63 drivers in total, mixed with great racing on the hooked-up track and an efficiently ran show that ended before 10 PM is greatly appreciated.
When the fans come out to support the track like they did last night, it is imperative that the drivers and officials do their best to entertain them. This provides an opportunity for those in attendance to want to come back and maybe bring their friends and neighbors. So, once again, it is a team effort between the racers and the officials, and last night both deserved all the credit.
The 360-winged sprint car main event lined up with teenage sensation Jayden Bunch versus 49-year-old veteran Andy Forsberg. On paper, Forsberg would have been the clear favorite. However, that’s why we race and the script had not been written. Forsberg did take the early lead. He was out front and in control while Bunch secured the second spot. Forsberg was the fastest car on track and began to build his lead. About halfway through the race, slower cars became more of a factor. On lap 18, Forsberg dove to the bottom of a slower car in turn one. As they raced through turn two, there was contact that slowed Forsberg’s speed. Bunch was able to take the lead as the pair raced into turn three. Bunch drove around a few slower cars ahead of him, unfortunately for Forsberg, he was unable to do the same. Forsberg got bottled up and banged wheels with two other cars. This caused him to slow and a yellow was waived. He went back to the pit area, made repairs and continued.
Up front it was Bunch’s turn to shine. He drove flawlessly the final six laps and held off Jake Haulot for the win. The win marked his second career triumph at Marysville Raceway. His youthful enthusiasm was on display when he kicked some dust up with 360 circles in the infield right in front of the crowd. Haulot scored the second spot. Billy Walalce started off his defense of the Championship with a solid third place finish. Josh Young had another great drive to finish fourth. Jodie Robinson never gave up tonight and rebounded for a top five finish.
How good was Kalob Maher tonight? The answer is, super good. Maher drove a flawless race to capture the 20-lap Crate Sprint main event. Maher survived a mid-race incident with hard charging Misty Castleberry. Misty, in true championship form, restarted at the rear of the single file restart and drove her way back to a third-place finish. Koa Crane is as solid as they come. Crane challenged Maher late in the race but couldn’t find the right line to make a winning move. Crane finished second. Jacob Johnson struggled tonight but after the final checkered flag waived, he secured a fourth-place finish. Mike Ballantine lurked in the top five all night and finished in fifth.
The IMCA Sport Mods started their 20-lap main event with 11-cars. Shannon Barton was on point tonight and led the early part of the race. Phil Marino then emerged as the new challenger and took the lead. Chasing Marino late in the race was Dan Brown Jr. Mike Merritt did a solid job all night and ran in the fourth spot. At the checkered flag, Marino was the first to cross the start finish line. However, during a post-race inspection, Marino was docked for failing tech. This gave the win the Dan Brown Jr. It was an impressive win considering Brown Jr. started sixth. Barton was moved into the second spot. As of this article, Marino was scored in the third spot. Merritt was fourth and Jeff Bentancourt was fifth.
As usual, Hobby Stocks led the way with 22 entries. The 20-lap main event was spectacular. The competition was on point also. Such talented drivers and non-stop racing provided a great atmosphere. The first three rows were loaded with names like Cheney, Bright, Clayton Sr., Shelby, Koranda, and Law. These are all Hall of Fame caliber drivers. At the start of the race, it was Jacob Bright jumping out to the lead. A mixture of challengers tried to overtake Bright but were unsuccessful. From lap 10 to 15, the second, third, fourth, and fifth place positions kept swapping spots. On lap 15, Bright’s right rear tire was losing air. This upset the handling of his car and opened the opportunity for others to capitalize on. Phillip Shelby was first in line to pass the struggling Bright. Just two laps later it was Clayton Sr. moving into second. On the next lap, Howard Law moved into third. This is how the top three finished on lap 20. Kyle Cheney passed Devin Koranda for a fourth-place finish. Koranda came home on the fifth. Bright ultimately finished in the 15th spot after the tire issue.
Full results are available on My Race Pass under Marysville Raceway.
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Submitted By: troy hennig