JETT YANTIS LIFTS CURTAIN ON BAKERSFIELD SPEEDWAY SEASON WITH THRILLING USAC WESTERN MIDGET WIN
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (February 21, 2026) – Jett Yantis won a battle of Bakersfield’s hometown heroes on Saturday night, winning the USAC Western States Midgets feature by just a few feet over Broedy Graham in the 2026 Bakersfield Speedway at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway season opener. The Winter Clash for the one-third mile dirt track presented fans with seven features of action. Photo by Tom Macht
Graham led time trials before Southern California pilots Drake Cardey and Dane Culver won the heat races. Culver and Cardey then shared the front row for the 25-lap feature.
Cardey led the first nine circuits before the red flag flew for Connor Speir turning it over in turn one. He was uninjured. Drivers jockeyed three wide for second on the restart with Brody Fuson of Bakersfield winning that battle. Fuson ran the top flawlessly and reeled in Cardey for the lead. Fuson soared past Cardey on the top shelf to lead lap 13.
Yantis, who started the feature in seventh, then overhauled Cardey for second on lap 17.
Fuson flipped wildly on the backstretch while approaching lapped traffic on the 23rd lap of the feature, bringing the race to a halt.
Yantis acquired the lead as a result of the stoppage and fought off a furious challenge from Broedy Graham over the final two circuits. Yantis topped Graham by a nose, officially 0.043 seconds at the stripe.
“I was just trying to keep my car straight. That kind of sucks what happened to Brody (Fuson). I want to win straight up. We’re happy to take home the money,” Yantis said. “The other Broedy almost got me coming to the checkered. I just want to thank everyone that helps me. This is a good bounce back (after the Tulsa Shootout) but I still have to get my groove back.”
Brandon Wiley of Santa Maria led wire-to-wire for the National Dwarf Cars 25-lap feature victory. Nick Velasquez, Dewey Meyers, Daniel Peters, and Joe Barket were the top-five finishers. Wiley and Joe Bohard won the eight lap heat races.
Eighth-starting Andrew Pearce of Oakley won the IMCA Modified 30-lap season opener, worth $750. 2025 champion Brad Pounds and 2024 champion Gavyn Manning collided for the lead into turn one on lap 11, thrusting 2025 IMCA Sport Mod champion Tyler Bannister into the top spot.
Pearce searched all over the speedway for a way to get around Bannister before the caution flew for Pounds with an apparent oil line fire underneath his machine on lap 18. Bannister restarted with a mechanical failure on his left front wheel. Pearce took advantage of the wounded Bannister machine to take the decisive pass for the lead on lap 19. Markus Frazier of Santa Maria then flipped in turns one and two for a red flag.
Pearce led the final 10 laps while Race Liberante drove into second place. Bannister held on for third followed by Tyson Talkington and Wayne Coffman. Frazier, Manning, and Pounds won the heat races.
Jason Bannister won the opening night 25-lap feature for the IMCA Sport Modifieds which also saw a top contender suffer a flip. Nicholas Johnson jumped ahead at the start and kept Bannister at bay. Trouble struck on lap 11 when he went upside down in turn one to end his evening. Johnson emerged from his car unscathed.
Bannister claimed the lead position as a result and never relinquished it for the coveted $600 prize to open the season. Tate Loftis finished second followed by Chris McKellar, Cale Kanke, and Matthew Frazier. Jason Bannister and Johnson won the heat races.
Ricky Childress, Jr. won the Hobby Stocks 20-lap feature from the outside pole. Keith Heaslet was second followed by Stephen Johnson, Marcus Wankum, and Cameron Campbell. The heat races were split by Brooke Cimental and Wankum.
Jacob VanEssen scored in the 20-lap IMCA Stock Car feature with Billy Simkins and Austin Pugh in pursuit. 2025 track champion Raymond Noland won the heat race before finishing fourth in the feature.
Carson Conway won both his heat race and the 20-lap feature for the American Stocks. Conway drove from seventh into the lead by just the eighth lap of competition. Spencer Vasquez ran second followed by Dan Bryant, Robert Swearengin, and Gene Glover. John Robinson was the other heat race winner.
Bakersfield Speedway at Kevin Havick’s Kern Racewan thy races into round two on March 7 with March Madness, featuring points racing action for all five weekl divisions plus Mini Stocks competing.
For more information on Bakersfield Speedway at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway, visit www.BakersfieldSpeedway.com or follow the speedway on social media. Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway is located at 13500 Raceway Blvd, near Enos Ln and Interstate 5 in Bakersfield.
Bakersfield Speedway at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway Winter Clash February 21, 2026 – Race Results
USAC Western Midgets A Feature 1 (25 Laps): 1. 4-Jett Yantis[7]; 2. 66-Brody Graham[6]; 3. 00-Jake Andreotti[5]; 4. 17-Drake Cardey[2]; 5. 50-Dane Culver[1]; 6. 14T-Caden Sarale[3]; 7. 20-CJ Sarna[8]; 8. 55-Hailey Lambert[11]; 9. 15-Adam Weisberg[12]; 10. 51-Brody Fuson[4]; 11. 2ND-Terry Nichols[15]; 12. 78-Marvin Mitchell[13]; 13. 15X-Ron Hazelton[14]; 14. 14-Connor Speir[9]; 15. 20X-Kyle Hawse[10]
IMCA Modifieds A Feature 1 (30 Laps): 1. 15P-Andrew Pearce[8]; 2. 661-Race Liberante[9]; 3. 151-Tyler Bannister[1]; 4. 16-Tyson Talkington[10]; 5. C5-Wayne Coffman[13]; 6. 21JT-Justin Crockett[5]; 7. 2D-Brian McCaughan[11]; 8. 11M-Wyatt Moody[15]; 9. 57-Gage McCaughan[12]; 10. 15F-Markus Frazier[4]; 11. 15B-Brad Pounds[3]; 12. 51G-Gavyn Manning[2]; 13. 22S-Cole Szlauko[7]; 14. 34-Wyatt Maxwell[14]; 15. 10N-Rob Sanders[6]
IMCA Sport Mods A Feature 1 (25 Laps): 1. 51-Jason Bannister[6]; 2. 62-Tate Loftis[5]; 3. 18C-Chris McKellar[7]; 4. 33-Cale Kanke[9]; 5. 15F-Matthew Frazier[3]; 6. 1-Colby Ward[13]; 7. 99B-Paul Brown[10]; 8. 68-Santiago Lopez[12]; 9. 1N-Nicholas Johnson[1]; 10. 11-Ethan Johnson[8]; 11. 32-Jeff Bentancourt[2]; 12. 43K-Landon King[4]; 13. (DNS) 68S-Sunnie Simkins
IMCA Stock Cars A Feature 1 (20 Laps): 1. 54V-Jacob Van Essen[2]; 2. 68-Billy Simkins[4]; 3. 18A-Austin Pugh[1]; 4. 5-Raymond Noland[3]; 5. (DNF) 55J-Blaze Hill[5]
Hobby Stocks A Feature 1 (20 Laps): 1. 16-Ricky Childress Jr[2]; 2. 5-Keith Heaslet[4]; 3. 26S-Stephen Johnson[8]; 4. 91C-Marcus Wankum[5]; 5. 28X-Cameron Campbell[3]; 6. 13XXX-Bryson Wood[1]; 7. 13-Casey Johnson[7]; 8. 25B-Brooke Cimental[9]; 9. 79-Ryan Barnes[6]; 10. (DNS) 39-Matt Ehler
American Stocks A Feature 1 (20 Laps): 1. 25-Carson Conway[7]; 2. 31-Spencer Vasquez[8]; 3. 2B-Dan Bryant[2]; 4. 33-Robert Swearengin[5]; 5. 0-Gene Glover[1]; 6. 954-Jesse Bowles[3]; 7. 13-Paige Maddox[9]; 8. 13X-Jose Rosales[4]; 9. 01-John Robinson[6]
National Dwarf Cars A Feature 1 (25 Laps): 1. 33-Brandon Wiley[1]; 2. 41E-Nick Velasquez[3]; 3. 21X-Dewey Myers[6]; 4. 36E-Daniel Peters[5]; 5. 4E-Ian Velasquez[7]; 6. 00E-Joe Barket[9]; 7. 14-JD Brown[4]; 8. 15E-Joe Bohard[2]; 9. 24-Justin Bingman[8]; 10. 20R-Corey Furr[11]; 11. 87E-Tommy Velasquez[10]; 12. 24B-Sammi Rivera[12]; 13. 21E-Shelly Myers[13]