11/12/2025
Central Arizona Raceway
HIBDON WINS THE SHOWDOWN
By Ben Deatherage
CASA GRANDE, Ariz. (Nov. 9, 2025) — Kollin Hibdon capped off The Showdown tripleheader weekend in style, leading every lap of Sunday’s Friesen Performance IMCA Modified main event at Central Arizona Raceway to win the finale for the second consecutive year. The Pahrump, Nev., native—now residing in Waterloo, Iowa—pocketed $3,000 for the 30-lap victory and became the first driver in event history to repeat as champion. The win also earned Hibdon a spot on the eligibility list for the 2026 Fast Shafts All-Star Modified Invitational at Boone Speedway during the Speedway Motors IMCA Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s.
Hibdon, the 2025 Marshalltown Speedway track champion and winner of the Ernie Mincy Memorial Early Thaw Series at the same track earlier this year, started outside the front row and grabbed the lead immediately. Despite several cautions slowing the pace, he never faltered, mastering each restart and steadily pulling away from his challengers. Wisconsin’s 2024 state champion Cole Czarneski stayed closest in pursuit, coming home second after winning Saturday’s preliminary feature, while Friday night’s victor, Austin Kuehl, crossed in third.
2012 IMCA Super Nationals champion and 2023 Showdown winner Jeff Taylor, now racing out of Oklahoma, finished fourth, with 2022 Sweetwater Speedway track champion Braxton Yeager rounding out the top five.
Both Czarneski and Kuehl earned Fast Shafts Invitational eligibility earlier in the weekend with their preliminary wins.
Johnson Shines in SportMods
Tyler Johnson made the most of championship night, adding the final-night win to his Saturday preliminary triumph in the Karl Chevrolet IMCA Northern SportMod feature. The Laveen racer—last year’s Arizona State champion and 2024 National Rookie of the Year—commanded the $1,000-to-win, 25-lap main event, fending off repeated challenges in a caution-filled affair.
Johnson appeared to have the race well in hand until a couple of brushes with the outside retaining wall slowed his pace late, allowing 2025 Arizona State champion Braydon Whitfield to close in. The pair staged a tense duel over the closing laps, with Johnson holding strong to become the fourth different driver in as many years to win the SportMod finale at The Showdown.
Whitfield finished second, with 2023 Early Thaw Series champion Boddie Parker third, 2024 track champion Eric Winemiller fourth, and 2015 National Rookie of the Year Mark “Bud” Martini fifth.
Andy Cole captured the Friday preliminary feature.
Czarneski Surges to Stock Car Supremacy
Double duty paid off big for Wisconsin’s Cole Czarneski, who dominated the Sunoco IMCA Stock Car finale to score back-to-back Showdown titles. The 2023 and 2025 winner was untouchable in the 20-lap main event, slowed only by a handful of cautions but never challenged for the lead. Each restart was executed perfectly, sealing Czarneski’s place in event history as the only driver ever to win the Stock Car portion more than once.
Tyler Johnson, also pulling double duty aboard the Mitchell Ferguson-owned no. 21MF, battled hard to finish second after a spirited exchange with 2020 IMCA Northern SportMod Rookie of the Year Clay Erickson. 2025 EQ Cylinder Heads Southern Region Rookie of the Year Casey Murdoch placed fourth, followed by newly crowned Arizona Modified champion Luke Silber in fifth.
2024 EQ Cylinder Heads Southern Region champion Bo Partain swept both preliminary nights to complete a stellar weekend.
Madrid Sweeps The Weekend in Hobby Stocks
Phoenix standout Anthony Madrid capped a flawless weekend in the Sunoco IMCA Hobby Stocks, piloting the Ricky Thornton Sr.-owned no. 53 to victory in all three nights of The Showdown. Madrid set the pace from the drop of the green in Sunday’s 20-lap finale, holding off multiple challengers through three cautions and restarts to complete the weekend sweep. His victory also continued the event’s streak of parity — four different drivers have now claimed The Showdown Hobby Stock title in the last four years.
Former event winner Darrin Biggs, the 2023 Showdown champion, settled for second after a close duel with three-time and reigning South Dakota State champion Joel Magee, who made the trip from Florida. Eric Lloyd and Nick Biggs rounded out the top five in the competitive Hobby Stock field.
The event was broadcast live on IMCA TV. Catch every lap again with the IMCA TV Replay Subscription, available for just $24.99/month. And don’t miss Season 2 of the Boone Docuseries, now streaming exclusively on IMCA TV.
Submitted By: Geoff Briggs