JOJO STEARNS MAKES LATE RACE MOVE TO WIN SUPER LATE MODELS AT SHASTA
ANDERSON, Calif. (May 31, 2026) – An incredibly close and competitive final 25 laps for the third Super Late Model race of 2026 at Shasta Speedway bore fruit for a central valley driver, as Stockton’s JoJo Stearns emerged victorious for his first career win in Anderson on Saturday night. Stearns was as low as fifth with ten laps remaining, then avoided chaos and made a winning pass to conclude the thrilling feature. Photo by Twisted Road Photography
The Super Late Model action was part of a five division affair at the .375-mile speedway.
Defending champion Derek Copeland of Anderson was looking to return to victory lane following a narrow loss during the Bill Schmitt Memorial weekend on May 2nd.
Upperlake’s Jeremy Doss joined the action on Saturday night and led time trials over Copeland. Madera’s Joey Iest and Tracy’s Ryan Philpott were the front row starters for the 125-lap feature. Copeland seized the lead quicky by just lap seven.
With 11 laps to go in lapped traffic, Doss tracked down Copeland and took control of the race on lap 115. Copeland and May 2nd winner Trey Daniels of Fort Bragg then collided in turn one, sending Copeland spinning for a caution flag.
Lane Anderson attempted to challenge Doss from the high side on the restart but spun, collecting Philpott and Iest in the third turn.
Copeland took advantage of the incident, restarting third and using the low line to pass both Stearns and Doss to rapidly drive back into the lead on lap 121. Daniels followed him through into second on the bottom before the two got together again, this time on the front stretch. Copeland spun again to bring out another caution on lap 122.
The incidents cleared the way for a heads up battle between Doss and Stearns. Stearns dove underneath Doss exiting turn four heading to the white flag. Stearns cleared Doss in turn two to lead just the final lap for his breakthrough win. Brandon Barnwell also snuck underneath Doss to finish second followed by Doss, Copeland, and a resurgent Joey Iest.
An outstanding 16-car field of Modifieds competed on Saturday night, with Tracy’s Scott Winters adding to his legacy of wins and championships all over California with another victory. Trystan Mucci finished second after 50-laps of action followed by Charlie Collins, Sal Martinez, and Sammy Nuno.
Former Shasta Speedway Bomber champion Brian King prevailed in the Street Stock competition, leading Ryan Lentz, Tim MacLeod, Kevin Owens, and 2025 champion Scott Macleod in the 25-lap feature.
Steven Gannon continued his hot season in the INEX Legends with a win in the 25-lap race followed by fast-time qualifier Brian Kamisky in second. Deakon Kamisky finished third with Nico Caldeira in fourth. Oregon teenager Parker Mockridge had a strong debut on asphalt, qualifying second then finishing fifth in the feature.
Mark Felch extended his points lead in the Hornets division, fending off familiar foe Peter Smith III for the 20-lap feature win. Chris Cushing was third while Titan Hills and Fawna Stankey rounded out the top-five.
Shasta Speedway takes an extended Summer Break until September 12 when the fourth round of action will hit the fairgrounds speedway in Anderson.
Rules and procedures are available at www.ShastaSpeedway.com. For more information on the 2026 season, contact Shasta Speedway at info@shastaspeedway.com or call (530) 524-6283
