John Corell scores first 2026 win at Jamestown Speedway

John Corell gave Jamestown Speedway fans a hometown finish to cheer Saturday night, driving from ninth to first to win the Shocker Hitch IMCA Modified feature and collect his first victory of the 2026 season. The 71-year-old Jamestown racer did it on Kids Race Night & Mary Vetter Challenge, a program that brought 115 cars to the 1/4-mile high-bank oval and gave the local crowd a veteran storyline to follow.

Corell’s run mattered because it was not a cruise to the front. The track recap listed him as the hard charger at plus-8, and the front of the race turned into a battle with Jacoby Traut and Scott Gartner before Corell finished the job. Traut ended up runner-up, while Corell’s late surge turned a competitive feature into one of the night’s most talked-about results.

For Jamestown fans, Corell’s win fit a broader pattern of loyalty and recognition that has made him a fixture at the Speedway for years. A Jamestown Sun feature in August 2025 said he had been racing for 47 years, and IMCA coverage from August 2016 already described him as a 61-year-old Jamestown veteran winning at the track. The age gap between those two snapshots shows why Saturday’s victory resonated: Corell has remained part of the local racing picture across generations, not just seasons.

That longevity gives the win a different weight than a one-off upset. Corell has been around long enough for longtime spectators to know the car, the name and the style, and for younger fans to see what staying competitive into your 70s looks like on a dirt track. In a season where the Speedway continues to draw familiar area names, his first 2026 win became a reminder that local racing is built as much on continuity as it is on speed.

The June 13 card was also a strong night for the home crowd more broadly, with three Jamestown drivers taking top honors. Sponsored by KSJB 600AM and MIX 93.3FM, the event unfolded during a busy stretch at the Speedway, with the next race night set for June 20 and a mid-summer break listed for June 27. Corell’s victory gave the Stutsman County track a result that felt bigger than a single feature, because it came from a driver whose career has become part of Jamestown’s own racing identity.