Teapot Holds the Throne in a Tense Iowa Season Opener

Newton, IA — Red Light Racing opened Season 15 of the Skitter Creek Modified Series with a tightly contested 70-lap feature at Iowa Speedway, where the focus quickly narrowed to a familiar championship battle. Defending three-time champion Eric “Teapot” Stout entered the opener with a target on his back, while four-time champion Dalton Williamson returned to competition after a lengthy absence, eager to reestablish himself among the frontrunners. By the end of the night, Iowa delivered a race defined by discipline, strategy, and a final restart that decided everything.

Stout wasted no time asserting control from the pole, immediately absorbing pressure from Bill Benedict on the outside. While Iowa’s 7/8-mile tri-oval offers multiple lanes, the bottom groove proved decisive early, especially with the notorious bump in turns one and two threatening to shove cars up the track if mistimed. Stout planted his car on the preferred line and began doing what champions do best, managing the race rather than forcing it. Behind him, Andy Lewis emerged as the early aggressor, repeatedly peeking underneath in search of a way past. Though Lewis showed flashes of speed, Stout countered with patience, leaving the door open down low while preserving his tires on the higher arc.

The race’s strategic fork arrived under caution following contact between rookie Hayden Austin and AJ Hamel. While Stout and Williamson elected to stay out and protect track position, Lewis and Jeff Aho rolled the dice, surrendering top-five spots in exchange for fresh rubber. Stout later admitted the decision was not made lightly, recalling past races where pitting late offered speed but no opportunity. That gamble grew riskier as chaos followed, including a multi-car incident in turn one and a confusing restart where Williamson was briefly scored as the leader when the yellow flew mid-pack shuffle.

With the laps dwindling, the opener came down to a Green-White-Checker finish, the kind Iowa seems to summon on command. League rules preventing the leader from jumping the restart influenced Stout’s lane choice, as he hugged the inside to shorten the run into turn one. When the green dropped, Stout and Williamson charged forward side by side, the returning champion testing every inch of asphalt available. Ethan “The Mountain” Troutman loomed just behind, ready to capitalize on any mistake.

But no mistake came. Stout stretched his line wide through the final corners, shutting down Williamson’s last assault and securing a wire-to-wire victory that spoke less of dominance and more of control. Williamson crossed the line second in an impressive return, having carefully managed his right-front tire all night. Troutman completed the podium, continuing the consistency that marked his previous season.

Behind them, Bradley Stefane and Fred LeClair rounded out the top five, while Lewis salvaged eighth after his late pit gamble. Benedict’s night ended just outside the top ten in 11th, narrowly clearing his spotlighted over/under despite late-race contact.

As the series heads next to Langley Speedway, a venue Williamson openly calls a favorite, the opening chapter has set the tone. The king has not stepped aside, the challenger has not lost his edge, and Season 15 is already shaping up to be less about nostalgia and more about survival.