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NEW EGYPT, NJ – Down to the wire.
The 2025 New Egypt Speedway Championship chase will be the closest fight in recent memory, with three racers separated by just 18 points with two races remaining.
The trio of Danny Bouc, Ryan Godown, and Billy Pauch Jr. have combined for eight wins in the nine points races contested so far in 2025.
Bouc and Godown have each been to Victory Lane on three occasions, while Billy Pauch Jr. has trekked to center stage twice.
Trenton, N.J.’s Davey Sammons is the only driver to best the dominant trio this season.
Pipersville, Pa.’s Danny Bouc (480 points) sits atop the Modified standings, with a six-point advantage over Ringoes, N.J.’s Ryan Godown (474).
In the nine races thus far this season, the driver of the Craig and Leslie Pondish No. 6 has finished outside the top three just once and has an average finish of 3.22.
Bouc has one New Egypt Speedway championship in his career, coming back in the Covid-19 shortened 2020 season.
Now Bouc sits in the driver’s seat for a second career championship at the D-shaped oval.
“We’ve had a great call year,” Bouc explains. “The plan all along for us was to focus on New Egypt and winning the championship.”
Of the competition? Bouc had high praise.
“They are the two toughest guys to race against around here,” Bouc spoke of Godown and Pauch Jr. “They’ve had speed all year just like us… it’s definitely not going to be easy.”
The plan for the final two weeks for Bouc though remains the same; win.
“I just want to win races. Financially, winning races is the best thing you can do in our sport, so that’s what we’re out to do.”
Two-time defending champion Ryan Godown sits second in the Modified standings, in search of a record setting seventh Modified title at New Egypt Speedway.
“Winning a seventh would be great,” Godown stated. “My focus though is on winning two races. Afterwards we can be happy about seven, but my mindset is to win races and that’s what it’s been since we won the championship in 2012.”
Godown won titles previously in ’12, ’14, ’15, ’16, ’23, and ’24, tying him with Billy Pauch Sr. for the most Modified championships in speedway history.
Godown, like Bouc, has three wins to his credit this season and an average finish of 3.22 as he chases Bouc to the finish line.
“We’ve struggled with consistency,” Godown said of his season thus far. “We’ve hit it right and been fast, but we’ve also had more nights that we were off. Consistently finding the balance has been a struggle.”
With just two more races to go, Godown said he expects the intensity to pick up between the three.
“We’ve had no issues this year between the three of us,” Godown explained. “The racing has been great, but I expect the aggressiveness between all three of us to pick up.”
The final driver in the three-car fight is Frenchtown, N.J.’s Billy Pauch Jr. (462), 18 markers behind Danny Bouc.
The ‘Kid’s Kid’ has two titles to his name at New Egypt Speedway coming in ’17 and ’19.
Since the opening night 12th-place finish (which saw him go to the rear after contact caused him to spin mid-race), Pauch Jr. finished outside the top three just twice and has an average finish of 2.875 (3.89 for the season).
“I’ve had one or two nights not go my way to put me in the spot I’m in,” Pauch Jr. proclaimed. “I’m sure they’ve both had a night or two though that makes them feel the same way.”
Now Pauch Jr. has two weeks to make up 18 points for his third championship, and to keep his dad tied atop the all-time championship win list.
“I just have to drive harder to stay ahead of them this week,” he stated. “If my math is right, I should start ahead of them this week, so I just have to make sure I can stay there.
“Focus on the first five laps, that’s where our nights are usually made,” he explained as a key point of emphasis going forward.
Pauch Jr. also had kind words of his counterparts.
“We’ve ran together on and off for over 15 years now. We have respect for each other, and I think that respect has grown as we’ve gotten older,” he exclaimed. “It’s a three car battle you don’t see very often and I’m really looking forward to it.”
Both events can be streamed LIVE on the New Egypt Speedway YouTube page (https://www.youtube.com/@NewEgyptSpeedway).
For August 23, pit gates open at 3 p.m. with grandstands unlocking at 4 p.m. The camera & autograph session is slated for 6 p.m. with racing to follow at 7 p.m.
Grandstand admission is $23 for Adults, $20 for Seniors (ages 65 and up), and $15 for Teens (12-15) and Military w/ID. Kids 11 and under are admitted FREE.
Pit admission is $30 with a license and $40 w/o one.
New Egypt Speedway is located at 720 Route 539 New Egypt, NJ 08533. To learn more visit newegyptspeedway.net, call 609.758.1900 or like New Egypt Speedway on Facebook.
