Shawn Kralik is soaking in his unexpected Weekly Series Division III national championship

When Adams County Speedway finished its 2025 season in early September, Shawn Kralik was sitting atop the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Division III national standings. But he figured he didn't have much of a chance to stay there. His competitors at other tracks across the country still had one, two or even three races remaining in their seasons. Kralik and his team basically stopped following the results in those final weeks. He was content knowing he was just in the conversation. Then he got the call. "We didn't really know about it here until recently," Kralik said. "We didn't know if we'd be able to hang onto it or not because we had left there for quite a while." Those final races at other tracks didn't matter. Kralik won the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Division III national championship by 32 points ahead of Berlin Raceway's Tim DeVos. It's the first national championship for the driver from Creston, Iowa. "That part really hasn't sunk in," Kralik said. "Just to find out we actually pulled it off when the final results were in, that means quite a lot. It hasn't quite sunk in yet. It's a pretty neat deal. We honestly didn't figure that was something in our hands that we'd ever pull off, so it's neat that it happened." [caption id="attachment_492451" align="aligncenter" width="1300"] Shawn Kralik earned six wins in the Sport Mod class at Iowa's Adams County Speedway to clinch not just the track title, but the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Division III national championship, as well. (Photo: CK Imaging)[/caption] Kralik had his best season in his 14th year, finishing with six wins in Adams County's Sport Mods by RJ's Plumbing & Heating division. He never finished worse than fourth in 19 races, and he won the track championship by 196 points. "It went pretty good. I guess we had a pretty solid year," he said. "We had pretty good car count in our class and our division. ... It went pretty good, I thought." The meteoric success comes less than a year after Kralik was involved in a wreck at the Corning, Iowa track that forced him to build a new race car for the 2025 season. This was Kralik's second track championship at Adams County. His first arrived in 2023. With several near misses at the national title, Kralik's team focused simply on winning races at his home track and then seeing how the points played out at the end of the year. That's why his championship came as such a surprise. He didn't even know he was close to the top of the standings until someone mentioned it to him at the track when he had just a few races remaining. "We've been close a few times. We've led it some, but toward the end, we just didn't quite hang on," he said. "At the end of the whole season, everything changes pretty quick. So I know we've led it several times, but we just haven't finished it out. It's kind of nice to finally get one of them done." Kralik doesn't come from a racing family, and he didn't get into the sport until his late teens. Growing up, Kralik had a friend who was a racer, and he found himself going to tracks to watch the races. "Obviously, you want to be like your idol at some point in your life," he said. "We'd go to the races all the time and watch. And -- I don't know -- just one day we decided we could do it, but it's a lot bigger challenge than a guy thinks. It's a lot easier to watch than it is to do; that's for sure." Kralik needed more than a decade to find success, and for that, he credits the aid he received. "I was fortunate enough to have good help from the beginning with an experienced racer on my side and on my crew, so that helps a lot," he added. "And, of course, a lot of good guys on my team in general, just helping me keep everything going every week because we've been doing it every summer, all summer for a lot of years, so that's a lot of dedication." [caption id="attachment_492453" align="aligncenter" width="1300"] Shawn Kralik celebrates one of his six Sport Mod victories this year at Adams County Speedway. (Photo: CK Imaging)[/caption] This year, Kralik was joined by good friends Jeremey, Big Mike, Nick, Little Mike, Quinton, Chuck, Spenser, Garrett, Thad, Bailey, Lawson, Knox, and his dad. His wife was also a major help, as was his year-and-a-half old son, who Kralik said enjoys doing whatever he can in the shop. "It's kind of fun to have him out there rolling tires around, and he likes to let the air out of my tires," he said. "It's pretty funny." The difference the last few years, Kralik said, comes from the team simply being better organized and racing with better equipment. "We were maybe struggling to keep up with some of them guys," he added. "It's a money game, so just maybe getting better equipment under us, honestly, is what kind made us start doing better. "And more experience, in general. Just over the years figuring out what you need as a driver to make yourself better. We've been close to championships before in years prior, but just not quite there. The last, I'd say three or four years, maybe even five years, have been really actually pretty good years for us. It's a lot more enjoyable when you can do better." Kralik's team is mostly farmers with a busy season in the fall, so they haven't had time to get together and celebrate their championship. Once work winds down, they'll get together for a celebration. He's also looking forward to the awards banquet at Adams County in January. Maybe by the time his team is able to get together, the success they achieved this season will have set in. "That's actually what makes it all come together is having everyone there, solid, working together," Kralik said. "That's honestly what makes this all happen for us. It's a team effort, for sure. So it means a lot to have that many people take time out of their weekends to be there to support it and keep it going, and we've got a really good crew together. "It means quite a bit to me, actually."