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Justin Peck Completes Sweep of Volusia, Crowned DIRTcar Nationals Champion
Peck becomes third driver in ASCS National Tour history to win first three races
Jordan DeLucia

As Justin Peck lined up eighth on the starting grid of Saturday’s main event, the Sprint Car world watched intently as he attempted a third win in three nights. Thirty laps later, all doubters were silenced.

Peck, 27, of Monrovia, IN, completed a sweep of the American Sprint Car Series (ASCS) National Tour action at Volusia Speedway Park, leading the final 14 laps of the Feature to claim the $12,000 grand prize and the Big Gator trophy as division champion of the 54th Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals.

In doing so, Peck became the third driver in ASCS National Tour history to win the first three races of the season, joining Jason Martin (2023) and Sam Hafertepe Jr, who won the first five races in 2017.

Unlike his wins on Thursday and Friday, Peck was forced to come from deeper in the field on Saturday after drawing the ‘10’ pill in the Dash Draw. He was able to move forward two spots in the Dash to put him eighth on the Feature starting grid. Still, Peck and the Rudeen Racing No. 26 refused to be hindered, driving by four of the seven cars ahead of him on the first lap.
 

“Basically, what happened was, the whole outside row let go to the middle–bottom and I was able to kinda have the top lane to myself in (Turns) 1 and 2,” Peck said. “That was kinda my plan to try to pick off a car or two in Turns 1 and 2 and then just kinda file out and pick them off as we went. Luckily, it worked out. I was able to pick off four of them right off the rip.”

After getting around polesitter Austin McCarl for second on Lap 9, Peck set his sights on leader Brian Brown and quickly took the spot away with a single slide job maneuver in Turn 1 on Lap 16.

“I was able to get such a run on him off of (Turn) 2 that I was way too close to him, and it was such a slick transition to try and to go from the top off of 2 to get to the bottom down into 3,” Peck said. “I could carry enough momentum, but I’d spun my tires through that slick trying to peel across. I just had to set that gap going down the backstretch, that way I could get into 3 with clean air and try to get that big run down the frontstretch. Luckily, I was able to time it pretty good.”

“When (Peck) passed me, within reason, he made a really good move and cleared three lapped cars at the same time and that really was a race-winning move because now I have to race those lapped cars,” Brown, of Higginsville, MO, said.

Brown and the rest of the field got one final chance to make a bid for the lead when the caution flag was displayed with three laps left, erasing the near six-second lead Peck had amassed. However, not to be denied, Peck sped off before his opponents could catch him on the restart.

“I knew I needed to get a good restart and get down the frontstretch with speed, that way I didn’t open myself up for the slider,” Peck said of having Brown behind him. “It was such a slick bottom–middle that if I just had speed going down the frontstretch, I figured I was probably gonna be fine because there wasn’t any traffic. There wasn’t any dirty air, and Brian (Brown) had to be in my dirty air.”

Brown crossed the stripe second, and while he applauded his team’s efforts over the three-day stretch, he conceded to Peck.


“He’s been the class of the field since we unloaded on Thursday,” Brown said. “I thought maybe with him getting buried — he’s been close to the front the last two nights, so I was thinking maybe a bad pill draw in the Dash and then him getting a row there and having him start eighth — I was thinking it would take him too long to get there.”

McCarl was able to hold onto the third spot after a fierce battle with Cole Macedo in the closing laps.

“Lapped traffic got hairy, and me and Cole had a couple really good sliders, damn near banging wheels off of (Turn) 2 one time up in the stuff,” McCarl, of Altoona, IA, said. “That’s what this place should be. You watch a lot of old videos and it’s wide up on the fence. I’ve always said I thought Volusia was one of the most underrated tracks in the country.”

Two-time Tour champion Blake Hahn earned the Hard Charger honors, gaining eight spots of position in his drive from 21st up to 13th. Peck was the winner of Heat 1, Axsom won Heat 2, Scotty Thiel won Heat 3, McCarl won Heat 4 and Sam Hafertepe Jr. won Heat 5. Hahn also won the Smith Titanium Last Chance Showdown.

UP NEXT

The ASCS National Tour resumes competition on Saturday, April 12 at Salina Highbanks Speedway in Salina, OK. Tickets for the event will be sold at the gate. If you can’t be there, watch every lap live on DIRTVision.

 

Volusia Speedway Park FL   2/1/25

Feature (30 Laps): 1. 26-Justin Peck[8]; 2. 21-Brian Brown[2]; 3. 88-Austin McCarl[1]; 4. 2C-Cole Macedo[7]; 5. 48-Danny Dietrich[6]; 6. 51T-Scotty Thiel[5]; 7. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[4]; 8. 44-Chris Martin[11]; 9. 20-Brady Bacon[9]; 10. 27A-Emerson Axsom[3]; 11. 36-Jason Martin[12]; 12. 28F-Davie Franek[13]; 13. 52-Blake Hahn[21]; 14. 2J-Zach Blurton[18]; 15. 24M-Danny Martin Jr[14]; 16. 34-Sterling Cling[16]; 17. 95-Matt Covington[22]; 18. 88R-Ryder Laplante[15]; 19. 6G-Bryan Gossel[23]; 20. 4-Cameron Martin[19]; 21. 16TH-Kevin Newton[17]; 22. 63-Josh Weller[20]; 23. 2-Whit Gastineau[24]; 24. 13P-Daison Pursley[10]

Smith TI LCS (12 Laps): 1. 52-Blake Hahn[1]; 2. 95-Matt Covington[2]; 3. 6G-Bryan Gossel[3]; 4. 2-Whit Gastineau[4]; 5. 71-Brady Baker[5]; 6. 88J-Joey Amantea[8]; 7. 6S-Tyler Clem[6]; 8. G6-Brandon Grubaugh[7]; 9. 5H-Robbie Price[9]; 10. 77T-Tyeller Powless[11]; 11. 45X-Kyler Johnson[14]; 12. 14BW-Brett Wright[10]; 13. UK97-Ryan Harrison[12]; 14. 11K-Joshua Kunstbeck[21]; 15. 96-Brandon Sampson[16]; 16. 13-Elijah Gile[13]; 17. 938-Bradley Fezard[22]; 18. 51-Jon Brennfleck[19]; 19. 0-Glenn Styres[15]; 20. 61-William Hull[17]; 21. G5-Gunnar Setser[20]; 22. 16G-Austyn Gossel[18]

C-Main (8 Laps): 1. 11K-Joshua Kunstbeck[3]; 2. 938-Bradley Fezard[1]; 3. 27M-Austin Martin[4]; 4. 10X-Joel Charles[5]; 5. 44C-Cheyenne Potter[2]; 6. 88C-Brogan Carder[6]; 7. 25C-John Crowder[8]; 8. 12S-Adyn Schmidt[7]

Dash (5 Laps): 1. 88-Austin McCarl[1]; 2. 21-Brian Brown[2]; 3. 27A-Emerson Axsom[3]; 4. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[6]; 5. 51T-Scotty Thiel[4]; 6. 48-Danny Dietrich[7]; 7. 2C-Cole Macedo[8]; 8. 26-Justin Peck[10]; 9. 20-Brady Bacon[5]; 10. 13P-Daison Pursley[9]

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 26-Justin Peck[1]; 2. 20-Brady Bacon[2]; 3. 44-Chris Martin[3]; 4. 34-Sterling Cling[5]; 5. 6G-Bryan Gossel[4]; 6. G6-Brandon Grubaugh[7]; 7. 77T-Tyeller Powless[6]; 8. 96-Brandon Sampson[9]; 9. 938-Bradley Fezard[8]; 10. 88C-Brogan Carder[10]

Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 27A-Emerson Axsom[1]; 2. 48-Danny Dietrich[2]; 3. 36-Jason Martin[4]; 4. 16TH-Kevin Newton[6]; 5. 52-Blake Hahn[3]; 6. 88J-Joey Amantea[7]; 7. UK97-Ryan Harrison[5]; 8. 61-William Hull[9]; 9. 44C-Cheyenne Potter[10]; 10. (DNS) 12S-Adyn Schmidt

Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 51T-Scotty Thiel[2]; 2. 2C-Cole Macedo[1]; 3. 28F-Davie Franek[5]; 4. 2J-Zach Blurton[4]; 5. 2-Whit Gastineau[6]; 6. 95-Matt Covington[3]; 7. 13-Elijah Gile[7]; 8. 16G-Austyn Gossel[8]; 9. 11K-Joshua Kunstbeck[9]; 10. 25C-John Crowder[10]

Heat 4 (8 Laps): 1. 88-Austin McCarl[2]; 2. 21-Brian Brown[1]; 3. 24M-Danny Martin Jr[4]; 4. 4-Cameron Martin[3]; 5. 71-Brady Baker[5]; 6. 5H-Robbie Price[8]; 7. 45X-Kyler Johnson[6]; 8. 51-Jon Brennfleck[7]; 9. 27M-Austin Martin[9]

Heat 5 (8 Laps): 1. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[1]; 2. 13P-Daison Pursley[2]; 3. 88R-Ryder Laplante[6]; 4. 63-Josh Weller[4]; 5. 6S-Tyler Clem[3]; 6. 14BW-Brett Wright[8]; 7. 0-Glenn Styres[5]; 8. G5-Gunnar Setser[7]; 9. 10X-Joel Charles[9]


 


Justin Peck Goes Back-to-Back with ASCS National Tour at Volusia
Emerson Axsom drives 21st-to-fourth out of Last Chance, Brian Brown 10th-to-third
Jordan DeLucia

Justin Peck, 27, of Monrovia, IN, dominated the American Sprint Car Series (ASCS) National Tour main event Friday night at Volusia Speedway Park, leading all 25 laps around the 1/2-mile oval for the second consecutive night.

After joining the Washington-based team in October 2024, Peck knew he and the team were going to mesh well and expressed his high confidence going into their first year together. The team, more known for their presence in the national 410 Sprint Car ranks, brought their 360 engines with them to Florida with purpose, and it’s being fulfilled with their second checkered flag in two races.

“That was the goal,” Peck said. “I knew after yesterday we had a really strong package, and if we could just keep it rolling and be consistent, we were gonna be tough to beat.”

Though he was never legitimately challenged for the lead throughout the Feature, Peck said he did not feel as comfortable as he would have liked with his choices late in the race.

“Two nights in-a-row, I’m dialing myself out come the end of the race and getting myself too tight,” Peck said. “Our stuff is really fast, but I think Tyler (Tessemaker, crew chief) and I kinda found a little something there in that Feature that we need to work on. We were trying to make some tweaks, and I think we tweaked the wrong way at some point in that Feature.”
(from left) Macedo, Peck and Brown in Victory Lane. (Emily Schwanke Photo)

Throughout the week, Peck has faced stiff competition from several fellow 410 Sprint Car regulars, which continued on Friday. TwoC Racing’s newest pilot, Cole Macedo, chased Peck in the closing laps and was ready to make a bid for the lead, but the opportunity never came.

“I felt like my car was better a little bit lower on the track,” Macedo, 24, of Lemoore, CA, said. “I was hoping that Peck would kinda get up in the dirty stuff and spin a little bit, and hopefully I was close enough to pounce, and I just never really was.

“I saw him jump the cushion there in (Turns) 3 and 4 with three (laps) to go, and I smelled blood in the water, but I just never got close enough to be able to pounce.”

On the restarts, Peck remained strong but still had his concerns.

“I knew that my takeoff was really good, like I could grip-up and I could take off really well,” Peck said. “I knew I was gonna be fine in clean air; my worry was in traffic.

Last night, I said that I got my wing too far back late in that race and it hurt me in traffic. Well, I did a good job and thought about it today and didn’t do that. And then we had another restart with six or seven-to-go, and I overthought it and pulled it back too far again, got way too tight and really ruined my last six or seven lap run there.”

While Macedo was unable to get close enough to Peck to make a serious challenge for the lead, he was able to score a runner-up finish — a big confidence boost as he, like Peck, is still in the early stages of meshing with a new team.

“It’s super good to be hot out of the box with TwoC Racing and Wayne (Johnson) and all the guys here,” Macedo said. “For me and Wayne to be meshing this quick is really good, and we’ll have some good momentum going into the whole journey we’re about to start here with the World of Outlaws. I’m excited for it.”

Missouri veteran Brian Brown completed the podium with a drive from 10th on the starting grid up to a third-place finish — his best of the weekend thus far. However, his advancement in position fell short of the race’s Hard Charger honoree — Emerson Axsom.
Axsom in the Klaasmeyer/Petry Motorsports No. 27A (Emily Schwanke Photo)

Axsom, 20, of Franklin, IN, drove from 21st on the grid up to fourth by the checkered flag, completing a 17-car charge up through the field from out of the Smith Titanium Last Chance Showdown. Axsom — Thursday night’s runner-up — blew a right-rear tire in his Heat Race and did not finish. This forced him to come from out the Last Chance race, which he won, setting the stage for a head-turning drive to the front.

“I honestly think we’ve got one of the fastest cars,” Axsom said. “I think we’ve got something for Peck. Last night, we lined up beside him and kinda had a dyno session racetrack. Tonight, we lined up 21st and came to fourth, which is a good run — a really great run, actually, at this place.”

In combined points from both nights, Axsom sits second only to Peck, and the two will likely see each other in the $12,000-to-win finale Saturday night.

“Our stuff’s really good, but we haven’t gotten to line up next to Justin on a technical racetrack,” Axsom said. “Which is where a guy like him thrives, racing all the time. But I like my odds just as much.

“I’d like to line up next to the 26 car when it gets slick and technical. We gave ourselves a chance to do that tomorrow for 12 grand.”

UP NEXT

The ASCS National Tour continues action at Volusia Saturday, February 1, in the final race day for the Tour as part of the 54th DIRTcar Nationals, with a $12,000 grand prize up for grabs in the main event. A Big Gator points champion will also be crowned in Victory Lane.

Tickets for DIRTcar Nationals are on sale by clicking here and will also be available at the gate upon arrival. If you can’t make it to the track, stream every lap live on DIRTVision.

Volusia Speedway Park FL   1/31/25

Feature (25 Laps): 1. 26-Justin Peck[1]; 2. 2C-Cole Macedo[3]; 3. 21-Brian Brown[10]; 4. 27A-Emerson Axsom[21]; 5. 48-Danny Dietrich[2]; 6. 13P-Daison Pursley[4]; 7. 51T-Scotty Thiel[7]; 8. 44-Chris Martin[8]; 9. 20-Brady Bacon[11]; 10. 4-Cameron Martin[12]; 11. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[5]; 12. 6S-Tyler Clem[18]; 13. 52-Blake Hahn[9]; 14. 88M-Austin McCarl[6]; 15. 2J-Zach Blurton[14]; 16. 95-Matt Covington[22]; 17. 24M-Danny Martin Jr[17]; 18. 34-Sterling Cling[16]; 19. 28F-Davie Franek[20]; 20. 71-Brady Baker[19]; 21. 6G-Bryan Gossel[24]; 22. 77T-Tyeller Powless[23]; 23. 16TH-Kevin Newton[15]; 24. 20D-Danny Sams III[13]

Smith TI LCS (12 Laps): 1. 27A-Emerson Axsom[1]; 2. 95-Matt Covington[6]; 3. 77T-Tyeller Powless[2]; 4. 6G-Bryan Gossel[3]; 5. 2-Whit Gastineau[12]; 6. 0-Glenn Styres[4]; 7. 45X-Kyler Johnson[5]; 8. G6-Brandon Grubaugh[8]; 9. 36-Jason Martin[9]; 10. G5-Gunnar Setser[7]; 11. 16H-Hank Davis[10]; 12. 63-Josh Weller[14]; 13. 5H-Robbie Price[11]; 14. 88J-Joey Amantea[13]; 15. 96-Brandon Sampson[20]; 16. 13-Elijah Gile[16]; 17. 12S-Adyn Schmidt[22]; 18. 16G-Austyn Gossel[19]; 19. 88R-Ryder Laplante[23]; 20. 11K-Joshua Kunstbeck[21]; 21. 51-Jon Brennfleck[15]; 22. 938-Bradley Fezard[17]; 23. (DNS) UK97-Ryan Harrison

C-Main (8 Laps): 1. 12S-Adyn Schmidt[2]; 2. 88R-Ryder Laplante[3]; 3. 27M-Austin Martin[1]; 4. 10X-Joel Charles[4]; 5. 61-William Hull[7]; 6. 88C-Brogan Carder[8]; 7. 44C-Cheyenne Potter[10]; 8. 25C-John Crowder[9]; 9. 4P-Chase Moran[5]; 10. 14BW-Brett Wright[6]

Dash (5 Laps): 1. 26-Justin Peck[2]; 2. 48-Danny Dietrich[1]; 3. 2C-Cole Macedo[3]; 4. 13P-Daison Pursley[4]; 5. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[5]; 6. 88M-Austin McCarl[6]; 7. 51T-Scotty Thiel[8]; 8. 44-Chris Martin[7]; 9. 52-Blake Hahn[9]

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 26-Justin Peck[1]; 2. 21-Brian Brown[2]; 3. 88M-Austin McCarl[4]; 4. 24M-Danny Martin Jr[3]; 5. 6G-Bryan Gossel[8]; 6. G6-Brandon Grubaugh[6]; 7. 77T-Tyeller Powless[5]; 8. 938-Bradley Fezard[7]; 9. 27M-Austin Martin[9]; 10. 14BW-Brett Wright[10]; 11. 44C-Cheyenne Potter[11]

Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 44-Chris Martin[1]; 2. 4-Cameron Martin[3]; 3. 2J-Zach Blurton[2]; 4. 13P-Daison Pursley[4]; 5. 0-Glenn Styres[6]; 6. 36-Jason Martin[5]; 7. 88J-Joey Amantea[9]; 8. UK97-Ryan Harrison[7]; 9. 12S-Adyn Schmidt[8]; 10. 61-William Hull[10]

Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[4]; 2. 20-Brady Bacon[1]; 3. 16TH-Kevin Newton[2]; 4. 6S-Tyler Clem[3]; 5. 45X-Kyler Johnson[9]; 6. 16H-Hank Davis[5]; 7. 63-Josh Weller[6]; 8. 16G-Austyn Gossel[8]; 9. 88R-Ryder Laplante[7]; 10. 88C-Brogan Carder[10]

Heat 4 (8 Laps): 1. 51T-Scotty Thiel[1]; 2. 20D-Danny Sams III[3]; 3. 52-Blake Hahn[2]; 4. 71-Brady Baker[7]; 5. 95-Matt Covington[5]; 6. 5H-Robbie Price[8]; 7. 51-Jon Brennfleck[6]; 8. 96-Brandon Sampson[9]; 9. 10X-Joel Charles[10]; 10. 27A-Emerson Axsom[4]

Heat 5 (8 Laps): 1. 2C-Cole Macedo[1]; 2. 48-Danny Dietrich[4]; 3. 34-Sterling Cling[2]; 4. 28F-Davie Franek[5]; 5. G5-Gunnar Setser[3]; 6. 2-Whit Gastineau[6]; 7. 13-Elijah Gile[9]; 8. 11K-Joshua Kunstbeck[7]; 9. 4P-Chase Moran[8]; 10. (DNS) 25C-John Crowder

Qualifying 1 (2 Laps): 1. 88M-Austin McCarl, 00:14.206[4]; 2. 26-Justin Peck, 00:14.259[8]; 3. 21-Brian Brown, 00:14.291[2]; 4. 24M-Danny Martin Jr, 00:14.709[1]; 5. 77T-Tyeller Powless, 00:14.739[9]; 6. G6-Brandon Grubaugh, 00:14.740; 7. 938-Bradley Fezard, 00:14.755[10]; 8. 6G-Bryan Gossel, 00:14.790[6]; 9. 27M-Austin Martin, 00:14.917[7]; 10. 14BW-Brett Wright, 00:15.274[5]; 11. 44C-Cheyenne Potter, 00:15.760[3]

Qualifying 2 (2 Laps): 1. 13P-Daison Pursley, 00:14.234[1]; 2. 44-Chris Martin, 00:14.432[7]; 3. 2J-Zach Blurton, 00:14.623[3]; 4. 4-Cameron Martin, 00:14.736[5]; 5. 36-Jason Martin, 00:14.746[9]; 6. 0-Glenn Styres, 00:14.803[8]; 7. UK97-Ryan Harrison, 00:14.868[4]; 8. 12S-Adyn Schmidt, 00:15.003[10]; 9. 88J-Joey Amantea, 00:15.025[6]; 10. 61-William Hull, 00:15.151[2]

Qualifying 3 (2 Laps): 1. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr, 00:14.490[2]; 2. 20-Brady Bacon, 00:14.580[1]; 3. 16TH-Kevin Newton, 00:14.708[4]; 4. 6S-Tyler Clem, 00:14.762[3]; 5. 16H-Hank Davis, 00:14.821[8]; 6. 63-Josh Weller, 00:14.830[5]; 7. 88R-Ryder Laplante, 00:14.904[6]; 8. 16G-Austyn Gossel, 00:14.911[9]; 9. 45X-Kyler Johnson, 00:14.993[7]; 10. 88C-Brogan Carder, 00:15.734[10]

Qualifying 4 (2 Laps): 1. 27A-Emerson Axsom, 00:14.451[3]; 2. 51T-Scotty Thiel, 00:14.605[4]; 3. 52-Blake Hahn, 00:14.711[2]; 4. 20D-Danny Sams III, 00:14.840[6]; 5. 95-Matt Covington, 00:14.870[5]; 6. 51-Jon Brennfleck, 00:14.882[1]; 7. 71-Brady Baker, 00:15.013[10]; 8. 5H-Robbie Price, 00:15.213[8]; 9. 96-Brandon Sampson, 00:15.260[9]; 10. 10X-Joel Charles, 00:16.160[7]

Qualifying 5 (2 Laps): 1. 48-Danny Dietrich, 00:14.799[3]; 2. 2C-Cole Macedo, 00:14.858[5]; 3. 34-Sterling Cling, 00:14.929[2]; 4. G5-Gunnar Setser, 00:14.974[9]; 5. 28F-Davie Franek, 00:15.028[7]; 6. 2-Whit Gastineau, 00:15.143[1]; 7. 11K-Joshua Kunstbeck, 00:15.245[8]; 8. 4P-Chase Moran, 00:15.281[4]; 9. 13-Elijah Gile, 00:15.282[10]; 10. 25C-John Crowder, 00:16.778[6]


Justin Peck Banks First Career ASCS National Tour Victory in Season Opener at Volusia
Jordan DeLucia

Sprint Cars have hit the racetrack once again in the United States, and Justin Peck and Rudeen Racing were the first to taste victory in the first main event of the new year Thursday night at Volusia Speedway Park.

The newly formed driver–team pairing kicked off their new partnership in dominant fashion, winning the American Sprint Car Series (ASCS) National Tour season opener — as part of the 54th edition of Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals — by leading all 25 laps of the Feature to collect the $3,000 grand prize.

More commonly seen on the national 410 Sprint Car circuit, the Washington-based team brought the 360 engine out to get their operation rolling before competition begins with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series next week. Though Rudeen first had Peck driving the team car at the conclusion of 2024, Peck expressed great confidence in he and the team’s capability so early on into their partnership.

“I knew we had speed in the 410 ranks, and I think we just had enough confidence knowing that if we just stick on the program we’re doing and keep building our notebook together that we were gonna be pretty fast,” Peck said. “Thankfully, we were right, and we came here with a lot of speed right out of the box. We had to tweak on it a little bit here and there to gain that little bit extra it takes to win races like this.”
Emily Schwanke Photo

After turning the fastest Qualifying lap in his group, a fourth-to-first drive to win Heat Race 3 and a runner-up effort in the Dash, Peck took the lead from the outside pole on the opening lap of the Feature and never lost focus. The 27-year-old from Monrovia, IN, held off 20-year-old Emerson Axsom and five-time ASCS National Tour champion Sam Hafertepe Jr. for all 25 laps on the fast 1/2-mile — to which he gave much credit to the car underneath him.

“I had a good enough racecar there; I probably would’ve been okay even if the track did change,” Peck said. “Even in that condition, I could run in the dirty stuff, I could run in the slick, I could kinda run through the grip. All-in-all, my car was pretty good.”

Though he was never considerably challenged for the lead, Peck was forced to deal with pressure from Axsom on multiple restarts and in his drives through lapped traffic.

“It’s such a big, fast track, and the 360 stuff doesn’t have as much [horsepower] as a 410 would, so when you get your momentum broken, it’s so hard to get it back together,” Peck said. “Me being up front, I’m full-bore, wide open, ready to rip, and those guys that are mid-pack toward the back are all racing each other and all breaking momentum all the time. Then I get to them, and I have to break my momentum, and it just allows everybody coming behind you to be right up on you right away.”

“I felt like the only chance I had at [Peck] was in traffic,” Axsom said. “It was honestly a little bit nerve-wracking myself because the traffic guys were so off the pace, I didn’t want to put myself in a bad spot and wreck myself or wreck him. So, I was trying to be patient in traffic. I figured one of the runs would go long enough that I could get a run, and I think I was just a little bit too patient.”

Axsom started fourth on the grid and made the pass for second on the opening lap. He chased Peck closely for all 25 laps but was unable to get close enough to make a move for the top spot and settled for runner-up.

“It made it tough to get around Justin there without a little bit of traffic,” Axsom said. “And every time we did get to traffic, the yellow got brought out.”
(from left) Hafertepe, Peck and Axsom in Victory Lane. (Emily Schwanke Photo)

From sixth on the starting grid, Hafertepe passed his way to third in the opening two circuits but chased Axsom and Peck until the checkered flag. However, he was positive about his result, standing as the highest-finishing driver on the full-time ASCS roster.

“I was really happy with our racecar; this is the first time we’ve been on a Triple X racecar,” Hafertepe said. “We just switched a lot of things from last year to this year. Wings, cars, and to come out the first night and to have the speed we had initially is great.

“Honestly, there were times in the Feature I thought we were gonna be able to have a chance to win the race if lapped traffic would’ve played out for us, but the cautions came, and that’s part of the game sometimes.”

Austin McCarl earned the race’s Hard Charger honor in his drive from 14th on the grid to finish fifth.

Axsom earned Quick Time honors for his best Qualifying lap of 14.165 seconds. Matt Covington won Heat 1, Hank Davis won Heat 2, Peck won Heat 3, Blake Hahn won Heat 4 and Hafertepe won Heat 5. The Smith Titanium Last Chance Showdown was won by Tyler Clem.

UP NEXT

The ASCS National Tour continues action at Volusia Friday, January 31, in the second race day of the 54th DIRTcar Nationals, with another $3,000-to-win program scheduled.

Tickets for DIRTcar Nationals are on sale by clicking here and will also be available at the gate upon arrival. If you can’t make it to the track, stream every lap live on DIRTVision.

Volusia Speedway Park FL  1/30/25

Feature (25 Laps): 1. 26-Justin Peck[2]; 2. 27A-Emerson Axsom[4]; 3. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[6]; 4. 20-Brady Bacon[5]; 5. 88M-Austin McCarl[14]; 6. 21-Brian Brown[10]; 7. 2C-Cole Macedo[11]; 8. 51T-Scotty Thiel[8]; 9. 95-Matt Covington[9]; 10. 48D-Danny Dietrich[19]; 11. 52-Blake Hahn[7]; 12. 44-Chris Martin[16]; 13. 36-Jason Martin[12]; 14. 13P-Daison Pursley[18]; 15. 4P-Chase Moran[17]; 16. 6G-Bryan Gossel[13]; 17. 63-Josh Weller[20]; 18. UK97-Ryan Harrison[23]; 19. 4-Cameron Martin[15]; 20. 6S-Tyler Clem[21]; 21. 0-Glenn Styres[22]; 22. 16H-Hank Davis[1]; 23. 7-Jordan Thomas[3]; 24. 2-Whit Gastineau[24]

Smith TI LCS (12 Laps): 1. 6S-Tyler Clem[5]; 2. 0-Glenn Styres[3]; 3. UK97-Ryan Harrison[6]; 4. 2-Whit Gastineau[13]; 5. 45X-Kyler Johnson[7]; 6. 88R-Ryder Laplante[24]; 7. 71-Brady Baker[17]; 8. 88J-Joey Amantea[12]; 9. 13-Elijah Gile[10]; 10. 51-Jon Brennfleck[4]; 11. 938-Bradley Fezard[8]; 12. 12S-Adyn Schmidt[16]; 13. 16G-Austyn Gossel[18]; 14. 14BW-Brett Wright[19]; 15. 96-Brandon Sampson[22]; 16. 61-William Hull[21]; 17. G5-Gunnar Setser[23]; 18. 16TH-Kevin Newton[15]; 19. 20D-Danny Sams III[2]; 20. 34-Sterling Cling[9]; 21. 24M-Danny Martin Jr[11]; 22. (DNS) 1A-Jacob Allen; 23. (DNS) 2J-Zach Blurton; 24. (DNS) 28F-Davie Franek

C-Main (8 Laps): 1. G5-Gunnar Setser[1]; 2. 88R-Ryder Laplante[6]; 3. 77T-Tyeller Powless[2]; 4. G6-Brandon Grubaugh[3]; 5. 5H-Robbie Price[5]; 6. 11K-Joshua Kunstbeck[7]; 7. 10X-Joel Charles[9]; 8. 88C-Brogan Carder[11]; 9. 44C-Cheyenne Potter[8]; 10. 25-John Crawford[10]; 11. 27M-Austin Martin[4]

Dash (5 Laps): 1. 16H-Hank Davis[2]; 2. 26-Justin Peck[3]; 3. 7-Jordan Thomas[1]; 4. 27A-Emerson Axsom[4]; 5. 20-Brady Bacon[6]; 6. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[7]; 7. 52-Blake Hahn[8]; 8. 51T-Scotty Thiel[5]; 9. 95-Matt Covington[9]

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 95-Matt Covington[1]; 2. 6G-Bryan Gossel[2]; 3. 20-Brady Bacon[4]; 4. 48D-Danny Dietrich[3]; 5. 0-Glenn Styres[6]; 6. 938-Bradley Fezard[8]; 7. 2-Whit Gastineau[10]; 8. 16G-Austyn Gossel[5]; 9. G5-Gunnar Setser[7]; 10. 88R-Ryder Laplante[9]; 11. 10X-Joel Charles[11]

Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 16H-Hank Davis[2]; 2. 36-Jason Martin[3]; 3. 4-Cameron Martin[1]; 4. 7-Jordan Thomas[4]; 5. 51-Jon Brennfleck[5]; 6. 34-Sterling Cling[6]; 7. 2J-Zach Blurton[7]; 8. 14BW-Brett Wright[9]; 9. 77T-Tyeller Powless[8]; 10. 11K-Joshua Kunstbeck[11]; 11. (DNS) 25-John Crawford

Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 26-Justin Peck[4]; 2. 2C-Cole Macedo[2]; 3. 88M-Austin McCarl[3]; 4. 13P-Daison Pursley[1]; 5. 6S-Tyler Clem[8]; 6. 13-Elijah Gile[6]; 7. 16TH-Kevin Newton[5]; 8. 28F-Davie Franek[7]; 9. G6-Brandon Grubaugh[11]; 10. 44C-Cheyenne Potter[9]; 11. 88C-Brogan Carder[10]

Heat 4 (8 Laps): 1. 52-Blake Hahn[1]; 2. 51T-Scotty Thiel[4]; 3. 4P-Chase Moran[3]; 4. 63-Josh Weller[6]; 5. UK97-Ryan Harrison[7]; 6. 24M-Danny Martin Jr[5]; 7. 12S-Adyn Schmidt[10]; 8. 61-William Hull[8]; 9. 27M-Austin Martin[9]; 10. (DNF) 1A-Jacob Allen[2]

Heat 5 (8 Laps): 1. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[2]; 2. 21-Brian Brown[1]; 3. 44-Chris Martin[3]; 4. 27A-Emerson Axsom[4]; 5. 45X-Kyler Johnson[6]; 6. 88J-Joey Amantea[7]; 7. 71-Brady Baker[9]; 8. 96-Brandon Sampson[10]; 9. 5H-Robbie Price[8]; 10. 20D-Danny Sams III[5]

Qualifying 1: 1. 20-Brady Bacon, 00:14.407[3]; 2. 95-Matt Covington, 00:14.530[7]; 3. 6G-Bryan Gossel, 00:14.630[11]; 4. 48D-Danny Dietrich, 00:14.640[9]; 5. 16G-Austyn Gossel, 00:14.684[5]; 6. 0-Glenn Styres, 00:14.689[10]; 7. G5-Gunnar Setser, 00:14.695[8]; 8. 938-Bradley Fezard, 00:14.834[6]; 9. 88R-Ryder Laplante, 00:14.934[1]; 10. 2-Whit Gastineau, 00:14.995[2]; 11. 10X-Joel Charles, 00:15.472[4]

Qualifying 2: 1. 7-Jordan Thomas, 00:14.514[3]; 2. 4-Cameron Martin, 00:14.529[2]; 3. 16H-Hank Davis, 00:14.541[6]; 4. 36-Jason Martin, 00:14.554[10]; 5. 51-Jon Brennfleck, 00:14.618[1]; 6. 34-Sterling Cling, 00:14.654[9]; 7. 2J-Zach Blurton, 00:14.679[4]; 8. 77T-Tyeller Powless, 00:14.879[8]; 9. 14BW-Brett Wright, 00:15.273[5]; 10. 25-John Crawford, 00:17.925[11]; 11. (DNS) 11K-Joshua Kunstbeck

Qualifying 3: 1. 26-Justin Peck, 00:14.360[4]; 2. 13P-Daison Pursley, 00:14.366[5]; 3. 2C-Cole Macedo, 00:14.391[3]; 4. 88M-Austin McCarl, 00:14.401[8]; 5. 16TH-Kevin Newton, 00:14.607[9]; 6. 13-Elijah Gile, 00:14.660[10]; 7. 28F-Davie Franek, 00:14.675[6]; 8. 6S-Tyler Clem, 00:14.786[1]; 9. 44C-Cheyenne Potter, 00:15.977[11]; 10. 88C-Brogan Carder, 00:16.051[2]; 11. (DNS) G6-Brandon Grubaugh

Qualifying 4: 1. 51T-Scotty Thiel, 00:14.467[5]; 2. 52-Blake Hahn, 00:14.493[8]; 3. 1A-Jacob Allen, 00:14.619[6]; 4. 4P-Chase Moran, 00:14.630[10]; 5. 24M-Danny Martin Jr, 00:14.707[3]; 6. 63-Josh Weller, 00:14.825[2]; 7. UK97-Ryan Harrison, 00:14.909[7]; 8. 61-William Hull, 00:14.909[9]; 9. 27M-Austin Martin, 00:14.946[1]; 10. 12S-Adyn Schmidt, 00:15.131[4]

Qualifying 5: 1. 27A-Emerson Axsom, 00:14.165[1]; 2. 21-Brian Brown, 00:14.231[3]; 3. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr, 00:14.381[9]; 4. 44-Chris Martin, 00:14.530[7]; 5. 20D-Danny Sams III, 00:14.623[10]; 6. 45X-Kyler Johnson, 00:14.743[4]; 7. 88J-Joey Amantea, 00:14.810[2]; 8. 5H-Robbie Price, 00:15.036[5]; 9. 71-Brady Baker, 00:15.073[8]; 10. 96-Brandon Sampson, 00:15.330[6]


WHAT TO WATCH FOR: ASCS National Tour Opens 2025 Season in Debut at Volusia, DIRTcar Nationals
Hafertepe begins quest for record-breaking sixth title, 410 invaders McCarl, Dietrich, Brown expected
Jordan DeLucia

The American Sprint Car Series (ASCS) National Tour begins its 34th consecutive season of competition this weekend with a debut at one of the fastest dirt tracks in the country — Volusia Speedway Park.

The nation’s premier 360 Sprint Car series kicks off the 54th edition of Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals with three complete shows this Thursday–Saturday, Jan. 30–Feb. 1, with back-to-back $3,000-to-win Features on Thursday and Friday before the $12,000-to-win finale on Saturday. DIRTcar UMP Modifieds will support the program over all three days.

Each night of competition will award participating drivers points in the DIRTcar Nationals Big Gator points championship. The driver with the most points at the conclusion of the final night of racing will be crowned DIRTcar Nationals champion of the division and hoist the iconic Big Gator trophy.

Drivers will also earn points toward the season-long ASCS National Tour championship standings. Details on how those points will be calculated and information on the “drop” race can be viewed by clicking here. Drivers should also note all information listed in the competitor guide at the link below.

VOLUSIA COMPETITOR GUIDE

Tickets for each night of the 54th Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals are on sale now by clicking here and will also be available at the gate on race day. If you can’t be at the track, stream every lap live from all 41 races of the 2025 ASCS National Tour live on DIRTVision.

Here are the drivers to watch and storylines to follow this weekend:

CHASING HISTORY — This season, ASCS National Tour history is within the grasp of Sam Hafertepe Jr.

The 39-year-old from Sunnyvale, TX, begins his quest toward a record-breaking sixth Tour championship at Volusia. He and fellow five-time Tour champion Jason Johnson are currently tied for the most points titles in Tour history and are also separated by one on the all-time Feature wins — Johnson with 79, Hafertepe with 78.

One year ago, Hafertepe scored the win on the opening night of the United Sprint Car Series (USCS)-sanctioned Germfree Southern Sprint Car Shootout at Volusia, marking his first career win at the Florida 1/2-mile. He then followed that up with finishes of second and third, giving him the best average finish of any driver in the event.
American Sprint Car Series driver Sam Hafertepe Jr. racing his ASCS Sprint Car around a track.
Emily Schwanke Photo

Hafertepe was a winner of 12 National Tour races in 2024 — most of any driver. Should he reach Victory Lane once more this weekend, he’ll tie Johnson for second on the all-time wins list.

THE BIG UNIT — Austin McCarl headlined the 410 Sprint Car invaders in the winter 360 Sprint Car events at Volusia last January and will be among the favorites again this weekend as a pre-entered driver.

McCarl, 32, of Altoona, IA, finished second to Hafertepe on the opening night of the 2024 Southern Sprint Car Shootout, and then backed that up with a win the next night before capping the weekend with a fourth-place finish on Saturday. Three weeks later, he was back in Victory Lane at East Bay Raceway Park in Tampa, FL, in a USCS-sanctioned event.

The two-time Knoxville Raceway 410 Sprint Car track champion made only two appearances with the Tour in 2024, notching a third-place finish at Lakeside Speedway in July and another third-place effort at the 360 Knoxville Nationals in August. He was also a 360 winner in weekly competition at the 1/2-mile of Knoxville last July.

POSSE INVADES — Danny Dietrich is another of the many 410 Sprint Car invaders coming to Volusia early to compete with ASCS, representing his Pennsylvania Sprint Car racing home.

Dietrich, 36, of Gettysburg, PA, will enter his Weikert’s Livestock Inc, Travis Racing Engines-powered Maxim Chassis No. 48 at Volusia this weekend for his first-ever ASCS appearance outside of the 360 Knoxville Nationals. He raced Volusia for the first time with a 360 engine in the car last year on the final two nights of Southern Sprint Car Shootout, garnering back-to-back fifth-place finishes.
Danny Dietrich racing his 360 Sprint Car around Volusia Speedway Park.
Dietrich finished fifth in both 360 Sprint Car races he started at Volusia last January. (Trent Gower Photo)

The “PA Posse” standout has been a DIRTcar Nationals entrant every year since 2017 with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars and has plenty of laps around Volusia’s fast, 1/2-mile confines in his regular 410 Sprint Car. As one of the most experienced racers in the pits, he’ll be among the favorites for his first Big Gator trophy this weekend.

FROM KNOXVILLE WITH LOVE — Five-time Knoxville Raceway track champion Brian Brown is kicking off his 2025 season with the National Tour this weekend.

Brown, 46, of Higginsville, MO, is set to pilot the Brian Brown Racing, Caseys/FVP No. 21 at all three ASCS races, trying for his first National Tour win since his triumph in the 2023 360 Knoxville Nationals.

While he’s never won at Volusia, Brown has come close, posting six top-five finishes in his career in the 410 ranks against the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series, including a best finish of third in 2023.

JERSEY BOY — Davie Franek is one of multiple Northeastern 360 Sprint Car regulars making the trip south to race Volusia this weekend. Though he sticks mainly to tracks in his region throughout the regular season, Franek has had past success in Florida.

The 37-year-old from Wantage, NJ, was runner-up to Tyler Clem in the 2023 Southern Sprint Car Shootout finale — a career-best finish at Volusia. Later on, in USCS Winter Heat competition, Franek went on to wins at Hendry County Motorsports Park (Clewiston, FL), Hattiesburg Speedway (Hattiesburg, MS) and Magnolia Motor Speedway (Columbus, MS).

The two-time Patriot Sprint Tour and United Racing Club champion posted two top-10 finishes at Volusia last January, and will be among the contenders for his first Volusia win this weekend.

 

 

Zach Blurton Rejoins ASCS National Tour Roster for Sophomore Campaign
Kansas racer begins his second full-time ASCS season this Thursday–Saturday at Volusia
Jordan DeLucia

Zach Blurton learned a lot during his rookie season with the American Sprint Car Series (ASCS) National Tour. 2025 will be all about improvements in his second year on the road.

“Just be competitive, a lot more competitive than we were last year,” Blurton said of his goals for 2025. “Consistency and just building our team. Being a team that people respect and know that [we] can be a contender, night-in and night-out.”

Blurton, 30, of Quinter, KS, is back on the full-time ASCS National Tour roster, piloting his own Summit Automotive Group, Don Ott Racing Engines-powered Maxim Chassis No. 2J. A graduate of the regional 305 and 360 Sprint Car ranks, Blurton made the decision to start traveling last year and finished 2024 ranked eighth in the Tour points standings.

However, Blurton said eighth place was a bit humbling, despite his rookie status. His lone National Tour victory came in July 2022 at his home track — WaKeeney Speedway in WaKeeney, KS — which highlighted his potential against the traveling stars of the national 360 Sprint Car ranks.

Though he carried that confidence into his rookie season, Bluton said his results fell short of his expectations — totaling three top-five finishes and 10 top-10s in 29 starts.
American Sprint Car Series driver Zach Blurton racing his ASCS Sprint Car around Creek County Speedway.
Emily Schwanke Photo

“I was going into it thinking we knew quite a bit, with winning an ASCS National show a few years ago, I thought our program was a lot closer than what I was expecting,” Blurton said. “I knew it was gonna be tough, for sure, but I know we can do better than that.”

But for their home-grown operation racing with traveling stars, Blurton has reasons to be proud. He posted his best finish of the season at Big Sky Speedway (Billings, MT) in August, running second to Jake Bubak, putting his upward-trending skills on display.

“We’re a family team,” Blurton said. “My dad and I have one crew guy from here in town that goes with us. I do this for a hobby. A lot of guys are out here doing it for a living. I have a day job, and that comes first.

“We try to put as much into it as we can. We’ve made a lot of improvements. My dad and I learned a bunch, and it showed, for sure.”

More improvements are on his wish list for 2025, but he wants none more than to improve his results early in the race program.

“I’ve got to qualify better,” Blurton said. “I feel like our Qualifying kills us, and [Qualifying] makes your whole night a lot easier. Every night we qualified good, we had decent runs. The Qualifying is so important, and going out there and knowing that your car is right and being able to run two perfect laps is big. It sets up your whole night, and that’s where we have to be on it.”

Blurton and his team thank each of their sponsors and marketing/product partners, including Summit Automotive Group, Lee Martin Racing, Grease Monkey, Randy Patterson Welding, Albin Farms, Circle Z Trucking, Quinter Pit Stop, Brian Younker Farms, K&M Land & Cattle, and Joe’s Hand Cleaner. He also extended a special thanks to his wife Ally and daughters Zannah and Acelyn for their continued support.

See Blurton and the rest of the ASCS National Tour roster kick off the 2025 season with the first races at Volusia Speedway Park during the opening nights of Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals this Thursday–Saturday, Jan. 30–Feb. 1.

If you can’t be there, stream every lap of ASCS National Tour action live all season on DIRTVision.


 

 

Matt Covington Aiming for First ASCS National Tour Championship in 2025
Oklahoma racer begins his journey for his first career national championship Thursday at Volusia
Jordan DeLucia

In 12 years vying for a points championship with the American Sprint Car Series (ASCS) National Tour, Matt Covington has finished in every spot inside the top five except one. This year, he’s focused on finally claiming the gold.

The 34-year-old from Glenpool, OK, is headed east to Florida to kick off his 13th full-time season with the National Tour this Thursday–Saturday, Jan. 30–Feb. 1, at Volusia Speedway Park. In his lengthy career with ASCS, Covington has finished the National Tour fifth place in points on two occasions, fourth place twice, third place three times and was runner-up to Jason Martin in 2023.

In the last four seasons alone, Covington hasn’t missed the podium in the championship standings. But that hasn’t satisfied him. He wants more wins and the all-new Emmett Hahn Trophy as champion of the nation’s premier 360 Sprint Car organization.

“We’re good at consistency,” Covington said. “We seem to be, over the 12 years [I’ve raced the National Tour], something I’ve always been able to do is be consistent. That’s why we’ve been second and third a lot. We’ve just got to be able to win more races, is what it comes down to.

“Winning one, two or three races ain’t enough. We need to win five, six races and still hold some of that consistency, and then we’ll be right there.”
Emily Schwanke Photo

His consistency has been solid over the years, and 2024 was no exception. He was one of only two drivers to qualify for 31 of 32 full-field main events and totaled 29 top-10 finishes — most of any driver. However, he went winless on the National Tour for the first time since 2016 — the longest such stretch in his career — but knows the steps necessary to get back to Victory Lane in 2025.

“We’re real close, and we think we have a shot; maybe this’ll be our year,” Covington said. “We’re gonna keep doing things like we’ve been doing it. We’ve been good at consistency; we just need to be able to seal the deal more times.

“Last year, we had opportunities to win a handful of nights, and stuff just didn’t go our way. We’ve gotta clean that up, and then I think we’ve got as good a shot as anybody.”

Recently, Covington has been focused on improving his personal health. He underwent surgery to repair an arm injury in November and has since recovered, leaving him in a new, positive state-of-mind going into the new season.

“It takes an ultra-focus to win a Sprint Car race,” Covington said. “It doesn’t even have to be a National Tour race, it’s all of them. It’s 90 percent a mind game out there, and if the arm hurts a little bit or this or that, got stuff going on at home, it takes away from getting it done. Maybe those things affected me. I don’t like not winning a race the whole year.”

As one of the National Tour’s longest continually running drivers, Covington has seen ASCS grow and change throughout the 2010s into the 2020s. He expressed positive sentiments about the Tour’s new ownership under World Racing Group and noted how it has afforded he and his fellow teams several new resources.

“The biggest difference I’ve seen from the last handful of years until now is the manpower,” Covington said. “I think it gives us a lot more media presence. We’ve got a photographer, we’ve got a media person… there’s a guy for everything.”

Covington begins his 13th full-time season with the ASCS National Tour in the 2025 season opener at Volusia Speedway Park during the opening nights of Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals this Thursday–Saturday, Jan. 30–Feb. 1.

 If you can’t be there, stream every lap of ASCS National Tour action live all season on DIRTVision.


Sam Hafertepe Jr. Re-signs with Hill’s Racing, Commits to 2025 ASCS National Tour
Texan driver, Canadian team combination can break tie with Jason Johnson for most championships
Jordan DeLucia

History is within Sam Hafertepe Jr.’s grasp. A sixth American Sprint Car Series (ASCS) National Tour championship this year would give him the most in Series history, and he’s committed to the pursuit.

The 39-year-old from Sunnyvale, TX, has renewed his partnership with Hill’s Racing to contest the entire 41-race schedule, starting this Thursday–Saturday, Jan. 30–Feb. 1, at Volusia Speedway Park in the opening nights of the 54th Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals. Hafertepe will again pilot his familiar Townline Variety, Fischer Racing Engines-powered Triple X Chassis No. 15H in his eighth consecutive season as part of the Ontario-based Hill’s Racing team.

“This year, we are committed, and we’ve found what fits the race team and me personally,” said Hafertepe, the 2016–2020 National Tour champion. “I think with that, it gives us a little more clarity going into the year that we’re all on the same page and we’re all trying to achieve the same goals. At the end of the day, that’s a recipe for success.”

Hafertepe is currently tied with fellow five-time champion Jason Johnson for the most National Tour points titles all-time, and only one Feature win away from tying the late Louisianan in wins with 79. Two more Feature wins will give Hafertepe sole possession of second place on the all-time National Tour wins list, behind only Gary Wright with 127.
 

With his veteran status in both the 360 and 410 Sprint Car ranks, Hafertepe has proven his ability to compete with the best around the country. But he’s chosen to stay with ASCS in pursuit of history, even as the National Tour begins a new chapter in its own history books with its new direction under World Racing Group.

“If they’re all in, I’m all in, and I’m prepared to be behind them 100 percent,” Hafertepe said. “I think they’re doing the right things, and I think it could be an improvement from what we’ve seen before from ASCS. I’m all for it as long as we keep trending in the right direction, and we keep growing ASCS. I think it’ll be good going long-term.”

Despite winning a chart-topping 12 Feature races on the National Tour in 2024, Hafertepe fell 146 points short of a sixth championship to first-time titleist Seth Bergman. However, when the season began, Hafertepe and Hill’s Racing were planning on a mixed slate of 410 and 360 Sprint Car races and thus were not planning on racing for a specific championship.

After some consideration, the driver and team settled on returning to the full-time 360 circuit. But in hindsight, Hafertepe admitted it was not the most ideal way to make a run for a championship.

“We were kinda in between wanting to do 410 and 360s, and we really weren’t geared up to go full-time 360 but kinda still went after it,” Hafertepe said. “I think in June, we decided we’d just try and finish out the season.

“It just felt like we had the wrong approach to start the year. I’ve never really started the year half-assed, as I would say — that’s kinda how we started it last year.”

But 2025 will be different. Hafertepe and Hill’s have a more direct plan for the season, which will help their organization before hitting the road to Volusia.

“I think our preparation for this year will be so much better than we had last year,” Hafertepe said. “When you’re not fully committed to something initially, there’s a lot of things that are undone and a lot of things that aren’t the right direction. We’ve buttoned up all those things.”
 

While 12 Feature wins was enough to boost Hafertepe to second place in the championships standings last year, a bit of inconsistency at times hurt his points total to Bergman — posting nine results of 13th or worse. Consistency is key to winning season-long points titles, and Hafertepe is looking for more of that in 2025.

“Coming into this year and having the full commitment and knowing exactly what is on our plate will prepare our race team to get rid of the inconsistencies, get rid of the nights that we had problems and fix those nights,” Hafertepe said. “We hope that will propel us to being the champions at the end of the year.”

Hafertepe begins his quest for a history-making sixth ASCS National Tour championship in the 2025 season opener at Volusia Speedway Park during the opening nights of Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals — Thursday–Saturday, Jan. 30–Feb. 1.

 If you can’t be there, stream every lap of ASCS National Tour action live all season on DIRTVision.

 

2025 ASCS Sooner Region Slate Released
Bryan Hulbert

The oldest running regional tour of the American Sprint Car Series, the ASCS Sooner Region, returns in 2025 with a baker’s dozen worth of events throughout Oklahoma and Kansas.

Basing events around Creek County Speedway with six nights at the quarter-mile oval, the birthplace of the American Sprint Car Series will open and close the 2025 season.

Other tracks on the lineup include Enid Speedway on March 22, Salina Highbanks on April 12, Tri-State Speedway on June 14, Tulsa Speedway on June 27 and 28, and 81 Speedway on September 6 in Kansas.

One date on the lineup remains reserved as a TBA and will be announced once finalized.

Several of the season’s events are co-sanctioned with the American Sprint Car Series National Tour and offer a minimum $4,000 to win, $400-to-start payout. Stand-alone events will pay $2,000 to win and $300 to start. Casey Wills captured his first career ASCS Sooner Region title in 2024.

The ASCS Sooner Region is headed by Cody Cordell. Questions or information on booking an event can be directed to ccordell@dirtcar.com or call (918) 407-1879.

The 2025 season marks the 34th season of competition for the American Sprint Car Series. Spearheaded by the American Sprint Car Series National Tour, the ASCS Nation includes several regional tours, along with cooperating tracks and events throughout the United States.

For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, visit the ASCS website. Also, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and X (@ascsracing).

2025 ASCS Sooner Region Tentative Schedule:

3/21/2025-Creek County Speedway (Sapulpa, OK)
3/22/2025-Enid Speedway (Enid, OK)

4/12/2025-Salina Highbanks Speedway (Salina, OK)

6/12/2025-Creek County Speedway (Sapulpa, OK)
6/14/2025-Tri-State Speedway (Pocola, OK)
6/27/2025-Tulsa Speedway (Tulsa, OK)
6/28/2025-Tulsa Speedway (Tulsa, OK)

7/18/2025-Creek County Speedway (Sapulpa, OK)
7/19/2025-TBA

9/5/2025-Creek County Speedway (Sapulpa, OK)
9/6/2025-81 Speedway (Park City, KS)

11/14/2025-Creek County Speedway (Sapulpa, OK)
11/15/2025-Creek County Speedway (Sapulpa, OK)


 


Jason Martin Rejoining ASCS National Tour Roster for Second Title Chase
Martin will kick off the 2025 season with the ASCS National Tour at DIRTcar Nationals, Jan. 30-Feb. 1
Jordan DeLucia

A champion of the ASCS National Tour in 2023, Jason Martin is looking to reclaim his former glory with a fourth consecutive full-time season in 2025.

Martin, 42, of Liberal, KS, will take his Bybee Electric, Don Ott-powered Schnee/Eagle Chassis No. 36 on the road with the National Tour again, starting with the season opener at Volusia Speedway Park, Thursday–Saturday, Jan. 30–Feb. 1.

The former World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series regular endured some struggles in 2024, starting with early season mechanical issues, and a hard crash in June at Oklahoma’s Tri-State Speedway in which he suffered a concussion. Martin said it took him a full month to get back to feeling normal again, which hindered his efforts behind the wheel in the busiest stretch of the season.
American Sprint Car Series driver Jason Martin in Victory Lane at an ASCS National Tour event at Arrowhead Speedway.
Martin won his 14th career ASCS National Tour event at Arrowhead Speedway last September. (Emily Schwanke Photo)

However, he soon made a full recovery and was able to break through to Victory Lane in September, winning the Green Country Clash at Arrowhead Speedway. At that point, despite the success, Martin admitted he had already begun preparations for 2025.

“I just got two motors completely freshened that I just picked up, and we’re loading in them in the trailer to go and get ready for the season,” he said. “Hopefully, we don’t have any traumas, and we can stay healthy physically and healthy with the motor program and everything will go back to normal.”

Even with the thousands of laps he’s turned and his veteran status, Martin still has a few areas he’d like to improve upon in the seat, and it starts with performing early in the program.

“Qualifying has always been my biggest hurdle,” he said. “I feel like two years ago when we won the championship, the format was, you got three laps for Qualifying, and [in 2024], they changed it to where you only get two laps of Qualifying. To be honest, with my driving style, it seems like I tend to make a mistake in Turns 1 and 2 or Turns 3 and 4, and it takes like three laps for me to just get it perfect.

“I’ve got to get better at making no mistakes by lap two. With ASCS, when we had three laps of Qualifying, I was Quick Time and won quite a few races that year. But the format has altered some of our performance a little, and I’ve got to adapt a little bit more to what that format is.”

Martin has been around the sport long enough to watch ASCS evolve into the nation’s premier 360 Sprint Car organization, which took a step further in 2024 with its sale to World Racing Group (WRG) — the owner of his former home for racing with the World of Outlaws. Martin expressed his appreciation and positive outlook for the future of the National Tour in its new home under WRG, and his passion to compete for the Emmett Hahn Trophy.
Emily Schwanke Photo

“It’s only a 40–50 race schedule, and we get the opportunity to go and race other places and do other things,” Martin said of the 2025 schedule. “We all do this for a living, so we have to race as much as we can and make as much money as we can for our careers. I can’t afford to have a full-time crew just sitting around to only run 40 races, so it just gives us the opportunity to race for a good, strong series and still have the flexibility to go run other places.”

Don’t miss Martin begin his quest for a second ASCS National Tour championship in the 2025 season opener at Volusia Speedway Park during the opening nights of the 54th Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals — Thursday–Friday, Jan. 30–Feb. 1.


 

 

Seth Bergman Seeks Repeat ASCS National Tour Championship on 2025 Full-Time Roster
Jordan DeLucia

Seth Bergman finally accomplished his goal of winning the ASCS National Tour title in 2024, but even with the Emmett Hahn Trophy in hand, he’s not satisfied.

“Now that we’ve got one, I want to come back and back it up,” Bergman said. “I want to show that it wasn’t just a one-time thing, that we’re building something consistent here that can consistently compete and win championships at this level.

“For me, I think that’s just the competitive drive I have in me. I’ve worked so long to get one, and now I’ve got one, and I’m like, ‘Alright, let’s go get another.’”

The 37-year-old Snohomish, WA-native is returning to the full-time roster in 2025, driving the Oklahoma Chiller, Rider/Triple X No. 23 for his own Bergman Motorsports team.

Though his first championship — a lifelong goal of the Oklahoma resident — was sweet, Bergman still has areas he wants to improve on.
American Sprint Car Series driver Seth Bergman racing around a race track.
Bergman owns 25 ASCS National Tour victories, which ranks 10th on the all-time wins list. (Emily Schwanke)

“It’s about coming back and trying to better some of our areas that we weren’t good in last year,” he said. “There’s certainly a lot of things I didn’t think went great last year that I think we can improve upon. We’re working really hard to have a much better year than we did last year, and also to come and back it up and show that it wasn’t just a one-time thing.”

In 31 races last season, Bergman collected seven wins, the most top-five finishes of any driver (24) and top-10s in all but three races. But he didn’t top every stat column, and that doesn’t sit well with him going into the new year.

Bergman’s biggest rival throughout 2024 was five-time Tour champion, Sam Hafertepe Jr. In 30 recorded starts, the Sunnyvale, TX-native won 12 Features and garnered 13 Quick Time Awards (Bergman was second with three), among other stats columns led, but still came up 146 points behind by season’s end.

“I didn’t win as much last year as I wanted to,” Bergman said. “We had a lot of things changing with our team all year and I never really got a solid footing and really got going. I feel like I was more inconsistent than I wanted to be. I didn’t win near as much as I wanted to.

“Yeah, we were good enough to win the championship, but it bothers me that Sam won more races, he led more laps, and things like that bother me. I know I’m capable of more.”

While the past has frustrated him, Bergman has learned from his experiences and is ready to move on to the new season, which, for him, begins April 12 at Salina Highbanks Speedway. He and his team are assembling all-new cars for the new year and have upgraded their equipment as well — from transporters to mules and tools — and will sit out from the Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals events at Volusia Speedway Park.
American Sprint Car Series drivers Seth Bergman and Sam Hafertepe Jr. posing for a photo with their championship trophies.
Bergman won the 2024 drivers points championship, while Sam Hafertepe Jr’s team — Hill’s Racing — garnered the 2024 owners championship. (Emily Schwanke Photo)

It’s all part of the off-track preparations he’s making to ensure himself a seat at the championship contenders table come season’s end.

“The past few years, I feel like I’ve been coming into my own as a driver and a man,” Bergman said. “When I climb into the race car these days, I’m confident. I know I’ve put in a ton of work outside the racetrack just on myself, my mental [health]. I work really hard outside of the racetrack to make sure that when I come, I can be ready to compete. So, I get a lot of confidence off that.”

See Bergman make his 2025 season debut and begin his run to a second ASCS National Tour championship on Saturday, April 12 at Salina Highbanks Speedway in Salina, OK.

Tickets for the event will be on sale at the gate on race day. If you can’t make it to the track, stream every lap of every race throughout the season live on DIRTVision.

 

 

Blake Hahn Commits to Chasing Third ASCS National Tour Championship in 2025

Blake Hahn, 30, of Sapulpa, OK, won back-to-back National Tour championships in 2021 and 2022 before transitioning his program into a 410-focused operation for the 2023 and 2024 seasons. But the grandson of ASCS founder Emmett Hahn is returning to the nation’s premier 360 Sprint Car tour in 2025 for several reasons, and it starts with coming back home.

“For me, the main answer is family,” Hahn said. “Me growing up around Oklahoma, watching ASCS develop and seeing the trade of hands from my grandpa over to [World Racing Group] — I think it’s going in a great direction. I think everything’s going to continue to grow. Their schedule fits really well with us; it leaves us some opportunity to go and still run some other events with the World of Outlaws and some other people.”

Since his last ASCS title, Hahn has refrained from chasing points championships, opting for pick-and-choose schedules for his 410 efforts. But 2025 will be different. Hahn will pilot his signature yellow/pink Smiley’s Racing Products No. 52 at all 42 races on the ASCS National Tour in search of a third championship, which would tie him with Tim Crawley for third-most all-time.

“I really want to come back and win a championship,” Hahn said. “I want to prove to people that I can get it done. I’ve had people say, ‘Well, you were only able to win it because we didn’t have the heavy hitters there.’

“In my opinion, I think we will have a really good chance to compete for a championship when it’s all said and done.”

In November, Hahn shined with ASCS during championship weekend, recording three-straight top-10 finishes, including a Feature win on Friday night of Fuzzy’s Fall Fling at his home track — Creek County Speedway.

“We ran a good chunk of races with ASCS this year and I felt like, toward the end of the season, we finally picked up to be back where we were when we left off with ASCS,” Hahn said. “There’s a lot of room for improvement, but I feel like we’ve got a good, competitive car. I feel like everybody knows that if we come back, we’ll definitely be in the running for a championship win.”

The National Tour has seen an upgrade in competition since Hahn departed the full-time 360 Sprint Car ranks. Five-time champion Sam Hafertepe Jr. rejoined the points chase in 2024 for the first time since his most recent championship in 2020, as did reigning champion Seth Bergman. The two remained the standout contenders for the points title throughout the season, and Hahn plans on battling both in pursuit of a championship for the first time in 2025.

“I have some experience running with those guys, and I think that’ll help, just going out there and knowing their tendencies,” Hahn said. “When you’re running for a championship, you have to drive a little bit differently. I think people saw that with Seth this year.

“With Seth coming back and trying to back up his championship with another, he’ll definitely be another hard car to beat. But there’s no doubt in my mind we’ve got a car and a team that can compete for a championship.”

2025 will also mark his first season as a member of the full-time roster in the new era of ASCS. World Racing Group (WRG) acquired the organization from the Hahn family in March 2024, ensuring the National Tour’s future in America’s Heartland. Now, under the new leadership of Series Director Lonnie Wheatley, Hahn expressed his appreciation for the presence and resources of WRG and his positive outlook for the future of his family’s creation.

“After seeing my grandpa hand the reins over to them and see what they did in their first year, I think it’s been great,” Hahn said. “I think it’s one of the deals where, building the good platform that they have, it’s only going to continue to grow.

“Obviously, having DIRTVision in their back pocket is a great thing. It’s not only great for the fans, but it’s great for me and my sponsors and getting good exposure. The streaming services have been taking off lately, so it really helps for me to be able to sell to some people across the country that won’t necessarily be at every racetrack but can watch on DIRTVision.”

With the offseason nearing its conclusion, Hahn and his team are deep into preparation for the season opener at Volusia Speedway Park, Jan. 30–Feb. 1. His ultimate goal of a third National Tour championship begins at the Florida 1/2-mile, and he’s ready to make every effort to hoist the new trophy — adorned with a statue of his grandfather — at season’s end.

“A top three is great, but looking at it, I feel like there’s no reason we can’t go out there and win a championship,” Hahn said. “We’ve got a good team in line, and our team hasn’t changed a lot of equipment. We’ve kinda stuck with the same manufacturers, so not a lot has changed.

“I feel like there’s no reason we can’t go out there and compete for a win. I’ll be honest, if it comes down to the end of the year and we’re not standing on top, I’ll be a little bit disappointed.”

Don’t miss Hahn begin his quest for a third ASCS National Tour championship in the 2025 season opener at Volusia Speedway Park during the opening nights of the 54th Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals — Thursday–Friday, Jan. 30–Feb. 1.

Tickets are available now: CLICK HERE.

If you can’t be there, stream every lap of ASCS action all season long live on DIRTVision.


2025 SCHEDULE: 41-Race ASCS National Tour Features New Stops, Marquee Events
Jordan DeLucia

A new era in American Sprint Car Series (ASCS) history begins in 2025 with a 41-race National Tour schedule, highlighted by new tracks and marquee 360 Sprint Car events.

The season starts Thursday–Saturday, Jan. 30–Feb. 1, in the Tour debut at Volusia Speedway Park for the opening nights of the 54th Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals and concludes Friday–Saturday, Nov. 14–15, with Fuzzy’s Fall Fling at Creek County Speedway. Thirty-six dates on the new calendar are confirmed, leaving more announcements to come for the other six events.

Tickets to all 41 events of the 2025 ASCS National Tour can be purchased at the gate on race day. If you can’t make it to your favorite track, DIRTVision will have live coverage of every race.

NEW IN 2025

Volusia Speedway Park (Jan. 30–Feb. 1) — For the first time in Series history, the stars of the ASCS National Tour will race for a Big Gator championship trophy to open the season in Barberville, FL. The debut at the high-speed, 1/2-mile oval includes three-straight nights of racing to open the expanded, three-week event and is expected to draw several of the nation’s top 410 Sprint Car teams as they prepare for the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series opener the following week.

Windy Hollow Speedway (May 9) — The National Tour logs its first new track of the 2025 season on Friday, May 9 with a stop at Windy Hollow Speedway in Owensboro, KY. The 3/8-mile oval is home to a semi-weekly racing program of local divisions, and will kick off a two-day race weekend in the Bluegrass State, preceding a visit to Paducah International Raceway the following night.

Salt City Raceway (May 30; Oct. 10–11) — The second new stop on the 2025 calendar will come at the end of May when the National Tour makes its inaugural visit to the Kansas State Fairgrounds in Hutchinson, KS. A regular stop for the National Championship Racing Association (NCRA) for many years, the 1/2-mile oval has recently hosted other open-wheel tours, including the USAC Silver Crown National Championship and the United Rebel Sprint Series, and is set to take on three ASCS events in 2025 — Friday, May 30 and Friday–Saturday, Oct. 10–11, with a $6,000-to-win finale on Saturday.

Belleville High Banks (July 3–4) — The Series will kickstart a new Independence Day tradition in 2025 with the first National Tour event at the Belleville High Banks in a decade. The two-day spectacular starts with a $4,000-to-win program on Thursday, July 3, before the $10,000-to-win finale on Friday, July 4. Fans can expect a massive fireworks show after racing concludes on Friday along with plenty of other activities to celebrate the holiday weekend.

WaKeeney Speedway (Aug. 15) — After being absent in 2024, the 3/8-mile WaKeeney Speedway will return to the National Tour schedule in 2025 for the seventh time in track history on Friday, Aug. 15. The western Kansas facility is the home track of 2024 National Tour regulars Zach Blurton and Kyler Johnson and the site of Blurton’s first win with the Series in 2022. Other recent winners include Jason Martin in 2021, and Jake Bubak, who won twice at WaKeeney in 2022 and 2023.

El Paso County Raceway (Aug. 16) — The National Tour will travel to Colorado for the first time in eight years when El Paso County Raceway hosts the Series on Saturday, Aug. 16. Sammy Swindell won the only previous National Tour event at the 1/4-mile oval on Oct. 7, 2017 — one year after Jason Johnson took the checkers with the World of Outlaws in 2016. While it has been nearly a decade since a national touring series raced in Calhan, El Paso County has been a regular stop on the ASCS Western Plains Region schedule in recent years, with 2024 champion Adam Trimble sweeping the three regional events at the track.

Eagle Raceway (Sept. 7) — For the first time since 2019, the National Tour will return to the high banks of Eagle Raceway for a Sunday night showdown on Sunday, Sept. 7. Eight Series races have been held at the Nebraska 1/3-mile oval since 2010, with Thomas Kennedy winning the most recent visit in 2019. Brady Bacon stands as the only multi-time winner at Eagle after his weekend sweep in 2012, while the list of winners also includes 2024 champion Seth Bergman, who held off Johnny Herrera in 2015 for his sixth National Tour win.

MARQUEE EVENTS

360 Knoxville Nationals (July 31–Aug. 2) — The world’s biggest 360 Sprint Car event is renewed for its 35th running in 2025 at the half-mile “Sprint Car Capital of the World” — Knoxville Raceway. The ASCS National Tour regulars will meet a host of the world’s best 360 and 410 Sprint Car racers on the hallowed grounds of the Marion County Fairgrounds in Knoxville, IA, in a three-day event — Thursday–Saturday, July 31–Aug. 2. Two split-field preliminary programs will be contested over Thursday and Friday, leading up to the $20,000-to-win main event on Saturday.

ASCS Speedweek (June 6–14) — The summer heat of ASCS Speedweek returns for its 31st edition in 2025 with a slate of six races in nine days, running June 6–14. Currently, three dates have been confirmed, while the remaining three will be announced at a later date. Texarkana 67 Speedway is the first confirmed venue on the trail, hosting on Saturday, June 7, while Creek County Speedway hosts on Thursday, June 12, leaving the finale to Oklahoma’s Tri-State Speedway on Saturday, June 14, where a new ASCS Speedweek champion will be crowned.

Dirt Down in T-Town (June 27–28) — Tulsa Speedway’s newest marquee 360 Sprint Car event is back on the ASCS calendar in 2025 in another two-day program, Friday–Saturday, June 27–28. Sam Hafertepe Jr. bagged the checkered flag on opening night of the event in 2024, but the second day was later postponed and added to the season finale weekend in November — again won by Hafertepe. This new event, coined as the Sprint Car version of promoter Keith Haney’s popular Throwdown in T-Town drag race, features a $6,000-to-win main event on Saturday night.

Harvey Ostermiller Memorial (Aug. 22–23) — Following a grand return to Montana last season and Big Sky Speedway for the first time in five years, the National Tour will be back at the 3/8-mile oval for the annual Harvey Ostermiller Memorial on Friday–Saturday, Aug. 22–29. The event features a $12,012-to-win finale on Saturday and is the highest-paying Sprint Car event in track history, also making it the second-largest Feature purse of the National Tour season behind the 360 Knoxville Nationals.

Fuzzy’s Fall Fling (Nov. 14–15) — The ASCS National Tour will conclude the 2025 season with another trip to Creek County for Fuzzy’s Fall Fling. The marquee event, run in memory of the late Wokeeta “Fuzzy” Hahn — wife of ASCS founder Emmett Hahn — will again bookend the season and host the championship celebration, where one driver will be crowned ASCS National Tour champion and hoist the newly created Emmett Hahn Championship Trophy and $40,000 check.

2025 AMERICAN SPRINT CAR SERIES NATIONAL TOUR SCHEDULE

Thursday, Jan. 30 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL
Friday, Jan. 31 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL
Saturday, Feb. 1 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL
Saturday, April 12 / Salina Highbanks Speedway / Salina, OK
Friday, April 25 / RPM Speedway / Crandall, TX
Saturday, April 26 / RPM Speedway / Crandall, TX
Friday, May 9 / Windy Hollow Speedway / Owensboro, KY
Saturday, May 10 / Paducah International Raceway / Paducah, KY
Friday, May 30 / Salt City Raceway / Hutchinson, KS
Saturday, May 31 / Dodge City Raceway Park / Dodge City, KS
*Friday, June 6 / TBA
*Saturday, June 7 / Texarkana 67 Speedway / Texarkana, AR
*Tuesday, June 10 / TBA
*Thursday, June 12 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK
*Friday, June 13 / TBA
*Saturday, June 14 / Tri-State Speedway / Pocola, OK
Friday, June 20 / Crowley’s Ridge Raceway / Paragould, AR
Saturday, June 21 / Batesville Motor Speedway / Batesville, AR
Friday, June 27 / Tulsa Speedway / Tulsa, OK
Saturday, June 28 / Tulsa Speedway / Tulsa, OK
Thursday, July 3 / Belleville High Banks / Belleville, KS
Friday, July 4 / Belleville High Banks / Belleville, KS
Friday, July 11 / Lakeside Speedway / Kansas City, KS
Saturday, July 12 / 81 Speedway / Park City, KS
Saturday, July 26 / Benton Speedway / Benton, MO
Thursday, July 31 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA
Friday, Aug. 1 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA
Saturday, Aug. 2 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA
Friday, Aug. 15 / WaKeeney Speedway / WaKeeney, KS
Saturday, Aug. 16 / El Paso County Raceway / Calhan, CO
Friday, Aug. 22 / Big Sky Speedway / Billings, MT
Saturday, Aug. 23 / Big Sky Speedway / Billings, MT
Friday, Aug. 29 / Electric City Speedway / Great Falls, MT
Saturday, Aug. 30 / Electric City Speedway / Great Falls, MT
Sunday, Sept. 7 / Eagle Raceway / Eagle, NE
Friday, Sept. 19 / TBA
Saturday, Sept. 20 / TBA
Friday, Oct. 10 / Salt City Raceway / Hutchinson, KS
Saturday, Oct. 11 / Salt City Raceway / Hutchinson, KS
Friday, Nov. 14 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK
Saturday, Nov. 15 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK

 

Danny Dietrich Set for ASCS National Tour Competition at Volusia’s 54th DIRTcar Nationals
Pennsylvania 410 Sprint Car standout making first ASCS appearance outside Knoxville
Jordan DeLucia

Danny Dietrich is set to leave his snow-covered Sprint Car homeland of Pennsylvania for the warm weather of Florida to compete with the American Sprint Car Series (ASCS) National Tour at Volusia Speedway Park.

Dietrich, 36, of Gettysburg, PA, will enter his Weikert’s Livestock Inc, Maxim Chassis No. 48 with a Travis Racing Engine, owned by Chris and Mindy Hiser, for his first-ever ASCS appearance outside of the 360 Knoxville Nationals. He and the Gary Kauffman Racing team will compete in the opening nights of the 54th annual Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia, Jan. 30–Feb. 1.

The “PA Posse” standout has been a DIRTcar Nationals entrant every year since 2017 with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars and has plenty of laps around Volusia’s fast, 1/2-mile confines in his regular 410 Sprint Car. He raced Volusia for the first time with a 360 engine in the car on the final two nights of the 2024 Germfree Southern Sprint Car Shootout, garnering back-to-back fifth-place finishes.

So, what brings the veteran winged racer back for more 360 Sprint Car competition at Volusia this year?
 

“It just makes it better for us to go down there and get some laps in before 410s start up the week,” Dietrich said. “We don’t have the race in Georgia like we’ve had in years past, or the race at Ocala like we have in years past, so it’s always good to get some laps [at Volusia].

“And it’s probably even better for us, being that we’re not having to leave one track and go to another. We can just go to Volusia and camp out for a week or so.”

While Dietrich is eager to get the local 410 Sprint Car season started back home, the action around Pennsylvania does not begin until March. Racing two weekends at Volusia also gives he and his team the additional benefit of getting ahead of their competition at home by turning laps and wrenches at the track before most others.

“I just enjoy going to Volusia and starting the season off, having the crew back around the track and in the trailer, and just getting back into the swing of things,” Dietrich said. “Volusia hospitality is very good, and honestly the fan base has grown so much over the years, just more and more. Every year, it seems like there gets to be more and more fans walking through the pit area.

“It’s good for the racers and good for the teams to get down there and get gelling before things really get kicked off back here in Pennsylvania.”

With his many years of experience racing around the 1/2-mile ovals of Pennsylvania — Port Royal Speedway (Port Royal, PA); Williams Grove Speedway (Mechanicsburg, PA) — Dietrich is well-versed in the high-speed nature of tracks like Volusia. But does he view his weekly experience on the big tracks as an advantage over the touring stars of ASCS?

“Not at all… not at all,” Dietrich said. “We just don’t have anything here in Pennsylvania like Volusia. Volusia is probably about as close to Eldora as it is anything, if I had to give an opinion. It kinda races somewhat similar as far as the shape of it — not saying we get up on the fence like we do at Eldora or anything like that — but it definitely has some similarities as far as how round it is, and you don’t really drive very straight around the track.”
 

DIRTcar Nationals kicks off a brand-new era in ASCS National Tour history with the first, full-length schedule constructed under the new ownership of World Racing Group, who purchased the organization in March 2024. While Dietrich does not compete often in the 360 ranks, he expressed a positive outlook for both ASCS in its new home and the division as a whole.

“I think having ASCS down there is definitely going to help the situation with the 360s, and in Florida as well,” Dietrich said. “To have ASCS involved and taking over Volusia will be really, really good for 360s as a whole — maybe even across the whole country. Kinda gets them another good track and another good forefront where they get the publicity they should be getting.”

See Dietrich and several other 360/410 Sprint Car invaders take on the ASCS regulars in the National Tour’s debut at Volusia Speedway Park — Thursday–Saturday, Jan. 30–Feb. 1.

Tickets are on sale now at DIRTcarNationals.com/tickets. If you can’t be there to watch in person, stream every lap live on DIRTVision.

 
 

 

Hafertepe Jr. Closes Season in Victory Lane at Fuzzy's Fall Fling

SAPULPA, OK (November 16, 2024) – Sam Hafertepe Jr. and Hill’s Racing Team entered Saturday’s American Sprint Car Series National Tour season finale one point ahead of TwoC Racing in the battle for the Owners championship. That meant the goal for the night was simple – beat Hank Davis.

Not only did he beat Davis, he beat everybody.

Hafertepe’s win in the Fuzzy’s Fall Fling finale at Creek County Speedway gave him the chance to do a wing dance for the 12th time in 2024, pocket the $10,000 winner’s prize and close out the season in ideal fashion.

“I’m just ecstatic, I wanted to win this race from ninth,” Hafertepe said. “To come out on top is pretty badass.”

Davis started on the pole thanks to his Dash victory, and early on the Owners title looked like his to lose. The No. 2C broke away to an early advantage and led until Blake Hahn spun in Turn 4 while running third to reset the field on Lap 3.

Another solid jump for Davis allowed him to maintain the lead while Ryan Bickett came under fire from Matt Covington for the second spot. Covington won that battle, but by the time he did so, Davis had already broken away to a two-second lead.

That margin was erased when Tasker Phillips went around in Turn 2, but Davis once again powered away to a healthy lead on the ensuing restart.

His time out front would soon come to an abrupt end though, as just past halfway, Davis hit the wall on the backstretch and was forced to retire from the race due to severe front-end damage, ending TwoC’s chances at the Owners title.

That put Covington in control of the race with 15 laps to go, but he had Hafertepe breathing down his neck after he piloted the No. 15H up from ninth to second in the first 25 laps. Covington fended off Hafertepe and began to drive away, but a caution for the slowing car of Bickett put Hafertepe on his back bumper once more.

After the race went back green for the final time, Covington again held onto the lead early, but Hafertepe was never far behind. With six to go, Hafertepe ripped the top side around Turns 3 and 4, dove to the bottom down the fronstretch and completed the crossover entering Turn 1 to take the lead. He never looked back from there, taking the final checkered flag of the season by nearly two seconds.

“I could have rode around and won the Owners points, but I didn’t want to do that,” Hafertepe said. “I wanted to win the damn race. It pays $10,000 to win.”

Covington looked to be in position to score his first National Tour victory of 2024 on the final night of the season, but was forced to settle for the runner-up spot yet again with his ninth podium of the year.

“It’s been a few years since we went a full season without winning a National Tour race and it happened this year,” Covington said. “We weren’t bad, just didn’t get it done. Falls on my shoulders, and we’re going to come back and try harder and do better next year I hope.”

After his early-race spin, Hahn charged through the field from the back and made his way up to third by the time the checkers flew to cap off a double-podium weekend at his home track.

“It’s a bit disappointing seeing how fast of a car we had and to make a mistake early in the race,” Hahn said. “Nobody to blame except myself there. Just got in a little too hard, got myself in the middle there and just couldn’t save it enough. You guys can see, the car was really good tonight, we could move it around and make a lot of stuff happen. Anytime you can come from the back to a podium is good.”

Newly-crowned Series champion Seth Bergman drove from 15th up to fourth to claim the Hard Charger Award, while Alex Sewell finished fifth for his first top five of the season with the National Tour.

UP NEXT: The 2025 ASCS National Tour season begins at Volusia Speedway Park during Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals, Jan. 30-Feb. 1.

Feature (40 Laps): 1. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[9]; 2. 95-Matt Covington[4]; 3. 52-Blake Hahn[3]; 4. 23-Seth Bergman[15]; 5. 8-Alex Sewell[5]; 6. 36-Jason Martin[8]; 7. 17-Jeffrey Newell[7]; 8. 22-Riley Goodno[6]; 9. 83-Sam Henderson[11]; 10. 47-Dale Howard[13]; 11. 20-Noah Harris[10]; 12. 1TAZ-Tasker Phillips[19]; 13. 16G-Austyn Gossel[14]; 14. 10-Landon Britt[23]; 15. 45X-Kyler Johnson[12]; 16. 17B-Ryan Bickett[2]; 17. 2C-Hank Davis[1]; 18. 22M-Rees Moran[21]; 19. 71-Brady Baker[17]; 20. 2J-Zach Blurton[18]; 21. 9-Emilio Hoover[20]; 22. 26M-Fred Mattox[22]; 23. 15D-Andrew Deal[16]

 

 

Hahn Gets First National Tour Win of Season on Opening Night of Fuzzy's Fall Fling

SAPULPA, OK (November 15, 2024) – Blake Hahn would have preferred not to wait until November to win his first American Sprint Car Series National Tour race of 2024, but his performance Friday night at Creek County Speedway was worth the wait.

Racing in front of his hometown fans in the Fuzzy’s Fall Fling – the race honoring his late grandmother Wokeeta “Fuzzy” Hahn – the driver of the No. 52 led from start to finish to pick up the 22nd win of his National Tour career.

“Anytime you get to come here and race, it’s a blast for us,” Hahn said. “Not only do we get to run in front of a great crowd, but also our friends and family get to come watch us too. It’s a great night, it’s a good way to start the weekend. I’m really happy to be able to pick up the victory at my grandma’s race here for the Fuzzy’s Fall Fling, really happy about that.”

The win comes three weeks after Hahn started on the pole and led several laps at RPM Speedway before being overtaken by Sam Hafertepe Jr. and settling for second. He found himself in the same position at Creek County after claiming the pole and leading early, but by that point he already believed that this time would be different.

“Throughout the whole night, I just felt a little more confident in the car compared to RPM,” Hahn said. “I just felt like we had a little better car from the beginning of the night. Anytime you can start out on the front row of the Dash and go out and win that, it’s a good sign.”

After sharing the front row with Seth Bergman, Hahn broke away to an early advantage before the spinning car of Brad Bowden on the fronstretch reset the field.

From that point forward, a pattern formed that told the story of the race – Hahn would break away on the restart and begin driving away until another quick yellow put the field back on his rear bumper. Four more cautions for incidents involving Emilio Hoover, Austyn Gossel, Landon Britt and Alex Sewell gave the field plenty of chances at Hahn, but the two-time Series champion was able to fend them off time after time.

On the final restart of the night, Hahn jumped out to a half-straightaway lead after one lap, and that was all he needed to seal the deal and drive home to the checkered flag.

Given the tight confines of the quarter-mile bullring, navigating slower traffic is typically a deciding factor anytime the Series rolls into Creek County. But given the rash of cautions in the middle stages of the race, Hahn spent relatively little time in dirty air, something he said played to his advantage.

“Lap traffic was pretty hairy there, and I caught it in about five or six laps,” Hahn said. “So it didn’t take long after a yellow to get back in lap traffic. You had guys on the top and the bottom both, so it was hard to get around any of them. Anytime it seemed like I got into some really hairy traffic, I had a caution land right in my lap. So it all worked out perfectly.”

The No. 2C of Hank Davis may not have had anything for Hahn, but he was able to move up from his fourth starting spot and around Bergman early to come home second. The result comes one week after he traveled to The Dirt Track at Charlotte to make his World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car debut at the World of Outlaws World Finals, and Davis credited those laps in the 410 for improving his skillset for when it was time to get back in the 360.

“I think the 410 actually helped me hone in on a little craft, because the air is so bad and those guys are so good,” Davis said. “I think I’m just kind of getting the hang of it and just understanding my own racecraft.”

The primary objective for Davis and team in the closing weeks of the season has been bringing home the Owners championship, and with one night to go, TwoC Racing sits just one point behind Hafertepe and Hill’s Racing Team. That means the goal for tomorrow is simple – beat the No. 15H.

“I had to do my job,” Davis said. “That’s what we did. Came here and did our job. Would have liked to win that thing to maybe be ahead of him tomorrow, but the pressure’s on him. He’s the one that’s got one point he’s got to keep. All that is is a position, so if we beat him by one tomorrow, I’m going to be a pretty happy guy.”

Starting on the front row and falling back to third is what most drivers would call a ho-hum night, but not this time for Bergman. Instead, it brought the realization of a lifelong dream – upon signing in for competition on Saturday, he will officially clinch his first National Tour championship.

“It’s a huge weight lifted off my shoulders,” Bergman said. “When you’re in the hunt for these things and you’ve been trying to do it for as long as I have, you have as many partners on this race team wanting to see us win, it’s a very big deal. It’s a big deal for me, I’ve been trying to do it for a long time. You get lost in it all, and all I’ve been thinking about lately is how many ways this could go wrong and we could sabotage it this weekend. Just to get through these few nights solid like we have, all the podiums this weekend and to get a win last night.

“It feels amazing. I don’t think it’s sunk in yet, but it’s good. It’s really good. For the first time since March, I’m not worried about winning a championship. I know we’ve done it. We can come back tomorrow and just go try to win a race.”

Hafertepe recovered from a crash in the Dash with an eighth to fourth drive, while Matt Covington rounded out the top five.

UP NEXT: The 2024 ASCS National Tour season concludes on Saturday night with the $10,000-to-win Fuzzy’s Fall Fling finale at Creek County Speedway. Tickets will be available at the track, but if you can’t make it, stream every lap live on DIRTVision.

Feature (30 Laps): 1. 52-Blake Hahn[1]; 2. 2C-Hank Davis[4]; 3. 23-Seth Bergman[2]; 4. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[8]; 5. 95-Matt Covington[10]; 6. 17-Zach Hampton[6]; 7. 36-Jason Martin[9]; 8. 22M-Rees Moran[12]; 9. 938-Bradley Fezard[3]; 10. 2J-Zach Blurton[17]; 11. 1-Sean McClelland[5]; 12. 88-Terry Easum[11]; 13. 15D-Andrew Deal[23]; 14. 47-Dale Howard[21]; 15. 26M-Fred Mattox[20]; 16. 9-Emilio Hoover[13]; 17. 16G-Austyn Gossel[18]; 18. 45X-Kyler Johnson[24]; 19. 83-Sam Henderson[22]; 20. 8-Alex Sewell[15]; 21. 10-Landon Britt[19]; 22. 22-Riley Goodno[16]; 23. 8X-Brad Bowden[7]; 24. 14E-Kyle Bellm[14]

 

 

Bergman Dominates Tulsa for Seventh Victory of 2024

TULSA, OK (November 14, 2024) – Seth Bergman admittedly wasn’t satisfied with his third-place result in the Dirt Down in T-Town makeup race early in the program at Tulsa Speedway. He took out his frustration on the rest of the field in the second main event of the night, winning his seventh American Sprint Car Series National Tour Feature of the year in commanding fashion.

“Obviously you could tell the disappointment on my face after the first one,” Bergman said. “We’ve got a lot of people here, a lot of people that support this race car and expect to win races. When we don’t, it’s frustrating. When you’re in a tight championship battle and the guy that you’re racing is winning the races and you’re watching him drive away, it’s frustrating.”

Bergman’s strong Qualifying effort secured him a spot in the Dash, and after making some adjustments to the No. 23 machine to improve from the makeup race prior to running that Dash, he quickly became the favorite come Feature time.

“We rolled out for that Dash, we made some wholesale changes and the thing came to life,” Bergman said. “Had a big grin on my face after that, knew we had a shot to win this deal.”

The changes paid off, as Bergman won the five-lap sprint to secure the Feature pole. He put it to good use, jumping out to a two-car-length lead over second-place starter Andrew Deal by the time they made it to the backstretch on Lap 1.

His advantage was quickly wiped away when chaos erupted in Turn 1 a lap later, as Blake Hahn and Dale Howard both got upside down and collected several other cars. One of them was makeup Feature winner Sam Hafertepe Jr., who went to the work area to repair some front-end damage.

When the green flag flew again, Bergman got an even better launch than on the original start and quickly escaped to a half-straightaway lead. Behind him, a rough first lap for Deal allowed Brady Baker to sneak into second, but Emilio Hoover’s spin in Turn 3 brought the caution out before he could go to work on catching Bergman.

The ensuing restart gave Deal a chance to get around Baker and back into second, but instead Matt Covington got by on the low side and sent Deal back to fourth. What followed turned out to be the longest green flag run of the race, and Bergman made the most of it by driving off to a two-second lead.

Just past halfway, Covington capitalized on a bobble in Turn 4 by Baker to briefly get beside him, but Baker was able to recover and hold the No. 95 off. The top three went unchanged until Riley Goodno spun in Turn 4, forcing another restart with six laps to go.

After racing side-by-side with Baker following the restart, Covington made the move stick on the outside and grabbed the runner-up spot. He was unable to mount a charge on Bergman though, as the Series points leader stayed out front for the remaining laps to lead green-to-checkered in the 25-lap race.

“Just a lot of unknowns,” Bergman said. “For me, I don’t want to go be stupid and throw it away, so I was just plugging away. I thought I could hear somebody toward the end. I figured if I just kind of snuck through the middle or the bottom there and didn’t get too upset, we would be alright, and it ended up working out.”

Hafertepe drove from the back of the pack after his early misfortune up to fourth to minimize the damage in the standings, but nevertheless, Bergman has an advantage of 161 points with two races remaining in his quest for the championship. While it isn’t over yet, Bergman said the gap is large enough to sleep comfortably at night for the first time in a while.

“I think I can start breathing a little bit again,” Bergman said. “My thing was to get through these first two nights and hopefully not lose any points to [Hafertepe], and I think we gained a little bit. So that’s great.”

Covington’s runner-up effort was his first podium finish since Aug. 31 at Electric City Speedway, giving him some momentum entering the season finale at his home track, Creek County Speedway.

“It seemed like the car was good and we had a good handle on it all night long,” Covington said. “Ran two Features in one night, and we’re going to take that on to Kellyville tomorrow and see if that doesn’t translate to another podium.”

Brady Baker has been a thorn in the side of the full-timers on tour all season, and Thursday night at Tulsa was no different with his third-place finish.

“Awesome race there,” Baker said. “It was me, Bergman and Andrew Deal off that start, that was a pretty fun little five laps. Track got pretty rough, and then we hit the rut right down there, lost a spot or two and then we hustled back. Me and Matt had a good race.”

Hank Davis rebounded from a crash in the first Feature of the night by driving from 15th to fifth to complete the top five and earn the Hard Charger Award.

UP NEXT: The Series travels 30 minutes across Tulsa to the final stop on the schedule at Creek County Speedway for Fuzzy’s Fall Fling on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 15-16. Tickets will be available at the track, but if you can’t make it, catch every lap live on DIRTVision.

Feature (25 Laps): 1. 23-Seth Bergman[1]; 2. 95-Matt Covington[6]; 3. 71-Brady Baker[3]; 4. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[4]; 5. 2C-Hank Davis[15]; 6. 15D-Andrew Deal[2]; 7. 1TAZ-Tasker Phillips[14]; 8. 10-Landon Britt[17]; 9. 36-Jason Martin[7]; 10. 1-Sean McClelland[11]; 11. 14E-Kyle Bellm[13]; 12. 9-Emilio Hoover[19]; 13. 20-Noah Harris[16]; 14. 88-Terry Easum[20]; 15. 2J-Zach Blurton[23]; 16. 938-Bradley Fezard[12]; 17. 22-Riley Goodno[9]; 18. 16G-Austyn Gossel[18]; 19. 45X-Kyler Johnson[8]; 20. 17B-Ryan Bickett[21]; 21. 8-Alex Sewell[22]; 22. 47-Dale Howard[10]; 23. 52-Blake Hahn[5]

 

 

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: National Tour Wrapping Up 2024 at Tulsa, Creek County

TULSA, OK (November 12, 2024) – The 2024 American Sprint Car Series National Tour season has taken the best 360 Sprint Car teams in the nation from Louisiana to Montana and everywhere in between, but the 34-race journey comes to an end this weekend in Oklahoma.

Action starts Thursday night at Tulsa Speedway with a pair of Features – the $6,000-to-win Dirt Down in T-Town main event that was postponed due to weather in June, as well as a separate $4,000-to-win full program.

Teams will then make the drive across Tulsa to Creek County Speedway for Fuzzy’s Fall Fling. A $4,000-to-win Feature on Friday night will set the stage for the season finale on Saturday night, where the race winner will take home $10,000 and the all-new ASCS Emmett Hahn Championship Trophy will be awarded.

The Sprint Cars will be joined on the card by Factory Stocks, Tuners and Dwarf Cars at Tulsa and NOW600 Dwarf Cars at Creek County.

Tickets will be available at the track on all three nights. Can’t make it? Watch every lap live on DIRTVision.

Here are the top storylines entering the weekend:

ON THE VERGE: Seth Bergman has already had his best season ever on the National Tour, and with a 156-point lead in the standings, he’s in position to put a bow on it this weekend with his maiden Series championship.

His six wins and 20 top fives in 2024 are the highest totals of his career in both categories with four more chances left to add to them.

And while Snohomish, WA will always be home, Bergman has resided in the Tulsa area since 2018, which means he’ll have the opportunity to clinch the title and commence the celebration in front of his hometown fans.

If the stat sheet is anything to go by, the No. 23 team has a good chance of ending the season on a high note. Bergman finished fifth at Tulsa earlier this season in his second appearance at the track, while his visits to Creek County this year have netted him a Sooner Region win in March and a runner-up with the National Tour in June.

DOWN TO THE WIRE: The closest title fight entering the weekend is on the Owners side, as TwoC Racing leads Hill’s Racing Team by 50 markers.

For TwoC driver Hank Davis, it’s his chance to earn one more trophy for Todd Carlile and Wayne Johnson in his final weekend with the team. It also marks his return to the 360 after spending last week in Charlotte making his World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car debut with Michael Dutcher Motorsports at the World of Outlaws World Finals.

As a native of nearby Sand Springs, OK, Davis is no stranger to either track on this weekend’s schedule. He made several 305 Sprint Car starts at both Tulsa and Creek County early on in his Sprint Car career and translated that experience into finishes of second at Tulsa and third at Creek County in the 360 earlier this year.

However, Sam Hafertepe Jr. and the No. 15H team are well within striking distance heading to two tracks they have had plenty of success at in the past. Hafertepe enters the weekend with momentum on his side after winning the most recent race on tour at RPM Speedway, and he went to Victory Lane with the Series at both Tulsa and Creek County in June.

The Tulsa win came in his first start at the track, while his National Tour victory at Creek County was one of three wins there this year alongside a local win in May and a POWRi triumph in September.

LAST CHANCE: For everyone not on the list of 13 names who have won a National Tour race in 2024, this weekend is their last opportunity to take the checkers before putting the race cars away for the winter.

The highest driver in the standings without a win is Matt Covington, who is looking to snap a 37-race winless streak dating back to August 25, 2023 at Lakeside Speedway. Two of Covington’s 15 National Tour top fives this year came at Tulsa and Creek County, so he isn’t far off from having a race-winning combination at either track.

Others searching for their first win of the year and of their National Tour careers include Andrew Deal, who sits 20 points behind Jason Martin in the battle for the last spot in the top five, as well as Zach Blurton, who will be looking to end the season with the same speed that garnered him a pair of podiums in August at Lincoln County Raceway and Big Sky Speedway.

SOONER SENDOFF: The 2024 season for the ASCS Sooner Region will also come to an end this weekend, with a first-time Series champion set to be crowned.

Casey Wills took on the full Sooner tour in 2024 for the first time, and the decision has paid off with a commanding lead atop the points entering the weekend. Wills is still searching for his first win of the year, but considering his season-best finish of third came at Creek County in August, he could be a threat to end the season in Victory Lane and keep the Fuzzy’s Fall Fling trophy in the Sooner State.

Other regional names to keep an eye on include Sean McClelland, who won that August Sooner Region show, as well as Alex Sewell, who has finished second at Creek County three times this season between the Sooner Region and the Oil Capital Racing Series.

OUTSIDE INVADERS: With the season drawing to a close and few options on the table for where to race, plenty of non-regulars are expected to take on the National Tour in Oklahoma.

Two drivers on that list who won’t have to travel far are Sapulpa, OK’s Blake Hahn and Broken Arrow, OK’s Roger Crockett. Hahn nearly scored his first Series win of the year last time out at RPM, where he led early in the Feature before Hafertepe slipped by. Crockett has also impressed in his limited appearances on the National Tour, winning at Arrowhead Speedway and finishing third at 81 Speedway.

Brady Baker has also announced his intentions to make the trip west from his Alexander, AR home in search of his maiden Series triumph. He’s been knocking on the door throughout the year, with podiums at Super Bee Speedway, Arrowhead and RPM highlighting his 13 National Tour appearances so far.

Knoxville Raceway will be well represented in Oklahoma, as Tasker Phillips, JJ Hickle, Riley Goodno and Zach Hampton are all expected to make the seven-hour drive south to compete.

Other drivers to keep an eye on include 14-year-old Brogan Carder, who is looking to make his first Feature start with the Series after four attempts at Riverside and RPM, as well as local favorite Emilio Hoover, who recently picked up his first National Tour top 10 at Arrowhead.

WHEN AND WHERE:
Thursday, Nov. 14 at Tulsa Speedway in Tulsa, OK
Friday and Saturday, Nov. 15-16 at Creek County Speedway in Sapulpa, OK

CURRENT POINT STANDINGS (TOP 10):

  1. Seth Bergman (3668 points)
  2. Sam Hafertepe Jr. (-156)
  3. Matt Covington (-279)
  4. Hank Davis (-333)
  5. Jason Martin (-551)
  6. Andrew Deal (-571)
  7. Landon Britt (-636)
  8. Zach Blurton (-689)
  9. Kyler Johnson (-754)
  10. Terry Easum (-857)

FEATURE WINNERS:
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 10
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 6
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 3
Derek Hagar – Marion, AR – 2
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 1
Kaleb Johnson – Sioux Falls, SD – 1
Tyler Courtney – Indianapolis, IN – 1
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 1
Aaron Reutzel – Clute, TX – 1
Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 1
Joe B. Miller – Millersville, MO – 1

QUICK TIME AWARDS:
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 12
Aaron Reutzel – Clute, TX – 2
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 2
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 1
Josh McCord – Bossier City, LA – 1
Alex Sewell – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 1
Tyler Groenendyk – Oskaloosa, IA – 1
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 1
Skylar Gee – Leduc, AB – 1
Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Joe B. Miller – Millersville, MO – 1
Lance Moss – Cherryville, NC – 1
Kyler Johnson – Quinter, KS – 1

HEAT RACE WINS:
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 9
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 8
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 8
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 7
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 6
Whit Gastineau – Moore, OK – 4
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 4
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 3
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 3
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 3
Zach Blurton – Quinter, KS – 3
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 3
Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 3
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 2
Kyler Johnson – Quinter, KS – 2
Cody Gardner – Benton, AR – 2
Lane Whittington – Denham Springs, LA – 1
Koty Adams – Haughton, LA – 1
Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 1
Brekton Crouch – Lubbock, TX – 1
Jeremy Campbell – Wichita, KS – 1
Austyn Gossel – Windsor, CO – 1
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Matt Juhl – Tea, SD – 1
Garet Williamson – Columbia, MO – 1
Emerson Axsom – Franklin, IN – 1
Hunter Schuerenberg – Sikeston, MO – 1
Tanner Holmes – Jacksonville, OR – 1
Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Tyler Groenendyk – Oskaloosa, IA – 1
Parker Price-Miller – Kokomo, IN – 1
Colton Hardy – Phoenix, AZ – 1
Tanner Thorson – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Brian Brown – Hugginsville, MO – 1
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 1
Phil Dietz – Laurel, MT – 1
Joe Perry – Billings, MT – 1
Kory Wermling – Great Falls, MT – 1
Chris Martin – Ankeny, IA – 1
Garrett Benson – Concordia, MO – 1
Sterling Cling – Tempe, AZ – 1
Tucker Boulton – Brighton, TN – 1
Derek Hagar – Marion, AR – 1
Dale Howard – Byhalia, MS – 1
Ayden Gatewood – Caruthersville, MO – 1
Marshall Skinner – Marion, AR – 1
Carson Bolden – Quinlan, TX – 1
Colby Stubblefield – Seagoville, TX – 1
Brenham Crouch – Lubbock, TX – 1

DASH APPEARANCES:
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 23
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 22
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 15
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 13
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 9
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 6
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 6
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 6
Whit Gastineau – Moore, OK – 5
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 4
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 4
Zach Blurton – Quinter, KS – 4
Kyler Johnson – Quinter, KS – 4
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 3
Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 3
Alex Sewell – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 2
Kory Wermling – Great Falls, MT – 2
Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Garrett Benson – Concordia, MO – 2
Riley Goodno – Knoxville, IA – 2
Cody Gardner – Benton, AR – 2
Lane Whittington – Denham Springs, LA – 1
Koty Adams – Haughton, LA – 1
Ryder Laplante – Calera, OK – 1
Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 1
Brekton Crouch – Lubbock, TX – 1
Jeremy Campbell – Wichita, KS – 1
Elijah Gile – Phoenix, AZ – 1
Austyn Gossel – Windsor, CO – 1
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Harli White – Lindsay, OK – 1
Austin McCarl – Altoona, IA – 1
DJ Brink – Rapid City, SD – 1
Phil Dietz – Laurel, MT – 1
Joe Perry – Billings, MT – 1
Skylar Gee – Leduc, AB – 1
Aaron Reutzel – Clute, TX – 1
Chris Martin – Ankeny, IA – 1
Joe B. Miller – Millersville, MO – 1
Sterling Cling – Tempe, AZ – 1
Gunner Ramey – Sedalia, MO – 1
Dale Howard – Byhalia, MS – 1
Derek Hagar – Marion, AR – 1
Carson Bolden – Quinlan, TX – 1
Colby Stubblefield – Seagoville, TX – 1
Brenham Crouch – Lubbock, TX – 1

LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINNERS:
Rees Moran – Tulsa, OK – 2
Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 2
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 1
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 1
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Aaron Reutzel – Clute, TX – 1
Chase Porter – St. Joseph, MO – 1
Kerry Madsen – Knoxville, IA – 1
Chase Randall – Waco, TX – 1
Rich Bailey – Helena, MT – 1
Kyler Johnson – Quinter, KS – 1
Skylar Gee – Leduc, AB – 1
Zach Blurton – Quinter, KS – 1
Brandon Anderson – Glenpool, OK – 1
Noah Harris – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Gunner Ramey – Sedalia, MO – 1
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 1
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 1
Ayden Gatewood – Caruthersville, MO – 1
Marshall Skinner – Marion, AR – 1
Colby Stubblefield – Seagoville, TX – 1

PODIUM FINISHERS:
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 18
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 17
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 11
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 7
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 3
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 2
Austin McCarl – Altoona, IA – 2
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 2
Zach Blurton – Quinter, KS – 2
Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 2
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 2
Derek Hagar – Marion, AR – 2
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Tanner Conn – Oklahoma City, OK – 1
Ryder Laplante – Calera, OK – 1
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Kaleb Johnson – Sioux Falls, SD – 1
Chase Randall – Waco, TX – 1
Kade Higday – Knoxville, IA – 1
Cory Eliason – Visalia, CA – 1
Brian Brown – Higginsville, MO – 1
Tyler Courtney – Indianapolis, IN – 1
Emerson Axsom – Franklin, IN – 1
Aaron Reutzel – Clute, TX – 1
Joe B. Miller – Millersville, MO – 1
Sterling Cling – Tempe, AZ – 1
Dale Howard – Byhalia, MS – 1
Kyle Jones – Kennedale, TX – 1
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 1

TOP 10 FINISHERS:
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 24
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 24
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 21
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 19
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 19
Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 17
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 15
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 9
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 10
Zach Blurton – Quinter, KS – 9
Kyler Johnson – Quinter, KS – 8
Austyn Gossel – Windsor, CO – 6
Rees Moran – Tulsa, OK – 4
Brandon Anderson – Glenpool, OK – 4
Harli White – Lindsay, OK – 4
Kelly Miller – Stirling, AB – 4
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 4
Riley Goodno – Knoxville, IA – 4
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 4
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 3
Whit Gastineau – Moore, OK – 3
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 3
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 3
Terry McCarl – Altoona, IA – 3
Dale Howard – Byhalia, MS – 3
Alex Sewell – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Tyler Courtney – Indianapolis, IN – 2
Emerson Axsom – Franklin, IN – 2
Austin McCarl – Altoona, IA – 2
Brian Brown – Higginsville, MO – 2
Cory Eliason – Visalia, CA – 2
Tasker Phillips – Pleasantville, IA – 2
Jamie Ball – Knoxville, IA – 2
Kaleb Johnson – Sioux Falls, SD – 2
Jeremy Campbell – Wichita, KS – 2
Skylar Gee – Leduc, AB – 2
Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 2
Sterling Cling – Tempe, AZ – 2
Derek Hagar – Marion, AR – 2
Kyle Jones – Kennedale, TX – 2
Brenham Crouch – Lubbock, TX – 2
Channin Tankersley – Arlington, TX – 1
Tanner Conn – Oklahoma City, OK – 1
Brekton Crouch – Lubbock, TX – 1
Jeremy Huish – Jetmore, KS – 1
Ryder Laplante – Calera, OK – 1
Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 1
Fred Mattox – Drumright, OK – 1
Brad Bowden – Hernando, MS – 1
Michael Day – Farmersville, TX – 1
Chase Randall – Waco, TX – 1
Kade Higday – Knoxville, IA – 1
Justin Peck – Monrovia, IN – 1
Gunner Ramey – Sedalia, MO – 1
Miles Paulus – Marshall, MO – 1
Kasey Kahne – Enumclaw, WA – 1
Ryan Giles – Grimes, IA – 1
Kerry Madsen – Knoxville, IA – 1
Alex Hill – Six Nations, ON – 1
Cole Macedo – Lemoore, CA – 1
DJ Brink – Rapid City, SD – 1
Blayne Brink – Gillette, WY – 1
Phil Dietz – Laurel, MT – 1
Kory Wermling – Great Falls, MT – 1
Aaron Reutzel – Clute, TX – 1
Chris Martin – Ankeny, IA – 1
Emilio Hoover – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Joe B. Miller – Millersville, MO – 1
Cody Gardner – Benton, AR – 1
Anton Hernandez – Arlington, TX – 1
Howard Moore – Memphis, TN – 1
Morgan Turpen Havener – Gallatin, TN – 1
Marshall Skinner – Marion, AR – 1
Colby Stubblefield – Seagoville, TX – 1
Casey Wills – Sperry, OK – 1

2024 AMERICAN SPRINT CAR SERIES SCHEDULE & WINNERS:
Friday, Apr. 19 / Super Bee Speedway / Chatham, LA / Seth Bergman (1)
Friday, May 10 / Red Dirt Raceway / Meeker, OK / Terry Easum (1)
Friday, May 31 / Rush County Speedway / La Crosse, KS / Seth Bergman (2)
Saturday, June 1 / Dodge City Raceway Park / Dodge City, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (1)
Tuesday, June 11 / Texarkana 67 Speedway / Texarkana, AR / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (2)
Thursday, June 13 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (3)
Friday, June 14 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK / Seth Bergman (3)
Saturday, June 15 / Tri-State Speedway / Pocola, OK / Seth Bergman (4)
Saturday, June 22 / Batesville Motor Speedway / Locust Grove, AR / Jordon Mallett (1)
Friday, June 28 / Tulsa Speedway / Tulsa, OK / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (4)
Friday, July 19 / Lakeside Speedway / Kansas City, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (5)
Saturday, July 20 / 81 Speedway / Wichita, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (6)
Thursday, Aug. 1 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Kaleb Johnson (1)
Friday, Aug. 2 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (7)
Saturday, Aug. 3 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Tyler Courtney (1)
Friday, Aug. 16 / Dodge City Raceway Park / Dodge City, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (8)
Saturday, Aug. 17 / Lincoln County Raceway / North Platte, NE / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (9)
Friday, Aug. 23 / Big Sky Speedway / Shepherd, MT / Seth Bergman (5)
Saturday, Aug. 24 / Big Sky Speedway / Shepherd, MT / Jake Bubak (1)
Friday, Aug. 30 / Electric City Speedway / Black Eagle, MT / Hank Davis (1)
Saturday, Aug. 31 / Electric City Speedway / Black Eagle, MT / Hank Davis (2)
Tuesday, Sept. 10 / Clay County Fair Speedway / Spencer, IA / Aaron Reutzel (1)
Friday, Sept. 13 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK / Roger Crockett (1)
Saturday, Sept. 14 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK / Jason Martin (1)
Friday, Oct. 11 / Benton Speedway / Benton, MO / Joe B. Miller (1)
Saturday, Oct. 12 / Paducah International Raceway / Paducah, KY / Hank Davis (3)
Friday, Oct. 18 / Riverside International Speedway / West Memphis, AR / Derek Hagar (1)
Saturday, Oct. 19 / Riverside International Speedway / West Memphis, AR / Derek Hagar (2)
Friday, Oct. 25 / RPM Speedway / Crandall, TX / Seth Bergman (6)
Saturday, Oct. 26 / RPM Speedway / Crandall, TX / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (10)
Thursday, Nov. 14 / Tulsa Speedway / Tulsa, OK
Friday, Nov. 15 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK
Saturday, Nov. 16 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK

 

 

Covington's Final Chance at 2024 National Tour Win Coming at Home

TULSA, OK (November 7, 2024) – Matt Covington has won at least once per season on the American Sprint Car Series National Tour for the last seven years. And with one weekend remaining this season, that streak might be in jeopardy.

The Glenpool, OK driver enters the championship weekend in Oklahoma (Nov. 14-16) with a goose egg in the National Tour win column.

However, that’s not an indication of how his season has gone. He’s stood on the podium seven times, and his 14 top fives exceed his career average of 11.7 top fives per season since he joined the Series full-time in 2014.

“I think we were mediocre; we were fast but not where we need to be,” Covington said about his 2024 season. “I mean, I’ve raced with Sam [Hafertepe Jr.] and Seth [Bergman] a lot and they’re better this year. We’ve got a little bit of work to do. Gives us something to work for in the offseason.”

With ASCS being acquired by World Racing Group earlier this year, a wave of the best 360 Sprint Car drivers in the country, like Bergman and Hafertepe, joined the tour full-time with Covington. But Covington said the stout field isn’t to blame for his absence from Victory Lane.

“It’s tougher than it was last year or the year before because we got Seth and Sam back,” Covington said. “Hank Davis is a new guy that’s fast. But, you know, I ran the National Tour when we had Jason Johnson, Paul McMahan, Shane Stewart and all those guys on it.

“We still didn’t have that good of a year this year comparatively. We were just off a little bit this year; a guy has some years like that.”

Once the haulers leave the track for the final time and the Series goes into offseason mode, Covington will begin checking off his winter to-do list like any other driver. But this year, it won’t consist of tropical vacations and indoor racing.

“We’re getting my arm surgery over the wintertime,” Covington said. “They’ve got to take a piece of bone out of my elbow. I’ll be down for a little bit. I’m going to be getting it done right after our last race and then plan to be back ready to go for our first race in January. You’ll probably see me one-armed at the banquet, and Steven will have a busy offseason with his crippled help.”

But before he goes onto the operating table, Covington will have four more chances at a National Tour victory this season at two of his home tracks – Tulsa Speedway and Creek County Speedway.

Winning is always Covington’s primary goal entering a race night, but he has more than just a trophy to think about next weekend. Sitting 54 points behind Covington in the standings is a red-hot Davis, which means one slip up could put his third-place points position at risk.

“I just treat them all the same way,” Covington said. “We try to win the race, but that doesn’t mean you do anything stupid and tear your stuff up, it still costs me money. We need to go there, and if we can’t win the race, we need to have a good showing, go on to the next one and try to win that one.”

All signs point to a strong end to the season for Covington – not only are the final two tracks on the schedule close to his Glenpool, OK home, but they are also two tracks he picked up top fives at earlier this year.

“Tulsa Speedway is kind of a new place, the last couple times we went there I thought it has definitely improved,” Covington said. “Creek County is a tough one. It’s only about 10 minutes from the house. We’ve won some races out there before. It’s a track we’ve run good at. Seems like we run good at Tulsa Speedway, we podiumed there earlier this year. I think we’ve got as good of a chance to win them as anybody.”

Championship weekend for the National Tour begins at Tulsa Speedway on Thursday, Nov. 14, with the postponed Dirt Down in T-Town Feature and the originally scheduled Thursday program. Action will then move to Creek County Speedway on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 15-16, for the Fuzzy’s Fall Fling.

Tickets will be available at the track all three nights. But if you can’t make it to the track, you can watch every lap live on DIRTVision.

 

 

Davis Racing for Owners Title, Job in Closing Stretch of 2024

CONCORD, NC (November 1, 2024) – When Hank Davis found himself knocking on the door of his first American Sprint Car Series National Tour victory night after night in July, TwoC Racing crew chief Wayne Johnson made the following prediction:

“Keep learning and doing what you’re doing, the wins will start coming. And when they do, it’ll be just like Sam [Hafertepe Jr.] or [Seth] Bergman. It won’t be just one, it’s going to be multiple.”

As it turns out, he was on to something.

While you didn’t have to be Nostradamus to expect Davis to find his groove in the second half of the season, the competitiveness of the No. 2C machine as of late has exceeded even Davis’ own goals. His three wins and seven podiums since his maiden victory at Electric City Speedway are more than any other driver in both categories.

That recent hot streak has them sitting atop the National Tour Owners standings with four races remaining in the season, 50 points ahead of the Hill’s Racing Team No. 15H. It could be considered fitting that Hafertepe is the driver Davis finds himself battling for the title, as all three of his wins this year have come with Hafertepe finishing in the runner-up spot.

However, Davis said he doesn’t place any extra emphasis on beating the five-time National Tour champion on a nightly basis, compared to every other car on the track.

“At the end of the day, it’s just another race car,” Davis said. “Yeah, he might be right on my tail in that deal, but at the end of the day it’s just another car I’ve got to pass, and I feel like we’ve shown that we can do it. I try not to let myself get too worried about that because I know that we’ve proven we can beat anyone out there.”

With nearly a full season under his belt as a full-time Sprint Car driver, what’s been his biggest area of improvement since joining TwoC Racing in May?

“Just racecraft,” Davis said. “There’s things that I didn’t do before, and now with Wayne beating down my throat certain things and how you have to race to win. And now I feel like I’m finally getting the hang of it and understanding my own racecraft.”

Davis may have been in contention for wins long before he finally broke through in Montana, finishing fourth at Rush County Speedway and third at Dodge City Raceway Park in his debut weekend in the car, but Johnson agreed that the difference between then and now is night and day.

“At first we tore up some cars, but it’s just a learning process,” Johnson said. “He’s a quick learner, he kind of got that out of his system real quickly. More than anything, just the consistency. I wasn’t sure what we would get with him being a rookie, but it’s pretty impressive to me.

“The first [win] is always the hardest one. After the first one, they come a little easier. Just his confidence level being a young kid, after winning a couple races I think he realized, ‘Hey, I can win these races at this level.”

A potential Owners title would also be key to propelling TwoC Racing into 2025, which will bring a return to full-time World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car competition with Cole Macedo behind the wheel. And for Johnson, his success in his first season as a full-time crew chief gives him plenty of reasons to be optimistic about taking on The Greatest Show on Dirt in his new role.

“It’s helped my confidence a lot, just because I was always a driver-mechanic, I worked for myself,” Johnson said. “So, I wasn’t really sure I could be a crew chief and make it happen, but it sure has improved my thought process moving into next year being a crew chief at the Outlaw level.”

Of course, Macedo’s arrival means Davis is a free agent for the 2025 season, making each race night all the more important as the 21-year-old looks to impress potential car owners and secure his future as a Sprint Car driver. He’ll get a major opportunity to do that next weekend at The Dirt Track at Charlotte when he makes his World of Outlaws debut at the World of Outlaws World Finals in the No. 17GP for Michael Dutcher Motorsports.

“I really don’t think about it, but I would like to say its motivation,” Davis said regarding the uncertainty of his future plans. “I don’t want to worry about trying to run second, I just want to go try and win the race so that people can’t deny it. You can’t deny it at that point if I win a bunch of races. We haven’t won as many as I would like to, but we’ve definitely been one of the most consistent cars throughout the year, and definitely the most consistent in my life.”

As for his elevator pitch to the Sprint Car world, Davis is happy to let the stat sheet and the highlight reel do the talking.

“I don’t know how you consider yourself as a driver, you kind of have to let what you’ve done speak for that,” Davis said. “We’re going to have a good time if I’m around. I don’t come from a whole lot of money, but we know how to have a good time and enjoy it. Maybe we can get someone to bite on that.”

Davis will wrap up his rookie season on the National Tour at Tulsa Speedway (Thursday, Nov. 14) and Creek County Speedway (Friday and Saturday, Nov. 15-16). Tickets will be available at both tracks on race day, while DIRTVision will stream every lap live for those unable to make it to the track.

 


Continued Wet Forecast Cancels The Short Track Nationals
Bryan Hulbert

Sadly, Mother Nature has intervened for the second year in a row. With a forecast calling for rain all weekend, the decision has been made to cancel the Short Track Nationals at Texarkana 67 Speedway.

“We have spent the last few days watching the weather, losing sleep, doing numbers, and more in regard to the Short Track Nationals. As racers ourselves, we know what it’s like to drive all that way to get rained out and spend unnecessary money, especially during today’s times,” stated Tim Crawley on the track’s Facebook Page.

“Calling this race was definitely not what we wanted to do, but we feel it’s the best option. This gives racers and fans plenty of time to make other plans, cancel rooms, etc. We have already started on some big things for 2025, and we can only hope Mother Nature will be kinder to us.”

Fans and teams who entered and purchased tickets online will be refunded through MyRacePass.com. Any questions regarding refunds need to be directed to Texarkana 67 Speedway.

The cancelation marks the end of the 2024 season for the MYCO Plastics ASCS Elite Outlaw Sprints and makes Marcus Thomas this year’s series champion.

The 2024 season marks the 33rd season of competition for the American Sprint Car Series. Spearheaded by the American Sprint Car Series National Tour, the ASCS Nation includes Regional Tours encompassing Wing and Non-Wing competition.

For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, visit the ASCS website. Also, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and X


 

 

POINTS UPDATE: Martin Enters Top Five, Davis Closing In On Top Three
Spence Smithback

Stay up to date with the chase for the 2024 American Sprint Car Series National Tour championship.

LATEST RACES: RPM Speedway (Oct. 25-26)

CURRENT POINTS LEADER: Seth Bergman took one large step toward his first National Tour championship in Friday night’s race at RPM Speedway when he won on the same night second-place driver Sam Hafertepe Jr. failed to finish due to mechanical trouble. The momentum swung back on Hafertepe’s favor on Saturday when he won and Bergman finished seventh, but after all was set and done, Bergman’s lead grew from 129 points entering the weekend to 156 markers with four races to go in the season.

MOVERS

Jason Martin (+1): The reigning Series champion briefly found himself outside the top 10 after missing the Batesville Motor Speedway event due to injury, but the Liberal, KS native has been climbing back up the order ever since. Finishes of fourth on Friday and seventh on Saturday were enough for Martin to move past Andrew Deal and into the top five for the first time since Speedweek in June.

Andrew Deal (-1): After a spin on Friday night relegated him to 16th, Deal got back in the top 10 on Saturday night with an eighth-place effort. With one weekend remaining in his rookie campaign on the National Tour, the Caney, KS driver now sits sixth in the rundown, 20 points outside of the top five.

CLOSING THE GAP

Hank Davis (4th): The TwoC Racing driver used a pair of podiums in Texas to creep closer to third-place pilot Matt Covington, who wasn’t far behind Davis on both nights in fourth on Friday and fifth on Saturday. The gap between drivers is now 54 points with four races to go, which means Davis would need to gain an average of 14 points per race to end his rookie season in the top three.

TOP 10 IN POINTS

Seth Bergman (3668 points)
Sam Hafertepe Jr. (-156)
Matt Covington (-279)
Hank Davis (-333)
Jason Martin (-551)
Andrew Deal (-571)
Landon Britt (-636)
Zach Blurton (-689)
Kyler Johnson (-754)
Terry Easum (-857)

NEXT RACES: Tulsa Speedway (Nov. 14), Creek County Speedway (Nov. 15-16)

If you can’t make it to the track, watch all the action live on DIRTVision.

 

Hafertepe Jr. Snaps Winless Streak at Home in RPM Finale

CRANDALL, TX (October 26, 2024) – The last two months of Sam Hafertepe Jr.’s season on the American Sprint Car Series National Tour have been a series of one headache after another.

Crashes. Tire failures. Engine trouble. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong until Saturday night at RPM Speedway, when Hafertepe finally made his way back to Victory Lane on the National Tour. And while winning for the first time in a while is special under any circumstances, doing it just 30 miles from his Sunnyvale, TX home with his family in attendance made the occasion even sweeter.

“Definitely awesome to do it close to home,” Hafertepe said following his first Series win since Lincoln County Raceway on Aug. 17. “I drive 20, 30 minutes home and I get to sleep in my own bed tonight.”

Hafertepe began the Feature from the outside of Row 2 with Blake Hahn and Brenham Crouch leading the charge on the front row. Hahn took command early riding the top lane and held the top spot throughout the opening green flag run that ended when Bradley Fezard spun in Turn 1 just before halfway.

While the field was split fairly evenly between the top and bottom grooves in the first half of the Feature, the majority of the field migrated to the top following the caution – including the top three. That gave Hafertepe the opportunity to begin moving forward, and he did just that by riding the inside around Crouch shortly after the restart before setting his sights on Hank Davis, who had climbed up to second.

After two more quick cautions, Hafertepe went to work on Davis while Hahn led on the high lane, eventually sliding into second with 11 laps left to catch Hahn. However, a caution for Aydan Saunders colliding with an infield tractor tire in Turn 2 put Hafertepe right on Hahn’s rear bumper for the dash to the finish.

With three circuits remaining, Hafertepe pulled the same move he made on Davis earlier in the race, blew past Hahn on the bottom and set sail toward his 10th National Tour win of the season.

While the unmatchable speed of the No. 15H on the bottom lane looked to be his key to victory, Hafertepe said there was a little more to the story.

“I don’t think we were better than anybody on the bottom, I just think the patience it was going to take to get down on the bottom, a lot of guys didn’t realize how slow you had to go to hit it,” Hafertepe said. “I knew if I took the lead, if a guy went and tried to hit the bottom he would probably mess up for a couple laps trying to figure it out.”

While Hafertepe would need a miracle to make up his 156-point gap in the Drivers standings to Seth Bergman with four races remaining in the season, he’s only 50 points behind TwoC Racing in the race for the Owners title. That means Hafertepe still has plenty to compete for at Tulsa Speedway and Creek County Speedway on championship weekend, and he’ll do so with a car he’s still fine tuning to his liking.

“We’ve still got to do a little bit to this car, this is a car we brought down a couple weeks ago for Paducah,” Hafertepe said. “It’s lacking a few things, we’ve just got to get it back to the shop and keep working on a few things. We’ve been having to do some stuff that we shouldn’t have to do. We’ll get it back to the shop and hopefully get it tuned up for Tulsa and Creek here at the end of the year.”

Hahn looked to be on his way to his first National Tour win since last year at Boone County Raceway, but the two-time Series champion was forced to settle for second after he was unable to hold off Hafertepe’s late charge.

“We were just really good early and just kind of faded with the car toward the end of the race, where I think maybe Sam wasn’t the best early but really started to gain toward the end,” Hahn said. “Just one of those deals, maybe just a little too good early. But our car was good all night long, I still felt good even though Sam got by me, I just think he was a little bit better on the bottom, he was able to operate and move around a little more. Other than that, the car was good, made a lot of good improvements. We’re happy with that, obviously wanted to win but we’ll take second anytime.”

Davis held off late attacks from Bergman and Jason Martin to finish third and claim his second podium of the weekend and his 11th of the season, more than anyone not named Seth or Sam.

“Wayne [Johnson]’s the best coach in the pit area, the best crew chief in the pit area, and my guys just work hard,” Davis said. “We do pretty decent, and hopefully it’ll turn into something next year.”

Martin got back in the top five for the first time since Benton Speedway with his fourth-place finish, while Matt Covington came home fifth for his second-straight top-five effort.

Bergman faded back to seventh after briefly challenging for a spot on the podium, but the points leader still earned the Hard Charger Award thanks to his drive forward from 15th on the starting grid.

UP NEXT: The 2024 ASCS National Tour season concludes in three weeks with four races in three nights in the Tulsa area – beginning with a double-Feature program at Tulsa Speedway on Thursday, Nov. 14 before the two-night finale at Creek County Speedway on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 15-16. Tickets will be available at the track on race day, but if you can’t make it, catch every lap live on DIRTVision.

Feature (30 Laps): 1. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[4]; 2. 52-Blake Hahn[1]; 3. 2C-Hank Davis[3]; 4. 36-Jason Martin[10]; 5. 95-Matt Covington[11]; 6. 1-Brenham Crouch[2]; 7. 23-Seth Bergman[15]; 8. 15D-Andrew Deal[8]; 9. 2J-Zach Blurton[13]; 10. 10-Landon Britt[5]; 11. 45X-Kyler Johnson[6]; 12. 71T-Channin Tankersley[18]; 13. 88-Terry Easum[17]; 14. 2-Brekton Crouch[9]; 15. 31-Casey Wills[22]; 16. 16G-Austyn Gossel[7]; 17. 88R-Ryder Laplante[20]; 18. 8-Aydan Saunders[12]; 19. B2-Carson Bolden[14]; 20. 938-Bradley Fezard[21]; 21. 71-Brady Baker[19]; 22. 2S-Colby Stubblefield[16]

 

 

Bergman Ends Two-Month Winless Drought with RPM Victory

CRANDALL, TX (October 25, 2024) – With a triple-digit lead atop the American Sprint Car Series National Tour standings, Seth Bergman has admittedly been playing the consistency game in the closing stages of the 2024 season.

But there’s no better way to build a points lead than to win, and he did just that on Friday night at RPM Speedway.

“I had hoped for it,” Bergman said after his sixth National Tour triumph of the year. “I set really high standards personally. You rattle off some stats there and it sounds great, but I think what propels us to those is that we take the losses hard. We want to win and we want to be competitive every night.”

The win comes one week after a disappointing weekend at Riverside International Speedway – where the No. 23 team finished 11th on Friday and missed the Feature on Saturday – making their rebound in Crandall all the more important.

“For us at West Memphis, it wasn’t great,” Bergman said. “We didn’t have a good run and we worked hard this week. Coming into this weekend, I was like ‘man, if I could just go win a couple races here, it’s going to really help us come down the stretch here.”

Bergman began the Feature from the inside of Row 2, with the front row occupied by his championship rival Sam Hafertepe Jr. alongside 14-year-old Carson Bolden, who was making his first start in a 360 Sprint Car.

Hafertepe’s experience prevailed over Bolden’s youth on the initial start, as the No. 15H jumped out to the early lead while Bolden fell back to fourth by the end of Lap 1 behind Bergman and Blake Hahn. The battle between the two dominant cars all season commenced immediately, with Bergman briefly making it side-by-side for the lead before slipping up on Hafertepe’s inside exiting Turn 4 and relinquishing the top spot.

The race was interrupted for the first time when Tyler Harris found the concrete in Turn 1. Less than a lap after action resumed, the yellow flew again after Andrew Deal went around while battling with Brenham Crouch in Turn 3 and collected Landon Britt and Bradley Fezard.

On the next restart, Bergman looked to the outside to try and get around Hafertepe down the backstretch before crossing him over exiting Turn 4 and diving to Hafertepe’s inside in Turn 1, but Hafertepe once again emerged with the lead. Before Bergman could set up another move, Brekton Crouch got upside down in Turn 4 to pause the field once more.

A handful of laps after holding the lead on the restart, Hafertepe’s streak of misfortune in recent weeks continued when engine issues brought his night to a fiery end at the top of Turn 2, marking an untimely conclusion to a head-to-head duel between the two top dogs of 360 Sprint Car racing.

“I felt like it was shaping up to be one hell of a race between [Hafertepe] and I in traffic,” Bergman said. “Looked like he had some engine problems, so that’s a bummer. Gave us the lead and then really, from there, I just kind of set a mediocre pace and just stayed out of trouble.”

The caution for Hafertepe was the final stoppage of the 30-lap Feature, which meant that one more solid restart was all Bergman needed to drive away to the checkered flag for the first time since Aug. 23 at Big Sky Speedway.

The win along with Hafertepe’s DNF puts Bergman up by 187 points with five races remaining in the season, and brought him one step closer to making his dream of becoming a National Tour champion a reality.

“This has been the most I’ve won in any one year on the National Tour, tonight’s six,” Bergman said. “Really happy to be able to bounce back and come back and get a win, gives us great momentum, it’s how we want to start this home stretch. Probably couldn’t find a happier guy in the pit area.”

Hank Davis looked to be in for a rough night after a seventh-place Heat Race finish sent him to the Last Chance Showdown, but after grabbing a transfer spot he put forth a remarkable effort, driving from 18th up to second to easily claim the Hard Charger Award along with his 10th podium of the year.

“We were just off early, just missed it,” Davis said. “Part of it, everyone does it. That was the first B-Feature we’ve run all year. I’m super proud of these guys. I don’t wish anything bad on anyone, but I would have liked to have gotten up there to Sam and just finished with him, just keep him close. Kind of got to take them how you can get them, and that’s a lot of points gained. Kind of the big picture here, I know we can’t win the Drivers championship, but I still want to win the Owners for Wayne.”

The third spot went to Brady Baker, who collected his third podium of the year while running a part-time schedule with the Series.

“It feels amazing, just wish I could race these guys more, it would make me a lot better,” Baker said. “That was a good race, started out a little tight, but about halfway through it just started coming and coming. I was able to rip the bottom, I don’t know if anybody else could hit it like I could, but we were ripping.”

Matt Covington maintained control of third in the standings with his fourth-place run, while Colby Stubblefield completed the top five to establish a new career best on the National Tour.

UP NEXT: The ASCS National Tour will be back for more at RPM Speedway on Saturday night with another full racing program. Tickets will be available at the track, while DIRTVision will stream every lap live for those unable to make it out.

Feature (30 Laps): 1. 23-Seth Bergman[3]; 2. 2C-Hank Davis[18]; 3. 71-Brady Baker[6]; 4. 95-Matt Covington[10]; 5. 2S-Colby Stubblefield[5]; 6. 1-Brenham Crouch[9]; 7. 36-Jason Martin[20]; 8. 52-Blake Hahn[4]; 9. 10-Landon Britt[16]; 10. 31-Casey Wills[11]; 11. 71T-Channin Tankersley[14]; 12. B2-Carson Bolden[2]; 13. 16G-Austyn Gossel[22]; 14. 2J-Zach Blurton[19]; 15. 938-Bradley Fezard; 16. 15D-Andrew Deal[7]; 17. 45X-Kyler Johnson[21]; 18. 88-Terry Easum[17]; 19. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[1]; 20. 2-Brekton Crouch[15]; 21. 24-Tyler Harris[8]; 22. 8-Aydan Saunders[12]; 23. 12W-Dale Wester[13]

 

 

Austyn Gossel Ending Rookie Season on High Note After Strong Riverside Run

CONCORD, NC (October 24, 2024) – Of the nearly 60 drivers competing to make the 21-car field in the World Short Track Challenge at Riverside International Speedway, several star names found themselves watching from the stands – Seth Bergman, Matt Covington, Terry Gray and more.

One name not on that list? Austyn Gossel.

“If you were to choose anybody in the field, I was probably going to be the last one they would choose to make the Feature,” said Gossel, who finished 16th in the 40-lap, $10,000-to-win affair. “We just had a really good car all weekend.”

The event didn’t get off to an ideal start for him on Friday with a B-Main exit, but the No. 16G team kept working at it until late in the Saturday program when they found themselves right where they needed to be.

“I didn’t get timed in good enough [on Friday] to be higher up in points and I think that really screwed us in the end,” Gossel said. “Then, I had a really good Heat Race. I went sixth to third, that gave me good points. Then, the B-Main, I just missed the setup completely and got run over and messed up the nose wing, and that made it really hard to pass anybody.

“Going into the second night, we had a really good car. I had a bad start on the first start of the Heat Race, but then I was able to run them down, which I wasn’t really expecting. I had a really, really good car then and I probably just needed another lap or two and I probably could have got by them. It still set me up good in points. I started third in the B-Main and finished second, and then in the Feature it was just hard to pass.

“I haven’t really been good in slick lately, that’s one thing we’re really going to need to step up on is being good late in the race instead of early. Cause it don’t pay nothing in the Heat Race.”

It’s all part of the learning process for the Windsor, CO driver, who is nearing the end of his first full season on the American Sprint Car Series National Tour. He hasn’t had to learn the ropes alone though, as Gossel emphasized the importance of having fellow competitors on tour willing to lend a hand.

“Having Hank [Davis] is a big help, we’ve been really good buddies ever since he started driving [for TwoC Racing],” Gossel said. “We talk about where I’m doing good and where I’m doing bad. Having him has really helped me confidence-wise and be a better driver at the end. He tells me where I’m good at and where I’m not good at, where I need to be and where I shouldn’t be.

“Even me and Zach Blurton, we’ve become really good friends this year. We talk to each other basically after every time we hit the track. Like, ‘Well, we tried this, and this didn’t really work out, we did this, and we didn’t really like that.’ Getting all these good people around me has really helped us out a lot.”

Gossel’s situation is different than the other rookies on tour as he and father, Bryan Gossel, make up the only two-car team on the National Tour.

“It has its pros and cons,” Gossel said. “We have our own way of doing things, me and Ryan have ours set up differently. Me and my dad run two different setups. He likes his a little tighter. I like mine a little looser.

“We weren’t going to be running two cars out of one rig like we had been the past three years, so [Bryan] decided to venture in and get himself a different setup, which has helped out a lot, stress level-wise.”

However, Gossel Racing has dropped down to a single-car effort after Bryan stepped out of the car due to injuries suffered in a crash at Arrowhead Speedway in September. While Austyn certainly misses having his dad on track with him, it has allowed the team to focus 100% of their efforts on the No. 16G, which has paid dividends toward Austyn’s performance.

“[Bryan’s] pretty good at reading the car,” Gossel said. “We talk about it every time the car’s off the track. What I should have done better, what I think the car needs. Having him just be able to focus on that has really helped me confidence-wise and performance-wise.”

Having his dad as his full-time crew chief hasn’t been the only factor in Gossel’s uptick in speed though. His engine program has also taken a turn for the better after a trying season filled with trouble.

“We’ve got this new motor program going out for us, I’m really liking this new piece we’ve got,” Gossel said. “I think it’s stepped up our program. I went through a spurt where I went through three motors in six weeks. I was out of motors, so this was our last-ditch effort to finish out the year.”

Entering the season, Gossel had a goal in mind of finishing top 10 in the final standings. Seven months later, he finds himself in the 11th spot, 111 points behind Terry Easum with six races left to make his original goal a reality.

“My expectations for this year were really not much, but I kind of had a goal, 10th in points would be reasonable for us,” Gossel said. “And we’re just right outside of 10th. We’ve been battling with Terry Easum quite a bit. Hopefully, if these next couple of weekends go good, I think we might have a shot.”

Gossel’s next stop on his rookie tour will take place at RPM Speedway in Crandall, TX, Friday and Saturday, Oct. 25-26. Tickets will be available at the track, but if you can’t make it, stream every lap live on DIRTVision.

 

 

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: RPM Speedway Set to Host Final Stop Before National Tour Championship Weekend

CRANDALL, TX (October 22, 2024) – For the first and only time in 2024, the American Sprint Car Series National Tour is set to invade the Lone Star State.

The 1/4-mile RPM Speedway – located in Crandall, TX near Dallas – will welcome the Series for the first time ever this Friday and Saturday, Oct. 25-26. The third of three-straight weekends of racing for the National Tour marks the final two races on the schedule before the Series heads to Oklahoma to wrap up the season in mid-November.

Both nights will conclude with a $4,000-to-win/$400-to-start Feature, and the Sprint Cars will be joined on the card by Limited Modifieds and Factory Stocks on both nights.

Tickets will be available at the track on race day. Can’t make it? Catch every lap live on DIRTVision.

Here are the top storylines entering the weekend:

HOMETOWN HERO: RPM Speedway sits about 25 miles southeast of Sunnyvale, TX, making it the home track on tour for Sam Hafertepe Jr.

The driver of the No. 15H sits 129 points behind Seth Bergman in the championship battle, and with only six races to go in the season, Hafertepe desperately needs a statement weekend at home to give himself a realistic chance at a sixth title entering Oklahoma next month. And if the Drivers championship wasn’t enough to think about, Hill’s Racing Team is also 15 points behind TwoC Racing in a tight battle atop the Owners standings.

Fortunately for Hafertepe, RPM has been good to him in the past. The most recent winged 360 Sprint Car race at the track was an ASCS Gulf South Region event in 2018, and the winner that night was none other than Hafertepe. He finished second in Gulf South action a year prior to give himself a 1.5 average finish in ASCS competition at RPM, and he plans on keeping that number intact this weekend.

CRANDALL KNOW HOW: Hafertepe wasn’t the only current National Tour driver in the field on those two nights though.

Matt Covington finished 10th in 2017 and sixth in 2018 in his only two starts at RPM. He still has plenty to play for even with the Drivers title being out of reach, as the No. 95 team is third in the Owners standings, 51 points behind TwoC Racing. Additionally, Covington has six more chances to avoid going winless on the National Tour in 2024, something he hasn’t done since 2016.

Bergman was also present at the 2017 Gulf South Region race and came home ninth. After a weekend at the World Short Track Challenge in which he never found his footing – finishing 11th on Friday and missing the show on Saturday – Bergman will be looking to get back to his usual consistency this weekend to maintain his triple-digit lead atop the standings.

MIDGET MEMORIES: The top three in the standings may be the only ones with Sprint Car experience at RPM, but a pair of others have competed at the facility before.

Andrew Deal made a pair of trips to Crandall to race with the POWRi West Midgets and scored finishes of 12th in 2016 and sixth in 2017. He’ll look to transfer that knowledge from the small car into the big car as he tries to rebound from a pair of DNQs at Riverside last weekend.

Rookie of the Year leader Hank Davis also has laps around RPM in a Midget, with his only visit to the track ending with a seventh-place finish in 2018.

HERE COMES MARTIN: The closest points battle in the top 10 entering RPM is the fight for the final spot in the top five, with Deal leading Jason Martin by 15 points.

The two drivers entered the season with polar-opposite backgrounds – Martin as the defending Series champion with two decades of Sprint Car experience under his belt, while Deal is wrapping up his first full season on a national Sprint Car series.

Martin has been climbing back up the order for much of the season after an injury forced him to miss the Batesville Motor Speedway event, knocking him outside the top 10 in points. His ascent has accelerated in the last few weeks, with his first win of the season at Arrowhead Speedway highlighting a stretch of six-straight top 10s – Martin’s longest of the season.

Following a tough weekend at Riverside, Deal will head to RPM looking for his first top five since Clay County Fair Speedway on Sept. 10. If he can get that done, it would be his first on a 1/4-mile bullring since finishing second in the season opener at Super Bee Speedway in April.

WHEN AND WHERE:
Friday and Saturday, Oct. 25-26, at RPM Speedway in Crandall, TX

AROUND THE TURN:
The American Sprint Car Series National Tour season will conclude in Oklahoma at Tulsa Speedway (Thursday, Nov. 14) and Creek County Speedway (Friday and Saturday, Nov. 15-16).

CURRENT POINT STANDINGS (TOP 10):

  1. Seth Bergman (3399 points)
  2. Sam Hafertepe Jr. (-129)
  3. Matt Covington (-265)
  4. Hank Davis (-341)
  5. Andrew Deal (-516)
  6. Jason Martin (-531)
  7. Landon Britt (-590)
  8. Zach Blurton (-635)
  9. Kyler Johnson (-689)
  10. Terry Easum (-786)

FEATURE WINNERS:
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 9
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 5
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 3
Derek Hagar – Marion, AR – 2
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 1
Kaleb Johnson – Sioux Falls, SD – 1
Tyler Courtney – Indianapolis, IN – 1
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 1
Aaron Reutzel – Clute, TX – 1
Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 1
Joe B. Miller – Millersville, MO – 1

QUICK TIME AWARDS:
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 12
Aaron Reutzel – Clute, TX – 2
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 1
Josh McCord – Bossier City, LA – 1
Alex Sewell – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 1
Tyler Groenendyk – Oskaloosa, IA – 1
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 1
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 1
Skylar Gee – Leduc, AB – 1
Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Joe B. Miller – Millersville, MO – 1
Lance Moss – Cherryville, NC – 1

HEAT RACE WINS:
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 8
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 8
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 8
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 7
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 6
Whit Gastineau – Moore, OK – 4
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 4
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 3
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 3
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 3
Zach Blurton – Quinter, KS – 3
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 2
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 2
Kyler Johnson – Quinter, KS – 2
Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 2
Cody Gardner – Benton, AR – 2
Lane Whittington – Denham Springs, LA – 1
Koty Adams – Haughton, LA – 1
Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 1
Brekton Crouch – Lubbock, TX – 1
Jeremy Campbell – Wichita, KS – 1
Austyn Gossel – Windsor, CO – 1
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Matt Juhl – Tea, SD – 1
Garet Williamson – Columbia, MO – 1
Emerson Axsom – Franklin, IN – 1
Hunter Schuerenberg – Sikeston, MO – 1
Tanner Holmes – Jacksonville, OR – 1
Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Tyler Groenendyk – Oskaloosa, IA – 1
Parker Price-Miller – Kokomo, IN – 1
Colton Hardy – Phoenix, AZ – 1
Tanner Thorson – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Brian Brown – Hugginsville, MO – 1
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 1
Phil Dietz – Laurel, MT – 1
Joe Perry – Billings, MT – 1
Kory Wermling – Great Falls, MT – 1
Chris Martin – Ankeny, IA – 1
Garrett Benson – Concordia, MO – 1
Sterling Cling – Tempe, AZ – 1
Tucker Boulton – Brighton, TN – 1
Derek Hagar – Marion, AR – 1
Dale Howard – Byhalia, MS – 1
Ayden Gatewood – Caruthersville, MO – 1
Marshall Skinner – Marion, AR – 1

DASH APPEARANCES:
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 21
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 21
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 14
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 13
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 9
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 6
Whit Gastineau – Moore, OK – 5
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 5
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 4
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 4
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 4
Zach Blurton – Quinter, KS – 4
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 3
Kyler Johnson – Quinter, KS – 3
Alex Sewell – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 2
Kory Wermling – Great Falls, MT – 2
Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Garrett Benson – Concordia, MO – 2
Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 2
Riley Goodno – Knoxville, IA – 2
Cody Gardner – Benton, AR – 2
Lane Whittington – Denham Springs, LA – 1
Koty Adams – Haughton, LA – 1
Ryder Laplante – Calera, OK – 1
Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 1
Brekton Crouch – Lubbock, TX – 1
Jeremy Campbell – Wichita, KS – 1
Elijah Gile – Phoenix, AZ – 1
Austyn Gossel – Windsor, CO – 1
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Harli White – Lindsay, OK – 1
Austin McCarl – Altoona, IA – 1
DJ Brink – Rapid City, SD – 1
Phil Dietz – Laurel, MT – 1
Joe Perry – Billings, MT – 1
Skylar Gee – Leduc, AB – 1
Aaron Reutzel – Clute, TX – 1
Chris Martin – Ankeny, IA – 1
Joe B. Miller – Millersville, MO – 1
Sterling Cling – Tempe, AZ – 1
Gunner Ramey – Sedalia, MO – 1
Dale Howard – Byhalia, MS – 1
Derek Hagar – Marion, AR – 1

LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINNERS:
Rees Moran – Tulsa, OK – 2
Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 1
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 1
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 1
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Aaron Reutzel – Clute, TX – 1
Chase Porter – St. Joseph, MO – 1
Kerry Madsen – Knoxville, IA – 1
Chase Randall – Waco, TX – 1
Rich Bailey – Helena, MT – 1
Kyler Johnson – Quinter, KS – 1
Skylar Gee – Leduc, AB – 1
Zach Blurton – Quinter, KS – 1
Brandon Anderson – Glenpool, OK – 1
Noah Harris – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Gunner Ramey – Sedalia, MO – 1
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 1
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 1
Ayden Gatewood – Caruthersville, MO – 1
Marshall Skinner – Marion, AR – 1

PODIUM FINISHERS:
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 17
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 16
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 9
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 7
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 3
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 2
Austin McCarl – Altoona, IA – 2
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 2
Zach Blurton – Quinter, KS – 2
Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 2
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 2
Derek Hagar – Marion, AR – 2
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Tanner Conn – Oklahoma City, OK – 1
Ryder Laplante – Calera, OK – 1
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Kaleb Johnson – Sioux Falls, SD – 1
Chase Randall – Waco, TX – 1
Kade Higday – Knoxville, IA – 1
Cory Eliason – Visalia, CA – 1
Brian Brown – Higginsville, MO – 1
Tyler Courtney – Indianapolis, IN – 1
Emerson Axsom – Franklin, IN – 1
Aaron Reutzel – Clute, TX – 1
Joe B. Miller – Millersville, MO – 1
Sterling Cling – Tempe, AZ – 1
Dale Howard – Byhalia, MS – 1
Kyle Jones – Kennedale, TX – 1

TOP 10 FINISHERS:
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 22
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 22
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 19
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 18
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 17
Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 15
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 14
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 9
Kyler Johnson – Quinter, KS – 8
Zach Blurton – Quinter, KS – 8
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 8
Austyn Gossel – Windsor, CO – 6
Rees Moran – Tulsa, OK – 4
Brandon Anderson – Glenpool, OK – 4
Harli White – Lindsay, OK – 4
Kelly Miller – Stirling, AB – 4
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 4
Riley Goodno – Knoxville, IA – 4
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 3
Whit Gastineau – Moore, OK – 3
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 3
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 3
Terry McCarl – Altoona, IA – 3
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 3
Dale Howard – Byhalia, MS – 3
Alex Sewell – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Tyler Courtney – Indianapolis, IN – 2
Emerson Axsom – Franklin, IN – 2
Austin McCarl – Altoona, IA – 2
Brian Brown – Higginsville, MO – 2
Cory Eliason – Visalia, CA – 2
Tasker Phillips – Pleasantville, IA – 2
Jamie Ball – Knoxville, IA – 2
Kaleb Johnson – Sioux Falls, SD – 2
Jeremy Campbell – Wichita, KS – 2
Skylar Gee – Leduc, AB – 2
Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 2
Sterling Cling – Tempe, AZ – 2
Derek Hagar – Marion, AR – 2
Kyle Jones – Kennedale, TX – 2
Channin Tankersley – Arlington, TX – 1
Tanner Conn – Oklahoma City, OK – 1
Brekton Crouch – Lubbock, TX – 1
Jeremy Huish – Jetmore, KS – 1
Ryder Laplante – Calera, OK – 1
Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 1
Fred Mattox – Drumright, OK – 1
Brad Bowden – Hernando, MS – 1
Michael Day – Farmersville, TX – 1
Chase Randall – Waco, TX – 1
Kade Higday – Knoxville, IA – 1
Justin Peck – Monrovia, IN – 1
Gunner Ramey – Sedalia, MO – 1
Miles Paulus – Marshall, MO – 1
Kasey Kahne – Enumclaw, WA – 1
Ryan Giles – Grimes, IA – 1
Kerry Madsen – Knoxville, IA – 1
Alex Hill – Six Nations, ON – 1
Cole Macedo – Lemoore, CA – 1
DJ Brink – Rapid City, SD – 1
Blayne Brink – Gillette, WY – 1
Phil Dietz – Laurel, MT – 1
Kory Wermling – Great Falls, MT – 1
Aaron Reutzel – Clute, TX – 1
Chris Martin – Ankeny, IA – 1
Emilio Hoover – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Joe B. Miller – Millersville, MO – 1
Cody Gardner – Benton, AR – 1
Anton Hernandez – Arlington, TX – 1
Howard Moore – Memphis, TN – 1
Morgan Turpen Havener – Gallatin, TN – 1
Marshall Skinner – Marion, AR – 1

2024 AMERICAN SPRINT CAR SERIES SCHEDULE & WINNERS:
Friday, Apr. 19 / Super Bee Speedway / Chatham, LA / Seth Bergman (1)
Friday, May 10 / Red Dirt Raceway / Meeker, OK / Terry Easum (1)
Friday, May 31 / Rush County Speedway / La Crosse, KS / Seth Bergman (2)
Saturday, June 1 / Dodge City Raceway Park / Dodge City, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (1)
Tuesday, June 11 / Texarkana 67 Speedway / Texarkana, AR / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (2)
Thursday, June 13 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (3)
Friday, June 14 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK / Seth Bergman (3)
Saturday, June 15 / Tri-State Speedway / Pocola, OK / Seth Bergman (4)
Saturday, June 22 / Batesville Motor Speedway / Locust Grove, AR / Jordon Mallett (1)
Friday, June 28 / Tulsa Speedway / Tulsa, OK / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (4)
Friday, July 19 / Lakeside Speedway / Kansas City, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (5)
Saturday, July 20 / 81 Speedway / Wichita, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (6)
Thursday, Aug. 1 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Kaleb Johnson (1)
Friday, Aug. 2 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (7)
Saturday, Aug. 3 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Tyler Courtney (1)
Friday, Aug. 16 / Dodge City Raceway Park / Dodge City, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (8)
Saturday, Aug. 17 / Lincoln County Raceway / North Platte, NE / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (9)
Friday, Aug. 23 / Big Sky Speedway / Shepherd, MT / Seth Bergman (5)
Saturday, Aug. 24 / Big Sky Speedway / Shepherd, MT / Jake Bubak (1)
Friday, Aug. 30 / Electric City Speedway / Black Eagle, MT / Hank Davis (1)
Saturday, Aug. 31 / Electric City Speedway / Black Eagle, MT / Hank Davis (2)
Tuesday, Sept. 10 / Clay County Fair Speedway / Spencer, IA / Aaron Reutzel (1)
Friday, Sept. 13 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK / Roger Crockett (1)
Saturday, Sept. 14 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK / Jason Martin (1)
Friday, Oct. 11 / Benton Speedway / Benton, MO / Joe B. Miller (1)
Saturday, Oct. 12 / Paducah International Raceway / Paducah, KY / Hank Davis (3)
Friday, Oct. 18 / Riverside International Speedway / West Memphis, AR / Derek Hagar (1)
Saturday, Oct. 19 / Riverside International Speedway / West Memphis, AR / Derek Hagar (2)
Friday, Oct. 25 / RPM Speedway / Crandall, TX
Saturday, Oct. 26 / RPM Speedway / Crandall, TX
Thursday, Nov. 14 / Tulsa Speedway / Tulsa, OK
Friday, Nov. 15 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK
Saturday, Nov. 16 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK

 

 

Hagar Completes Weekend Sweep of World Short Track Challenge

WEST MEMPHIS, AR (October 19, 2024) – Some driver-track combinations in Sprint Car racing seem to go together like bread and butter. Donny Schatz at Knoxville. David Gravel at Williams Grove. And of course, Derek Hagar at Riverside International Speedway.

The Marion, AR driver took the checkered flag at “The Ditch” for the fourth time in eight days and the second time in as many outings with the American Sprint Car Series National Tour. But this time, it came with a $10,000 check and the title of World Short Track Challenge champion.

“It’s $10,000 man, you’ve got to put it all on the line,” Hagar said. “I knew I wasn’t going to pass them following them. I had some good runs and the cautions kept coming out. I was like ‘man, screw it, I’m pulling the wing back and see if it works.”

Thanks to his Friday night victory, Hagar was one of two drivers locked into Saturday’s Feature before the program began, the other being Friday runner-up Dale Howard. Hagar finished fifth in the Dash to claim the inside of the third row in the Feature lineup, with Jordon Mallett and Cody Gardner sharing the front row.

A rash of early spins meant the field needed three attempts to complete the opening lap, but once the race got going, Mallett drove away to the early lead while Gardner came under fire from the No. 2C of Hank Davis.

Davis moved up to second on Lap 5 and immediately went to work on running down Mallett. He caught the Rains Motorsports No. 3 car and was briefly side-by-side for the top spot before Ayden Gatewood spun in Turn 2 to pause the action on Lap 12.

Hagar had climbed to third by the time the caution was thrown, putting him within striking distance of the lead for the first time when the race resumed. He made the most of the opportunity, getting around Davis on the high side in Turns 3 and 4 before setting his sights on Mallett.

With seven laps to go, Hagar found a run off of Turn 2, slipped to Mallett’s inside and never looked back, leading the rest of the way to win for the 10th time on the National Tour.

The 40-lap distance meant track evolution was a much bigger factor than in the 25-lap contest one night prior, which made Hagar’s local knowledge of the facility even more crucial.

“Knew that I was going to be tight early and it was,” Hagar said. “I think I knocked the wall down two or three times down the back straightaway. Really surprised the Jacob’s ladder’s still on it. I knew that with 40 laps, a lot of these cars running, it was probably going to start polishing off on the bottom and throwing that crum up in the middle.”

With fellow Arkansas driver Mallett finishing second, it marked the second night in a row in which the top two spots were claimed by Riverside regulars, solidifying their spot as one of the top local contingents in 360 Sprint Car racing.

“A lot of guys that grew up racing here are in the Hall of Fame,” Hagar said. “My granddad fielded cars for Sammy Swindell, Hooker Hood and Rickey Hood. He actually crew chiefed on the car when Sammy won both Short Track Challenges back in the 1970s. So to keep the win in the family, it feels pretty special.”

While Mallett looked to be in position to take his second National Tour win of the season up until the final 10 laps of the Feature, he was ultimately unable to stand in the way of Hagar’s reign of terror over the West Memphis bullring.

“Hindsight’s always 20/20,” Mallett said. “Sometimes it’s better to be second than the leader on this deal, but I mean, this is [Hagar’s] deal, this is where he made a name. Hats off to Derek, he got it done again. We ran second to him last week, we ran second to him this week.”

Sam Hafertepe Jr. rebounded from his crash on Friday night with a third-place finish on Saturday night, giving the Sunnyvale, TX driver some positive momentum entering his home race at RPM Speedway next weekend.

“We stayed a little free, freer than we were last night,” Hafertepe said. “We probably should have gotten where we were last night, and we probably could have competed with Derek as far as speed. At the end, I just kind of put it on the fence, just rubbing the right-rear on the wall and honestly, we started catching them guys in front of us.”

Davis held on to the fourth spot while Blake Hahn finished fifth for his fourth top five in 10 National Tour appearances this season.

The Hard Charger Award went to Jason Martin, who advanced to the Feature through a B-Main before driving from 16th up to seventh by the checkered flag.

UP NEXT: The final stop before championship weekend in November will take the ASCS National Tour to RPM Speedway in Crandall, TX on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 25-26. Tickets will be available at the track on race day, but if you can’t make it, stream every lap live on DIRTVision.

Feature: 1. 9JR-Derek Hagar[5]; 2. 3-Jordon Mallett[1]; 3. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[6]; 4. 2C-Hank Davis[4]; 5. 52-Blake Hahn[13]; 6. 47-Dale Howard[3]; 7. 36-Jason Martin[16]; 8. 10M-Morgan Turpen Havener[8]; 9. 6J-Kyle Jones[9]; 10. 26-Marshall Skinner[12]; 11. 40-Howard Moore[20]; 12. 31-Casey Wills[19]; 13. 37-Ayden Gatewood[11]; 14. 10L-Landon Britt[17]; 15. 71T-Christopher Townsend[15]; 16. 16G-Austyn Gossel[14]; 17. 121-Jan Howard[10]; 18. 6-Cody Gardner[2]; 19. 55Z-Zach Pringle[18]; 20. 2J-Zach Blurton[21]; 21. 88M-Trent Moss[7]

 

Hagar Takes Home Friday Prelim at World Short Track Challenge

WEST MEMPHIS, AR (October 18, 2024) – Few Sprint Car drivers can say they’ve won three Features at the same track in the span of seven days, but Derek Hagar added his name to that short list Friday night at Riverside International Speedway.

Last weekend in the Flip Flop 50 for the United Sprint Car Series, he won the first Feature, was inverted to the rear for the second race and drove back to the front by the checkers.

Less than a week later, with the stars of the American Sprint Car Series National Tour and the ASCS Hurricane Area Super Sprints joining the fold, he got the job done once again on the opening night of the World Short Track Challenge.

“We could do whatever we wanted in that Feature man,” Hagar said. “I could cut the corner, I could float the corner and I could make speed the whole time.”

The unique format for the event meant that the first five rows of the Feature were set by combined points from Qualifying and Heat Races, which resulted in Anton Hernandez starting on the pole in his National Tour debut alongside Sam Hafertepe Jr. in the 25-lap Feature. Hernandez did not get to enjoy much time out front at the start, as Hafertepe powered around his outside and led by three car lengths entering Turn 3 on the first lap.

The first caution was thrown on Lap 2 when Lance Moss collided with the spinning car of Ayden Gatewood. Hafertepe kept the lead on the restart, while Hank Davis made the pass on Hernandez in Turn 3 to take second.

Hafertepe would lead the next several circuits, albeit with Davis breathing down his neck in search of the top spot. Davis’ night started to turn sour when he got into the Turn 4 wall on Lap 8 and climbed the catchfence – he initially kept going but eventually brought the car to the pits to fix the damage.

The issues for Davis may have given Hafertepe some breathing room, but his chance to score his first National Tour win in over two months was erased when he ran into the back of the slowing car of Jordon Mallett on the backstretch, sending the No. 15H up and over.

That incident handed the lead back to Hernandez with 15 to go, but just like the initial start, he didn’t stay long as Hagar blew past him on the outside in Turns 1 and 2.

The final stoppage of the race was for a flip by Brandon Hanks with six to go, but Hagar once again nailed the restart and took the checkers by 1.6 seconds over Dale Howard in second.

Riverside’s track surface has long been known to change in an instant, and Hagar said keeping up with those changes better than anyone else was ultimately what won him the race.

“Racetrack went from muddy to slick real quick,” Hagar said. “Billy and the guys did a real great job this week getting this racetrack prepared for tonight. Not knowing what the racetrack was going to do with 60 cars, last week we had 120 cars here between all the classes. It was muddy early and kind of did the same thing. It went a little further than this as far as being slick.”

Howard completed the sweep of the top two spots by the West Memphis locals. The runner-up effort served as a solid end to the night after teammate Sammy Swindell’s weekend came to an early end due to an engine failure.

“This is mine and Derek’s local track, so we’re kind of favored here,” Howard said. “We’re supposed to do good. Honestly, the two of us being the top two out of 60 cars here, that’s not half bad.”

The highest finishing invader was none other than Kennedale, TX’s Kyle Jones, who charged up from 13th to finish third and claim the Hard Charger Award. While Jones is widely known for his skills behind the wheel of a Midget, his run on Friday night proved he can be equally fast in a Sprint Car.

“All the guys were up [at the top of the track] while I was putting around the bottom and I was able to make room down there,” Jones said. “They were kind of crossing each other up, so I was able to get some good runs down on the bottom. I went up there a little bit but it’s pretty sketchy. Finishing behind some guys that run this place all the time is pretty cool.”

Matt Covington finished fourth to lead the National Tour regulars, while Landon Britt gave his hometown fans a reason to cheer by coming home fifth for his second top five in the last three races.

UP NEXT: The World Short Track Challenge wraps up with a 40-lap, $10,000-to-win event on Saturday night at Riverside International Speedway. Tickets will be available at the gate, but if you can’t make it to the track, catch every lap live on DIRTVision.

Feature: 1. 9JR-Derek Hagar[10]; 2. 47-Dale Howard[8]; 3. 6J-Kyle Jones[13]; 4. 95-Matt Covington[12]; 5. 10L-Landon Britt[5]; 6. 6-Cody Gardner[16]; 7. 5L-Anton Hernandez[1]; 8. 36-Jason Martin[3]; 9. 52-Blake Hahn[15]; 10. 40-Howard Moore[14]; 11. 23-Seth Bergman[11]; 12. 10-Terry Gray[20]; 13. 23L-Lance Moss[9]; 14. 84-Brandon Hanks[17]; 15. 21-Carson Short[19]; 16. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[2]; 17. 2C-Hank Davis[6]; 18. 3-Jordon Mallett[18]; 19. 901-Tucker Boulton[7]; 20. 37-Ayden Gatewood[4]

 

 

ASCS National Tour Plans Massive Championship Finale in Oklahoma, Nov. 14-16

SAPULPA, OK (Oct. 18, 2024) – The American Sprint Car Series National Tour’s historic 2024 season will conclude with four races in three days in Oklahoma to crown a champion.

First, the Series will return to Tulsa Speedway for a double Feature day on Thursday, Nov. 14, and then end the season at Creek County Speedway, Friday-Saturday, Nov. 15-16, for the two-day Fuzzy’s Fall Fling – named in memory of Wokeeta “Fuzzy” Hahn, the late wife of ASCS founder Emmett Hahn.

Thursday’s event at Tulsa will see the ASCS National Tour, and ASCS Sooner Region, run two Features in one day. They’ll finish the remaining portion of the Dirt Down in T-Town event, which was postponed by weather in July. Drivers will complete the Dash and $6,000-to-win Feature. Then, they go into the originally scheduled program for the day, highlighted by the night’s $4,000-to-win/$400-to-start race.

Teams will travel 20 minutes south to Sapulpa, OK the next day to end the season at Creek County Speedway. It’ll conclude a historic year for the ASCS National Tour, which was acquired by World Racing Group in March to help grow and strengthen the series.

Seth Bergman and Sam Hafertepe Jr. will enter as the contenders for the 2024 title, $40,000 championship check and the new Emmett Hahn Championship Trophy.

READ MORE: New National Tour Championship Trophy Unveiled Honoring ASCS Founder Emmett Hahn

Bergman is on the hunt for his first Series title, while Hafertepe will try to extend his legacy to six ASCS National Tour championships.

Hafertepe won the National Tour events at Tulsa and Creek County earlier this year. Bergman won an ASCS Sooner Region race at Creek County in March.

Friday’s Feature will pay $4,000 to win, while Saturday’s grand finale will pay $10,000 to win.

While Bergman and Hafertepe battle for the title, several other Oklahoma natives will be eyeing a home state win before the end of the season. Matt Covington, of Glenpool, OK, is still searching for this first National Tour win of the season (as of mid-October). Hank Davis, of Sand Springs, OK, is on his way to being the 2024 National Tour Rookie of the Year, currently sitting fourth in points with three wins this year behind the wheel of the TwoC Racing No. 2C. And Terry Easum, of Broken Arrow, OK, started the year strong, earning his first career National Tour win in May, but has yet to find the top five since. He’ll be poised to change that during his end-of-year homecoming.

The Series banquet will be held on Sunday, Nov. 17, in Tulsa – handing out over $150,000 to the top 10 drivers in Series points. More details on the ceremony will be available soon.

If you can’t make it to the tracks, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision.

TULSA EVENT INFO
Date – Thursday, Nov. 14
Location – Tulsa, OK
Track Info – TulsaSpeedway.com

Times (CT) –
Pits Open: 4 p.m.
Gates Open: 5 p.m.

Tickets – Available at track.

Last Race Video Recap (June 28, 2024) –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEVQH8Nwi1U&t=2s

Previous ASCS National Tour Winners at Tulsa –
2024 – Sam Hafertepe Jr. on June 28
2005 – Gary Wright on July 30
2005 – Jason Johnson on June 7
2004 – Tim Montgomery on July 12
1999 – Ronald Laney on Aug. 21

CREEK COUNTY EVENT INFO
Date – Friday-Saturday, Nov. 15-16
Location – Sapulpa, OK
Track Info – CreekCountySpeedway.com

Times (CT) –
Gates Open: 5 p.m.
Hot Laps: 7 p.m.

Tickets – Available at track.

Last Race Video Recap (June 13, 2024) –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j21iA3Jf6s4

Previous ASCS National Tour Winners at Creek County –
2024 – Sam Hafertepe Jr. on June 13
2022 – Jason Martin on Oct. 29
2021 – Ryan Timms on July 27
2020 – Blake Hahn on Aug. 14
2019 – Sam Hafertepe Jr. on Oct. 12
2018 – Sammy Swindell on June 14, Sam Hafertepe Jr. on Oct. 27
2017 – Aaron Reutzel on June 15
2016 – Bryan Clauson on June 16, Sam Hafertepe Jr. on Nov. 4, John Carney II on Nov. 5
2014 – Christopher Bell on June 19
2013 – Jeff Swindell on June 20
2012 – Brady Bacon on Aug. 17
2008 – Jason Johnson on July 14
2007 – Darren Stewart on July 16
2006 – Jason Johnson on July 9
2000 – Tim Crawley on July 18
1999 – Tim Crawley on May 30, Tim Crawley on July 25
1998 – Phil Gressman on June 16
1997 – Gary Wright on July 31, Pete Butler on Aug. 31
1996 – Wayne Johnson on June 16
1995 – Gary Wright on July 16
1994 – Garry Lee Maier on June 25
1993 – Mike Ward on June 20, John Hunt on June 25

 

 

Sammy Swindell Rolling Into World Short Track Challenge Still Hungry for Success

WEST MEMPHIS, AR (October 17, 2024) – More than 60 of the biggest names in 360 Sprint Car racing are on the entry list for Arkansas’ World Short Track Challenge, but one is most synonymous with the West Memphis area – Sammy Swindell.

He’ll join the full-time drivers from the American Sprint Car Series National Tour, the ASCS Hurricane Area Super Sprints and the United Sprint Car Series for the doubleheader weekend at Riverside International Speedway, Oct. 18-19 – all vying for the $10,000 payday on Saturday.

The three-time World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car champion turned his first laps around Riverside at 15 years old in 1971 and has been a frequent visitor to “The Ditch” ever since. His long list of wins at the facility includes three victories with The Greatest Show on Dirt – one in 1979 and two in 1981 – as well as an ASCS Mid-South Region score in 2018.

As Riverside’s most prominent local, “Slammin’ Sammy” has known the track better than anyone over the past five decades. So, how much has it changed since the early days?

“Not much, really,” Swindell said. “There was a wood fence where it’s a concrete wall around there now. That’s the biggest thing.”

Even though the racetrack is largely the same, the cars racing around it have changed drastically over Swindell’s career, meaning he has had to adjust his racing program accordingly.

“It used to be when I started, if you had a Sprint Car, every Sprint Car race, you could run it anywhere,” Swindell said. “Now there’s so many places, they have different rules and different things. You’re only limited to so much. You’ve got to have a motor for this or a motor for that and a lot of things. It keeps us from going to a lot of places like I could back in the 70’s and 80’s when you could just show up if they had a Sprint Car race.”

Swindell may not run as many races nowadays as he used to, but when he does roll into the pits, he’s still on the shortlist of winning contenders. He’s taken the checkers on multiple occasions this season, including at Riverside in local competition on Aug. 24 as well as with the USCS at Buckshot Speedway on Aug. 31.

“Mine’s a little hit and miss,” Swindell said when describing his racing schedule in recent years. “I’m just doing it part-time. So, most of the stuff we’re doing with driving for Dale Howard is stuff that’s close around here.”

The latter portion of the 2024 season has brought forth one of the biggest stretches of racing in Riverside’s storied history. Last weekend’s Flip Flop 50 included twin Features for the USCS, which leads into this weekend’s World Short Track Challenge with the ASCS joining the fold. The month of October wraps up next Friday and Saturday, Oct. 25-26, when the World of Outlaws make their first trip to the 1/4-mile bullring since 2018 for their final stop before the World of Outlaws World Finals.

While the three-week Sprint Car spectacular is noteworthy on its own, the milestone it celebrates makes it even more special.

“This is [Riverside’s] 75th year,” Swindell said. “So, they had plans to do a lot of Sprint Car races this year.”

And despite the fact that Swindell has been ripping a Sprint Car around “The Ditch” longer than any of the National Tour full-timers have been alive, the 68-year-old will still only have one goal in mind when the Series rolls into his home track – “to win.”

Swindell will go for his 21st National Tour win and first since 2018 this weekend at Riverside International Speedway during the World Short Track Challenge. Tickets will be available at the track on both nights, while those unable to make it can catch every lap live on DIRTVision.

 

 

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: ASCS, USCS Set to Duel at Riverside in World Short Track Challenge

WEST MEMPHIS, AR (October 15, 2024) – Arkansas is set to host the newest premier 360 Sprint Car event this weekend for the American Sprint Car Series National Tour – the World Short Track Challenge.

The first National Tour race at Riverside International Speedway in three years will be a co-sanctioned event alongside the ASCS Hurricane Area Super Sprints and the United Sprint Car Series, with the three tours combining to bring more than 60 cars to “The Ditch” this weekend.

The event wraps up with a 40-lap Feature on Saturday night paying $10,000-to-win and $1,000 to start. Friday’s preliminary action will conclude with a $2,000-to-win/$200-to-start main event.

Tickets will be available at the track on race day. Can’t make it? Catch every lap live on DIRTVision.

Here are the top storylines entering the weekend:

HANK HEATING UP: Whenever Hank Davis has been asked to reflect on his first season in the TwoC Racing machine, his answer has remained constant all year.

“I didn’t know we would be this good.”

Regardless of what his goals were entering the year, Davis has been a nightly win contender ever since he got in the car – but especially over the past six weeks.

His win on Saturday night at Paducah International Raceway was the latest chapter in a seven-race stretch that includes three wins, five podiums and no finishes worse than fourth. Davis’ 2.2 average finish dating back to his weekend sweep at Electric City Speedway is the best of anyone over that span, including championship leaders Seth Bergman and Sam Hafertepe Jr.

The Sand Springs, OK native will be making his first trek to West Memphis this weekend, although the challenge of taking on a track for the first time didn’t seem to faze him at Electric City or Paducah. Riverside’s tight confines and high banking should suit Davis nicely given his Midget background as he goes for the first five-digit payday of his Sprint Car career.

PILING ON THE PODIUMS: Good luck finding anyone happier about an eight-race winless streak than Seth Bergman.

Although he hasn’t won since Aug. 23 at Big Sky Speedway, his six podiums since then have given him a 136-point lead over Hafertepe in the standings. While he would have loved to convert a few of those seconds and thirds into wins, the ultimate goal all along has been earning his first National Tour championship, and the 20-year Sprint Car veteran is closer than ever to doing exactly that.

The gap will go unchanged this weekend with the World Short Track Challenge paying show-up points only, meaning Bergman can put the title fight aside and focus solely on gunning for the $10,000 prize on Saturday night.

His Riverside resume includes two National Tour wins in 2012 and 2015, making him one of six drivers to win more than one Series event at the track and the only current full-timer on that list.

TIME FOR A RESET: After a dream summer that included nine wins over the span of 13 races, Hafertepe hasn’t quite been the same in the cooler weather.

His last nine races on tour have included no trips to Victory Lane and three finishes outside the top 10, including a late-race flat tire at Clay County Fair Speedway and a crash at Benton Speedway, causing his gap to Bergman to be nearly 100 points larger than it was when he left Montana 40 points back.

Hope is not lost though, as the final stretch of the season might as well have been tailor-made for Hafertepe. The next full points race takes place at his home track of RPM Speedway before the season concludes at Tulsa Speedway and Creek County Speedway in November. Hafertepe was victorious at Tulsa in June in his first time competing at the track, while he has won three times at Creek County in 2024 alone, including with the National Tour during Speedweek.

While a win this weekend wouldn’t help their points situation, it could be critical to building momentum in the No. 15H camp entering their final bid for a sixth Series championship.

STAR-STUDDED FIELD: With the season winding down, 360 Sprint Car teams from across the nation are planning to travel to West Memphis for one more big event before putting their cars away for the winter. The list of expected entries includes all the regulars from the National Tour, Hurricane Area Super Sprints and the USCS along with dozens of invaders looking to steal the spotlight.

Of course, there’s no bigger name on the list that three-time World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car champion Sammy Swindell, who hails from nearby Germantown, TN. The 68-year-old is still a contender in the limited Sprint Car starts he makes each year, as his 2024 season has included a local win at Riverside on Aug. 24 as well as a USCS triumph one week later at Buckshot Speedway.

A familiar face in a new place to keep an eye on is Jordon Mallett, who will become the first driver to compete for three different teams with the National Tour this season. Mallett spent eight races driving the Brandon Anderson Motorsports No. 55B in a stint highlighted by a win at Batesville Motor Speedway before fielding his own No. 14 car at Arrowhead Speedway in September, and he has since jumped into the No. 3 for Rains Motorsports.

His debut with the team came last weekend in USCS action at Riverside with finishes of second and ninth in the twin-Feature program. The night was swept by Derek Hagar, who has now won five times at “The Ditch” in 2024 and enters the weekend hungry for more.

WHEN AND WHERE:
Friday and Saturday, Oct. 18-19, at Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, AR

AROUND THE TURN:
The American Sprint Car Series National Tour will head to Texas for the only time in 2024 for a doubleheader at RPM Speedway outside Dallas on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 25-26, marking the final stop before November’s championship weekend in Oklahoma.

CURRENT POINT STANDINGS (TOP 10):

  1. Seth Bergman (3045 points)
  2. Sam Hafertepe Jr. (-111)
  3. Matt Covington (-240)
  4. Hank Davis (-372)
  5. Andrew Deal (-506)
  6. Jason Martin (-526)
  7. Landon Britt (-577)
  8. Zach Blurton (-617)
  9. Kyler Johnson (-629)
  10. Terry Easum (-732)

FEATURE WINNERS (12):
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 9
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 5
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 3
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 1
Kaleb Johnson – Sioux Falls, SD – 1
Tyler Courtney – Indianapolis, IN – 1
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 1
Aaron Reutzel – Clute, TX – 1
Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 1
Joe B. Miller – Millersville, MO – 1

QUICK TIME AWARDS (13):
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 12
Aaron Reutzel – Clute, TX – 2
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 1
Josh McCord – Bossier City, LA – 1
Alex Sewell – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 1
Tyler Groenendyk – Oskaloosa, IA – 1
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 1
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 1
Skylar Gee – Leduc, AB – 1
Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Joe B. Miller – Millersville, MO – 1

HEAT RACE WINS (41):
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 7
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 7
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 7
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 6
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 6
Whit Gastineau – Moore, OK – 4
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 3
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 3
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 3
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 3
Zach Blurton – Quinter, KS – 3
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 2
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 2
Kyler Johnson – Quinter, KS – 2
Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 1
Lane Whittington – Denham Springs, LA – 1
Koty Adams – Haughton, LA – 1
Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 1
Brekton Crouch – Lubbock, TX – 1
Jeremy Campbell – Wichita, KS – 1
Cody Gardner – Benton, AR – 1
Austyn Gossel – Windsor, CO – 1
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Matt Juhl – Tea, SD – 1
Garet Williamson – Columbia, MO – 1
Emerson Axsom – Franklin, IN – 1
Hunter Schuerenberg – Sikeston, MO – 1
Tanner Holmes – Jacksonville, OR – 1
Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Tyler Groenendyk – Oskaloosa, IA – 1
Parker Price-Miller – Kokomo, IN – 1
Colton Hardy – Phoenix, AZ – 1
Tanner Thorson – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Brian Brown – Hugginsville, MO – 1
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 1
Phil Dietz – Laurel, MT – 1
Joe Perry – Billings, MT – 1
Kory Wermling – Great Falls, MT – 1
Chris Martin – Ankeny, IA – 1
Garrett Benson – Concordia, MO – 1
Sterling Cling – Tempe, AZ – 1

DASH APPEARANCES (42):
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 21
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 20
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 13
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 13
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 9
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 5
Whit Gastineau – Moore, OK – 5
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 5
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 4
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 4
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 4
Zach Blurton – Quinter, KS – 4
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 3
Kyler Johnson – Quinter, KS – 3
Alex Sewell – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 2
Kory Wermling – Great Falls, MT – 2
Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Garrett Benson – Concordia, MO – 2
Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 2
Riley Goodno – Knoxville, IA – 2
Lane Whittington – Denham Springs, LA – 1
Koty Adams – Haughton, LA – 1
Ryder Laplante – Calera, OK – 1
Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 1
Brekton Crouch – Lubbock, TX – 1
Jeremy Campbell – Wichita, KS – 1
Elijah Gile – Phoenix, AZ – 1
Cody Gardner – Benton, AR – 1
Austyn Gossel – Windsor, CO – 1
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Harli White – Lindsay, OK – 1
Austin McCarl – Altoona, IA – 1
DJ Brink – Rapid City, SD – 1
Phil Dietz – Laurel, MT – 1
Joe Perry – Billings, MT – 1
Skylar Gee – Leduc, AB – 1
Aaron Reutzel – Clute, TX – 1
Chris Martin – Ankeny, IA – 1
Joe B. Miller – Millersville, MO – 1
Sterling Cling – Tempe, AZ – 1
Gunner Ramey – Sedalia, MO – 1

LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINNERS (16):
Rees Moran – Tulsa, OK – 2
Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 1
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 1
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 1
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Aaron Reutzel – Clute, TX – 1
Chase Porter – St. Joseph, MO – 1
Kerry Madsen – Knoxville, IA – 1
Chase Randall – Waco, TX – 1
Rich Bailey – Helena, MT – 1
Kyler Johnson – Quinter, KS – 1
Skylar Gee – Leduc, AB – 1
Zach Blurton – Quinter, KS – 1
Brandon Anderson – Glenpool, OK – 1
Noah Harris – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Gunner Ramey – Sedalia, MO – 1

PODIUM FINISHERS (26):
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 17
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 15
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 9
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 7
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 2
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 2
Austin McCarl – Altoona, IA – 2
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 2
Zach Blurton – Quinter, KS – 2
Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 2
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 2
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Tanner Conn – Oklahoma City, OK – 1
Ryder Laplante – Calera, OK – 1
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Kaleb Johnson – Sioux Falls, SD – 1
Chase Randall – Waco, TX – 1
Kade Higday – Knoxville, IA – 1
Cory Eliason – Visalia, CA – 1
Brian Brown – Higginsville, MO – 1
Tyler Courtney – Indianapolis, IN – 1
Emerson Axsom – Franklin, IN – 1
Aaron Reutzel – Clute, TX – 1
Joe B. Miller – Millersville, MO – 1
Sterling Cling – Tempe, AZ – 1

TOP 10 FINISHERS (66):
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 22
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 21
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 17
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 17
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 16
Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 14
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 14
Kyler Johnson – Quinter, KS – 8
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 8
Zach Blurton – Quinter, KS – 8
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 6
Austyn Gossel – Windsor, CO – 6
Rees Moran – Tulsa, OK – 4
Brandon Anderson – Glenpool, OK – 4
Harli White – Lindsay, OK – 4
Kelly Miller – Stirling, AB – 4
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 4
Riley Goodno – Knoxville, IA – 4
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 3
Whit Gastineau – Moore, OK – 3
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 3
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 3
Terry McCarl – Altoona, IA – 3
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 3
Alex Sewell – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Tyler Courtney – Indianapolis, IN – 2
Emerson Axsom – Franklin, IN – 2
Austin McCarl – Altoona, IA – 2
Brian Brown – Higginsville, MO – 2
Cory Eliason – Visalia, CA – 2
Tasker Phillips – Pleasantville, IA – 2
Jamie Ball – Knoxville, IA – 2
Kaleb Johnson – Sioux Falls, SD – 2
Jeremy Campbell – Wichita, KS – 2
Skylar Gee – Leduc, AB – 2
Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 2
Sterling Cling – Tempe, AZ – 2
Channin Tankersley – Arlington, TX – 1
Tanner Conn – Oklahoma City, OK – 1
Brekton Crouch – Lubbock, TX – 1
Jeremy Huish – Jetmore, KS – 1
Ryder Laplante – Calera, OK – 1
Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 1
Fred Mattox – Drumright, OK – 1
Dale Howard – Byhalia, MS – 1
Brad Bowden – Hernando, MS – 1
Michael Day – Farmersville, TX – 1
Chase Randall – Waco, TX – 1
Kade Higday – Knoxville, IA – 1
Justin Peck – Monrovia, IN – 1
Gunner Ramey – Sedalia, MO – 1
Miles Paulus – Marshall, MO – 1
Kasey Kahne – Enumclaw, WA – 1
Ryan Giles – Grimes, IA – 1
Kerry Madsen – Knoxville, IA – 1
Alex Hill – Six Nations, ON – 1
Cole Macedo – Lemoore, CA – 1
DJ Brink – Rapid City, SD – 1
Blayne Brink – Gillette, WY – 1
Phil Dietz – Laurel, MT – 1
Kory Wermling – Great Falls, MT – 1
Aaron Reutzel – Clute, TX – 1
Chris Martin – Ankeny, IA – 1
Emilio Hoover – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Joe B. Miller – Millersville, MO – 1

2024 AMERICAN SPRINT CAR SERIES SCHEDULE & WINNERS:
Friday, Apr. 19 / Super Bee Speedway / Chatham, LA / Seth Bergman (1)
Friday, May 10 / Red Dirt Raceway / Meeker, OK / Terry Easum (1)
Friday, May 31 / Rush County Speedway / La Crosse, KS / Seth Bergman (2)
Saturday, June 1 / Dodge City Raceway Park / Dodge City, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (1)
Tuesday, June 11 / Texarkana 67 Speedway / Texarkana, AR / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (2)
Thursday, June 13 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (3)
Friday, June 14 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK / Seth Bergman (3)
Saturday, June 15 / Tri-State Speedway / Pocola, OK / Seth Bergman (4)
Saturday, June 22 / Batesville Motor Speedway / Locust Grove, AR / Jordon Mallett (1)
Friday, June 28 / Tulsa Speedway / Tulsa, OK / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (4)
Friday, July 19 / Lakeside Speedway / Kansas City, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (5)
Saturday, July 20 / 81 Speedway / Wichita, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (6)
Thursday, Aug. 1 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Kaleb Johnson (1)
Friday, Aug. 2 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (7)
Saturday, Aug. 3 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Tyler Courtney (1)
Friday, Aug. 16 / Dodge City Raceway Park / Dodge City, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (8)
Saturday, Aug. 17 / Lincoln County Raceway / North Platte, NE / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (9)
Friday, Aug. 23 / Big Sky Speedway / Shepherd, MT / Seth Bergman (5)
Saturday, Aug. 24 / Big Sky Speedway / Shepherd, MT / Jake Bubak (1)
Friday, Aug. 30 / Electric City Speedway / Black Eagle, MT / Hank Davis (1)
Saturday, Aug. 31 / Electric City Speedway / Black Eagle, MT / Hank Davis (2)
Tuesday, Sept. 10 / Clay County Fair Speedway / Spencer, IA / Aaron Reutzel (1)
Friday, Sept. 13 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK / Roger Crockett (1)
Saturday, Sept. 14 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK / Jason Martin (1)
Friday, Oct. 11 / Benton Speedway / Benton, MO / Joe B. Miller (1)
Saturday, Oct. 12 / Paducah International Raceway / Paducah, KY / Hank Davis (3)
Friday, Oct. 18 / Riverside International Speedway / West Memphis, AR
Saturday, Oct. 19 / Riverside International Speedway / West Memphis, AR
Friday, Oct. 25 / RPM Speedway / Crandall, TX
Saturday, Oct. 26 / RPM Speedway / Crandall, TX
Thursday, Nov. 14 / Tulsa Speedway / Tulsa, OK
Friday, Nov. 15 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK
Saturday, Nov. 16 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK

 

 

Davis Holds Off Hafertepe at Paducah for Third National Tour Triumph

PADUCAH, KY (October 12, 2024) – When the American Sprint Car Series National Tour rolls into a high-banked, lightning-fast racetrack, Hank Davis tends to find another gear.

The Labor Day weekend visit to Montana’s Electric City Speedway netted him the first two wins of his career with the Series, and six weeks later, he picked up his third on Saturday night at Paducah International Raceway.

“We were just really good all night,” Davis said. “There in Qualifying, we just kind of had the car a little off or we would have probably swept the whole night. Car was just really good, just rolled around this place super well and got a win.”

The 21-year-old picked up the pole position after blowing by Matt Covington on the final lap of the Dash and taking the checkers. However, his advantage didn’t last long come Feature time, as a poor start allowed Covington to drive away to the early lead on the outside while Sam Hafertepe Jr. squeezed by in Turns 1 and 2 and took second away.

Hafertepe wasn’t satisfied though, as he slid up in front of Covington exiting Turn 4 on the opening lap before the No. 95 crossed him over and held onto the lead.

While Covington paced the field early, Davis went to the inside of Hafertepe on Lap 4 to move up to second. He instantly went to work on catching Covington, and once he did, he made the exact same move as Hafertepe tried earlier and got the same result: Covington sneaking back by to keep the top spot.

Davis wasn’t ready to give up, as he made a couple of slider attempts on Covington before finally getting one to stick in Turn 2 at the midway point of the 25-lap Feature. Once he found clean air, the No. 2C was off to the races, quickly building a gap over his fellow red, white and black machine.

Just when it looked like Covington was in store for his first podium finish since Electric City on Aug. 31, the night turned sour when he slowed at the top of Turn 2 with a flat tire. What would have been a brief visit to the work area turned into a race-ending incident when Benton Speedway runner-up Sterling Cling ran into the back of the slowing car, severely damaging the left-rear corner of Covington’s car.

For the remainder of the race, Davis found himself working to hold off the same driver he got into a heated conversation with at the end of the Benton race 24 hours prior. Hafertepe dove to the inside on the restart following Covington’s incident, but by the time he slid back up the track Davis was already ahead. The slowing car of Gunner Ramey gave Hafertepe another chance, but he came up empty once again.

Seven laps later, Davis found himself working through slower traffic two seconds ahead of Hafertepe when Kyler Johnson slowed in Turn 2 to set up a three-lap dash to the finish. Davis once again nailed the restart, and three flawless laps later he crossed under the checkered flag to score the win in his Paducah debut.

“Sam slid me down there in 1 and 2 and I knew that I either had to get a good start or try to close the gap,” Davis said on the numerous challenges for the lead from the No. 15H that he fended off. “I didn’t know what to really do there. I don’t know, I plugged her to the top, she worked out and here we are.”

After winning nine of the first 17 races of the season, Hafertepe’s winless streak now sits at nine races, with his last victory coming at Lincoln County Raceway on Aug. 17. However, the runner-up result prevented further damage to his title chances following his late-race crash at Benton on Friday night.

“I wouldn’t say we’re lacking speed, we’ve just had a lot of bad little things happen to us lately. Like last night, getting wrecked, not even your doing, that doesn’t help situations. We’ve just had a little run of bad luck, and we’ll get out of that little funk.

“We had plenty of speed tonight, just starting fourth and [Davis] starts on the pole, it’s just hard to make up time when the track’s like this. I feel like if we would have ever got out to clean air, we would have been fine.”

After a disappointing ninth-place finish at Benton, Seth Bergman rebounded with a third-place run at Paducah for his ninth podium in the last 11 races. That incredible consistency puts him ahead of Hafertepe by 129 points with the finale at Creek County Speedway drawing closer.

“It’s such a tricky deal for me,” Bergman said. “All I’ve done for a long time is not race for points. I just wanted to go win races. Now, I find myself thinking quite differently. I want to win the race, but I also need to be smart. I’ve never been so happy to just podium out so much, just being consistent. I’m conflicted. There’s a dog in me that wants to win races, but there’s also a huge part of me now as I get older that thinks championships.”

The fourth spot went to Zach Blurton, who collected his first top five since Big Sky Speedway on Aug. 24, while Cling ended the race fifth for his second top five of the weekend.

Andrew Deal’s drive up from 16th to sixth earned him the night’s Hard Charger Award, his second in the last three races.

UP NEXT: The ASCS National Tour will join forces with the USCS for the World Short Track Challenge at Riverside International Speedway on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 18-19. Tickets will be available at the track on race day, but if you can’t make it, stream every lap live on DIRTVision.

Feature (25 Laps): 1. 2C-Hank Davis[1]; 2. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[4]; 3. 23-Seth Bergman[6]; 4. 2J-Zach Blurton[5]; 5. 34-Sterling Cling[7]; 6. 15D-Andrew Deal[16]; 7. 36-Jason Martin[8]; 8. 10-Landon Britt[12]; 9. 95-Matt Covington[2]; 10. 22-Riley Goodno[10]; 11. 21-Gunner Ramey[3]; 12. 51B-Joe B Miller[9]; 13. 41-Colton Hardy[11]; 14. 938-Bradley Fezard[14]; 15. 88-Terry Easum[17]; 16. 16G-Austyn Gossel[18]; 17. 99D-Tucker Daly[19]; 18. 52D-Skyler Daly[20]; 19. 7-Caleb Thompson[21]; 20. 45X-Kyler Johnson[13]; 21. 20I-Kelsey Ivy[15]; 22. 122-Lane Warner[22]

 

 

Joe B. Miller Wins Benton in First National Tour Start of 2024

BENTON, MO (October 11, 2024) – Friday night’s contest at Benton Speedway was Joe B. Miller’s first race on the American Sprint Car Series National Tour in over a year. He didn’t take long to get reacclimated.

The Millersville, MO driver took the checkered flag in the first Series appearance at his home track of Benton Speedway since 1996 for his second National Tour victory alongside a score at Lake Ozark Speedway on May 27, 2023.

“Our shop’s about 30 minutes from here, so it’s about as close to home as we’re going to get,” Miller said in Victory Lane. “Got a lot of friends and family in the stands and this means a lot to get a National win.”

Miller shared the front row in the Feature with Tempe, AZ’s Sterling Cling, who was also making his first National Tour start of the season. In Cling’s case, it was also his debut with the Series as he winds down his first full season as a winged Sprint Car driver following years of Non-Wing competition.

Cling rode the high lane to pull away from Miller after one lap while Sam Hafertepe Jr. drove from tenth to third in the opening circuit as he looked to gain ground on Seth Bergman in the points chase.

Miller moved up to the top to match Cling and rode behind him through the first portion of the race until Lap 8. He sent his No. 51B machine to the bottom in Turn 1, slid up next to Cling and forced him into the loose dirt at the top of the track while Miller drove away to the lead.

Cling was soon under fire from Hafertepe for the second spot, but just as soon as Hafertepe made the pass on Lap 11, he got into the side of the slower car of Kelsey Ivy and spun. He kept the car rolling and rejoined the field, but not before Cling got back by.

The running order remained unchanged in the second half of the race up until Hank Davis looked to Hafertepe’s outside for third in Turns 3 and 4 coming to the white flag. Before Davis was able to sneak by, Hafertepe moved up the track and contacted Davis’s left-rear tire, sending Hafertepe’s car into the air, upside down and out of the race. The crash and subsequent 18th-place finish places Hafertepe 136 points behind Bergman in the standings entering Paducah International Raceway on Saturday night.

On the green-white-checkered restart that followed, Miller once again drove away and led Cling by 1.4 seconds when the checkered flag flew.

Given his home track advantage, Miller has plenty of experience navigating slower traffic efficiently at Benton. That skill turned out to be his key to victory over the numerous drivers making their Benton debut thanks to the long green flag run in the middle of the race.

“I thought I was making really good time through the lap cars,” Miller said. “I just tried catching that little bit of grip down there right by the tires and kind of slid myself. I didn’t know if I should have been up higher, but I just felt like if I could have kept plucking off lap cars then surely we’d have a few between me and second.”

For Cling, his runner-up effort was his career-best finish with a national winged Sprint Car series, solidifying his status as a rising star in the division.

“It’s pretty cool,” Cling said. “I haven’t really raced with any of these guys all year, we’ve been 410 racing a little bit of everywhere. Didn’t really know what to expect when we showed up here. Nonetheless, Mike, he always gives me a great car and works as hard as he possibly can, harder than anybody else in these pits. I’ve just got to thank him for continuing to work with me, and we’ll just keep building.”

Davis emerged from the contact with two to go in the third spot and held off Jason Martin on the final restart, netting him the final spot on the podium along with the Hard Charger Award after his drive up from 12th.

“He was going to slide a lapper, he kind of got trapped behind him and left the door open, so I took it,” Davis said on the incident with Hafertepe. “That was about all there was to it.”

Martin settled for fourth while Landon Britt came home fifth for his first top five since Big Sky Speedway on Aug. 23.

UP NEXT: The ASCS National Tour will make the 90-minute drive east to Kentucky’s Paducah International Raceway for the second half of this weekend’s doubleheader. Tickets will be available at the track, but if you can’t make it, watch every lap live on DIRTVision.

Feature (30 Laps): 1. 51B-Joe B Miller[1]; 2. 34-Sterling Cling[2]; 3. 2C-Hank Davis[12]; 4. 36-Jason Martin[4]; 5. 10-Landon Britt[3]; 6. 15D-Andrew Deal[5]; 7. 23-Seth Bergman[9]; 8. 95-Matt Covington[7]; 9. 22-Riley Goodno[6]; 10. 16G-Austyn Gossel[8]; 11. 41-Colton Hardy[17]; 12. 2J-Zach Blurton[18]; 13. 45X-Kyler Johnson[14]; 14. 938-Bradley Fezard[19]; 15. 88-Terry Easum[13]; 16. 99D-Tucker Daly[15]; 17. 52D-Skyler Daly[11]; 18. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[10]; 19. 21-Gunner Ramey[16]; 20. 122-Lane Warner[21]; 21. 20I-Kelsey Ivy[20]; 22. 7D-Dylan DeJournett[22]

 

 

Bradley Fezard Carrying Momentum From Strong Regional Run Into Final National Tour Stretch

CONCORD, NC (October 9, 2024) – In the months leading up to the 2024 racing season, Bradley Fezard and the No. 938 V&H Fresh Race Team decided it was time for a new challenge.

After graduating from the Micro Sprint ranks, the Bonnerdale, AR driver spent 2022 and 2023 bouncing between Midgets, 305 and 360 Sprint Cars along with nearly every other category of open-wheel dirt track racing out there.

However, running full-time on a national Sprint Car tour was always the goal, and Fezard made that goal a reality in 2024 when he signed up to chase the Rookie of the Year Award on the American Sprint Car Series National Tour.

“We had ran some series before in the past with the Micro Sprints with POWRi and NOW600,” Fezard said. “We took off of that and decided just to do some of the OCRS Sprint Car stuff, a little Midget stuff, and then we dabbled in the ASCS Sprint Cars. Once we ran with the ASCS guys, we decided at the end of last year that we would like to go back to committing to a series and stick with the same group of guys. We figured that would be the best way to learn and move our program forward.”

Going into the season, Fezard knew he would have to place his full focus on 360 Sprint Car racing if he wanted to have a chance at being competitive at the division’s highest level. That meant cutting down on extracurricular races in other car types, and he believes that decision has paid dividends in accelerating his learning curve on the National Tour.

“I think when you run back-to-back every weekend, the same car handling the same way with the same amount of power, I think it does a lot for us,” Fezard said. “Trying to hone in on setup skills and everything just for that one particular class. I think it’s been a big help for us.”

But regardless of how prepared and focused a team might be, taking on a national schedule for the first time is still one of the most daunting tasks in dirt track racing. Fezard knew that going in, and he’s been gaining firsthand experience ever since the green flag flew in the season opener at Super Bee Speedway in April. Two top 10s in the first 24 races isn’t what he had in mind, but he remains confident that success will come.

“This year has been very challenging for us,” Fezard said. “We’ve had a lot of new challenges, and I feel like we’ve faced a lot of adversity, bad luck, part failures and things. Sometimes you have those years where things just don’t seem to go right no matter how hard you try.”

Given the four-week break in the National Tour schedule, Fezard and team elected to travel south to Mississippi’s Greenville Speedway to take on the ASCS Hurricane Area Super Sprints on Saturday night. His only goal was to shake off the rust and prepare for three-straight weekends of National Tour competition, but it quickly turned into a night that he hopes will turn the tide on his season.

“In the Heat Race, we actually passed for the lead and a caution came out and we got put back to second, so we made the redraw,” Fezard said. “Usually if there’s a redraw, I’m always drawing the highest number, but we actually drew the two, so we started on the outside of the front row.

“We ran third for the first five to seven laps or so, and the leader [Brady Baker] got taken out by a lap car. So the rest of the race was trying to chase down the leader [Michael Miller]. We were right with him, right on his bumper most of the race, but the track ended up rubbering up right above the middle. So it was kind of a one-lane track, it was a little difficult to get around him.

“But we were definitely hunting for our first win of the season. With the year that we’ve had so far with the National guys, we definitely could have used a win to build off of a little momentum there. But we’ll take a runner-up.”

With 10 races to go in his debut season, Fezard sits 12th in the standings, 126 points behind Terry Easum in 10th. Earning a spot in the top 10 would make for an ideal end to a trying rookie campaign, and the head of steam gained from his Greenville performance could propel him into doing just that.

“Running week in and week out with the National guys, it’s really the best in the country. Pretty difficult to run competitively with them once, let alone every week,” Fezard said. “Being able to get a runner-up, it helps boost some confidence going into the next few weeks. We’re still looking for our first top five of this season. That’s what our goal, our plan really is for the remaining races.”

Fezard will kick off the final stretch of the National Tour season this weekend at Benton Speedway (Friday, Oct. 11) and Paducah International Raceway (Saturday, Oct. 12). Tickets will be available at the track, but if you can’t make it, stream every lap live on DIRTVision.

 

 

National Tour Rookie of the Year Award Comes Down to Davis vs. Deal

CONCORD, NC (October 2, 2024) – At the dawn of the 2024 season, more than half a dozen drivers were signed up to run the full American Sprint Car Series National Tour for the first time.

The quantity and quality of first-timers meant that the Rookie of the Year battle was shaping up to be equally as intriguing as the championship fight. But with six months and 24 races in the rearview mirror, the freshman standings are topped by someone who wasn’t even on the list of contenders until the end of May: Hank Davis.

After TwoC Racing and Seth Bergman parted ways two races into the season, Davis was tabbed as the new driver of the No. 2C for the remainder of the year. He didn’t take long to find his footing, finishing on the podium at Dodge City Raceway Park on June 1 to cap off his first weekend with the team.

That run was the second of nine top fives through Davis’s first 10 races behind the wheel of the Todd Carlile-owned, Wayne Johnson-tuned car. The Sand Springs, OK native’s expectations were high entering the next chapter of his Sprint Car career – but not quite that high.

“I didn’t know we would be this good,” Davis said. “I didn’t know if [Rookie of the Year] would be attainable really, but once we started rolling, I thought it would be attainable. We just had to do our job and be there at the end every night.”

After a summer filled with strong runs and close encounters with Victory Lane, Davis finally broke through on Labor Day weekend at Electric City Speedway with not one, but two victories. The wins weren’t just the first and second of his career with the National Tour, they also vaulted him into the lead of the Rookie of the Year race.

However, that isn’t the only points battle Davis has to think about, as TwoC Racing sits 34 points behind the Hill’s Racing Team No. 15H of Sam Hafertepe Jr. in the owners championship standings with 10 races to go in the season. Going for two separate titles while learning the ropes of full-time Sprint Car racing might seem like a lot to balance, but Davis’s solution is simple – don’t think about any of it.

“I really try not to think about any of the titles honestly,” Davis said. “I would love to get [the owner’s championship], just because that would help Wayne out, it’s on his side. We’re just out here to try and win as many races as possible, and wherever we end up is where we end up.”

Up until Electric City, the Rookie of the Year chase had been commanded by Caney, KS’s Andrew Deal. Racing a full season with a national Sprint Car series had always been a dream of his, and that dream came true in 2024.

“I was just going to have fun,” Deal said of his goals entering the season. “I mean, I wanted to do good, I thought we could do good. I thought [the Rookie of the Year Award] was a possibility.”

The best way to have fun racing Sprint Cars is to finish towards the front, and Deal did that on a regular basis early in the season. A runner-up finish in the season opener at Super Bee Speedway kicked off a string of seven top 10s through the first eight races, placing the No. 15D team at the top of the Rookie leaderboard and firmly on the list of nightly contenders with the Series.

It’s been an up-and-down season in the months since, as top-five runs at Lincoln County Raceway and Clay County Fair Speedway have gone along with a handful of finishes in the bottom half of the field. Deal admitted that he’s still in the learning phase of racing with the National Tour but said the box score doesn’t tell the full story of what he’s capable of.

“These guys, they drive so hard. They’re on it the whole time and they’re willing to wreck,” Deal said. “There’s a lot of times where I do lift. I’m not quite willing to just chance everything and tear my stuff up and get hurt. The right conditions, there’s no doubt in my mind we can win.

“I’m just not going to go 150% like some of these guys out here. It’s out of my pocket, I’ve got some good sponsors, but at the end of the day I’m paying for it.”

The level of competition on the National Tour isn’t the only thing Deal has had to adjust to this season, as many of the tracks on the schedule have been brand new for him. Getting up to speed at new facilities is a major hurdle for anyone taking on a new series for the first time, particularly for drivers like Deal who did little traveling prior to taking on the National Tour.

“Try to watch some videos, just try to study up on how the race goes and where I need to be at,” Deal said. “The hardest part is Qualifying. Kind of sets your night up, so you get basically three to five laps to see the track and then you’ve got to qualify on it. Wayne [Priddy, Deal’s brother-in-law and longtime Sprint Car crew chief] helps me a lot, he’s raced at a lot of these tracks. I’ll visit with him about tendencies of the track, of the dirt, try to get an idea of what to do. But once we get there, I’m pretty much just flying blind.”

Two places where Deal won’t be flying blind are the final two tracks on the schedule – Tulsa Speedway and Creek County Speedway – where he has plenty of laps in both winged and Non-Wing competition. If Deal can chip away at Davis’s 134-point lead in the six-race October slate, he could be in position to retake the lead during championship weekend in November and put an exclamation point on what he said has already been a rewarding year.

“In my mind, this has been nothing but a success,” Deal said. “There’s some nights where we should have been better and we weren’t, and there were some nights where we were pretty good and we probably shouldn’t have been any good at all. I would call it a success.”

The next chapter in the Rookie of the Year duel will be written next weekend at Benton Speedway (Friday, Oct. 11) and Paducah International Raceway (Saturday, Oct. 12). Tickets will be available at the track on race day, but if you can’t make it, watch every lap live on DIRTVision.

 

 

Hurricane Helene Postpones World Short Track Challenge to Oct. 18-19

WEST MEMPHIS, AR (September 26, 2024) – With the safety of traveling fans and teams in mind, officials from the ASCS, USCS and Riverside International Speedway have agreed to postpone this weekend’s World Short Track Challenge to Friday and Saturday, Oct. 18-19.

The decision was made with guidance from Precision Weather Service, who has been tracking Hurricane Helene and expects it to bring heavy, continuous rain and high winds to the Memphis area this weekend.

The American Sprint Car Series National Tour will return to action in two weeks at Benton Speedway on Friday, Oct. 11, and Paducah International Raceway on Saturday, Oct. 12.

Seth Bergman leads the championship standings with eight races remaining as he chases his first National Tour title. Sitting 111 points behind him is Sam Hafertepe Jr., who is aiming for his sixth Series championship.

If you can’t make it to the track, catch every lap live on DIRTVision.

 

 

Riverside Locals Ready to Defend the Ditch in World Short Track Challenge

WEST MEMPHIS, AR (September 25, 2024) – The long-awaited return of the American Sprint Car Series National Tour to Riverside International Speedway is finally here, as “The Ditch” is back on the schedule for the first time in three years.

Given the tour’s absence in recent seasons, more than half of the Series full-timers have no prior Riverside experience entering this weekend’s World Short Track Challenge. One driver not on that list is Memphis’s own Landon Britt, who began his Sprint Car career in 2018 competing in Riverside’s 305 Sprint Car division.

But even with that experience, for what to expect this weekend, Britt said his guess is no better than anyone else’s.

“You can’t really expect anything,” Britt said. “One week you can have a hammer down, heavy track, 15 inches all day and then the next week you can have glass slick, 10 or 11 inches all day. It’s a very wild track to know what’s going to come. Then, also with the river being there, you have to watch how high the river gets. Kind of like down in Florida, the higher the tide, the wetter the track. It’s a guessing game.”

One of the few drivers in the field with more laps around Riverside than Britt is Greenbrier, AR’s Jordon Mallett, who has been a frequent visitor to the track throughout his 15-year Sprint Car career and has two United Sprint Car Series wins in West Memphis on his resume. He preached the same message as Britt, emphasizing the importance of keeping up with the unpredictable Riverside track surface.

“It’s a flip of the coin, honestly,” Mallett said. “I’ve seen that place be anything and everything. It’s just dependent on what they do with the place.”

For Britt, the opportunity to sleep in his own bed after a night of racing is a welcome change of pace after spending the last three seasons traveling thousands of miles across the country chasing the National Tour.

“Always good to be closer to home and hopefully do well in front of your home crowd,” Britt said. “It makes it easier on us. We have the availability of anything we need if something happened, any help, things like that.”

The 2024 season has been a roller coaster for the No. 10 team, with three top fives mixed in with a handful of crashes and mechanical gremlins along the way. He currently sits seventh in the standings, the same spot in which he ended 2023.

Britt is focused on building momentum in the final 10 races of the season to propel the team into 2025 with a full head of steam, and there would be no better place to kickstart that upward trajectory than his home track.

“It’s had its ups and downs,” Britt said. “We’ve really played around with [the car] a lot and dove deeper into our fine tuning, trying to find new things. We’re trying not to get too caught up in the points, because then you just kind of stay in your own box. We really want to get out of it and learn. If it falls back for us a little bit this year, then hopefully it gains us next year.”

Mallett’s season has also taken plenty of unexpected turns, many of them having nothing to do with his on-track performance. His original plan was to take a hiatus from running the full National Tour with a newborn baby at home, but he ended up joining the Series anyway for eight races in the seat of the No. 55B while Brandon Anderson healed from an injury. Mallett didn’t take long to get comfortable in his new surroundings, with a last-lap pass for the win at Batesville Motor Speedway highlighting his substitute stint in the car.

The last stop on tour at Arrowhead Speedway marked Mallett’s first National Tour races back behind the wheel of his own No. 14 car. He was a contender all weekend, collecting finishes of fifth on Friday and seventh on Saturday.

While laps in a Sprint Car are helpful regardless of which car they come in, Mallett touched on the need to compartmentalize the two teams when switching from one to another.

“There’s just some things different,” Mallett said. “For the most part, everybody’s got good equipment. There’s some things that carried over there with me when I went, and there’s some things that carried back. I know what I like in my own car, and theirs drives a little different than mine.”

Mallett will follow the National Tour to Riverside this weekend looking for his second Series win of the year and first in his own equipment. With the World Short Track Challenge being a co-sanctioned event with the USCS – where Mallett has two championships and 25 wins to his name – he has all the motivation in the world to get the job done in one of the top events on either schedule.

“It’s cool, it’s like, where do you draw your association at,” Mallett said. “I’ve spent quite a bit of time with both series. It’s just a cool deal. I’m just more excited about another big 360 race. That’s super beneficial, we need big races, so hopefully it’ll turn out to be a really good event.”

More than 50 of the top 360 Sprint Car teams in the nation will join Britt and Mallett in West Memphis, AR for the World Short Track Challenge at Riverside International Speedway on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 27-28. Tickets will be available at the track on race day, but if you can’t make it to the track, catch every lap live on DIRTVision.

 

 

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: ASCS vs. USCS Battle Awaits at Riverside in World Short Track Challenge

WEST MEMPHIS, AR (September 24, 2024) – The American Sprint Car Series National Tour is back in Memphis for the first time in three years this weekend for a one-of-a-kind Sprint Car racing spectacle.

The Series will join forces with the ASCS Hurricane Area Super Sprints and the United Sprint Car Series for 360 Sprint Car racing’s newest premier event, the World Short Track Challenge at Riverside International Speedway.

The race will pay show-up points only for the National Tour, meaning teams will be gunning solely for Saturday night’s $10,000 top prize. All teams who start Saturday’s main event will make at least $1,000, which puts the World Short Track Challenge in a tie with the 360 Knoxville Nationals for the largest starting payout on the National Tour schedule. Friday’s preliminary action will conclude with a $2,000-to-win, $200-to-start Feature.

Tickets will be available at the track on race day. Can’t make it? Catch every lap live on DIRTVision.

Here are the top storylines entering the weekend:

WHAT A FIELD: With the season winding down and a huge purse up for grabs, teams from across the nation are planning to make the trip to “The Ditch” to chase the checkered flag.

The field of National Tour regulars will be headlined by championship contenders Seth Bergman and Sam Hafertepe Jr., who enter the weekend as the only Series full-timers with Riverside victories to their name. Bergman won with the National Tour in Memphis in 2012 and 2015, while Hafertepe did the same in 2014.

More than 50 names are on the pre-entry list for the event, but there are none bigger than three-time World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car champion Sammy Swindell. The 68-year-old Sprint Car legend is making his first National Tour start since the 2023 360 Knoxville Nationals, but if his wins in local action at Riverside on Aug. 24 and with the USCS at Buckshot Speedway on Aug. 31 are anything to go by, “Slammin’ Sammy” could be a contender for his first Series win in six years.

Other invaders to keep an eye on include four-time National Tour champion and current USCS points leader Terry Gray, North Dakota standout Tim Estenson and eight-time National Tour winner Derek Hagar.

RUN OF SHOW: The tri-sanctioned event will feature a format unlike anything else on the schedule leading up to the main event on Saturday.

After Hot Laps on Friday, cars will be divided into two groups for Qualifying, which will set the lineups for the Heat Races and pay points that will determine lineups later in the night. The top four qualifiers in each Heat Race will be inverted, and passing points will be paid out. The top 14 drivers in combined Qualifying points and Heat Race passing points will be locked into the Feature, while everyone else will have to race their way through a B-Main, C-Main or D-Main.

The top six finishers in the D-Main will transfer to the C-Main, the top six from the C-Main will move on to the B-Main, and the top six from the B-Main will start at the tail of the 25-lap Feature to conclude Friday’s program.

No Qualifying will be held on Saturday; instead, combined points from Qualifying, Heat Races and preliminary Mains on Friday along with a dice roll invert will set the starting lineups for Heat Races on Saturday, which will again pay passing points. After Saturday’s Heat Races, the top 12 in points from both nights will be locked into the Feature, while the rest of the field will be placed into a D-Main, C-Main or B-Main. Those races will see the top six finishers transfer in the same fashion as on Friday night.

Before the main event, a Dash will be held with the top two drivers in Friday’s points along with the top four from Saturday to set the first three rows of the Feature lineup. Once all preliminary action is complete, the weekend will wrap up with a 40-lap, $10,000-to-win Feature.

FEELS LIKE THE FIRST TIME: The win column was dominated by two familiar names in the first half of the year, with Bergman and Hafertepe combining to win 14 of the first 18 races of the National Tour season. The tide has shifted in the opposite direction since then, as neither driver has found Victory Lane in the last six races on tour.

Instead, the Series has seen five different winners in those six races. It was the first National Tour win of the season for all five drivers, and in the case of Rookie of the Year contender Hank Davis, his pair of wins at Electric City Speedway were the first and second of his career.

One of the leading candidates to continue the streak of first-time winners in 2024 is the No. 95 of Matt Covington. The 19-time National Tour winner entered the year fresh off a three-win season a year ago, but it has now been more than a year since his most recent score on Aug. 25, 2023 at Lakeside Speedway. While he hasn’t broken through yet, he has been in contention to do so all year, as he sits third in the standings on the heels of seven podiums and an average finish of 6.2.

The list of potential winners also includes Zach Blurton, who has picked up two podiums and five top 10s in the last nine races, as well as Andrew Deal, who made an impressive 22nd-to-ninth charge last time out at Arrowhead Speedway to remain second in the Rookie of the Year chase.

WELCOME HOME: No one will have a shorter drive to the track this weekend than Memphis’s own Landon Britt.

The driver of the No. 10 is another name on the list of those searching for their first National Tour victory of 2024. Britt enters Riverside amid a challenging stretch over the past few weeks, as he has only finished in the top 10 twice in the last six races.

While he has never won in 360 Sprint Car competition at his home track, his recent history there suggests it could be the place for a turnaround. Britt has raced at Riverside twice so far in 2024, coming home 10th in weekly action on May 11 and seventh with the USCS on May 25.

WHEN AND WHERE:
Friday and Saturday, Sept. 27-28, at Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, AR

AROUND THE TURN:
The American Sprint Car Series National Tour will make its only stops of the year in Missouri and Kentucky, with Benton Speedway set for Friday, Oct. 11, before Paducah International Raceway on Saturday, Oct. 12.

CURRENT POINT STANDINGS (TOP 10):

  1. Seth Bergman (3045 points)
  2. Sam Hafertepe Jr. (-111)
  3. Matt Covington (-240)
  4. Hank Davis (-372)
  5. Andrew Deal (-506)
  6. Jason Martin (-526)
  7. Landon Britt (-577)
  8. Zach Blurton (-617)
  9. Kyler Johnson (-629)
  10. Terry Easum (-732)

FEATURE WINNERS (11):
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 9
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 5
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 2
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 1
Kaleb Johnson – Sioux Falls, SD – 1
Tyler Courtney – Indianapolis, IN – 1
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 1
Aaron Reutzel – Clute, TX – 1
Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 1

QUICK TIME AWARDS (12):
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 11
Aaron Reutzel – Clute, TX – 2
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 1
Josh McCord – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Alex Sewell – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 1
Tyler Groenendyk – Oskaloosa, IA – 1
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 1
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 1
Skylar Gee – Leduc, AB – 1
Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 1

HEAT RACE WINS (40):
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 7
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 6
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 6
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 6
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 5
Whit Gastineau – Moore, OK – 4
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 3
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 3
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 3
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 3
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 2
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 2
Zach Blurton – Quinter, KS – 2
Kyler Johnson – Quinter, KS – 2
Lane Whittington – Denham Springs, LA – 1
Koty Adams – Haughton, LA – 1
Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 1
Brekton Crouch – Lubbock, TX – 1
Jeremy Campbell – Wichita, KS – 1
Cody Gardner – Benton, AR – 1
Austyn Gossel – Windsor, CO – 1
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Matt Juhl – Tea, SD – 1
Garet Williamson – Columbia, MO – 1
Emerson Axsom – Franklin, IN – 1
Hunter Schuerenberg – Sikeston, MO – 1
Tanner Holmes – Jacksonville, OR – 1
Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 1
Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Tyler Groenendyk – Oskaloosa, IA – 1
Parker Price-Miller – Kokomo, IN – 1
Colton Hardy – Phoenix, AZ – 1
Tanner Thorson – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Brian Brown – Hugginsville, MO – 1
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 1
Phil Dietz – Laurel, MT – 1
Joe Perry – Billings, MT – 1
Kory Wermling – Great Falls, MT – 1
Chris Martin – Ankeny, IA – 1
Garrett Benson – Concordia, MO – 1

DASH APPEARANCES (39):
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 20
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 19
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 12
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 12
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 8
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 5
Whit Gastineau – Moore, OK – 5
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 5
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 4
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 4
Zach Blurton – Quinter, KS – 3
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 3
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 3
Kyler Johnson – Quinter, KS – 3
Alex Sewell – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 2
Kory Wermling – Great Falls, MT – 2
Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Garrett Benson – Concordia, MO – 2
Lane Whittington – Denham Springs, LA – 1
Koty Adams – Haughton, LA – 1
Ryder Laplante – Calera, OK – 1
Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 1
Brekton Crouch – Lubbock, TX – 1
Jeremy Campbell – Wichita, KS – 1
Elijah Gile – Phoenix, AZ – 1
Cody Gardner – Benton, AR – 1
Austyn Gossel – Windsor, CO – 1
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Harli White – Lindsay, OK – 1
Austin McCarl – Altoona, IA – 1
Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 1
DJ Brink – Rapid City, SD – 1
Phil Dietz – Laurel, MT – 1
Joe Perry – Billings, MT – 1
Skylar Gee – Leduc, AB – 1
Aaron Reutzel – Clute, TX – 1
Chris Martin – Ankeny, IA – 1
Riley Goodno – Knoxville, IA – 1

LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINNERS (15):
Rees Moran – Tulsa, OK – 2
Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 1
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 1
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 1
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Aaron Reutzel – Clute, TX – 1
Chase Porter – St. Joseph, MO – 1
Kerry Madsen – Knoxville, IA – 1
Chase Randall – Waco, TX – 1
Rich Bailey – Helena, MT – 1
Kyler Johnson – Quinter, KS – 1
Skylar Gee – Leduc, AB – 1
Zach Blurton – Quinter, KS – 1
Brandon Anderson – Glenpool, OK – 1
Noah Harris – Broken Arrow, OK – 1

PODIUM FINISHERS (24):
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 16
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 14
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 7
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 7
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 2
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 2
Austin McCarl – Altoona, IA – 2
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 2
Zach Blurton – Quinter, KS – 2
Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 2
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 2
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Tanner Conn – Oklahoma City, OK – 1
Ryder Laplante – Calera, OK – 1
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Kaleb Johnson – Sioux Falls, SD – 1
Chase Randall – Waco, TX – 1
Kade Higday – Knoxville, IA – 1
Cory Eliason – Visalia, CA – 1
Brian Brown – Higginsville, MO – 1
Tyler Courtney – Indianapolis, IN – 1
Emerson Axsom – Franklin, IN – 1
Aaron Reutzel – Clute, TX – 1

TOP 10 FINISHERS (64):
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 20
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 19
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 16
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 15
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 14
Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 12
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 12
Kyler Johnson – Quinter, KS – 8
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 8
Zach Blurton – Quinter, KS – 7
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 6
Austyn Gossel – Windsor, CO – 5
Rees Moran – Tulsa, OK – 4
Brandon Anderson – Glenpool, OK – 4
Harli White – Lindsay, OK – 4
Kelly Miller – Stirling, AB – 4
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 4
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 3
Whit Gastineau – Moore, OK – 3
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 3
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 3
Terry McCarl – Altoona, IA – 3
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 3
Alex Sewell – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Tyler Courtney – Indianapolis, IN – 2
Emerson Axsom – Franklin, IN – 2
Austin McCarl – Altoona, IA – 2
Brian Brown – Higginsville, MO – 2
Cory Eliason – Visalia, CA – 2
Tasker Phillips – Pleasantville, IA – 2
Jamie Ball – Knoxville, IA – 2
Kaleb Johnson – Sioux Falls, SD – 2
Jeremy Campbell – Wichita, KS – 2
Skylar Gee – Leduc, AB – 2
Riley Goodno – Knoxville, IA – 2
Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 2
Channin Tankersley – Arlington, TX – 1
Tanner Conn – Oklahoma City, OK – 1
Brekton Crouch – Lubbock, TX – 1
Jeremy Huish – Jetmore, KS – 1
Ryder Laplante – Calera, OK – 1
Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 1
Fred Mattox – Drumright, OK – 1
Dale Howard – Byhalia, MS – 1
Brad Bowden – Hernando, MS – 1
Michael Day – Farmersville, TX – 1
Chase Randall – Waco, TX – 1
Kade Higday – Knoxville, IA – 1
Justin Peck – Monrovia, IN – 1
Gunner Ramey – Sedalia, MO – 1
Miles Paulus – Marshall, MO – 1
Kasey Kahne – Enumclaw, WA – 1
Ryan Giles – Grimes, IA – 1
Kerry Madsen – Knoxville, IA – 1
Alex Hill – Six Nations, ON – 1
Cole Macedo – Lemoore, CA – 1
DJ Brink – Rapid City, SD – 1
Blayne Brink – Gillette, WY – 1
Phil Dietz – Laurel, MT – 1
Kory Wermling – Great Falls, MT – 1
Aaron Reutzel – Clute, TX – 1
Chris Martin – Ankeny, IA – 1
Emilio Hoover – Broken Arrow, OK – 1

2024 AMERICAN SPRINT CAR SERIES SCHEDULE & WINNERS:
Friday, Apr. 19 / Super Bee Speedway / Chatham, LA / Seth Bergman (1)
Friday, May 10 / Red Dirt Raceway / Meeker, OK / Terry Easum (1)
Friday, May 31 / Rush County Speedway / La Crosse, KS / Seth Bergman (2)
Saturday, June 1 / Dodge City Raceway Park / Dodge City, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (1)
Tuesday, June 11 / Texarkana 67 Speedway / Texarkana, AR / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (2)
Thursday, June 13 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (3)
Friday, June 14 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK / Seth Bergman (3)
Saturday, June 15 / Tri-State Speedway / Pocola, OK / Seth Bergman (4)
Saturday, June 22 / Batesville Motor Speedway / Locust Grove, AR / Jordon Mallett (1)
Friday, June 28 / Tulsa Speedway / Tulsa, OK / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (4)
Friday, July 19 / Lakeside Speedway / Kansas City, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (5)
Saturday, July 20 / 81 Speedway / Wichita, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (6)
Thursday, Aug. 1 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Kaleb Johnson (1)
Friday, Aug. 2 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (7)
Saturday, Aug. 3 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Tyler Courtney (1)
Friday, Aug. 16 / Dodge City Raceway Park / Dodge City, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (8)
Saturday, Aug. 17 / Lincoln County Raceway / North Platte, NE / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (9)
Friday, Aug. 23 / Big Sky Speedway / Shepherd, MT / Seth Bergman (5)
Saturday, Aug. 24 / Big Sky Speedway / Shepherd, MT / Jake Bubak (1)
Friday, Aug. 30 / Electric City Speedway / Black Eagle, MT / Hank Davis (1)
Saturday, Aug. 31 / Electric City Speedway / Black Eagle, MT / Hank Davis (2)
Tuesday, Sept. 10 / Clay County Fair Speedway / Spencer, IA / Aaron Reutzel (1)
Friday, Sept. 13 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK / Roger Crockett (1)
Saturday, Sept. 14 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK / Jason Martin (1)
Friday, Sept. 27 / Riverside International Speedway / West Memphis, AR
Saturday, Sept. 28 / Riverside International Speedway / West Memphis, AR
Friday, Oct. 11 / Benton Speedway / Benton, MO
Saturday, Oct. 12 / Paducah International Raceway / Paducah, KY
Friday, Oct. 25 / RPM Speedway / Crandall, TX
Saturday, Oct. 26 / RPM Speedway / Crandall, TX
Thursday, Nov. 14 / Tulsa Speedway / Tulsa, OK
Friday, Nov. 15 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK
Saturday, Nov. 16 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK

 

 

Arrowhead Triumph Marks a Turnaround for Jason Martin Following Trying Season

CONCORD, NC (September 19, 2024) – Jason Martin’s 2023 season with the American Sprint Car Series National Tour was one for the record books.

Nine wins – more than doubling his career total entering the year – and his first ASCS National Tour championship.

Entering 2024, Martin saw no reason why he couldn’t go back-to-back. But instead, he found himself on a wild roller coaster that finally brought him his first win of the season last weekend at Arrowhead Speedway.

He started his season on the right foot, justifying his early optimism.

“We had all the confidence in the world,” Martin said. “Felt like we started the first night (at Super Bee Speedway) pretty good. Went forward, had a couple engine problems right off the bat and just a few little things, but we were still running top three, top four, top five.”

After four-straight top 10s to begin the year, highlighted by a runner-up effort at Dodge City Raceway Park in June, ASCS Speedweek in mid-June was when things started to go haywire.

Engine issues and a couple crashes, not of his doing, ended his night early in three of the four events.

“We felt like we were good right before Speedweek and during Speedweek,” Martin said. “Just had a couple crashes, a couple things didn’t go our way. Kind of how it goes, one of those years.

“We hurt a motor down at Texarkana, it was my favorite motor. I had run it like 38 races the year before and that thing really ran good. We only had one other one, and it was a 10-year-old motor, it hasn’t had a lot of the updates. So, we’ve been running that for the last few months and obviously that hurts our Qualifying efforts. It takes a lot of money to get stuff put back together and we haven’t had that. We started the year a little bit shy on funds from some things that happened, and we just weren’t able to stay on top of that to begin with.”

In the span of five days, Martin fell from second to fifth in the standings due to three incidents outside of his control. To make matters worse, health issues stemming from a crash at Tri-State led Martin to make the tough decision to sit out the Batesville Motor Speedway event, causing him to drop outside the top 10 in points.

Upon returning to the Series, Martin racked up three-straight top 10s at Tulsa Speedway, Lakeside Speedway and 81 Speedway. And when the calendar turned to August, those top 10s improved into top fives.

Martin finished in the top five at Dodge City, Big Sky Speedway and twice at Electric City Speedway, which begs the question: what changed?

“Nothing, we haven’t changed hardly anything,” Martin said. “We just kept working at it, physically I got a little bit healthier after my crash at Pocola. Took me about a month to get straightened out and get all my bearings right. Once I got a little closer to 100%, that helped a lot as far as driving.”

During the recent Iowa-Oklahoma weekend, that momentum seemed to shift again with a 17th-place finish at Clay County Fair Speedway and a ninth-place finish on Friday at Arrowhead. And Saturday didn’t seem like it would be any better after a fourth-place finish in his Heat Race placed him 11th on the starting grid.

But once in action, he started passing one after one after one…

“I thought halfway through there, we were running the top, and I thought, ‘This race is over, it’s starting to take rubber up here and everybody’s in a single-file line, we’re probably going to be running eighth or ninth here,” Martin said. “Then, the yellow came out. Everybody started sliding each other, kind of got the racetrack dirtied up. I knew my car was good, I had kind of abandoned the bottom just because I didn’t want to wear it out just in case we ever did get to lap traffic, I might be able to squeak a lap or a corner out down there and pass a guy or two.

“When I went down there, it was really good. Just had to be really patient and wait until you got out on the straightaway to get the moisture. I knew it was there, I just didn’t know if we were going to get the right opportunity to be able to use it.”

Martin got the perfect opportunity. He restarted fourth with six laps to go, and with the top three drivers – Brady Baker, Seth Bergman and Matt Covington – all running the cushion, Martin made quick work of Covington and Bergman on the low side and cleared Baker with three to go before pulling away for the $10,000 victory.

“I’ve always felt like we’ve had cars capable of winning races, a lot of races,” Martin said. “It’s just a matter of do we put all the pieces of the puzzle together right.”

Martin may be out of the running for the ASCS Emmett Hahn Championship Trophy this year, but his goal for the final 10 races of the year is to build momentum heading into the Germfree Southern Sprint Car Shootout at Volusia Speedway Park on Jan. 30-Feb. 1 to kick off 2025.

On that list are two tracks Martin competed at earlier in the year – Riverside International Speedway and RPM Speedway – and he expects to be in contention to win at both facilities.

“I felt like we were really good at West Memphis and kind of got taken out,” Martin said. “We were pretty good down there at RPM as well. I typically like the short, slick racetracks, so I don’t see why we won’t be competitive and have some success.”

Martin and the rest of the National Tour stars will resume the season at Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, AR for the World Short Track Challenge, Sept. 27-28. The two-night event will be co-sanctioned with the ASCS Hurricane Area Super Sprints and the USCS and will wrap up with a $10,000-to-win Feature on Saturday night.

Can’t make it to the track? Watch every lap live on DIRTVision.

 

 

New National Tour Championship Trophy Unveiled Honoring ASCS Founder Emmett Hahn

CONCORD, NC (September 18, 2024) – When the 2024 American Sprint Car Series National Tour champion is crowned following the Fuzzy’s Fall Fling at Creek County Speedway on Nov. 16, they will have a special piece of hardware waiting for them.

Series officials have unveiled the new ASCS Emmett Hahn Championship Trophy, which pays tribute to Series founder Emmett Hahn. “The Emmett” stands two feet tall and is complete with Hahn standing proudly with his left hand on his hip atop a metal base. Every detail, from the embroidery on the firesuit, to the shoelaces, to the facial expression was meticulously crafted in honor of the Sprint Car legend.

“There’s a representation of a driver on all of our championship trophies for our major series, and we wanted ASCS to be the same,” World Racing Group CEO Brian Carter said. “We thought there was no better person to represent that driver on this trophy than the man himself, Emmett Hahn, who really helped establish ASCS and grow it to what it is. We’re happy to carry that legacy forward.”

After its founding in 1992, the American Sprint Car Series grew into the largest Sprint Car sanctioning body in the United States under Hahn’s ownership. Following the sale of the Series to World Racing Group this season, Hahn’s founding mission of growing Sprint Car racing at the national and regional levels remains strong. Hundreds of races are conducted annually under the ASCS banner across the National Tour – the premier touring series in 360 Sprint Car racing – as well as eight regional tours.

“When Brian and I sat down and talked, I said it then and I still believe it now: World Racing Group is the only group that could take ASCS and take it forward,” Hahn said. “I believed that then and I’ve just seen the proof.”

In addition to the one-of-a-kind trophy, the champion will also receive the $40,000 champion’s share of the more than $150,000 that will be paid out to the top 10 drivers in the final standings. Awards will be distributed at the Series banquet on Sunday, Nov. 17, at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tulsa, OK.

With 10 races to go in the battle for the ASCS Emmett Hahn Championship Trophy, Seth Bergman leads the way as he chases his first National Tour title, while Sam Hafertepe Jr. sits 111 points behind in his quest to become a six-time champion. Up next on the calendar is the World Short Track Challenge at Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, AR on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 27-28.

For more information on upcoming ASCS events, click here. If you can’t make it to the track, watch every National Tour race live on DIRTVision.

ARTICLE: https://ascsracing.com/news/new-national-tour-championship-trophy-unveiled-honoring-ascs-founder-emmett-hahn/

FAN 101: https://about.dirtcar.com/

 

 

Brandon Anderson Suspended After Actions at Arrowhead
 

American Sprint Car Series officials have issued a fine and year-long suspension to Sprint Car driver Brandon Anderson for his dangerous and unsportsmanlike actions at Arrowhead Speedway on Sept. 14, 2024.

During the American Sprint Car Series National Tour Feature at Arrowhead Speedway, Anderson, in the No. 55B car, got into the wall entering Turn 1. While he was trying to get off the wall, Alex Sewell, in the No. 8 car, turned to avoid him but slid into the No. 55B. After the two cars were untangled, Anderson proceeded to drive into the side of the No. 8 car wide open.

Sewell’s car was damaged and had no steering or brakes, causing his car to turn into the infield and run into a safety worker’s vehicle. Anderson then disregarded any commands over the in-car radio and went through the infield at a high rate of speed, putting a photographer and safety workers in danger, and proceeded to go after the No. 8 car – all while being told to take his car to the pit area. Anderson then exited out of his car and got into a confrontation with Sewell.

Due to the violations, Anderson has been suspended for one calendar year from all American Sprint Car Series and World Racing Group sanctioned events until Sept. 14, 2025 and fined $5,000.

Rules Violated:

11.1.C – Unsportsmanlike conduct or participating in any action or activity considered detrimental to DIRTcar racing or a DIRTcar sanctioned track, at any sanctioned event or on social media, by drivers, owners and/or pit crews shall be grounds for disqualification and/or punitive action by DIRTcar Racing.

11.1.F – Any member and/or participant who drives or causes to be driven: a race car, pit mule, ATV, 4-Wheeler, personal vehicle or transporter in a dangerous and aggressive manner will be subject to penalty and/or disqualification and/or fine and/or suspension and/or legal action and/or any other action deemed appropriate by World Racing Group Supervisory Officials.

11.1.J – Any member and/or participant who attempts to drive roughly and/or hits another competitor unnecessarily will be subject to penalty and/or disqualification and/or fine and/or suspension and/or legal action and/or any other action deemed appropriate by World Racing Group Supervisory Official

 

 

Martin Wins Arrowhead Finale for First National Tour Victory of 2024

COLCORD, OK (September 14, 2024) – Reigning American Sprint Car Series National Tour champion Jason Martin’s title defense has been nothing short of a nightmare – until Friday night at Arrowhead Speedway.

After a season that has included crashes, blown engines, mechanical gremlins and a missed race due to injury, Martin got back in Victory Lane for the first time in 2024 and pocketed $10,000 for his efforts in the Green Country Clash.

“You’ve just got to keep yourself motivated,” Martin said. “You’ve got people around you that support you and keep telling you that you can do it and giving you the confidence and faith that you can keep coming back. I’m probably the hardest on myself of anybody, but you just keep working at it.”

The Feature began with Seth Bergman and Brady Baker sharing the front row, with Baker grabbing the early lead after racing side-by-side with Bergman through the first two laps. Nearly the entire field migrated to the high side in the opening laps and ran single-file before Emilio Hoover and Danny Smith tangled in Turn 4 to bring out the first yellow flag of the race four laps in.

The top two went unchanged on the restart, but behind them Garrett Benson bounced up into the Turn 4 wall while running third, sending his car over and tumbling down the banking into the path of Roger Crockett and Matt Covington. Covington’s damage was light enough to continue without making repairs, but Benson and Crockett were done for the night.

Baker, Bergman and Covington made a beeline to the top once more to lock down the top three spots when the race resumed. Even after catching the rear of the field for the first time, Baker looked unaffected by the traffic as he continued to ride the cushion while maintaining a half-straightaway lead over Bergman.

Five-time Series champion Sam Hafertepe Jr. managed to wrestle the third spot away from Covington but only enjoyed it briefly, as on Lap 22 he jumped the cushion in Turn 4 and pounded the wall. The No. 15H team was able to fix the damage in the work area, but Hafertepe was only able to drive up to 13th by the checkers.

The ensuing restart was a mirror image of each prior one, as Baker instantly went to the cushion with Bergman in tow. But before he could build a gap, Brandon Anderson and Alex Sewell got together in Turns 3 and 4 to necessitate another red flag.

The final restart of the race was when Martin emerged as a contender for the victory. He had driven from 11th to fourth in the first 23 laps of the event and rode the bottom lane to clear Covington for third with six to go. The No. 36 remained on the low side in getting around Bergman two laps later, giving himself four laps to find a way around Baker.

After battling side-by-side for a lap with Baker on top and Martin hugging the tractor tires, Baker’s youth ended up being no match for Martin’s experience, as the Liberal, KS native drove away to the 14th National Tour win of his career.

Martin said he had already written off the 2024 season after all the misfortune he’s been through, but the five-figure payday makes him optimistic about his chances to close out the year in strong fashion and enter the 2025 season on a hot streak.

“Our season’s pretty much screwed,” Martin said. “We’ve had so much dumb stuff happen. I’m already preparing for next year, getting cars, parts and motors freshened and everything’s getting ready to go. We’re going to have an early start, so going to try and get healthy, stay mentally strong and just start 2025 on a different note.”

Although Baker didn’t have enough to hold off Martin in the final run to the finish, his ability to beat a driver of Bergman’s caliber time after time throughout the race solidified his status as a rising star in the Sprint Car universe.

“So many reds, the tires probably glazed over,” Baker said. “I’m proud of my guys, we showed a lot of speed here. My Mom, my Dad, Cash and Brandon, can’t thank them enough, they’ve been working their butts off.”

Bergman conceded that even if he found a way around Baker before the final restart, Martin’s late-race prowess would have likely still been too much to manage. Nevertheless, his third podium in as many nights this week further extended his advantage over Hafertepe to 111 markers with eight full-points events remaining in the season.

“I don’t know if anybody was really going to beat that,” Bergman said regarding Martin’s drive to victory in the closing laps. “I think maybe if I got around Baker, you never know, probably run second if Jason does that again. I tried the bottom early, it was still a little greasy and Baker drove around me, so I kind of abandoned the bottom thinking it was getting thin and slow.

“The run to the end there, Jason, he just found something, made it work, and he drove off and won the race.”

Hank Davis got around Covington late to finish fourth, while the No. 95 settled for fifth.

Andrew Deal started 22nd and passed 13 cars to end the night ninth and clinch the Hard Charger Award.

UP NEXT: The ASCS National Tour will join forces with the USCS for the two-night World Short Track Challenge at Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, AR on Sept. 27-28. Can’t make it? Watch every lap live on DIRTVision.

Feature (30 Laps): 1. 36-Jason Martin[11]; 2. 71-Brady Baker[3]; 3. 23-Seth Bergman[1]; 4. 2C-Hank Davis[8]; 5. 95-Matt Covington[4]; 6. 1-Sean McClelland[9]; 7. 14-Jordon Mallett[14]; 8. 10-Landon Britt[13]; 9. 15D-Andrew Deal[22]; 10. 16G-Austyn Gossel[12]; 11. 45X-Kyler Johnson[17]; 12. 20-Noah Harris[16]; 13. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[6]; 14. 2J-Zach Blurton[21]; 15. 88-Terry Easum[23]; 16. 938-Bradley Fezard[20]; 17. 8-Alex Sewell[18]; 18. 5S-Danny Smith[15]; 19. 2B-Garrett Benson[2]; 20. 11-Roger Crockett[7]; 21. 29-Emilio Hoover[10]; 22. 2W-Whit Gastineau[5]; 23. (DQ) 55B-Brandon Anderson[19]

 

 

Crockett Gets First National Tour Win in Four Years at Arrowhead

COLCORD, OK (September 13, 2024) – Roger Crockett made only his second start of the year on the American Sprint Car Series National Tour Friday night at Arrowhead Speedway, but it certainly didn’t look like it.

The Broken Arrow, OK driver took his No. 11 machine to Victory Lane for his second ASCS win in as many weeks following a Sooner Region score at Enid Speedway on Sept. 7, as well as his first National Tour victory since winning the 2020 season finale at Devil’s Bowl Speedway.

“I’m sure people see us win a regional race and think ‘whatever,’ but to back it up and come here and beat the best guys in 360 racing right now feels great,” Crockett said. “I haven’t gotten to do a lot of racing, especially 360 racing the last couple years, but I feel like if I was out on the road with these guys, we would be one of the best. It’s nice to kind of give people a taste of that tonight.”

“The best guys in 360 racing” Crockett referred to were Seth Bergman and Sam Hafertepe Jr., who combine for 14 Series wins on the year and sit 1-2 in points, but finished second and third behind Crockett respectively.

Crockett began to look like a win contender after taking the checkers in the Dash to start on the pole of the main event. A strong start gave him room to jump in front of second-place starter Jordon Mallett on the start and take the top lane through Turns 1 and 2 on the opening lap. Bergman took second away from Mallett while running the bottom before falling behind Crockett on the high side.

Bergman remained on Crockett’s tail through the first eight laps of the race, but the slowed car of Brady Baker on the backstretch brought out the caution before he could make a move.

Hafertepe made the most of the restart by getting around Mallett for third and eyed a move on Bergman before a pileup involving Brekton Crouch, Andrew Deal and Garrett Benson brought out a red flag to put the race on pause.

Another yellow for Alex Sewell’s spin in Turn 3 reset the field once again with 10 laps in the books. On the restart, Hafertepe threw a slider in Turn 1 on Bergman to take over second before Bergman returned the favor in Turn 3, but Hafertepe crossed him over exiting Turn 4 to keep the spot. The shuffling let Hank Davis in on the battle, resulting in a three-way tussle for the runner-up spot.

When things calmed down, Crockett had driven away to a lead of more than three seconds. By the halfway point, Bergman sat comfortably in second and began running down Crockett while Hafertepe and Davis continued trading sliders for third.

The gap between first and second had been cut to one second with eight laps to go when Austyn Gossel slowed to bring out the yellow flag. When the race went back green, Crockett moved down to the middle which gave Bergman an opening to make a move on the cushion.

The two briefly ran side-by-side for the lead down the backstretch, but Crockett quickly shut the door and drove away to his 11th victory on the National Tour.

Any part-time racer can speak to the difficulty of being competitive against those who are in the seat every weekend, but it’s a hill Crockett is willing and able to climb. “The Rocket” finished third in his first start in 2024 with the Series at 81 Speedway and backed that up with his triumph at Arrowhead.

“It’s really hard,” Crockett said. “This is only our third 360 race of the year, only the fourth race in my car this year. And the fourth night we blew the motor up halfway through the main event, so basically no laps.

“We didn’t run the [Knoxville] Nationals for a few reasons, but mainly we were able to work on our car, get it ready to go. Spent all the time in the shop, scales and stuff, so when you do come to the racetrack you know you’re competitive and not out to lunch. That definitely pays off.”

Bergman appeared to match Crockett’s pace at certain points of the race, but ultimately didn’t have enough late in the going. Nevertheless, his runner-up result gives him an 80-point lead in the standings over Hafertepe entering Saturday’s program.

“Late there, it had rubbered down and the top still had some moisture up there,” Bergman said. “So late on that restart, I was like ‘man, I’ll just try to be a hero here.’ Not very often can you run out of the rubber and pass somebody, but we dang near got it done. It was close, but he’s smart and he lane changed and took my line. Had he not done that I think we win the race.”

After two starts at Arrowhead this season, Hafertepe admitted that the Colcord, OK facility isn’t his best track on tour, but the five-time Series champion contended for the win and came home third regardless.

“I like the track a lot,” Hafertepe said. “I think it’s got a lot of potential. I think our operation doesn’t go around here as good as I would like it to. We just need some more track time to figure out a few more things, get a little bit better and we’ll be knocking on the door.”

Davis finished fourth for his fourth-straight top five, while Mallett came home fifth in his first National Tour start in his own No. 14 car since his stint in the No. 55B filling in for Brandon Anderson.

The Hard Charger Award went to Bradley Fezard, who battled engine issues early in the night before starting the Feature with a provisional and driving from 24th to 10th in the 30-lap affair.

UP NEXT: The ASCS National Tour will be back for another night at Arrowhead Speedway on Saturday, with drivers going for a $10,000 top prize in the Green Country Clash finale. Tickets will be available at the gate, while DIRTVision will stream every lap live for those unable to make it to the track.

Feature (30 Laps): 1. 11-Roger Crockett[1]; 2. 23-Seth Bergman[3]; 3. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[6]; 4. 2C-Hank Davis[5]; 5. 14-Jordon Mallett[2]; 6. 1-Sean McClelland[4]; 7. 95-Matt Covington[13]; 8. 29-Emilio Hoover[10]; 9. 36-Jason Martin[12]; 10. 938-Bradley Fezard[24]; 11. 55B-Brandon Anderson[17]; 12. 2W-Whit Gastineau[11]; 13. 20-Noah Harris[15]; 14. 15D-Andrew Deal[9]; 15. 2B-Garrett Benson[7]; 16. 10-Landon Britt[23]; 17. 45X-Kyler Johnson[8]; 18. 88-Terry Easum[18]; 19. 5S-Danny Smith[22]; 20. 16G-Austyn Gossel[21]; 21. 8-Alex Sewell[14]; 22. 2-Brekton Crouch[16]; 23. 2J-Zach Blurton[20]; 24. 31-Casey Wills[25]; 25. 71-Brady Baker[19]

 

 

1 MONTH ALERT: Missouri, Kentucky Doubleheader Awaits ASCS National Tour in Mid-October

BENTON, MO (Sept. 12, 2024) – The American Sprint Car Series National Tour will make its long-awaited return to Benton Speedway in Missouri and Paducah International Raceway in Kentucky in mid-October.

The doubleheader weekend will see the Series venture back to Benton for the first time since 1996 and then return to Paducah for the first time since 2018.

It’ll be the National Tour’s first trip to Missouri and Kentucky this year, its second trip to Paducah and fourth visit to Benton.

The Series first visited the 3/8-mile Missouri dirt track in 1995 – a race won by Gary Wright. Then made its last two stops there in 1996 with Terry Gray and Jerrod Hull picking up National Tour victories.

Kentucky got to see the American Sprint Car Series’ fellow World Racing Group series the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series thrill fans in April. Now, it’ll be the ASCS National Tour’s turn to bring its stout field of drivers to the 3/8-mile dirt track.

The last time the Series visited Paducah, Matt Covington picked up the win there. The Oklahoma native is still on the hunt for his first National Tour win this season.

Both events are part of the final 10 races of the 2024 season and will be key races for the championship chase. Seth Bergman and Sam Hafertepe Jr. are the two prime contenders, and their battle has been like a slinky falling down a set of stairs, closing and expanding each weekend.

If you can’t make it to the tracks, you can watch both races live on DIRTVision.

EVENT INFO Date – Friday, Oct. 11 Location – Benton, MO Track Website – BentonSpeedway.com

Times (CT) – Hot Laps: 6 p.m. Racing Starts: 7 p.m.

Tickets – Available at track.

Previous ASCS National Tour winners at Benton – 1996 – Terry Gray on June 14, Jerrod Hull on July 4 1995 – Gary Wright on Sept. 23

EVENT INFO Date – Saturday, Oct. 12 Location – Paducah, KY Track Website – PaducahRacing.com

Times (CT) – Pit Gate Opens: 3 p.m. Grandstands Open: 5:30 p.m.

Tickets – Available at track.

Previous ASCS National Tour winners at Paducah – 2018 – Matt Covington on April 27

ARTICLE: https://ascsracing.com/news/1-month-alert-missouri-kentucky-doubleheader-awaits-ascs-national-tour-in-mid-october/ FAN 101: https://about.dirtcar.com/

 

 

Reutzel Returns to National Tour Victory Lane at Clay County

SPENCER, IA (September 10, 2024) – Aaron Reutzel may have shifted his focus to weekly racing at Knoxville Raceway in 2024, but that doesn’t mean he forgot how to get the job done with the American Sprint Car Series National Tour.

He proved that Tuesday night at Clay County Fair Speedway by topping the field in the Battle of the Blue Ribbon for his first National Tour win since a prelim victory at the 2023 360 Knoxville Nationals.

“All in all a great night,” said the 2015 Series champion. “After not even being able to Hot Lap, that was stressful. But luckily, everything was really close and didn’t really have to make too many changes tonight.”

Reutzel’s march to victory began from the inside of Row 2 thanks to a third-place finish in the Dash. An excellent start allowed him to move up in front of second-place starter Sam Hafertepe Jr. entering Turn 1 and ride the top line against polesitter Hank Davis on the bottom through the first set of corners.

The No. 87 machine slid up over the cushion exiting Turn 2, which allowed Davis to drive away to an early lead while Hafertepe was busy fending off his fellow No. 15 Andrew Deal for the third spot.

In the early stages, the inside groove was the preferred line through Turns 1 and 2 while most drivers opted to ride the wall in Turns 3 and 4. Reutzel was one of the first to buck that trend and try the bottom at both ends, resulting in several challenges for the lead in the first third of the race, but the No. 2C had enough speed on exit on the top side to hold onto the top spot.

The stalled car of Brandon Anderson paused the action for the first time on Lap 8. Reutzel went to the top on the restart and briefly held the lead before once again sliding off the track in Turn 2 which let Davis keep the lead down the backstretch. Reutzel wasn’t keen on letting Davis drive away though, as he threw a big slider in Turns 3 and 4 before Davis crossed him over exiting Turn 4 to maintain the lead.

At that point, Hafertepe decided to make it a three-way battle between the red-and-black cars and split the middle entering Turn 1 to make it three-wide for the lead. Reutzel prevailed on the bottom to take over the lead for the first time, with Davis trailing in second and Hafertepe in third after 10 laps.

Reutzel paced the field as the race stayed green through the middle portion while Hafertepe got around Davis for the second spot. Once Reutzel caught the tail of the field, Hafertepe began making inroads on the leader with his sights set on his 10th Series win of the year.

The No. 15H was within striking distance of Reutzel with five to go, but trouble for Hafertepe in getting past the slower car of Scott Winters gave Reutzel the chance to pull away once more.

What looked to be a solid points night for Hafertepe turned sour four laps later, as his left-rear tire went flat to bring out the caution with two laps to go. With Hafertepe in the work area and out of contention, Davis found himself in second once again with a chance to extend his win streak to three.

It was not meant to be though, as Reutzel went unchallenged in the final two laps to take his 24th National Tour win and first at Clay County.

“It was hard for me to get up to lap cars, so I figured as long as I kept a good pace, [Davis] wasn’t going to get up to me,” Reutzel said. “I was really just trying not to slide out of the rubber or do anything dumb. If a lap car screwed up in front of me and allowed me to get a run, I would pass them. If they didn’t, I just rode behind them. Just what you do in rubber.”

Although Davis came up one spot short of another triumph, his speed throughout the night showed that his weekend sweep at Electric City Speedway was far from a fluke.

“Most people probably think that the stomp and steer places are our honey holes, but we just showed here tonight that we can play around on these slick places,” Davis said. “I honestly feel like I got caught out there like a sitting duck. After that restart, didn’t know exactly where to be, and they could kind of search and move around and afford to and they just got me.”

Seth Bergman’s quiet night ended in the third spot, extending his lead atop the standings to 73 points due to Hafertepe finishing 14th after the tire failure. The late restart gave Bergman the opportunity to make a last-ditch move for the win, but the points situation turned him against the idea of taking any unnecessary risks.

“My midset was just having a solid finish,” Bergman said. “I knew the way the track was, you were going to have to do some dumb stuff if you were going to go win that race and I’m just not in a position to do that. We’re racing for a championship, and with Sam’s misfortune, I knew I was in a position where I just needed a solid finish.”

Deal crossed the line in fourth for his first top five on the National Tour since Lincoln County Raceway on Aug. 17, while Terry McCarl – the 2023 winner at Clay County – completed the top five.

Matt Covington had to go through the Last Chance Showdown to earn his spot in the Feature, but once he was in it, he advanced 12 spots from 21st to ninth to claim the Hard Charger Award.

UP NEXT: The ASCS National Tour will contest its second and third races of the year at Arrowhead Speedway on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 13-14 with the Green Country Clash, which wraps up with a $10,000-to-win Feature on Saturday night. Tickets are available online here, but if you can’t make it to the track, catch every lap live on DIRTVision.

Feature (30 Laps): 1. 87-Aaron Reutzel[3]; 2. 2C-Hank Davis[1]; 3. 23-Seth Bergman[4]; 4. 15D-Andrew Deal[5]; 5. 24-Terry McCarl[12]; 6. 44-Chris Martin[7]; 7. 22-Riley Goodno[8]; 8. 45X-Kyler Johnson[6]; 9. 95-Matt Covington[21]; 10. 2J-Zach Blurton[17]; 11. 6K-Kaleb Johnson[13]; 12. 55B-Brandon Anderson[16]; 13. 10-Landon Britt[15]; 14. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[2]; 15. 938-Bradley Fezard[20]; 16. 17B-Ryan Bickett[19]; 17. 36-Jason Martin[10]; 18. 35-Skylar Prochaska[9]; 19. 16G-Austyn Gossel[23]; 20. 83-Sam Henderson[11]; 21. 2B-Garrett Benson[14]; 22. 23W-Scott Winters[18]; 23. 88-Terry Easum[22]

 

 

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Clay County Midweek Duel, Arrowhead Doubleheader Up Next for National Tour

CONCORD, NC (September 9, 2024) – Now that teams have returned home from Montana, the focus shifts to the final run to the championship which begins this week with a trio of race nights.

Action gets underway on Tuesday at Clay County Fair Speedway in Spencer, IA with the Battle of the Blue Ribbon. Three days later, the Series will travel nine hours south to Colcord, OK for the two-night Green Country Clash at the state-of-the-art Arrowhead Speedway on Friday and Saturday night.

Tuesday’s event at Clay County will feature a $4,000-to-win/$400-to-start purse, with the Tri-State Late Model Series, IMCA Sport Mods and IMCA Stock Cars joining the Sprint Cars on the program.

The Friday portion of the Arrowhead event will also pay $4,000 to win and $400 to start, with USRA Stock Cars and Tuners rounding out the itinerary. Saturday’s finale will wrap up with a $10,000-to-win/$500-to-start Feature, while the COMP Cams Super Dirt Series will join the National Tour to make for an entertaining Sprint Car-Late Model doubleheader.

Fans can purchase tickets in advance to Clay County by clicking here and to Arrowhead Speedway by clicking here. Can’t make it? Watch all the action live on DIRTVision.

Here are the top storylines entering the weekend:

THE RACE IS ON: When Seth Bergman made contact with a slower car while running fifth at Electric City, not only did his car flip upside down, but so did the championship battle.

That one mishap caused his lead over Sam Hafertepe Jr. in the standings to go from 96 points entering the night to 40 points when it was over. Bergman’s crash snapped a five-race podium streak, evidence of the consistency that he displayed throughout the summer that made it nearly impossible for Hafertepe to gain major ground, despite winning nine races in the year.

The next chapter of the wide-open title fight will be written at Clay County on Tuesday night, and both drivers will be making their ASCS debut at the track. Bergman has never been to Spencer with any series, while Hafertepe raced there on six occasions during his time with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars, picking up a best finish of seventh in 2008.

BACK TO COLCORD: When the Series moves to Arrowhead this weekend, Hafertepe will return to the site of a rare down night from earlier in the year. The five-time National Tour champion jumped the cushion and pounded the wall while battling for the win late in the race on June 14, leaving him in 18th in the rundown. Without that DNF, he could be leading the points entering this week’s events, but instead, the return trip provides an opportunity to avenge the defeat.

On the other hand, Bergman would be happy with a repeat of the June race, as he emerged from the chaos and took the win that night. The victory in his first National Tour start at Arrowhead means he is undefeated in Colcord with two different ASCS divisions – he raced there twice with the Sooner Region in 2014 and took the checkered flag on both nights.

As for others to keep an eye on, look no further than the No. 10 of Landon Britt. The Memphis, TN driver picked up his first and only Series win one year ago at Arrowhead, and he backed it up with another top 10 in June. The last two race weekends have seen a driver claim their first win of the year, and Britt would love nothing more than to continue that streak, especially as he prepares for his home race on tour at Riverside International Speedway at the end of the month.

ALL HAIL HANK: One of the biggest questions throughout the first half of the season was, “When will Hank Davis finally win a race?” and the answer turned out to be Labor Day weekend at Electric City.

The first two triumphs of Davis’ National Tour career both came in impressive fashion, as he destroyed the field on night one to win by nearly six seconds before outdueling Hafertepe late in Saturday’s Feature to take top honors once again.

The victories vaulted the 21-year-old into the lead of the Rookie of the Year standings and the fourth spot in the overall points, a remarkable feat considering he didn’t join TwoC Racing until the third event of the year at Rush County Speedway.

Davis will go for three in a row in his debut at Clay County, but his Great Falls showing proved that he is more than capable of overcoming a lack of experience at a track and finding speed. Once he gets to Arrowhead, the Sand Springs, OK native will have notes from his runner-up finish in June to look at as he goes for his first Series win in his home state.

COVINGTIME: After four-straight finishes off the podium, Matt Covington got to take pictures on the frontstretch again after he finished third in the Montana Roundup finale at Electric City.

The drive cemented his hold on the third spot in the standings behind Bergman and Hafertepe which he has held for most of the season. While the championship is likely out of Covington’s reach, barring a miraculous run to end the season, he now has a red-hot Davis to worry about, who sits 177 points behind him in fourth.

One of Covington’s primary goals for the remainder of the year will be to join Davis in the win column and avoid his first winless season with the Series since 2016. Clay County could be the place to do that, as Covington stands as the only current full-timer with a victory at the track. After taking the checkers in the inaugural National Tour race at the Iowa 3/8-mile in 2021, he backed it up with finishes of fourth in 2022 and second in 2023 to give himself a 2.3 average finish in Spencer, the best of any driver in the field.

WHEN AND WHERE:
Tuesday, Sept. 10 at Clay County Fair Speedway in Spencer, IA
Friday and Saturday, Sept. 13-14 at Arrowhead Speedway in Colcord, OK

AROUND THE TURN:
The American Sprint Car Series National Tour will battle with the United Sprint Car Series for two nights at Riverside International Speedway outside Memphis on Friday and Saturday, Sep. 27-28.

CURRENT POINT STANDINGS (TOP 10):

Seth Bergman (2633 points)
Sam Hafertepe Jr. (-40)
Matt Covington (-185)
Hank Davis (-362)
Andrew Deal (-467)
Jason Martin (-473)
Landon Britt (-483)
Zach Blurton (-504)
Kyler Johnson (-537)
Terry Easum (-601)

FEATURE WINNERS (8):
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 9
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 5
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 2
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 1
Kaleb Johnson – Sioux Falls, SD – 1
Tyler Courtney – Indianapolis, IN – 1\
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 1

QUICK TIME AWARDS (11):
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 10
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 1
Josh McCord – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Alex Sewell – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 1
Aaron Reutzel – Clute, TX – 1
Tyler Groenendyk – Oskaloosa, IA – 1
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 1
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 1
Skylar Gee – Leduc, AB – 1

HEAT RACE WINS (37):
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 7
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 6
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 5
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 5
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 4
Whit Gastineau – Moore, OK – 3
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 3
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 2
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 2
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 2
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 2
Zach Blurton – Quinter, KS – 2
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 2
Lane Whittington – Denham Springs, LA – 1
Koty Adams – Haughton, LA – 1
Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 1
Brekton Crouch – Lubbock, TX – 1
Jeremy Campbell – Wichita, KS – 1
Cody Gardner – Benton, AR – 1
Austyn Gossel – Windsor, CO – 1
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Matt Juhl – Tea, SD – 1
Garet Williamson – Columbia, MO – 1
Emerson Axsom – Franklin, IN – 1
Hunter Schuerenberg – Sikeston, MO – 1
Tanner Holmes – Jacksonville, OR – 1
Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 1
Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Tyler Groenendyk – Oskaloosa, IA – 1
Parker Price-Miller – Kokomo, IN – 1
Colton Hardy – Phoenix, AZ – 1
Tanner Thorson – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Brian Brown – Hugginsville, MO – 1
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 1
Phil Dietz – Laurel, MT – 1
Joe Perry – Billings, MT – 1
Kory Wermling – Great Falls, MT – 1

DASH APPEARANCES (35):
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 17
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 16
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 11
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 10
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 8
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 4
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 4
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 4
Whit Gastineau – Moore, OK – 4
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 3
Zach Blurton – Quinter, KS – 3
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 3
Alex Sewell – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 2
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 2
Kory Wermling – Great Falls, MT – 2
Lane Whittington – Denham Springs, LA – 1
Koty Adams – Haughton, LA – 1
Ryder Laplante – Calera, OK – 1
Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 1
Brekton Crouch – Lubbock, TX – 1
Jeremy Campbell – Wichita, KS – 1
Elijah Gile – Phoenix, AZ – 1
Cody Gardner – Benton, AR – 1
Austyn Gossel – Windsor, CO – 1
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Harli White – Lindsay, OK – 1
Austin McCarl – Altoona, IA – 1
Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 1
Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Kyler Johnson – Quinter, KS – 1
DJ Brink – Rapid City, SD – 1
Phil Dietz – Laurel, MT – 1
Joe Perry – Billings, MT – 1
Skylar Gee – Leduc, AB – 1

LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINNERS (12):
Rees Moran – Tulsa, OK – 2
Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 1
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 1
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 1
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Aaron Reutzel – Clute, TX – 1
Chase Porter – St. Joseph, MO – 1
Kerry Madsen – Knoxville, IA – 1
Chase Randall – Waco, TX – 1
Rich Bailey – Helena, MT – 1
Kyler Johnson – Quinter, KS – 1
Skylar Gee – Leduc, AB – 1

PODIUM FINISHERS (23):
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 13
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 13
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 7
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 6
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 2
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 2
Austin McCarl – Altoona, IA – 2
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 2
Zach Blurton – Quinter, KS – 2
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 1
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Tanner Conn – Oklahoma City, OK – 1
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 1
Ryder Laplante – Calera, OK – 1
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Kaleb Johnson – Sioux Falls, SD – 1
Chase Randall – Waco, TX – 1
Kade Higday – Knoxville, IA – 1
Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Cory Eliason – Visalia, CA – 1
Brian Brown – Higginsville, MO – 1
Tyler Courtney – Indianapolis, IN – 1
Emerson Axsom – Franklin, IN – 1

TOP 10 FINISHERS (60):
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 17
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 17
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 16
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 13
Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 11
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 11
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 10
Kyler Johnson – Quinter, KS – 7
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 6
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 6
Zach Blurton – Quinter, KS – 6
Rees Moran – Tulsa, OK – 4
Brandon Anderson – Glenpool, OK – 4
Harli White – Lindsay, OK – 4
Kelly Miller – Stirling, AB – 4
Austyn Gossel – Windsor, CO – 4
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 3
Whit Gastineau – Moore, OK – 3
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 3
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 3
Alex Sewell – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 2
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 2
Tyler Courtney – Indianapolis, IN – 2
Emerson Axsom – Franklin, IN – 2
Austin McCarl – Altoona, IA – 2
Brian Brown – Higginsville, MO – 2
Cory Eliason – Visalia, CA – 2
Tasker Phillips – Pleasantville, IA – 2
Jamie Ball – Knoxville, IA – 2
Kaleb Johnson – Sioux Falls, SD – 2
Terry McCarl – Altoona, IA – 2
Jeremy Campbell – Wichita, KS – 2
Skylar Gee – Leduc, AB – 2
Channin Tankersley – Arlington, TX – 1
Tanner Conn – Oklahoma City, OK – 1
Brekton Crouch – Lubbock, TX – 1
Jeremy Huish – Jetmore, KS – 1
Ryder Laplante – Calera, OK – 1
Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 1
Fred Mattox – Drumright, OK – 1
Dale Howard – Byhalia, MS – 1
Brad Bowden – Hernando, MS – 1
Michael Day – Farmersville, TX – 1
Chase Randall – Waco, TX – 1
Kade Higday – Knoxville, IA – 1
Justin Peck – Monrovia, IN – 1
Riley Goodno – Knoxville, IA – 1
Gunner Ramey – Sedalia, MO – 1
Miles Paulus – Marshall, MO – 1
Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Kasey Kahne – Enumclaw, WA – 1
Ryan Giles – Grimes, IA – 1
Kerry Madsen – Knoxville, IA – 1
Alex Hill – Six Nations, ON – 1
Cole Macedo – Lemoore, CA – 1
DJ Brink – Rapid City, SD – 1
Blayne Brink – Gillette, WY – 1
Phil Dietz – Laurel, MT – 1
Kory Wermling – Great Falls, MT – 1

2024 AMERICAN SPRINT CAR SERIES SCHEDULE & WINNERS:
Friday, Apr. 19 / Super Bee Speedway / Chatham, LA / Seth Bergman (1)
Friday, May 10 / Red Dirt Raceway / Meeker, OK / Terry Easum (1)
Friday, May 31 / Rush County Speedway / La Crosse, KS / Seth Bergman (2)
Saturday, June 1 / Dodge City Raceway Park / Dodge City, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (1)
Tuesday, June 11 / Texarkana 67 Speedway / Texarkana, AR / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (2)
Thursday, June 13 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (3)
Friday, June 14 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK / Seth Bergman (3)
Saturday, June 15 / Tri-State Speedway / Pocola, OK / Seth Bergman (4)
Saturday, June 22 / Batesville Motor Speedway / Locust Grove, AR / Jordon Mallett (1)
Friday, June 28 / Tulsa Speedway / Tulsa, OK / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (4)
Friday, July 19 / Lakeside Speedway / Kansas City, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (5)
Saturday, July 20 / 81 Speedway / Wichita, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (6)
Thursday, Aug. 1 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Kaleb Johnson (1)
Friday, Aug. 2 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (7)
Saturday, Aug. 3 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Tyler Courtney (1)
Friday, Aug. 16 / Dodge City Raceway Park / Dodge City, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (8)
Saturday, Aug. 17 / Lincoln County Raceway / North Platte, NE / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (9)
Friday, Aug. 23 / Big Sky Speedway / Shepherd, MT / Seth Bergman (5)
Saturday, Aug. 24 / Big Sky Speedway / Shepherd, MT / Jake Bubak (1)
Friday, Aug. 30 / Electric City Speedway / Black Eagle, MT / Hank Davis (1)
Saturday, Aug. 31 / Electric City Speedway / Black Eagle, MT / Hank Davis (2)
Tuesday, Sept. 10 / Clay County Fair Speedway / Spencer, IA
Friday, Sept. 13 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK
Saturday, Sept. 14 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK
Friday, Sept. 27 / Riverside International Speedway / West Memphis, AR
Saturday, Sept. 28 / Riverside International Speedway / West Memphis, AR
Friday, Oct. 11 / Benton Speedway / Benton, MO
Saturday, Oct. 12 / Paducah International Raceway / Paducah, KY
Friday, Oct. 25 / RPM Speedway / Crandall, TX
Saturday, Oct. 26 / RPM Speedway / Crandall, TX
Thursday, Nov. 14 / Tulsa Speedway / Tulsa, OK
Friday, Nov. 15 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK
Saturday, Nov. 16 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK

 

 

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Clay County Midweek Duel, Arrowhead Doubleheader Up Next for National Tour

CONCORD, NC (September 9, 2024) – Now that teams have returned home from Montana, the focus shifts to the final run to the championship which begins this week with a trio of race nights.

Action gets underway on Tuesday at Clay County Fair Speedway in Spencer, IA with the Battle of the Blue Ribbon. Three days later, the Series will travel nine hours south to Colcord, OK for the two-night Green Country Clash at the state-of-the-art Arrowhead Speedway on Friday and Saturday night.

Tuesday’s event at Clay County will feature a $4,000-to-win/$400-to-start purse, with the Tri-State Late Model Series, IMCA Sport Mods and IMCA Stock Cars joining the Sprint Cars on the program.

The Friday portion of the Arrowhead event will also pay $4,000 to win and $400 to start, with USRA Stock Cars and Tuners rounding out the itinerary. Saturday’s finale will wrap up with a $10,000-to-win/$500-to-start Feature, while the COMP Cams Super Dirt Series will join the National Tour to make for an entertaining Sprint Car-Late Model doubleheader.

Fans can purchase tickets in advance to Clay County by clicking here and to Arrowhead Speedway by clicking here. Can’t make it? Watch all the action live on DIRTVision.

Here are the top storylines entering the weekend:

THE RACE IS ON: When Seth Bergman made contact with a slower car while running fifth at Electric City, not only did his car flip upside down, but so did the championship battle.

That one mishap caused his lead over Sam Hafertepe Jr. in the standings to go from 96 points entering the night to 40 points when it was over. Bergman’s crash snapped a five-race podium streak, evidence of the consistency that he displayed throughout the summer that made it nearly impossible for Hafertepe to gain major ground, despite winning nine races in the year.

The next chapter of the wide-open title fight will be written at Clay County on Tuesday night, and both drivers will be making their ASCS debut at the track. Bergman has never been to Spencer with any series, while Hafertepe raced there on six occasions during his time with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars, picking up a best finish of seventh in 2008.

BACK TO COLCORD: When the Series moves to Arrowhead this weekend, Hafertepe will return to the site of a rare down night from earlier in the year. The five-time National Tour champion jumped the cushion and pounded the wall while battling for the win late in the race on June 14, leaving him in 18th in the rundown. Without that DNF, he could be leading the points entering this week’s events, but instead, the return trip provides an opportunity to avenge the defeat.

On the other hand, Bergman would be happy with a repeat of the June race, as he emerged from the chaos and took the win that night. The victory in his first National Tour start at Arrowhead means he is undefeated in Colcord with two different ASCS divisions – he raced there twice with the Sooner Region in 2014 and took the checkered flag on both nights.

As for others to keep an eye on, look no further than the No. 10 of Landon Britt. The Memphis, TN driver picked up his first and only Series win one year ago at Arrowhead, and he backed it up with another top 10 in June. The last two race weekends have seen a driver claim their first win of the year, and Britt would love nothing more than to continue that streak, especially as he prepares for his home race on tour at Riverside International Speedway at the end of the month.

ALL HAIL HANK: One of the biggest questions throughout the first half of the season was, “When will Hank Davis finally win a race?” and the answer turned out to be Labor Day weekend at Electric City.

The first two triumphs of Davis’ National Tour career both came in impressive fashion, as he destroyed the field on night one to win by nearly six seconds before outdueling Hafertepe late in Saturday’s Feature to take top honors once again.

The victories vaulted the 21-year-old into the lead of the Rookie of the Year standings and the fourth spot in the overall points, a remarkable feat considering he didn’t join TwoC Racing until the third event of the year at Rush County Speedway.

Davis will go for three in a row in his debut at Clay County, but his Great Falls showing proved that he is more than capable of overcoming a lack of experience at a track and finding speed. Once he gets to Arrowhead, the Sand Springs, OK native will have notes from his runner-up finish in June to look at as he goes for his first Series win in his home state.

COVINGTIME: After four-straight finishes off the podium, Matt Covington got to take pictures on the frontstretch again after he finished third in the Montana Roundup finale at Electric City.

The drive cemented his hold on the third spot in the standings behind Bergman and Hafertepe which he has held for most of the season. While the championship is likely out of Covington’s reach, barring a miraculous run to end the season, he now has a red-hot Davis to worry about, who sits 177 points behind him in fourth.

One of Covington’s primary goals for the remainder of the year will be to join Davis in the win column and avoid his first winless season with the Series since 2016. Clay County could be the place to do that, as Covington stands as the only current full-timer with a victory at the track. After taking the checkers in the inaugural National Tour race at the Iowa 3/8-mile in 2021, he backed it up with finishes of fourth in 2022 and second in 2023 to give himself a 2.3 average finish in Spencer, the best of any driver in the field.

WHEN AND WHERE:
Tuesday, Sept. 10 at Clay County Fair Speedway in Spencer, IA
Friday and Saturday, Sept. 13-14 at Arrowhead Speedway in Colcord, OK

AROUND THE TURN:
The American Sprint Car Series National Tour will battle with the United Sprint Car Series for two nights at Riverside International Speedway outside Memphis on Friday and Saturday, Sep. 27-28.

CURRENT POINT STANDINGS (TOP 10):

Seth Bergman (2633 points)
Sam Hafertepe Jr. (-40)
Matt Covington (-185)
Hank Davis (-362)
Andrew Deal (-467)
Jason Martin (-473)
Landon Britt (-483)
Zach Blurton (-504)
Kyler Johnson (-537)
Terry Easum (-601)

FEATURE WINNERS (8):
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 9
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 5
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 2
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 1
Kaleb Johnson – Sioux Falls, SD – 1
Tyler Courtney – Indianapolis, IN – 1\
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 1

QUICK TIME AWARDS (11):
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 10
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 1
Josh McCord – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Alex Sewell – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 1
Aaron Reutzel – Clute, TX – 1
Tyler Groenendyk – Oskaloosa, IA – 1
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 1
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 1
Skylar Gee – Leduc, AB – 1

HEAT RACE WINS (37):
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 7
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 6
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 5
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 5
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 4
Whit Gastineau – Moore, OK – 3
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 3
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 2
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 2
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 2
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 2
Zach Blurton – Quinter, KS – 2
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 2
Lane Whittington – Denham Springs, LA – 1
Koty Adams – Haughton, LA – 1
Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 1
Brekton Crouch – Lubbock, TX – 1
Jeremy Campbell – Wichita, KS – 1
Cody Gardner – Benton, AR – 1
Austyn Gossel – Windsor, CO – 1
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Matt Juhl – Tea, SD – 1
Garet Williamson – Columbia, MO – 1
Emerson Axsom – Franklin, IN – 1
Hunter Schuerenberg – Sikeston, MO – 1
Tanner Holmes – Jacksonville, OR – 1
Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 1
Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Tyler Groenendyk – Oskaloosa, IA – 1
Parker Price-Miller – Kokomo, IN – 1
Colton Hardy – Phoenix, AZ – 1
Tanner Thorson – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Brian Brown – Hugginsville, MO – 1
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 1
Phil Dietz – Laurel, MT – 1
Joe Perry – Billings, MT – 1
Kory Wermling – Great Falls, MT – 1

DASH APPEARANCES (35):
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 17
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 16
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 11
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 10
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 8
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 4
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 4
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 4
Whit Gastineau – Moore, OK – 4
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 3
Zach Blurton – Quinter, KS – 3
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 3
Alex Sewell – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 2
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 2
Kory Wermling – Great Falls, MT – 2
Lane Whittington – Denham Springs, LA – 1
Koty Adams – Haughton, LA – 1
Ryder Laplante – Calera, OK – 1
Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 1
Brekton Crouch – Lubbock, TX – 1
Jeremy Campbell – Wichita, KS – 1
Elijah Gile – Phoenix, AZ – 1
Cody Gardner – Benton, AR – 1
Austyn Gossel – Windsor, CO – 1
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Harli White – Lindsay, OK – 1
Austin McCarl – Altoona, IA – 1
Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 1
Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Kyler Johnson – Quinter, KS – 1
DJ Brink – Rapid City, SD – 1
Phil Dietz – Laurel, MT – 1
Joe Perry – Billings, MT – 1
Skylar Gee – Leduc, AB – 1

LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINNERS (12):
Rees Moran – Tulsa, OK – 2
Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 1
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 1
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 1
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Aaron Reutzel – Clute, TX – 1
Chase Porter – St. Joseph, MO – 1
Kerry Madsen – Knoxville, IA – 1
Chase Randall – Waco, TX – 1
Rich Bailey – Helena, MT – 1
Kyler Johnson – Quinter, KS – 1
Skylar Gee – Leduc, AB – 1

PODIUM FINISHERS (23):
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 13
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 13
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 7
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 6
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 2
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 2
Austin McCarl – Altoona, IA – 2
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 2
Zach Blurton – Quinter, KS – 2
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 1
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Tanner Conn – Oklahoma City, OK – 1
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 1
Ryder Laplante – Calera, OK – 1
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Kaleb Johnson – Sioux Falls, SD – 1
Chase Randall – Waco, TX – 1
Kade Higday – Knoxville, IA – 1
Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Cory Eliason – Visalia, CA – 1
Brian Brown – Higginsville, MO – 1
Tyler Courtney – Indianapolis, IN – 1
Emerson Axsom – Franklin, IN – 1

TOP 10 FINISHERS (60):
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 17
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 17
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 16
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 13
Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 11
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 11
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 10
Kyler Johnson – Quinter, KS – 7
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 6
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 6
Zach Blurton – Quinter, KS – 6
Rees Moran – Tulsa, OK – 4
Brandon Anderson – Glenpool, OK – 4
Harli White – Lindsay, OK – 4
Kelly Miller – Stirling, AB – 4
Austyn Gossel – Windsor, CO – 4
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 3
Whit Gastineau – Moore, OK – 3
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 3
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 3
Alex Sewell – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 2
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 2
Tyler Courtney – Indianapolis, IN – 2
Emerson Axsom – Franklin, IN – 2
Austin McCarl – Altoona, IA – 2
Brian Brown – Higginsville, MO – 2
Cory Eliason – Visalia, CA – 2
Tasker Phillips – Pleasantville, IA – 2
Jamie Ball – Knoxville, IA – 2
Kaleb Johnson – Sioux Falls, SD – 2
Terry McCarl – Altoona, IA – 2
Jeremy Campbell – Wichita, KS – 2
Skylar Gee – Leduc, AB – 2
Channin Tankersley – Arlington, TX – 1
Tanner Conn – Oklahoma City, OK – 1
Brekton Crouch – Lubbock, TX – 1
Jeremy Huish – Jetmore, KS – 1
Ryder Laplante – Calera, OK – 1
Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 1
Fred Mattox – Drumright, OK – 1
Dale Howard – Byhalia, MS – 1
Brad Bowden – Hernando, MS – 1
Michael Day – Farmersville, TX – 1
Chase Randall – Waco, TX – 1
Kade Higday – Knoxville, IA – 1
Justin Peck – Monrovia, IN – 1
Riley Goodno – Knoxville, IA – 1
Gunner Ramey – Sedalia, MO – 1
Miles Paulus – Marshall, MO – 1
Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Kasey Kahne – Enumclaw, WA – 1
Ryan Giles – Grimes, IA – 1
Kerry Madsen – Knoxville, IA – 1
Alex Hill – Six Nations, ON – 1
Cole Macedo – Lemoore, CA – 1
DJ Brink – Rapid City, SD – 1
Blayne Brink – Gillette, WY – 1
Phil Dietz – Laurel, MT – 1
Kory Wermling – Great Falls, MT – 1

2024 AMERICAN SPRINT CAR SERIES SCHEDULE & WINNERS:
Friday, Apr. 19 / Super Bee Speedway / Chatham, LA / Seth Bergman (1)
Friday, May 10 / Red Dirt Raceway / Meeker, OK / Terry Easum (1)
Friday, May 31 / Rush County Speedway / La Crosse, KS / Seth Bergman (2)
Saturday, June 1 / Dodge City Raceway Park / Dodge City, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (1)
Tuesday, June 11 / Texarkana 67 Speedway / Texarkana, AR / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (2)
Thursday, June 13 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (3)
Friday, June 14 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK / Seth Bergman (3)
Saturday, June 15 / Tri-State Speedway / Pocola, OK / Seth Bergman (4)
Saturday, June 22 / Batesville Motor Speedway / Locust Grove, AR / Jordon Mallett (1)
Friday, June 28 / Tulsa Speedway / Tulsa, OK / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (4)
Friday, July 19 / Lakeside Speedway / Kansas City, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (5)
Saturday, July 20 / 81 Speedway / Wichita, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (6)
Thursday, Aug. 1 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Kaleb Johnson (1)
Friday, Aug. 2 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (7)
Saturday, Aug. 3 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Tyler Courtney (1)
Friday, Aug. 16 / Dodge City Raceway Park / Dodge City, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (8)
Saturday, Aug. 17 / Lincoln County Raceway / North Platte, NE / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (9)
Friday, Aug. 23 / Big Sky Speedway / Shepherd, MT / Seth Bergman (5)
Saturday, Aug. 24 / Big Sky Speedway / Shepherd, MT / Jake Bubak (1)
Friday, Aug. 30 / Electric City Speedway / Black Eagle, MT / Hank Davis (1)
Saturday, Aug. 31 / Electric City Speedway / Black Eagle, MT / Hank Davis (2)
Tuesday, Sept. 10 / Clay County Fair Speedway / Spencer, IA
Friday, Sept. 13 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK
Saturday, Sept. 14 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK
Friday, Sept. 27 / Riverside International Speedway / West Memphis, AR
Saturday, Sept. 28 / Riverside International Speedway / West Memphis, AR
Friday, Oct. 11 / Benton Speedway / Benton, MO
Saturday, Oct. 12 / Paducah International Raceway / Paducah, KY
Friday, Oct. 25 / RPM Speedway / Crandall, TX
Saturday, Oct. 26 / RPM Speedway / Crandall, TX
Thursday, Nov. 14 / Tulsa Speedway / Tulsa, OK
Friday, Nov. 15 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK
Saturday, Nov. 16 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK

 

2024 ASCS Frontier Region Points Battle Comes Down To This Weekend
Bryan Hulbert

Fresh off the National Tour swing through Montana, fans will get one last shot at seeing Sprint Cars on track in “Big Sky Country” as the ASCS Frontier Region wraps up its 2024 campaign this Friday, Sep. 6, at Gallatin Speedway in Belgrade, and Saturday, Sep. 7 at Big Sky Speedway in Billings.

A race within a race over the last four events, everyone received points like normal on the National Tour, but the regional drivers were awarded points differently.

As has been done for years with the American Sprint Car Series, the race within a race setup takes out National touring teams from the finish and moves everyone else up. For example, if the highest-finishing regional driver finished seventh, they would receive first-place points, and so on.

Mathematically, three drivers stand a chance at the championship, with 100 points being the maximum a driver can make up in a single night in a worst-case scenario, meaning the hunter wins (150 points), and the hunted never takes a competitive lap (50 points).

Phil Dietz, who led by 32 points over Trever Kirkland, and Kelly Miller, who were tied for second going into the National Tour’s visit, has slipped to second by 46 points, with Kirkland 94 points back in third.

Points-wise, Miller averaged a second-place finish with his performances. Deitz averaged fifth-place points, and Kirkland averaged around sixth. If Miller can hold on, it will mark his second title in as many years. Phil Dietz is a two-time Series champion (2013 and 2015), with Kirkland topping the tour in 2022.

ASCS Frontier Region Champions:

2013 – Phil Dietz
2014 – Joe Ramaker
2015 – Phil Dietz
2016 – Skylar Gee
2017 – David Hoiness
2018 – David Hoiness
2019 – Jeremy McCune
2020 – Jeremy McCune
2021 – Logan Forler
2022 – Trever Kirkland
2023 – Kelly Miller

Part of the annual Big Sky Super Nationals at Gallatin Speedway on Friday night, gates will open at 5:30 p.m., and racing will start at 7:00 p.m. (MDT). Tickets are $20 for adults, with kids 12 and under free. IMCA Modifieds, WISSOTA Super Stocks, and WISSOTA Street Stocks will also be on hand.

Last on track at Gallatin Speedway on Aug. 2, victory went to Phil Dietz.

Gallatin Speedway is located at 2290 Tubb Rd. in Belgrade, MT. Information on the track is on their Facebook page, or by calling (406) 388-9666.

Joined by the JJM Performance Wingless Sprint Cars, Paws & Claws IMCA Sport Compacts, and the Spiffy’s Mobil 1 Lube Express & Wash INEX Legends presented by Heiser’s Bar, racing at Big Sky Speedway goes green at 7:00 p.m. (MDT). Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for veterans and seniors (65+), and free for kids 60 inches tall or shorter.

Seth Bergman and Jake Bubak won the Havey Ostermiller Memorial at Big Sky Speedway on Aug. 23 and 24. The last regional visit on Aug. 3 was the final stroke of the weekend sweep for Phil Dietz.

Big Sky Speedway is located at Hwy. 87 North, Mile Marker 16, just outside Billings, MT. For more information on the 3/8-mile oval, log onto the track’s website or call (406) 696-8661.

The 2024 season marks the 33rd season of competition for the American Sprint Car Series. Spearheaded by the American Sprint Car Series National Tour, the ASCS Nation includes Regional Tours encompassing Wing and Non-Wing competition.

 

 

Enid Speedway On Deck Saturday For ASCS Sooner Region
Bryan Hulbert

Taking on Enid Speedway this Saturday, Sep. 7, the ASCS Sooner Region makes the long-awaited return to the Oklahoma oval for the 12th round of the 2024 season.

$2,000 to win, $300 to start for the drivers of the ASCS Sooner Region; the last time the American Sprint Car Series was on track at the 3/8-mile oval was 2004, with Garry Lee Maier rolling into Victory Lane.

Casey Wills continues to lead the tour by a commanding 215 points over Fred Mattox, with Sean McClelland, Alex Sewell, and Kyle Clark making up the top five.

Saturday, Sep. 7, opens at 4:00 p.m. in the pit and 5:00 p.m. in the grandstands. Racing begins at 7:30 p.m. (CDT). Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for military, seniors, and students, and free for kids 11 and under. Pits are $35.

Enid Speedway is located at 302 E Oxford Ave. in Enid, OK. For more information, visit the track’s website.

The 2024 season marks the 33rd season of competition for the American Sprint Car Series. Spearheaded by the American Sprint Car Series National Tour, the ASCS Nation includes Regional Tours encompassing Wing and Non-Wing competition.

 

 

Terry Easum Finding Speed After Tough Summer on Rookie National Tour Campaign

CONCORD, NC (September 4, 2024) – Terry Easum couldn’t have imagined a better start to his first full season on the American Sprint Car Series National Tour. 

After missing out on the top 10 in the season opener at Super Bee Speedway by one spot, Easum made the one-hour drive from his Broken Arrow, OK home to Red Dirt Raceway and ended the night standing atop the podium, collecting his first Series victory. 

Just two races into the season and 12 races into his National Tour career, Easum looked to be a favorite for the Rookie of the Year Award and a possible championship contender. 

Then things started to go sideways. 

As if taking on a national Sprint Car tour for the first time wasn’t hard enough, Easum has been battling mechanical gremlins for months. Fuel delivery issues have significantly reduced the horsepower output of his engines, resulting in a trying summer stretch. 

Three weeks after the Red Dirt win, the third race of the year at Rush County Speedway kicked off a trend of 12-straight finishes outside the top 10, causing the No. 88 team to fall from third in the Series standings after Red Dirt to the back of the top 10.  

“We’ve got to get our engines figured out on the fuel,” Easum said. “We got it figured out one night and then we missed it again the next night. So, I don’t know what’s going on there. We’ve been on the phone with the motor builder trying to figure that out. We’ll get it back. We know we can do it; we’ve just got to get everything right.” 

With Easum visiting many tracks on the circuit for the first time in 2024, some growing pains were to be expected. Case in point: the recent Montana stretch at Big Sky Speedway and Electric City Speedway that took him to two new facilities more than 1,200 miles from home. 

“You’ve just got to watch the racetrack,” Easum said regarding the process of racing in a new region for the first time. “It’s a learning curve for us, for sure. We’ve never been to any of this stuff up here in this part of the country. The dirt’s a lot different, the air’s a lot different, how you fuel the motors and all that. It’s a big learning curve, but you’ve just got to learn and we’ll be better next time we come back.” 

However, the tracks with the most unknowns have been the places Easum has begun to turn the corner in performance. He won his Heat Race on Saturday at Big Sky, qualifying for his third Dash appearance of the year, but ultimately faded to 13th in the Feature. Seven days later, he won another Heat Race at Electric City, drew the pole position for the Dash, and held onto seventh in the main event for his best finish since that magical night at Red Dirt. 

“It was a pretty fun place,” Easum said when describing his debut at the Great Falls facility. “Real racey, they did a great job on the track for sure.” 

If the new tracks, distance from home and altitude weren’t enough, a lack of crew help provided just one more obstacle for Easum to overcome in achieving those strong showings in Big Sky country. 

“It’s definitely different,” Easum said. “We’ve been trying to set up to do this, so it ain’t been too bad. We’ve got everything we need to do it, just not an extra crew guy on this trip. So, it’s just been me and Kacee [Frazier]. It’s been a lot of work. We’ve been learning, having fun, and we’ll get better.” 

With Montana in the history books, Easum will return to familiar territory beginning at Clay County Fair Speedway, on Tuesday, Sept. 10, and Arrowhead Speedway on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 13-14. He will be making his second National Tour start at both tracks following finishes of 16th at Clay County in 2022 and 15th at Arrowhead three months ago. 

Easum’s goal for the next three nights is simple – continue the upward trajectory he has been on recently and rediscover the speed he displayed to open the season. 

“We definitely need to get in the top 10 more,” Easum said. “We need to be in the top 10 most nights really, to be satisfied. I know we’re capable of doing it, we just need to be able to do it and put a good night together.” 

Easum will resume his rookie season on the National Tour on Tuesday, Sep. 10 with the Battle of the Blue Ribbon at Clay County Fair Speedway. Tickets are available online here, while those unable to make it to the track can catch all the action live on DIRTVision. 

 

 

1 MONTH ALERT: ASCS National Tour to Duel With USCS at Riverside International’s World Short Track Challenge in September

WEST MEMPHIS, AR (Sept. 2, 2024) – The stars of the American Sprint Car Series National Tour will go up against the best talent the United Sprint Car Series has to offer during Riverside International Speedway’s World Short Track Challenge in September.
The two-day event, Friday-Saturday, Sept. 27-28, will see drivers compete in a preliminary night event on Friday before Saturday’s 10,000-to-win finale. The event format will be released at a later date.
It’ll be the American Sprint Car Series National Tour’s first time back at the dirt track since 2021. Ryan Timms won that race and became the sixth straight different ASCS National Tour winner at the track.
Of current full-time National Tour championship competitors, Seth Bergman and Sam Hafertepe Jr. – currently first and second in points, respectively – are the only ones with a victory at the track. Bergman has two Series wins there (2012 and 2015) and Hafertepe has one (2014).
The ASCS Hurricane Area Super Sprints will also join the National Tour both nights to try and put an ASCS driver in Victory Lane. The region visited the track in June and saw Derek Hagar pick up the victory. The Arkansas native has 16 premier victories at Riverside, including one with the United Sprint Car Series in May and one with the ASCS National Tour in 2014.
EVENT INFO
Date – Friday-Saturday, Sept. 27-28
Location – West Memphis, AR
Times (CT) –
Gates Open: 5 p.m.
Hot Laps: 6:30 p.m.
-Opening Ceremonies & racing to follow
Tickets – Available at track.
How to Watch – Can’t make it to the track? Watch every lap live on DIRTVision.
Previous ASCS National Tour winners at Riverside –
2021 – Ryan Timms on July 25
2020 – Harli White on July 11
2017 – Tim Crawley on Aug. 24
2015 – Seth Bergman on May 2
2014 – Derek Hagar on May 3, Sam Hafertepe Jr. on Aug. 21
2012 – Seth Bergman on April 28
2010 – Tony Bruce Jr. on Oct. 1, Tim Crawley on Oct. 2
2009 – Tim Crawley on July 3 & July 4
2005 – Darren Stewart on June 4
2004 – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. on July 17
2003 – Eddie Gallagher on May 31
2002 – Eddie Gallagher on June 1
2001 – A.G. Rains on July 14
2000 – Travis Rilat on July 15
1999 – Pete Butler on July 24
1998 – Mike Ward on June 20
1997 – Gary Wright on June 21

 

 

Davis Completes Weekend Sweep with Saturday Victory at Electric City

BLACK EAGLE, MT (August 31, 2024) – Hank Davis had to wait nearly two years between his American Sprint Car Series National Tour debut at Creek County Speedway in 2022 and his first Series win Friday at Electric City Speedway.

He only had to wait one day for his second.

The Sand Springs, OK driver took the lead from Sam Hafertepe Jr. with seven laps remaining and never looked back, driving away to the $5,000 top prize in the Montana Roundup finale.

Hafertepe earned the top starting spot with his Dash win earlier in the night and made good use of it by riding the top lane to a half-straightaway lead after one lap. Behind him, second-place starter Terry Easum lost spots early to Skylar Gee and Seth Bergman who moved up to second and third, respectively.

The top three went unchanged for the first third of the race until Lap 12, when Jason Martin went to Bergman’s inside to take over the third spot. However, that pass would quickly become the last thing on Bergman’s mind.

On Lap 16, Bergman attempted to slide the lap car of Joe Perry in Turns 1 and 2 but wasn’t quite clear, sending the No. 23 machine onto its side and out of the race and handing Bergman his first DNF of the season.

In the laps following the restart, Hafertepe and Davis went straight to the cushion while Martin looked to gain ground on the bottom. Just after the trio caught the tail of the field, Brandon Anderson went for a tumble in Turn 2 with 10 laps to go to rerack the field once again.

Davis kept pace with Hafertepe on the ensuing restart, but before he could execute a move, Frontier Region star Phil Dietz found the catchfence in Turn 2 to bring the yellow back out.

After spending the entirety of the first 28 laps looking at the back of the No. 15H, Davis made the winning move when he went for a slider into Turn 1, and thanks to a bobble from Hafertepe on the cushion, he took command of the race exiting the corner.

“He just kept getting tight, so I just bombed it in there,” Davis said after the race. “Then Wayne and them said when I bombed it, he just happened to get tight and it worked.”

Before Davis could get comfortable out front though, Bradley Fezard pounded the wall in Turn 1 to give the field one more shot at Davis with six to go. They were unable to capitalize though, as Davis powered away and took the checkers by 1.7 seconds over Hafertepe.

The TwoC Racing team entered Electric City in a dry spell that included DNFs at Lincoln County Raceway and Big Sky Speedway and eight-straight races without a podium finish, but a weekend sweep in Great Falls was just what the doctor ordered to get their season back on track.

“You get down on yourself when things like that happen,” Davis said regarding the rough patch he endured prior to the weekend. “I don’t have a lot of experience of how to handle that. Wayne just being around, helping me understand how it all goes and just trying to get me better, we’re getting there. We’re flat out just getting better.”

Bergman’s crash allowed Hafertepe to close within 40 points of the lead in the championship chase thanks to his second runner-up effort in as many nights. While the five-time Series champion remained focused on taking the victory after the incident, the points situation undoubtedly affected his game plan in the second half of the Feature.

“I probably could have hustled up and maybe still won the race, but maybe chance crashing too,” Hafertepe said. “When we’re in that situation, I felt like the only car that was even in our ballpark at the end was the No. 2C. I’m not really in a points battle with him, and in all honesty, he’s a young guy, going to gun for it. Honestly, I figured that maybe he might mess up at the end and we maybe get him back, but definitely wasn’t going to press super hard and drive stupid at the end.”

Matt Covington got around Gee and Martin late to claim the third spot for his first podium since Dodge City Raceway Park on Aug. 16. While the Glenpool, OK native is still searching for his first National Tour win of the season, he believes the next stop on tour at Clay County Fair Speedway could be just the place.

“We always run on the podium it seems like when we’re there,” Covington said. “So I think we’ve got a good chance at Spencer. It’s a big, wide, slick 3/8-mile and I enjoy racing there, and I think we’ve got as good a chance to win that one as any of them.”

Gee ended the race fourth for his best finish with the Series since 2018, while Martin came home fifth for the second night in a row.

Kelly Miller earned the Triple X Hard Charger Award thanks to his spectacular drive from 24th up to eighth in the 35-lap affair.

UP NEXT: The ASCS National Tour will head to Spencer, IA for a midweek showdown at the Clay County Fair Speedway on Tuesday, Sep. 10. Tickets are available online in advance here, while DIRTVision will have live coverage for those unable to make it to the track.

Feature (35 Laps): 1. 2C-Hank Davis[4]; 2. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[1]; 3. 95-Matt Covington[9]; 4. 23N-Skylar Gee[5]; 5. 36-Jason Martin[7]; 6. 2J-Zach Blurton[13]; 7. 88-Terry Easum[2]; 8. 2JR-Kelly Miller[24]; 9. 10-Landon Britt[8]; 10. 16G-Austyn Gossel[15]; 11. 6G-Bryan Gossel[19]; 12. 9K-Kory Wermling[6]; 13. 45X-Kyler Johnson[25]; 14. 38B-Bryan Brown[18]; 15. 82C-Christian Kinnison[20]; 16. 72-Phil Dietz[16]; 17. 37-Trever Kirkland[21]; 18. 3-Jordan Milne[17]; 19. 28-Joe Perry[12]; 20. 56-Ross Mathewson[14]; 21. 938-Bradley Fezard[23]; 22. 55B-Brandon Anderson[11]; 23. 5H-Harli White[10]; 24. 23-Seth Bergman[3]; 25. (DNS) 15D-Andrew Deal

 

 

Davis Dominates Electric City for First National Tour Triumph

BLACK EAGLE, MT (August 30, 2024) – It was only a matter of time until Hank Davis won his first race on the American Sprint Car Series National Tour, and that time came Friday night at Electric City Speedway.

Davis didn’t just win the opening night of the Montana Roundup though, he put on a clinic and took the checkers by nearly six seconds over the toughest competition 360 Sprint Car racing has to offer.

“Just been all over the board, the past couple weeks have been horrible,” Davis said. “This definitely makes up for it.”

The No. 2C machine looked like the car to beat beginning in the Dash, where he charged from sixth to first in five laps to take the pole position for the Feature.

Once the 30-lap main event got underway, Davis and second-place starter Sam Hafertepe Jr. swapped lanes entering Turn 1 while Andrew Deal briefly looked to their inside from Row 2 to make it a three-way fight for the top spot. Deal backed out, while Davis powered off the top of Turn 2 to grab the lead over Hafertepe.

While Davis was building his gap, Seth Bergman was busy making his way to the front from fifth, as he got around Deal and Jason Martin on Lap 1 and went to battle with Hafertepe for the runner-up spot. He ran the low lane through Turns 1 and 2 on Lap 2 and cleared Hafertepe exiting the corner, but before Hafertepe could respond, Jordan Milne spun in Turn 4 to bring out the yellow.

Bergman got his chance at Davis on the restart and ran the bottom to counter Davis’s preferred top groove, but the No. 23 was no match as Davis drove away to a half-straightaway lead after one lap.

Although Davis may have been the only participant in the race for the lead, Hafertepe and Bergman put on a thrilling race for second in the middle stages, with both drivers swapping lanes and throwing sliders lap after lap. Bergman held onto the spot once the pair caught slower traffic, but Hafertepe was not content to give up the position.

With 10 to go, Hafertepe rode the cushion through Turns 3 and 4 and squeezed past Bergman exiting the corner to take control of the second spot. Bergman wanted to get back by on the bottom in the next set of corners, but traffic on the inside prevented that move and forced him to follow Hafertepe on the top.

Hafertepe would hold onto the spot for good, but by that point he had no hope of catching Davis, who was half a lap ahead of the No. 15H and on his way to the victory in his Electric City debut.

Davis said he didn’t know just how massive his advantage was late in the race, and believed that even if he did know, he wouldn’t have done anything differently.

“That’s two of the best guys in 360s, period,” Davis said. “You just have to assume they’re always breathing down your neck. That’s what we did, and man, not in a cocky way, but the way I’m being told, we dominated this deal.”

Hafertepe has done his fair share of dominating on his way to nine National Tour victories in 2024, but the five-time Series champion was content with his runner-up finish and conceded that the night belonged to Davis.

“He’s just a young guy,” Hafertepe said. “He’s probably lost a lot of races driving the way he drove tonight, but tonight this is what got him the win. As an older guy, some nights you’ve got to chalk it up to that a guy’s a little bit better than you on a certain night, and that’s what happened tonight. All the credit to those guys, they deserved it.”

Bergman’s third-place run was his fifth podium in as many races, continuing his streak of consistency that has garnered him a 96-point lead in the standings entering Saturday’s event.

“I feel like we made big gains from the Dash to the Feature, so I know we’re on the right track,” Bergman said following his first Electric City start in nine years. “We’ll just take a couple things there that I wasn’t happy with and try to find a solution for that, and I think if we do that, we’re going to be just fine.”

Matt Covington came home fourth, one spot short of his career-best at Electric City from 2014, while Jason Martin collected his sixth top five of the season with his P5 effort.

The Triple X Hard Charger Award went to Skylar Gee, who won the Last Chance Showdown before driving from 16th to eighth in the Feature.

UP NEXT: The ASCS National Tour closes out its Montana trip Saturday night with the $5,000-to-win finale of the Montana Roundup. Tickets are available for purchase in advance here or at the track. Can’t make it? Catch all the action live on DIRTVision.

Feature (30 Laps): 1. 2C-Hank Davis[1]; 2. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[2]; 3. 23-Seth Bergman[5]; 4. 95-Matt Covington[8]; 5. 36-Jason Martin[4]; 6. 15D-Andrew Deal[3]; 7. 2JR-Kelly Miller[10]; 8. 23N-Skylar Gee[16]; 9. 5H-Harli White[7]; 10. 9K-Kory Wermling[6]; 11. 16G-Austyn Gossel[12]; 12. 28-Joe Perry[9]; 13. 88-Terry Easum[17]; 14. 72-Phil Dietz[19]; 15. 37-Trever Kirkland[14]; 16. 938-Bradley Fezard[11]; 17. 2J-Zach Blurton[18]; 18. 10-Landon Britt[21]; 19. 45X-Kyler Johnson[13]; 20. 38B-Bryan Brown[22]; 21. 55B-Brandon Anderson[20]; 22. (DNS) 3-Jordan Milne

 

 

Bryan Gossel's Journey from a Ford Torino to the National Tour

CONCORD, NC (August 28, 2024) – It doesn’t matter if it’s on dirt or pavement: if it has open wheels and requires a push truck, Bryan Gossel has probably driven it.

In addition to the 360 Sprint Car he pilots full-time on the American Sprint Car Series National Tour, Gossel has also competed in 410 Sprint Cars with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars, pavement Sprint Cars in both Winged and Non-Wing configuration, as well as a Silver Crown car in 2024 alone.

But his driving career began in something a little less exhilarating: a Ford Torino.

“My stepmom would not let me drive a car until I was 16 years old,” Gossel said. “I was so determined that, when I turned 16, my Dad was working nights and couldn’t go, so my 14-year-old brother and I went to the track the week I turned 16 by ourselves.

“Literally building a car outside under tarps on an open trailer, we didn’t have a garage back then.”

From that point, it was only a matter of time until Gossel made his way into the family tradition: Sprint Car racing. His cousin is Marlon Jones, a member of the Huset’s Speedway Hall of Fame and a force to be reckoned with across the upper Midwest throughout his three-decade career.

“Marlon Jones was my racing hero,” Gossel said. “That’s what I wanted to do, worked my way to it and I got an opportunity to drive a Sprint Car for a guy in 1998. I was a hired driver, and it was freaking awesome. We won the second night we were out. He helped me get going and that just made me say ‘man, this is awesome,’ and I was hooked on Sprint Cars since then.”

In the years since, Gossel has raced across the nation, bouncing between nearly every open wheel oval series under the sun. For the past five seasons, his schedule has included the longest and most grueling event in all of Sprint Car racing: the Little 500 at Anderson Speedway.

The Memorial Day weekend tradition includes 33 cars battling it out for 500 laps around the paved ¼-mile, with a three-wide start and live pit stops only adding to the challenge.

“The Little 500, you are on kill for 500 laps, two and a half, three hours, however long it takes, because it is so short and there is always something happening,” said Gossel, who has a career-best of 11th from the 2021 edition. “Three years ago, I really committed to getting back into shape because I’m older than most doing this, getting close to 50. I’m not going to fall out of the seat and I’m going to work harder than anybody. Even if it’s just that I’m not going to physically beat them because they’re younger than me, I’m going to outwork them.”

That work ethic has benefitted Gossel in everything he drives, including dirt Sprint Cars. He planned to continue racing those on a pick-and-choose basis in 2024 – until one phone call got the ball rolling in a different direction.

“Wayne Johnson and I have been buddies for 20, 25 years, always talked and helped each other out here and there,” Gossel said. “He said ‘what are you doing next year?’ and I said ‘I don’t know,’ and he’s like ‘well, you should just send Austyn down here with me to Florida. I’ll help him and make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid.’ I was like ‘OK,’ and then I was like ‘well I want to go too.”

“My wife Cendi and [son] Austyn both like the dirt a whole lot better, so I was like ‘let’s just go and see how it plays out.’ We didn’t really have a true game plan. It was kind of like [360] stuff, some 410 stuff, just kind of figured it out. And then once World Racing Group decided to take over ASCS, it was like ‘man, this has got to be a way better deal, let’s get on it, try it and see how it goes.”

Nineteen races into their season as the National Tour’s only two-car team, both Bryan and Austyn have been making steady gains as of late. Austyn scored back-to-back top 10s for the first time at Dodge City Raceway Park and Lincoln County Raceway, while Bryan finished a season-best 13th on Friday night at Big Sky Speedway.

“We found a couple things with the cars, different parts that didn’t work well with our cars,” Gossel said. “Changed those out not that many races ago, and it just made it to where the cars worked better and I felt comfortable. I realized I haven’t been comfortable in the car. Even Dan [Musselman] from Maxim was looking at it and Wayne, they were trying to help me, and they were just like ‘it just don’t look right,’ and I’m like ‘it don’t feel right.’

“So we changed out the rear arms and birdcages, and that really made the cars feel better and get back to where they were more drivable. That definitely made strides there, and then I have to retrain myself to get comfortable in the car again.”

Gossel is currently in the process of doing just that, and his performance in Billings goes to show that he is headed in the right direction.

“Last weekend was the best I’ve felt in the car and it was the most drivable,” Gossel said. “I was actually passing cars and going forward and I was like ‘wow, this is pretty cool.”

Gossel’s debut season on the National Tour will resume this weekend at Electric City Speedway with the two-night Montana Roundup on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 30-31. Tickets are available for purchase in advance here, while those unable to make it to the track can watch all the action live on DIRTVision.

 

 

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Electric City Welcomes National Tour for Labor Day Weekend Doubleheader

GREAT FALLS, MT (August 27, 2024) – The American Sprint Car Series National Tour heads to another historic Montana dirt track this weekend to wrap up the two-week Montana swing.

Electric City Speedway in Great Falls will play host to the two-night Montana Roundup on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 30-31. The event will be the National Tour’s first visit to the track in nearly a decade with Aaron Reutzel taking the most recent Electric City checkered flag in 2015.

The weekend will begin on Friday with a standard $4,000-to-win, $400-to-start race, while Saturday will feature an increased $5,000-to-win, $400-to-start payout. The Sprint Cars will be joined on the card by WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds on Friday and IMCA Modifieds and WISSOTA Street Stocks on Saturday.

Tickets can be purchased online in advance here or at the track on race day. If you can’t make it to the track, watch every lap live on DIRTVision.

Here are the top storylines entering the weekend:

MOMENTUM SHIFT: Entering last weekend’s stop at Big Sky Speedway, point leader Seth Bergman had finished behind Sam Hafertepe Jr. in six-straight full-points events, resulting in his lead atop the standings dropping from 172 points to 83 during that span.

Bergman decided it was time to end that streak on Friday, as he parked his No. 23 machine in Victory Lane for the first time since Tri-State Speedway on June 15. While he fell two spots short of a double-up on Saturday, he came home one spot ahead of Hafertepe to extend his advantage to 103 points entering Electric City.

Bergman’s quest for his first Series title will bring him to another track he has found success at in the past. The Snohomish, WA native collected three top fives in four National Tour starts at the track between 2012 and 2015 to go along with a pair of top 10s with the ASCS Northwest Region in 2010.

QUICK TIME: This is the first year in which the National Tour has utilized Qualifying as part of its nightly format, and no one has taken advantage of that change more than Hafertepe.

After topping the charts Friday night at Big Sky, the five-time Series champion has accumulated 10 overall Quick Time Awards in 2024. No other driver has more than one.

Luckily for Hafertepe, the Series format is designed to reward single-lap speed by sending the quickest transferring car from Qualifying in each Heat Race to the Dash along with the Heat Race winner. Those frequent Dash visits have paid off late in the night, as Hafertepe has the best average Feature starting spot of any full-timer at 4.7.

If Bergman or anyone else wants to keep Hafertepe out of Victory Lane for another week, beating him in Qualifying and Heat Race competition could be the key to doing it. All eight of his full-points wins this season have come after making the Dash earlier in the night, while he hasn’t finished higher than fourth on nights he missed the Dash.

FEELING ELECTRIC: In the nine years since the last National Tour event at Electric City, the track has not been lacking in ASCS competition, as it has been a regular stop on the Frontier Region circuit since the tour’s inaugural season in 2013.

The most recent event came just over a month ago on July 13 when Rich Bailey took the victory. The Helena, MT driver made his National Tour debut last weekend at Big Sky with finishes of 18th on Friday and 12th on Saturday, and he’ll have his sights set on his first National Tour top 10 when he returns to the site of his inaugural Frontier Region triumph.

Other local stars to watch include Kelly Miller, who has finished top five in 23 of his last 25 starts at the track including five victories, as well as Phil Dietz, who is a two-time Frontier Region winner at Electric City and finished second at the last National Tour race there in 2015.

RIVETING ROOKIE RACE: The ASCS has long been known as the place where Sprint Car stars are born, and there’s no better evidence of that than this season’s rookie class.

The battle for the Rookie of the Year Award is likely to go down to the final weekend of the year at Tulsa Speedway and Creek County Speedway, with Andrew Deal currently leading the way over Hank Davis by eight points.

Davis has been playing catch-up all year after joining TwoC Racing prior to the third race of the season at Rush County Speedway. He has been a contender ever since though, racking up 10 top fives in 15 starts with the Todd Carlile-owned, Wayne Johnson-led team. Deal has been close to his first Series victory as well, picking up a pair of podiums at Super Bee Speedway and Arrowhead Speedway.

The pair of Quinter, KS natives on tour in Zach Blurton and Kyler Johnson are still in contention, sitting 68 and 79 points behind Deal respectively. Both drivers have been finding their stride as of late, with Blurton finishing on the podium twice in the last three races and Johnson scoring his first top five since Super Bee on Saturday at Big Sky.

WHEN AND WHERE:
Friday and Saturday, Aug. 30-31, at Electric City Speedway in Black Eagle, MT

AROUND THE TURN:
The American Sprint Car Series National Tour will kick off September with a Tuesday night clash at the Clay County Fair Speedway on Sept. 10 before traveling south to Oklahoma’s Arrowhead Speedway for a two-night duel on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 13-14.

CURRENT POINT STANDINGS (TOP 10):

Seth Bergman (2412 points)
Sam Hafertepe Jr. (-103)
Matt Covington (-229)
Andrew Deal (-433)
Hank Davis (-441)
Landon Britt (-469)
Zach Blurton (-501)
Jason Martin (-502)
Kyler Johnson (-512)
Terry Easum (-603)

FEATURE WINNERS (7):
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 9
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 5
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 1
Kaleb Johnson – Sioux Falls, SD – 1
Tyler Courtney – Indianapolis, IN – 1
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 1

QUICK TIME AWARDS (9):
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 10
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 1
Josh McCord – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Alex Sewell – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 1
Aaron Reutzel – Clute, TX – 1
Tyler Groenendyk – Oskaloosa, IA – 1
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 1

HEAT RACE WINS (36):
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 6
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 6
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 5
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 4
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 3
Whit Gastineau – Moore, OK – 3
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 2
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 2
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 2
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 2
Zach Blurton – Quinter, KS – 2
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Lane Whittington – Denham Springs, LA – 1
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 1
Koty Adams – Haughton, LA – 1
Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 1
Brekton Crouch – Lubbock, TX – 1
Jeremy Campbell – Wichita, KS – 1
Cody Gardner – Benton, AR – 1
Austyn Gossel – Windsor, CO – 1
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Matt Juhl – Tea, SD – 1
Garet Williamson – Columbia, MO – 1
Emerson Axsom – Franklin, IN – 1
Hunter Schuerenberg – Sikeston, MO – 1
Tanner Holmes – Jacksonville, OR – 1
Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 1
Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Tyler Groenendyk – Oskaloosa, IA – 1
Parker Price-Miller – Kokomo, IN – 1
Colton Hardy – Phoenix, AZ – 1
Tanner Thorson – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Brian Brown – Hugginsville, MO – 1
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 1
Phil Dietz – Laurel, MT – 1
Joe Perry – Billings, MT – 1

DASH APPEARANCES (33):
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 15
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 14
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 11
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 8
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 7
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 4
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 4
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 4
Whit Gastineau – Moore, OK – 4
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 3
Zach Blurton – Quinter, KS – 3
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 3
Alex Sewell – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 2
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 1
Lane Whittington – Denham Springs, LA – 1
Koty Adams – Haughton, LA – 1
Ryder Laplante – Calera, OK – 1
Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 1
Brekton Crouch – Lubbock, TX – 1
Jeremy Campbell – Wichita, KS – 1
Elijah Gile – Phoenix, AZ – 1
Cody Gardner – Benton, AR – 1
Austyn Gossel – Windsor, CO – 1
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Harli White – Lindsay, OK – 1
Austin McCarl – Altoona, IA – 1
Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 1
Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Kyler Johnson – Quinter, KS – 1
DJ Brink – Rapid City, SD – 1
Phil Dietz – Laurel, MT – 1
Joe Perry – Billings, MT – 1

LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINNERS (11):
Rees Moran – Tulsa, OK – 2
Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 1
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 1
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 1
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Aaron Reutzel – Clute, TX – 1
Chase Porter – St. Joseph, MO – 1
Kerry Madsen – Knoxville, IA – 1
Chase Randall – Waco, TX – 1
Rich Bailey – Helena, MT – 1
Kyler Johnson – Quinter, KS – 1

PODIUM FINISHERS (23):
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 12
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 11
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 6
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 4
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 2
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 2
Austin McCarl – Altoona, IA – 2
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 2
Zach Blurton – Quinter, KS – 2
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 1
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Tanner Conn – Oklahoma City, OK – 1
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 1
Ryder Laplante – Calera, OK – 1
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Kaleb Johnson – Sioux Falls, SD – 1
Chase Randall – Waco, TX – 1
Kade Higday – Knoxville, IA – 1
Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Cory Eliason – Visalia, CA – 1
Brian Brown – Higginsville, MO – 1
Tyler Courtney – Indianapolis, IN – 1
Emerson Axsom – Franklin, IN – 1

TOP 10 FINISHERS (54):
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 16
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 15
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 14
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 11
Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 10
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 9
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 9
Kyler Johnson – Quinter, KS – 7
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 6
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 6
Zach Blurton – Quinter, KS – 5
Rees Moran – Tulsa, OK – 4
Brandon Anderson – Glenpool, OK – 4
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 3
Whit Gastineau – Moore, OK – 3
Austyn Gossel – Windsor, CO – 3
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 3
Harli White – Lindsay, OK – 3
Alex Sewell – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 2
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 2
Tyler Courtney – Indianapolis, IN – 2
Emerson Axsom – Franklin, IN – 2
Austin McCarl – Altoona, IA – 2
Brian Brown – Higginsville, MO – 2
Cory Eliason – Visalia, CA – 2
Tasker Phillips – Pleasantville, IA – 2
Jamie Ball – Knoxville, IA – 2
Kaleb Johnson – Sioux Falls, SD – 2
Terry McCarl – Altoona, IA – 2
Jeremy Campbell – Wichita, KS – 2
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Kelly Miller – Stirling, AB – 2
Channin Tankersley – Arlington, TX – 1
Tanner Conn – Oklahoma City, OK – 1
Brekton Crouch – Lubbock, TX – 1
Jeremy Huish – Jetmore, KS – 1
Ryder Laplante – Calera, OK – 1
Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 1
Fred Mattox – Drumright, OK – 1
Dale Howard – Byhalia, MS – 1
Brad Bowden – Hernando, MS – 1
Michael Day – Farmersville, TX – 1
Chase Randall – Waco, TX – 1
Kade Higday – Knoxville, IA – 1
Justin Peck – Monrovia, IN – 1
Riley Goodno – Knoxville, IA – 1
Gunner Ramey – Sedalia, MO – 1
Miles Paulus – Marshall, MO – 1
Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Kasey Kahne – Enumclaw, WA – 1
Ryan Giles – Grimes, IA – 1
Kerry Madsen – Knoxville, IA – 1
Alex Hill – Six Nations, ON – 1
Cole Macedo – Lemoore, CA – 1
DJ Brink – Rapid City, SD – 1
Blayne Brink – Gillette, WY – 1
Phil Dietz – Laurel, MT – 1

2024 AMERICAN SPRINT CAR SERIES SCHEDULE & WINNERS:
Friday, Apr. 19 / Super Bee Speedway / Chatham, LA / Seth Bergman (1)
Friday, May 10 / Red Dirt Raceway / Meeker, OK / Terry Easum (1)
Friday, May 31 / Rush County Speedway / La Crosse, KS / Seth Bergman (2)
Saturday, Jun. 1 / Dodge City Raceway Park / Dodge City, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (1)
Tuesday, Jun. 11 / Texarkana 67 Speedway / Texarkana, AR / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (2)
Thursday, Jun. 13 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (3)
Friday, Jun. 14 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK / Seth Bergman (3)
Saturday, Jun. 15 / Tri-State Speedway / Pocola, OK / Seth Bergman (4)
Saturday, Jun. 22 / Batesville Motor Speedway / Locust Grove, AR / Jordon Mallett (1)
Friday, Jun. 28 / Tulsa Speedway / Tulsa, OK / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (4)
Friday, Jul. 19 / Lakeside Speedway / Kansas City, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (5)
Saturday, Jul. 20 / 81 Speedway / Wichita, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (6)
Thursday, Aug. 1 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Kaleb Johnson (1)
Friday, Aug. 2 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (7)
Saturday, Aug. 3 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Tyler Courtney (1)
Friday, Aug. 16 / Dodge City Raceway Park / Dodge City, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (8)
Saturday, Aug. 17 / Lincoln County Raceway / North Platte, NE / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (9)
Friday, Aug. 23 / Big Sky Speedway / Shepherd, MT / Seth Bergman (5)
Saturday, Aug. 24 / Big Sky Speedway / Shepherd, MT / Jake Bubak (1)
Tuesday, Sept. 10 / Clay County Fair Speedway / Spencer, IA
Friday, Sept. 13 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK
Saturday, Sept. 14 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK
Friday, Sept. 27 / Riverside International Speedway / West Memphis, AR
Saturday, Sept. 28 / Riverside International Speedway / West Memphis, AR
Friday, Oct. 11 / Benton Speedway / Benton, MO
Saturday, Oct. 12 / Paducah International Raceway / Paducah, KY
Friday, Oct. 25 / RPM Speedway / Crandall, TX
Saturday, Oct. 26 / RPM Speedway / Crandall, TX
Thursday, Nov. 14 / Tulsa Speedway / Tulsa, OK
Friday, Nov. 15 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK
Saturday, Nov. 16 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK

 

 

Bubak Takes Second-Straight Harvey Ostermiller Memorial Victory at Big Sky

SHEPHERD, MT (August 24, 2024) – One year ago, Jake Bubak pocketed $12,012 for winning Big Sky Speedway’s Harvey Ostermiller Memorial under the ASCS Frontier Region banner.

With the race joining the American Sprint Car Series National Tour calendar in 2024, Bubak had a field full of the best 360 Sprint Car drivers in the nation to fend off, but none of them could stop him from taking his second win in a row in the event.

“It was challenging, I’m glad I started on the front row,” Bubak said following his fifth National Tour win. “With this car the last two months, we’ve been really solid. We ran well at the 360 [Knoxville] Nationals. I knew we could compete with these guys.”

Bubak won his second Dash in as many nights to claim the pole for the 30-lap Feature. The bottom lane was dominant early, as Bubak made a beeline for the inside berm in the first set of corners along with the rest of the top five.

Jason Martin started second and was the first to try the top side on Lap 2. He briefly caught Bubak’s rear bumper before slipping up in Turn 3, allowing Bubak to drive away to a half-second advantage.

Half a lap later, Martin’s quest for his first podium finish since Dodge City Raceway Park on June 1 came to screeching halt when he got upside down in Turn 2. The incident gave the second spot to Zach Blurton, who kept pace with Bubak in the laps following the ensuing restart.

While Blurton was busy plotting a move on Bubak, Frontier Region point leader Phil Dietz was busy holding off two of the National Tour’s biggest stars in Seth Bergman and Sam Hafertepe Jr. for the third spot. He held on until Lap 12, when Bergman powered around Dietz’s outside exiting Turn 4 and Hafertepe followed him through three laps later.

With seven laps remaining, Bradley Fezard came to a stop while running 19th to bring out the caution. A perfect restart allowed Bubak to keep the lead, but trouble for Kory Wermling and Brandon Anderson two laps later ereased his advantage once more.

On what would be the final restart of the race, Bubak was off like a rocket through Turns 1 and 2 and drove away to a 1.5-second win at the checkered flag.

The Feature was marred by strong winds thoughout the race, something Bubak believes was critical to him securing the victory.

“The wind affected the track so much,” Bubak said. “The track was in good shape, I think without the wind it would have been really fun. Just the way it would blow you off the end of Turn 2, it was pretty difficult and just best to be in the lead at that point.”

Runner-up Blurton went through the first 16 races of the season without a top five, but has now picked up two podiums in eight days, completely flipping his outlook on the remainder of the season.

“Last night, we just struggled so so bad and I thought maybe the weekend before was just a fluke,” Blurton said. “I’m looking forward to next weekend and the rest of the year. I almost wish we could start the year back over with what we know now.”

While Bergman came up two spots short of sweeping the weekend in Billings, the third-place run extended his lead over Hafertepe to 103 points entering the second half of the Montana swing at Electric City Speedway next weekend.

“Sam’s a great race car driver, he’s got a great team, definitely doesn’t make it easy,” Bergman said. “We’re doing our job too to try and stay on top here, and to have weekends like this where you don’t finish off the podium is what we’ve got to do if we want to see this championship through.”

Hafertepe finished one spot behind Bergman in fourth to minimize the harm in the title chase, while Kyler Johnson drove from 17th to fifth to collect the Triple X Hard Charger Award and his first top five since the second race of the year at Red Dirt Raceway.

UP NEXT: The ASCS National Tour concludes its trip to Montana at Electric City Speedway in Great Falls with the Montana Roundup on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 30-31. Tickets are available for purchase in advance here, while those unable to make it to the track can catch every lap live on DIRTVision.

Feature (30 Laps): 1. 27B-Jake Bubak[1]; 2. 2J-Zach Blurton[4]; 3. 23-Seth Bergman[5]; 4. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[9]; 5. 45X-Kyler Johnson[17]; 6. 2C-Hank Davis[8]; 7. 2JR-Kelly Miller[16]; 8. 95-Matt Covington[13]; 9. 72-Phil Dietz[3]; 10. 5H-Harli White[14]; 11. 28-Joe Perry[6]; 12. 01-Rich Bailey[12]; 13. 88-Terry Easum[7]; 14. 6G-Bryan Gossel[21]; 15. 15D-Andrew Deal[18]; 16. 10-Landon Britt[19]; 17. 37-Trever Kirkland[10]; 18. 44-Damon McCune[22]; 19. 55B-Brandon Anderson[15]; 20. 938-Bradley Fezard[11]; 21. 16G-Austyn Gossel[20]; 22. 9K-Kory Wermling[23]; 23. 36-Jason Martin[2]

 

 

Bergman Back in Victory Lane on Night One at Big Sky

SHEPHERD, MT (August 23, 2024) – Seth Bergman’s two-month winless streak on the American Sprint Car Series National Tour came to an end Friday night when he took the checkers on the opening night of the Harvey Ostermiller Memorial at Big Sky Speedway.

“I’ve run second to Sam [Hafertepe Jr.] so many times, I get tired of looking at the back of that thing,” Bergman said. “It’s just a very rewarding feeling when you’re close and you’re in a championship hunt, the guy you’re racing is winning and you’re right there and you’re running second a lot. To finally cross over that threshold again and get a win, it feels really really good.”

Bergman’s fourth-place Dash run put him right next to the No. 15H on row two to start the Feature, with Jake Bubak and Hank Davis out front. Bubak and Davis swapped lanes through Turns 1 and 2 on the start, with Bubak riding the top lane to the early lead after one lap. While Bubak paced the field, Hafertepe looked to be a man on a mission once again, as he immediately got around Davis for second on the bottom in Turn 4.

One lap later, Bergman followed Hafertepe through to take the third spot away from Davis. Matt Covington then tried to send him back another spot, but the two made contact in Turn 2 and Davis went flipping over the banking to bring out the red flag.

When the race went back green, Bubak was off like a rocket and grabbed a half-straightaway lead over Hafertepe. He would only get to enjoy his advantage for five laps though, as Andrew Deal’s spin on Lap 9 reset the field once again.

Bubak’s restart was a mirror image of the prior one, but the battle was on behind him for the runner-up spot. Bergman looked low in Turn 1, pulled in front exiting Turn 2 and then defended against a challenge from Hafertepe on the low side of Turn 3 to hold onto the spot.

Once he cleared Hafertepe, Bergman went to work on running down Bubak, and on Lap 15 the No. 23 car made the winning move. The slower car of Zach Blurton blocked Bubak’s progress on the bottom in Turn 3, and Bergman seized his opportunity to dart to the top and take command of the race with 10 to go.

The spinning car of Austyn Gossel brought the yellow out seconds after Bergman made his move, but Bubak was unable to reclaim the lead on the restart. From there, Bergman went unchallenged in the final segment to take his fifth Series win of the year and his first since the Speedweek finale at Tri-State Speedway in June.

“I’ve been doing it long enough to know to just take a deep breath, take [the track] for what it is,” Bergman said. “There’s still an opportunity to win a race, so that’s kind of where my mind was. Just taking it for what it was and finding an opportunity to win the race. We had a really good race car, and it was able to make the right moves at the right times.”

Bubak’s victory in last year’s Ostermiller Memorial under the Frontier Region banner proved that he knows how to get the job done at Big Sky, and another podium run against the National Tour further confirmed his speed in Billings.

“Finishing between Sam and Seth, they’re the two dominant cars every year I feel like,” Bubak said. “I think we’re in a good position.”

Hafertepe’s third-place effort snapped a five-race win streak in full-points events dating back to Tulsa Speedway on June 28. While he was disappointed to miss out on the Friday trophy, he knows what he has to do to be in contention come Feature time on Saturday with $12,012 on the line.

“On a normal racetrack, I think we’ve got a really good race car,” Hafertepe said. “Tonight obviously wasn’t a normal racetrack. So we’ll see. There’s not a lot we can take from tonight and use, but we can use little small segments. Like in Qualifying, we can use something out of that. We can use little small segments throughout the night to try and get better.”

Jason Martin finished fourth for his third-straight top-six effort, while Landon Britt came home fifth for his first top five since 81 Speedway on July 20.

The Triple X Hard Charger Award went to Frontier Region star Trever Kirkland, who made the Feature through the Last Chance Showdown before driving from 20th up to 12th in the main event.

UP NEXT: The National Tour returns to Big Sky Speedway on Saturday night for the $12,012-to-win conclusion to the Harvey Ostermiller Memorial. Tickets are available online here or at the track on race day. Can’t make it? Watch every lap live on DIRTVision.

Feature (25 Laps): 1. 23-Seth Bergman[4]; 2. 27B-Jake Bubak[1]; 3. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[3]; 4. 36-Jason Martin[6]; 5. 10-Landon Britt[8]; 6. 45X-Kyler Johnson[10]; 7. 55B-Brandon Anderson[12]; 8. 2JR-Kelly Miller[11]; 9. 21-DJ Brink[7]; 10. 14-Blayne Brink[16]; 11. 95-Matt Covington[5]; 12. 37-Trever Kirkland[20]; 13. 6G-Bryan Gossel[15]; 14. 5H-Harli White[14]; 15. 72-Phil Dietz[22]; 16. 15D-Andrew Deal[18]; 17. 9K-Kory Wermling[13]; 18. 01-Rich Bailey[17]; 19. 938-Bradley Fezard[21]; 20. 28-Joe Perry[23]; 21. 2J-Zach Blurton[19]; 22. 16G-Austyn Gossel[9]; 23. 2C-Hank Davis[2]

 

 

Frontier Region Stars Ready to Defend Home Turf Against National Tour

SHEPHERD, MT (August 22, 2024) – When you think of Sprint Car hotbeds, states like Pennsylvania, Ohio, Iowa and California are likely the first to come to mind.

Over the next two weekends, the drivers of the ASCS Frontier Region will be aiming to prove why Montana belongs on that list.

This week’s Harvey Ostermiller Memorial at Big Sky Speedway isn’t just the first national Sprint Car event in the state in three years, but the $12,012 Saturday winner’s purse is the largest on the schedule in Montana.

If the full-time National Tour teams want to leave with the money, they’ll have to deal with a strong contingent of local talent led by Frontier Region point leader and two-time Series champion Phil Dietz.

“Our expectations are to run up front and potentially challenge those National guys for an upset or a win,” Dietz said.

A native of Laurel, MT, Dietz got the motorsports bug watching his dad wheel a Sprint Car every weekend, and decided at a young age to give it a try himself.

“Started racing Sprint Cars in 1999 when I was 13 years old,” Dietz said. “Raced up until 2016, took a three-year break and then started up again.”

While Dietz has more years of experience than most drivers around the country, Montana’s geography means he gets far less seat time per season than his counterparts in warmer climates.

“As life progresses and my responsibilities keep increasing, nowadays I probably only get in 12 to 15 winged races a year,” Dietz said. “Back earlier in life, usually got in about 20 to 30. We did start racing a limited wingless car this year at Big Sky Speedway, and we’re going to have roughly 10 races in on that. So, we probably get about 22 to 25 races in a year in a Sprint Car.”

Dietz is far from the only local hot shoe the National Tour drivers will have to fend off. Thirty-two points behind Dietz is Trever Kirkland, who has collected three second-place finishes in seven starts with the Frontier Region along with a Northern Plains Region win in May at Wyoming’s Casper Speedway.

“Our family vacation every year was to go out to Skagit [Speedway] and watch the Dirt Cup every year,” Kirkland said. “That’s kind of what sparked the Sprint Car side of things for me, and I just always wanted to do it.”

Years later, the Helena, MT resident found himself returning to the Pacific Northwest multiple times a season, but this time as a driver. With Washington and Oregon being the closest states hosting marquee events for 360 Sprint Cars, Montana teams often find themselves making the all-day drive to see how they stack up against the outsiders.

But with the return of the National Tour to Montana in 2024, Kirkland is looking forward to the chance to race for big money without racking up a big diesel bill.

“Jerry [Brey, Big Sky Speedway owner] is a Sprint Car guy, he’s been around Sprint Car racing for a long time,” Kirkland said. “He understands the promotion side of things, he’s working really hard to build the Sprint Cars and build racing as a whole in the state of Montana. I greatly appreciate what he’s doing. I think it’s really cool what he’s doing, I think it’s a lot of work that goes into what he’s got going on to get it there.”

With the largest event in track history comes a wave of teams and fans laying eyes on Big Sky for the first time, and according to both drivers, they will be in for a treat.

“The nice thing about Billings, it seems like this year we haven’t gotten the same track twice,” Dietz said. “So, it’s kept us on our toes. Usually very fast. Usually builds a really nice cushion right around the top lip. Very fast pace. Very physically demanding, but also, they do a good job of keeping a bottom there too so you can get multiple grooves of racing.”

Kirkland shared Dietz’s optimism toward not just Big Sky, but next weekend’s stop at Electric City Speedway in Great Falls (Aug. 30-31) as well.

“I think [Big Sky] is the raciest track we have in the state as far as speed is concerned,” Kirkland said. “I think you’re going to see two lanes. I think you’ll have a top and a bottom. Jerry works really hard at building a two-lane racetrack.

“Great Falls is going to be super dry and slick. I would bet you’re going to ride around the fence or the bottom, one of the two there. Both of them are going to be pretty racey racetracks. I think we’re going to see two different racetracks.”

Dietz is a firm believer that the Montana Sprint Car scene has leveled up as a whole in recent years, and he’s excited to put that on display in front of a national audience.

“We take Sprint Car racing seriously up here,” Dietz said. “I think in previous years, Montana was always thought of as a place where people could go and, I don’t want to say cherry pick, but come and have a sure thing.

“In recent years, everybody’s stepped up their game here quite a bit. Our equipment’s on par with a lot of national touring driver’s equipment. Essentially, when we hit the track, we’ve got the same stuff.”

Kirkland agreed with Dietz’s confidence level.

“I don’t want to sound cocky,” Kirkland said. “But I think that your National Tour guys are going to be surprised by what they see up here.”

Tickets to the ASCS National Tour races at Big Sky Speedway on Aug. 23-24 and Electric City Speedway on Aug. 30-31 are available online or at the gate on race day. If you can’t make it to the track, catch every lap live on DIRTVision.

 

 

 

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: National Tour Back in Montana for Harvey Ostermiller Memorial at Big Sky

SHEPHERD, MT (August 21, 2024) – For the first time in three years, the American Sprint Car Series National Tour is back in Montana this weekend.

Big Sky Speedway, near Billings, will play host to the Harvey Ostermiller Memorial on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 23-24, featuring a $12,012-to-win/$612-to-start finale on Saturday. It’s the biggest paying Sprint Car event in the track’s history and second-largest Feature purse of the National Tour season behind the 360 Knoxville Nationals.

Friday’s event will pay $3,000 to win and $400 to start. The Sprint Cars will be joined on the racing program by WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds and INEX Legends both nights.

Tickets are available for purchase online in advance by clicking here, or at the track on race day. If you can’t make it, catch every ASCS National Tour race live on DIRTVision.

Here are the top storylines entering the weekend:

BACK TO BIG SKY: The most recent Montana stop for the National Tour in 2021 came at Gallatin Speedway, so this weekend will mark the first Series races at Big Sky since 2019.

The National Tour’s history at the facility dates back to 2013 when Jason Johnson won the Series debut at Big Sky, followed by Jeff Swindell in 2014 and Johnny Herrera in 2015. The Series did not return to the track until a doubleheader weekend in 2019, when Sam Hafertepe Jr. and Blake Hahn split the victories.

If Hafertepe can collect his 10th National Tour win of the season this weekend, he would become the first repeat winner at Big Sky. He isn’t the only driver in the field who knows how to get it done in Billings though, as championship rival Seth Bergman swept a Frontier Region doubleheader in 2020.

Other drivers with past Big Sky experience to lean on include Matt Covington, who has a career-best of fourth in four National Tour starts, and Austyn Gossel, who will look to ride the momentum from back-to-back top 10s last weekend into the track where he finished seventh with the Frontier Region in May.

CHIPPING AWAY: Two months ago, Bergman was fresh off a Speedweek championship that included two wins and four podiums in four races, and the points leader by nearly 200 points looked like the overwhelming favorite for the title.

How things have changed.

Hafertepe’s runner-up effort at Batesville the next weekend kicked off a dream summer for the No. 15H team and a nightmare for the rest of the field. The Sunnyvale, TX driver has now won five-straight full-points races along with a prelim night triumph at the 360 Knoxville Nationals, and the gap is down to 83 points entering Montana.

His margin to Bergman would be much smaller if it weren’t for a streak of consistency out of the No. 23 camp. In full-points events, Bergman’s worst finish of the year is seventh, and he is 12-for-14 in top fives. However, with the run Hafertepe has been on as of late, returning to Victory Lane for the first time in two months may be the only way for Bergman to stop his lead from shrinking further.

WHERE DID YOU COME FROM?: In the first half of Zach Blurton’s rookie season on the National Tour, the No. 2J team had fallen short of Blurton’s own expectations with just two top 10s in 13 races. They were in desperate need of a turnaround, and they got just that last weekend.

Blurton put his years of 305 Sprint Car experience at Dodge City Raceway Park to good use and came home seventh, his best finish of the year to that point. One night later at Lincoln County Raceway, he put the field on notice by beating Hafertepe to win his Heat Race and then held onto third in the Feature for his first podium of the season.

He’ll look to keep the good times rolling this weekend at Big Sky, where he will be making his Sprint Car debut. However, with nearly three-quarters of the Series full-timers doing the same, the even playing field could provide an opportunity for Blurton to continue challenging for his second-career National Tour win.

WILD FRONTIER: The ASCS Frontier Region will be bringing a field of competitors with no lack of Big Sky experience, and they will all be looking to ensure the largest winner’s check on the Montana Sprint Car calendar doesn’t cross the state line.

Phil Dietz sits atop the Frontier Region standings after seven races and is riding a two-race win streak into the weekend, with his latest score coming at Big Sky on Aug. 3. Sitting 32 points behind Dietz in a tie for second are former Series champions Trever Kirkland and Kelly Miller, and while both are winless this season, they are both multi-time Frontier Region winners at Big Sky.

Big Sky has hosted the Frontier Region more than any other track in Series history dating back to the inaugural season in 2013, and the winner’s list includes many national Sprint Car stars. Drivers like Skylar Gee, J.J. Hickle, Jordon Mallett and Devon Borden have all made the trip to Billings and left with a trophy.

WHEN AND WHERE:
Friday and Saturday, Aug. 23-24, at Big Sky Speedway in Shepherd, MT

AROUND THE TURN:

The two-week Montana swing for the American Sprint Car Series National Tour concludes next weekend at Electric City Speedway with the Montana Roundup.

CURRENT POINT STANDINGS (TOP 10):
1. Seth Bergman (2127 points)
2. Sam Hafertepe Jr. (-83)
3. Matt Covington (-168)
4. Andrew Deal (-338)
5. Hank Davis (-365)
6. Landon Britt (-407)
7. Jason Martin (-434)
8. Zach Blurton (-447)
9. Kyler Johnson (-474)
10. Terry Easum (-487)

FEATURE WINNERS (6):
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 9
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 4
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 1
Kaleb Johnson – Sioux Falls, SD – 1
Tyler Courtney – Indianapolis, IN – 1

QUICK TIME AWARDS (8):
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 9
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 1
Josh McCord – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Alex Sewell – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 1
Aaron Reutzel – Clute, TX – 1
Tyler Groenendyk – Oskaloosa, IA – 1

HEAT RACE WINS (33):
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 5
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 4
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 4
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 4
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 3
Whit Gastineau – Moore, OK – 3
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 2
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 2
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 2
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 2
Zach Blurton – Quinter, KS – 2
Lane Whittington – Denham Springs, LA – 1
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 1
Koty Adams – Haughton, LA – 1
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 1
Brekton Crouch – Lubbock, TX – 1
Jeremy Campbell – Wichita, KS – 1
Cody Gardner – Benton, AR – 1
Austyn Gossel – Windsor, CO – 1
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK –1
Matt Juhl – Tea, SD – 1
Garet Williamson – Columbia, MO – 1
Emerson Axsom – Franklin, IN – 1
Hunter Schuerenberg – Sikeston, MO – 1
Tanner Holmes – Jacksonville, OR – 1
Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 1
Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Tyler Groenendyk – Oskaloosa, IA – 1
Parker Price-Miller – Kokomo, IN – 1
Colton Hardy – Phoenix, AZ – 1
Tanner Thorson – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Brian Brown – Higginsville, MO – 1

DASH APPEARANCES (29):
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 13
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 13
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 10
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 6
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 5
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 4
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 4
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 4
Whit Gastineau – Moore, OK – 4
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 3
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Alex Sewell – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Zach Blurton – Quinter, KS – 2
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 1
Lane Whittington – Denham Springs, LA – 1
Koty Adams – Haughton, LA – 1
Ryder Laplante – Calera, OK – 1
Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 1
Brekton Crouch – Lubbock, TX – 1
Jeremy Campbell – Wichita, KS – 1
Elijah Gile – Phoenix, AZ – 1
Cody Gardner – Benton, AR – 1
Austyn Gossel – Windsor, CO – 1
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Harli White – Lindsay, OK – 1
Austin McCarl – Altoona, IA – 1
Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 1
Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Kyler Johnson – Quinter, KS – 1

LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINNERS (9):
Rees Moran – Tulsa, OK – 2
Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 1
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 1
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 1
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Aaron Reutzel – Clute, TX – 1
Chase Porter – St. Joseph, MO – 1
Kerry Madsen – Knoxville, IA – 1
Chase Randall – Waco, TX – 1

PODIUM FINISHERS (22):
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 10
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 10
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 6
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 4
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 2
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 2
Austin McCarl – Altoona, IA – 2
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 1
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Tanner Conn – Oklahoma City, OK – 1
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 1
Ryder Laplante – Calera, OK – 1
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Kaleb Johnson – Sioux Falls, SD – 1
Chase Randall – Waco, TX – 1
Kade Higday – Knoxville, IA – 1
Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Cory Eliason – Visalia, CA – 1
Brian Brown – Higginsville MO – 1
Tyler Courtney – Indianapolis, IN – 1
Emerson Axsom – Franklin, IN – 1
Zach Blurton – Quinter, KS – 1

TOP 10 FINISHERS (54):
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 14
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 14
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 12
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 10
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 9
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 9
Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 9
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 6
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 6
Kyler Johnson – Quinter, KS – 5
Rees Moran – Tulsa, OK – 4
Zach Blurton – Quinter, KS – 4
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 3
Whit Gastineau – Moore, OK – 3
Brandon Anderson – Glenpool, OK – 3
Austyn Gossel – Windsor, CO – 3
Alex Sewell – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 2
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 2
Harli White – Lindsay, OK – 2
Tyler Courtney – Indianapolis, IN – 2
Emerson Axsom – Franklin, IN – 2
Austin McCarl – Altoona, IA – 2
Brian Brown – Higginsville, MO – 2
Cory Eliason – Visalia, CA – 2
Tasker Phillips – Pleasantville, IA – 2
Jamie Ball – Knoxville, IA – 2
Kaleb Johnson – Sioux Falls, SD – 2
Terry McCarl – Altoona, IA – 2
Jeremy Campbell – Wichita, KS – 2
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Channin Tankersley – Arlington, TX – 1
Tanner Conn – Oklahoma City, OK – 1
Brekton Crouch – Lubbock, TX – 1
Jeremy Huish – Jetmore, KS – 1
Ryder Laplante – Calera, OK – 1
Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 1
Fred Mattox – Drumright, OK – 1
Dale Howard – Byhalia, MS – 1
Brad Bowden – Hernando, MS – 1
Michael Day – Farmersville, TX – 1
Chase Randall – Waco, TX – 1
Kade Higday – Knoxville, IA – 1
Justin Peck – Monrovia, IN – 1
Riley Goodno – Knoxville, IA – 1
Gunner Ramey – Sedalia, MO – 1
Miles Paulus – Marshall, MO – 1
Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 1
Kasey Kahne – Enumclaw, WA – 1
Ryan Giles – Grimes, IA – 1
Kerry Madsen – Knoxville, IA – 1
Alex Hill – Six Nations, ON – 1
Cole Macedo – Lemoore, CA – 1

2024 AMERICAN SPRINT CAR SERIES SCHEDULE & WINNERS:
Friday, Apr. 19 / Super Bee Speedway / Chatham LA / Seth Bergman (1)
Friday, May 10 / Red Dirt Raceway / Meeker, OK / Terry Easum (1)
Friday, May 31 / Rush County Speedway / La Crosse, KS / Seth Bergman (2)
Saturday, Jun. 1 / Dodge City Raceway Park / Dodge City, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (1)
Tuesday, Jun. 11 / Texarkana 67 Speedway / Texarkana, AR / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (2)
Thursday, Jun. 13 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (3)
Friday, Jun. 14 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK / Seth Bergman (3)
Saturday, Jun. 15 / Tri-State Speedway / Pocola, OK / Seth Bergman (4)
Saturday, Jun. 22 / Batesville Motor Speedway / Locust Grove, AR / Jordon Mallett (1)
Friday, Jun. 28 / Tulsa Speedway / Tulsa, OK / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (4)
Friday, Jul. 19 / Lakeside Speedway / Kansas City, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (5)
Saturday, Jul. 20 / 81 Speedway / Wichita, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (6)
Thursday, Aug. 1 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Kaleb Johnson (1)
Friday, Aug. 2 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (7)
Saturday, Aug. 3 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Tyler Courtney (1)
Friday, Aug. 16 / Dodge City Raceway Park / Dodge City, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (8)
Saturday, Aug. 17 / Lincoln County Raceway / North Platte, NE / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (9)
Friday, Aug. 23 / Big Sky Speedway / Shepherd, MT
Saturday, Aug. 24 / Big Sky Speedway / Shepherd, MT
Friday, Aug. 30 / Electric City Speedway / Black Eagle, MT
Saturday, Aug. 31 / Electric City Speedway / Black Eagle, MT
Tuesday, Sep. 10 / Clay County Fair Speedway / Spencer, IA
Friday, Sep. 13 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK
Saturday, Sep. 14 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK
Friday, Sep. 27 / Riverside International Speedway / West Memphis, AR
Saturday, Sep. 28 / Riverside International Speedway / West Memphis, AR
Friday, Oct. 11 / Benton Speedway / Benton, MO
Saturday, Oct. 12 / Paducah International Raceway / Paducah, KY
Friday, Oct. 25 / RPM Speedway / Crandall, TX
Saturday, Oct. 26 / RPM Speedway / Crandall, TX
Thursday, Nov. 14 / Tulsa Speedway / Tulsa, OK
Friday, Nov. 15 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK
Saturday, Nov. 16 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK

 

 

Hafertepe Jr. Sweeps the Weekend with Lincoln County Triumph

NORTH PLATTE, NE (August 17, 2024) – Saturday night at Lincoln County Raceway, Sam Hafertepe Jr. proved that he didn’t need to start at the front to finish there.

The five-time champion drove up from the third row of the lineup to take his ninth American Sprint Car Series National Tour victory of the season and the 74th of his illustrious career with the Series.

“It’s hard to win from the back when the track’s not wide and slick, but tonight we got a track that was wide and slick,” Hafertepe said. “I honestly felt like when the track does get like this, it kind of suits us a little bit better.”

Hafertepe drew the sixth starting spot for the night’s Dash, and was only able to pass one car in the five-lap event. That meant the two rows ahead of him to start the Feature included his primary rival in the championship chase, Seth Bergman, as well as three drivers hungry for their first win of the season in Zach Blurton, Matt Covington and Hank Davis.

On the start, Hafertepe blasted past Bergman and split the difference between Davis and Covington through Turns 1 and 2. Covington snuck away to take second behind polesitter Blurton, while Hafertepe took third away from Davis off Turn 4 on the opening lap.

From there, Hafertepe began plotting his attack on the second spot. A strong run off the bottom exiting Turn 4 put him on Covington’s inside, and he completed the pass at the opposite end of the track.

While Hafertepe went to work on hunting down Blurton, Covington had the No. 23 of Bergman to deal with and contact with the slower car of Fred Holz was all Bergman needed to take over the third spot.

Blurton’s pace began to slow once he made it deeper into slower traffic, which allowed Hafertepe to reel him in and power to his inside off Turn 2 to take command of the race. Moments later, Bergman mimicked the move in Turn 3 to send Blurton back to third.

“I felt like I showed the bottom was pretty good in 3 and 4,” Hafertepe said. “And [Blurton] tried to take it away, he just wasn’t patient enough to really hit it good.”

The 18-lap green flag run to start the race ended when Davis stalled in Turn 4. The yellow gave Bergman and Blurton a chance to pounce on Hafertepe, but the opportunity evaporated when Hafertepe powered away to a five-car-length lead in Turn 1 on the restart.

Seven laps later, Brandon Anderson suffered a flat left-rear tire while running seventh and the second caution of the race was thrown. The forthcoming restart was a carbon copy of the first, as Hafertepe left the field in the dust once more and ripped the cushion for five laps to take the win along with the Hard Charger Award.

“If you get in dirty air behind a guy like Seth that can keep speed, it would be hard for me to ever get around him in a race,” Hafertepe said. “I think just making the moves we made early really showed how good we were. And it was needed, because if I didn’t make those moves early, we might not have won the race.”

Bergman’s runner-up finish was enough to carry an 83-point advantage into Big Sky Speedway next weekend. While he’s confident about his title chances, a ninth race without a win has his desire to return to Victory Lane at an all-time high.

“We’ve got to get our act together a little bit and start winning, if you win all the races, you’re going to win the championship,” Bergman said. “We need to get back in that Winner’s Circle. I’m going to keep my head high. We’re very competitive and back to running on the podium every night, and if we can eliminate those few bad nights we had we’ll be alright.”

While Blurton looked like the class of the field in the early stages, the No. 15H car proved to be too much to handle. Nevertheless, his first podium of the season completely shifted his mindset towards the rest of the season.

“I was done after this weekend,” Blurton said. “I was going to go do other stuff, not go to Montana and just give it up. This totally changed it. I’ve got people that back me and believe in me, and that makes everything a lot easier. A weekend like this for sure helps.”

Covington held onto the fourth spot for his second top five of the weekend, while Andrew Deal finished fifth to collect his first top five since the Speedweek finale at Tri-State Speedway.

UP NEXT: The National Tour will visit Montana for the first time since 2021, and the two-week swing will kick off Aug. 23-24 at Big Sky Speedway with the $12,012-to-win Harvey Ostermiller Memorial. Tickets are available for purchase in advance here or at the track on race day, while those unable to make it can catch every lap live on DIRTVision.

Feature (30 Laps): 1. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[5]; 2. 23-Seth Bergman[4]; 3. 2J-Zach Blurton[1]; 4. 95-Matt Covington[2]; 5. 15D-Andrew Deal[7]; 6. 36-Jason Martin[6]; 7. 10-Landon Britt[10]; 8. 16G-Austyn Gossel[9]; 9. 45X-Kyler Johnson[13]; 10. 88-Terry Easum[8]; 11. 55B-Brandon Anderson[12]; 12. 938-Bradley Fezard[11]; 13. 74-Zack Merritt[16]; 14. 32-Blair Cooper[17]; 15. 66-Fred Holz[18]; 16. 91-Michael Day[14]; 17. 2C-Hank Davis[3]; 18. 4S-Adam Speckman[15]

 

 

 

Hafertepe Jr. Sweeps Dodge City for Eighth National Tour Win of 2024

DODGE CITY, KS (August 16, 2024) – Several of Sam Hafertepe Jr.’s first seven wins of 2024 with the American Sprint Car Series National Tour came in dominant fashion, but never was his stranglehold on the field as tight as it was Friday night at Dodge City Raceway Park.

The Sunnyvale, TX driver’s gap to second place was more than six seconds when he took the checkers for the eighth time in 2024 and second at the Kansas 3/8-mile.

“You hit a place several times, and your notebook just gets bigger and bigger,” Hafertepe said. “Just track time, more and more times hitting the track, you have more of the right things to do.”

A runner-up finish in the Dash meant Hafertepe started on the outside of Dash winner Matt Covington, who was on the pole for the second time in as many Series races at Dodge City this season.

Covington did not get to enjoy much time out front, as by the time he reached Turn 1 on the opening lap, the No. 15H had already used an immaculate start to take the top spot.

Four laps into the 30-lap Feature, Hafertepe’s lead was up to a second and a half when Jason Martin and Whit Gastineau made contact battling for the fifth spot, puncturing the left-front tire on Gastineau’s car and bringing out the first caution of the race.

Gastineau went to the work area to replace the tire and returned to the track, but his night soon went from bad to worse when he went head-on into the Turn 1 wall two laps later, which ended his night and reset the field once more.

In what would turn out to be the final restart of the night, Hafertepe once again got a strong jump and rode the upper lane to a commanding lead. Upon catching the tail of the field, the five-time Series champion made his case as one of the best Sprint Car drivers in the country at navigating lap traffic, slicing and dicing his way to an advantage of nearly half a lap at the finish.

“That’s the best we’ve gotten through lap traffic all year,” Hafertepe said. “That’s just a testament to how good our race car was. I could cut across the middle, I would say better than any car out here. I think that’s what gave us all the speed all race long.”

Seth Bergman started fifth and made his way forward to wrestle the second spot away from Covington in the middle stages. Had Bergman started the race a bit closer to the front, he believes he would have had something for the man chasing him in the standings.

“I think we definitely had pace to match him,” Bergman said. “There were times where I was gauging where he was at on the track and where I was, and he was in clean track and I was in traffic, and he gapped me a little bit. But when we both had clean air, I could see myself bringing him in.”

While Covington was frustrated to start on the pole twice this year at Dodge City and come up short on both occasions, the podium run kept him firmly in control of the third spot in points as his quest for a National Tour win in 2024 continues.

“We’re right there, we’re just a tick off,” Covington said. “Still figuring that out. I think we’re making strides, getting a little bit better, but we’re not good enough.”

Hank Davis drove from ninth to fourth to collect the Hard Charger Award in his second start at Dodge City, while Jason Martin finished fifth for his first top five since Creek County Speedway over two months ago.

UP NEXT: The National Tour will make the five-hour drive north to North Platte, NE’s Lincoln County Raceway on Saturday, which is making its return to the schedule for the first time since 1998. Tickets will be available at the track, while those unable to make it can catch every lap live on DIRTVision.

Feature (30 Laps): 1. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[2]; 2. 23-Seth Bergman[5]; 3. 95-Matt Covington[1]; 4. 2C-Hank Davis[9]; 5. 36-Jason Martin[7]; 6. 55B-Brandon Anderson[11]; 7. 2J-Zach Blurton[3]; 8. 10-Landon Britt[8]; 9. 10C-Jeremy Campbell[12]; 10. 16G-Austyn Gossel[14]; 11. 938-Bradley Fezard[10]; 12. 15D-Andrew Deal[17]; 13. 23M-Lance Moss[16]; 14. 1X-Bryant Wiedeman[19]; 15. 42-Caleb Saiz[20]; 16. 88K-Jordan Knight[13]; 17. 88-Terry Easum[15]; 18. 91-Michael Day[18]; 19. 45X-Kyler Johnson[4]; 20. 2W-Whit Gastineau[6]; 21. (DNS) 91X-Jeff Stasa

 

 

ASCS Elite Outlaw Sprints Rolling To RPM Speedway This Saturday
Bryan Hulbert

Round 10 of the 2024 season for the MYCO Plastics ASCS Elite Outlaw Sprint Series is back on track at RPM Speedway in Crandall, TX, on Saturday, Aug. 17.

The lone visit to the 1/4-mile oval in 2024 by the Winged 410 Sprint Car series; the tour’s only other visit was on June 2, 2023, with Cody Gardner taking the win after a hair-raising battle with Justin Zimmerman that ended with the two making contact.

Taking an 18-point advantage into the Saturday shootout, Marcus Thomas leads tour standings over Austin Mundie, with Blaine Baxter in the mix as well with only 32 points to make up. Jeff Day, Jr. and Michelle Parson make up the top five.

Saturday, Aug. 17, gates open at 6:00 p.m., with racing scheduled to start at 8:00 p.m. (CDT). Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors (60+), military, and youth (6-12), and free for kids five and under into the grandstands. Pit Passes are $45. The lineup also includes Limited Modifieds, Factory Stocks, Modifieds, and A-Class Micros.

RPM Speedway is located at 1267 Co Rd 4106 in Crandall, TX. Information on the track can be found at their website or by calling (972) 472-3700.

The ASCS Elite Wing and Non-Wing Series is owned and operated by Nathan Moore and operates under the sanction of the American Sprint Car Series. Rules for both tours can be found on the ASCS website. Nathan can be reached at (903) 780-9934 or email elitenonwingsprints@gmail.com.

For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, visit the ASCS website. Also, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and X (@ascsracing).

 

 

Creek County Speedway and 81 Speedway Next For ASCS Sooner Region
Bryan Hulbert

Back on track this Friday and Saturday night, the ASCS Sooner Region will take on tracks in Oklahoma and Kansas, with Sapulpa’s Creek County Speedway on August 16, followed by 81 Speedway in Park City on August 17.

The site of 152 ASCS National and Regional events since 1993, Creek County Speedway kicked off the 2024 season for the ASCS Sooner Region, with Seth Bergman mounting a massive charge for the win. Last seeing action in June during the ASCS National Tour Speedweek, Sam Hafertepe, Jr. picked up his sixth career win at the quarter-mile oval.

A more recent addition to the ASCS lineup, 81 Speedway has been part of Regional and National lineups every year since 2017, with scattered events before that with NCRA. One visit in July, Hafertepe picked up win No. 6 with the National Tour this season and his first at the Kansas track.

Casey Wills leads the ASCS Sooner Region standings going into the weekend double by 131 markers over Blake Hahn. Third is held by defending series champion Fred Mattox, with Alex Sewell and multi-time Sooner Region Champion Sean McClelland making up the top five.

Friday, August 16, at Creek County Speedway, opens at 5:00 p.m. with racing at 7:30 p.m. (CT). Tickets are $20 for adults, and kids 10 and under get into the stands for free. Other divisions on the card include USRA Modifieds, USRA B-Mods, NOW600 Dwarf Cars, and Factory Stocks.

Creek County Speedway is located at 18450 West Hwy. 66 between Sapulpa and Kellyville. For more information on Creek County Speedway, including a complete lineup of events and directions, log onto the track’s website or call (918) 247-7223.

Saturday, August 17 at 81 Speedway includes Alternative Pest Management USRA Modifieds, Kansas Tow Company USRA B-Mods, Rage Jerky Mini Stocks, and Allied Energy and Battery, Inc. Stock Cars. Gates open at 3:00 p.m. for the pits and 5:00 p.m. for the stands. Hot Laps are at 6:00 p.m., with racing at 7:00 p.m. (CDT).

Tickets are $18 for adults, $15 for seniors and military, and free for kids 10 and under. 81-Speedway is located at 7700 N Broadway in Park City, Kan. More information can be found on the track’s website.

The 2024 season marks the 33rd season of competition for the American Sprint Car Series. Spearheaded by the American Sprint Car Series National Tour, the ASCS Nation includes Regional Tours encompassing Wing and Non-Wing competition.

For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, visit the ASCS website. Also, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and X (@ascsracing).

 

 

American Sprint Car Series Returning to Belleville in 2025 for Fourth of July Spectacular

BELLEVILLE, KS (August 13, 2024) –

Another piece of next season’s schedule for the American Sprint Car Series National Tour has fallen into place, as the Series will make its return to the Belleville High Banks on July 3-4, 2025.

The weekend will kick off with a $4,000-to-win show on Thursday night before wrapping up with a $10,000-to-win finale on America’s birthday, adding yet another five-figure payday to the calendar.

The event will be the National Tour’s first visit to the Kansas ½-mile in a decade, with the only previous visit in Series history coming on May 31, 2015, when Brian Brown took the checkered flag.

“We’ve just always wanted to get the ASCS National Tour back,” said Drew Erkenbrack, Belleville High Banks promoter. “We had an opportunity there to try and be a marquee event annually with the ASCS, and that’s something we’ve had our eye on.”

In addition to two nights of Sprint Car action, fans can expect a massive fireworks show after racing has concluded on Friday night among other off-track events to celebrate the Independence Day holiday.

“I think it will be a really great addition to the ASCS schedule,” said Lonnie Wheatley, ASCS National Tour series director. “It’s a really unique place, there aren’t really any other racetracks like it in the country. The place has a ton of history, there’s always a great atmosphere, the community really supports that track, and they come out and really make everybody feel welcome there.”

More event details, as well as the full 2025 ASCS National Tour schedule will be released at a later date.

The Series returns to action this weekend with a doubleheader in America’s heartland, beginning at Dodge City Raceway Park on Friday, Aug. 16, and wrapping up at Lincoln County Raceway on Saturday, Aug. 17.

If you can’t make it to the track, catch every National Tour event live on DIRTVision.

 

 

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Round Two at Dodge City, Return to Lincoln County Await National Tour

CONCORD, NC (August 12, 2024) –

The American Sprint Car Series National Tour kicks off three-straight weeks of racing this weekend with two stops in America’s heartland.

The weekend begins on Friday, Aug. 16, with the second stop of the year at Dodge City Raceway Park. Then, on Saturday, Aug. 17, teams will make the five-hour trip north to Nebraska’s Lincoln County Raceway, where the Series will compete for the first time in more than a quarter-century.

Both nights will include a standard $4,000-to-win/$400-to-start Feature. The National Tour will be joined by NOW600 Micro Sprints at Dodge City, while the Lincoln County itinerary will include Modifieds, Sport Mods, Stock Cars, Hobby Stocks, Compacts and Warriors.

Tickets to both events will be available at the track on race day. Can’t make it? Catch every ASCS National Tour race live on DIRTVision.

Here are the top storylines entering the weekend:

BACK FOR MORE: If the second visit of the year to Dodge City is anything like the first, fans will be in for a treat on Friday night.

Back in June, Matt Covington was on his way to his first National Tour win of the season until a collision with a slower car brought an early end to his night. That opened the door for Sam Hafertepe Jr. and Jason Martin to battle it out for the top spot, with Hafertepe emerging victorious to claim his first of seven Series wins so far in 2024.

Covington returned to Dodge City five weeks later in search of redemption, and he got just that by topping an ASCS Western Plains Region event on July 6. The field that night included fellow National Tour competitor Kyler Johnson, who will be looking to use those extra Dodge City laps to his advantage on Friday to score his first top five on the National Tour since Red Dirt Raceway on May 10.

Martin’s runner-up result in June is still his best finish of the season, as the reigning champion will continue his search for his maiden trip to Victory Lane in 2024 this weekend. Dodge City could be just the place, as he finished first or second in his last three visits to the facility.

Another car to keep an eye on will be the No. 2J of Zach Blurton, who will be returning to the site of his first of two top 10s with the Series this season. The Rookie of the Year contender has made dozens of 305 Sprint Car starts at Dodge City, including seven wins with the United Rebel Sprint Series since 2013.

LINING UP LINCOLN: On Aug. 7, 1998, Terry Gray parked his Sprint Car in Lincoln County Victory Lane to claim the 22nd win of his National Tour career. However, his 9,507-day run as the most recent Series winner at the track will come to an end on Saturday night when someone new adds their name to the list of North Platte victors.

With many drivers in the field having zero Lincoln County experience, those who have competed there could have the upper hand come race day. Three of Blurton’s URSS wins have come at Lincoln County in 2016, 2022 and 2023, and he finished on the podium on two other occasions. Martin also won in North Platte with the URSS in 2019, while Austyn Gossel finished fourth there in ASCS Elite Non-Wing action in 2021.

On the other hand, Saturday’s race could be a wild card in the championship fight, as none of the top five in points have ever suited up at the ½-mile Nebraska dirt track.

GAINING GROUND: If Seth Bergman’s Sprint Car had a rearview mirror, the “objects in mirror may be closer than they appear” reminder would be referring to the black-and-red No. 15H.

Hafertepe has a win percentage of 50% thus far in the 2024 season, but a slow start to the season combined with a crash at Arrowhead Speedway and engine trouble at Tri-State Speedway put the Sunnyvale, TX native 99 points behind leader Bergman, who has racked up four wins and 10 top fives in 13 Feature starts.

Hafertepe ended Speedweek with a 201-point gap to Bergman in the standings, but a second-place finish at Batesville followed by four-straight wins has cut that deficit in half. While his latest triumph on his prelim night at the 360 Knoxville Nationals only paid show-up points, it still shifted the momentum firmly in Hafertepe’s favor entering Dodge City, where he won in June.

Meanwhile, Bergman finished sixth earlier this season in his first National Tour start at Dodge City in 12 years. With that recent experience under his belt, the driver of the No. 23 will be looking to put it in the top five for the first time at Dodge City and rebuild his lead in the title chase.

THE LONG HAUL: Six races in three weeks is nothing out of the ordinary for a high-level Sprint Car team, but rarely does one of those stretches take them as far from home as many teams will be over the next few weeks.

Competitors will put 275 miles on the odometer between Dodge City and Lincoln County, and from there, it’s nearly 700 miles through the Rocky Mountains to Big Sky Speedway near Billings, MT, where the Series will contest the Harvey Ostermiller Memorial, Aug. 23-24.

The Series will then venture 200 miles north to Electric City Speedway, where the trip will wrap up with the Montana Roundup on Labor Day weekend, Aug. 30-31.

WHEN AND WHERE:
Friday, Aug. 16 at Dodge City Raceway Park in Dodge City, KS
Saturday, Aug. 17 at Lincoln County Raceway in North Platte, NE

AROUND THE TURN:
The American Sprint Car Series National Tour will make its return to Montana next weekend, Aug. 23-24, at Big Sky Speedway in Shepherd, MT for the Harvey Ostermiller Memorial, which will conclude with a $12,012-to-win Feature on Saturday night.

CURRENT POINT STANDINGS (TOP 10):

Seth Bergman (1843 points)
Sam Hafertepe Jr. (-99)
Matt Covington (-149)
Andrew Deal (-285)
Hank Davis (-307)
Landon Britt (-358)
Kyler Johnson (-395)
Jason Martin (-397)
Terry Easum (-409)
Zach Blurton (-417)

FEATURE WINNERS (6):

Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 7

Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 4

Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 1

Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 1

Kaleb Johnson – Sioux Falls, SD – 1

Tyler Courtney – Indianapolis, IN – 1

QUICK TIME AWARDS (8):

Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 7

Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 1

Josh McCord – Broken Arrow, OK – 1

Alex Sewell – Sapulpa, OK – 1

Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 1

Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 1

Aaron Reutzel – Clute, TX – 1

Tyler Groenendyk – Oskaloosa, IA – 1

HEAT RACE WINS (33):

Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 4

Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 4

Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 3

Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 3

Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 3

Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 3

Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 2

Whit Gastineau – Moore, OK – 2

Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 2

Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 2

Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 2

Lane Whittington – Denham Springs, LA – 1

Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 1

Koty Adams – Haughton, LA – 1

Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 1

Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 1

Brekton Crouch – Lubbock, TX – 1

Jeremy Campbell – Wichita, KS – 1

Cody Gardner – Benton, AR – 1

Austyn Gossel – Windsor, CO – 1

Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK –1

Matt Juhl – Tea, SD – 1

Garet Williamson – Columbia, MO – 1

Emerson Axsom – Franklin, IN – 1

Hunter Schuerenberg – Sikeston, MO – 1

Tanner Holmes – Jacksonville, OR – 1

Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 1

Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 1

Tyler Groenendyk – Oskaloosa, IA – 1

Parker Price-Miller – Kokomo, IN – 1

Colton Hardy – Phoenix, AZ – 1

Tanner Thorson – Broken Arrow, OK – 1

Brian Brown – Higginsville, MO – 1

DASH APPEARANCES (27):

Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 11

Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 11

Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 8

Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 5

Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 4

Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 4

Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 4

Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 4

Whit Gastineau – Moore, OK – 3

Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 3

Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 2

Alex Sewell – Broken Arrow, OK – 2

Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 1

Lane Whittington – Denham Springs, LA – 1

Koty Adams – Haughton, LA – 1

Ryder Laplante – Calera, OK – 1

Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 1

Brekton Crouch – Lubbock, TX – 1

Jeremy Campbell – Wichita, KS – 1

Elijah Gile – Phoenix, AZ – 1

Cody Gardner – Benton, AR – 1

Austyn Gossel – Windsor, CO – 1

Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 1

Harli White – Lindsay, OK – 1

Austin McCarl – Altoona, IA – 1

Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 1

Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 1

LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINNERS (9):

Rees Moran – Tulsa, OK – 2

Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 1

Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 1

Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 1

Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 1

Aaron Reutzel – Clute, TX – 1

Chase Porter – St. Joseph, MO – 1

Kerry Madsen – Knoxville, IA – 1

Chase Randall – Waco, TX – 1

PODIUM FINISHERS (21):

Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 8

Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 8

Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 5

Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 4

Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 2

Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 2

Austin McCarl – Altoona, IA – 2

Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 1

Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 1

Tanner Conn – Oklahoma City, OK – 1

Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 1

Ryder Laplante – Calera, OK – 1

Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 1

Kaleb Johnson – Sioux Falls, SD – 1

Chase Randall – Waco, TX – 1

Kade Higday – Knoxville, IA – 1

Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 1

Cory Eliason – Visalia, CA – 1

Brian Brown – Higginsville MO – 1

Tyler Courtney – Indianapolis, IN – 1

Emerson Axsom – Franklin, IN – 1

TOP 10 FINISHERS (54):
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 12

Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 12

Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 10

Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 8

Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 8

Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 8

Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 7

Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 6

Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 6

Kyler Johnson – Quinter, KS – 4

Rees Moran – Tulsa, OK – 4

Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 3

Whit Gastineau – Moore, OK – 3

Alex Sewell – Broken Arrow, OK – 2

Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 2

Zach Blurton – Quinter, KS – 2

Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 2

Harli White – Lindsay, OK – 2

Brandon Anderson – Glenpool, OK – 2

Tyler Courtney – Indianapolis, IN – 2

Emerson Axsom – Franklin, IN – 2

Austin McCarl – Altoona, IA – 2

Brian Brown – Higginsville, MO – 2

Cory Eliason – Visalia, CA – 2

Tasker Phillips – Pleasantville, IA – 2

Jamie Ball – Knoxville, IA – 2

Kaleb Johnson – Sioux Falls, SD – 2

Terry McCarl – Altoona, IA – 2

Channin Tankersley – Arlington, TX – 1

Tanner Conn – Oklahoma City, OK – 1

Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 1

Brekton Crouch – Lubbock, TX – 1

Jeremy Huish – Jetmore, KS – 1

Ryder Laplante – Calera, OK – 1

Jeremy Campbell – Wichita, KS – 1

Austyn Gossel – Windsor, CO – 1

Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 1

Fred Mattox – Drumright, OK – 1

Dale Howard – Byhalia, MS – 1

Brad Bowden – Hernando, MS – 1

Michael Day – Farmersville, TX – 1

Chase Randall – Waco, TX – 1

Kade Higday – Knoxville, IA – 1

Justin Peck – Monrovia, IN – 1

Riley Goodno – Knoxville, IA – 1

Gunner Ramey – Sedalia, MO – 1

Miles Paulus – Marshall, MO – 1

Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 1

Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 1

Kasey Kahne – Enumclaw, WA – 1

Ryan Giles – Grimes, IA – 1

Kerry Madsen – Knoxville, IA – 1

Alex Hill – Six Nations, ON – 1

Cole Macedo – Lemoore, CA – 1

2024 AMERICAN SPRINT CAR SERIES SCHEDULE & WINNERS:

Friday, Apr. 19 / Super Bee Speedway / Chatham LA / Seth Bergman (1)

Friday, May 10 / Red Dirt Raceway / Meeker, OK / Terry Easum (1)

Friday, May 31 / Rush County Speedway / La Crosse, KS / Seth Bergman (2)

Saturday, Jun. 1 / Dodge City Raceway Park / Dodge City, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (1)

Tuesday, Jun. 11 / Texarkana 67 Speedway / Texarkana, AR / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (2)

Thursday, Jun. 13 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (3)

Friday, Jun. 14 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK / Seth Bergman (3)

Saturday, Jun. 15 / Tri-State Speedway / Pocola, OK / Seth Bergman (4)

Saturday, Jun. 22 / Batesville Motor Speedway / Locust Grove, AR / Jordon Mallett (1)

Friday, Jun. 28 / Tulsa Speedway / Tulsa, OK / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (4)

Friday, Jul. 19 / Lakeside Speedway / Kansas City, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (5)

Saturday, Jul. 20 / 81 Speedway / Wichita, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (6)

Thursday, Aug. 1 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Kaleb Johnson (1)

Friday, Aug. 2 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (7)

Saturday, Aug. 3 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Tyler Courtney (1)

Friday, Aug. 16 / Dodge City Raceway Park / Dodge City, KS

Saturday, Aug. 17 / Lincoln County Raceway / North Platte, NE

Friday, Aug. 23 / Big Sky Speedway / Shepherd, MT

Saturday, Aug. 24 / Big Sky Speedway / Shepherd, MT

Friday, Aug. 30 / Electric City Speedway / Black Eagle, MT

Saturday, Aug. 31 / Electric City Speedway / Black Eagle, MT

Tuesday, Sep. 10 / Clay County Fair Speedway / Spencer, IA

Friday, Sep. 13 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK

Saturday, Sep. 14 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK
Friday, Sep. 27 / Riverside International Speedway / West Memphis, AR

Saturday, Sep. 28 / Riverside International Speedway / West Memphis, AR

Friday, Oct. 11 / Benton Speedway / Benton, MO
Saturday, Oct. 12 / Paducah International Raceway / Paducah, KY

Friday, Oct. 18 / RPM Speedway / Crandall, TX

Saturday, Oct. 19 / RPM Speedway / Crandall, TX

Thursday, Nov. 14 / Tulsa Speedway / Tulsa, OK

Friday, Nov. 15 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK

Saturday, Nov. 16 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK

 

 

Blurton Rolling with the Punches in Rookie Season on National Tour

CONCORD, NC (August 8, 2024) –

In the leadup to the 2024 season, Quinter, KS native Zach Blurton realized it was time to take the next step in his racing career.

He made the leap to full-time 360 Sprint Car competition, and decided there was no better place to do that than with the American Sprint Car Series National Tour.

“I wasn’t going to do it until I physically felt like my team was capable of doing it with the equipment and funding that we needed to go and do it,” Blurton said. “I felt like we had that, and enough motors and cars and stuff to go and do it, and it just finally made sense.

“I’m in a location where it is kind of tough for 360 racing. You’ve got to travel a ways to go race a 360 to begin with. Kyler Johnson and I are from the same town, and I know that’s what their decision was. We’re already going so far, if we’re going to do it, we might as well go and do it.”

Blurton found success in his limited National Tour starts prior to 2024, including a win with the Series at WaKeeney Speedway in 2022. Because of that, he had high expectations to start his Rookie of the Year chase, but he quickly learned that running the full tour is an entirely different animal.

“I thought we would do a lot better than what we have been, just been absolutely struggling,” Blurton said. “I know I can do it, and I’ve done it. I feel like the competition is so much more intense and there’s so many good drivers this year with it, not just the National guys. Going into it, I thought that we could run top 10 every night pretty easily, and shoot, I’ve struggled to even make the top 10.”

The Sunflower State is known for having some of the largest dirt tracks in the nation, and Blurton expected his experience on the big tracks to play into his favor over some of his competitors who were raised on bullrings.

“I would have thought that we would have been able to have some better finishes, especially at the bigger racetracks,” Blurton said. “The small racetracks are definitely something that we don’t have up here. I’m used to racing on Dodge City [Raceway Park] and bigger, and the small racetracks are tough for me. And so, I figured when we would go to a bigger track, those would be our better chances, and we just haven’t been able to get something going.”

While Blurton is disappointed to only have two top 10s through the first 15 races of the year, he is proud of his ability to keep his nose clean and avoid trouble early in the night.

“I haven’t had to use a single provisional, and I feel like that’s pretty big right now,” Blurton said. “Not having to use any of those and having those in our pocket for when we actually need them.”

Blurton honed his craft in the 305 Sprint Car division for more than a decade before making the jump to the ASCS, and still pulls out the 305 to race locally on off weekends for the National Tour.

“As far as running a 305 versus a 360, I feel like a 305 helps me stay in the groove of racing,” Blurton said. “As far as learning something, yeah, a little bit here and there. But then the 360 and 305, it helps me a ton. I go back to a 305 and it’s so much slower. I have way more time to think about stuff throughout the race now, and it makes the 305 a lot easier.”

In between race weekends, the No. 2J team has been hard at work in the shop finding more performance in their 360 program, and Blurton said he believes they may have discovered the issues that were holding them back.

“Finally figured out that we may have had some car problems with our new car that we got this winter,” Blurton said. “Before Knoxville, I switched to a different car, and so hopefully that changes some stuff from here on out.”

Up next on Blurton’s freshman campaign is a pair of tracks close to home, beginning with the National Tour’s second visit of the year to Dodge City on Friday, Aug. 16, and its first trip since 1998 to Lincoln County Raceway on Saturday, Aug. 17.

Blurton’s Dodge City resume includes seven wins with the United Rebel Sprint Series in 305 competition, and it was the site of his first top 10 of the year with the National Tour on June 1. And while many of his competitors have never laid eyes on Lincoln County, Blurton hasn’t just competed there, but won three races there with the URSS.

Given his extensive background at both facilities, he’s hopeful next weekend will be a turning point for his season.

“Dodge City is close to home and special to us, and we always like going there,” Blurton said. “Then, getting to Lincoln County in North Platte, NE is something I’ve been looking forward to since they announced it. That racetrack is an oval, and it’s shaped how a racetrack’s supposed to be shaped, but there’s characteristics and things that it’s done in the past years racing 305s there.

“Looking forward to that place for sure, they always have a tremendous turnout of people in the stands. North Platte loves Sprint Car racing.”

Tickets to both events will be available at the gate on race day, while DIRTVision will provide live coverage for those unable to make it to the track.

 

 

Courtney Takes Home $30,000 and Maiden 360 Knoxville Nationals Title

KNOXVILLE, IA (August 3, 2024) –

Tyler Courtney’s Sprint Car resume has been growing at a rapid rate in recent years, and he added another major accolade Saturday night at Knoxville Raceway.

The Indianapolis, IN native wheeled his NOS Energy Drink No. 7BC to his first victory in the Xtream powered by Mediacom 360 Knoxville Nationals presented by Great Southern Bank.

“I’ve gotten to do a lot of cool things in my time in Sprint Car racing,” Courtney said. “But to win a Nationals event at Knoxville is up there. Obviously the Kings Royal is first, but this is probably second or third on the list.”

Courtney is a two-time winner at the “Sprint Car Capital of the World” in Non-Wing competition, but his latest victory is his first at the track with the wing on.

Saturday’s Feature lineup was set by points earned during preliminary action on Thursday and Friday, and Courtney’s performance on Friday night was enough to earn the outside of the front row for the 30-lap affair alongside 360 Nationals rookie Emerson Axsom.

The two ran side-by-side through Turns 1 and 2 on the opening lap, but Courtney’s momentum on the top lane was enough for him to power to the lead down the backstretch and pace the first circuit.

Axsom wasn’t interested in watching Courtney drive away though, as he dove to the bottom of Turn 1 on Lap 2 and completed the slide job to retake the top spot. But before he could build a gap, B-Main winner Chase Randall pounded the wall and flipped in Turn 3 to bring out the red flag.

When the race resumed, Axsom moved up the track on the restart to take the clean air away from Courtney and built a 1.3-second advantage by the end of the lap. However, once Axsom caught the tail of the field for the first time, Courtney began to quickly reel in the No. 27A machine.

On Lap 11, Courtney threaded the needle in Turn 1 between Axsom on the top and the slower car of Ryan Giles on the bottom. Axsom held onto the lead down the backstretch, but his contact with Carson McCarl seconds later in Turn 3 was all Courtney needed to grab the lead.

From there, Courtney put on a masterclass in navigating traffic, leading 20 laps in all to add $10,000 in lap money onto his $20,000 winner’s check.

“When we got to traffic, I felt like my car was pretty good at running behind guys,” Courtney said. “My car just kept getting better and better, and the track changed a little bit there at the end, so I had to move around and find that. The 360 field this year was really tough, so the cars I was getting to lap weren’t just slouches to go and try and pass. It was getting tough.”

The Clauson Marshall Racing team’s primary goal for the weekend was to build their Knoxville notebook ahead of next week’s NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s, but once they realized their potential with the 360 between the frame rails, their focus switched to the here and now.

“We don’t really come into this week with any expectations,” Courtney said. “But once we sat on the front row, then you’re holding yourself up to ‘Let’s go win this thing. We’re already here, let’s get it done.”

While Axsom was disappointed to come up short after earning the top starting spot, it was still a commendable effort by the 19-year-old in his first full-time season in the winged ranks.

“It’s good to put these runs together in these big races because it’s a confidence booster,” Axsom said. “I know my guys can do it and I know I can do it, it’s just putting it all together. Takes a little bit of time. I’m sitting here a little bit disappointed, but I think if you would have told me at the start of the year that we would come here and run second at the 360 Nationals, I’d probably be really pumped.”

While Austin McCarl’s third-place effort established a new career best on Saturday of the 360 Nationals for the 15-year Knoxville veteran, he will have to wait another year for his long-awaited first victory in the event.

“I’m disappointed to be sitting here third,” McCarl said. “I feel like I drove about as good as I could. I feel like we’ve been really solid all year, just haven’t been clicking off wins for whatever reason. But I feel like I’m right there every night, if we keep doing that, I think we can keep fine tuning.”

Reigning event winner Brian Brown’s quest for a repeat ended in the fourth spot, and Friday night runner-up Cory Eliason completed the top five.

Carson McCarl finished fourth in the B-Main to join his father Terry and brother Austin in the Feature, and his drive from the tail of the field to 15th was enough to pick up the night’s Hard Charger Award.

UP NEXT: The ASCS National Tour will return in two weeks for the first of three consecutive weekends of racing beginning at Dodge City Raceway Park on Friday, August 16, and concluding at Lincoln County Raceway on Saturday, August 17. Tickets to both events will be available at the track on race day, while those unable to make it to the track can watch every lap live on DIRTVision.

Feature (30 Laps): 1. 7BC-Tyler Courtney[2]; 2. 27A-Emerson Axsom[1]; 3. 88-Austin McCarl[4]; 4. 21-Brian Brown[9]; 5. 8-Cory Eliason[3]; 6. 1TZ-Tasker Phillips[6]; 7. 4W-Jamie Ball[5]; 8. 21T-Cole Macedo[12]; 9. 6-Kaleb Johnson[8]; 10. 01-Terry McCarl[10]; 11. 95-Matt Covington[16]; 12. 55-Kerry Madsen[19]; 13. 27H-Justin Peck[15]; 14. 87-Aaron Reutzel[17]; 15. 27-Carson McCarl[24]; 16. 9-Kasey Kahne[22]; 17. 2M-Ryan Giles[23]; 18. 35-Skylar Prochaska[20]; 19. 24-Kade Higday[11]; 20. 26-Zeb Wise[18]; 21. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[13]; 22. 17-Tyler Groenendyk[7]; 23. 2KS-Chase Randall[21]; 24. (DNS) 27B-Jake Bubak

 

 

Hafertepe Jr. Gets Number Seven of 2024 on Friday at 360 Knoxville Nationals

KNOXVILLE, IA (August 2, 2024) – 

Sam Hafertepe Jr. has been no stranger to Victory Lane in 2024 with the American Sprint Car Series National Tour, and he made his seventh visit of the year after taking home the Friday portion of the Xtream powered by Mediacom 360 Knoxville Nationals presented by Great Southern Bank at Knoxville Raceway.

“Just a testament to our team, Miles Hill keeps putting the money behind us that it takes to compete at this level,” Hafertepe said. “Definitely not where we wanted to be, going out that late [in Qualifying]. Just couldn’t muster up any better of a time than we put down, but to win the Feature, that’s a good recovery.”

Hafertepe started the Feature on the pole position on the inside of reigning 360 Nationals champion Brian Brown. After diving to the inside berm in Turn 1, Hafertepe slid up to block Brown’s run on the top to take the lead off Turn 2 on the opening lap.

“Brown’s really smart, he runs this place all the time, he’s got a lot of laps around here,” Hafertepe said. “If I saw a nose, we’d move and maybe play a little defense. You watch these guys run all year here, the way they run this place, I just try to mimic some of the block moves.”

Hafertepe continued to work the low lane to build a one-second lead in the early stages, but his gap was erased when a spin by Joe Beaver brought out a yellow six laps in.

Once the race resumed, it looked like a replay of the first run of the race, with Hafertepe pulling away from Brown on the bottom until a caution reracked the field on Lap 11, this time for Parker Price-Miller’s blown engine.

Brown put up his biggest challenge of the race on the ensuing restart, getting within a car length of Hafertepe exiting Turn 2 on Lap 12. Brown powered around the high lane through Turns 3 and 4 before Hafertepe once again slid up to block Brown and hold onto the lead. The tussle allowed Cory Eliason to catch both of them and pass Brown with seven to go.

After clearing the No. 21, Eliason went to work on running down Hafertepe, and he quickly got within striking distance of the leader. But before he could make a move, Hank Davis got into the wall and upside down to bring out the red flag with six laps remaining.

Hafertepe used one more strong restart to power away while Eliason and Brown battled for the second spot. The pair raced side-by-side for more than a lap after the restart, with Eliason staying low and Brown ripping the cushion. Eliason prevailed, but by that point, Hafertepe was already out of range and on his way to the checkered flag.

The Sunnyvale, TX native has been known in recent seasons for bouncing back and forth between 360 and 410 Sprint Car competition but has placed a renewed focus on his 360 program in 2024. With seven National Tour wins along with a Germfree Southern Sprint Car Shootout victory at Volusia Speedway Park in January under his belt, that decision has clearly paid dividends.

“We run 360s all the time and these guys don’t, and they probably have some issues with their motors taking off,” Hafertepe said regarding his advantage on restarts throughout the race. “We run every night and work on that kind of stuff, and that helps us on our takeoff for sure.”

While Eliason ran out of laps to run down Hafertepe for the win, his runner-up effort was enough to lock him into the Feature and give him a chance at his maiden 360 Nationals triumph.

“I didn’t need that red,” Eliason said. “I felt the longer runs we had, it was good, and right before that red, I got by Brown and I was able to get my nose underneath Sam a few times. I got him uncomfortable and got him searching, which that’s what I needed, clean air is key here, especially with the 360 in.”

While Brown has been known as one of the faces of Knoxville thanks to his six track championships at the “Sprint Car Capital of the World,” he knew he would have his hands full in the Feature with Hafertepe starting on his inside.

“I knew it was going to be a battle between me and Sam initially, just because he’s not a slouch,” Brown said. “He’s obviously the best 360 driver in the country, and he’s a whale of a 410 driver as well, so I knew it was going to be a game of cat-and-mouse.”

Jake Bubak came home fourth for his career-best finish in 360 Nationals prelim competition, while 18-time NASCAR Cup Series winner Kasey Kahne completed the top five with his best finish of the season in a Sprint Car.

The Hard Charger Award went to Kerry Madsen, who won the B-Main to advance to the Feature before driving from 21st up to eighth at the finish.

UP NEXT: A 360 Knoxville Nationals champion will be crowned on Saturday night and presented with a $20,000 winner’s check, the largest top prize of the National Tour season. Tickets are available online, while those unable to make it to Knoxville can catch every lap live on DIRTVision with an annual FAST PASS.

Feature (20 Laps): 1. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[1]; 2. 8-Cory Eliason[4]; 3. 21-Brian Brown[2]; 4. 27B-Jake Bubak[3]; 5. 9-Kasey Kahne[9]; 6. 7BC-Tyler Courtney[7]; 7. 2M-Ryan Giles[11]; 8. 55-Kerry Madsen[21]; 9. 1TZ-Tasker Phillips[6]; 10. 77X-Alex Hill[12]; 11. 27-Carson McCarl[17]; 12. 35-Skylar Prochaska[5]; 13. 3P-Sawyer Phillips[10]; 14. 49X-Tim Shaffer[23]; 15. 26-Zeb Wise[24]; 16. 17-Tyler Groenendyk[8]; 17. 88T-Tanner Thorson[19]; 18. 69K-Daryn Pittman[13]; 19. 41-Colton Hardy[18]; 20. 53-Joe Beaver[20]; 21. 98P-Miles Paulus[15]; 22. 2C-Hank Davis[22]; 23. 9P-Parker Price Miller[14]; 24. 9M-Liam Martin[16]

Saturday Feature Starting Lineup (based on combined point totals from Thursday and Friday):

  1. Emerson Axsom
  2. Tyler Courtney
  3. Cory Eliason
  4. Austin McCarl
  5. Jamie Ball
  6. Tasker Phillips
  7. Tyler Groenendyk
  8. Kaleb Johnson
  9. Brian Brown
  10. Terry McCarl
  11. Kade Higday
  12. Cole Macedo
  13. Sam Hafertepe Jr.
  14. Jake Bubak
  15. Justin Peck
  16. Matt Covington
  17. Aaron Reutzel
  18. Zeb Wise
  19. Kerry Madsen
  20. Skylar Prochaska
  21. B-Main Transfer 1
  22. B-Main Transfer 2
  23. B-Main Transfer 3
  24. B-Main Transfer 4
 

 

Kaleb Johnson Leads Them All to Take Opening Night Win in 360 Knoxville Nationals

KNOXVILLE, IA (August 1, 2024) –

The greatest 10 days in Sprint Car racing are underway, and Kaleb Johnson kicked things off in style by leading all 20 laps of Thursday’s Feature at Knoxville Raceway on night one of the Xtream powered by Mediacom 360 Knoxville Nationals presented by Great Southern Bank.

“If you would have told me this morning that I was going to be here winning a 360 Feature at the Knoxville Nationals, I would have told you you’re crazy,” Johnson said after his first Sprint Car victory of the season. “I’ve been very close before, just haven’t been able to put a whole night together. So it felt really good.”

Johnson shared the front row with Knoxville local Kade Higday and wasted no time taking an early advantage, hugging the inside groove to take a lead of nearly one second after one lap.

His gap only grew from there, up to almost three seconds over Higday at the halfway mark as Johnson entered lap traffic. Even when surrounded by other cars, the No. 6 rarely ventured away from the bottom, sometimes getting the left-side tires up on the berm to squeeze past the competition.

With no cautions in the Feature to give Higday and the rest of the field a shot at Johnson, the Sioux Falls, SD native was able to drive away to his first win at the “Sprint Car Capital of the World.”

“I think it definitely helped starting on the pole there,” Johnson said. “I’m a little tired, but I was going to make sure I didn’t lose that one. I feel like I’ve had so many chances, not only here, but other places, and I’ve just never been able to do it. It was good to finally be able to put a full night together.”

For Johnson, the win helped him prove to his car owner that he made the right choice of driver for his car.

“First of all, thank you to Dennis Gainey,” Johnson said. “Talk about taking a chance on a young kid from South Dakota. It means the world to me. He really took a chance on letting us maintain and work on this thing every week, and my guys do just that.”

While the top spot went unchanged from start to finish, there was plenty of shuffling for position behind him. Chase Randall moved from his 12th-place starting spot into the top three by the late stages of the race and overtook Higday on the outside of Turn 2 with three to go to claim the runner-up spot and the Hard Charger Award.

“I feel a lot better after that run, we were chasing some issues all night,” Randall said. “Just not feeling comfortable in the race car getting into the corners down the straightaways.

“I really want to say a huge thank you to Kelly Fisher, he was down at our trailer a lot of the night helping diagnose the issues, getting it all tuned up. And I think it ran a lot better there, and obviously it showed, passing a lot of really good cars.”

Higday’s third-place effort was a massive improvement from his previous career best of 20th in 360 Nationals prelim action and will put him in a strong position entering Saturday’s finale. While he’s happy with his performance on the night, he knows he’ll need to find even more pace to be a contender come Saturday.

“We’re really fast, just had to get a little bit better towards the end of that race,” Higday said. Just tried to capitalize once we get to lap traffic, we were pretty bad there once we got in that really dirty air, and it allowed Chase to get by us. Luckily we didn’t run fourth or fifth there.”

Reigning Knoxville Raceway 410 Sprint Car track champion Austin McCarl came home fourth, while Emerson Axsom rounded out the top five in his first 360 Nationals start.

UP NEXT: The other half of the field will take to the track Friday night for prelim action aiming for a spot in Saturday night’s $20,000-to-win Feature. Tickets are still available online or at the gate, while those unable to make it to Knoxville can catch every lap live on DIRTVision.

Feature (20 Laps): 1. 6-Kaleb Johnson[1]; 2. 2KS-Chase Randall[12]; 3. 24-Kade Higday[2]; 4. 88-Austin McCarl[6]; 5. 27A-Emerson Axsom[8]; 6. 27H-Justin Peck[3]; 7. 01-Terry McCarl[5]; 8. 4W-Jamie Ball[7]; 9. 95-Matt Covington[4]; 10. 22X-Riley Goodno[9]; 11. 09-Matt Juhl[15]; 12. 64-Hunter Schuerenberg[13]; 13. 21T-Cole Macedo[22]; 14. 23W-Garet Williamson[16]; 15. 87-Aaron Reutzel[21]; 16. 18T-Tanner Holmes[19]; 17. 4J-Chase Johnson[20]; 18. 55B-Brandon Anderson[11]; 19. 8H-Jacob Hughes[14]; 20. 36-Jason Martin[18]; 21. 23-Seth Bergman[24]; 22. 70-Calvin Landis[10]; 23. 4G-Cole Garner[23]; 24. 52-Blake Hahn[17]

 

 

Drivers Preparing to Chase Season's Biggest Prize at 360 Knoxville Nationals

KNOXVILLE, IA (July 31, 2024) –

The list of winners of the Xtream powered by Mediacom 360 Knoxville Nationals presented by Great Southern Bank is a who’s who of Sprint Car legends. Among them include the likes of Sammy Swindell, Danny Lasoski, Shane Stewart, Kerry Madsen and Terry McCarl.

This weekend, the stars of the American Sprint Car Series National Tour will be vying for a chance to become a member of that exclusive club.

Series points leader Seth Bergman has been trying to join the club ever since making his first 360 Knoxville Nationals appearance back in 2007. His career-best in the event came in 2017 when he finished 12th in the Saturday night Feature, and he’s optimistic about his chances of resetting that mark this year, especially after his runner-up effort at the similarly sized Lakeside Speedway on July 19.

“We’ve got a few things that we need to get better on,” Bergman said. “But definitely, I feel like we were one of the fastest cars all night [at Lakeside], if not the car to beat there in the Feature. So yeah, I feel good. I feel like we’ve got a good package, a good game plan for some of these big tracks.”

Eight National Tour teams traveled to Knoxville a week early to partake in a weekly event on Saturday night. Hank Davis was the highest-finishing National Tour full-timer, placing sixth.

It was a major achievement considering the massive 62-car field in the 360 Sprint Car division and the fact that it was only Davis’s third start at Knoxville. However, the transition from the 1/4-mile Oklahoma bullrings Davis grew up on to the 1/2-mile Knoxville Raceway has been accelerated thanks to the guidance of his crew chief and mentor, two-time 360 Knoxville Nationals winner Wayne Johnson.

“You can’t go down there [in the corners] and stop, momentum is a big deal,” Johnson said regarding the driving style required at Knoxville. “Dirty air is a big thing with these race cars on big racetracks, and I think that the more times we do it, the better he’s going to get at it.

“With my knowledge of running Knoxville and dirty air and all that stuff, I’m in his ear constantly. When we went to Knoxville the last few weeks, I just had him watch. I said, ‘Go watch how these other guys enter the corner, watch a lot of video.”

The Series regulars will have to fend off a fierce batch of local competitors this weekend, one of the toughest being two-time track champion Austin McCarl. While the Altoona, IA native has concentrated primarily on the 410 division for most of his career, he has been competitive in the 360 Nationals as well, scoring a prelim night win and a fifth-place finish on Saturday night in 2020.

McCarl made the trip to Lakeside to assess the state of his 360 program against the National Tour field and ended the night in the third spot.

“Driving style is pretty similar to Knoxville,” McCarl said. “This place is a little different though, it gets a little bit tricky on entrance, but whatever, it’s a dirt track.

“Wanted to come try some things. Wanted to just get some laps under the 360, don’t get to run it very often. So, I feel like we learned some things.”

Action begins with split-field preliminary nights on Thursday and Friday, Aug. 1-2, and will conclude with the $20,000-to-win championship on Saturday on Aug. 3. Tickets and other event information are available here, while those unable to make it to the “Sprint Car Capital of the World” can catch every lap live on DIRTVision with an annual FAST PASS.

 

 

$5,000 to Win G.W. Elkins Southwestern Championship Next For ASCS Elite Non-Wing Series at Route 66 Motor Speedway

Taking wingless action to Route 66 Motor Speedway in Amarillo, Texas, on Saturday, Aug. 3, the ASCS Elite Non-Wing Series presented by Abilene Powder Coating will battle for a $5,000 payday during the 10th annual Superior Livestock Trailers G.W. Elkins Southwestern Championship.

Honoring the late owner/promoter of the former Amarillo Speed Bowl, which sits just over six miles northwest of Route 66 Motor Speedway, Elkins was among the founding members of the National Championship Racing Association (NCRA) and was elected president of the organization during its founding in 1971.

Becoming the second driver to become a multi-time winner of the Southwestern Championship, El Paso’s John Carney II, who won in 2015, captured the $5,000 check again in 2023. The only other driver to win the event twice is current point’s leader, R.J. Miller, who won the event in 2017 and 2018. Other winners include Johnny Miller (2016), Wyatt Burks (2019), Keith Martin (2020), Justin Zimmerman (2021), and Caden McCreary (2022).

Saturday’s Feature will be $5,000 to win and $500 to start; pits open at 3:30 p.m. with grandstands opening at 6 p.m. The 10th annual Superior Livestock Trailers G.W. Elkins Southwestern Championship goes green at 7 p.m. (CDT). Other divisions include the AA&A Windshield & Glass USRA Limited Mods, Air Compressor Solutions Street Stocks, 1-800 Radiator USRA Tuners, TB Trailer Sales USRA Modifieds, and ERAC Services Dirt Limited Late Models.

Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for seniors, youth, and military. For directions and info on Route 66 Motor Speedway, visit their website or call (806) 803-1212.

The ASCS Elite Wing and Non-Wing Series is owned and operated by Nathan Moore and operates under the sanction of the American Sprint Car Series. Nathan can be reached at (903) 780-9934 or by email at elitenonwingsprints@gmail.com.

 

 

ASCS Frontier Back At Belgrade, Big Sky Speedway Bryan Hulbert

Kicking off the month of August with a Montana double, the ASCS Frontier Region will return to Gallatin Speedway on Friday, Aug. 2, and Big Sky Speedway on Saturday, Aug. 3.

The tour’s third visit to Gallatin Speedway in 2024, Oregon’s Tyler Thompson has been undefeated so far at the 3/8-mile oval. The same can be said for Big Sky Speedway, which saw Thompson in Victory Lane in the tour’s only visit so far in June.

On top in four out of the five features contested so far this season, Thompson leads the ASCS Frontier Region by 95 markers over Kelly Miller, who picked up a pair of wins over the weekend with the ASCS Northern Plains Region in Wyoming. Phil Dietz holds third, with Trever Kirkland and Joe Perry making up the top five. The only driver so far this season to deny Thompson a win is Rich Bailey, who won in the tour’s last outing at Electric City Speedway.

Friday, August 2, at Gallatin Speedway, opens at 5:30 p.m. with racing at 7:00 p.m. (MDT). Tickets are $15 for adults, $13 for seniors, and free for kids 12 and under. The event is sponsored by 406 Electric and pays $2,000 to win and $400 to start.

Gallatin Speedway is located at 2290 Tubb Rd. in Belgrade, Mont. Information on the track is on their Facebook page, or by calling (406) 388-9666. Along with the ASCS Frontier Region, Friday’s event includes WISSOTA Street Stock, WISSOTA Super Stock, and IMCA Sport Compacts.

Gates open at 5:30 p.m. with racing at 7 p.m. (MDT) at Big Sky Speedway. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for veterans and seniors (65+), and free for kids 60-inches tall or shorter. Big Sky Wingless Sprints, Wissota Midwest Modifieds, IMCA Modifieds, and Wissota Super Stocks are also on the lineup.

Big Sky Speedway is located at Hwy. 87 North, Mile Marker 16, just outside Billings, Mont. For more information on the 3/8-mile oval, log visit the track online or call (406) 696-8661. Saturday’s event at Big Sky Speedway is also being run in support of Race For Life.

The 2024 season marks the 33rd season of competition for the American Sprint Car Series. Spearheaded by the American Sprint Car Series National Tour, the ASCS Nation includes Regional Tours encompassing Wing and Non-Wing competition.

For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, log onto the ASCS website, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@ascsracing).

 

 

1 MONTH ALERT: 28th Annual Montana Roundup Brings ASCS National Tour Back to Electric City Speedway, Aug. 30-31
 

For the first time in nearly 10 years, the American Sprint Car Series National Tour will return to Electric City Speedway for a two-day event during the 28th annual Montana Roundup.

The 1/3-mile dirt track has hosted the ASCS National Tour four times, the last coming in 2015. Of the four races, there has yet to be a repeat winner with the National Tour at the track.

Aaron Reutzel won the last race in 2015, Brad Loyet won in 2014, Tony Bruce Jr. in 2013 and Brock Lemley in 2012. That means, all current ASCS championship contenders, like points leader Seth Bergman and five-time Series champion Sam Hafertepe Jr., will be looking for their first National Tour win at the track.

The Frontier Region will join the National Tour both nights, bringing the best 360 Sprint Car drivers in the region. It’s already made a visit to Electric City this year on July 13 with Montana’s Rich Bailey picking up the win. He became the eighth straight different winner at the track with the Frontier Region, joining winners James Setters, Trever Kirkland, Tyler Driever, Joe Perry, Kelly Miller, Tyler Thompson and Logan Forler.

EVENT INFO
Date – Friday-Saturday, Aug. 30-31
Location – Great Falls, MT

Tickets – Available at track.
How to Watch – Can’t make it? Watch every lap live on DIRTVision.

Previous ASCS National Tour winners at Electric City –
2015 – Aaron Reutzel
2014 – Brad Loyet
2013 – Tony Bruce Jr.
2012 – Brock Lemley

 

 

 

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Stout Field, Huge Payouts Await at 360 Knoxville Nationals

KNOXVILLE, IA (July 29, 2024) – 

The American Sprint Car Series National Tour will invade the mecca of Sprint Car racing this weekend for the Xtream powered by Mediacom 360 Knoxville Nationals presented by Great Southern Bank at Knoxville Raceway.

More than 100 of the top drivers in Sprint Car racing are expected to converge on the “Sprint Car Capital of the World” for the three-day spectacle. In addition to the 15 full-time National Tour teams, the field will include a myriad of 410 stars looking to get laps ahead of next week’s NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s as well as 360 regulars from all regions of the country.

The event will culminate with the largest purse of the season on Saturday night, with the Feature paying $20,000 to win and $1,000 to start. Preliminary Features on Thursday and Friday night will each pay $3,000 to win and $250 to start.

Tickets can be purchased online in advance here, while those unable to make it to the track can catch every lap live on DIRTVision with an annual FAST PASS.

Here are the top storylines entering the weekend:

FORMAT 101: The largest and most prestigious event on the 360 Sprint Car calendar calls for a format unlike anything else the Series faces all season. Drivers earn points each time they hit the track, and those points determine lineups later in the event.

The field will be split in half for preliminary action, with drivers competing on either Thursday or Friday night. After Hot Laps, a driver’s first chance to earn points on their prelim night is Qualifying, which differs from the traditional National Tour format in how competitors will qualify against the entire field. The driver with the overall Quick Time will be awarded 200 points, with a two-point drop for each subsequent position.

If more than 50 cars register for either prelim night, Last Chance Heat Races will be run for those who qualify outside the top 50. Those races will pay 50 points to the winner, 47 for second, 44 for third, and so on.

The Heat Races will utilize a six-car invert to set the starting lineups, with Heat winners receiving 100 points with three-point gaps between positions.

Each driver’s point total on the night will determine their spot in the A, B or C Feature. The top four finishers in the C will transfer to the B, with the C Feature winner receiving 92 points. The B Feature works the same way, with the top four advancing to the A and the winner garnering 142 points. The night concludes with the A Feature, where the winner will gain 200 points.

Prelim night tallies will be used to set the starting lineups for the A, B, C, D and E Feature on Saturday night. No points will be awarded on Saturday; finishing at the front of the pack is the only way to transfer to the next Feature and get one step closer to becoming a 360 Knoxville Nationals champion.

THE SETH & SAM SHOW: Out of the 12 National Tour races run so far this season, all but two of them were claimed by either Seth Bergman or Sam Hafertepe Jr.

Bergman kickstarted the season with a victory at Super Bee Speedway with TwoC Racing before switching teams and picking up three more in the seat of his own No. 23 at Rush County Speedway, Arrowhead Speedway and Tri-State Speedway.

Hafertepe waited until the fourth race of the year at Dodge City Raceway Park to collect his first trophy, but he quickly racked up two more to start ASCS Speedweek at Texarkana 67 Speedway and Creek County Speedway. After losing due to a crash at Arrowhead Speedway and a last-lap pass at Batesville Motor Speedway, Hafertepe will roll into Knoxville on a three-race winning streak after triumphs at Tulsa Speedway, Lakeside Speedway and 81 Speedway.

The gap between leader Bergman and second-place man Hafertepe sits at 96 points, and that will not change this weekend as the event will pay show-up points only for National Tour competitors. However, neither competitor is currently able to call themselves a 360 Knoxville Nationals champion, and the idea of changing that will provide more than enough motivation for both.

MEET THE LOCALS: Knoxville Raceway is home to the toughest weekly field in 360 Sprint Car racing, and they will be out in force to challenge the National Tour this weekend.

Although Jamie Ball has only won once this season at Knoxville, a string of consistent runs has put him atop the standings by 308 markers over Clint Garner. Aaron Reutzel leads the win total this season at five, with one each going to Chase Randall, Nathan Mills, Tasker Phillips, Sawyer Phillips, Austin McCarl, Emerson Axsom and Ball, all of whom will be in attendance to try and defend their home turf.

Several members of the track’s 410 division will be bolting a 360 engine between the frame rails and joining the fun, including Terry, Austin and Carson McCarl, Brian Brown, Dusty Zomer and Matt Juhl.

THE INVADERS: The remainder of the entry list is filled with the best talent Sprint Car racing has to offer in both the 410 and 360 ranks.

The roster will include past World of Outlaws winners such as 2013 World of Outlaws champion Daryn Pittman, Tyler Courtney, Zeb Wise, Tim Shaffer, Brooke Tatnell and Parker Price-Miller, while former National Tour winners including Scott Bogucki and JJ Hickle will be making their returns to the Series that helped launch their Sprint Car careers.

The Pennsylvania Posse will be well represented in Iowa, with Danny Dietrich and Devon Borden both expected to make the tow. Other big names to keep an eye out for include 18-time NASCAR Cup Series winner Kasey Kahne, west coast superstar Tanner Holmes, reigning IRA champion Brenham Crouch and 2022 Attica-Fremont Championship Series champion Cole Macedo.

WHEN AND WHERE:
Thursday through Saturday, Aug. 1-3, at Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, IA

AROUND THE TURN: The American Sprint Car Series National Tour contests its first of three consecutive weekends of racing with a doubleheader beginning Friday, Aug. 16 at Dodge City Raceway Park and concluding at Lincoln County Raceway on Saturday, Aug. 17.

CURRENT POINT STANDINGS (TOP 10):

  1. Seth Bergman (1740 points)
  2. Sam Hafertepe Jr. (-96)
  3. Matt Covington (-146)
  4. Andrew Deal (-284)
  5. Hank Davis (-304)
  6. Landon Britt (-358)
  7. Jason Martin (-394)
  8. Kyler Johnson (-394)
  9. Terry Easum (-408)
  10. Zach Blurton (-417)

FEATURE WINNERS (4):
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 6
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 4
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 1

QUICK TIME AWARDS (6):
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 7
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 1
Josh McCord – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Alex Sewell – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 1

HEAT RACE WINS (19):
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 4
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 3
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 3
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 3
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 2
Whit Gastineau – Moore, OK – 2
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 2
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 2
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 2
Lane Whittington – Denham Springs, LA – 1
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 1
Koty Adams – Haughton, LA – 1
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 1
Brekton Crouch – Lubbock, TX – 1
Jeremy Campbell – Wichita, KS – 1
Cody Gardner – Benton, AR – 1
Austyn Gossel – Windsor, CO – 1
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK –1

DASH APPEARANCES (24):
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 9
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 9
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 7
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 4
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 4
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 4
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 4
Whit Gastineau – Moore, OK – 3
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 3
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Alex Sewell – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 2
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 1
Lane Whittington – Denham Springs, LA – 1
Koty Adams – Haughton, LA – 1
Ryder Laplante – Calera, OK – 1
Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 1
Brekton Crouch – Lubbock, TX – 1
Jeremy Campbell – Wichita, KS – 1
Elijah Gile – Phoenix, AZ – 1
Cody Gardner – Benton, AR – 1
Austyn Gossel – Windsor, CO – 1
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Harli White – Lindsay, OK – 1

LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINNERS (5):
Rees Moran – Tulsa, OK – 2
Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 1
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 1
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 1
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 1

PODIUM FINISHERS (12):
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 7
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 5
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 4
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 4
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 2
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 2
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 1
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Tanner Conn – Oklahoma City, OK – 1
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 1
Ryder Laplante – Calera, OK – 1
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 1

TOP 10 FINISHERS (32):
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 10
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 9
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 8
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 7
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 6
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 6
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 6
Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 5
Kyler Johnson – Quinter, KS – 4
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 4
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 3
Whit Gastineau – Moore, OK – 3
Rees Moran – Tulsa, OK – 3
Alex Sewell – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 2
Zach Blurton – Quinter, KS – 2
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 2
Harli White – Lindsay, OK – 2
Brandon Anderson – Glenpool, OK – 1
Channin Tankersley – Arlington, TX – 1
Tanner Conn – Oklahoma City, OK – 1
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Brekton Crouch – Lubbock, TX – 1
Jeremy Huish – Jetmore, KS – 1
Ryder Laplante – Calera, OK – 1
Jeremy Campbell – Wichita, KS – 1
Austyn Gossel – Windsor, CO – 1
Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 1
Fred Mattox – Drumright, OK – 1
Dale Howard – Byhalia, MS – 1
Brad Bowden – Hernando, MS – 1
Michael Day – Farmersville, TX – 1

2024 AMERICAN SPRINT CAR SERIES SCHEDULE & WINNERS:
Friday, Apr. 19 / Super Bee Speedway / Chatham LA / Seth Bergman (1)
Friday, May 10 / Red Dirt Raceway / Meeker, OK / Terry Easum (1)
Friday, May 31 / Rush County Soeedway / La Crosse, KS / Seth Bergman (2)
Saturday, Jun. 1 / Dodge City Raceway Park / Dodge City, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (1)
Tuesday, Jun. 11 / Texarkana 67 Speedway / Texarkana, AR / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (2)
Thursday, Jun. 13 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (3)
Friday, Jun. 14 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK / Seth Bergman (3)
Saturday, Jun. 15 / Tri-State Speedway / Pocola, OK / Seth Bergman (4)
Saturday, Jun. 22 / Batesville Motor Speedway / Locust Grove, AR / Jordon Mallett (1)
Friday, Jun. 28 / Tulsa Speedway / Tulsa, OK / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (4)
Friday, Jul. 19 / Lakeside Speedway / Kansas City, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (5)
Saturday, Jul. 20 / 81 Speedway / Wichita, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (6)
Thursday, Aug. 1 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA
Friday, Aug. 2 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA
Saturday, Aug. 3 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA
Friday, Aug. 16 / Dodge City Raceway Park / Dodge City, KS
Saturday, Aug. 17 / Lincoln County Raceway / North Platte, NE
Friday, Aug. 23 / Big Sky Speedway / Shepherd, MT
Saturday, Aug. 24 / Big Sky Speedway / Shepherd, MT
Friday, Aug. 30 / Electric City Speedway / Black Eagle, MT
Saturday, Aug. 31 / Electric City Speedway / Black Eagle, MT
Tuesday, Sep. 10 / Clay County Fair Speedway / Spencer, IA
Friday, Sep. 13 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK
Saturday, Sep. 14 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK
Friday, Sep. 27 / Riverside International Speedway / West Memphis, AR
Saturday, Sep. 28 / Riverside International Speedway / West Memphis, AR
Friday, Oct. 11 / Benton Speedway / Benton, MO
Saturday, Oct. 12 / Paducah International Raceway / Paducah, KY
Friday, Oct. 18 / RPM Speedway / Crandall, TX
Saturday, Oct. 19 / RPM Speedway / Crandall, TX
Thursday, Nov. 14 / Tulsa Speedway / Tulsa, OK
Friday, Nov. 15 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK
Saturday, Nov. 16 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK

 

 

Davis, Johnson Share Excitement About Early Success Entering 360 Knoxville Nationals

KNOXVILLE, IA (July 25, 2024) –

Hank Davis entered 2024 with plans to run his first full season with the American Sprint Car Series National Tour. But what he didn’t plan was doing it in the seat of the No. 2C machine with 2000 Series champion Wayne Johnson calling the shots.

After Johnson got injured earlier in the year, taking him out of the car, and Seth Bergman decided to return to his family car after two races with TwoC Racing, Davis was presented with an opportunity too good to pass up.

“My original plans were still to run the ASCS stuff with a different team,” Davis said. “Then things kind of went sideways there and fell apart. So, everything happened with Seth leaving, this being open, I just hit Wayne up and said I was on the list, and everything worked out to where we could make it happen.”

For Johnson, the decision to put Davis in the car for the remainder of the season came out of his desire to help young, deserving drivers advance through the ranks of Sprint Car racing.

“More than anything, I wanted to give somebody a chance that more than likely wouldn’t get an opportunity. Somebody had to give me a chance at one time,” Johnson said. “It was a balancing act. I want to make sure I felt like we could be competitive, and that it was somebody who deserved a chance to move to the next level.”

Davis honed his craft racing locally around Oklahoma before becoming an overnight sensation thanks to a prelim night win at the 2023 Chili Bowl Nationals but had little experience in a winged 360 Sprint Car entering the 2024 season. However, he wasted no time getting up to speed, rattling off five-straight top fives on the National Tour to start his TwoC Racing tenure.

“I really didn’t think I’d be as good as what we are now,” Davis said. “I really just think it’s a testament to how good Wayne is. I don’t have a whole lot of laps in this stuff, so him just teaching me, we’re learning together, learning each other. I think we’ve probably far exceeded our expectations. I knew we could be good, but I don’t think we thought we could be this good.”

However, Davis isn’t the only one adjusting to a new environment. After Johnson’s injury in April at the Texas Motor Speedway Dirt Track, he has turned his full attention to the crew chief role for the first time in his four-decade racing career.

“I didn’t know if I could be a crew chief, I’ve never been a crew chief other than crewing my own car,” Johnson said. “There’s a lot of unknowns. I just felt like starting with somebody from scratch that didn’t really know what he wanted, I felt like it would be a good effort and we could build the team together.”

Looking back on the first two months of his partnership with Davis, Johnson shares the same sentiment as his driver: things have gone better than either of them could have imagined.

“I felt like we could run well,” Johnson said. “I didn’t know that we would run in the top five nine out of ten times or whatever. I know he’s down on himself pretty bad about not winning yet, but I’m like ‘Dude, you just keep learning and doing what you’re doing, the wins will start coming.’ And when they do, it’ll be just like Sam [Hafertepe Jr.] or Bergman. It won’t be just one, it’s going to be multiple.”

While Johnson admitted that teaching someone else how to drive a race car can be like speaking a foreign language, he’s enjoying the process of helping Davis develop.

“It’s really weird for me to explain as a driver, how to drive the car,” Johnson said. “It’s really hard for me to explain, because I just did it. I didn’t think about how to explain to somebody how to do it. It’s been a little bit tough.

“He’s adapting very well, and every week it just takes time. Unfortunately, Bergman, Sam and some of these guys have been doing this thing for years, and I think winged starts, Hank’s probably got 15 total. I feel like we just need to get some time under our belt.”

Up next on the docket will be Davis’s toughest test yet: the Xtream powered by Mediacom 360 Knoxville Nationals presented by Great Southern Bank, Aug. 1-3. The team attended a pair of weekly events at Knoxville to get Davis comfortable around the 1/2-mile ahead of the Nationals and has one more visit planned for Saturday night.

Davis had never competed at Knoxville before this season, and he has quickly learned how the “Sprint Car Capital of the World” presents a challenge unlike any other.

“I learned how hard that place is, and how fast you can get humbled and how fast you can suck somewhere,” Davis said. “The first week we went, we weren’t that great, the second week we went, we were alright. We got better.

“Honestly, I would say for sure we can be in the B-Main on Saturday, but we all obviously want to make the Feature and see what we can do. So, we’ll take what we learned there and go at it.”

Fortunately for Davis, his mentor is a two-time 360 Nationals winner in 2000 and 2008, and that experience has been invaluable in getting him up to speed on the larger tracks on the schedule. And judging by his finish of fourth at the 4/10-mile Lakeside Speedway on Friday, Davis is a quick learner.

“If you look at Lakeside, that’s a big racetrack,” Johnson said. “Going to Knoxville these last two weeks have really elevated our big track program, because at Lakeside, we were in the hunt there. Weren’t quite up to speed with Bergman and Sam, but I do feel like our big track program for him is really coming along.”

Fans can purchase tickets to the Xtream powered by Mediacom 360 Knoxville Nationals presented by Great Southern Bank and find additional event information by clicking here. Can’t make it to the track? Catch every lap live on DIRTVision.

 

 

Hafertepe Jr. Dominates 81 Speedway for Third-Straight Victory

WICHITA, KS (July 20, 2024) –

Sam Hafertepe Jr.’s first three wins of the season on the American Sprint Car Series National Tour came consecutively in June, and history repeated itself Saturday night. The five-time Series champion led every lap at 81 Speedway en route to his third-straight Feature win and sixth of the season.

“I came to play tonight,” Hafertepe said. “I did a lot better job tonight as a race car driver, and our car was spot on in Qualifying, and right there in that Feature I think we had a really good piece.”

The Feature began in the exact same fashion as it did 24 hours prior at Lakeside Speedway: with Hafertepe and Seth Bergman sharing the front row. And just like he did the night prior, Hafertepe rode the top lane on the opening lap to take the lead while Bergman fell to fourth after being passed by Landon Britt and Roger Crockett.

When the first caution flew nine laps in for the stopped car of Bradley Fezard, Hafertepe’s lead was nearly a straightaway in length over Matt Covington, who charged from sixth to second early in the race. The stoppage put Covington on Hafertepe’s bumper when the race resumed, but he was unable to do anything more than watch Hafertepe drive away once more.

Issues for Andrew Deal on the restart gave the field another chance at Hafertepe, but another strong jump allowed the No. 15H to hold onto the top spot.

Ten laps later, Danny Wood slowed on the backstretch to force the third yellow of the race. The field was unable to capitalize though, as Hafertepe was already out of range exiting Turn 2 after the restart.

Slower traffic presented one final obstacle for Hafertepe in the final five laps, but he maneuvered through the field with ease and cruised to the checkered flag 1.5 seconds ahead of Covington.

Hafertepe has been consistently praised by his fellow competitors for his speed in traffic, and that expertise was on full display in the closing stages of the race.

“At the beginning of the year, I was blaming all the lap cars for our problems, and it’s my job as a seasoned veteran to figure it out,” Hafertepe said. “I had to quit pointing the finger, it’s my job to get through them. Once I changed that mindset, we’ve done a lot better, I’ve been doing a lot better job in the race car, and we’ve been winning a lot of races.”

Hafertepe’s night began with his sixth overall Quick Time in Qualifying, a total that is six times higher than any other driver in the field.

“It really does help,” Hafertepe said regarding the impact of a strong Qualifying run on the rest of the night. “Anytime you can kind of relax a little in the Heat Race and not have a lot of pressure to win the Heat, I think that really helps you just focus on your car throughout the whole night.”

Covington’s runner-up effort was his fourth-straight top-two finish in Wichita after a win in 2022 and two second-place runs last year.

“We had a winning car, the only problem was Sam did too,” Covington said. “We needed the lap traffic to mix things up, and it was there, and I just never had the opening that I needed. I think that’s what it was going to take for us to win the race.”

Crockett’s first National Tour start since 2022 ended in third place, a remarkable result considering he decided to make the trip just hours before the event.

“Went and got coffee this morning, and Seth Bergman called to ask me about bringing a car to vinyl on Monday,” Crockett said. “He’s like ‘the weather looks pretty good,’ so we turned around, rolled home. We just changed the turbo on our truck last night, my wife and I, so we had to put water in it and everything. We had no intention of racing today.”

Hank Davis came home fourth to collect his fourth top five in a row in National Tour action, while Landon Britt finished fifth for his best run since Dodge City Raceway Park on June 1.

The Hard Charger Award went to Michael Day, who drove from the rear of the field up to 15th in the 30-lap affair.

UP NEXT: The premiere event on the 360 Sprint Car calendar lies ahead for the ASCS National Tour in the Xtream powered by Mediacom 360 Knoxville Nationals presented by Great Southern Bank, Aug. 1-3 at Knoxville Raceway. Click here to purchase tickets and find additional event information.

Can’t make it to the track? Catch every lap live on DIRTVision.

Feature (30 Laps): 1. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[1]; 2. 95-Matt Covington[6]; 3. 11-Roger Crockett[4]; 4. 2C-Hank Davis[7]; 5. 10-Landon Britt[3]; 6. 52-Blake Hahn[5]; 7. 23-Seth Bergman[2]; 8. 55B-Brandon Anderson[10]; 9. 22M-Rees Moran[9]; 10. 36-Jason Martin[15]; 11. 26M-Fred Mattox[14]; 12. 45X-Kyler Johnson[11]; 13. 88-Terry Easum[16]; 14. 2J-Zach Blurton[13]; 15. 91-Michael Day[21]; 16. 31-Casey Wills[18]; 17. 6G-Bryan Gossel[20]; 18. 16G-Austyn Gossel[19]; 19. 55-Danny Wood[12]; 20. 15D-Andrew Deal[8]; 21. 938-Bradley Fezard[17]

 

 

Hafertepe Jr. Goes Flag-to-Flag at Lakeside for Fifth National Tour win of 2024

KANSAS CITY, KS (July 19, 2024) –  

On a night that began with the overall Quick Time Award, a Heat Race win and a Dash victory, Sam Hafertepe Jr. capped off a perfect trip to Lakeside Speedway Friday by leading all 30 laps of the Feature en route to his second-straight American Sprint Car Series National Tour triumph.

“I feel like my car was phenomenal in the Feature,” Hafertepe said. “I’ve been under the weather all day. I don’t know what I have or what’s wrong with me, just not all there. My car carried me tonight.”

Hafertepe shared the front row with the man he’s chasing in the championship fight, Seth Bergman. The two immediately swapped lanes entering Turn 1 on the opening lap, with Hafertepe ripping the cushion while Bergman rode the bottom. Bergman led briefly down the backstretch, but a bobble in Turn 3 allowed Hafertepe to regain the lead after the opening circuit.

From there, Hafertepe built a half-straightaway lead over the No. 23, but it was erased as soon as the pair caught the back of the field when Tasker Phillips took a tumble on Lap 7.

On the ensuing restart, Bergman again looked to Hafertepe’s inside in the opening set of corners, but was unable to keep pace with Hafertepe exiting Turn 2.

The gap remained fluid for the remainder of the race, with Bergman coming within striking distance on multiple occasions in lap traffic. The point leader jumped the cushion in Turn 1 with 11 to go though, and that was all Hafertepe needed to pull away to a one-second advantage, which he held onto for the remainder of the race.

If battling through illness wasn’t enough, Hafertepe’s car was also experiencing issues throughout the Feature.

“What really hurt us was our throttle was hanging,” Hafertepe said. “That was not allowing me to roll the throttle as good as I usually could through the curb. It made us get super tight a couple of times, and I think when that would happen, Seth would probably reel us back in.”

After a pair of fifth-place runs at Batesville Motor Speedway and Tulsa Speedway, Bergman’s runner-up effort was his first podium finish since his win at Tri-State Speedway on June 15. While Hafertepe’s win allowed him to close in, Bergman’s lead in the standings remains a healthy 127 points entering Saturday’s event at 81 Speedway.

“I feel like I really left everything out there,” Bergman said. “I did everything I could, short of just being reckless and driving through the side of him, which that’s not my style. Did everything I could, found a lane in traffic I thought I was going to be able to use with him, but he was smart enough and heard me, maybe saw the nose wing and he got down there. I was good enough to win, for sure. He just never made a mistake.”

Knoxville Raceway regular Austin McCarl came out on top of a fierce battle with Hank Davis in the closing stages of the race to take the third spot in his first National Tour start of the year.

“That kid did a really good job finding the moisture down there in 1 and 2 and getting by me, I had a really fun race with him,” McCarl said. “Sam and Bergman did a great job, they’re definitely the two top dogs on the ASCS I’d say. We’ll take it, it’s like a 15-year-old motor under that thing that I think runs pretty decent.”

Davis came home in the fourth spot to collect his eighth top five in nine starts with TwoC Racing, while Blake Hahn rounded out the top five, one spot short of his season-best of fourth.

The Hard Charger Award went to Landon Britt, who drove from 13th to ninth for his second-career top 10 in National Tour action at Lakeside.

UP NEXT: Race teams will make the three-hour trip southwest to 81 Speedway in Wichita, where the season continues on Saturday night. Tickets will be available at the gate, while those unable to make it to the track can catch every lap live on DIRTVision.

Feature (30 Laps): 1. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[1]; 2. 23-Seth Bergman[2]; 3. 88M-Austin McCarl[4]; 4. 2C-Hank Davis[3]; 5. 52-Blake Hahn[5]; 6. 95-Matt Covington[8]; 7. 36-Jason Martin[6]; 8. 21-Gunner Ramey[11]; 9. 10-Landon Britt[13]; 10. 98P-Miles Paulus[7]; 11. J2-John Carney II[9]; 12. 77-Jack Wagner[14]; 13. 22M-Rees Moran[17]; 14. 09-Matt Juhl[15]; 15. 15D-Andrew Deal[12]; 16. 55B-Brandon Anderson[18]; 17. 31-Casey Wills[20]; 18. 2J-Zach Blurton[21]; 19. 88-Terry Easum[23]; 20. 91-Michael Day[24]; 21. 938-Bradley Fezard[22]; 22. 2-Chase Porter[16]; 23. 1TAZ-Tasker Phillips[10]; 24. 45X-Kyler Johnson[19]

 

 

 

Matt Covington Riding Wave of Momentum from Regional Win into Kansas Doubleheader

CONCORD, NC (July 17, 2024) –

In the three weeks since the last American Sprint Car Series National Tour event at Tulsa Speedway, several drivers have stayed busy at a variety of regional and local Sprint Car races. But only one visited Victory Lane: Matt Covington.

The Glenpool, OK native attended the ASCS Western Plains Region event at Dodge City Raceway Park on July 6 and dominated the night, leading all 20 laps of the Feature from the pole for his first Sprint Car triumph of 2024. While getting laps ahead of the National Tour stop at Dodge City on Aug. 16 was one reason why Covington made the trip, it wasn’t the only factor.

“Kyler Fetters [Dodge City promoter] is always pretty good to me,” Covington said. “So if I can go there or somewhere else, even if it costs me another hour or something, I might still go to Dodge City just because Kyler takes care of me. And it’s a nice racetrack, I don’t mind racing there.”

The friendly staff and pristine facilities aren’t the only aspects of Dodge City that make it one of Covington’s favorite stops on tour, as his recent success rate there is quite high. He took the win on the second night of a National Tour doubleheader last season after finishing fourth on night one, and was on his way to a second-straight win in June until a collision with a slower car relegated him to 20th.

“It’s a perfect oval, 3/8-mile, semi-banked, it’s what I like racing on the most,” Covington said.

One week after the win, Covington made the trip north to Knoxville Raceway to partake in a weekly event ahead of the Xtream powered by Mediacom 360 Knoxville Nationals presented by Great Southern Bank. While the rundown shows a Feature finish of 14th, that doesn’t tell the whole story of Covington’s night.

“We had some good speed,” Covington said. “We were second on the charts after Hot Laps, qualified in the top 10, made the Feature out of the Heat. We were having a pretty good night for us at Knoxville. I just didn’t know about their one-tire rule and I got busted going out there with a different tire on.

“They made me go back and throw another right rear on, and it was a couple inches smaller than what we were planning on going out there with. So we missed it a little bit in the Feature. We were running two inches less stagger than what we were anticipating, and the track was just too good for that.”

While Covington feels confident about his pace at the Sprint Car Capital of the World, he still has one more tune-up planned before the season’s marquee event.

“I’m going to go back up there after this weekend [for the weekly event on July 27] and try to get one more test session in before the Nationals,” Covington said. “Nationals is tough, got a lot of tough cars there, and they’ve got a lot of tough cars there that get to run there every weekend. A guy like me, I’ve got to get up there a couple times to get some practice to try to compete with them.”

Before teams roll into Knoxville, a pair of Kansas tracks await the National Tour this weekend. The doubleheader kicks off Friday at Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, where Covington took the checkers last August in the most recent Series appearance at the track. That win was also Covington’s last National Tour win, something he plans on changing this weekend.

“Lakeside’s probably one of our best tracks,” Covington said. “I’ve been there before when the surface was not good at all and you could hardly race at all, but the last handful of times we raced there, I thought it’s been really good.

“The track will slick off pretty quick, but it keeps a top and a little bit on the bottom. So a guy can try to be brave and get real close to the wall, or a guy can be more technical and run the bottom. It really seems to be a nice racy racetrack.”

Once things wrap up at Lakeside, the tour will travel to Wichita for a Saturday showdown at 81 Speedway, another track that has suited Covington well as of late. He was victorious with the National Tour in 2022, and finished second in both Series visits last season.

“I’ve been racing at Wichita since 2009,” Covington said. “The track’s actually a lot different now the last handful of years since they put the wall up around it. Used to, you didn’t really have that, it was pretty much always an around the bottom type of track come Feature time for sure.

“The way they’ve got it now, it’s kind of like Lakeside. The track’s not quite as big and not quite as fast as Lakeside, but it’s still got a concrete wall around it and two pretty decent lines of racing the last handful of times we’ve been there.”

Fans in the Wichita area can buy tickets to Saturday’s race online, while tickets will be on sale at the gate on race day at both tracks. If you can’t make it, watch every ASCS National Tour event live on DIRTVision.

 

 

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: National Tour Returns to Kansas for Lakeside, 81 Doubleheader

CONCORD, NC (July 16, 2024) –

The American Sprint Car Series National Tour roars back from a three-week hiatus for the second doubleheader weekend of the year in Kansas.

First up is a stop at Lakeside Speedway for the 11th time in Series history on Friday, July 19 in Kansas City. From there, competitors will make the three-hour drive to 81 Speedway near Wichita and go to battle on Saturday, July 20.

Both nights will feature a $4,000-to-win/$400-to-start purse. The Sprint Cars will be joined on the card by B-Mods and Pure Stocks at Lakeside and A-Mods and Super Stocks at 81.

Tickets to the 81 Speedway event are available online in advance, while both tracks will have tickets on sale at the gate on race day. If you can’t make it to the track, catch every ASCS National Tour race live on DIRTVision.

Here are the top storylines entering the weekend:

WHAT TIME OFF?: While some teams used the break in the National Tour schedule to regroup after a busy June stretch, others have hit the track several times since last racing at Tulsa Speedway.

Matt Covington was victorious in ASCS Western Plains Region action at Dodge City Raceway Park on July 6, his first win of 2024 with any series. He followed that up with a trip to Knoxville Raceway on Saturday night, where he came home 14th in local competition.

Covington was joined at Knoxville by Hank Davis, Jason Martin and Sam Hafertepe Jr., all of whom were looking to turn some extra laps ahead of the Xtream powered by Mediacom 360 Knoxville Nationals presented by Great Southern Bank in two weeks. Davis led the ASCS regulars in 11th, while Martin’s night was over following the Last Chance Showdown and Hafertepe finished 12th in the 410 division.

Elsewhere, Kyler Johnson and Zach Blurton scored top 10s with the United Rebel Sprint Series at WaKeeney Speedway in Kansas, while Bryan and Austyn Gossel broke out the pavement Sprint Cars for a pair of events at Colorado National Speedway.

LAKE DAY: The National Tour will return to one of the largest and fastest tracks on the schedule Friday at Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City.

Last time the Series visited the 4/10-mile oval in August of last year, Covington took the checkers, and it remains his most recent National Tour victory. While it was his first win at the facility, it did not come as much of a surprise, as it was his fourth top-five run at Lakeside with the National Tour.

While Covington’s results in Kansas City suggest he will be a threat to win Friday night, he is far from the only one on tour with past success at the track. The two drivers ahead of him in the standings are both former Lakeside winners, as Seth Bergman was victorious in 2018 while Hafertepe triumphed on two occasions in 2021 and 2022.

WELCOME TO WICHITA: The National Tour made its 81 Speedway debut back in 2001 with a race won by Kevin Ramey, but did not return to the track for 20 years after that inaugural event. Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series star Ryan Timms won the first Series race in Wichita in two decades, and the track has been a regular stop on the schedule ever since.

Much like Lakeside, Covington has plenty of good memories at 81, scoring the win there in 2022 and a pair of runner-up finishes last season. On both occasions, Covington finished second to Martin, who will be going for his third-straight win at the track and first of the year.

The reigning champion’s quest for a repeat crown took a sour turn when he was injured in a crash at Tri-State Speedway and sat out the following race at Batesville Motor Speedway as a result. He rebounded with a P8 run at Tulsa Speedway and will look to continue climbing back up the standings this weekend in his home state.

REMARKABLE ROOKIES: While Bergman has a healthy lead atop the standings, the battle for the Rookie of the Year Award has been tight all season long. Andrew Deal leads the first-year drivers in the tally, while Davis trails him by 90 points entering this weekend’s events. The TwoC Racing driver missed the Feature in the season opener at Super Bee Speedway and was absent at Red Dirt Raceway before joining his current team, and has been playing catch up ever since.

While Davis has not yet found Victory Lane, he has been the epitome of consistency ever since he slid into the No. 2C machine beginning at Rush County Speedway. He has finished in the top five seven times in his first eight starts with the team, with four of those being podiums.

Meanwhile, Deal has racked up just three top fives this season, with his best finish being a runner up at Super Bee to start the year. However, a pair of nights in his native Kansas could present an opportunity for Deal to extend his lead. While neither driver has ever competed at Lakeside under the ASCS banner, Deal has scored three top fives in Sprint Car action at 81 between Sooner Region and Oil Capital Racing Series competition, compared to just one for Davis.

WHEN AND WHERE:
Friday, July 19 at Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, KS
Saturday, July 20 at 81 Speedway in Wichita, KS

AROUND THE TURN:
The American Sprint Car Series National Tour will head to the Sprint Car Capital of the World Aug. 1-3 for the most prestigious event in 360 Sprint Car racing, the Xtream powered by Mediacom 360 Knoxville Nationals presented by Great Southern Bank.

CURRENT POINT STANDINGS (TOP 10):

Seth Bergman (1479 points)
Sam Hafertepe Jr. (-135)
Matt Covington (-149)
Andrew Deal (-213)
Hank Davis (-303)
Kyler Johnson (-325)
Jordon Mallett (-328)
Landon Britt (-335)
Terry Easum (-343)
Zach Blurton (-352)

FEATURE WINNERS (4):
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 4
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 4
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 1

QUICK TIME AWARDS (6):
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 5
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 1
Josh McCord – Bossier City, LA – 1
Alex Sewell – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 1

HEAT RACE WINS (19):
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 4
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 3
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 3
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 3
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 2
Whit Gastineau – Moore, OK – 2
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 2
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 2
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 2
Lane Whittington – Denham Springs, LA – 1
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 1
Koty Adams – Haughton, LA – 1
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 1
Brekton Crouch – Lubbock, TX – 1
Jeremy Campbell – Wichita, KS – 1
Cody Gardner – Benton, AR – 1
Austyn Gossel – Windsor, CO – 1
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 1

DASH APPEARANCES (24):
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 9
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 9
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 7
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 4
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 4
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 4
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 4
Whit Gastineau – Moore, OK – 3
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 3
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Alex Sewell – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 2
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 1
Lane Whittington – Denham Springs, LA – 1
Koty Adams – Haughton, LA – 1
Ryder Laplante – Calera, OK – 1
Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 1
Brekton Crouch – Lubbock, TX – 1
Jeremy Campbell – Wichita, KS – 1
Elijah Gile – Phoenix, AZ – 1
Cody Gardner – Benton, AR – 1
Austyn Gossel – Windsor, CO – 1
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Harli White – Lindsay, OK – 1

LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINNERS (5):
Rees Moran – Tulsa, OK – 2
Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 1
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 1
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 1
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 1

PODIUM FINISHERS (12):
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 7
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 5
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 4
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 4
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 2
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 2
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 1
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Tanner Conn – Oklahoma City, OK – 1
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 1
Ryder Laplante – Calera, OK – 1
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 1

TOP 10 FINISHERS (32):
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 10
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 9
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 8
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 7
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 6
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 6
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 6
Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 5
Kyler Johnson – Quinter, KS – 4
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 4
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 3
Whit Gastineau – Moore, OK – 3
Rees Moran – Tulsa, OK – 3
Alex Sewell – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 2
Zach Blurton – Quinter, KS – 2
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 2
Harli White – Lindsay, OK – 2
Brandon Anderson – Glenpool, OK – 1
Channin Tankersley – Arlington, TX – 1
Tanner Conn – Oklahoma City, OK – 1
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Brekton Crouch – Lubbock, TX – 1
Jeremy Huish – Jetmore, KS – 1
Ryder Laplante – Calera, OK – 1
Jeremy Campbell – Wichita, KS – 1
Austyn Gossel – Windsor, CO – 1
Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 1
Fred Mattox – Drumright, OK – 1
Dale Howard – Byhalia, MS – 1
Brad Bowden – Hernando, MS – 1
Michael Day – Farmersville, TX – 1

2024 AMERICAN SPRINT CAR SERIES SCHEDULE & WINNERS:
Friday, Apr. 19 / Super Bee Speedway / Chatham, LA / Seth Bergman (1)
Friday, May 10 / Red Dirt Raceway / Meeker, OK / Terry Easum (1)
Friday, May 31 / Rush County Speedway / La Crosse, KS / Seth Bergman (2)
Saturday, Jun. 1 / Dodge City Raceway Park / Dodge City, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (1)
Tuesday, Jun. 11 / Texarkana 67 Speedway / Texarkana, AR / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (2)
Thursday, Jun. 13 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (3)
Friday, Jun. 14 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK / Seth Bergman (3)
Saturday, Jun. 15 / Tri-State Speedway / Pocola, OK / Seth Bergman (4)
Saturday, Jun. 22 / Batesville Motor Speedway / Locust Grove, AR / Jordon Mallett (1)
Friday, Jun. 28 / Tulsa Speedway / Tulsa, OK / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (4)
Friday, Jul. 19 / Lakeside Speedway / Kansas City, KS
Saturday, Jul. 20 / 81 Speedway / Wichita, KS
Thursday, Aug. 1 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA
Friday, Aug. 2 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA
Saturday, Aug. 3 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA
Friday, Aug. 16 / Dodge City Raceway Park / Dodge City, KS
Saturday, Aug. 17 / Lincoln County Raceway / North Platte, NE
Friday, Aug. 23 / Big Sky Speedway / Shepherd, MT
Saturday, Aug. 24 / Big Sky Speedway / Shepherd, MT
Friday, Aug. 30 / Electric City Speedway / Black Eagle, MT
Saturday, Aug. 31 / Electric City Speedway / Black Eagle, MT
Tuesday, Sep. 10 / Clay County Fair Speedway / Spencer, IA
Friday, Sep. 13 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK
Saturday, Sep. 14 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK
Friday, Sep. 27 / Riverside International Speedway / West Memphis, AR
Saturday, Sep. 28 / Riverside International Speedway / West Memphis, AR
Friday, Oct. 11 / Benton Speedway / Benton, MO
Saturday, Oct. 12 / Paducah International Raceway / Paducah, KY
Friday, Oct. 18 / RPM Speedway / Crandall, TX
Saturday, Oct. 19 / RPM Speedway / Crandall, TX
Thursday, Nov. 14 / Tulsa Speedway / Tulsa, OK
Friday, Nov. 15 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK
Saturday, Nov. 16 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK

 

 

Brady Baker Disqualified, Fined For Failing Fuel Test at Batesville
 

American Sprint Car Series officials have issued a fine to Sprint Car driver Brady Baker for failing a fuel test after competing in the American Sprint Car Series National Tour event at Batesville Motor Speedway on June 22, 2024.

Fuel samples were collected at the conclusion of the Feature at the event and brought to the ASCS command center where a field test was conducted. The samples that did not pass the field test were sent to an independent laboratory for further testing.

The test revealed the fuel received from the sample was not 100% methanol and did not conform to the benchmark.

Due to the violation, Baker has been disqualified from the event at Batesville Motor Speedway on June 22 and fined, in total $1,600 – $500 fine, $100 for the fuel analysis, and $1,000 in prize money from the event – along with the loss of all championship points earned from the event.

The Series’ rules on fuel are as follows:

Section 6 – Fuel

Methanol or Ethanol only, NO NITRO or additives allowed. Fuel subject to be checked anytime by ASCS officials. NOTE: Fuel samples may be taken at any time during an event for analysis and prize money may be withheld until results are known. (Penalty for fuel infraction will result in forfeiture of all points and moneys won during event detected, and a fine up to $1000 for first infraction. 2nd infraction subject to suspension up to 1 calendar year.)
Fuel Cell must be securely mounted with bladder mandatory. Tank used for Qualifying Heats must be remain for all events. Unless deemed unusable by ASCS Officials.

 

 

1 MONTH ALERT: ASCS National Tour Returns to Dodge City, Lincoln County in Mid-August
ASCS Racing

ASCS National Tour at Dodge City Raceway Park

The American Sprint Car Series National Tour’s August adventures bring the best 360 Sprint Car drivers in the country back to Kansas and Nebraska.

First, the National Tour will make its second stop of the year at Dodge City Raceway on Friday, Aug. 16. Then, it’ll return to Lincoln County Raceway for the first time since 1998 on Saturday, Aug. 17.

When the Series visited the state-of-the-art Dodge City dirt track in June, fans were treated to an epic showdown between two ASCS champions – Sam Hafertepe Jr. and Jason Martin. The two dueled wheel-to-wheel throughout the race with Hafertepe eventually coming out on top.

In five National Tour events at Dodge City Raceway Park, there’s yet to be a repeat winner. The Tour first visited the dirt track twice in 2005 and saw Gary Wright and Danny Jennings leave victorious. Then, after some time away from the track, the Series returned in 2023 with Martin and Matt Covington each scoring a win.

Covington will enter the August event with a win at Dodge City this year, having won with the Western Plains Region in July.

When the National Tour makes the trip to Nebraska, it’ll be the Series’ first stop in the “Cornhusker State” this year. Its sole visit to Lincoln County Raceway in 1998 was won by Terry Gray. Several ASCS regions have ventured to the track, most recently the ASCS Elite Great Plains Non-Wing Region. Terry Richards Jr. won the race and current Series competitor Austyn Gossel finished fourth.

If you can’t make it to the tracks, you can watch both races live on DIRTVision.

DODGE CITY EVENT INFO
Date – Friday, Aug. 16
Location – Dodge City, KS

Tickets – Available at track.

Previous ASCS National Tour winners at Dodge City –
2024 – Sam Hafertepe Jr.
2023 – Jason Martin on July 7, Matt Covington on July 8
2005 – Gary Wright on June 17, Danny Jennings on June 18

LINCOLN COUNTY EVENT INFO
Date – Saturday, Aug. 17
Location – North Platte, NE

Tickets – Available at track.

Previous ASCS National Tour winners at Lincoln County –
1998 – Terry Gray on Aug. 7

 

 

Kyler Johnson Ready for Home State Weekend Amid Third National Tour Season

CONCORD, NC (July 10, 2024) –

Kyler Johnson’s Sprint Car career began for the same reason as many other drivers: he wanted to be just like dad.

That goal evolved into to a full-time career with the American Sprint Car Series National Tour for the Quinter, KS native.

“My dad [Cody] ran Sprint Cars for years, that’s all I ever knew growing up,” Johnson said. “He ran 360s and 410s around the Midwest, and that’s basically all I’ve ever been around. So, whenever I was old enough to get into a Sprint Car, we took the chance at it.”

After a few seasons of competition in the karting world, Johnson made the move into a 305 Sprint Car in 2019 at age 15. While the entry-level division served as a good starting point for Johnson’s career, he wasted no time in taking the next step.

“You’re not going to go anywhere in a 305 Sprint Car,” Johnson said. “That’s just basically all we had around us was 305s, so it was just easiest to run those. And then once we got fed up with all the 305 stuff, we decided to move up to a 360.”

While most drivers opt to initially run a localized schedule to get their feet wet at the higher level, a lack of options close to home meant that option didn’t make sense for the team. Johnson’s alternative? Dive head-first into the National Tour.

“In 2022, there wasn’t any 360 racing around us at all,” Johnson said. “Our nearest track was 81 Speedway, which is still three hours from us, and they only had one show a year. So, we basically figured ‘Well, if we’re going to run 360s, we might as well tough it out and run the whole National deal.’

“We definitely learned a lot that first year, never even driving a 360 until that first show at Devil’s Bowl [Speedway].”

That first appearance resulted in a Last Chance Showdown exit on night one and a 20th-place Feature finish in the finale, but things began trending upward soon after.

Johnson’s rookie season with the Series ended with a ninth-place points finish and his first-career top five at Clay County Fair Speedway in September. Season two brought steady improvements for the No. 45X, as Johnson ended 2023 sixth in the standings after collecting his first National Tour podium at 81 Speedway along the way.

Entering 2024, the primary storyline surrounding ASCS was World Racing Group’s purchase of the Series in March. Midway through the inaugural year under the new ownership, Johnson spoke highly of the improvements he has seen as a competitor.

“I think the change was definitely much needed,” Johnson said. “This just gives a much better platform, definitely a lot more security as far as money and all that goes.”

The Series wasn’t the only one making changes over the winter, as Johnson elected to switch engine providers in hopes of finding more reliability in 2024. However, the move hasn’t gone to plan, as Johnson has still experienced engine issues on multiple occasions across the first 10 events of the season.

“We’ve already kind of steered away from that engine builder too, we’re looking to go to one of the big three engine builders, either Don Ott, Ryder or Fisher,” Johnson said. “We’re not sure what we’re going to do yet, we’re just trying to limp through this year. We’ve had a lot of engine problems already this year.”

On nights where the engine has held together, Johnson has been competitive all year long. He began the season with back-to-back top 10s at Super Bee Speedway and Red Dirt Raceway and picked up two more during Speedweek at Creek County Speedway and Tri-State Speedway. Johnson said finding more pace at the beginning of the night will be key to ending it toward the front on a regular basis.

“Each time we hit the track, we have to make the best of it,” Johnson said. “This is one of the stoutest groups we’ve had in the past three years. It’s hard night in night out, you’ve got to be on kill every second.

“If we could just qualify a little bit better, I feel like we would be much better off. Each night it seems like we go in and we don’t qualify very good, so that puts us behind the eight-ball right off the bat. We’re coming from the back of a Heat Race, fifth or sixth, and that puts us starting at least 15th in the Feature, and you’ve got a lot of work to do at that point.”

Next up on the National Tour calendar is a trip to Johnson’s home state, with a Kansas doubleheader on tap starting Friday, July 19, at Lakeside Speedway and wrapping up Saturday, July 20, at 81 Speedway. Johnson is still searching for his first Series win, and his past performances at both facilities put them on the shortlist of tracks where he could make his first appearance in Victory Lane.

“Lakeside, we seem like we’ve had really good speed there,” Johnson said. “I know our results don’t really show it because we’ve blown up two engines there, but we always seem to qualify good, we have really good speed there, so hopefully we can keep that speed up and keep our engine together.

“And then 81, that’s my favorite track. I’d consider that my home track even though we have tracks closer. My Dad has a lot of history there, he won a lot of races there, that was his home base whenever he was running 360 stuff. That was where my first 305 win was, my first podium with ASCS, we’ve had really good luck there every time. It’s a track that we’re pretty familiar with, and we seem to always run good.”

Fans planning to attend the 81 Speedway event can purchase tickets online in advance, while tickets for both races will be available at the track on race day. Can’t make it to the track? Watch every ASCS National Tour event live on DIRTVision.

 

 

Of Rugby and Race Cars: Landon Britt's Road to the National Tour

CONCORD, NC (July 5, 2024) –

For most Sprint Car drivers, their path to stardom starts in go-karts before advancing through the likes of Micro Sprints, Midgets and anything else with four wheels and an engine they can get their hands on.

But for Landon Britt, his trajectory toward the American Sprint Car Series National Tour took a bit of a detour in his teens.

“Got out of racing for a little bit, about three years, and got into rugby really heavy,” Britt said. “I grew up in more of a country area, and rugby was kind of a big thing out there. I had multiple friends that played, and they kept talking to me, ‘Try to come, try to come,’ and eventually I went, and from there on I just played.

“The summer before my junior year [of high school], I started playing, and then played my junior and senior years, and then played about a year after high school where I played on a men’s team.”

Perhaps there’s an alternate timeline in which Britt is preparing to head to Paris to represent the United States on the Olympic rugby pitch. However, the urge to get back behind the wheel of a race car was too much to resist.

“Me and my dad had always talked about getting back into racing,” said Britt, who raced go-karts as a child before his rugby hiatus. “I told him I wanted to get out of the go-kart world, I wanted to move up.”

While many drivers have had their heart set on Sprint Cars as the ultimate goal since day one, Britt was always one who explored his options.

“We had talked about doing autocross, and getting into something like that,” Britt said. “We just really didn’t want to race against the clock the entire time.”

From there, Britt went looking for a form of racing where you could slide cars through the corners at extreme speeds, inches away from other competitors doing the same thing. His calling soon became clear.

“I had mentioned something about doing Formula Drift, and then he had mentioned Sprint Cars, and we just kind of sat down and talked about it,” Britt said. “Honestly, Sprint Cars have just been the answer the whole time. When we both talked about it, everything just led back to Sprint Cars. I’m not really sure what drew the attention to it, it’s just what we chose, and we fell in love with it after we chose it.”

Once Britt settled on Sprint Cars as his chariot of choice, he became a regular at dirt tracks around his Memphis home before slowly expanding his schedule. After a few seasons of regional competition, 2022 marked Britt’s first full season on the ASCS National Tour, which he said was always the destination for his team.

“In the 360 world, there’s not a more elite series,” Britt said. “The level of competition, everything that ASCS brings has been on a broader and more elite level.”

After a rookie season that included three top fives and a seventh-place points finish, Britt became a National Tour winner for the first time in 2023, taking the checkers at Arrowhead Speedway in September. For the inexperienced and undermanned LB Motorsports team, the win proved that they could go toe-to-toe with the best in the business.

“Being a smaller, father-son, two-man team, first-generation driver trying to run against these guys that have been doing it 10, 15, 20 years, it’s very tough,” Britt said. “They already have the knowledge, and we don’t.”

When he isn’t chasing the National Tour across the country, Britt can be found back home working at his father’s HVAC business, something that has been part of his life for nearly as long as racing.

“I started doing it when I was 12 years old. Summers, weekend deals, and then at 18 years old was when I went full time,” Britt said. “Our weekly schedule is wake up, get to the [HVAC] shop at eight (in the morning), work however late it may take to get what work needs to be done, and I’m at the [race] shop after the fact.

“It’s not ‘walk in every morning and go straight to car stuff’ like some of these guys have time to do. Versus us, the business has to come first, because it’s what’s pushing this car around.”

Ten races into his third season on the National Tour, Britt sits eighth in the standings, just seven points out of the familiar seventh spot he has finished in his previous two years. He said the No. 10 team remains focused on continually making strides until they become frequent visitors to Victory Lane.

“This year we’ve grabbed some other ideas and some things that we’re trying,” Britt said. “At some points, it’s a little bit more of a struggle, but every place we go to we figure out a little bit more and more of what really needs to be done in these certain situations.”

Britt will be joined by the rest of the National Tour stars when the season resumes in Kansas at Lakeside Speedway on Friday, July 19, and 81 Speedway on Saturday, July 20. Tickets to both events will be available at the gate on race day, and if you can’t make it, catch every lap live on DIRTVision.

 

 

ASCS Elite Non-Wing Making Big O Speedway Return Saturday

Bringing wingless action to Ennis, TX, on Saturday, July 6, the ASCS Elite Non-Wing Series presented by Abilene Powder Coating will headline action at Big O Speedway.

It’ll be the Series’ first time back at Big O Speedway since July 17, 2021, which was won by Oklahoma’s Steven Shebester.

The $2,000-to-win race will be the Series’ second race of the season since kicking off the year at Lonestar Speedway in May.

Gates opens at 5 p.m. with Hot Laps at 7:30 p.m. and racing at 8 p.m. (CT). Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors and military, and free for kids 12 and under. Pits are $35. Other classes include UMP Super Late Models, Limited Modifieds, Eco Limited Modifieds, Jr. Limited Modifieds, Crown Vics, and Factory Stocks.

Big O Speedway is located at 3118 FM 85 in Ennis, Texas. For more information, log onto the track’s website or call (317) 777-2222. The track can also be found on Facebook.

The ASCS Elite Wing and Non-Wing Series is owned and operated by Nathan Moore and operates under the sanction of the American Sprint Car Series. Rules for both tours can be found on the ASCS website. Nathan can be reached at (903) 780-9934 or email elitenonwingsprints@gmail.com.

For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, visit the ASCS website. Also, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and X (@ascsracing).

 

 

ASCS Western Plains Rolling Into Dodge City This Saturday
Bryan Hulbert

Dodge City Raceway Park graces the ASCS Western Plains schedule for the first time on Saturday, July 6.

However, it’ll be the 3/8-mile dirt track’s second time hosting an American Sprint Car Series event this year as the ASCS National Tour ran the Steve King Memorial on June 1. The show saw Series champions Sam Hafertepe Jr. and Jason Martin treat fans to an epic duel with Hafertepe coming out on top.

The race will be the fourth outing for the ASCS Western Plains Region. Colorado’s Adam Trimble leads tour standings by 116 markers over Blair Cooper. Third is held by Zach Merritt, with Nick Nichols and Cole MacEwen making up the top five.

Gates open at 5 p.m. with racing at 7 p.m. (CT). Tickets are $15, and free for kids 12 and under. Pits are $35. Other divisions include Sport Mods, Hobby Stocks, Sport Compacts, Cruisers, and Modifieds for a 50-lap special.

Dodge City Raceway Park is at 11322 110 Rd. in Dodge City, Kan. For more information on the track, go online or call (620) 225-3277.

The ASCS Western Plains Region is under the direction of Joe Bellm with BST Promotions and can be reached at (720) 404-0400.

For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, visit the ASCS website. Also, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and X (@ascsracing).

 

 

Tulsa Rescheduled for Nov. 14 with Added Program for Huge Championship Weekend

TULSA, OK (July 1, 2024) –

The Dirt Down in T-Town finale at Tulsa Speedway for the American Sprint Car Series National Tour has been rescheduled for Thursday, Nov. 14, with the addition of another full show that day.

The night’s program will include the Dirt Down in T-Town's remaining Dash and $6,000-to-win Feature that were postponed due to weather, as well as a separate $4,000-to-win/$400-to-start event.

This sets up a massive three-day, four race, championship weekend for the National Tour as its final two races of the season will take place 30 minutes down the road at Creek County Speedway, Friday-Saturday, Nov. 15-16. The Fuzzy’s Fall Fling will include a $4,000-to-win Feature on Friday before the season wraps up with a $10,000-to-win event on Saturday. In total, approximately $100,000 in purse money will be paid out across the three nights of racing.

The Series banquet will be held on Sunday, Nov. 17 at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tulsa, where the first National Tour champion under the World Racing Group banner will be celebrated and presented with a $40,000 winner’s check. The top 10 finishers in the standings will also each receive their share of the points fund totaling more than $150,000.

“After talking with [Tulsa Speedway promoter] Keith Haney, we were able to make lemonade out of lemons on this and put it on the same weekend with Creek County,” said Lonnie Wheatley, ASCS National Tour series director. “It makes for a big weekend for us to finish our year out with.”

Ticket information and other event details for the weekend will be released in the coming months.

The ASCS National Tour will return to action in three weeks at Lakeside Speedway on Friday, July 19, and 81 Speedway on Saturday, July 20.

Can’t make it to the track? Catch every lap live on DIRTVision all season long.

 

 

POINTS UPDATE: Hafertepe Jr., Covington Close in on Bergman
Spence Smithback

LATEST RACE: Tulsa Speedway (June 28)

CURRENT POINTS LEADER: A fifth-place run on Friday night was Seth Bergman’s eighth top five through the first 10 races of 2024. That consistency has netted him a 135-point advantage over Sam Hafertepe Jr. in the standings as he works towards his first National Tour title.

MOVERS

Sam Hafertepe Jr. (+1): The Sunnyvale, TX native entered Tulsa with a one-point deficit to Matt Covington for the second spot in his quest for a record-breaking sixth Series championship. A dominant win on Friday was enough to overtake Covington and close the gap to Bergman to 135 markers entering the Kanas doubleheader in three weeks.

Matt Covington (-1): Covington’s third-place effort was his fourth podium finish of the year, but with Hafertepe on the top step, he still fell from second to third in the rundown. The next stop on the tour could be a golden opportunity for Covington to visit Victory Lane, as he won the National Tour’s most recent visit to Lakeside Speedway last August.

Hank Davis (+3): Davis is another name on the shortlist of drivers on the verge of a win, finishing on the podium for the fourth time in eight races with TwoC Racing. The Chili Bowl standout has been playing catch-up ever since he joined the tour beginning at Rush County Speedway, and his runner up at Tulsa expedited that process, sending him into the top five for the first time this season.

Jordon Mallett (-1): Fresh off his first win of 2024 at Batesville Motor Speedway, Mallett sought to ride the wave of momentum into Tulsa, but the Brandon Anderson Motorsports team never found their stride. A poor qualifying run put the No. 55B machine behind the eight-ball all night, and Mallett was unable to advance higher than 18th in the Feature, costing him one spot in the points table.

TOP 10 IN POINTS
1. Seth Bergman (1395 points)
2. Sam Hafertepe Jr. (-135)
3. Matt Covington (-149)
4. Andrew Deal (-213)
5. Hank Davis (-303)
6. Kyler Johnson (-325)
7. Jordon Mallett (-328)
8. Landon Britt (-335)
9. Terry Easum (-343)
10. Zach Blurton (-352)

For the full Series standings, click here.

NEXT RACES: Lakeside Speedway (July 19), 81 Speedway (July 20)

If you can’t make it to the track, watch all the action live on DIRTVision.

 

 

Hafertepe Jr. Returns to Victory Lane on Night One at Tulsa

TULSA, OK (June 28, 2024) –

For the second race in a row, Sam Hafertepe Jr. led all but one lap in an American Sprint Car Series National Tour Feature. He led the one that counted Friday at Tulsa Speedway though, taking the victory on the opening night of the Dirt Down in T-Town.

“Hats off to my guys, they work hard every week,” Hafertepe said following his fourth Series win of 2024. “We want to win, and it takes hard work and dedication. These guys are dedicated, and we really appreciate it.”

After setting a new track record in Qualifying and finishing second in the Dash, Hafertepe started on the outside of Dash winner Matt Covington in the Feature. A strong launch for Covington allowed him to move up in front of Hafertepe before the pair made it to Turn 1 on the opening lap, and he rode the top lane through the opening set of corners to lead the first circuit.

Covington’s time out front did not last long, as the No. 95 car slipped up and out of the groove exiting Turn 2 on Lap 2, allowing Hafertepe to sneak past on the bottom. The five-time National Tour champion made the most of the opportunity, as he built a lead of more than half a second by the end of the lap.

Just as Hafertepe caught the tail end of the field for the first time, Landon Britt got upside down in Turn 2 to rerack the field nine laps into the 30-lap event.

Covington looked to Hafertepe’s outside on the restart, but Hafertepe was quick to drive away once more and extend his lead to more than two seconds at the midway point.

Hafertepe quickly caught slower traffic once again at the quarter-mile bullring, which allowed Covington to get within striking distance of the leader with less than 10 to go. But before he had a chance to pounce, Hafertepe found another gear and powered away to a three-second gap at the checkers.

“The longer the race, the better,” Hafertepe said. “I feel like we stay going pretty solid in a long race and a lot of guys fade. I think that’s just one of our strengths.”

The 69th win of Hafertepe’s National Tour career came in his debut at the new facility. With more than 20 years of experience as a traveling Sprint Car racer, he had plenty of laps around similar venues to lean on entering the night.

“We’ve raced so many different racetracks in my career, a lot of times you just have a package that you start at with certain types of shapes of racetracks,” Hafertepe said. “Even if you haven’t been there, it usually gives you a good baseline. I felt like tonight, we had a good baseline to start, obviously we broke the track record. Yeah, there’s places to compare it to, but it’s usually a conglomeration of three or four racetracks into one.”

A key reason why the margin at the finish was so large was the battle for second taking place behind Hafertepe. Hank Davis made his way up from seventh and wrestled away the second spot from Covington in the closing laps for his fourth podium finish of the season.

Davis was a regular at Tulsa in the track’s 305 Sprint Car division before making his way into the 360 ranks, and he credited that experience as a key reason behind his strong run.

“I’ve probably got more laps than most everyone here,” Davis said. “Tried to use that to my advantage tonight. If we had started a little further forward, I think we would have been alright. Just had to work really hard to get past guys, and I think that hurt us.”

Covington raced through an illness to come home in the third spot. While he lost the second position in the standings to Hafertepe, he gained 10 points on leader Seth Bergman, who finished fifth.

“I’m not disappointed with a top five at Tulsa Speedway,” Covington said. “It’s not one of my best tracks. If we can pull off podiums at our not-good tracks, our season’s going good.”

The race was a co-sanctioned event with the ASCS Sooner Region, and they were well-represented at the front of the pack by Sean McClelland, who finished fourth for his best finish at the track with any series.

The Hard Charger Award went to Oklahoma’s own Blake Hahn, who used a Last Chance Showdown win to secure his spot in the Feature before driving from 16th to sixth in the main event.

UP NEXT: The Series returns to Tulsa on Saturday for the $6,000-to-win Dirt Down in T-Town finale. Fans will be admitted for $25 per carload, while those unable to make it to the track can catch every lap live on DIRTVision.

Feature (30 Laps): 1. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[2]; 2. 2C-Hank Davis[7]; 3. 95-Matt Covington[1]; 4. 1-Sean McClelland[5]; 5. 23-Seth Bergman[4]; 6. 52-Blake Hahn[16]; 7. 15D-Andrew Deal[9]; 8. 36-Jason Martin[3]; 9. 91-Michael Day[12]; 10. 5H-Harli White[6]; 11. 88-Terry Easum[13]; 12. 8-Alex Sewell[8]; 13. 2J-Zach Blurton[10]; 14. 16G-Austyn Gossel[18]; 15. 31-Casey Wills[11]; 16. 55-Johnny Kent[21]; 17. 45X-Kyler Johnson[15]; 18. 55B-Jordon Mallett[20]; 19. 26M-Fred Mattox[14]; 20. 20-Noah Harris[19]; 21. 938-Bradley Fezard[22]; 22. 10-Landon Britt[17]

 

 

 

Seth Bergman: Sprint Car Star, Coffee Connoisseur

TULSA, OK (June 27, 2024) –

Unlike most other national racing series, several competitors on the American Sprint Car Series National Tour have full-time jobs outside of racing that keep them busy during the week. For Seth Bergman, that job is operating Evergreen Coffee Company, a growing chain of coffee shops in the Tulsa area.

“We’ve got coffee, we’ve got alternatives to coffee we can do,” Bergman said regarding Evergreen’s offerings. “Any sort of Red Bull drinks, smoothies, frappes, we sell this stuff called Lotus. You’ve got to go there and just talk to the baristas and they can fill you in on all the secrets.”

Long before he ever dreamed of getting into the coffee business, the Washington native hit the road with the ASCS for the first time in 2009 after making his way through the karting, Mini Sprint and Limited Sprint ranks in the northwest. Following a rough rookie season in which he made just six Feature starts in 20 attempts, Bergman returned to local Sprint Car competition in 2010.

The decision paid dividends, as Bergman was crowned the 2010 track champion in the 360 Sprint Car class at Grays Harbor Raceway before returning to the National Tour in 2011. The second go-round was a much bigger success, as Bergman became a regular visitor to Victory Lane in the years that followed, starting with his first triumph at Riverside International Speedway in 2012.

“I was racing full-time with ASCS,” Bergman said. “My wife was traveling full-time with me and my daughter, we had a motorhome that we were living in.”

After seven years of living the RV life, Bergman decided to permanently relocate to Owasso, OK in 2018 to be right in the heart of 360 Sprint Car country. Shortly thereafter, Evergreen Coffee Company was born.

“We’re both originally from the west coast, and the coffee scene out there is a little different, and we were having a hard time finding coffee that we liked,” said the 21-time National Tour winner. “We just figured we would take a chance, start our own, and we did. And it just took off. It took off so much that it actually took me away from racing full time.”

Bergman maintained a limited schedule from 2019 until 2023, with this season marking his return to the championship chase. On the nights Bergman did unload, he was as competitive as always, scoring three National Tour victories and more than a dozen regional wins during his time as a part-timer.

His background as a Sprint Car racer is certainly unlike most other coffee shop owners, and he credits that difference as one of the reasons why the business was so successful so quickly.

“I try to run the business like I would a race team,” Bergman said. “Everything I’ve ever learned is from racing. Just very detail-oriented, organized, try to run really nice shops. It’s played a big part in our success for the coffee side of things.”

While Bergman’s wife, Hailey, primarily handles social media, marketing, and other day-to-day needs, Seth is tasked with handling the mechanical side of the business in between his busy racing schedule. Anytime a coffee grinder requires a trip to the work area, he’s the first on the scene.

“If there’s anything that needs to be worked on, or anything’s broken, fixing stuff, making sure things are going smoothly,” Bergman said. “Any new construction we’ve done, I’ve been a big part of it. We just got done with a remodel of one of our places. That was going on during Speedweek, so that was hard. I hired it out, but we still have to oversee things, make sure things are going right.”

While a Sprint Car team and a coffee shop are as different as two businesses can be, Bergman works to ensure that the two support each other as much as possible. The revenue from Evergreen allows the race team to operate at full strength each weekend, while the race car is an important marketing tool for the business, especially when the tour comes close to home.

“Me and my family, we own the race team, we own our coffee shops, and I don’t have a big headlining sponsor on the race team, so we just thought it would be cool to rep our own brand and have our coffee shops on the side of our car,” Bergman said. “It should be a big hit for us this weekend.”

Bergman’s next stop on the road to his first National championship will be Tulsa Speedway, located just a few miles away from his home and businesses. The current points leader will have two chances on Friday and Saturday night to park Evergreen’s fastest billboard in Victory Lane in front of his neighbors and customers.

“All of our coffee shops are like five miles away from the racetrack basically, no more than 10 miles,” Bergman said. “I think the atmosphere will be good, there will be a lot of race fans, should be a good car count. We’ll have a lot of our employees and friends from home that will be out there, so it should be a cool weekend.”

Bergman encourages any locals and visitors in town for this weekend’s festivities to stop by one of the shops for a quick sip before heading to the track. Just don’t expect to find him behind the counter whipping it up for you.

“I’m not in there making coffee every day,” Bergman said with a laugh. “We have our baristas that do all that.”

Bergman and the rest of the National Tour stars will headline the Dirt Down in T-Town at Tulsa Speedway on Friday and Saturday, June 28-29. Admission for fans is priced at $25 per carload, with no limit to the number of people per vehicle. Can’t make it to the track? Catch every lap live on DIRTVision.

 

 

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: National Tour Rolls into Tulsa for Dirt Down in T-Town

TULSA, OK (June 26, 2024) –

The American Sprint Car Series will wrap up a busy June schedule this Friday and Saturday, June 28-29 at Tulsa Speedway with the two-night Dirt Down in T-Town.

The event culminates with a $6,000-to-win Feature on Saturday night, with a total purse increase of more than $3,000. Friday’s race will feature a standard $4,000-to-win, $400-to-start payout.

The Sprint Cars will be joined on the card by B-Mods and Tuners on Friday and Factory Stocks, Dwarf Cars and Tuners on Saturday.

Fans will be admitted for $25 per carload on both nights, with no limit on the number of people per vehicle. DIRTVision will have live coverage for those unable to make it to the track.

Here are the top storylines entering the weekend:

TULSA TIME: The air might be 50 degrees warmer than it usually is when the dirt racing world converges on Tulsa, but the on-track action will be just as hot.

This weekend will mark the third and fourth National Tour races at Tulsa Speedway, which was built adjacent to the Tulsa Raceway Park dragstrip and opened in 2021. Blake Hahn took the win in the track’s inaugural season, while Tim Crawley visited Victory Lane in the most recent visit in 2022.

Tulsa Speedway promoter and drag racing superstar Keith Haney has pulled out all the stops to make the Dirt Down in T-Town a premiere event on the Sprint Car calendar. In addition to the increased purse for the race teams, fans will be treated to an autograph session at 5 p.m. on Saturday, live music, and shaded seating areas to take a break from the summer heat.

WELCOME BACK JASON: Reigning champion Jason Martin will return to the track this weekend at Tulsa. The Kansas native elected to sit out last weekend’s event at Batesville Motor Speedway as a precaution following a hard impact with the catchfence in the Speedweek finale at Tri-State Speedway. Following a visit with his doctor, Martin received the all-clear to get back in the seat of his No. 36 machine.

His absence at Batesville, as well as a pair of crashes to end Speedweek cost him dearly in the points chase, as he now sits 11th in the standings. Martin’s climb back into the top 10 will commence at a track where he has struggled in the past, as he finished outside the top 15 in both of his previous Tulsa appearances with the National Tour.

SUB DRIVER DELIVERS: Ever since Jordon Mallett jumped in the No. 55B to fill in for the injured Brandon Anderson, he has been consistently fast early in the night before fading by the end of the Feature. The opposite was true on Saturday night at Batesville, where Mallett lurked behind leader Sam Hafertepe Jr. for 24 laps until making the winning move on the final circuit.

The victory was Mallett’s second-consecutive podium finish and seventh-straight top 10, dating back to his debut in the car at Rush County Speedway on May 31. He’ll aim to keep those streaks alive at Tulsa, where much like most of his competitors, his experience at the new facility is limited.

Mallett’s lone Sprint Car start at the track came with the National Tour in 2022, and he came home fourth against a strong field that included the likes of Wayne Johnson, Dale Howard, Cannon McIntosh and Landon Crawley.

KNOCKING ON THE DOOR: Nine races into the 2024 National Tour season, Matt Covington has done everything except win a Feature. The No. 95 car has been fast each night, as his three Heat Race wins and six Dash appearances this season put him top-three in both categories. Covington’s eight top 10 finishes are more than anyone not named Seth Bergman, and his lone throwaway night came when he collided with a slower car while leading at Dodge City Raceway Park.

While scoring his maiden win of 2024 will be the primary goal in Tulsa, Covington will also be looking to close in on points leader Seth Bergman and pull away from Sam Hafertepe Jr., who trails Covington by a single point in their battle for the second spot. To do that, he will need to improve on his past performances at Tulsa, as his two National Tour starts there ended with finishes of 15th and 16th.

WHEN AND WHERE:

Friday and Saturday, June 28-29 at Tulsa Speedway in Tulsa, OK.

AROUND THE TURN:

The American Sprint Car Series National Tour will return from a three-week hiatus with a Sunflower State doubleheader at Lakeside Speedway on Friday, July 19 and 81 Speedway on Saturday, July 20.

CURRENT POINT STANDINGS (TOP 10):

Seth Bergman (1270 points)
Matt Covington (-159)
Sam Hafertepe Jr. (-160)
Andrew Deal (-207)
Kyler Johnson (-296)
Jordon Mallett (-297)
Landon Britt (-298)
Hank Davis (-320)
Terry Easum (-326)
Zach Blurton (-331)

FEATURE WINNERS (4):
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 4
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 3
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 1

QUICK TIME AWARDS (6):
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 4
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 1
Josh McCord – Bossier City, LA – 1
Alex Sewell – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 1

HEAT RACE WINS (19):
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 3
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 3
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 3
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 2
Whit Gastineau – Moore, OK – 2
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 2
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 2
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 2
Lane Whittington – Denham Springs, LA – 1
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 1
Koty Adams – Haughton, LA – 1
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 1
Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 1
Brekton Crouch – Lubbock, TX – 1
Jeremy Campbell – Wichita, KS – 1
Cody Gardner – Benton, AR – 1
Austyn Gossel – Windsor, CO – 1
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 1

DASH APPEARANCES (23):
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 8
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 8
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 6
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 4
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 4
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 4
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 3
Whit Gastineau – Moore, OK – 3
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Alex Sewell – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 2
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 2
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 1
Lane Whittington – Denham Springs, LA – 1
Koty Adams – Haughton, LA – 1
Ryder Laplante – Calera, OK – 1
Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 1
Brekton Crouch – Lubbock, TX – 1
Jeremy Campbell – Wichita, KS – 1
Elijah Gile – Phoenix, AZ – 1
Cody Gardner – Benton, AR – 1
Austyn Gossel – Windsor, CO – 1
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 1

LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINNERS (4):
Rees Moran – Tulsa, OK – 2
Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 1
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 1
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 1

PODIUM FINISHERS (12):
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 7
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 4
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 3
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 3
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 2
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 2
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 1
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Tanner Conn – Oklahoma City, OK – 1
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 1
Ryder Laplante – Calera, OK – 1
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 1

TOP 10 FINISHERS (31):
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 9
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 8
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 7
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 6
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 6
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 6
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 5
Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 5
Kyler Johnson – Quinter, KS – 4
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 3
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 3
Whit Gastineau – Moore, OK – 3
Rees Moran – Tulsa, OK – 3
Alex Sewell – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 2
Zach Blurton – Quinter, KS – 2
Brandon Anderson – Glenpool, OK – 1
Channin Tankersley – Arlington, TX – 1
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 1
Tanner Conn – Oklahoma City, OK – 1
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Brekton Crouch – Lubbock, TX – 1
Jeremy Huish – Jetmore, KS – 1
Ryder Laplante – Calera, OK – 1
Jeremy Campbell – Wichita, KS – 1
Harli White – Lindsay, OK – 1
Austyn Gossel – Windsor, CO – 1
Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 1
Fred Mattox – Drumright, OK – 1
Dale Howard – Byhalia, MS – 1
Brad Bowden – Hernando, MS – 1

2024 AMERICAN SPRINT CAR SERIES SCHEDULE & WINNERS:
Friday, Apr. 19 / Super Bee Speedway / Chatham, LA / Seth Bergman (1)
Friday, May 10 / Red Dirt Raceway / Meeker, OK / Terry Easum (1)
Friday, May 31 / Rush County Speedway / La Crosse, KS / Seth Bergman (2)
Saturday, Jun. 1 / Dodge City Raceway Park / Dodge City, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (1)
Tuesday, Jun. 11 / Texarkana 67 Speedway / Texarkana, AR / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (2)
Thursday, Jun. 13 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (3)
Friday, Jun. 14 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK / Seth Bergman (3)
Saturday, Jun. 15 / Tri-State Speedway / Pocola, OK / Seth Bergman (4)
Saturday, Jun. 22 / Batesville Motor Speedway / Locust Grove, AR / Jordon Mallett (1)
Friday, Jun. 28 / Tulsa Speedway / Tulsa, OK
Saturday, Jun. 29 / Tulsa Speedway / Tulsa, OK
Friday, Jul. 19 / Lakeside Speedway / Kansas City, KS
Saturday, Jul. 20 / 81 Speedway / Wichita, KS
Thursday, Aug. 1 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA
Friday, Aug. 2 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA
Saturday, Aug. 3 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA
Friday, Aug. 16 / Dodge City Raceway Park / Dodge City, KS
Saturday, Aug. 17 / Lincoln County Raceway / North Platte, NE
Friday, Aug. 23 / Big Sky Speedway / Shepherd, MT
Saturday, Aug. 24 / Big Sky Speedway / Shepherd, MT
Friday, Aug. 30 / Electric City Speedway / Black Eagle, MT
Saturday, Aug. 31 / Electric City Speedway / Black Eagle, MT
Friday, Sep. 6 / Mississippi Thunder Speedway / Fountain City, WI
Saturday, Sep. 7 / Winneshiek Raceway / Decorah, IA
Tuesday, Sep. 10 / Clay County Fair Speedway / Spencer, IA
Friday, Sep. 13 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK
Saturday, Sep. 14 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK
Friday, Sep. 27 / Riverside International Speedway / West Memphis, AR
Saturday, Sep. 28 / Riverside International Speedway / West Memphis, AR
Friday, Oct. 11 / Benton Speedway / Benton, MO
Saturday, Oct. 12 / Paducah International Raceway / Paducah, KY
Friday, Oct. 18 / RPM Speedway / Crandall, TX
Saturday, Oct. 19 / RPM Speedway / Crandall, TX
Friday, Nov. 15 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK
Saturday, Nov. 16 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK

 

 

Mallett Uses Last-Lap Pass to Claim First Win of 2024

LOCUST GROVE, AR (June 22, 2024) –

Ever since Jordon Mallett began filling in for the injured Brandon Anderson, he’s said he wouldn’t be driving the No. 55B car if he didn’t think it was capable of winning.

He proved that Saturday night at Batesville Motor Speedway as he picked up his first win of the 2024 American Sprint Car Series National Tour season in thrilling fashion over Sam Hafertepe Jr.

“They put a lot of faith in me to do my job,” Mallett said. “I can’t thank those guys enough for the work they put in.”

Hafertepe’s Dash win put him on the pole for the 25-lap Feature as he looked to put the No. 15H in Victory Lane for the fourth time in 2024. A strong start gave Hafertepe a three-car-length advantage down the backstretch on Lap 1 over Mallett, who got to Matt Covington’s inside in the first corner to move from third to second.

The gap between Hafertepe and Mallett hovered around one second through the opening seven laps until Hafertepe caught the tail end of the field. While the slower cars did allow Mallett to close in, Hafertepe was able to pass cars quickly enough to deny Mallett the chance to pounce.

“I knew if I could keep pace with him all race, I felt like we were pretty good,” Mallett said. “Towards the end, I just kept fine-tuning my line and trying to find something.”

The stalled car of Andrew Deal reracked the field on Lap 16, giving Hafertepe and Mallett a clear track to duel on. When the race resumed, Mallett went to the bottom of the track to counter the top lane that Hafertepe had been running all night. The two remained side-by-side for two laps after the restart before Hafertepe finally managed to clear Mallett off Turn 4.

Much like the first half of the race, Hafertepe pulled away to a one-second lead over Mallett before he caught traffic and allowed Mallett to close.

A brilliant run through Turns 3 and 4 put Mallett within a car length of Hafertepe coming to the white flag. He dove to the bottom lane once more in Turn 2, and this time he found enough momentum to clear Hafertepe with half a lap to go. Hafertepe went to the bottom himself in Turn 3 but came up empty handed as he watched Mallett take the checkered flag – the second National Tour win of Mallett’s career and first since 2021.

“I was just able to charge through the bottom, enter high and go across the bottom and then float up,” Mallett said. “The car just kept getting better and better at doing that the last three or four laps. The last lap, I knew if I could get to him, I could clear him. We had one shot, and I felt like we made the most of the opportunity.”

Hafertepe’s second-place run was a strong rebound from a crash and engine issues in the last two events, moving him up one spot to third in the standings. Nevertheless, the five-time Series champion was still frustrated to come up short after dominating most of the night.

“When you’re leading these races, you don’t know what’s going on behind you,” Hafertepe said. “I felt some rubber off Turn 4, so I knew where to be there, just in [Turns] 1 and 2 we didn’t know where to be. Honestly, I think we had been alright, just the last lap it felt like our right rear just went away.”

A third-place effort for Covington allowed him to hold onto second in points, 159 markers behind sixth-place runner Seth Bergman, as he continues the hunt for his first win of the season.

“Pulled my wing back, changed my line up a little bit, and that seemed to wake my car up and make it feel a lot better,” Covington said regarding the adjustments he made under the lone caution of the night. “The longer the race went on, the more abrasive the track got, it just started to bring the track to my car, and we got better there at the end. Just not quite good enough.”

Hank Davis came home fourth to pick up his sixth top five in seven races with TwoC Racing, while Brady Baker rounded out the top five for his best run since finishing third in the season opener at Super Bee Speedway.

Hurricane Area Super Sprints regular Brad Bowden drove from 16th to 10th to claim the Hard Charger Award in his first National Tour appearance of the year.

UP NEXT: The National Tour returns to Oklahoma for the inaugural Dirt Down in T-Town at Tulsa Speedway on June 28-29. Fans will be admitted for $25 per carload, while DIRTVision will have live coverage available for those unable to make it to the track.

Feature (25 Laps): 1. 55B-Jordon Mallett[3]; 2. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[1]; 3. 95-Matt Covington[2]; 4. 2C-Hank Davis[6]; 5. 71-Brady Baker[4]; 6. 23-Seth Bergman[5]; 7. 47-Dale Howard[9]; 8. 10-Landon Britt[7]; 9. 2J-Zach Blurton[8]; 10. 8-Brad Bowden[16]; 11. 91-Michael Day[17]; 12. 16G-Austyn Gossel[11]; 13. 88-Terry Easum[15]; 14. 938-Bradley Fezard[12]; 15. 45X-Kyler Johnson[13]; 16. 6G-Bryan Gossel[14]; 17. 14-Jamey Mooney[19]; 18. 15D-Andrew Deal[10]; 19. 16S-Steven Howell[18]

 

 

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: National Tour Returns to Batesville for One Night Only

LOCUST GROVE, AR (June 20, 2024) –

There’s no time for a post-Speedweek hangover as the American Sprint Car Series National Tour will roar back to life at Batesville Motor Speedway on Saturday, June 22.

The one-night show will feature a standard $4,000-to-win/$400-to-start purse. The Sprint Cars will be joined in the itinerary by IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars, Hobby Stocks, Midwest Modifieds and Factory Stocks.

Tickets will be available at the gate on race day, with live coverage available on DIRTVision for those unable to make it to the track.

Here are the top storylines entering the weekend:

BACK TO BATESVILLE: The National Tour is making its return trip to the Arkansas 3/8-mile for the first time since 2022 after last season’s date was lost to rain.

Batesville was a regular stop for the Series in the late 1990s and early 2000s, but it was off the calendar from 2004 until 2021. Since its return to the schedule, Dale Howard and Tim Crawley won the two races held in 2021 and 2022, respectively.

The only two current full-timers to finish top 10 in both recent Batesville events are Jordon Mallett and Matt Covington, and both will look to use that experience at the track to collect their first Series win of the season.

BERGMAN’S RISE: Seth Bergman has been back in his family-owned No. 23 car for less than a month and has already collected impressive stats.

The Washington native was already the points leader when he switched back, and he turned up the performance even further during Speedweek. Two wins and four podiums in four races was enough for the miniseries title. It also led to him extending his points lead to 172 points over Covington.

This week’s venue could present a challenge as Saturday’s race will serve as Bergman’s Batesville debut. However, this year’s events at Rush County Speedway and Tri-State Speedway also marked Bergman’s first visit to both tracks, and he ended the night in Victory Lane on both occasions.

WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN: Sam Hafertepe Jr. began Speedweek with back-to-back wins at Texarkana 67 Speedway and Creek County Speedway and was in contention for another triumph at Arrowhead Speedway until he jumped the cushion and pounded the wall in Turn 4 coming to the white flag.

Early in the night at Tri-State, Hafertepe appeared to be back on track when he went to the top of the board in his Qualifying group, but engine trouble in his Heat Race brought an early end to his race for the second-straight night.

Midway through Speedweek, it looked like Hafertepe would be heading to Batesville as Seth Bergman’s biggest rival in the championship chase. Instead, he sits fourth in the standings, 180 points behind Bergman entering a track he last raced at 18 years ago.

MARTIN’S MISHAPS: Reigning National Tour champion Jason Martin arrived at Texarkana for the Speedweek opener second in points but fell to fifth before the week was over. Whether it was a rear-end lockup at Texarkana or getting swept up in accidents at Arrowhead and Tri-State, a myriad of issues out of Martin’s control kept him from finishing towards the front.

Martin’s two National Tour Feature starts at Batesville may have been separated by 19 years, but he finished 13th in 2003 and 2022. However, to close his 231-point gap to Bergman, he may need to score a career-best run at the track.

WHEN AND WHERE:
Saturday, June 22, at Batesville Motor Speedway in Locust Grove, AR

AROUND THE TURN:
The American Sprint Car Series National Tour will head to Tulsa Speedway for the inaugural Dirt Down in T-Town on Friday-Saturday, June 28-29.

CURRENT POINT STANDINGS (TOP 10):
1. Seth Bergman (1148 points)
2. Matt Covington (-172)
3. Andrew Deal (-179)
4. Sam Hafertepe Jr. (-201)
5. Jason Martin (-231)
6. Kyler Johnson (-274)
7. Landon Britt (-292)
8. Terry Easum (-308)
9. Zach Blurton (-322)
10. Jordon Mallett (-325)

FEATURE WINNERS (3):
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 4
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 3
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 1

QUICK TIME AWARDS (5):
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 4
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 1
Josh McCord – Bossier City, LA – 1
Alex Sewell – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 1

HEAT RACE WINS (19):
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 3
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 3
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 2
Seth Bergman – Snohomsih, WA – 2
Whit Gastineau – Moore, OK – 2
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 2
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 1
Lane Whittington – Denham Springs, LA – 1
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 1
Koty Adams – Haughton, LA – 1
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 1
Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 1
Brekton Crouch – Lubbock, TX – 1
Jeremy Campbell – Wichita, KS – 1
Cody Gardner – Benton, AR – 1
Austyn Gossel – Windsor, CO – 1
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 1
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 1

DASH APPEARANCES (23):
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 7
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 7
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 5
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 3
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 3
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 3
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 3
Whit Gastineau – Moore, OK – 3
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Alex Sewell – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 2
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 2
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 1
Lane Whittington – Denham Springs, LA – 1
Koty Adams – Haughton, LA – 1
Ryder Laplante – Calera, OK – 1
Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 1
Brekton Crouch – Lubbock, TX – 1
Jeremy Campbell – Wichita, KS – 1
Elijah Gile – Phoenix, AZ – 1
Cody Gardner – Benton, AR – 1
Austyn Gossel – Windsor, CO – 1
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 1

LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINNERS (4):
Rees Moran – Tulsa, OK – 2
Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 1
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 1
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 1

PODIUM FINISHERS (12):
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 7
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 3
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 3
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 2
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 2
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 1
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Tanner Conn – Oklahoma City, OK – 1
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 1
Ryder Laplante – Calera, OK – 1
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 1
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 1

TOP 10 FINISHERS (29):
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 8
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 7
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 7
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 5
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 5
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 5
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 5
Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 4
Kyler Johnson – Quinter, KS – 4
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 3
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 3
Whit Gastineau – Moore, OK – 3
Rees Moran – Tulsa, OK – 3
Alex Sewell – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 1
Brandon Anderson – Glenpool, OK – 1
Channin Tankersley – Arlington, TX – 1
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 1
Tanner Conn – Oklahoma City, OK – 1
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Brekton Crouch – Lubbock, TX – 1
Jeremy Huish – Jetmore, KS – 1
Zach Blurton – Quinter, KS – 1
Ryder Laplante – Calera, OK – 1
Jeremy Campbell – Wichita, KS – 1
Harli White – Lindsay, OK – 1
Austyn Gossel – Windsor, CO – 1
Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 1
Fred Mattox – Drumright, OK – 1

2024 AMERICAN SPRINT CAR SERIES SCHEDULE & WINNERS:
Friday, Apr. 19 / Super Bee Speedway / Chatham, LA / Seth Bergman (1)
Friday, May 10 / Red Dirt Raceway / Meeker, OK / Terry Easum (1)
Friday, May 31 / Rush County Speedway / La Crosse, KS / Seth Bergman (2)
Saturday, Jun. 1 / Dodge City Raceway Park / Dodge City, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (1)
Tuesday, Jun. 11 / Texarkana 67 Speedway / Texarkana, AR / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (2)
Thursday, Jun. 13 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (3)
Friday, Jun. 14 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK / Seth Bergman (3)
Saturday, Jun. 15 / Tri-State Speedway / Pocola, OK / Seth Bergman (4)
Saturday, Jun. 22 / Batesville Motor Speedway / Locust Grove, AR
Friday, Jun. 28 / Tulsa Speedway / Tulsa, OK
Saturday, Jun. 29 / Tulsa Speedway / Tulsa, OK
Friday, Jul. 19 / Lakeside Speedway / Kansas City, KS
Saturday, Jul. 20 / 81 Speedway / Wichita, KS
Thursday, Aug. 1 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA
Friday, Aug. 2 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA
Saturday, Aug. 3 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA
Friday, Aug. 16 / Dodge City Raceway Park / Dodge City, KS
Saturday, Aug. 17 / Lincoln County Raceway / North Platte, NE
Friday, Aug. 23 / Big Sky Speedway / Shepherd, MT
Saturday, Aug. 24 / Big Sky Speedway / Shepherd, MT
Friday, Aug. 30 / Electric City Speedway / Black Eagle, MT
Saturday, Aug. 31 / Electric City Speedway / Black Eagle, MT
Friday, Sep. 6 / Mississippi Thunder Speedway / Fountain City, WI
Saturday, Sep. 7 / Winneshiek Raceway / Decorah, IA
Tuesday, Sep. 10 / Clay County Fair Speedway / Spencer, IA
Friday, Sep. 13 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK
Saturday, Sep. 14 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK
Friday, Sep. 27 / Riverside International Speedway / West Memphis, AR
Saturday, Sep. 28 / Riverside International Speedway / West Memphis, AR
Friday, Oct. 11 / Benton Speedway / Benton, MO
Saturday, Oct. 12 / Paducah International Raceway / Paducah, KY
Friday, Oct. 18 / RPM Speedway / Crandall, TX
Saturday, Oct. 19 / RPM Speedway / Crandall, TX
Friday, Nov. 15 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK
Saturday, Nov. 16 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK

 

 

Jordon Mallett Making Strides as National Tour's Super Sub

CONCORD, NC (June 19, 2024) –

In the leadup to the 2024 racing season, Jordon Mallett thought he was going to take a step back from the grind of the American Sprint Car Series National Tour.

With his first child on the way, he was content with scaling back. But then came the call from Brandon Anderson, who suffered a broken arm from a crash in May.

“He had gotten hurt in the car, was going to be out several weeks, and wanted to know if I had any interest in filling the seat,” said Mallett, who finished third in National Tour points last year. “Just had some conversations with him and with Kyle [Anderson] and got our heads together, thought about it, looked at it from my perspective of our team, we were running really well. We didn’t have any major scheduling conflicts with the proposed schedule they had laid out while he was going to be injured. It just mutually worked out.”

Anderson said he considered several different candidates for the fill-in position, but ultimately decided Mallett was the best option on the table.

“I looked at all my competitors, people that I had known in racing,” Anderson said. “He seemed to be the one that really carried themselves the best on the track and off the track.”

After receiving the green light from his sponsors, Mallett got to work beginning with the National Tour stop at Rush County Speedway on May 31. From that moment forward, Mallett has appeared to fit the Brandon Anderson Motorsports team like a glove, going a perfect six-for-six on top 10s, culminating in a second-place result at Tri-State Speedway to wrap up Speedweek. Nevertheless, Mallett believes there is still more left in the tank.

“We’ve had speed every night that I’ve been in the car,” Mallett said. “They’ve got really good equipment; they’ve got everything we need to be successful. Like I said when we started this deal, I felt like once we got in a routine, we were a consistent top-five contender every night.

“I wouldn’t be in the seat if I didn’t think we had the equipment and the brains capable of winning a race.”

For much of Mallett’s time behind the wheel of Anderson’s car, he seemed to have good speed in preliminary action, but struggled to maintain it in the Feature until Tri-State rolled around.

“Ever since we partnered up, we’ve just been really good and really consistent early on, and we’ve lacked something in the Feature,” Mallett said. “Just trying to get me comfortable in the car in the Feature to actually charge forward and have a good race car at the end of the show. Seems like we’ve had a good car at the beginning of the Feature and it just kind of went away, so Saturday night (at Tri-State) was a really good night that we could finally find that threshold that I’m a little bit happier with.”

The strong finishes also confirmed to Anderson that he made the right decision in choosing an experienced wheelman like Mallett to join his team.

“I see a little bit more maturity there, more patience,” Anderson said. “He’s able to articulate things a little bit better and really just keep his cool.”

Mallett’s search for his second Series win, and first with the Andersons, will continue this Saturday at Batesville Motor Speedway – about an hour away from his Greenbrier, AR home. Despite his close proximity to the track, Mallett doesn’t have nearly as many laps around Batesville as most drivers do at tracks in their home region.

“I think we’ve been there cumulatively maybe three times in my career,” Mallett said. “It is just a little over an hour from the house, but rarely do they run Sprint Cars very often.”

With Anderson expected to return to the cockpit later this summer, Mallett said he will return to the seat of his family-owned car on a part-time schedule. His No. 14 machine has already shown speed in 2024, as Mallett won a United Sprint Car Series event at Pine Ridge Speedway in Mississippi on May 27, his last race before moving to the Anderson team.

“As soon as Brandon is healed up, I’ll just go back to my seat in my car and continue on with our schedule like we had originally planned,” Mallett said.

Until then, Mallett is laser-focused on one goal: parking the No. 55B machine in Victory Lane.

“I don’t think I’ve got a car that can win,” Mallett said. “I know I’ve got a car that can win.”

Mallett and the rest of the ASCS National Tour competitors will continue their chase for the championship on Saturday night, June 22 at Batesville Motor Speedway in Locust Grove, AR. Tickets will be available at the gate on race day, while every lap will be streamed live on DIRTVision.

 

 

POINTS UPDATE: Speedweek Championship Multiplies Bergman’s Lead
Spence Smithback

LATEST RACES: Texarkana 67 Speedway (June 11), Creek County Speedway (June 13), Arrowhead Speedway (June 14), Tri-State Speedway (June 15)

CURRENT POINTS LEADER: With two wins, four podium finishes, a 1.5 average finish and a Speedweek championship, last week couldn’t have gone much better for Seth Bergman. His lead over the competition is more than three times larger than it was one week ago as a result, going from 57 points entering the week to his current 172-point margin.

MOVERS

Matt Covington (+3): Three-consecutive top fives to open Speedweek helped Covington rebound from a DNF in his previous outing at Dodge City Raceway Park. The No. 95 car looked to be on its way to extending the streak to four at Tri-State until he was collected in Hank Davis and Jason Martin’s crash, but Covington still recovered to finish seventh and prevent Andrew Deal from taking away second in the standings.

Jason Martin (-3): The No. 36 was fast enough all week to contend for wins, but issue after issue prevented Martin from finishing at the front. He suffered a locked-up rear end in the Feature at Texarkana, was collected in Sam Hafertepe Jr.’s crash at Arrowhead, and then crashed while racing for the lead at Tri-State for another DNF. With those, he fell to fifth in the National Tour standings.

Kyler Johnson (+1): The Kansas native entered Speedweek in a tie with Landon Britt for sixth in the standings. While mechanical gremlins at Texarkana prevented him from starting the Feature, finishes of 10th, 11th and eighth the rest of the week elevated him into sole possession of sixth.

Landon Britt (-1): Britt’s week was bookended by a disappointing 19th-place run at Texarkana and a crash at Tri-State that left him 20th on the night. His best finish of the week was a 10th at Arrowhead, the site of his lone Series win. The No. 10 team will look to move up from seventh at Batesville this weekend, one of the closest tracks on tour to Britt’s Memphis home.

TOP 10 IN POINTS:

Seth Bergman (1148 points)
Matt Covington (-172)
Andrew Deal (-179)
Sam Hafertepe Jr. (-201)
Jason Martin (-231)
Kyler Johnson (-274)
Landon Britt (-292)
Terry Easum (-308)
Zach Blurton (-322)
Jordon Mallett (-322)

NEXT RACE: Batesville Motor Speedway (June 22)

 

 

Bergman Clinches Speedweek Championship with Tri-State Victory

POCOLA, OK (June 15, 2024) –

The list of ASCS Speedweek champions includes many of the all-time greats of Sprint Car racing such as Terry Gray, Jason Johnson, Sammy Swindell, and now Seth Bergman.

The now 21-time American Sprint Car Series National Tour winner survived a chaotic Feature Saturday night at Tri-State Speedway to secure his second win in as many nights and the miniseries title.

“It can’t get any better than that,” Bergman said. “We had a solid week, two second-place finishes and two wins, so it’s hard to beat that.”

Hank Davis was the night’s polesitter following his first Dash win of 2024, but his time out front didn’t last long. Second-place starter Jason Martin looked to his inside in Turn 1 on the opening lap and completed the pass exiting the corner.

Martin built a half-straightaway advantage by the end of the first circuit, but the spinning car of Daryn Langford erased it on Lap 4. When the race restarted, the field only completed half a lap before Bryan Gossel went into the catchfence in Turn 2 to bring out the first red flag of the night.

When fence repairs were complete, Davis made the same move in Turn 1 that Martin made on him on the initial start to grab the lead back. Martin slid his way back past Davis in Turn 3, but the battle slowed both of them down and allowed the third-place car of Matt Covington to join the fight.

With the top three under a blanket, Davis dove to the bottom in Turn 1 but washed back up the track, resulting in contact with Martin and a subsequent pileup that eliminated all three leaders from contention.

That handed the lead to Bergman, who led the rest of the way. A pair of cautions involving Michael Day and Landon Britt gave the field their chance at the No. 23 car, but their efforts came up fruitless.

“It’s hard to win these races,” Bergman said. “When your most formidable competitors fall out like that, sure, it makes for a few less challenges.”

The most notable absence in the main event was that of Sam Hafertepe Jr., who scratched following his Heat Race due to engine issues.

Runner-up Jordon Mallett was able to counter Bergman’s preferred top groove by hugging the inside wall to get within striking distance on multiple occasions in the second half of the race, but the No. 55B was unable to wrestle the lead away.

“If I would have made one mistake there on the curb or something, Mallett was probably good enough on the bottom that he could have got me,” Bergman said. “There’s some depth and talent in this field, it keeps you pretty honest.”

Although Mallett fell just short of his second National Tour win, his first podium finish of 2024 was enough to prove that the Brandon Anderson Motorsports team can be legitimate contenders come Feature time.

“We were all firing on all cylinders tonight,” Mallett said. “Seems like we’ve been able to time in quick, heat race good, put ourselves in good spots, and then we’ve lacked something in the Feature. Tonight we were finally able to get in the right direction.”

The misfortune for several of the leaders opened the door for some of the underdogs to collect strong finishes, and Kyle Clark took full advantage of that opportunity with a third-place run.

“I run pretty good at this racetrack, and we had the car dialed in,” said the former Oil Capital Racing Series winner at Tri-State. “Happy with what we got, and hopefully we can do it again next time.”

Whit Gastineau was also on the list of part-timers who found success, as his fourth-place result was just one spot short of his career-best with the Series.

Rounding out the top five was Rookie of the Year contender Andrew Deal, who made an incredible 21st-to-fifth run to pick up the Hard Charger Award.

UP NEXT: The Series returns to action next Saturday for its first visit to Batesville Motor Speedway since 2022. Tickets will be available at the track on race day, while DIRTVision will provide live coverage for those unable to make it to the track.

Feature (25 Laps): 1. 23-Seth Bergman[4]; 2. 55B-Jordon Mallett[8]; 3. 9S-Kyle Clark[7]; 4. 2W-Whit Gastineau[5]; 5. 15D-Andrew Deal[21]; 6. 22M-Rees Moran[12]; 7. 95-Matt Covington[3]; 8. 45X-Kyler Johnson[16]; 9. 938-Bradley Fezard[9]; 10. 26M-Fred Mattox[11]; 11. 31-Casey Wills[23]; 12. 2J-Zach Blurton[10]; 13. 91-Michael Day[14]; 14. 16G-Austyn Gossel[17]; 15. 5H-Harli White[20]; 16. 42-Caleb Saiz[19]; 17. 88-Terry Easum[22]; 18. 30-Joseph Miller[18]; 19. 32D-Daryn Langford[24]; 20. 10-Landon Britt[13]; 21. 36-Jason Martin[2]; 22. 2C-Hank Davis[1]; 23. 6G-Bryan Gossel[15]; 24. (DNS) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr

 

 

Bergman Ends Hafertepe Jr.'s Win Streak at Arrowhead

COLCORD, OK (June 14, 2024) – Sam Hafertepe Jr.’s quest for four-straight American Sprint Car Series National Tour victories ended on a tow hook Friday at Arrowhead Speedway, and Seth Bergman was there to pick up the pieces and collect his third win of 2024.

Hafertepe and Bergman have been the two dominant cars across the opening portion of the 2024 season, and fans were treated to a head-to-head duel between the two gladiators across the 30-lap Feature.

“We’ll keep knocking on the door, and we’ll pressure [Hafertepe] enough,” Bergman said following the 20th win of his National Tour career. “We’ll get a racetrack and hopefully we’ll get a shot at him, and tonight we did.”

Early in the program, it looked like Hafertepe was on his way to yet another triumph after setting quick time in his Qualifying group and winning the Dash.

Hafertepe was off like a rocket when the green flag dropped in the Feature, pulling away to a 1.1-second lead after two laps. Meanwhile, Bergman made his way around Jason Martin in the opening circuits to move from his third-place starting spot into the runner-up position.

Once Hafertepe caught the tail end of the field, Bergman did something no one had done in the last three Series events: run down the No. 15H machine. On Lap 13, Bergman dove to the bottom in Turn 3, remained side-by-side with Hafertepe down the fronstretch, and cleared him in Turn 2 on the following lap.

“It’s never going to be easy when you’re out front racing Sam Hafertepe in a 360,” Bergman said. “Off the front row he’s going to be tough to beat, he’s proven that here the last few nights.”

Bergman was only able to enjoy his lead for one straightaway, as a bobble while maneuvering around the slower car of Terry Easum allowed Hafertepe to retake the lead exiting Turn 4.

With 12 to go, Hafertepe moved down the track from the top groove he had been running all night, opening the door for Bergman to rip the lip through Turns 1 and 2 and grab the lead back. The pair traded slide jobs once more on Lap 20, but Bergman remained on point.

“In traffic, the track was there and I was able to move around and get him moving around,” Bergman said. “Once you can get him thinking, it’s game on from there.”

Just when it looked like Bergman had the race in hand, a spin for Emilio Hoover in Turn 2 set up a five-lap dash to the checkers. While Hafertepe was busy fending off Martin for second after the restart, Bergman powered away to a half-straightaway advantage.

After regaining control of second place, Hafertepe made a last-ditch effort for the win by throwing a massive slider on Bergman with two to go, but pounded the concrete in Turn 2. In the next set of corners, Hafertepe found the wall yet again off Turn 4, but this time the contact was hard enough to end his night. The incident also put a damper on Martin’s race, as he was unable to avoid the wrecked car and fell to 14th as a result.

The crash set up a green-white-checkered finish, but a superb restart from Bergman was all he needed to claim the top step of the podium.

“Sometimes traffic is your best friend or it can be your worst enemy,” Bergman said. “Tonight it was tough but it just worked out.”

The second spot went to Hank Davis, who has now finished top five on five-straight occasions in the No. 2C and looks to be on the cusp of his maiden National Tour victory.

“I honestly just think it’s going to take starting up front in one of these things,” Davis said. “It’s just hard to catch guys like Sam and Seth. I think if we start at the front of one of these things we’ll have something for them.”

After holding off Blake Hahn for the third spot on the final restart, Andrew Deal secured a spot on the podium for the first time since his second-place run at the season opener at Super Bee.

“We couldn’t figure out what was wrong with the motor, we just had a little issue, it was killing us in Qualifying, and I think we got it fixed last night,” Deal said. “I got to visit with Wayne Priddy a little bit this week, tried to improve some of my setup choices, so I think we did a little better tonight.”

Although he fell one spot short of the podium, Blake Hahn’s fourth-place run matched his Texarkana result as his season-best with the Series.

Matt Covington’s fifth-place finish makes him three-for-three on top fives during Speedweek, as the Oklahoma native continues his search for his first win of 2024.

Zach Blurton had to resort to the Last Chance Showdown to secure his spot in the Feature, but his run from 22nd to 12th was enough to net him the night’s Hard Charger Award.

UP NEXT: The 2024 edition of ASCS Speedweek wraps up Saturday at Tri-State Speedway in Pocola, OK. Tickets will be available at the gate, while DIRTVision will provide live coverage for those unable to make it to the track.

A Feature 1 (30 Laps): 1. 23-Seth Bergman[3]; 2. 2C-Hank Davis[7]; 3. 15D-Andrew Deal[11]; 4. 52-Blake Hahn[5]; 5. 95-Matt Covington[14]; 6. 8-Alex Sewell[10]; 7. 9S-Kyle Clark[4]; 8. 2W-Whit Gastineau[8]; 9. 55B-Jordon Mallett[9]; 10. 10-Landon Britt[12]; 11. 45X-Kyler Johnson[20]; 12. 2J-Zach Blurton[22]; 13. 1-Sean McClelland[6]; 14. 36-Jason Martin[2]; 15. 88-Terry Easum[23]; 16. 20-Noah Harris[19]; 17. 91-Michael Day[24]; 18. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[1]; 19. 22M-Rees Moran[17]; 20. 5H-Harli White[13]; 21. 938-Bradley Fezard[16]; 22. 29-Emilio Hoover[15]; 23. 31-Casey Wills[21]; 24. (DNS) 03-Joe Wood Jr.

 

 

Hafertepe Jr. Makes it Three Straight with Creek County Victory

SAPULPA, OK (June 13, 2024) – Sam Hafertepe Jr. continued a perfect June run by winning his third straight American Sprint Car Series National Tour race Thursday night at Creek County Speedway. And he did so by swapping his winning ride for the backup car.

He and his team elected to pull out a different chassis after winning Tuesday’s show, solidifying their resurgence of strength as Hafertepe chases his third ASCS Speedweek title – and the chance to tie his Series record of five straight wins with races at Arrowhead Speedway and Tri-State Speedway rounding out the week.

“We were having to do a lot of things that we don’t normally do to get speed out of that car,” Hafertepe said about his previous ride. “This car actually responded to the changes we made, going back to how we used to do things. I’m excited for that going forward because I think we have the potential to make a lot more speed than what we’ve had.”

Hafertepe began the Feature on the outside of the front row alongside Dash winner Matt Covington. The No. 15H didn’t stay in second long as he rode the top lane in Turns 1 and 2 on the opening lap and took the lead on the backstretch. Covington looked to Hafertepe’s inside in the next set of corners but was unable to keep pace exiting Turn 4.

Austyn Gossel’s spin on Lap 3 gave Covington another chance at Hafertepe on the ensuing restart, but he was again unable to fight for the lead. Covington was instead passed for second by Seth Bergman, who made his own attempt to catch Hafertepe in the middle stages of the race.

Further issues for Gossel on Lap 19 brought the caution out once more, but Hafertepe, again, made quick work of building a gap to Bergman and the rest of the field.

Following another yellow flag two laps later for Jeffrey Newell, Bergman decided to try the bottom lane in the first set of corners to go against Hafertepe’s preferred top groove. It was still not enough to stay side-by-side with Hafertepe, who drove a flawless final 10 laps through slower traffic to the checkered flag.

“I always pride myself on making or breaking through lapped traffic,” Hafertepe said. “Obviously you don’t always make good decisions, but I feel like we make better decisions sometimes than a lot of other guys, and I think that’s one of our strong points.”

While Hafertepe has bounced back and forth between 360 and 410 racing over the past several seasons, he says a renewed focus on his 360 program has been one of the keys to success for his team.

“The more we keep running 360 stuff, I think the better we’re going to be,” Hafertepe said. “We took time off from running it consistently, we probably didn’t stay up with the tires changing and things like that. I feel like us getting in a rhythm is going to help us more and more.”

While Bergman’s second-place run was enough to maintain a 60-point advantage in the standings over Hafertepe, he understands that his No. 23 team has work to do to stop him from closing in.

“He’s been really good, he’s on a streak,” Bergman said. “Tonight, he had a really good starting position, and he’s seasoned enough that he can manage a race, and he just never made a mistake.”

A third-place finish for Hank Davis makes him a perfect four-for-four in top fives behind the wheel of the TwoC Racing machine.

“Wayne [Johnson] is just a smart guy, he knows how to get you comfortable,” Davis said. “We’re knocking on the door, and we’re not real far.”

Covington fell back to fourth after a fierce battle with Davis, placing him third in points, 116 behind Bergman entering the second half of Speedweek.

Reigning champion Jason Martin rounded out the top five, which got his bid for a repeat back on track after a DNF at Texarkana.

Hometown hero Blake Hahn had to go through the Last Chance Showdown to secure a spot in the Feature but drove from 20th to seventh to collect the Hard Charger Award.

UP NEXT: Speedweek continues at Arrowhead Speedway Friday, June 14, with the second of three-straight races in the Sooner State. Tickets can be purchased at the gate.

Can’t make it? DIRTVision will provide live coverage for those unable to make it to the track.

Feature 1 (30 Laps): 1. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[2]; 2. 23-Seth Bergman[3]; 3. 2C-Hank Davis[5]; 4. 95-Matt Covington[1]; 5. 36-Jason Martin[10]; 6. 8-Alex Sewell[7]; 7. 52-Blake Hahn[20]; 8. 22M-Rees Moran[13]; 9. 55B-Jordon Mallett[6]; 10. 45X-Kyler Johnson[11]; 11. 9S-Kyle Clark[16]; 12. 15D-Andrew Deal[14]; 13. 10-Landon Britt[8]; 14. 1-Sean McClelland[17]; 15. 26M-Fred Mattox[21]; 16. 29-Emilio Hoover[9]; 17. 88-Terry Easum[22]; 18. 2J-Zach Blurton[15]; 19. 31-Casey Wills[25]; 20. 91-Michael Day[19]; 21. 6G-Bryan Gossel[24]; 22. 938-Bradley Fezard[23]; 23. 12-Jeffrey Newell[12]; 24. 16G-Austyn Gossel[4]; 25. 13-Elijah Gile[18]

 

 

Hafertepe Jr. Opens Speedweek at Texarkana with Second-Straight Win

TEXARKANA, AR (June 12, 2024) – Sam Hafertepe Jr. confirmed his position as a championship threat Tuesday night, picking up his second win in as many races in the ASCS Speedweek lid-lifter at Texarkana 67 Speedway.

The victory was Hafertepe’s 67th American Sprint Car Series National Tour score and moved him into second in the standings, 68 points behind leader Seth Bergman and 36 markers clear of Matt Covington in third.

Bergman’s Dash victory gave him the pole position in the Feature, which he converted into several laps out front early on. The race was interrupted by a trio of early cautions, with Andrew Deal, Bradley Fezard and Michael Day each encountering trouble in the first 10 laps.

While Bergman was able to maintain the lead after each ensuing restart, Hafertepe stayed within striking zone through the first dozen laps.

“With [Bergman] being out front, he’s not able to see the parts of the racetrack that I’m racing in,” Hafertepe said. “I felt like that gave us an advantage to get in the right spot on the racetrack.”

Once the rash of yellows ended, Hafertepe made his move on Lap 14. While Bergman was riding the bottom groove, Hafertepe took the No. 15H to the wall in Turn 1, got side-by-side with Bergman in the center of the corner, and powered away to the lead off Turn 2.

By the time the pair made it to the other end of the track, the slower car of Terry Easum was blocking Bergman’s progress on the bottom, which allowed Hafertepe to extend his advantage.

“While [Bergman] stuck down to the bottom, we were able to make some slides across 1 and 2 to try some different lines there,” Hafertepe said. “And then in 3 and 4 I was kind of committed to the top all race.”

Rear end issues for reigning champion Jason Martin paused the race on Lap 19, erasing the 1.2-second lead Hafertepe had built over the previous five laps. When action resumed, Hafertepe immediately drove off to a one-second lead over Bergman just one lap after the restart.

Hafertepe’s cruise to victory was slowed once more for an incident involving Cody Gardner and Blake Hahn with two laps remaining in the 30-lap affair. While the dash to the finish gave the field one last chance to challenge Hafertepe, they were unable to capitalize as the Texan took the checkered flag 1.5 seconds ahead of Bergman in second.

“I just wanted to try and get my momentum up,” Hafertepe said. “I knew once we got to traffic, it would be hard for him to get his momentum up. I felt like that’s ultimately what won us the race.”

While back-to-back National Tour wins would be a dream come true for most Sprint Car teams, Hafertepe said his team still isn’t satisfied with their current performance.

“We’re actually going to pull out our other car for Creek [County Speedway] to try it out,” Hafertepe said. “I just haven’t been real happy with this car. We’ve won two races on it, but on tracks like this where we’re getting a lot of grip from the track. We’re going to pull down another car for Creek and see if we can’t get a little bit better there.”

While Bergman’s fourth podium finish of the season was enough to maintain a comfortable points lead, he admitted that a lack of versatility was his critical flaw on the night.

“I don’t think he was a whole lot better,” Bergman said. “I think he may have been a touch better car-wise, but he moved around and found a different part of the racetrack, and I just kind of limited myself to a certain part of the racetrack and didn’t move around enough.”

While he was unable to challenge the top two, a third-place run for Covington vaulted him from fifth to third in the standings as he enters a three-night stretch in his native Oklahoma.

“Hafertepe and Bergman, they’re just so on right now that a guy can be just a tick off and look like what you saw there,” Covington said. “We got to them and couldn’t do anything with them.”

Two-time National Tour champion Blake Hahn brought the No. 52 machine home in fourth in his first Feature start of the season with the Series, matching his career-best at Texarkana from 2022.

Hank Davis finished his third night with the TwoC Racing team in fifth, his third-straight top five with the Series.

The Hard Charger Award went to Austyn Gossel, who drove from 17th to eighth for his first National Tour top 10.

UP NEXT: After a day off, ASCS Speedweek resumes Thursday at Creek County Speedway in Oklahoma. Tickets will be available at the gate, while those unable to make it to the track can catch every lap live on DIRTVision.

Feature (30 Laps): 1. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[4]; 2. 23-Seth Bergman[1]; 3. 95-Matt Covington[9]; 4. 52-Blake Hahn[3]; 5. 2C-Hank Davis[10]; 6. 55B-Jordon Mallett[8]; 7. 5H-Harli White[12]; 8. 16G-Austyn Gossel[17]; 9. 15D-Andrew Deal[13]; 10. 22M-Rees Moran[16]; 11. 6-Koty Adams[11]; 12. 2J-Zach Blurton[21]; 13. 13-Elijah Gile[2]; 14. V8-Robert Vetter[18]; 15. 6G-Bryan Gossel[24]; 16. 88-Terry Easum[19]; 17. G6-Cody Gardner[5]; 18. 36-Jason Martin[7]; 19. 10-Landon Britt[14]; 20. 38-Zach Pringle[20]; 21. 91-Michael Day[22]; 22. 938-Bradley Fezard[15]; 23. (DNS) 71-Brady Baker; 24. (DNS) 45X-Kyler Johnson

 

 

ASCS SPEEDWEEK PREVIEW: Creek County Speedway
 

One of the first tracks to host the American Sprint Car Series when it went national in 1993 will again be a staple on its 2024 calendar.

Creek County Speedway will host the second round of ASCS Speedweek on Thursday, June 13, as part of the Don Swope Classic, featuring the ASCS National Tour and Sooner Region.

It’ll be the Series’ first trip to the Oklahoma track this year before returning in November for the championship finale. It’ll also bring ASCS to over 100 races at Creek County Speedway – National and regional events combined.

ASCS has also already made a trip to the 1/4-mile track this year with the Sooner Region in March. Oklahoma resident and current National Tour point leader Seth Bergman won that race, scoring his 12th ASCS victory at Creek County.

And while he’ll enter the Speedweek race as the most recent ASCS winner at the track, all 12 of his ASCS wins there have been in regional competition. He’ll be on the hunt for his first National Tour win there, while also chasing his first Speedweek title.

The last National Tour race at Creek County was in 2022 and won by Jason Martin – the 2023 National Tour champion. It was the Kansas native’s second ASCS win at the track and first in 20 years. He won with the Sooner region there in 2002.

Like Bergman, he’ll also be chasing his first Speedweek title.

Casey Wills, of Sperry, OK, currently leads the ASCS Sooner Region points – 22 points over Whit Gastineau, of Moore, OK. Both will be looking for their first win at Creek County Speedway. However, Sean McClelland, of Tulsa, OK, who is third in points – 49 points back – has seven ASCS wins at Creek County – one with the National Tour and six with the Sooner Region.

Pit gates open at 4:30 p.m. (CT) and grandstands open at 5 p.m. Hot Laps are scheduled to start at 7 p.m.

Texarkana 67 Speedway will kick off the longest week of racing for 360 Sprint Cars this year with the following rounds of the Speedweek to be hosted at Creek County Speedway (Thursday, June 13), Arrowhead Speedway (Friday, June 14) and Tri-State (OK) Speedway (Saturday, June 15).

Tickets to each event will be available at the gate. You can also get tickets for the race at Arrowhead Speedway in advance by clicking here.

If you can’t make it to the track, you watch every lap of ASCS Speedweek live on DIRTVision.

Previous ASCS winners at Creek County Speedway:
2024 – Seth Bergman on March 23 (Sooner Region)
2023 – Sean McClelland on July 21 (Sooner Region), Blake Hahn on Aug. 25 (Sooner Region), Andrew Deal on Oct. 20 (Sooner Region), Hank Davis on Oct. 21 (Sooner Region)
2022 – Brandon Anderson on April 1 (Sooner Region), Kade Morton (Sooner Region), Wayne Johnson on June 3 (Sooner Region), Wayne Johnson on June 4 (Sooner Region), Seth Bergman on Aug. 26 (Sooner Region) Jason Martin on Oct. 29 (National Tour/Sooner Region)
2021 – Brandon Anderson on April 18 (Sooner Region), Tyler Thomas on April 30 (Sooner Region), Blake Hahn on June 6 (Sooner Region), Ryan Timms on July 27 (National Tour), Blake Hahn on Aug. 29 (Sooner Region), Seth Bergman on Oct. 29 (Sooner Region), Seth Bergman on Oct. 30 (Sooner Region)
2020 – Seth Bergman on May 29 (Sooner Region), Sam Hafertepe Jr. on July 12 (Sooner Region), Blake Hahn on Aug. 14 (National Tour), Seth Bergman on Nov. 7 (Sooner Region)
2019 – Blake Hahn on April 12 (Sooner Region), Sean McClelland on May 10 (Sooner Region), Sean McClelland on July 12 (Sooner Region), Sam Hafertepe Jr. on Oct. 12 (National Tour/Sooner Region)
2018 – Wayne Johnson on April 20 (Red River Region), Sam Hafertepe Jr. on May 18 (Red River Region), Sammy Swindell on June 14 (National Tour/Red River Region), Seth Bergman on July 27 (Red River Region), Sam Hafertepe Jr. on Oct. 27 (National Tour/Red River Region)
2017 – Aaron Reutzel on June 15 (National Tour/Red River Region), Seth Bergman on July 21 (Red River Region)
2016 – Seth Bergman on April 8 (Red River Region), Blake Hahn on May 20 (Red River Region), Bryan Clauson on June 16 (National Tour), Fred Mattox on July 7 (Red River Region), Sam Hafertepe Jr. on Nov. 4 (National Tour/Red River Region), John Carney II on Nov. 5 (National Tour/Red River Region)
2015 – Johnny Herrera on April 10 (Red River Region), Alex Sewell on July 17 (Red River Region)
2014 – Aaron Reutzel on May 9 (Sooner Region), Christopher Bell on June 19 (National Tour/Sooner Region), Mickey Walker on July 18 (Sooner Region)
2013 – Seth Bergman on April 19 (Sooner Region), Jeff Swindell on June 20 (National Tour, Sooner Region), Tim Crawley on July 19 (Sooner Region)
2012 – Seth Bergman on May 4 (Sooner Region), Sean McClelland on June 29 (Sooner Region), Kyle Belim on July 27 (Sooner Region), Brady Bacon on Aug. 17 (National Tour/Sooner Region), Matt Covington on Sept. 21 (Sooner Region)
2011 – Seth Bergman on Oct. 1 (Sooner Region)
2010 – Joe Wood Jr. on April 24 (Sooner Region)
2009 – Danny Wood on April 25 (Sooner Region), Zach Chappell on June 9 (National Tour), Nick Smith on July 25 (Sooner Region), Zach Chappell on Sept. 19 (Sooner Region)
2008 – Sean McClelland on June 7 (Sooner Region), Jason Johnson on July 14 (National Tour), Gary Taylor on Sept. 20 (Sooner Region)
2007 – Darren Stewart on July 16 (National Tour), Brian McClelland on Sept. 22 (Sooner Region)
2006 – Sean McClelland on May 20 (Sooner Region), Jason Johnson on July 9 (National Tour)
2003 – Kevin Ramey on March 22 (Sooner Region), Travis Rilat on May 10 (Sooner Region), Kevin Ramey on July 19 (Sooner Region)
2002 – Jamie Passmore on March 30 (Sooner Region), Jason Martin on July 2002 (Sooner Region), Danny Jennings on Sept. 28 (Sooner Region)
2001 – Wayne Johnson on April 14 (Sooner Region), J.P. Bailey on June 23 (Sooner Region), Nick Smith on Aug. 11 (Sooner Region), Larry Neighbors on Sept. 21 (Sooner Region)
2000 – Tim Crawley on July 18 (National Tour)
1999 – Tim Crawley on May 30 (National Tour), Tim Crawley on July 25 (National Tour)
1998 – Phil Gressman on June 16 (National Tour)
1997 – Gary Wright on July 31 (National Tour), Pete Butler on Aug. 31 (National Tour)
1996 – Wayne Johnson on June 16 (National Tour)
1995 – Gary Wright on July 16 (National Tour), Danny Wood (National Tour)
1994 – Garry Lee Maier on June 25 (National Tour), Gary Wright on Oct. 14 (National Tour)
1993 – Mike Ward on June 20 (National Tour), John Hunt on June 25 (National Tour)

 

 

Drivers Ready to Embrace the Challenge of ASCS Speedweek

CONCORD, NC (June 6, 2024) – The most grueling week in 360 Sprint Car racing lies ahead for the American Sprint Car Series National Tour, as ASCS Speedweek is back on the schedule for the first time in two years.

The week begins Tuesday, June 11 at Texarkana 67 Speedway in Arkansas, where the Series is returning after a one-year absence. A day off on Wednesday will allow teams to get refreshed for a three-night stretch to end the week at Creek County Speedway (June 13), Arrowhead Speedway (June 14) and Tri-State Speedway (June 15). Friday, June 21 will be used as a rain date in the event of any inclement weather during the week.

Racing four times in five days is a tough test for any race team, but especially those with a smaller budget and limited resources.

“It’s only me and one crew guy,” said 19-time National Tour winner Matt Covington. “So, even though I’ve got a lot of experience doing it, it’s still a challenge running that many races. A guy gets worn out from the late nights and being out in the sun so many days straight.”

With more than a decade of experience on the National Tour, this year’s Speedweek certainly won’t be Covington’s first rodeo, a factor that could give the No. 95 team an advantage over their less-experienced opponents.

“There’s things that I’m more fluent at now,” Covington said. “Things don’t take as long, I know where the car washes are, I know things run smoother because I’ve got 10 years of experience going up and down the road. So, that may make it a little bit easier. But we’re still a little undermanned with only one crew guy and trying to run all those races. There’s no question it’s going to be tough.”

Another driver with plenty of experience to lean on is five-time ASCS National Tour champion and two-time Speedweek champion Sam Hafertepe Jr. Fresh off a win at Dodge City Raceway Park, Hafertepe will have four opportunities to gain ground on points-leader Seth Bergman next week.

“The heat usually gets the guys pretty bad, because usually that time of year down south it’s pretty warm,” Hafertepe said. “As long as you keep all the guys hydrated and don’t have any big wrecks, motor blow-ups or anything like that, it’s not too tough of a week. But if you start having problems, it can make for a long week for sure.”

Of the full-time ASCS National Tour drivers set to compete in the Speedweek, Hafertepe is the only one who would be a repeat champion. For every other driver, it would be their first.

There have been five different champions in the last five editions of ASCS Speedweek – Tim Crawley (2022), Ryan Timms (2021), Hafertepe Jr. (2019), Sammy Swindell (2018) and Aaron Reutzel (2017).

All drivers agreed that the key to success during the week is being as prepared as possible before it begins. One driver currently learning that is Terry Easum, who will tackle Speedweek for the first time in 2024 amidst his run for the National Tour Rookie of the Year Award.

“Lots of preparation, tire work, having people ready to work is our big thing,” Easum said.

Easum calls Broken Arrow, OK home, located close to several tracks he will visit during the week. Easum said he has the finale at Tri-State Speedway circled on his calendar, and for good reason – he’s a two-time podium finisher there with the Oil Capital Racing Series.

“We’ve raced there quite a bit,” Easum said. “It’s usually pretty slick and wide like we like. It should be fun. But all of them are pretty racey.”

Next week will also mark 17-year-old Ryder Laplante’s first crack at Speedweek. While nothing can fully prepare a team for racing a Sprint Car night after night other than doing just that, Laplante does have similar experience in other divisions he can lean on.

“I’ve done it with NOW600 a few times, we’ve been out to California once or twice,” Laplante said. “Race your butt off every night, it’s a lot of work, but it takes a lot of motivation too.”

The final three races of the week at Creek County, Arrowhead and Tri-State will be co-sanctioned events with the ASCS Sooner Region.

Fans planning on attending the June 14 stop at Arrowhead Speedway can purchase tickets online in advance, while tickets will be available at the gate on race day at all four tracks.

Those unable to make it to the track can catch every lap live on DIRTVision.

PREVIOUS ASCS SPEEDWEEK CHAMPIONS:
2022 – Tim Crawley
2021 – Ryan Timms
2019 – Sam Hafertepe Jr.
2018 – Sammy Swindell
2017 – Aaron Reutzel
2016 – Sam Hafertepe Jr.
2015 – Wayne Johnson
2014 – Brad Loyet
2013 – Jeff Swindell
2012 – Wayne Johnson
2009 – Tim Crawley
2008 – Jason Johnson
2007 – Gary Wright
2006 – Jason Johnson
2005 – Darren Stewart
2004 – Tim Crawley
2003 – Shane Stewart
2002 – Gary Wright
2001 – Kevin Ramey
2000 – Gary Wright
1999 – Gary Wright
1998 – Terry Gray
1997 – Gary Wright
1996 – Terry Gray
1995 – Terry Gray
1994 – Gary Wright
1993 – Terry Gray

 

 

ASCS National Tour 2024 Championship to be Determined at Creek County Speedway in November

The 2024 season will conclude during the two-day Fuzzy’s Fall Fling, Nov. 15-16

SAPULPA, OK (June 5, 2024) – The American Sprint Car Series National Tour has found its perfect bookend with the 2024 championship set to be determined at Oklahoma’s Creek County Speedway during the Fuzzy’s Fall Fling, Nov. 15-16.

The two-day event, named in memory of Wokeeta “Fuzzy” Hahn, the late wife of ASCS founder Emmett Hahn, will wrap up the season with a $4,000-to-win Feature Friday night and then a $10,000-to-win Feature during Saturday’s championship finale.

“It’ll be an exciting way to finish our year,” said Lonnie Wheatley, ASCS series director. “It’s in honor of someone that had a big part in the founding of ASCS, so there’s a lot of meaning involved.”

At the end of the weekend, the first champion under the World Racing Group banner will be crowned, taking home the $40,000 championship check.

Full details on the Fuzzy’s Fall Fling, including ticket information and daily schedules, will be announced closer to the event.

The Series banquet will be held on Sunday, Nov. 17, in Tulsa – handing out over $150,000 to the top 10 drivers in Series points. More details on the ceremony will be available soon.

The American Sprint Car Series returns next week for ASCS Speedweek, which includes stops at Texarkana 67 Speedway (June 11), Creek County Speedway (June 13), Arrowhead Speedway (June 14) and Tri-State Speedway (June 15). Friday, June 21, will be used as a potential rain date if any of the Speedweek events are hindered by weather.

Those unable to make it to the track can catch every National Tour event live on DIRTVision.

 

 

ASCS Sooner Region Pulling A Double At Elk City Motorsports Park
Bryan Hulbert

ELK CITY, Okla. (June 3, 2024) Making the return to western Oklahoma’s Elk City Motorsports Park this week, the ASCS Sooner Region will roll in for a double at the three-eighths-mile oval on Friday, June 7, and Saturday, June 8.

Brought back from extinction, the track was reopened in 2022 after being shuttered in 2019. No stranger to Sprint Cars, the track features a near-weekly lineup of RaceSaver Sprint Cars. $2,000 to win, $300 to start each night in Elk City this weekend, the tour’s history began last season with Jace Park picking up his first career victory to become the 73rd different winner with the ASCS Sooner Region.

Rounds three and four on the 2024 lineup, the points going into the weekend show multi-time series champion, Sean McClelland, on top over Kyle Clark with Alex Sewell giving chase. Brady Baker and Robert Vetter make up the top five. With the National Tour off this weekend in preparation for Speedweek, there is no telling who may drop in for some testing.

Friday, June 7, and Saturday, June 8 at Elk City Motorsports Park open at 5:00 P.M. with racing at 7:00 P.M. (CDT). Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors, military, and youth (9-15), and free for kids eight and under. Other classes include Sooner Challenge Limited Modifieds, ECMP Factory Stocks, and USRA Gateway Church Tuners. Elk City Motorsports Park is located at 5612 W 20th St. in Elk City, Okla. Information on the track is posted on their Facebook page or by calling (580) 514-3267.

Cody Cordell is the Competition Director for the ASCS National Tour, as well as the Director for the Sooner Region. Teams and Tracks can contact Cody at (918) 407-1879 or Ccordell@dirtcar.com.

The 2024 season marks the 33rd season of competition for the American Sprint Car Series. Spearheaded by the American Sprint Car Series National Tour, the ASCS Nation includes Regional Tours encompassing Wing and Non-Wing competition.

For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, visit the ASCS website. Also, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and X (@ascsracing).

 

 

ASCS Hurricane Area Super Sprints Debuting At Crowleys Ridge And West Memphis
Bryan Hulbert

WEST MEMPHIS, Ark. (June 3, 2024) Making the trek to Razorback country this week, the ASCS Hurricane Area Super Sprints will debut at Crowley’s Ridge Raceway on Friday, June 7, and Riverside International Speedway on Saturday, June 8.

A regular stomping ground for the former ASCS Mid-South Region, the ASCS Hurricane Area Super Sprints rolling in signals a new crop of drivers, and a few returning favorites. In the last ASCS-sanctioned event held at Crowley’s Ridge Raceway on June 11, 2023, Derek Hagar made a familiar appearance in Victory Lane.

The track’s annual “No Fender Friday” will also include MSCA RaceSaver Sprint Cars and Mini-Sprints.

Friday, June 7, opens at 5:00 P.M., with racing set to go green at 7:30 P.M. (CDT). Admission is $20 for adults, $10 for youth (6-13), and kids five and under free. Crowleys Ridge Raceway is located at 1708 Highway 351 in Paragould, Ark. For more information, visit the track’s website or call (870) 236-3141.

Onto the legendary Riverside International Speedway, the track affectionately known as “The Ditch” will provide arguably the toughest competition for the traveling teams as Derek Hagar, Dale Howard, Sammy Swindell, Marshall Skinner, and Howard Moore are just a few of the local hot shoes set to be in action.

Saturday, June 8, opens at 5:00 P.M. with racing at 7:30 P.M. (CDT). Modifieds, 600 Mini Sprints, and Stock Cars are also on the card. Tickets are $25 for adults, $5 for youth (6-11), and free for kids five and under. Riverside International Speedway is located at 151 Legion Road in West Memphis, Ark.

The ASCS Hurricane Area Super Sprints is under the direction of Stefen Oakes. For questions regarding rules, procedures, and events, contact Stefen Oakes at bigshowmotorsports@yahoo.com or call (985) 285-9177.

The 2024 season marks the 33rd season of competition for the American Sprint Car Series. Spearheaded by the American Sprint Car Series National Tour, the ASCS Nation includes Regional Tours encompassing Wing and Non-Wing competition.

For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, visit the ASCS website. Also, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and X (@ascsracing).

 

 

ASCS Elite Outlaw Sprints Panhandle Bound For Route 66 Motor Speedway Bryan Hulbert

AMARILLO, Texas (June 3, 2024) A combined $7,000 to win is on the line for the MYCO Plastics ASCS Elite Outlaw Sprints as the tour heads for the Texas panhandle for Route 66 Motor Speedway on Friday, June 7, and Saturday, June 8.

Topped by El Paso’s John Carney II in 2023, Route 66 Motor Speedway was very lucrative for Carney in 2023, as he returned in July with the Elite Non-Wing Series and captured an $8,500 score.

Looking to this weekend, Sam Hafertepe, Jr. leads tour standings by 17 points over Noah Gass. Third is held by Blaine Baxter with Brian Bell and Marcus Thomas making up the top five after three events, in which wins have gone to Hafertepe, Gass, and Brent Marks.

Friday, June 7, opens at 5:30 P.M. with racing at 8:00 P.M. (CDT), with Saturday, June 8, starting an hour earlier. Tickets Friday are $20 for adults and $15 for seniors, youth, and military. Discounts remain the same for Saturday, with adult admission going to $25. For directions and info on Route 66 Motor Speedway, visit their website or call (806) 803-1212.

The ASCS Elite Wing and Non-Wing Series is owned and operated by Nathan Moore and operates under the sanction of the American Sprint Car Series. Rules for both tours can be found at http://www.ascsracing.com. Nathan can be reached at (903) 780-9934 or by email at elitenonwingsprints@gmail.com.

For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, visit the ASCS website. Also, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and X (@ascsracing)..

 

 

ASCS Frontier Region At Belgrade At Big Sky Speedway This Weekend
Bryan Hulbert

BILLINGS, Mont. (June 3, 2024) Readying for a return to the track this weekend, the ASCS Frontier Region will head for Gallatin Speedway in Belgrade, Mont. on Friday, May 7, before a return to Big Sky Speedway in Billings, Mont., on Saturday, June 8.

Presented by Lehrkinds Inc., the first event of the season at Gallatin Speedway will see a familiar winner back in action as Kelly Miller looks to keep the momentum from this past weekend’s win at Casper Speedway going. Taking top honors in the tour’s last two visits to Gallatin, Miller split time in Victory Lane last weekend with fellow ASCS Frontier competitor Trever Kirkland, who looks to end a winless streak at the southwestern Montana oval that goes back to 2017.

Friday, June 7, at Gallatin Speedway, opens at 5:30 P.M. with racing at 7:00 P.M. (MDT). Tickets are $15 for adults, $13 for seniors, and free for kids 12 and under. Gallatin Speedway is located at 2290 Tubb Rd. in Belgrade, Mont. Information on the track is on their Facebook page or by calling (406) 388-9666. Along with the ASCS Frontier Region, Friday’s bill includes IMCA Modifieds, WISSOTA Super Stocks, and Street Stocks.

A two-day reduced to one by mother nature to kick off the 2024 season, the tour’s first trip to Big Sky Speedway this season went the way of Tyler Thomas. Saturday, June 8, at Big Sky Speedway opens at 5:30 P.M. with racing at 7:00 P.M. (MDT). Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for veterans and seniors (65+), and free for kids 60 inches tall or shorter. Big Sky Wingless Sprints, Wissota Midwest Modifieds, and Wissota Super Stocks are also on the lineup.

Big Sky Speedway is located at Hwy 87 North, Mile Marker 16, just outside Billings, Mont. For more information on the three-eighths-mile oval, visit them online or call (406) 696-8661.

Both nights are $1,400 to win, and now $400 to start—an increase over previous seasons for the regional drivers.

The 2024 season marks the 33rd season of competition for the American Sprint Car Series. Spearheaded by the American Sprint Car Series National Tour, the ASCS Nation includes Regional Tours encompassing Wing and Non-Wing competition.

A reminder that all teams competing in ASCS competition must have a current DIRTcar Membership. That can be purchased at https://shorturl.at/nuIU2. The membership is $125 and is good for the 2024 calendar year.

The 2024 season marks the 33rd season of competition for the American Sprint Car Series. Spearheaded by the American Sprint Car Series National Tour, the ASCS Nation includes Regional Tours encompassing Wing and Non-Wing competition.

For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, visit the ASCS website. Also, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and X (@ascsracing).

 

 

Bergman Wins at Rush County in Return to Family Team

LA CROSSE, KS (May 31, 2024) – Some drivers take weeks, months, even years to hit their stride when moving from one team to another. For Seth Bergman, it took one race.

In his return to his family-owned No. 23 machine, following a short stint in the TwoC Racing car, Bergman collected his second American Sprint Car Series National Tour victory of the season Friday night at Rush County Speedway.

After starting the Feature on the outside of the front row, following a second-place Dash effort, Bergman trailed closely behind polesitter Matt Covington in the early stages of the race. Once Covington began catching traffic on Lap 7, Bergman dove to Covington’s inside entering Turn 3, completed the pass, and never looked back.

“What a fantastic night,” Bergman said in Victory Lane. “First night back in our family car, to come out here and get a win, I couldn’t have scripted it any better.”

With all 30 laps going caution-free, maneuvering around slower cars was critical throughout the seven-minute Feature. Bergman was one of the only drivers in the field capable of using any lane on the track at any time, which allowed him to build a lead of nearly seven seconds by the time the checkered flag flew – and lap up to sixth-place.

“This place was cowboy up tonight,” Bergman said. “I felt like a teenager again. Growing up on the west coast definitely helped me tonight, I was able to dig back in the toolbox and get the spurs on and go to work. I felt like my biggest concern there once I got going was running out of tear-offs, I felt like I was pulling two or three a lap sometimes.”

Covington’s dominant Dash victory gave him the night’s pole position in the Feature, but the 19-time National Tour winner said a lack of versatility in traffic was his downfall.

“I felt like my car was good in clean air, but I didn’t feel as good when I got into dirty air,” Covington said. “It doesn’t take a lot to make these cars go from looking really good to really bad, just subtle changes. We were real close. Bergman was better in traffic, I think. We’ll put that in the notebook and try to get him next time.”

The National Tour was not the only one making its Rush County debut, as many drivers in the field were making their first-ever laps around the 5/16-mile bullring, including the top two.

“The track stayed fairly narrow,” Covington said. “The kind of dirt it is, even though it looks all wet, you can get your car through it if you’re brave enough and stay in the gas.”

As for Bergman, the move back to his family team allows him to have a more hands-on approach to his racing program.

“Getting back in our family car, I’m able to oversee everything at our house,” Bergman said. “I spend countless hours just overthinking and paying attention to detail, and just really trying to build race cars that are capable of coming here and doing that.”

Rounding out the podium in the third spot was 17-year-old Ryder Laplante, who was making just his second start with the National Tour. The young Oklahoma native has bounced between everything from Micro Sprints to 410 Sprint Cars in the early months of the season and said he hopes his quick success with ASCS will snowball into a championship chase in 2025.

“We’re just going to hit as many races as we can here and there,” Laplante said. “Just get prepared for next year and hopefully we can hit it full time.”

Bergman wasn’t the only one able to make passes during the 30-lap Feature. Hank Davis, making his debut in the TwoC Racing No. 2C, charged from 11th to fourth, claiming the night’s Hard Charger Award.

Sam Hafertepe Jr., who challenged Covington for second most of the Feature, fell back and ended the night fifth – his first top-five finish of the 2024 National Tour season.

UP NEXT: The National Tour will now turn its attention to the second half of this weekend’s Kansas doubleheader, with Dodge City Raceway Park on Saturday, June 1. Tickets will be available at the gate, with live coverage available on DIRTVision for those unable to make it to the track.

RESULTS
A Feature 1 (30 Laps): 1. 23-Seth Bergman[2]; 2. 95-Matt Covington[1]; 3. 88R-Ryder Laplante[7]; 4. 2C-Hank Davis[11]; 5. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[3]; 6. 10C-Jeremy Campbell[6]; 7. 36-Jason Martin[13]; 8. 10-Landon Britt[15]; 9. 55B-Jordon Mallett[4]; 10. 15D-Andrew Deal[8]; 11. 45X-Kyler Johnson[14]; 12. 2-Brekton Crouch[12]; 13. 16G-Austyn Gossel[9]; 14. 938-Bradley Fezard[20]; 15. 88J-Jeremy Huish[17]; 16. 2J-Zach Blurton[16]; 17. 88-Terry Easum[19]; 18. 88K-Jordan Knight[22]; 19. 57P-Peter Walker[23]; 20. 6G-Bryan Gossel[18]; 21. 1X-Bryant Wiedeman[10]; 22. 91-Michael Day[24]; 23. 71-Brady Baker[5]; 24. 11K-Tyler Knight[21]

 

 

 

ASCS at Red Dirt Raceway

The American Sprint Car Series National Tour has found a new weekend for its doubleheader debut at RPM Speedway – Oct. 18-19.

Along with the new date for RPM, the 2024 edition of ASCS Speedweek has been finalized as a four-race event with a special cookout for teams across from Creek County Speedway on Wednesday, June 12.

A new race event for Friday, June 21, is in development as officials agreed to remove the previously scheduled race at Two Dollar Pistol Motor Speedway. And due to conflicts in the region, the season finale at Big O Speedway in October has been removed from the schedule. Officials will work with the track to find another date in 2025. A new championship finale weekend will also be announced at a later time.

While the Series’ trip to RPM Speedway will be the first for the National Tour, it won’t be the first for ASCS. The Elite Outlaw Sprint Cars competed at the 1/4-mile track last year, and there have been multiple regional events there since 2009 – including the ASCS Gulf South Region, which will co-sanction the Oct. 18-19 event with the National Tour.

Before the Series’ return to RPM, the ASCS National Tour will run its first Speedweek championship in over a year, June 11-15, with events at Texarkana 67 Speedway (June 11), Creek County Speedway (June 13), Arrowhead Speedway (June 14) and Tri-State (OK) Speedway (June 15).

In the last five editions of the Speedweek contest, there have been five different champions – Tim Crawley (2022), Ryan Timms (2021), Sam Hafertepe Jr. (2019), Sammy Swindell (2018) and Aaron Reutzel (2017).

The American Sprint Car Series will return to action with a two-day trip to Kansas at Rush County Speedway, Friday, May 31, and Dodge City Raceway Park, Saturday, June 1.

If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch every lap live on DIRTVision.

To stay up to date with the American Sprint Car Series, visit the ASCS website, and follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram.

 

 

Payouts Increased for Dirt Down in T-Town at Tulsa Speedway

TULSA, OK (May 29, 2024) – When the American Sprint Car Series National Tour rolls into Tulsa Speedway, June 28-29, competitors will have more money on the line thanks to more than $3,000 added to the Feature purse.

Night two at Tulsa will now award $6,000 to the Feature winner – a 50% increase from the standard $4,000-to-win purse. There are also increases for the second, third and fourth-place finishers, who will receive $2,500, $2,000, and $1,500 respectively.

Series Director Lonnie Wheatley credited Tulsa Speedway promoter Keith Haney’s desire to make the Dirt Down in T-Town a premiere event on the ASCS schedule as the reason for the increase.

“It’s great to have promoters that are this generous,” said Lonnie Wheatley, ASCS National Tour series director. “Keith wants to give back to the racers, and he’s willing to throw some extra money in there. He wants to make this a big event, and I think this is going to help do that.”

Haney, best known as a championship-winning Pro Mod racer on the dragstrip, said he wanted to take the popular “Throwdown in T-Town” drag race at Tulsa and create a similar event on the dirt track.

“It worked out to where we could give more to the racers and make it a bigger show,” Haney said. “The fans love the concept that we bring to the table, and I think it’s going to put the racers and the ASCS in front of a bunch of people that have probably never watched it before.”

Haney said the event will also include added fan amenities including live music, a children’s play area, cooling stations and more.

On both nights of the event, admission will be priced at $25 per carload, with no limit on the number of people per vehicle.

The National Tour will hold its third and fourth events in Series history at Tulsa Speedway, which opened in 2021. Blake Hahn and Tim Crawley scored wins in the tour’s previous two visits in 2021 and 2022, respectively.

Both nights of the Dirt Down in T-Town will be co-sanctioned with the ASCS Sooner Region.

The American Sprint Car Series National Tour returns this weekend with a pair of races in Kansas at Rush County Speedway on Friday, May 31, and Dodge City Raceway Park on Saturday, June 1.

If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch every lap live on DIRTVision.

For more information on the series, visit the ASCS website, and follow us on Facebook, X, and Instagram.

 

 

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: American Sprint Car Series Returns to Sunflower State at Rush County, Dodge City

By Spence Smithback

LA CROSSE, KS (May 28, 2024) – The American Sprint Car Series National Tour will kickstart the summer with a visit to two Kansas bullrings.

The weekend begins with a Friday night contest at Rush County Speedway in La Crosse (May 31), and continues 80 miles to the south at Dodge City Raceway Park (June 1).

Both nights will feature a $4,000-to-win, $400-to-start purse. The Sprint Cars will be joined by IMCA Hobby Stocks and Cruisers at Rush County, while the Dodge City itinerary will include IMCA Sport Mods and IMCA Hobby Stocks.

The pair of races are the final warmup before the five-night ASCS Speedweek in Arkansas and Oklahoma, June 11-15.

Tickets will be available at the gate on both nights. If you can’t make it out to the track, every ASCS National Tour event can be streamed live on DIRTVision.

Here are the top storylines entering the weekend:

BERGMAN GOING SOLO: A win at Super Bee Speedway and a second-place run at Red Dirt Raceway has Seth Bergman sitting atop the National Tour standings entering the weekend. However, he’ll have a new, yet familiar, look beginning Friday at Rush County. Bergman has parted ways with TwoC Racing to return to his family-owned team.

After Johnson suffered a hand injury in a crash in April, he elected to retire from driving and tapped Bergman as his replacement behind the wheel of the No. 2C machine.

In addition to the pair of National Tour starts, Bergman drove Johnson’s car to a 14th-place run in local competition at Creek County Speedway on May 11 before his departure was announced days later.

Bergman shouldn’t take long to get reacclimated to his former team, as his most recent run in his No. 23 car resulted in a win on March 23 in a Warrior Region event at Creek County. The Washington native has also picked up 17 National Tour wins in his own equipment, most recently at Outlaw Motor Speedway in Oklahoma on June 2, 2023.

RUSH COUNTY DEBUT: Friday’s stop at Rush County will not only mark the first ASCS event at the facility, but the largest Sprint Car event in track history.

However, the track has hosted nearly two dozen United Rebel Sprint Series races for the 305 Sprint Car division, and multiple National Tour full-timers have found Victory Lane with the Series. Jason Martin won three out of his four URSS appearances in La Crosse, while Zach Blurton picked up the win on July 31, 2021.

Blurton also brought home a fifth-place finish with the Rocky Mountain Midget Racing Association in 2023. As one of the only drivers in the field with recent experience at Rush County, Friday night could be an opportunity for Blurton to collect his first National Tour top 10 of the season.

GETTING INTO DODGE: Last season, the series made its first stop at Dodge City Raceway Park in 11 years, but this time around, fans have only had to wait 11 months.

Martin and Matt Covington split the victories in 2023, and both will look to collect another Dodge City trophy in the Steve King Memorial. Martin finished second behind Covington on night two last year to give himself a 1.5 average finish on the weekend; that along with a slew of URSS and local victories at the 3/8-mile track should make him one of the favorites Saturday night.

The Sprint Cars were joined by the RMMRA a year ago in a Feature won by National Tour full-timer Kyler Johnson. The Midget win was Johnson’s third in as many years at Dodge City following victories with the URSS in 2021 and the RMMRA in 2022. A native of nearby Quinter, Kansas, Johnson will look to use his home-field advantage to score his first ASCS triumph.

WHEN AND WHERE:
Friday, May 31 at Rush County Speedway in La Crosse, KS
Saturday, June 1 at Dodge City Raceway Park in Dodge City, KS

AROUND THE TURN:
The American Sprint Car Series will take on their longest stretch of consecutive races of the season, with ASCS Speedweek taking place June 11-15 across four tracks in Arkansas and Oklahoma.

CURRENT POINT STANDINGS (Top 10):
1. Seth Bergman (292)
2. Andrew Deal (-31)
3. Terry Easum (-34)
4. Jason Martin (-46)
5. Brady Baker (-49)
6. Kyler Johnson (-52)
7. Matt Covington (-57)
8. Brandon Anderson (-63)
9. Landon Britt (-73)
10. Sam Hafertepe Jr. (-79)

FEATURE WINNERS (2):
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 1
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 1

QUICK TIME AWARDS (2):
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 1
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 1

HEAT RACE WINS (8):
Lane Whittington – Denham Springs, LA – 1
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 1
Koty Adams – Haughton, LA – 1
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 1
Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 1
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 1
Matt Covington – Glenpool OK – 1

DASH APPEARANCES (13):
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 2
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 2
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 1
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 1
Lane Whittington – Denham Springs, LA – 1
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 1
Koty Adams – Haughton, LA – 1
Ryder Laplante – Calera, OK – 1
Whit Gastineau – Moore, OK – 1
Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 1
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 1
Alex Sewell – Broken Arrow, OK – 1

LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINNERS (2):
Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 1
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 1

PODIUM FINISHERS (5):
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 2
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 1
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 1
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Tanner Conn – Oklahoma City, OK – 1

TOP 10 FINISHERS (15):
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 2
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 2
Kyler Johnson – Quinter, KS – 2
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 2
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 2
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 1
Brandon Anderson – Glenpool, OK – 1
Channin Tankersley – Arlington, TX – 1
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 1
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 1
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 1
Tanner Conn – Oklahoma City, OK – 1
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Whit Gastineau – Moore, OK – 1

2024 AMERICAN SPRINT CAR SERIES SCHEDULE & WINNERS:
Friday, Apr. 19 / Super Bee Speedway / Chatham, LA / Seth Bergman (1)
Friday, May 10 / Red Dirt Raceway / Meeker, OK / Terry Easum (1)

 

 

Andrew Deal Seizing Dream Opportunity in Debut Season on National Tour

By Spence Smithback
CONCORD, NC (May 24, 2024) – When Caney, KS native Andrew Deal signed up to chase the 2024 American Sprint Car Series National championship, he knew he was in a now-or-never situation. 

“I’m just kind of at that point in life where, if I was going to do it, I need to do it now.” Deal said. “I’ve got two little girls, and they’re younger, so as they get older, life’s going to become more about them.” 

When he isn’t racing Sprint Cars, Deal operates DFR Discount Tire in Dewey, OK – a business he started to help fund his racing dreams – and credited a newfound degree of flexibility with his day job as another reason behind his decision to go full-time.  

“My shop’s finally to a point where I don’t have to be here 24/7,” Deal said. “Got everything together, and after the end of last year, it was like ‘well, might as well.’” 

While Deal will be visiting many tracks on the 2024 schedule for the first time, he has plenty of Sprint Car knowledge to lean on. His brother-in-law is Wayne Priddy – a longtime crew chief in the 410 ranks.  

“He helps me a lot with everything,” Deal said. “That’s what’s been my edge. A lot of these tracks I’ve never been to, but he’s been to. So, he’s helped me a lot with being prepared and what to expect at each track, and how to prepare for each track.” 

Tackling a national schedule for the first time is a daunting task for any race team, but especially for a two-man operation like the No. 15D team.  

“I don’t have a crew, I don’t have guys, it’s just me and Dad,” Deal said. “I think the biggest thing is just going to be not wearing out, racing multiple days in a row without just being exhausted. It just takes so much time to do everything right. Just being prepared is going to be the biggest thing for us.” 

Deal wasted no time in making his presence known in the first two races of the season, collecting a Heat Race win and a second-place Feature finish in the season opener at Super Bee Speedway.  

He followed that up with a seventh-place run at Red Dirt Raceway, placing him second in the standings entering a pair of races in his home state at Rush County Speedway (Friday, May 31) and Dodge City Raceway Park (Saturday, June 1).  

A weekend close to home can sometimes plays to a driver’s advantage, but that won’t exactly be the case next weekend. 

“I have never even seen Rush County,” Deal said. “I’ve been to Dodge City a couple times, we’ve ran a Non-Wing some, back when I was really young. I might have even ran a Midget there at one point in my life.  

“I think I’ll be pretty comfortable on all the 1/4-mile bullring stuff. On the bigger stuff, it may take me a second to get back in the groove. For years, I’ve just run Creek (County Speedway), Caney (Valley Speedway) and Humboldt (Speedway). I haven’t went out of my little area here, just with the business and kids and stuff.” 

Deal will do more traveling than ever before in 2024 and has a few dates in particular circled on his calendar. 

“I actually haven’t ran Knoxville, so I’m looking forward to Knoxville (for the 360 Knoxville Nationals in August),” Deal said. “Paducah, it looks pretty cool, never been there. Excited to go out to Montana, I’ve never been out there and raced.” 

While Deal has aspirations of clinching the championship and Rookie of the Year award at season’s end, the success of his inaugural year on tour won’t be defined entirely by the box score. 

“My Dad’s getting older, and life doesn’t last forever,” Deal said. “I wanted to basically go have some fun with my Dad and see some new tracks, travel a little bit, enjoy myself. 

“I’m going to keep racing and keep having fun, and we’ll see where that goes.” 

You can watch Deal and the rest of the ASCS National Tour stars when the season continues in Kansas at Rush County Speedway, on Friday, May 31, and Dodge City Raceway Park, on Saturday, June 1. For more information, CLICK HERE.

If you can't make it to the track, you can watch every lap live on DIRTVision.

 

 

Pipeline MD ASCS Gulf South Region Going For Two At Lonestar Speedway
Bryan Hulbert

KILGORE, Texas (May 21, 2024) The widely accepted start to Summer has arrived, and the Pipeline MD ASCS Gulf South Region is taking the show to the high-banked Lonestar Speedway in Kilgore, Texas for a pair of nights this Memorial Day Weekend.

Running Saturday, May 25, and Sunday, May 26, the two night affair will be preceded by an open practice on Friday night.

This weekend is the first stand-alone event of the year for the south Texas based tour, which last graced the three-eighths-mile oval in 2019. The victory went to Tony Bruce, Jr.

Friday’s practice opens at 5:00 P.M. (CDT) and is $20 for the Pits.

Saturday, May 25 opens at 3:00 P.M. with racing at 7:00 P.M. Times for Sunday, May 26 move up an hour. Factory Stocks, Tuners, Limited Modifieds, and Texas Stocks are also on the card.

Lonestar Speedway is located at 3131 Farm to Market Rd 1252 EW in Kilgore, Texas. More information on the track can be found on the track’s Facebook Page.

The 2024 season marks the 33rd season of competition for the American Sprint Car Series. Spearheaded by the American Sprint Car Series National Tour, the ASCS Nation includes Regional Tours encompassing Wing and Non-Wing competition.

For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, CLICK HERE. Also, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and X (@ascsracing).

 

 

ASCS Hurricane Area Super Sprints Headed For Deep South Speedway
Bryan Hulbert

LOXLEY, Ala. (May 21, 2024) Kicking off the summer season with a doubleheader weekend at Deep South Speedway, the ASCS Hurricane Area Super Sprints invade on Friday, May 24, and Saturday, May 25.

Last welcoming the series in October of last year for the season finale, Zane DeVault and Sammy Swindell split time in Victory Lane. ASCS Hurricane Area Super Sprints will go for two again in October at the Alabama oval.

Rounds seven and eight in 2024, Jan Howard leads the way into the weekend with a 136-point margin over Evan McElhaney. Third is Lane Whittington, with Jake Brashier and Brandon Blenden making up the top-five.

Friday, May 24 includes IMCA Modifieds, Pure Stocks, and Stingers. Saturday, May 25 moves classes to Factory Stocks, Street Stocks, 604 Late Models, and Open Modifieds. Tickets per night are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors and military, $10 for youth (8-12), and free for kids seven and under. Stands each day open at 5:00 P.M. with racing at 7:30 P.M. (CDT).

For more information, find the Deep South Speedway on Facebook or log onto https://www.deepsouthspeedway.org.

The ASCS Hurricane Area Super Sprints is under the direction of Stefen Oakes. For questions regarding rules, procedures, and events, contact Stefen Oakes at bigshowmotorsports@yahoo.com or call (985) 285-9177.

The 2024 season marks the 33rd season of competition for the American Sprint Car Series. Spearheaded by the American Sprint Car Series National Tour, the ASCS Nation includes Regional Tours encompassing Wing and Non-Wing competition.

For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, CLICK HERE. Also, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and X (@ascsracing).

 

 

1 MONTH ALERT: ASCS National Tour Speedweek Returns With June Events in Arkansas, Oklahoma

CONCORD, NC (May 20, 2024) – With the new chapter for the American Sprint Car Series comes the revival of the ASCS Speedweek championship for the National Tour in June.

The 28th edition of the ASCS Speedweek will consist of five straight nights of racing through Arkansas and Oklahoma, featuring races at Texarkana 67 Speedway (Tuesday, June 11), Creek County Speedway (Thursday, June 13), Arrowhead Speedway (Friday, June 14) and Tri-State Speedway (Saturday, June 15) – the race on Wednesday, June 12, is still TBD.

The National Tour has already made stops at all four tracks, but in varying quantities. The last National Tour race at Texarkana 67 Speedway, in Texarkana, AR, ran in 2008 and was won by Gary Taylor.

Creek County Speedway, in Sapulpa, OK, hosted the National Tour last season for the first time since 2008 and saw Oklahoma’s Sean McClelland score the win.

Last year, the National Tour made its debut at the state-of-the-art Arrowhead Speedway facility in Colcord, OK. At that event, Landon Britt walked away with his first career National Tour win.

Tri-State Speedway, in Pocola, OK, has hosted the National Tour on five occasions – the last race being in 2006, won by Jason Johnson.

This year will mark the Speedweek’s return for the first time since 2022. In the last five editions of the contest there have been five different champions – Tim Crawley (2022), Ryan Timms (2021), Sam Hafertepe Jr. (2019), Sammy Swindell (2018) and Aaron Reutzel (2017).

PREVIOUS ASCS SPEEDWEEK CHAMPIONS:
2022 – Tim Crawley
2021 – Ryan Timms
2019 – Sam Hafertepe Jr.
2018 – Sammy Swindell
2017 – Aaron Reutzel
2016 – Sam Hafertepe Jr.
2015 – Wayne Johnson
2014 – Brad Loyet
2013 – Jeff Swindell
2012 – Wayne Johnson
2009 – Tim Crawley
2008 – Jason Johnson
2007 – Gary Wright
2006 – Jason Johnson
2005 – Darren Stewart
2004 – Tim Crawley
2003 – Shane Stewart
2002 – Gary Wright
2001 – Kevin Ramey
2000 – Gary Wright
1999 – Gary Wright
1998 – Terry Gray
1997 – Gary Wright
1996 – Terry Gray
1995 – Terry Gray
1994 – Gary Wright
1993 – Terry Gray

For more information about the ASCS Speedweek, CLICK HERE.

If you can’t make it to the tracks, you can watch every lap live on DIRTVision.

 

 

 

ASCS Sooner Weekend at Creek, Caney Postponed; New Dates TBD

SAPULPA, Okla. (May 13, 2024) – Races at Creek County Speedway on Friday, May 17, and at Caney Valley Speedway on Saturday, May 18, with the American Sprint Car Series Sooner Region have been postponed.

The decision comes after working with track officials to allow for local drivers, who would be competing for points, and fans to attend the High School graduation ceremonies scheduled for the weekend.

“Graduation is an important moment in these kids’ lives, and we want to respect that achievement and make sure these families can be together,” said Cody Cordell, ASCS Sooner Director. “We coordinated with Kerry and Emmett to make sure everyone was good with moving the shows.”

New dates are being sought for the two tracks and will be announced once confirmed.

The 2024 season marks the 33rd season of competition for the American Sprint Car Series. Spearheaded by the American Sprint Car Series National Tour, the ASCS Nation includes Regional Tours encompassing Wing and Non-Wing competition.

 

 

ASCS Frontier Region Kicking Off 2024 Season With Big Sky Double
Bryan Hulbert

BILLINGS, Mont. (May 14, 2024) Kicking off the tour’s 12th season with a weekend double at Big Sky Speedway in Billings, Mont, the ASCS Frontier Region is back in action on Friday, May 17, and Saturday, May 18.

The site of last year’s season-opening event, Canada’s Kelly Miller swept the weekend before taking his run to a four-race win streak. Taking in two more triumphs before the season’s end, Miller compiled 10 top-five and a dozen top-10 finishes in 13 starts for an easily won championship.

Trever Kirkland ended the season runner-up in tour standings, followed by Phil Dietz, Joe Perry, and Kory Wermling. In all, 40 drivers took part in the 2023 season.

Friday, May 17, and Saturday, May 18, at Big Sky Speedway open at 5:30 P.M. with racing at 7:00 P.M. (MDT). Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for veterans and seniors (65+), and free for kids 60-inches tall or shorter. Paws N Claws Sport Compacts, IMCA Modifieds, Wissota Midwest Modifieds, and Wissota Super Stocks are also on the lineup.

Big Sky Speedway is located at Hwy. 87 North, Mile Marker 16, just outside Billings, Mont. For more information on the three-eighths-mile oval, log onto https://www.bigskyspeedway.com or call (406) 696-8661.

A reminder that all teams competing in ASCS competition must have a current DIRTcar Membership. That can be purchased at https://shorturl.at/nuIU2. The membership is $125 and is good for the 2024 calendar year.

The 2024 season marks the 33rd season of competition for the American Sprint Car Series. Spearheaded by the American Sprint Car Series National Tour, the ASCS Nation includes Regional Tours encompassing Wing and Non-Wing competition.

 

 

ASCS Hurricane Area Super Sprints Rolling To Greenville Speedway Bryan Hulbert

GREENVILLE, Miss. (May 14, 2024) Making the return to Greenville Speedway on Saturday, May 18, the ASCS Hurricane Area Super Sprints roll into the first of four nights at the Mississippi oval in 2024.

The season’s sixth round of competition, the tour’s last outing atop the gumbo quarter-mile was on August 12, 2023, with Brad Bowden earning the win. Already collecting a win in 2024 with the ASCS Hurricane Area Super Sprints, Bowden stood tall at Jackson Motor Speedway on April 27.

Five nights in with just as many winners, Jan Howard sits atop the standings going into Greenville with an 86-point gap over defending series champion Brandon Blenden. Evan McElhaney holds third, with Lane Whittington and Jake Brashier making up the top-five.

Looking at a $2,000 payday to make it to Victory Lane on Saturday, the evening’s card will include the wingless Capital City Sprints. Saturday, May 18, opens at 5:00 P.M. with racing at 7:00 P.M. (CDT). Tickets are $20 for adults, $5 for youth (6-10), and free for kids five and under. Pits are $35.

Greenville Speedway is located at 1040 S Raceway in Greenville, Miss. For more information, call (662) 820-0654 or visit Greenville Speedway’s Facebook page.

The ASCS Hurricane Area Super Sprints is under the direction of Stefen Oakes. For questions regarding rules, procedures, and events, contact Stefen Oakes at bigshowmotorsports@yahoo.com or call (985) 285-9177.

The 2024 season marks the 33rd season of competition for the American Sprint Car Series. Spearheaded by the American Sprint Car Series National Tour, the ASCS Nation includes Regional Tours encompassing Wing and Non-Wing competition.

For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner Also, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and X (@ascsracing).

 

 

SOONER THE BETTER: Terry Easum Scores First ASCS Victory at Red Dirt Raceway

MEEKER, OK (May 10, 2024) – The new chapter of the American Sprint Car Series continues to add intriguing storylines with each new paragraph, such as two “firsts” in one night for the National Tour on Friday.

During the National Tour’s debut at Red Dirt Raceway, in Meeker, OK, “Sooner State” native and 2024 Rookie of the Year contender, Terry Easum out dueled veterans and local stars to score his first ASCS victory.

He did so the hard way, too, starting a few rows deep in seventh and driving his way up through the field around the ¼-mile bullring.

“It feels great,” Easum said about picking up his first ASCS victory. “It’s good to be able to come through there, starting that far back and just drive through there. A real good field here. A lot of good cars. Even that [Last Chance Showdown] was full of guys who can win anywhere. It’s tough for sure.”

The night opened with 38 cars trying to fill 24 spots in the Feature. Easum was one of eight drivers that made it into the five-lap Dash, however, luck gave him the eight pill and he was only able to pass one car – placing him inside row four for the 30-lap Feature.

Oklahoma natives made up the first three starting positions with 19-time National Tour winner Matt Covington on the pole, Ryder Laplante – in his first National Tour start – on the outside pole and Whit Gastineau staring third.

When the race commenced, Laplante stayed on Covington’s tail the first two laps before jumping the cushion in Turn 4 and losing several positions.

A few spots back, Easum and current Series points leader Seth Bergman were already marching forward. By Lap 9, Bergman was up to third from fifth and Easum was up to fifth from seventh.

Then, Easum’s progress excelled lap by lap.

On Lap 10, the rookie moved into fourth, while Gastineau and Bergman reeled in Covington. A lap later, Easum joined the party to make it a four-way battle for the lead. Another lap later, he snuck by Bergman for third and then dove into Turn 3 to make it a three-wide battle for the lead with Gastineau on the top and Covington in the middle.

When they exited the turn and crossed the line to bring the race to Lap 13, Easum was the new leader.

He couldn’t enjoy it too long, though, as a caution for two cars spun on the backstretch slowed the race for the first time, putting Gastineau on his bumper.

The black No. 2w tried to stay with Easum on the restart, but the No. 88 was too strong on the bottom and pulled away. Instead, Gastineau had to play defense with Bergman finding a head of steam around the top of the track. The TwoC Racing machine passed Covington for third on the restart and then worked Gastineau for a few laps before stealing second with 10 laps to go.

With Easum having to navigate heavy traffic, Bergman began to play Jaws. Lap after lap, he gained on Easum. But with less than five laps to go, the traffic that slowed Easum also began hindering Bergman’s run. Then, his chance for back-to-back victories drove away.

“We were close, it just didn’t go our way there,” Bergman said. “We were really actually off at the beginning of the night. Then, it’s an uphill battle when you don’t unload that good. But, we fought at it and the boys did a great job and gave us a piece to contend for the win at the end. So, I look at it as anytime you can turn a negative into a positive late that’s a really good thing.”

While all eyes were on the battle for the lead, local star Tanner Conn was having a career run, charging from 15th to third in only his fourth start with the National Tour. As Bergman began closing on Easum, Conn was on a trajectory toward them both. But like Bergman, once they encountered traffic, their runs evaporated.

“This was our first ASCS show with our own program,” Conn said. “The night started off a little rough, just getting acclimated to the 360 (motor). I’m used to the 305 (motor)… We kind of dug ourselves a hole after Qualifying and the Heat Race. But just did what we know best with the track and was able to drive up to third, just pick some guys off on the bottom, some on the top, throw some slide jobs. Kind of what this track is known for.”

Ahead of them, in only his eighth career start with the National Tour, Easum drove away with his first career win in the closing laps.

“The car was really good,” Easum said. “It would drive anywhere. That’s all you can ask for as a driver… You had to run really tight on the bottom, against the tires, to catch that grip strip. If you missed it, there was a very fine line. If you missed it, it was tough.”

The race also counted toward the ASCS Sooner Region standings, giving Easum his first Sooner Region victory too.

UP NEXT: The American Sprint Car Series National Tour returns to Kansas for a doubleheader weekend with a visit to Rush County Speedway on Friday, May 31, and then to Dodge City Raceway Park on Saturday, June 1. For more information and the full ASCS schedule, CLICK HERE.

If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch every ASCS National Tour race live on DIRTVision.

FEATURE RESULTS:
Feature (30 Laps): 1. 88-Terry Easum[7]; 2. 2C-Seth Bergman[5]; 3. 78-Tanner Conn[15]; 4. 45X-Kyler Johnson[23]; 5. 2W-Whit Gastineau[3]; 6. 1-Sean McClelland[6]; 7. 15D-Andrew Deal[16]; 8. 36-Jason Martin[13]; 9. 95-Matt Covington[1]; 10. 9$-Kyle Clark[11]; 11. 71-Brady Baker[19]; 12. 10-Landon Britt[14]; 13. 55B-Brandon Anderson[10]; 14. 88R-Ryder Laplante[2]; 15. 2J-Zach Blurton[21]; 16. 938-Bradley Fezard[4]; 17. 03-Joe Wood Jr[22]; 18. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[17]; 19. V8-Robert Vetter[20]; 20. 55-Chase Brown[18]; 21. 91-Michael Day[24]; 22. 16G-Austyn Gossel[12]; 23. 6-Koty Adams[9]; 24. 8-Alex Sewell[8]

 

 

ASCS Elite Non-Wing Looking At 2024 Kick-Off At Lonestar Speedway
Bryan Hulbert

KILGORE, Texas (May 8, 2024) Lifting the lid on the 2024 season on Saturday, May 11, the ASCS Elite Non-Wing Series presented by Abilene Powder Coating will take on the high-banked Lonestar Speedway in Kilgore, Texas.

Racing for a $2,000 top prize on Saturday, the track last saw action with the wingless tour in 2018, before the series was under the ASCS banner. The tour plans one more trip in 2024, with the next being Saturday, July 6, with the Pipeline MD ASCS Gulf South Region. Cody Garnder enters as the defending series champion.

Saturday, May 11, opens at 3:00 P.M. with cars on track for Hot Laps at 6:00 P.M. (CDT). Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for youth (6-11), seniors (60+), and military with ID. Pits are $35. Tickets can be purchased in advance at Click Here. The night’s card will also include Modlites, Eco Mods, and Stock Cars.

The three-eighths-mile Lonestar Speedway is located at 3131 Farm to Market Rd 1252 EW in Kilgore, Texas. Information on the track can be found at Click Here or by calling (800) 568-7861.

The ASCS Elite Wing and Non-Wing Series is owned and operated by Nathan Moore and operates under the sanction of the American Sprint Car Series. Rules for both tours can be found at http://www.ascsracing.com. Nathan can be reached at (903) 780-9934 or by email at elitenonwingsprints@gmail.com,

For other news, notes, and information on any tours under the ASCS banner, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com follow on Facebook, Instagram, and X (@ASCSRacing).

 

 

ASCS Western Plains Back At El Paso County Raceway
Bryan Hulbert

CALHAN, Colo. (May 9, 2024) Back to where the season began, the ASCS Western Plains Region will roll into El Paso County Raceway in Calhan, Colo. on Saturday, May 11.

The second round of the 2024 season, after events at Lincoln County were sidelined by weather, the season’s kick-off on April 13 went the way of Pueblo’s Adam Trimble in his first event behind the wheel of the M&H Racing No. 5d.

Saturday, May 11, opens at 1:00 P.M. with cars on track at 4:00 P.M. Admission is $20 for adults, $15 for Military and Seniors, $10 for youth 4-12, and free for kids three and under. For more information on El Paso County Raceway, call (720) 404-0400 or log onto https://www.bstpromotions.com. El Paso County Raceway is located at 366 10th St. in Calhan, Colo.

Saturday’s event includes Lightning Sprints, Stock Cars, Sport Mods, Hobby Stocks, Compacts, Warriors, Dwarf, and NOW600 Micros.

The ASCS Western Plains Region is under the direction of Joe Bellm with BST Promotions and can be reached at (720) 404-0400.

A reminder that all teams competing in ASCS competition must have a current DIRTcar Membership. That can be purchased at https://shorturl.at/nuIU2. The membership is $125 and is good for the 2024 calendar year.

For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@ascsracing).

 

 

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: ASCS National Tour Returns to Oklahoma For Red Dirt Raceway Debut

MEEKER, OK (May 8, 2024) – More than 200 checkered flags have been claimed in Oklahoma with the American Sprint Car Series National Tour, and on Friday, May 10, one will be claimed at Red Dirt Raceway for the first time.

The National Tour will make its debut at the 1/4-mile track in Meeker, OK, for the second race of the 2024 season – joined by the ASCS Sooner Region.

After the first race of the season at Super Bee Speedway in April, drivers with Oklahoma connections will be poised for a home state win. Leading that charge will be Seth Bergman, driving for the Oklahoma City-based TwoC Racing team.

He scored the first win of the season and currently holds an eight-point lead over Rookie of the Year contender Andrew Deal.

The American Sprint Car Series has made one appearance at Red Dirt Raceway with the former Red River Region in 2018. That race was also won by Bergman.

Tickets for the event at Red Dirt Raceway can be purchased in advance HERE. If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision.

Follow the biggest storylines of the weekend:

TWO FOR TWO(C)?
All stats point to Seth Bergman, of Snohomish, WA, as a leading favorite for Friday’s event. He opened the 2024 season for the ASCS Sooner Region with a win at Oklahoma’s Creek County Speedway and then won the season opener for the National Tour at Super Bee Speedway – now leading the points in both divisions.

Bergman opened the National Tour season, driving the No. 2C Sprint Car for TwoC Racing while 2000 ASCS National Tour champion Wayne Johnson recovered from an arm injury. But with Johnson’s injury hindering him from returning to the seat, Bergman will continue to pilot the car with Johnson serving as his crew chief.

STRONG STARTS
While Seth Bergman walked away with the win at Super Bee Speedway, several other drivers had strong showings, ranging from rookies to Series veterans.

2024 Rookie of the Year contender Andrew Deal, of Caney, KS, came out of the gate strong, qualifying second to Bergman in their qualifying group, won his Heat Race, finished second in the Dash and then finished second in the Feature. It was his career-best finish with the National Tour and second career top-five finish with the tour – his first top five came at Oklahoma’s Lawton Speedway last year. He’s no stranger to winning in Oklahoma too, having won with the ASCS Sooner Region at Oklahoma’s Creek County Speedway in 2023.

Deal will enter Friday’s race with some experience at Red Dirt Raceway, having ran with the ASCS Red River Region there in 2018. He finished 15th.

Reigning ASCS National Tour champion Jason Martin, of Liberal, KS, put on a show at Super Bee, making a charge from 22nd to fourth. He’s coming off a career year with the National Tour, having won nine races en route to his first title in 2023. Of those nine victories, three came in Oklahoma – two at Longdale Speedway and one at the Salina Highbanks Speedway.

Like Deal, Martin also has laps around Red Dirt Raceway. Recent laps too. He ran a national 410 Sprint Car race there last month. He finished 25th after being involved in an accident.

OKLAHOMA NATIVES
Of the 14 confirmed full-time regulars with the ASCS National Tour this year, four call Oklahoma home – Brandon Anderson (Glenpool, OK), Matt Covington (Glenpool, OK), Hank Davis (Sand Springs, OK) and Terry Easum (Broken Arrow, OK).

Covington is in his 11th straight full-time season with the ASCS National Tour and is coming off a career-best year, having finished second in points with three wins – now at 19 National Tour wins overall. He’s also a two-time ASCS Sooner Region champion. The veteran had a quiet start to the season with a sixth-place finish at Super Bee.

Anderson started off his second full-time season with the National Tour strong at Super Bee, finishing fifth. While he’s still looking for his first National Tour win, he’s no stranger to winning in Oklahoma as three of his five ASCS Sooner Region victories came in the Sooner State.

Davis and Easum are both running for the Rookie of the Year title this season. Easum had the better finish of the two at Super Bee, finishing 11th, while Davis missed the Feature. However, Davis enters Friday’s race with an upper hand in the statistics category, having won in Oklahoma with the ASCS Sooner Region last year at Creek County Speedway.

STAT GLANCE:
When & Where
Date – Friday, May 10
Track – Red Dirt Raceway (1/4-mile in Meeker, OK)

CURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP TOP 10:
1. Seth Bergman (150 points)
2. Andrew Deal (-8)
3. Brady Baker (-15)
4. Jason Martin (-20)
5. Brandon Anderson (-25)
6. Matt Covington (-28)
7. Sam Hafertepe Jr. (-31)
8. Channin Tankersley (-34)
9. Landon Britt (-37)
10. Kyler Johnson (-40)

FEATURE WINNERS
1 Win – Seth Bergman

FEATURE LAPS LED
29 laps – Seth Bergman
1 lap – Brady Baker

QUICK TIME AWARDS
1 – Brady Baker

HEAT RACE WINNERS
1 Win – Lane Whittington
– Andrew Deal
– Koty Adams
– Terry Easum

DASH WINNERS
1 Win – Brady Baker

LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINNERS
1 Win – Landon Britt

PODIUM FINISHERS
1 – Seth Bergman
– Andrew Deal
– Brady Baker

2024 AMERICAN SPRINT CAR SERIES NATIONAL SCHEDULE & WINNERS
No. / Day, Date / Track / Location / Winner

1. Friday, April 19 / Super Bee Speedway / Chatham, LA / Seth Bergman

 

 

Rain, Thunderstorms Lead ASCS Officials to Postpone RPM Speedway Event

 

CRANDALL, TX (May 2, 2024) – After RPM Speedway was hit with more than two inches of rain last week and several more inches this week, in addition to weather models showing severe thunderstorms throughout the weekend, American Sprint Car Series and track officials agreed to postpone this weekend’s event.

Track and series officials are exploring options to reschedule the event at RPM Speedway later this season.


The decision was made to keep the safety of traveling fans and teams in mind, and knowing the track’s grounds are unable to handle the continued rain.

The American Sprint Car Series next races on Friday, May 10, at Red Dirt Raceway in Meeker, OK, where the National Tour will be joined by the ASCS Sooner Region.

For tickets to the event at Red Dirt Raceway, CLICK HERE. Pit gates open at 5 p.m. (CT) and grandstands open at 6 p.m. Racing is schedule to start at 7:30 p.m.


If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch both races live on DIRTVision.

 

 

New Arrowhead Doubleheader Expands Lucrative National Tour Stretch; June Speedweek Taking Shape
CONCORD, NC (April 23, 2024) – The American Sprint Car Series’ 2024 National Tour continues to expand with Arrowhead Speedway (Colcord, Okla.) adding a two-day event, Sept. 13-14, paying $10,000-to-win for its finale.

The new doubleheader at the state-of-the-art facility expands a lucrative stretch of racing for 360 Sprint Cars, featuring four events that pay $10,000 or more between August and September.

The first is the 34th annual Xtreme powered by Mediacom 360 Knoxville Nationals presented by Great Southern Bank at Knoxville Raceway (Aug. 1-3). The three-day event pays $3,000 to win on Thursday and Friday and then $20,000 on Saturday – plus lap money.

Later that month, the Series will venture to the recently added Harvey Ostermiller Memorial at Big Sky Speedway (Billings, Mont.), Friday-Saturday, Aug. 23-24, which pays $12,012 to Saturday’s winner.

When the Series turns the calendar to September, drivers will find themselves battling for a potential $14,000 grab at Arrowhead with Friday’s race paying $4,000 to win and Saturday’s paying $10,000 to win. That leads to the World Short Track Challenge at Riverside International Speedway (West Memphis, Ark.), which pits ASCS against the United Sprint Car Series, Sept. 27-28, featuring a $10,000-to-win finale.

In addition to the “Months of Money,” the ASCS National Tour 2024 Speedweek continues to take shape.

Texarkana 67 Speedway (Texarkana, Ark.) kicks the week off on Tuesday, June 11. A race on Wednesday is still in the works. But Thursday, June 13, will see the Series return to Creek County Speedway (Sapulpa, Okla.). Then, before the September doubleheader, the ASCS National Tour will visit Arrowhead Speedway on Friday, June 14. Speedweek culminates with the Series’ return to Tri-State Speedway (Pocola, Okla.) for the first time since 2006 on Saturday, June 15.

All events for the American Sprint Car Series National Tour can be found at https://www.ascsracing.com/schedules/2024?id=24993.

The 2024 season marks the 33rd season of competition for the American Sprint Car Series. Spearheaded by the American Sprint Car Series National Tour, the ASCS Nation includes Regional Tours encompassing Wing and Non-Wing competition.

Live coverage of the National Tour can be found exclusively at http://www.DIRTVision.com.

For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@ascsracing).

 

 

Pipeline MD ASCS Gulf South Region Rolling To Grayson County Speedway

BELLS, Texas (April 23, 2024) Four years since ASCS sanctioned Sprint Cars have circled the north Texas oval, the Pipeline MD ASCS Gulf South Region will take on Grayson County Speedway on Saturday, April 27.

Last visited by the ASCS Elite Non-Wing Series on July 18, 2020, the Pipeline MD ASCS Gulf South Region will circle the quarter-mile-oval for the first time on Saturday.

Kicking off their 2024 season this past weekend against the National Tour of the American Sprint Car Series at Super Bee Speedway, the highest-finishing Gulf South driver was Jacob Harris. Landing top points in regional standings going into Saturday’s event at Grayson County, Koty Adams, Tyler Harris, and Josh McCord were the other drivers who earned regional points.

Saturday, April 27, will open Pits at 4:00 P.M. and stands at 6:00 P.M. Cars will Hot Lap at 6:45 P.M. with racing at 7:30 P.M. (CDT). Tickets are $20 for adults, military, youth (17 and under), and seniors are $15, with kids 48 inches tall and under being free. Pits are $35. The night’s card includes IMCA Sport Mods, Factory Stocks, Eco Mods, Economy Stocks, and Junior Limited.

Grayson County Speedway is located at 171 Busby Ln. in Bells, Texas. For more information on the track, call 903 267-9114, go to https://www.myracepass.com/tracks/1616, or follow at https://www.facebook.com/graysoncountyspeedway.

Fans unable to make the event in person can watch live at https://watch.raceon.com.

The 2024 season marks the 33rd season of competition for the American Sprint Car Series. Spearheaded by the American Sprint Car Series National Tour, the ASCS Nation includes Regional Tours encompassing Wing and Non-Wing competition.

For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@ascsracing).

 

 

ASCS Elite Outlaws Headlining Friday At The Heart O’ Texas Speedway

WACO, Texas (April 22, 2024) Looking to the season’s fourth outing, the MYCO Plastics ASCS Elite Outlaw Sprints head for the Heart O’ Texas Speedway in Waco on Friday, April 26 for the Gene Adamcik Memorial.

The first of two scheduled trips to the high-banked quarter-mile-oval in 2024, the tour’s lone visit in 2023 went the way of Marcus Thomas after a back-and-forth battle with John Carney II.

Three events leading up to Friday’s event have yielded just as many winners with Sam Hafertepe, Jr., Noah Gass, and Brent Marks all taking their turn in victory Lane. Hafertepe currently sits atop the points with 410 markers earned. Gass trails by 17 points, with Blaine Baxter in third. Brian Bell and Marcus Thomas complete the top five in tour standing.

Paying tribute to the longtime owner and promoter of the Heart O’ Texas Speedway, the 2024 event is the ninth installment.

Friday, April 26 at Heart O' Texas opens at 6:00 P.M. Hot Laps at 7:30 P.M. and racing at 8:00 P.M. (CDT). Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors and military, $10 for youth (6-12), and free for kid five and under. Pits are $35. Friday’s event includes IMCA Stock Cars, IMCA Southern Sport Mods, Outlaw Street Stocks, Factory Stocks, and Jr. Limited.

Heart O' Texas Speedway is located at 784 N McLennan Dr. in Elm Mott, Texas. Information on the track can be found at http://www.heartotexasspeedway.com or by calling (254) 829-2294.

The ASCS Elite Wing and Non-Wing Series is owned and operated by Nathan Moore and operates under the sanction of the American Sprint Car Series. Rules for both tours can be found at http://www.ascsracing.com. Nathan can be reached at (903) 780-9934 or by email at elitenonwingsprints@gmail.com,

For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@ASCSRacing).

 

 

Schedule Update: ASCS National Shifts Montana Swing To August
CONCORD, NC (April 22, 2024) – The 2024 lineup of events for the American Sprint Car Series National Tour continues to evolve and come into place, with the most recent update coming in the month of August.

Originally a two-night run in July, the trip north now encompasses six nights, starting in Kansas and Nebraska before heading north to Montana.

Dodge City Raceway Park has taken Friday, Aug. 16. Racing then moves to Lincoln County Raceway (North Platte, Neb.) for the tour’s first visit on Saturday, Aug. 17. Both nights are in conjunction with the ASCS Western Plains Region.

Northbound from there, the first stop in Montana is Big Sky Speedway in Billings for the first time since 2019 on Friday, Aug. 23, and Saturday, Aug. 24 for the $12,012 to win Harvey Ostermiller Memorial. Back on the lineup for the first time since 2015, Electric City Speedway in Great Falls will take Friday, Friday, Aug. 30, and Saturday, Aug. 31, during the 28th annual Montana Roundup. All four nights are co-sanctioned with the ASCS Frontier Region.

Further updates to the 2024 schedule are forthcoming and will be posted once confirmed.

The 2024 season marks the 33rd season of competition for the American Sprint Car Series. Spearheaded by the American Sprint Car Series National Tour, the ASCS Nation includes Regional Tours encompassing Wing and Non-Wing competition.

Live coverage of the National Tour can be found exclusively at http://www.DIRTVision.com.

For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@ascsracing).
New August Swing:
Friday, Aug. 16 – Dodge City Raceway Park
Saturday, Aug. 17 – Lincoln County Raceway
Friday-Saturday, Aug. 23-24 – Big Sky Speedway
Friday-Saturday, Aug. 30-31 – Electric City Speedway

 

 

Seth Bergman Wins ASCS National Tour Opener at Super Bee in First Event with TwoC Racing

CHATHAM, LA (April 19, 2024) – When Seth Bergman got the call from former ASCS National champion Wayne Johnson to come and drive the TwoC Racing ride, he knew he had to make an impact right away.

Consider the impact made. The Snohomish, WA-racer scored the win in the 2024 ASCS National Tour opener at Super Bee Speedway Friday night, leading all but one lap en route to his 19th career National Tour victory in his first start with the Oklahoma-based team.

“I think I was able to gel as quick as I did just because I’ve been friends with Wayne for a long time,” Bergman said. “I was able to come into a team being familiar with the guy in charge.

“I just felt instantly a level of comfort and ease; I didn’t feel like they were down my back to do anything. I felt like they had a great team here with a lot of pieces in place to perform well.”

Johnson, the 2000 ASCS National champion from Oklahoma City, OK, was injured in a crash during an event in Texas last weekend, rendering him unable to race while he navigates his recovery process. He soon phoned Bergman – a longtime friend and fellow competitor – and asked him to fill the seat in his absence. Bergman accepted the offer and wasted no time in representing of the nation’s most accomplished Winged 360 Sprint Car drivers, winning in his first night out.

“Getting an opportunity like this – it feels great to put the hard work in and be noticed and have the phone ring for an opportunity like this,” Bergman said. “The phone rang too because I’ve known Wayne for a really long time. We’re friends. Part of this sport is about networking and who you know.

“It’s very unfortunate to see what happened to Wayne. I honestly get a little emotional thinking about it. He’s a friend, and seeing him in the condition he’s in and not knowing when he’s gonna return, if he is, is a lot to wrap your head around.”

While he led most of the race, Bergman’s second lap was most notable. He charged into Turn 1 with a full head of steam and got underneath Andrew Deal to take second, then powered around the outside of polesitter Brady Baker for the lead out of Turn 4.

“I knew from the warmup lap, I was gonna be sporty early,” Bergman said. “Just experience. Andrew’s very experienced too, but he kinda got snookered on the start – Baker looked like he came up and got into [Deal], so he was maybe feeling his car out for a lap or two after that. I was able to pounce on opportunities quick.”

From there on out, it was smooth sailing for Bergman and the No. 2C. He fended off all challenges from Deal and Baker on restarts and cruised to the $4,000 payday.

After chasing Bergman nearly the entire race, Deal crossed the stripe second – a new career-best finish on the National Tour. The Rookie of the Year contender from Caney, KS, challenged for the lead around the halfway point but was unable to get close enough to make a move in the end.

“It was kinda sketchy first lap – polesitter got a little wide on the get-go and put us in the fence, so it took me 3-to-4 laps to recover from that just to make sure nothing was torn up,” Deal said. “After a big hit like that, you don’t really go into the next turn too terribly hard.”

After battling back-and-forth with Deal for the runner-up spot in the first half of the event, Baker crossed the stripe third. Deal wrestled the spot away for good on Lap 8, and then came a hard-charging Koty Adams who raced from eighth on the grid and passed Baker for third on Lap 22. Adams later blew a tire on Lap 27, ruining his podium run and handing the spot back to Baker, who drove it home with his first Tour podium finish of the season.

“The car was just really loose the whole race,” Baker said. “Ran the wing about as far back as it would go and was still way free. But all-in-all, I think we had a good night.”

Reigning ASCS National champion Jason Martin finished fourth and captured the night’s Hard Charger honors in his drive up from 22nd on the starting grid. Oklahoma racer Brandon Anderson completed the top five from 11th on the grid.

UP NEXT

ASCS National Tour racing continues Saturday, April 20, at Super Bee Speedway in Chatham, LA. Tickets will be on sale at the gate; streaming available on DIRTVision.

ABBREVIATED RESULTS (view full results)

Feature (30 Laps): 1. 2C-Seth Bergman[4]; 2. 15D-Andrew Deal[2]; 3. 71-Brady Baker[1]; 4. 36-Jason Martin[22]; 5. 55B-Brandon Anderson[11]; 6. 95-Matt Covington[5]; 7. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[7]; 8. 71T-Channin Tankersley[23]; 9. 10-Landon Britt[17]; 10. 45X-Kyler Johnson[19]; 11. 88-Terry Easum[3]; 12. 2J-Zach Blurton[18]; 13. 91-Michael Day[12]; 14. 88K-Jordan Knight[16]; 15. 2-Brekton Crouch[13]; 16. 6G-Bryan Gossel[20]; 17. 88B-Brandon Blenden[24]; 18. 26-Jacob Harris[10]; 19. 6-Koty Adams[8]; 20. 14-Jordon Mallett[21]; 21. 24-Tyler Harris[9]; 22. 9-Josh McCord[15]; 23. 9L-Lane Whittington[6]; 24. 121-Jan Howard[14]

 

 

Gossel Family Taking On ASCS National Tour In 2024

CONCORD, N.C. (April 18, 2024) Venturing out of northern Colorado, Bryan and Austyn Gossel will take on the American Sprint Car Series National Tour for the first time in 2024. The second father/son duo to attempt the National Tour in the same season, Tim and Landon Crawley were the first to do so in 2022.

“Kind of like living the dream. It is so cool to get to do this with Austyn and my family,” said Bryan Gossel of the chance to race on the road with his son. “Just to get here and be able to run at a national level, it’s a relief to see all the hard work and dedication is paying off.”

Gossel, who is a small business owner with BG Automotive in Colorado, were both on track this past weekend with the ASCS Western Plains Region at El Paso County Raceway. Bryan placed eighth, while Austyn, who started ninth, ran to a second-place finish.

This was a proud moment for Bryan, who has been racing for 31 years in dirt and pavement Sprint Car, as well as USAC Silver Crown action.

“He’s never just driven by me like that, so it was a pretty proud moment for me to see how much he’s improving and growing as a driver, which for me, I’m having fun, and that’s the goal for me, and for Austyn, to see that really what makes it even more fun for me,” Bryan said.

Behind the wheel of a Super Stock for the first time at 17, Austyn has raced a combination of wing and wingless Sprint Cars and RaceSaver and ASCS cars since 2019. Finding his footing in 2023, he captured his first career win at Casper Speedway on May 20 and followed that up with another victory at El Paso County Raceway on August 12.

“I’m going into this as confident as I can be,” stated Austyn, who has already been on track 17 times this season.

“Last year, we struggled at times running the local points deal with parts and mechanical failures, but I still had decent runs and won my first two races, which really got the ball rolling for me. This year, I’ve been able to work with Wayne Johnson and did all the 360cid and 410 stuff in Florida, then ran a couple of weeks ago in Texas, and that’s really helped, and I feel like that showed last weekend at El Paso.”

Fans can keep up with Bryan Gossel at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057623374346. Austyn Gossel can be found at https://www.facebook.com/austyn.gossel.

The 2024 American Sprint Car Series National Tour begins on Friday-Saturday, April 19-20, at Super Bee Speedway in Chatham, La.

The 2024 season marks the 33rd season of competition for the American Sprint Car Series. Spearheaded by the American Sprint Car Series National Tour, the ASCS Nation includes Regional Tours encompassing Wing and Non-Wing competition.

Live coverage of the National Tour can be found exclusively at http://www.DIRTVision.com.

For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@ascsracing).

 

 

Matt Covington Returning For 12th ASCS National Tour Run

By Bryan Hulbert

CONCORD, NC (April 18, 2024) – A name that has become synonymous with the American Sprint Car Series, Oklahoma’s Matt Covington will return for his 12th overall season chasing the National Tour.

“I’m looking forward to it,” Covington said. “Excited to see how it goes with World Racing Group taking over. I think it will be good for the Series going forward. It’s going to be different, but we’ll adjust and get it figured out, and really just looking forward to seeing what Cody [Cordell] and Lonnie [Wheatley] can do with the Series.”

Not the first season that Covington has been in contention for a championship, the driver of the Missile Motorsports/T&L Foundry No. 95 fought to the last lap with Jason Martin for the 2023 title.

Missing it by 46 markers, Covington reflected on the season and shared his thoughts on 2024.

“We didn’t have a bad year last year, but it wasn’t spectacular, where the No. 36 had a great year,” he said. “Certainly, it wasn’t a failure. We won three National Tour events and had a lot of top-five finishes, but we know we need to step it up if we want to win the championship, and that’s what our goal is this year. Luckily, we didn’t need to make a lot of changes during the off-season. Steven Lane is back with me working on the car. This will be his second season, and we’ve really gotten into a good rhythm.”

Getting behind the wheel in Quarter Midgets at the age of five, Covington collected over 100 feature wins and three national titles before being inducted into the Quarter Midget Hall of Fame in 2004.

Moving into Sprint Cars in 2008, he took on the National Tour for the first time in 2009. Returning to ASCS Lone Star and Sooner Region competition in 2010, Covington collected five titles between the two tours before returning to the National Tour in 2014.

In his time on the road, Covington has made 377 Feature starts, putting him sixth all-time, and made it to Victory Lane 18 times across 14 states. His record also includes 129 top-five and 229 top-10 finishes, plus 34 ASCS regional triumphs.

Fans can keep track of Matt Covington at www.mattcovingtonracing.com, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mattcovingtonracing, or follow him on X @mattcovington95, as well as Instagram @mattcovingtonracing, and TikTok at @mattcoivngtonracing.

The 2024 American Sprint Car Series National Tour begins on Friday-Saturday, April 19-20, at Super Bee Speedway in Chatham, La.

The 2024 season marks the 33rd season of competition for the American Sprint Car Series. Spearheaded by the American Sprint Car Series National Tour, the ASCS Nation includes Regional Tours encompassing Wing and Non-Wing competition.

Live coverage of the National Tour can be found exclusively at http://www.DIRTVision.com.

For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@ascsracing).

 

 

 

American Sprint Car Series Starts New Chapter at Super Bee Speedway
CHATHAM, LA (April 17, 2024) – The American Sprint Car Series National Tour officially begins its new chapter under the World Racing Group banner at Super Bee Speedway in Chatham, LA, April 19-20.

Featuring the best Sprint Car drivers in the region, the two-day event will see the National championship return to the 1/4-mile track for the first time since 2012. It’ll also be the season-opener for the ASCS Gulf South Region and the continuation of the 2024 season for the ASCS Hurricane Area Super Sprints.

Between the National Tour and regional series, ASCS has visited Super Bee 20 times, dating back to 2002. Five of those visits were for National events, seeing former champions Gary Wright and Jason Johnson swap command of each race. Wright won with the National Tour at Super Bee in 2003, 2004 and 2005, while Johnson also won in 2004 and in 2012. Kevin Ramey won the first ASCS trip to the track in 2002 with the Gulf South Region.

In addition to championship points, drivers will contend for a $4,000 payday each night.

Tickets for the event will be available at the gate. If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch every lap live on DIRTVision.com.

On Friday, grandstands will open at 5 p.m. (CT) and Hot Laps are scheduled for 7 p.m. with racing to follow. Then, on Saturday, grandstands will open at 4 p.m. with Hot Laps at 6:30 p.m.

Keep up with the top storylines of the weekend:

NEW CHAPTER: World Racing Group finalized the acquisition of the American Sprint Car Series from Series founder Emmett Hahn in March to help strengthen and grow ASCS and Sprint Car racing.

In the month since, the American Sprint Car Series has already seen enhancements with the hiring of Lonnie Wheatley as the Series Director and Cody Cordell as Competition Director, and the implementation of a $152,000 championship points fund and tow money package for the National Tour.

The top-10 finishing positions in the title race will be paid with the champion earning $40,000; $25,000 for second; $20,000 for third; $15,000 for fourth; $12,000 for fifth; $10,000 for sixth; $9,000 for seventh; $8,000 for eighth; $7,000 for ninth; and $6,000 for 10th.

A new race format has also been established featuring Time Trials – where drivers only time against those in their Hot Lap group and Heat Race – Heats, a Dash, Last Chance Showdown (if need) and a Feature with 22 starters and Provisionals. For the full format, CLICK HERE.

Currently, 14 drivers, representing seven states, are expected to contend for the 2024 title: Brandon Anderson (OK), Seth Bergman (WA), Zach Blurton (KS), Landon Britt (TN), Matt Covington (OK), Hank Davis (OK), Michael Day (TX), Andrew Deal (KS), Terry Easum (OK), Bradley Fezard (AR), Austyn Gossel (CO), Bryan Gossel (CO), Kyler Johnson (KS) and Jordan Knight (KS).

ONE SPOT BETTER: After finishing second in ASCS National Tour points last year, Matt Covington, of Glenpool, OK, returns full-time to chase his first ASCS championship.

The 19-time National Tour winner will continue to pilot his No. 95 Sprint Car for his 11th straight full-time season on the National scene.

He's spent the early portion of the 2024 season building experience with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series, earning a career-best Series finish of 13th at Cotton Bowl Speedway.

BERGMAN RETURNS: After running a part-time schedule the last five years, Seth Bergman, of Snohomish, WA, is set to chase his first National Tour championship again in 2024.

He’s already found success with the American Sprint Car Series this year, making an impressive 15th-to-first charge at Creek County Speedway with the ASCS Sooner Region in March. The victory brought him to 71 career ASCS wins overall – 18 of those are with the National Tour.

The last time he followed the full National Tour in 2018, Bergman earned his career-best points finish of second.

ROOKIE CLASS: The American Sprint Car Series National Tour will have a stout field of Rookie of the Year contenders this year with eight first-year drivers representing four states.

Joining the tour are Zach Blurton (KS), Hank Davis (OK), Andrew Deal (KS), Terry Easum (OK), Bradley Fezard (AR), Austyn Gossel (CO), Bryan Gossel (CO) and Jordan Knight (KS).

Of the group, Blurton is the only one entering the 2024 season with a National Tour win – coming at WaKeeny Speedway in 2022. Davis and Bryan Gossel each have two regional ASCS victories; Davis’ most recent one came in March with the Hurricane Area Super Sprints.

HURRICANE SEASON (SO FAR): The Hurricane Area Super Sprints have contested three races, so far, this season and have seen a different winner in each.

Hank Davis, who is running for Rookie of the Year with the National Tour, won the region’s first race of the year at North Alabama Speedway – his first win with the region and second ASCS win overall. Then, Max Stambaugh also picked up his first Hurricane Area Super Sprints victory the next night at North Alabama.

The most recent victory with the region went to four-time National Tour winner Jan Howard at Louisiana’s Baton Rouge Raceway. Howard is also the current Hurricane Area Super Sprints points leader – 57 ahead of Brandon Blenden.

WEEKEND GLANCE:
When & Where
Date – Friday-Saturday, April 19-20
Track – Super Bee Speedway (1/4-mile in Chatham, LA)

Previous ASCS National Winners at Super Bee
2012 – Jason Johnson on June 18
2005 – Gary Wright on May 6
2004 – Gary Wright on Sept. 24, Jason Johnson on Sept. 25
2003 – Gary Wright on Aug. 31

On The Internet
ASCS Website – ASCSRacing.com
ASCS Facebook – Facebook.com/AmericanSprintCarSeries
ASCS Instagram – Instagram.com/ASCS_Racing
ASCS X – X.com/ASCSRacing
Super Bee Speedway Website – SuperBeeSpeedway.com

 

 

Hank Davis Joining Rookie Of The Year Hunt With The American Sprint Car Series

CONCORD, N.C. (April 17, 2024): Another ASCS Sooner Region regular will move to the National Tour in 2024, as Oklahoma’s Hank Davis joins the rapidly expanding Rookie of the Year class with the American Sprint Car Series.

Why the change?

“The competition,” Davis answered. “Plus, getting to race different tracks and get some experience for some possible 410 racing in the future.”

Bringing over a decade of racing experience into his rookie season, the native of Sand Springs, Okla., is well known across Oklahoma for his success in Micros, Midgets, and Sprint Cars. However, he jumped onto everyone’s radar in 2023 when he captured his first career Chili Bowl Preliminary Night win in thrilling fashion for Matt Seymour Racing.

Kicking off the 2024 season with a fifth-place finish in Tulsa’s 55-lap finale, Hank has been on track seven times so far in Midget and Sprint Car competition, with a ASCS Hurricane Area Super Sprints win coming at North Alabama Speedway in April, along with four top-fives and a top-10 finish in each outing.

This season, he’s trying to soak up as much experience as he can.
“We want to race as much as possible and hopefully win against the best,” Davis said.

Fans can follow the driver of the Oklahoma Chiller/Triple X Chassis, No. 1h, at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063613805229.

The 2024 American Sprint Car Series National Tour begins on Friday-Saturday, April 19-20, at Super Bee Speedway in Chatham, La.

The 2024 season marks the 33rd season of competition for the American Sprint Car Series. Spearheaded by the American Sprint Car Series National Tour, the ASCS Nation includes Regional Tours encompassing Wing and Non-Wing competition.

Live coverage of the National Tour can be found exclusively at http://www.DIRTVision.com.

For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@ascsracing).

 

 

Zach Blurton Making Jump to Full-Time ASCS National Tour Competition

CONCORD, N.C. (April 16, 2024) – Zach Blurton will live out a longtime dream this year, taking his talent on the road full-time with the American Sprint Car Series National Tour for the first time.

The Kansas shoe will join the stout field of first-time contenders chasing the ASCS Rookie of the Year title.

“First and foremost, I need to thank my wife for going along with this crazy racing life,” Blurton said. “From my start in racing, I feel like I’ve had realistic goals and dreams. I would see the Outlaw and the All-Star schedule and think that was cool and see what was close that I could go watch, but the ASCS schedule was one that I looked at and felt that was something I could do one day.”

An accomplished talent with the United Rebel Sprint Series, where he ranks third in all-time wins, Blurton has stepped up his 360 Sprint Car program over the past few seasons and found success, including an ASCS National Tour win at WaKeeney Speedway on July 3, 2022.

“I’ll never forget that night and that feeling of who I was racing with and had to hold off to get that win, and I want that again,” Blurton said.

For the 2024 season, Blurton will pilot the Swift Bullet Co./Summit Automotive Group No. 2J with Maxim Chassis and Don Ott power. Snow Giddings will take charge as the crew chief.

“We’ve been building the team and didn’t want to do this until I knew we were ready, and I feel like we’re finally at a point to take that step and give it a try,” he said. “We’re a family-oriented team, as are a lot of our sponsors, and they’ve really stepped up to help us accomplish this.”

Blurton is carrying plenty of momentum into 2024 with last year producing six wins, 20 top fives, and 29 top-10 finishes across various series and engine combinations.

Fans can keep track of Zach through his Social Media channel via Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/zachblurtonracing), Twitter (https://twitter.com/ZachBlurton), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/zachblurton), and TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@zachblurtonracing). His 2024 schedule will be updated as the season progresses at https://www.myracepass.com/drivers/18317.

The 2024 American Sprint Car Series National Tour begins on Friday-Saturday, April 19-20, at Super Bee Speedway in Chatham, La.

The 2024 season marks the 33rd season of competition for the American Sprint Car Series. Spearheaded by the American Sprint Car Series National Tour, the ASCS Nation includes Regional Tours encompassing Wing and Non-Wing competition.

Live coverage of the National Tour can be found exclusively at http://www.DIRTVision.com.

For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@ascsracing).

 

 

ASCS National Tour Format Gets Refresh For 2024 Season
CONCORD, NC (April 16, 2024) – Starting at Super Bee Speedway this weekend, the American Sprint Car Series National Tour will utilize a new nightly format.

“We’re moving in the direction we feel best for the series and its drivers,” said ASCS competition/technical director Cody Cordell. “We’re excited for a little change and looking forward to the next chapter of the American Sprint Car Series.”

Based on the format used by the former All Star Circuit of Champions, with some changes in place, the nightly run of events will go as follows:

2024 ASCS National Tour Race Format:

• 2-lap Time Trials (1-3 cars at a time)

• Qualify only against cars that will be in your Hot Lap group and Heat Race.

• Qualifying order will be determined by draw.

• Heats are straight up by time, except for the fastest qualifier in each group/Heat, which will invert to the 4th starting position.

• The penalty for missed Time Trial position, with a two (2) car grace, is one (1) timed lap at the end of qualifying – best you can start your Heat Race is fifth. If for any reason a car takes one lap at the end of qualifying, the car’s time will not be used for Dash eligibility, the car must win its Heat to make the Dash.

• The Heat winner and the quickest transfer from each Heat will have a random draw for Dash starting position. When using a two- and three-Heat format, the quickest Heat qualifier must finish in the top five and on the lead lap of their qualifying heat to remain eligible for the Dash. The finish of the Dash will set the top starting positions of the Feature. There is one five-lap Dash.

• If the quickest Heat qualifier (4th starter) also wins the heat, then that will be the only car from that heat to go into the dash draw. If the quickest heat qualifier (4th starter) does not qualify through their Heat, the Heat winner and next faster qualifier that qualified through their Heat Race will transfer to the Dash.

• Non-dash cars that qualify for the Feature are lined up by Heat Race finish behind the Dash cars (2nd place finishers, then 3rd place finishers, then 4th place finishers etc.)

• Starting position amongst the same place finishing cars will be determined by overall qualifying time.

• Top 2 qualifiers from overall Time Trials not transferring to the Feature will occupy the front row of the Last Chance Showdown. Remaining non-transfer cars are lined up in the Last Chance Showdown, C, & D-Mains up by Heat Race finish.

• Starting position amongst the same place finishing cars will be determined by overall qualifying time.

• D-Main event transfers (2) tag the back of the C-Main event by finish position.
• C-Main event transfers (2) tag the back of the Last Chance Showdown event by finish position.
• Last Chance Showdown event transfers tag (4,6 or 7) the back of the Feature event by finish position.

• 22 Feature starters + Provisionals

This format is for ASCS National Tour events only. ASCS Regional events will follow the traditional draw/passing point system. Questions regarding the format can be directed to Cody Cordell at (918) 407-1879, or ccordell@dirtcar.com.

The 2024 American Sprint Car Series National Tour begins on Friday-Saturday, April 19-20, at Super Bee Speedway in Chatham, La.

The 2024 season marks the 33rd season of competition for the American Sprint Car Series. Spearheaded by the American Sprint Car Series National Tour, the ASCS Nation includes Regional Tours encompassing Wing and Non-Wing competition.

Live coverage of the National Tour can be found exclusively at http://www.DIRTVision.com.

For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@ascsracing).

 

 

Bradley Fezard Joins 2024 ASCS National Rookie Class

CONCORD, N.C. (April 16, 2024) – Adding another name to the 2024 American Sprint Car Series rookie class, 23-year-old Bradley Fezard will make his first jump to the National Tour.

He’ll continue to pilot the V&H Fresh No. 938 for Vince and Mary Rosa after several years of success with the team.

“The V&H Fresh Race Team is committed to running the ASCS National Tour for 2024,” stated team owner, Vince Rosa. "This is an awesome opportunity for our team, and we are excited for the opportunity."

Following in the footsteps of his father, Frederic Fezard, who spent his career racing Rally Cars on Ice in Europe, Formula 3, and eventually Micros once he moved to the United States from France, Bradley Fezard, began his career behind the wheel in 2013 with Micros around Arkansas and Oklahoma.

After earning titles with POWRi and NOW600 in Micro competition, Fezard began racing Sprint Cars and Midgets in 2022.

Having now raced in various events and tours the past two seasons, Fezard is excited to get on a tour schedule again.

"I’m ready coming into this year to follow a series again,” he said. “After winning the NOW600 Non-Wing championship and the POWRi Wing championship, I’m excited to hit the road and follow such a prestigious tour. My goal is to be top-five in points when all is said and done."

Fans can follow the V&H Fresh team at https://www.facebook.com/vhfreshracepage.

The 2024 American Sprint Car Series National Tour begins on Friday-Saturday, April 19-20, at Super Bee Speedway in Chatham, La.

The 2024 season marks the 33rd season of competition for the American Sprint Car Series. Spearheaded by the American Sprint Car Series National Tour, the ASCS Nation includes Regional Tours encompassing Wing and Non-Wing competition.

Live coverage of the National Tour can be found exclusively at http://www.DIRTVision.com.

For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@ascsracing).

 

 

Jordan Knight Joins American Sprint Car Series Full-Time With King Racing No. 88
By Bryan Hulbert

CONCORD, NC (April 15, 2024) – Kansas native Jordan Knight is joining the American Sprint Car Series National Tour full-time in 2024 with the Danny King-owned No. 88 – a car synonymous with racing around the Midwest.

Carrying on the memory of Steve King, who lost his life in an on-track accident in 2006, Knight began talking with the King family midway through the 2023 season about bringing the Steve King Foundation No. 88 on tour.

“We started talking about it last year. I was originally going to try tackling it in our family car, but I knew that was a long shot,” Knight said.

“I’ve driven for Danny several times over the last few years, and he knew this was something I was aiming for, so over the winter, he called and asked if we were going to do anything. I went up and met with him, and he said he wanted to help, so we basically merged our teams, with Danny being the car owner. I’m very thankful because tackling the National Tour wouldn’t be possible without his help.”

A graduate of the United Rebel Sprint Series in Kansas, Knight has been behind the wheel for nine years. Chasing points twice with the URSS, Knight placed inside the top three in tour standings both times. He picked up his first win with the Series last year.

“Taking the American Sprint Car Series for the first time, I would say nervous is an understatement,” he said. “If we could be a consistent top-10 car, that is my ultimate goal. Anything more than that is great.”

Fans can keep up with the driver of the Triple X Chassis/Next Era Energy No. 88 by following https://www.facebook.com/KnightRacing1011K.

The 2024 American Sprint Car Series National Tour begins Friday-Saturday, April 19-20, at Super Bee Speedway in Chatham, La.

The 2024 season marks the 33rd season of competition for the American Sprint Car Series. Spearheaded by the American Sprint Car Series National Tour, the ASCS Nation includes Regional Tours encompassing Wing and Non-Wing competition.

Live coverage of the National Tour can be found exclusively at http://www.DIRTVision.com.

For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@ascsracing).

 

 

ASCS Elite Non-Wing At Lawton Speedway Rescheduled To July 27

LAWTON, Okla. (April 15, 2024) With work ongoing after a fire destroyed the Press Box and damaged the grandstands at Lawton Speedway in March, events with the ASCS Elite Non-Wing Series presented by Abilene Powder Coating on Saturday, April 20 have been postponed to Saturday, July 27.

The next event for the ASCS Elite Non-Wing Series presented by Abilene Powder Coating will be Saturday, March 11, at Lonestar Speedway in Kilgore, Texas.

The ASCS Elite Wing and Non-Wing Series is owned and operated by Nathan Moore and operates under the sanction of the American Sprint Car Series. Rules for both tours can be found at http://www.ascsracing.com. Nathan can be reached at (903) 780-9934 or by email at elitenonwingsprints@gmail.com,

For other news, notes, and information on any tours under the ASCS banner, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@ASCSRacing).

 

Jan Howard Collects ASCS Hurricane Area Super Sprint Win At Baton Rouge

BATON ROUGE, La. (April 13, 2024) Taking on Baton Rouge Raceway Saturday night, Arkansas’ shoe, Jan Howard, was the class of the field with the ASCS Hurricane Area Super Sprints.

Jan’s second win in the past two seasons at Baton Rouge, the No. 121 rode second through the first ten laps as Jacob Harris showed the way. Under fire on Lap 11, the pair traded the top spot around before Howard took over just past the race’s mid-point.

Keeping pace from there, Howard made it to the finish with 0.942-seconds to spare. Jacob Harris held on for second with Tyler Harris crossing third. Levi Beard and Evan McElhaney, from tenth, made up the top five. Tearing through the field from 22nd, Brandon Blenden nabbed sixth, followed by Blake Carrier in seventh. Tommy Hall, Jake Bashier, and Steve Byunm completed the top ten.

The ASCS Hurricane Area Super Sprints competes next on Friday, April 19, and Saturday, April 20 at Super Bee Speedway with the American Sprint Car Series National Tour.

The ASCS Hurricane Area Super Sprints is under the direction of Stefen Oakes. For questions regarding rules, procedures, and events, contact Stefen Oakes at bigshowmotorsports@yahoo.com or call (985) 285-9177.

A reminder that all teams competing in ASCS competition must have a current DIRTcar Membership. That can be purchased at https://shorturl.at/nuIU2. The membership is $125 and is good for the 2024 calendar year.

For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@ascsracing).

RACE RESULTS:

ASCS Hurricane Area Super Sprints
Baton Rouge Raceway (Baton Rouge, La.)
Saturday, April 13, 2024

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 21-Butch David[1]; 2. 26-Jacob Harris[7]; 3. 83-Blake Carrier[4]; 4. 18-Steve Byunm[3]; 5. 67-Blake Mallette[6]; 6. 01-Brandon Olsen[5]; 7. 572-John Robicheaux[2]; 8. (DNS) 94-Parker Davis

Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 121-Jan Howard[2]; 2. 24X-Tyler Harris[4]; 3. L37-Scott Craft[5]; 4. 16-Evan McElhaney[6]; 5. 21B-Todd Bliss[3]; 6. 13X-Jake Brashier[7]; 7. 3-Cary Farmer[1]

Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 2H-Tommy Hall[1]; 2. 1-Levi Beard[5]; 3. 27-Chase Wood Jr[8]; 4. 17-Adam Moneyhun[7]; 5. 61-Sean Wimpee[3]; 6. 57-Condry Beard[2]; 7. 9-Lane Whittington[6]; 8. 88-Brandon Blenden[4]

A Feature (25 Laps): 1. 121-Jan Howard[3]; 2. 26-Jacob Harris[1]; 3. 24X-Tyler Harris[4]; 4. 1-Levi Beard[2]; 5. 16-Evan McElhaney[10]; 6. 88-Brandon Blenden[22]; 7. 83-Blake Carrier[9]; 8. 2H-Tommy Hall[6]; 9. 13X-Jake Brashier[14]; 10. 18-Steve Byunm[12]; 11. 67-Blake Mallette[13]; 12. 3-Cary Farmer[21]; 13. 27-Chase Wood Jr[11]; 14. 21B-Todd Bliss[15]; 15. (DNF) 572-John Robicheaux[20]; 16. (DNF) 57-Condry Beard[18]; 17. (DNF) L37-Scott Craft[7]; 18. (DNF) 21-Butch David[5]; 19. (DNF) 61-Sean Wimpee[16]; 20. (DNF) 01-Brandon Olsen[17]; 21. (DNF) 17-Adam Moneyhun[8]; 22. (DNS) 9-Lane Whittington; 23. (DNS) 94-Parker Davis

 

 

Adam Trimble On Top With ASCS Western Plains At El Paso County Raceway

CALHAN, Colo. (April 13, 2024) Starting off his new partnership with M&H Racing with a bang, Adam Trimble parked the No. 5d in Victory Lane at El Paso County Raceway with the ASCS Western Plains Region.

Trimble’s first career ASCS Regional victory in the tour’s season opener, the TMP Solutions Group No. 5d took off from the pole and held point through 25 laps . Moving up seven positions, Austyn Gossel made it to second, followed by Bradley Cox who advanced five times. Sammy Swindell was fourth with Nick Nichols in fifth.

Ryan Rader, Zach Merritt, Bryan Gossel, Glen Brace, and Gary Land made up the top ten.

Next up is a two-night affair at Lincoln County Raceway in North Platte, Neb., on Friday, April 19, and Saturday, April 20.

The ASCS Western Plains Region is under the direction of Joe Bellm with BST Promotions and can be reached at (720) 404-0400.

For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@ascsracing).

RACE RESULTS:

ASCS Western Plains Region El Paso County Raceway (Calhan, Colo.) Saturday, April 13, 2024

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 2J-Zach Blurton[1]; 2. 1-Sammy Swindell[2]; 3. 6G-Bryan Gossel[3]; 4. 24B-Johnny Boos[4]; 5. 1S-Derek Schramek[5]; 6. 66-Fred Holz[6]

Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 44-Damon McCune[2]; 2. 74-Zack Merritt[3]; 3. 45-Bradley Cox[4]; 4. 32-Blair Cooper[1]; 5. 44RR-Ryan Rader[5]; 6. 54-Glen Brace[6]

Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 5D-Adam Trimble[1]; 2. 0J-Jeremy McCune[3]; 3. 16G-Austyn Gossel[2]; 4. 75-Nick Nichols[6]; 5. 77-Cole MacEwen[4]; 6. 55-Gary Land[5]

Dash (6 Laps): 1. 5D-Adam Trimble[4]; 2. 0J-Jeremy McCune[1]; 3. 44-Damon McCune[2]; 4. 2J-Zach Blurton[5]; 5. 1-Sammy Swindell[6]; 6. 74-Zack Merritt[3]

A Feature (25 Laps): 1. 5D-Adam Trimble[1]; 2. 16G-Austyn Gossel[9]; 3. 45-Bradley Cox[8]; 4. 1-Sammy Swindell[5]; 5. 75-Nick Nichols[12]; 6. 44RR-Ryan Rader[14]; 7. 74-Zack Merritt[6]; 8. 6G-Bryan Gossel[7]; 9. 54-Glen Brace[17]; 10. 55-Gary Land[18]; 11. 66-Fred Holz[16]; 12. 77-Cole MacEwen[15]; 13. 32-Blair Cooper[11]; 14. 2J-Zach Blurton[4]; 15. 44-Damon McCune[3]; 16. 24B-Johnny Boos[10]; 17. 1S-Derek Schramek[13]; 18. 0J-Jeremy McCune[2]

 

 

Brandon Anderson Readying For Season Three With The American Sprint Car Series

CONCORD, N.C. (April 13, 2024) Brandon Anderson will return to the American Sprint Car Series National Tour for his third consecutive season, piloting his family’s Permastone Countertop Solutions No. 55B.

Anderson finished fifth in Series points last year after a career-best season with seven top-five finishes and 21 top 10s.

Continually close to his first National Tour victory, Anderson’s best finish came during his rookie season when he finished second to Wayne Johnson at Boothill Speedway on June 18, 2022.

His consistency is apparent year to year, landing inside the top 10 in 65.45% of his finishes. Furthering that notion, Anderson made 94.85% of the season’s Feature events last year – a goal he aims to improve upon again in 2024.

"For the past two years, I really focused on consistency. I also worked with Bobby, Kyle, and Chris on understanding the car at a higher level. When racing tougher competition, you have to find your own unique mindset and feel in the car. Now that I have that, I intend to leave my comfort zone and go for more wins. With an amazing team to help me learn, a hungry mindset, and top tier equipment, we can achieve anything," stated Anderson.

Finding that stride and looking to carry momentum into the 2024 season, Anderson will again have Bobby Craft on the wrenches of his Moss powered, Triple X Chassis.

Fans can keep up with Anderson throughout the 2024 season at https://www.anderson55.com, as well as https://www.facebook.com/BAMotorsports55 and https://twitter.com/BAnderson55b.

The 2024 American Sprint Car Series National Tour begins on Friday-Saturday, April 19-20, at Super Bee Speedway in Chatham, La.

The 2024 season marks the 33rd season of competition for the American
Sprint Car Series. Spearheaded by the American Sprint Car Series National Tour, the ASCS Nation includes Regional Tours encompassing Wing and Non-Wing competition.

Live coverage of the National Tour can be found exclusively at http://www.DIRTVision.com.

For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@ascsracing).

 

 

Terry Easum Going After ASCS National Rookie Of The Year Honors In 2024

CONCORD, N.C. (April 14, 2024) – Oklahoma’s Terry Easum is the latest to join the stout field of Rookie of the Year contenders with the American Sprint Car Series National Tour in 2024.

He’ll bring his Triple X Chassis/Myers Racing Engines No. 88 on the road for the first time after building his name in the regional ranks.

“I’m ready to see some new tracks and challenge ourselves as a team,” Easum said. “We’ve always enjoyed getting to race outside Oklahoma, so I’m very much looking forward to this.”

Growing up watching his father race Modifieds, Easum’s journey to the cockpit began at 15 years old. He eventually got the opportunity to join Sprint Car veteran Aaron Berryhill on the road. Balancing school and travel, he worked with Berryhill for four seasons and fell in love with Sprint Car racing.

He’s spent a dozen years behind the wheel, building a career of his own, racing regionally with the Oil Capital Racing Series (picking up four wins) and the ASCS Sooner Region. In 2023, he captured five wins in various forms of RaceSaver competition across Oklahoma and Missouri while picking up a pair of ASCS Regional top-10 finishes.

While Rookie of the Year is the goal, consistency is his focus.

"We want to be in the top 10 in points at the end of the year by making sure we are consistently in the top 10 each night,” Easum said. “It’s going to be a lot to learn, but this is how our team gets better.”

Fans can keep up with the driver of the Premier Self Storage/Maxwell Oil No. 88 at https://www.facebook.com/terry.easum.

The 2024 American Sprint Car Series National Tour begins on Friday-Saturday, April 19-20, at Super Bee Speedway in Chatham, La.

The 2024 season marks the 33rd season of competition for the American Sprint Car Series. Spearheaded by the American Sprint Car Series National Tour, the ASCS Nation includes Regional Tours encompassing Wing and Non-Wing competition.

Live coverage of the National Tour can be found exclusively at http://www.DIRTVision.com.

For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@ascsracing).

 

 

Seth Bergman Returning For Title Run With American Sprint Car Series in 2024

By Bryan Hulbert

CONCORD, NC (April 12, 2024) – A name long associated with the American Sprint Car Series, Washington native Seth Bergman will make his return to the National Tour in 2024.

After running part-time the last five years, focusing on his family and business – Evergreen Coffee Co. in Owasso, Okla., – pieces are back in place for Bergman to make another run at the National championship.

“I'm looking forward to it. Trying to accomplish something I haven't done before by winning a championship at a national level with ASCS,” Bergman said. “Even more exciting, it's owned by World Racing Group, and I'm looking forward to seeing what they can do with the series.”

Bergman has already started his 2024 season off on the right foot with an impressive 15th-to-first run at Creek County Speedway with the ASCS Sooner Region in March. That brought him to 71 career ASCS wins across the National Tour and regional series.

On the National Tour alone, Bergman has already collected 18 wins, 108 top-five finishes and 208 top 10s. He’s one of only 13 drivers with more than 300 Feature starts in ASCS National competition. He scored a career-best points finish of second in 2018 – his last full-time season on the National Tour.

Despite not running full-time the past few years, that doesn’t change Bergman’s mindset.

“Even when I'm not running full-time, I treat it like I am,” Bergman said. “I haven’t changed much in the program aside from going to Rider Engines, but from what I am hearing, there are going to be a lot of really good teams this year, and that gets me excited knowing it’s going to be probably the most competitive it's been in a while. I love a challenge. It drives me and gives me purpose to be the best.”

Fans can keep up with Seth Bergman at https://www.facebook.com/sethbergmanracing, as well as https://twitter.com/BergmanRacing.

The 2024 American Sprint Car Series National Tour begins on Friday-Saturday, April 19-20, at Super Bee Speedway in Chatham, La.

The 2024 season marks the 33rd season of competition for the American Sprint Car Series. Spearheaded by the American Sprint Car Series National Tour, the ASCS Nation includes Regional Tours encompassing Wing and Non-Wing competition.

Live coverage of the National Tour can be found exclusively at http://www.DIRTVision.com.

For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@ascsracing).

 

 

Andrew Deal Embarking on Rookie Season With American Sprint Car Series
By Bryan Hulbert

CONCORD, NC (April 11, 2024) – After years of making various starts with the American Sprint Car Series, Andrew Deal is joining the National Tour full-time for his rookie season in 2024.

The Caney, KS resident enters with over 20 years of experience behind the wheel and eight previous starts with ASCS National Series – scoring a career-best finish of fifth last year.

“I wanted to spend some time with my dad and go have some fun doing what we love together,” Deal said about joining the tour full-time. “Life is short, and my girls will be starting their own activities soon, so time is limited. I have also been blessed with extremely good help at my tire shop, and I trust them to do a great job while I'm gone.”

Deal began racing at 13-years-old before choosing to focus on school and sports. Back behind the wheel at 18, he began racing Micros at Port City Raceway and Will Rogers Raceway.

Year to year, he's gatherd one accolade after the other, picking up a Tulsa Shootout win in 2011, an Oil Capital Racing Series championship in 2014, an A-Main start in the Chili Bowl Nationals in 2015, and most recently, he scored $12,222 at the Iron Man 55 at Creek County Speedway last year.

Piloting his own Victory Chrysler, Dodge, Ram, and Jeep of Ottawa No. 15d Sprint Car, he's already off to a strong start this racing season. He’s earned four top fives in five Feature starts, including a third-place finish with the ASCS Sooner Region on March 23.

“This year, I just want to represent my savior, my sponsors, and those who have supported me along my career in a positive way and be competitive each night,” Deal said. “That's my goal.”

Fans can keep up with Deal at Facebook.com/AndrewDealRacing.

The 2024 American Sprint Car Series National Tour begins on Friday-Saturday, April 19-20, at Super Bee Speedway in Chatham, La.

The 2024 season marks the 33rd season of competition for the American Sprint Car Series. Spearheaded by the American Sprint Car Series National Tour, the ASCS Nation includes Regional Tours encompassing Wing and Non-Wing competition.

Live coverage of the National Tour can be found exclusively at http://www.DIRTVision.com.

For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@ascsracing).

 

 

ASCS Western Plains Opening 2024 Lineup At El Paso County Raceway

CALHAN, Colo. (April 9, 2024): A new season, a new name, and a new chapter for the Colorado-based ASCS Western Plains Region, as the wings get bolted on for the 2024 opener on Saturday, April 13, at El Paso County Raceway.

Formerly the wingless Elite North series, the tour transitioned to wings partway through the 2023 season and will continue that during 2024, focusing on the overall traditional rules of the American Sprint Car Series.

During the tour’s last visit on September 23, 2023, Glen Brace captured the season-ending checkered flag.

Saturday, April 13, opens at 1:00 P.M. with cars on track at 4:00 P.M. Admission is $20 for adults, $15 for Military and Seniors, $10 for youth 4-12, and free for kids three and under. For more information on El Paso County Raceway, call (720) 404-0400 or log onto https://www.bstpromotions.com. El Paso County Raceway is located at 366 10th St. in Calhan, Colo.

The ASCS Western Plains Region is under the direction of Joe Bellm with BST Promotions and can be reached at (720) 404-0400.

A reminder that all teams competing in ASCS competition must have a current DIRTcar Membership. That can be purchased at https://shorturl.at/nuIU2. The membership is $125 and is good for the 2024 calendar year.

For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@ascsracing).

 

 

Hank Davis Tops ASCS Hurricane Area Super Sprints Opener At North Alabama Speedway

TUSCUMBIA, Ala. (April 5, 2024) Making the trip from Oklahoma worth the miles, Hank Davis parked the Oklahoma Chiller No. 1H on the front stretch with the ASCS Hurricane Area Super Sprints at North Alabama Speedway.

Collecting $2,000 for his efforts, the win is Hank’s first visit to Victory Lane this season, and his first with the series.

To the lead from the start, the Sand Springs native was challenged twice, with Sammy Swindell up first to take the lead on laps five and six. Back to the point on Lap 7, Dale Howard, from ninth, would make his presence known as he raced by to lead Lap 15, but a slip off the back stretch would allow Hank to reclaim the top spot.

Putting Tennessee's Landon Britt in the hunt, the No. 10 would end up settling for a seventh to second run. Ohio’s Max Stambaugh rolled tenth to third, followed by Dale Howard from ninth. Mississippi’s Brad Bowden made up the top five.

Zach Pringle, Chase Howard, Jan Howard, Sammy Swindell, and Brandon Blenden completed the top ten.

The ASCS Hurricane Area Super Sprints are back at North Alabama Speedway on Saturday, April 6. Gates open at 5:00 P.M. with cars on track at 7:00 P.M. (CDT). Grandstands are $20 for adults and free for kids ten and under. Pits are $40 for adults, $20 for youth (6-11), and free for kids five and under.

North Alabama Speedway is located at 12200 AL-247, just outside Tuscumbia, Ala. For information on the track, call (256) 381-0881 or follow their social media at https://shorturl.at/bdYZ9.

The ASCS Hurricane Area Super Sprints is under the direction of Stefen Oakes. For questions regarding rules, procedures, and events, contact Stefen Oakes at bigshowmotorsports@yahoo.com or call (985) 285-9177.

A reminder that all teams competing in ASCS competition must have a current DIRTcar Membership. That can be purchased at https://shorturl.at/nuIU2. The membership is $125 and is good for the 2024 calendar year.

For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@ascsracing).

RACE RESULTS:

ASCS Hurricane Area Super Sprints
North Alabama Speedway (Tuscumbia, Ala.)
Friday, April 5, 2024

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 1H-Hank Davis[4]; 2. 71-Brady Baker[1]; 3. 47-Dale Howard[2]; 4. 71H-Max Stambaugh[5]; 5. 88-Brandon Blenden[3]; 6. 9M-Josh McCord[6]; 7. (DNS) 9-Lane Whittington

Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 55-Zach Pringle[1]; 2. 47S-Sammy Swindell[3]; 3. 21-Butch David[5]; 4. 121-Jan Howard[4]; 5. (DNF) 15-Noah Collier[2]; 6. (DNS) 21B-Todd Bliss; 7. (DNS) 13X-Jake Brashier

Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 10K-Dewayne White[1]; 2. 4X-Brad Bowden[6]; 3. 10-Landon Britt[5]; 4. 13-Chase Howard[3]; 5. 06-Jason Breeland[4]; 6. 23W-Conner Wray[2]; 7. (DNF) 16-Evan McElhaney[7]

A Feature (25 Laps): 1. 1H-Hank Davis[1]; 2. 10-Landon Britt[7]; 3. 71H-Max Stambaugh[10]; 4. 47-Dale Howard[9]; 5. 4X-Brad Bowden[2]; 6. 55-Zach Pringle[3]; 7. 13-Chase Howard[12]; 8. 121-Jan Howard[11]; 9. 47S-Sammy Swindell[5]; 10. 88-Brandon Blenden[14]; 11. 9-Lane Whittington[19]; 12. 23W-Conner Wray[16]; 13. 06-Jason Breeland[13]; 14. 9M-Josh McCord[15]; 15. 21-Butch David[6]; 16. 16-Evan McElhaney[18]; 17. (DNF) 10K-Dewayne White[4]; 18. (DNF) 13X-Jake Brashier[21]; 19. (DNF) 21B-Todd Bliss[20]; 20. (DNS) 71-Brady Baker; 21. (DNS) 15-Noah Collier

 

 

 

Brent Marks Takes ASCS Elite VS POWRi Outlaw Wildcard Shuffle Opener At Texas Motor Speedway

FT. WORTH, Texas (April 5, 2024) A back-and-forth battle at the Texas Motor Speedway Dirt Track during Friday’s Wildcard Shuffle presented by S2F TV opener, the showdown between the MYCO Plastics ASCS Elite Outlaw Sprints and POWRi Outlaw Sprints ended with a win for the Pennsylvania Posse as Brent Marks captured Friday’s $4,000 prize.

Using traffic to navigate around Brenham Crouch's No. 1 at the race's midpoint, the battle for the point was not over, as Crouch regained the spot with less than ten laps to go.

Down to the final five revolutions, Marks ripped the cushion off the fourth turn to take the point at the line. Racing hard under the No. 19, who held the center lane, a slip off the bottom would see Crouch spinning to a stop exiting the second turn.

Back to green with four to go, Marks would go unchallenged for his first career MYCO Plastics ASCS Elite Outlaw Sprints victory.

Battle for second on the restart, Noah Gass diced it up with Blake Hahn for the silver step with Hahn able to fend off the No. 20g. Noah Gass crossed third with Wayne Johnson and Sam Hafertepe, Jr. completing the top five.

The MYCO Plastics ASCS Elite Outlaw Sprints and POWRi Outlaw Sprints return to the Texas Motor Speedway Dirt Track on Saturday, April 6.

The ASCS Elite Wing and Non-Wing Series is owned and operated by Nathan Moore and operates under the sanction of the American Sprint Car Series. Rules for both tours can be found at http://www.ascsracing.com. Nathan can be reached at (903) 780-9934 or by email at elitenonwingsprints@gmail.com,

For other news, notes, and information on any tours under the ASCS banner, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@ASCSRacing).

RACE RESULTS:

ASCS Elite Outlaw VS POWRi Outlaw Texas Motor Speedway Dirt Track (Ft. Worth, Texas) Friday, April 5, 2024

Hoosier Racing Tire Hoosier Racing Tire Qualifying: 1. 1-Brenham Crouch, 13.872[17]; 2. 52-Blake Hahn, 13.987[18]; 3. 19-Brent Marks, 14.081[24]; 4. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr, 14.184[16]; 5. 4M-Austin Mundie, 14.284[21]; 6. 23B-Brian Bell, 14.305[6]; 7. 20G-Noah Gass, 14.350[13]; 8. 88R-Ryder Laplante, 14.543[4]; 9. 2B-Brett Becker, 14.576[23]; 10. 16G-Austyn Gossel, 14.597[10]; 11. 2C-Wayne Johnson, 14.610[2]; 12. 1J-Danny Jennings, 14.610[11]; 13. 44-Chris Martin, 14.615[7]; 14. 4-Cameron Martin, 14.687[14]; 15. 72-Blaine Baxter, 14.746[12]; 16. 42P-Preston Perlmutter, 14.936[25]; 17. 17H-Wout Hoffmans, 15.004[20]; 18. 9$-Kyle Clark, 15.026[22]; 19. 01J-Jeb Sessums, 15.109[9]; 20. 10G-Marcus Thomas, 15.459[19]; 21. 3D-Jeff Day Jr, 15.466[8]; 22. 17-Matt Etzelmiller, 15.881[1]; 23. 10-Bryan Debrick, 16.370[5]; 24. 21-Michelle Parson, 17.000[3]; 25. J2-John Carney II, 17.001[15]

Flying A Motorsports Flying A Motorsports Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 20G-Noah Gass[2]; 2. 1-Brenham Crouch[4]; 3. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[3]; 4. 16G-Austyn Gossel[1]; 5. 44-Chris Martin[5]; 6. 01J-Jeb Sessums[7]; 7. 42P-Preston Perlmutter[6]; 8. 17-Matt Etzelmiller[8]; 9. (DNS) J2-John Carney II

Engler Machine Tool Engler Machine&Tool Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 2C-Wayne Johnson[1]; 2. 4M-Austin Mundie[3]; 3. 52-Blake Hahn[4]; 4. 4-Cameron Martin[5]; 5. 88R-Ryder Laplante[2]; 6. 17H-Wout Hoffmans[6]; 7. 10G-Marcus Thomas[7]; 8. 10-Bryan Debrick[8]

MVT Services MVT Services Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 19-Brent Marks[4]; 2. 1J-Danny Jennings[1]; 3. 2B-Brett Becker[2]; 4. 23B-Brian Bell[3]; 5. 72-Blaine Baxter[5]; 6. 9$-Kyle Clark[6]; 7. 3D-Jeff Day Jr[7]; 8. (DNS) 21-Michelle Parson

Toyota Racing Development A Feature (25 Laps): 1. 19-Brent Marks[1]; 2. 52-Blake Hahn[3]; 3. 20G-Noah Gass[5]; 4. 2C-Wayne Johnson[7]; 5. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[6]; 6. 23B-Brian Bell[8]; 7. 4M-Austin Mundie[4]; 8. 10G-Marcus Thomas[20]; 9. 1-Brenham Crouch[2]; 10. 2B-Brett Becker[9]; 11. 44-Chris Martin[14]; 12. 01J-Jeb Sessums[16]; 13. 72-Blaine Baxter[15]; 14. 9$-Kyle Clark[18]; 15. 3D-Jeff Day Jr[21]; 16. 16G-Austyn Gossel[12]; 17. 17-Matt Etzelmiller[22]; 18. 1J-Danny Jennings[10]; 19. 88R-Ryder Laplante[11]; 20. 10-Bryan Debrick[23]; 21. 17H-Wout Hoffmans[17]; 22. 4-Cameron Martin[13]; 23. 42P-Preston Perlmutter[19]; 24. 21-Michelle Parson[24]; 25. J2-John Carney II[25]

 

 

Eye On Safety: Fire And Rescue Team Added To ASCS National Tour Events In 2024

CONCORD, NC (April 5, 2024) – In a continued effort to put safety at the forefront, World Racing Group is expanding its safety efforts to the American Sprint Car Series with the addition of the ASCS Fire and Rescue Team.

Like the addition of a traveling safety team for the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series at the beginning of the season, the ASCS National Tour will also have its own safety crew on scene at every event.

Those who've raced with the ASCS in previous years will find familiarity with the team leading the safety efforts, as it will be headed by Billy Hurt, whose team has been with the ASCS Warrior Region for several years.

“The ASCS Fire and Rescue Team is excited for the opportunity to be a part of the National Tour,” Hurt said. “The National teams will have peace of mind knowing we will be there to assist and protect them at all of their events. This is just one of the good things World Racing Group is bringing to Sprint Car racing, and we can't wait to see what other things improve with this tour.”

Hurt, who has been involved in the safety and rescue of Sprint Car drivers for over 22 years, has been in the fire service since 1982, serving first as a volunteer, and has been a career firefighter and EMT for 26 years in Columbia, MO. Bringing his familiar crew on the road with him, they combine for over 70 years of fire service and training. His team is also an active part of the on-site safety/first responders during the Tulsa Shootout and Chili Bowl Nationals.

"The addition of the ASCS Fire and Rescue Team at all National events will be a tremendous asset for the American Sprint Car Series and World Racing Group going forward,” said Lonnie Wheatley, ASCS Series Director. “While ideally, we would hope to never have the need to put them into action, all teams competing at ASCS National events can rest assured that they are in the most capable hands if and when the Fire and Rescue Team's extensive skills and experience are called upon. This is a significant step for the American Sprint Car Series in ensuring the safety of its competitors and an early indication of further positive developments for the Series."

The National Tour of the American Sprint Car Series will begin its 2024 season at Super Bee Speedway in Chatham, LA, on Friday-Saturday, April 19-20. An updated lineup of events throughout the 2024 season is expected soon.

The 2024 season marks the 33rd season of competition for the American Sprint Car Series. Spearheaded by the American Sprint Car Series National Tour, the ASCS Nation includes regional tours encompassing Wing and Non-Wing competition.

Live coverage of the National Tour can be found exclusively at http://www.DIRTVision.com.

For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@ascsracing).

 

 

ASCS Elite North Moves To Wings With ASCS Western Plains Region

CONCORD, N.C (April 3, 2024) Starting as a wingless series and following under the open engine concept of the Elite series in Texas, the Elite North Tour, based in Colorado, made the move to wings partway through 2023 and will remain that way in 2024.

This move will see a shift in the rules to the traditional ASCS package, and a rebranding of the series as the ASCS Western Plains Region. Working closely with the ASCS Northern Plains Region, which operates in Wyoming and South Dakota primarily, the two series will co-sanction events and work to keep from running against each other.

"We’re excited to work with World Racing Group, not only with ASCS but also with DIRTcar,” stated Joe Bellm of BST Promotions, who heads the Colorado-based tour.

“Aligning with the major sanction bodies is what we believe is best for the promoters, tracks, racers, and the fans going forward, plus having a common set of rules throughout the regions to allow them to travel if they want, knowing the cars they are racing are the same as theirs.”

Kicking off on April 13, the series will take on El Paso County Raceway in Calhan, Colo., before squaring off against ASCS Northern Plains Region at Lincoln County Raceway in North Platte, Neb., on April 19 and April 20.

Back in Calhan, Colo., on May 11, the two tours converge again at Casper Speedway in Casper, Wyo. on May 31 and June 1. Honor Speedway in Pueblo, Colo., on September 21, the series is working on another event on July 5.

Two more times on track will be at El Paso County Raceway on August 24 and September 28 for the season finale.

Contact Joe Bellm at (720) 404-0400 for information on the series.

A reminder that all teams competing in ASCS competition must have a current DIRTcar Membership. That can be purchased at https://shorturl.at/nuIU2. The membership is $125 and is good for the 2024 calendar year.

For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@ascsracing).

2024 ASCS Western Plains Region Lineup

4/13/2024-El Paso County Raceway (Calhan, CO)
4/19/2024-Lincoln County Raceway (North Platte, NE)
4/20/2024-Lincoln County Raceway (North Platte, NE)

5/11/2024-El Paso County Raceway (Calhan, CO)
5/31/2024-Casper Speedway (Casper, WY)

6/1/2024-Casper Speedway (Casper, WY)

7/6/2024-TBA

8/24/2024-El Paso County Raceway (Calhan, CO)

9/21/2024-Honor Speedway (Pueblo, CO

9/28/2024-El Paso County Raceway (Calhan, CO)

 

 

TUSCUMBIA, Ala. (April 2, 2024) Kicking off their third season of competition and second with the American Sprint Car Series, the ASCS Hurricane Area Super Sprints will hit the track on Friday, April 5, and Saturday, April 6, at North Alabama Speedway.

The tour’s debut at the three-eighths-mile oval, the two-night affair pays $2,000 to win, $300 to start each night.

Gulfport’s Brandon Blenden enters the 2024 season on title defense, having snagged the 2023 championship by a margin of 50 over Rusty Sanford. Going winless, Blenden used consistency with five top fives and seven top tens to see his way to the top.

Friday, April 5, and Saturday, April 6, open at 5:00 P.M. with cars on track at 7:00 P.M. (CDT). Grandstands each night are $20 for adults and free for kids ten and under. Pits are $40 per day for adults, $20 for youth (6-11), and free for kids five and under.

North Alabama Speedway is located at 12200 AL-247, just outside Tuscumbia, Ala. For information on the track, call (256) 381-0881 or follow their social media at https://shorturl.at/bdYZ9.

The ASCS Hurricane Area Super Sprints is under the direction of Stefen Oakes. For questions regarding rules, procedures, and events, contact Stefen Oakes at bigshowmotorsports@yahoo.com or call (985) 285-9177.

A reminder that all teams competing in ASCS competition must have a current DIRTcar Membership. That can be purchased at https://shorturl.at/nuIU2. The membership is $125 and is good for the 2024 calendar year.

For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@ascsracing).

 

 

Elk City Motorsports Park Ups ASCS Sooner Showdown To Two Nights

ELK CITY, Okla. (March 27, 2024) With the recent release of the updated 2024 run of events for the ASCS Sooner Region, Elk City Motorsports Park has decided to go full speed ahead with a two-night showdown on Friday, June 7, and Saturday, June 8.

Located in western Oklahoma, the three-eighths-mile oval had originally been slated for a one-night event on June 22, but after a quick look at the updated schedule, found the early June dates listed as TBA to be more suitable for the track, while allowing teams and fans a better racing experience for their travels.

Reopened in 2022 after being shuttered since 2019, the tour made its first visit to Elk City on April 22, 2023, with Jace Park wheeling the Morton Excavating No. 87j to victory.

The Sooner Region of the American Sprint Car Series pays a standard $2,000 to win, $300 to start purse with $100 to non-transferring drivers. Cody Cordell is the Competition Director for the ASCS National Tour, as well as the Director for the Sooner Region. Teams and Tracks can contact Cody at (918) 407-1879 or Ccordell@dirtcar.com.

For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@ascsracing).

2024 ASCS Sooner Region Schedule:

3/23 - Creek County Speedway (Sapulpa, OK)
5/3 - RPM Speedway (Crandall, TX)
5/4 - RPM Speedway (Crandall, TX)
5/10 - Red Dirt Raceway (Meeker, OK)
5/11 - TBA
5/17 - Creek County Speedway (Sapulpa, OK)
5/18 - Caney Valley Speedway (Caney, KS)
6/7 - Elk City Motorsports Park (Elk City, OK)
6/8 - Elk City Motorsports Park (Elk City, OK)
6/13 - Creek County Speedway (Sapulpa, OK)
6/14 - Arrowhead Speedway (Colcord, OK)
6/15 - Lawton Speedway (Lawton, OK)
6/28 - Tulsa Speedway (Tulsa, OK)
6/29 - Tulsa Speedway (Tulsa, OK)
8/16 - Creek County Speedway (Sapulpa, OK)
8/17 - 81 Speedway (Park City, KS)
9/7 - Enid Speedway (Enid, OK)
10/18 - TBA
10/19 - Creek County Speedway (Sapulpa, OK)

**Subject to change without notice.

 

 

Updated 2024 ASCS Sooner Region Lineup Released

CONCORD, N.C. (March 25, 2024) Working as quickly as possible to shore up schedules across all tours of the American Sprint Car Series, after World Racing Group acquired the sanctioning body earlier this month, an updated lineup of events for the ASCS Sooner Region has been released.

The new slate currently has 16 confirmed dates, with four more in the works. The regional tour kicked off this past Saturday night at Creek County Speedway in Sapulpa, Okla., with Washington native Seth Bergman charging from 15th to win the tour’s first visit to the quarter-mile oval this season.

Off during April, the tour resumes with a co-sanctioned affair against the National Tour at RPM Speedway in Crandall, Texas, on Friday, May 3, and Saturday, May 4. The following weekend moves into Oklahoma, with the two series again going toe-to-toe at Red Dirt Raceway in Meeker on Friday, May 10.

Back at Creek County Speedway on Friday, May 18, the following night will trek north to Caney Valley Speedway in Caney, Kan.

A three night run sets up on Thursday, June 13 with Creek County again on the card, followed by Arrowhead Speedway in Colcord, Okla. on Friday, June 14, then Lawton Speedway on Saturday, June 15, followed by Elk City Motorsports Park on Saturday, June 22. Two nights at Tulsa Speedway round out the month with shows on Friday, June 18, and Saturday, June 29.

Back on track in August, Creek County Speedway will take Friday, August 16, followed by Enid Speedway on Saturday, August 17. The season will wrap up with the Fall Fling on Saturday, October 19, at Creek County Speedway.

Dates marked as TBA include May 11, June 7, June 8, and October 18.

The Sooner Region of the American Sprint Car Series pays a standard $2,000 to win, $300 to start purse with $100 to non-transferring drivers. Cody Cordell is the Competition Director for the ASCS National Tour, as well as the Director for the Sooner Region. Teams and Tracks can contact Cody at (918) 407-1879 or Ccordell@dirtcar.com.

For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@ascsracing).

 

Seth Bergman Destroys ASCS Sooner Competition At Creek County Speedway

SAPULPA, Okla. (March 23, 2024) Drawing the highest pill and having to race his way into the show via the B-Feature was not enough to stop Seth Bergman Saturday night, as the Washington shoe rocketed from 15th to first for his 12th career ASCS Sooner triumph at Creek County Speedway.

Career win No. 19 with the regional tour, Seth chased until the white flag lap. Cautions leading up to the race’s final run helped Seth pick his competition’s pockets, but traffic racing side-by-side coming to the white flag would open the door for the Evergreen Coffee, Co. No. 23.

Going after Alex Sewell, who had led since Lap 9 when Zach Chappell spun while pacing the field, the SWI No. 8 stuck the top and watched as Bergman rocketed off the bottom of the fourth turn to take the lead.

Protecting the hub from there, Alex shot the cushion one last time off the final turn but came up 0.100 seconds shy of reclaiming the point. Andrew Deal rolled his way to third after starting tenth, with Sean McClelland going 13th to fourth. Hank Davis was another mover from 14th to fifth.

The ASCS Sooner Region races next at RPM Speedway in Crandall, Texas with the National Tour on Friday, March 3, and, Saturday, May 4.

For other news, notes, and information on any tours under the ASCS banner, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@ASCSRacing).

Race Results:

ASCS Sooner Region
Creek County Speedway (Sapulpa, Okla.)
Saturday, March 23, 2024

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 52-Blake Hahn[3]; 2. 26M-Fred Mattox[1]; 3. 9$-Kyle Clark[2]; 4. 91-Michael Day[4]; 5. 1-Sean McClelland[6]; 6. 2J-Zach Blurton[5]; 7. 55-Corey McGehee[8]; 8. 55B-Brandon Anderson[7]

Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 22M-Rees Moran[1]; 2. 13-Elijah Gile[2]; 3. 71-Brady Baker[4]; 4. V8-Robert Vetter[3]; 5. 15D-Andrew Deal[7]; 6. 1H-Hank Davis[8]; 7. 938-Bradley Fezard[6]; 8. 29-Emilio Hoover[5]

Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 50Z-Zach Chappell[2]; 2. 2P-Chase Porter[3]; 3. 8-Alex Sewell[6]; 4. 03-Joe Wood Jr[1]; 5. 31-Casey Wills[5]; 6. 23-Seth Bergman[8]; 7. 7F-Noah Harris[4]; 8. 2-Brekton Crouch[7]

B Feature (10 Laps): 1. 23-Seth Bergman[1]; 2. 31-Casey Wills[3]; 3. 2J-Zach Blurton[4]; 4. 03-Joe Wood Jr[2]; 5. 938-Bradley Fezard[6]; 6. 7F-Noah Harris[7]; 7. 55-Corey McGehee[5]; 8. 2-Brekton Crouch[9]; 9. 29-Emilio Hoover[10]; 10. 55B-Brandon Anderson[8]

A-Feature (30 Laps): 1. 23-Seth Bergman[15]; 2. 8-Alex Sewell[2]; 3. 15D-Andrew Deal[10]; 4. 1-Sean McClelland[13]; 5. 1H-Hank Davis[14]; 6. 9$-Kyle Clark[9]; 7. 71-Brady Baker[8]; 8. 22M-Rees Moran[3]; 9. 2P-Chase Porter[6]; 10. 2J-Zach Blurton[17]; 11. 938-Bradley Fezard[19]; 12. 7F-Noah Harris[20]; 13. V8-Robert Vetter[12]; 14. 52-Blake Hahn[4]; 15. 26M-Fred Mattox[7]; 16. 91-Michael Day[11]; 17. 50Z-Zach Chappell[1]; 18. 13-Elijah Gile[5]; 19. 31-Casey Wills[16]; 20. 03-Joe Wood Jr[18]

 

 

 

ASCS Sooner Region Opening 2024 Slate This Saturday

CONCORD, N.C. (March 18, 2024) The 2024 season for the ASCS Sooner Region kicks off Saturday, March 23, with a $ 2,000-to-win, $350 to-start showdown at Creek County Speedway.

A few updates on the 2024 season:

• Cody Cordell has been named Competition Director for the ASCS National Tour, as well as the Director for the Sooner Region. He is working to confirm all remaining dates on the 2024 schedule. Teams and Tracks can contact Cody at (918) 407-1879 or Ccordell@dirtcar.com.

• Originally a two-night weekend with Thunderbird Speedway in Muskogee on Friday, track management recently posted a drastically reduced lineup of events that, unfortunately, do not include the Oklahoma-based tour.

• Following this Saturday’s event at Creek County Speedway, the next confirmed dates will be co-sanctioned with the National Tour and Gulf South Region at RPM Speedway in Crandall, Texas, on Friday, May 3, and Saturday, May 4.

• All teams competing in ASCS competition must have a current DIRTcar Membership. That can be purchased at https://shorturl.at/nuIU2. The membership is $125 and is good for the 2024 calendar year.

• Anyone who purchased an ASCS Membership before the sanctioning body was acquired by World Racing Group will be covered. Drivers will just need to fill out the required DIRTcar paperwork.

• Event format will run under the normal draw/passing point system.

Saturday, March 23, at Creek County Speedway, is promoted by ASCS founder Emmett Hahn. Pits open at 4:00 P.M., with grandstands opening at 5:00 P.M. Hot Laps are slated for 7:00 P.M. with racing at 7:30 P.M. (CDT).

Saturday’s event will include Factory Stocks ($300 to win, $75 to start) and Sooner State Dwarf Cars ($200 to win, $50 to start). Starting at 6:00 P.M., Oklahoma racing legends Emmett Hahn, Jerry Stone, Jackie Howerton, and Shane Carson will sign autographs in the midway.

Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for youth (11-14), and free for kids ten and under. Pit Passes are $35. Creek County Speedway accepts cash and all major credit cards.

There will also be Chili Bowl tickets, hat, and shirt giveaways throughout the night.

Creek County Speedway is located at 18450 West Hwy. 66 between Sapulpa and Kellyville. For more information on Creek County Speedway, including a complete lineup of events and directions, log onto http://www.creekcountyspeedway.co, call (918) 417-0624, or follow on Twitter (@CreekSpeedway), and https://www.facebook.com/CreekCountySpeedway.

For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@ascsracing).

 

 

ASCS Hires Lonnie Wheatley as Series Director, Cody Cordell as Competition Director

The American Sprint Car Series has taken another step forward in solidifying and enhancing its future with Oklahoma natives Lonnie Wheatley and Cody Cordell hired for key leadership roles.

Wheatley will serve as Series Director, while Cordell will be the Series’ Competition Director – along with helming the ASCS Sooner Region.

“Finding the right Series Director and Competition Director to help lead the ASCS was a primary focus after acquiring the Series, and we couldn’t be happier to have Lonnie Wheatley and Cody Cordell fill those important roles,” said Brian Dunlap, who has led the integration of the ASCS into World Racing Group. “Cordell and Wheatley have already established themselves in the region and within the Sprint Car community, garnering respect from officials and drivers alike. We’re confident the ASCS is in good hands and will only grow with them leading the way.”

For both Sooners, it’s a dream opportunity to have a hand in building up the Series they’ve followed since its inception.

“I’m really excited about it,” said Wheatley, who previously spent a decade as the ASCS media director. “I don’t know when I’ve been this excited about something. It’s a series that means a lot to me. It’s pretty near and dear to me, really going back to its inception.

“I was racing a [Super Modified] around that time when it started. That was kind of a goal to get there. I never quite got there. Ten years later, I started working with ASCS. I worked with them for 10 years and I think the 10 years I was there we built it into a really prominent series. And now I’m excited about the opportunity to get back in there under the umbrella of [World Racing Group] and their resources and their infrastructure. I think we can do a lot of positive things, not only for ASCS but for Sprint Car racing in general.”

Cordell spent the last four years working with Sprint Car driver Noah Gass, serving as crew chief and team leader. That tenure also included two full years on the road with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series.

While it was difficult for him to leave the team, which had become like a second family, Cordell’s passion for ASCS and his vision of where it can go made for an opportunity he couldn’t pass up.

“I’m just excited about the opportunity,” he said. “It is kind of a career change for me as far as coming off the road as a crew chief. Kind of going on the official side of it, something I’ve always wanted to do. I have done it before in the past. I figured I’d get back to it eventually, I just didn’t figure it would be right now… I’m looking forward to getting going.

“I think it is an exciting time. I think it is an exciting thing to move to the future. It’s a big career move for me. I think I’ll get the respect of everyone pretty quick. I want to be known as a fair guy. I want to be known as the guy that treated everyone equal.”

Wheatley and Cordell will enter the season already having an established rapport. Both grew up around the Oklahoma racing scene, and crossed paths on various occasions, such as during Cordell’s time as Race Director with POWRi and while both worked the Chili Bowl Nationals.

Wheatley has worked the Tulsa Shootout and Chili Bowl Nationals for more than 20 years, helping with media needs, and more recently developing the formats, covering the passing points and managing the efficiency of the shows. He’s also worked at Dodge City Raceway Park for nine years, severing multiple duties, including media lead, and worked the Short Track Nationals for more than 20 years.

Now, at the helm of the American Sprint Car Series, Wheatley is eager to bring his experience and knowledge to his new role with a mission to again establish the ASCS as a prominent Sprint Car series.

“The best thing that could have happened to ASCS at this point is the acquisition by WRG, because they have the resources available for us to go in there and take a real strong look at the things we need to do and can do to sustain the Series and build it up,” Wheatley said. “Not only on the national levels, but on the regional levels as well. I see it as a great opportunity for the series and I’m excited to be a part of it.”

Up next for ASCS is the doubleheader weekend for the ASCS Sooner Region with racing at Thunderbird Speedway, March 22, and at Creek County Speedway, March 23.

The ASCS National Tour will kick off its 2024 season at Super Bee Speedway in Chatham, LA, April 19-20.

If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch every ASCS National Series race live on DIRTVision – either at DIRTVision.com or through the DIRTVision App.

 

 

Unfavorable Weekend Weather Conditions Postpone ASCS Event at RPM

With weather models showing heavy rain and hazardous conditions in Crandall, Texas this weekend, American Sprint Car Series and RPM Speedway officials have agreed to postpone the two-day ASCS show to May, keeping the safety of drivers and fans in mind.

The rescheduled event will take place Friday-Saturday, May 3-4, featuring the ASCS National Tour, ASCS Gulf South Region and ASCS Sooner Region.

With the postponement, the ASCS National Championship season-opener now moves to Super Bee Speedway in Chatham, LA, April 19-20. The National Series will be joined by the ASCS Gulf South Region and ASCS Hurricane Area Super Sprints.

It’ll be the ASCS National Series’ first time back at Super Bee Speedway since 2012 – a race won by Jason Johnson.

The next ASCS events will be with the Sooner Region when they run at Thunderbird Speedway on March 22, and Creek County Speedway on March 23.

If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch every ASCS National Series race live on DIRTVision.

For more about the American Sprint Car Series, make sure to follow all ASCS social channels to keep up with the latest news and updates.

 

 

Championship Points Fund Established for ASCS National Tour

One week after acquiring the American Sprint Car Series (ASCS), World Racing Group has set the 2024 national series points fund and driver benefit package heading into the season-opening event March 15-16 at RPM Speedway in Crandall, Texas.

The drivers and teams will be racing for a share of a $152,000 championship point fund, with the champion earning $40,000. The top 10 finishing positions in the title race will be paid, with $25,000 going to second; $20,000 for third; $15,000 for fourth; $12,000 for fifth; $10,000 for sixth; $9,000 for seventh; $8,000 for eighth; $7,000 for ninth; and $6,000 for 10th.

In addition, the top five competitors in national series points will receive $400 in tow money, while positions six through 10 will receive $300. For the second night of a two-night event, a tow package of 50 percent will be issued. Tow money for drivers is like appearance fees in other forms of entertainment.

Every competitor who draws in for a race night will be required to pay $20. The nightly draw fees will be awarded to that night’s hard charger.

“Even though everything is coming together quickly with our involvement in the ASCS, establishing the championship points fund and tow package ahead of next week’s season opener was important so racers and their teams know what they’re competing for over the course of the season,” said Brian Dunlap, who is leading the integration of the ASCS into World Racing Group. “The World of Outlaws and the Edwards family go back to the beginning of the Outlaws in 1978, so it’s only fitting we’re kicking off our leadership of the ASCS with Martin Edwards promoting the first event next week at RPM Speedway.”

All competitors will be required to purchase a DIRTcar Sprint Car membership, trackside or online at DIRTcarMembers.com. That membership will allow racers to compete in World of Outlaws competition, as well. Competitors who have already purchased a 2024 ASCS membership will have to complete a DIRTcar Sprint Car membership, but no payment will be required. The DIRTcar Sprint Car membership is $125 annually.

A nearly 40-race tour across 10 states will make up ASCS’ 2024 national championship season, including the prestigious $20,000-to-win 360 Knoxville Nationals at Iowa’s Knoxville Raceway, Aug. 1-3.

The 2024 ASCS national championship season begins March 15-16 at RPM Speedway, marking the Series’ inaugural event under the World Racing Group banner.

To watch every national American Sprint Car Series race live, visit DIRTVision.com or download the DIRTVision App.

 

 

Emmett Hahn Presents The ASCS Sooner Region On Saturday, March 23

SAPULPA, Okla. (March 6, 2024) The American Bank of Oklahoma ASCS Sooner Region presented by Smiley's Racing Products will make their first appearance of the season at Creek County Speedway on Saturday, March 23.

Now part of the World Racing Group family, which is the parent company of DIRTcar and the World of Outlaws, the Sooner Region will grace Creek County clay six times in 2024. The upcoming showdown will feature at $2,000 to win, $300 to start feature event.

Part of the tour's 2024 season-opening weekend, the event will include a pre-race meet and greet with Emmett Hahn, along with other racing legends Jerry Stone and Jackie Howerton. It will also feature Chili Bowl tickets, hats, and shirt giveaways.

Saturday, March 23, opens at 5:00 P.M. with racing at 7:30 P.M. (CDT). Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for youth (11-14), and free for kids 10 and under. Pit Passes are $35. The Saturday showdown will also include Factory Stocks and Sooner State Dwarf Cars.

Creek County Speedway is located at 18450 West Hwy. 66 between Sapulpa and Kellyville. For more information on Creek County Speedway, including a complete lineup of events and directions, log onto http://www.creekcountyspeedway.co, call (918) 417-0624, or follow on Twitter (@CreekSpeedway), and https://www.facebook.com/CreekCountySpeedway.

For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@ascsracing).

 

 

Hafertepe Handles Kennedale Crowd With ASCS Elite Outlaw Sprints

KENNDALE, Texas (March 2, 2024) Racing close to home over the weekend, Sunnyvale’s Sam Hafertepe, Jr. captured Saturday’s $4,000 prize over a field of 32 with the MYCO Plastics ASCS Elite Outlaw Sprints onboard the Hills Racing No. 15h.

The 75th time Hafertepe has topped an ASCS Regional event, Saturday was his first with the MYCO Plastics ASCS Elite Outlaw Sprints.

A nice tune-up for the Cowtown Classic this coming weekend with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars, Hafertepe took the green from the right of the front row, where Louisiana’s Koty Adams would take advantage of his pole starting position to lead into the first and second turns.

Holding point through the opening dozen circuits, the battle for the lead came as the pair approached traffic, with Hafertepe taking a couple shots at it before securing the top spot with an inside move off the fourth turn.

Holding on through several restarts throughout the remainder of the race, the final pause came with three laps to run, where the five-time ASCS National Tour Champion remained unchallenged for the win over Blaine Baxter, who trailed by 0.777-seconds.

Another whirlwind of a night for California’s Dominic Scelzi, a trip to the tail on Lap 5 after going around saw the No. 41 charge his way back to the front for a third-place finish. Logan McCandless and Koty Adams made up the top five.

Ryder Laplante advanced ten spots to finish sixth, with Missouri’s Ayrton Gennetten up a dozen positions for seventh. Marcus Thomas, Brian Bell, and Claude Estes completed the top ten.

The MYCO Plastics ASCS Elite Outlaw Sprints race again on Friday, April 26, at the Heart O’ Texas Speedway in Waco.

The ASCS Elite Wing and Non-Wing Series is owned and operated by Nathan Moore and operates under the sanction of the American Sprint Car Series. Rules for both tours can be found at http://www.ascsracing.com. Nathan can be reached at (903) 780-9934 or by email at elitenonwingsprints@gmail.com,

For other news, notes, and information on any tours under the ASCS banner, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@ASCSRacing).

RACE RESULTS

ASCS Elite Outlaw Sprints
Kennedale Speedway Park (Kennedale, Texas)
Saturday, March 2, 2024

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 95-Matt Covington[1]; 2. 29-Logan McCandless[2]; 3. 2C-Wayne Johnson[7]; 4. 2B-Brett Becker[5]; 5. G6-Cody Gardner[4]; 6. 74E-Claude Estes[8]; 7. 52-Blake Hahn[3]; 8. 3D-Jeff Day Jr[6]

Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 73-Scotty Thiel[1]; 2. 10G-Marcus Thomas[2]; 3. 6-Koty Adams[6]; 4. 23-Lance Moss[5]; 5. 01J-Jeb Sessums[8]; 6. 44-Jason Howell[3]; 7. 21-Michelle Parson[4]; 8. 16G-Austyn Gossel[7]

Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[2]; 2. 36-Jason Martin[1]; 3. 25B-Blaine Baxter[6]; 4. 5R-John Ricketts[4]; 5. 3-Ayrton Gennetten[5]; 6. 4-Austin Mundie[8]; 7. 44C-Chris Martin[7]; 8. 35K-Dylan McCann[3]

Heat 4 (8 Laps): 1. 41-Dominic Scelzi[1]; 2. 20G-Noah Gass[4]; 3. 23B-Brian Bell[2]; 4. 88R-Ryder Laplante[5]; 5. V8-Robert Vetter[6]; 6. 10X-Bryan Debrick[7]; 7. 5-Lucas Boxwell[8]; 8. 47W-Chipper Wood[3]

B Feature 1 (10 Laps, Top 2 advanced): 1. 74E-Claude Estes[2]; 2. 3-Ayrton Gennetten[3]; 3. 44C-Chris Martin[5]; 4. 52-Blake Hahn[6]; 5. 3D-Jeff Day Jr[7]; 6. 47W-Chipper Wood[8]; 7. 10X-Bryan Debrick[4]; 8. 5R-John Ricketts[1]

B Feature 2 (10 Laps, Top 2 advanced): 1. 4-Austin Mundie[2]; 2. G6-Cody Gardner[3]; 3. 44-Jason Howell[4]; 4. V8-Robert Vetter[1]; 5. 21-Michelle Parson[5]; 6. 5-Lucas Boxwell[8]; 7. 16G-Austyn Gossel[6]; 8. 35K-Dylan McCann[7]

A Feature (30 Laps): 1. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[2]; 2. 25B-Blaine Baxter[4]; 3. 41-Dominic Scelzi[8]; 4. 29-Logan McCandless[9]; 5. 6-Koty Adams[1]; 6. 88R-Ryder Laplante[16]; 7. 3-Ayrton Gennetten[19]; 8. 10G-Marcus Thomas[10]; 9. 23B-Brian Bell[13]; 10. 74E-Claude Estes[17]; 11. 20G-Noah Gass[5]; 12. G6-Cody Gardner[20]; 13. 2C-Wayne Johnson[3]; 14. 23-Lance Moss[15]; 15. 01J-Jeb Sessums[12]; 16. 4-Austin Mundie[18]; 17. 73-Scotty Thiel[7]; 18. 95-Matt Covington[6]; 19. 36-Jason Martin[11]; 20. 2B-Brett Becker[14]

 

 

Noah Gass Strikes At Hunt County With The ASCS Elite Outlaw Sprints!

GREENVILLE, Texas (March 1, 2024) Taking on a true outlaw schedule in 2024, Oklahoma’s Noah Gass started things off with sweet victory Friday night at Hunt County Raceway in Greenville, Texas with the MYCO Plastics ASCS Elite Outlaw Sprints.

Pocketing $4,000 in the Smiley Sitton Classic, the win his is first in ASCS competition, and marks his return to Victory Lane for the first time since September 25, 2021, at the Plymouth Dirt Track in Wisconsin.

Holding pace through several early race cautions, Gass led the opening 15 revolutions before surrendering the point to Missouri’s, Ayrton Gennetten. Keeping the No. 20g at bay on a couple of Lap 17 restarts, Gennetten gapped the field, but a slip with five laps to run opened the door from Gass, who railed the cushion to retake the point.

Picking traffic quickly in the closing laps, Gass found the checkered flag 1.434-seconds ahead of Gennetten.

Third went to Sam Hafertepe, Jr. with 15th starting Dominic Scelzi clawing his way through the field to finish fourth. Back and forth with the No. 15h at the start of the feature, Jason Martin would end up fifth.

Brian Bell was sixth, followed by Logan McCandless. Rolling from 20th, Jeb Sessums advanced a dozen times to finish eighth. Blaine Baxter and Lance Moss made up the top ten.

Racing with the MYCO Plastics ASCS Elite Outlaw Sprints continues on Saturday, March 2, at Kennedale Speedway Park. The event is $4,000 to win, $300 to start. Gates open at 5:00 P.M. with racing at 7:00 P.M. (CT). Tickets are $18 for adults, $12 for seniors, $7 for youth (7-11), and free for kids five and under.

Live coverage can be found at https://www.raceon.com.

The ASCS Elite Wing and Non-Wing Series is owned and operated by Nathan Moore and operates under the sanction of the American Sprint Car Series. Rules for both tours can be found at http://www.ascsracing.com. Nathan can be reached at (903) 780-9934 or by email at elitenonwingsprints@gmail.com,

For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@ASCSRacing).

RACE RESULTS

ASCS Elite Outlaw Sprints
Hunt County Raceway (Greenville, Texas)
Friday, March 1, 2024

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 36-Jason Martin[2]; 2. 29-Logan McCandless[1]; 3. 23B-Brian Bell[4]; 4. 2C-Wayne Johnson[7]; 5. 41-Dominic Scelzi[5]; 6. 44C-Chris Martin[3]; 7. 4-Austin Mundie[8]; 8. 01J-Jeb Sessums[6]; 9. 44-Cody Price[9]

Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 73-Scotty Thiel[2]; 2. 25B-Blaine Baxter[3]; 3. 2W-Whit Gastineau[5]; 4. 10G-Marcus Thomas[6]; 5. 88R-Ryder Laplante[7]; 6. 23-Lance Moss[8]; 7. 9-Kevin Rutherford[4]; 8. 35K-Dylan McCann[1]

Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[6]; 2. 20G-Noah Gass[4]; 3. 3-Ayrton Gennetten[8]; 4. 91-Michael Day[5]; 5. 00-Jaden Brown[1]; 6. 16G-Austyn Gossel[3]; 7. 30-Joseph Miller[7]; 8. 4X-Heath Nestrick[2]; 9. B2-Carson Bolden[9]

B Feature (12 Laps, Top 4 advanced): 1. 4-Austin Mundie[1]; 2. 44C-Chris Martin[2]; 3. 16G-Austyn Gossel[3]; 4. 01J-Jeb Sessums[6]; 5. 30-Joseph Miller[4]; 6. 9-Kevin Rutherford[5]; 7. 44-Cody Price[7]; 8. 2B-Brett Becker[11]; 9. B2-Carson Bolden[8]; 10. 4X-Heath Nestrick[9]; 11. 3D-Jeff Day Jr[12]; 12. (DNS) 35K-Dylan McCann

A Feature (30 Laps): 1. 20G-Noah Gass[3]; 2. 3-Ayrton Gennetten[2]; 3. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[4]; 4. 41-Dominic Scelzi[15]; 5. 36-Jason Martin[1]; 6. 23B-Brian Bell[10]; 7. 29-Logan McCandless[9]; 8. 01J-Jeb Sessums[20]; 9. 25B-Blaine Baxter[6]; 10. 23-Lance Moss[14]; 11. 44C-Chris Martin[18]; 12. 88R-Ryder Laplante[13]; 13. 16G-Austyn Gossel[19]; 14. 91-Michael Day[12]; 15. 10G-Marcus Thomas[11]; 16. 73-Scotty Thiel[5]; 17. 2C-Wayne Johnson[8]; 18. 2W-Whit Gastineau[7]; 19. 4-Austin Mundie[17]; 20. 00-Jaden Brown[16]

 

 

South Texas Race Ranch Fires Off 2024 ASCS National Championship on March 1-2

DRUMRIGHT, Okla. (February 12, 2024) - For the first time since 1998, the American Sprint Car Series returns to South Texas Race Ranch in Corpus Christi, Texas on March 1-2 to begin the 2024 National Championship season.

Hosting three races in series history at was formerly known as South Texas Speedway, Garry Lee Maier picked up each of those victories.

Jason Martin returns for his third season and is going after his second National Championship.

Drivers returning to action from 2023 include, Matt Covington, Jordon Mallett, Brandon Anderson, Kyler Johnson, Landon Britt, Christopher Townsend, and Michael Day.

Sam Hafertepe, Jr., Seth Bergman, Zach Blurton, Terry Easum, Jeffrey Newell, Bradley Fezard, Hank Davis, and Andrew Deal have also thrown their hat into the mix to chase the 2024 ASCS National Championship.

Friday nights event at South Texas Race Ranch will pay $3,000 to win and $400 to start while Saturday nights finale will pay $4,000 to win and $400 to start.

2024 ASCS National Tour teams inside the top 10 and are members in good standing, will receive $400 a night in appearance money while also receiving one complementary pit pass.

ASCS Memberships are available on the ASCS website. www.ascsracing.com

EVENT INFO >> ASCS National at South Texas Race Ranch

Friday, March 1:

Pits Open: 4pm
ASCS Pill Draw: 5:30pm to 6pm
ASCS Drivers Meeting: 6:15pm
Hot Laps: 7pm
Racing Starts: 8pm

Saturday, March 2:

Pits Open: 3pm
ASCS Pill Draw: 4:30pm to 5pm
ASCS Drivers Meeting: 5:15pm
Hot Laps: 6pm
Racing Starts: 7pm

EVENT PRICES >>

Friday, March 1:

Adults: $25
Seniors / Military: $20
Children 12 & Under: Free
Pits: $40

Saturday, March 2:

Adults: $25
Seniors / Military: $20
Children 12 & Under: Free
Pits: $40

The 2024 season will mark the 33rd year of competition for the American Sprint Car Series. Spearheaded by the American Sprint Car Series National Tour, the ASCS Nation includes Regional Tours that encompass both wing and non-wing competition.

For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@ascsracing).

 

 

ASCS Frontier releases 15-race slate for '24
Andrew Kunas, Stagg Motor Sports PR

COUER d'ALENE, Idaho - Stagg Motor Sports and the Frontier Region of the American Sprint Car Series has released the tentative 2024 schedule for the regional winged 360 sprint car tour, which includes 15 races at all three dirt tracks located in Montana, along with additional events Stagg Motor Sports is involved in.

The schedule is the result of months of work between series coordinator and promoter Josh Stagg and neighboring areas and tours, including the ASCS Northern Plains Region. There are no overlapping points events between the two ASCS regional tours. Outside of ASCS Frontier action, Stagg Motor Sports is also co-promoting a Northern Speedweek in Washington and Oregon in late July.

As it did in 2023, the ASCS Frontier Region will start its 2024 tour with a two-night event at Big Sky Speedway on Friday and Saturday, May 17th and 18th. The 3/8-mile clay oval, located just north of Billings, will host a series high seven ASCS Frontier Region sprint car races in 2024.

Gallatin Speedway, a 3/10-mile clay oval located in the Bozeman suburb of Belgrade and central Montana's home for Friday night dirt track racing, will host four total events in 2024, all on Fridays, the first being the annual Spring Clash at Belgrade on June 7th. Big Sky Speedway hosts another show on Saturday, June 8th.

After being absent from Big Sky Country the prior two seasons, the American Sprint Car Series National Tour makes its return to Montana in mid-July. Gallatin Speedway, which has hosted several ASCS National Tour races over the years, will host on Friday, July 12th. Electric City Speedway in Great Falls hosts its first ASCS National Tour race since 2015 on Saturday, July 13th. The two events will be the first time the Frontier Region and the National Tour have raced together since 2021.

Things pick back up in August with the Summer Clash at Belgrade, August 2nd at Gallatin Speedway. Big Sky Speedway hosts again on Saturday, August 3rd. After last year's highly successful show, Big Sky Speedway will again host the Harvey Ostermiller Memorial on Friday and Saturday, August 23rd and 24th and will again pay $12,012 to win Saturday's finale in honor of the Montana sprint car pioneer. The track has also announced that it will increase total payout for the 2024 event.

Electric City Speedway, a 3/10-mile clay oval that is Montana's oldest operating dirt track, will host its traditional Montana Roundup on Labor Day weekend with races Friday through Sunday, August 30th through September 1st. Things wrap up with another Gallatin / Big Sky pairing the following weekend with Gallatin Speedway hosting Friday, September 6th as part of its annual Big Sky Supernationals festivities, and Big Sky Speedway closing things out on September 7th.

Outside of special events and those with the ASCS National Tour, ASCS Frontier Region events will usually pay $1,500 to win and $300 to start.

The 15-race schedule is set up to not heavily task most of the racers in the region, with there being only one instance of consecutive weekends of racing scheduled - those being the three straight that are currently set to close out the season. It is also set up to allow travel for those able and willing, as for one it does not conflict at all with the ASCS Northern Plains Region, which primarily races in eastern Wyoming and far western South Dakota. For those able and wanting, they can make the drive down I-90 to race with them without missing out on action back home.

After taking over the reins part of the way through the COVID-affected 2020 season, Josh Stagg enters his fourth full season at the helm of the Montana-based 360 sprint car tour. Announcer Andrew Kunas returns for another year as the voice of Montana 360 sprint car racing. Race director John Youngquist, social media specialist Lisa Dietz and videographer Jeff Quinn also all return as part of the Stagg Motor Sports team on the ASCS Frontier Region tour. Having started in 2013, the Frontier Region of ASCS is the latest in a long line of regional sprint car tours based in Montana going back several decades. Previous banners have included the Montana Open Wheel Racing Association, Montana Sprint Tour, Big Sky Sprint Tour and Big Sky Sprints.

Kelly Miller of Lethbridge, Alberta won a season high six races en route to his first ASCS Frontier Region series championship in 2023. Those six wins were enough to place him second on the all-time ASCS Frontier win list with 17 victories, going back to the beginning of the series in 2013. Boise, Idaho's Logan Forler, the 2021 series champion, is the all-time winningest driver in ASCS Frontier Region action with 19 wins.

In an effort to advance relations with its Pacific Northwest neighbors, Stagg Motor Sports has joined Peter Murphy Promotions in a joint venture co-promoting a new Northern Speedweek in late July. While these are not ASCS Frontier Region events, teams from Montana and vicinity are encouraged to go if they want to. Things kick off with the Elma Hall of Fame Tribute at Grays Harbor Raceway in Elma, Washington on Saturday and Sunday, July 20th and 21st, with the Sunday finale paying $5,000 to win. After a day of travel on Monday, action resumes Tuesday, July 23rd with a race at Southern Oregon Speedway, located outside Medford. Willamette Speedway in Lebanon, Oregon hosts on Wednesday, July 24th. Both Oregon shows are $3,000 to win. After another travel day on Thursday, things wrap up with the annual Bob's Burgers & Brew Summer Nationals at Skagit Speedway in Burlington, Washington on Friday and Saturday, July 26th and 27th, the finale paying over $10,000 to win.

While the Northern Speedweek happens, the three ASCS Northern Plains races in Wyoming on the last weekend of July (Friday at Casper Speedway, Saturday at Gillette Thunder Speedway and Sunday at Sheridan Speedway) are another option for ASCS Frontier Region teams. Again, there are no conflicting points races between the Frontier and Northern Plains Regions in 2024.

More details on the 2024 ASCS Frontier Region season, including streaming services, will be shared when available.

More information on the Frontier Region of the American Sprint Car Series, along with the ASCS National Tour and other ASCS regional series, can be found online at www.ascsracing.com and other social media platforms including Facebook. Stagg Motor Sports, the promoting company of the ASCS Frontier Region tour, can be found at www.staggmotorsports.com.

American Sprint Car Series - Frontier Region
2024 schedule

May 17 - Big Sky Speedway - Billings, MT (Season Opening Weekend)
May 18 - Big Sky Speedway - Billings, MT (Season Opening Weekend)
June 7 - Gallatin Speedway - Belgrade, MT (Spring Clash at Belgrade)
June 8 - Big Sky Speedway - Billings, MT (Montana Spring Shootout)
July 12 - Gallatin Speedway - Belgrade, MT (Grizzly Nationals, Part 1 w/ ASCS National)
July 13 - Electric City Speedway - Great Falls, MT (Grizzly Nationals, Part 2 w/ ASCS National)
August 2 - Gallatin Speedway - Belgrade, MT (Summer Clash at Belgrade)
August 3 - Big Sky Speedway - Billings, MT (Montana Summer Shootout)
August 23 - Big Sky Speedway - Billings, MT (Harvey Ostermiller Memorial opener)
August 24 - Big Sky Speedway - Billings, MT (Harvey Ostermiller Memorial finale)
August 30 - Electric City Speedway - Great Falls, MT (28th Montana Roundup, Night 1)
August 31 - Electric City Speedway - Great Falls, MT (28th Montana Roundup, Night 2)
September 1 - Electric City Speedway - Great Falls, MT (28th Montana Roundup, finale)
September 6 - Gallatin Speedway - Belgrade, MT (Big Sky Supernationals)
September 7 - Big Sky Speedway - Billings, MT (Season Finale)

Non-points, ASCS Frontier supported Northern Speedweek
presented by Stagg Motor Sports and Peter Murphy Promotions

July 20 & 21 - Grays Harbor Raceway - Elma, WA (Elma Hall of Fame Tribute)
July 23 - Southern Oregon Speedway - Medford, OR
July 24 - Willamette Speedway - Lebanon, OR
July 26 & 27 - Skagit Speedway - Burlington, WA (Bob's Burgers & Brew Summer Nationals)

ASCS Frontier Region champions

2013 - Phil Dietz
2014 - Joe Ramaker
2015 - Phil Dietz
2016 - Skylar Gee
2017 - David Hoiness
2018 - David Hoiness
2019 - Jeremy McCune
2020 - Jeremy McCune
2021 - Logan Forler
2022 - Trever Kirkland
2023 - Kelly Miller

American Sprint Car Series
www.ascsracing.com

Stagg Motor Sports, ASCS Frontier Region
www.staggmotorsports.com

ASCS Frontier Region on Facebook

www.facebook.com/ascsfrontier

 

2024 ASCS National and Regional Point Funds Announced!

DRUMRIGHT, Okla. (January 22, 2024) - As the 2024 season for the American Sprint Car Series presented by RacinDirt.com nears, officials have announced both National and Regional point funds.

After increasing the point fund in 2022 under ownership of Terry Mattox, the 2024 ASCS National Championship point fund will remain unchanged with the season champion pocketing $50,000 at the awards banquet in January of 2025.

“The past two season have exceeded our expectations and to keep going in the right direction it just makes sense to keep things like they are on the National side of things.” stated ASCS Owner, Terry Mattox.

2024 ASCS National Championship Point Fund Breakdown: 1) $50,000, 2) $30,000, 3) $25,000, 4) $20,000, 5) $15,000, 6) $14,000, 7) $13,000, 8) $12,000, 9) $11,000, 10) $10,000.

The minimum point funds for ASCS Regional Tours will be modified as follows. Most regional tours have series sponsors that increase their end of the season point fund.

ASCS will pay off the following scale. If a regional tour acquires sponsorship they will advertise and pay their increased amount.

2024 ASCS Regional Tour Point Fund Breakdown: 1) $2,500, 2) $1,200, 3) $900, 4) $800, 5) $700, 6) $600, 7) $500, 8) $400, 9) $350, 10) $300.

Drivers must be ASCS members in good standing while attending 80% or more events in order to qualify for point fund.

2024 National point fund will be paid during the banquet in January 2025. Regional Tour point funds will be mailed the week following the Chili Bowl Nationals.

The 2024 season will mark the 33rd year of competition for the American Sprint Car Series. Spearheaded by the American Sprint Car Series National Tour, the ASCS Nation includes Regional Tours that encompass both wing and non-wing competition.

For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@ascsracing).

 

 

Zach Blurton Going Full Time With The American Sprint Car Series In 2024!

Bryan Hulbert – QUINTER, Kan. (January 22, 2024) A long time dream will be fulfilled in 2024 as Zach Blurton takes his talent on the road full-time with the American Sprint Car Series presented by RacinDirt.com in pursuit of the Brodix National Rookie of the Year.

“First and foremost, I need to thank my wife for going along with this crazy racing life,” chuckled Blurton.

Asked about the progression that led to this season, he said, “From my start in racing, I feel like I’ve had realistic goals and dreams. I would see the Outlaw and the All-Star schedule and think that was cool and see what was close that I could go watch, but the ASCS schedule was one that I looked at and felt that was something I could do one day.”

An accomplished and proven talent in the United Rebel Sprint Series ranks, where he ranks third in all-time wins, Blurton has stepped up his 360cid program over the past few seasons, and found success; including an ASCS National Tour win at WaKeeney Speedway on July 3, 2022.

On that race, Zach commented, “I’ll never forget that night, and that feeling of who I was racing with and had to hold off to get that win, and I want that again.”

For the 2024 season, Blurton will pilot the Swift Bullet Co./Summit Automotive Group No. 2J with Maxim Chassis and Don Ott power. No stranger to the traveling world of Sprint Car racing, Snow Giddings will take charge as the crew chief.

“We’ve been building the team, and didn’t want to do this until I knew we were ready, and I feel like we’re finally at a point to take that step and give it a try. We’re a family-oriented team, as are a lot of our sponsors, and they’ve really stepped up to help us accomplish this.”

Blurton is carrying plenty of momentum into 2024 with last year producing six wins, 20 top five, and 29 top ten finishes across various series and engine combinations.

Fans can keep track of Zach through his Social Media channel via Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/zachblurtonracing), Twitter (https://twitter.com/ZachBlurton), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/zachblurton), and TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@zachblurtonracing). His 2024 schedule will be updated as the season progresses at https://www.myracepass.com/drivers/18317.

Merchandise and more will be available throughout the season at https://www.buyblurton.com.

Zach would like to thank everyone who has made this possible: Summit Automotive Group, Lee Martin Family, Randy Patterson Welding, Swift Bullet Company, Lumber Lounge & Garage, Better Built Trailers, K&M Land and Cattle, Brian Younker Farms, Circle Z Trucking, Elsie's Customs, Randle's Trucking, King Racing Products, BR Motorsports, Smith Titanium and SBS Suspension.

The season kicks off at South Texas Race Ranch in Corpus Christi, Texas, on March 1 and 2.

The 2024 season will mark the 33rd year of competition for the American Sprint Car Series. Spearheaded by the American Sprint Car Series National Tour, the ASCS Nation includes Regional Tours that encompass both wing and non-wing competition.

For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@ascsracing).

 

 

20 Dates Highlight ASCS Hurricane Area Super Sprint Schedule for 2024!

DRUMRIGHT, Okla. (January 14, 2024) - Entering their inaugural season under the sanctioning of the American Sprint Car Series, the ASCS Hurricane Area Super Sprints are ready for 20 events.

Eight tracks across four states make up the regional tour visiting Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi.

North Alabama Speedway in Tuscumbia, AL will kick off the season with a double header on April 5-6.

Baton Rouge Raceway in Baton Rouge, LA will see the Hurricane Region of the American Sprint Car Series on three occasions which include: April 13, June 22 and August 31.

Joining up with the ASCS National Tour on April 19-20 at Super Bee Speedway in Chatham, LA.

The first of four events on the schedule at Greenville Speedway in Greenville, MS on May 18 followed by July 13 and August 9-10.

Deep South Speedway in Loxley, AL will host the regional tour on May 25 and October 25-26.

Cruising up to Arkansas on June 7-8, Crowleys Ridge Raceway in Paragould, AR will host the June 7 date followed by June 8 at Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, AR.

Going up against the ASCS Gulf South Region, Sabine Speedway in Many, LA will host the regional showdown on September 6.

Jackson Motor Speedway in Byram, MS will host the tour on September 14.

Joining forces with the ASCS National Tour and the United Sprint Car Series, the ASCS Hurricane Area Super Sprints will go for a $10,000 to win top prize at Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, AR on September 27-28 for the World Short Track Challenge.

Stefen Oaks heads the ASCS Hurricane Area Super Sprints and can be contacted at 985-285-9177.

2024 ASCS Hurricane Area Super Sprint Schedule of Events:

4/5: North Alabama Speedway - Tuscumbia, AL
4/6: North Alabama Speedway - Tuscumbia, AL
4/13: Baton Rouge Raceway - Baton Rouge, LA
4/19: Super Bee Speedway - Chatham, LA ^^
4/20: Super Bee Speedway - Chatham, LA ^^

5/18: Greenville Speedway - Greenville, MS
5/25: Deep South Speedway - Loxley, AL

6/7: Crowleys Ridge Raceway - Paragould, AR
6/8: Riverside International Speedway - West Memphis, AR
6/22: Baton Rouge Raceway - Baton Rouge, LA

7/13: Greenville Speedway - Greenville, MS

8/9: Greenville Speedway - Greenville, MS
8/10: Greenville Speedway - Greenville, MS
8/31: Baton Rouge Raceway - Baton Rouge, LA

9/6: Sabine Speedway - Many, LA **
9/14: Jackson Motor Speedway - Byram, MS
9/27: Riverside International Speedway - West Memphis, AR ^^
9/28: Riverside International Speedway - West Memphis, AR ^^

10/25: Deep South Speedway - Loxley, AL
10/26: Deep South Speedway - Loxley, AL

^^ - Co-Sanctioned with ASCS National
** - Co-Sanctioned with ASCS Gulf South

The 2024 season will mark the 33rd year of competition for the American Sprint Car Series. Spearheaded by the American Sprint Car Series National Tour, the ASCS Nation includes Regional Tours that encompass both wing and non-wing competition.

For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@ascsracing).

 

 

ASCS Sooner Region Lays Out 25 Race Lineup For 2024 Season

Bryan Hulbert – DRUMRIGHT, Okla. (December 4, 2023) Readying for season No. 24 for the American Bank of Oklahoma ASCS Sooner Region presented by Smiley’s Racing Products, the 2024 lineup is slated to have 25 nights of racing.

Spending 18 nights inside Sooner lines, the tour will venture into Kansas, Missouri, and Texas for National and Regional tour showdowns.

Kicking off the tour on March 22 and 23, Muskogee’s Thunder Speedway and Sapulpa’s Creek County Speedway will see their first visits of the season. The first trip outside state lines, the Sooner Region will take on the American Sprint Car Series presented by RacinDirt.com at the Texas Motor Speedway Dirt Track on April 5 and 6.

Back at Creek County on April 19, the next out of state showdown heads to Missouri for the ASCS Warrior Region presented by Impact Signs, Awnings, and Wraps at Lake Ozark Speedway on May 3, and Lucas Oil Speedway on May 4.

Tulsa Speedway on the Salina Highbanks Speedway follows on May 10 and 11, with Creek County Speedway’s third visit on May 17, followed by the tour’s first trip of the year to Longdale Speedway on May 18.

Nevada Speedway with the Warrior Region once again on June 8, Round 4 at Creek County hits on June 13, followed by Arrowhead Speedway on June 15, then Lawton Speedway on June 15. The three-night run follows the National Tour. Elk City Motorsports Park take a date on June 22.

Back on Thunderbird Speedway on July 19, the compass points north for 81 Speedway the following night. Night No. 5 at Creek County Speedway on August 16, it’s back to 81-Speedway on August 17 with Outlaw Motor Speedway wrapping up the month on August 30. Down to the final four nights of the year, Thunderbird Speedway takes September 20, with Longdale Speedway on September 21. One trip to Enid on the season takes place on October 5, with the sixth race of the year at Creek County Speedway wrapping up the 2024 lineup on October 19.

The 2024 season will again see Joshua Tyre at the helm of the ASCS Sooner Region. Questions regarding the tour can be directed to (918) 807-2082.

The 2024 season will mark the 33rd year of competition for the American Sprint Car Series. Spearheaded by the American Sprint Car Series National Tour, the ASCS Nation includes Regional Tours that encompass both wing and non-wing competition.

For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@ascsracing).

2024 ASCS Sooner Region Lineup of Events:

Date – Track (City, State)

3/22/2024-Thunderbird Speedway (Muskogee, OK)
3/23/2024-Creek County Speedway (Sapulpa, OK)

4/5/2024-Texas Motor Speedway (Fort Worth, TX)
4/6/2024-Texas Motor Speedway (Fort Worth, TX)
4/19/2024-Creek County Speedway (Sapulpa, OK)

5/3/2024-Lake Ozark Speedway (Eldon, MO)
5/4/2024-Lucas Oil Speedway (Wheatland, MO)
5/10/2024-Tulsa Speedway (Tulsa, OK)
5/11/2024-Salina Highbanks Speedway (Salina, OK)
5/17/2024-Creek County Speedway (Sapulpa, OK)
5/18/2024-Longdale Speedway (Longdale, OK)

6/8/2024-Nevada Speedway (Nevada, MO)
6/13/2024-Creek County Speedway (Sapulpa, OK)
6/14/2024-Arrowhead Speedway (Colcord, OK)
6/15/2024-Lawton Speedway (Lawton, OK)
6/22/2024-Elk City Motorsports Park (Elk City, OK)

7/19/2024-Thunderbird Speedway (Muskogee, OK)
7/20/2024-81 Speedway (Park City, KS)

8/16/2024-Creek County Speedway (Sapulpa, OK)
8/17/2024-81 Speedway (Park City, KS)
8/30/2024-Outlaw Motor Speedway (Oktaha, OK)

9/20/2024-Thunderbird Speedway (Muskogee, OK)
9/21/2024-Longdale Speedway (Longdale, OK)

10/5/2024-Enid Speedway (Enid, OK)
10/19/2024-Creek County Speedway (Sapulpa, OK)

 

 

Season No. 33 For The ASCS National Tour Revealed!

Bryan Hulbert – DRUMRIGHT, Okla. (December 2, 2023) Gearing up for the 33rd season of competition, the American Sprint Car Series presented by RacinDirt.com has set out a 49-race lineup for the 2024 season that visits 34 tracks across a dozen states.

A mix of familiar places and new faces, the series will also see its footprint expanding back out after consolidating tighter into the mid-west over the last two seasons.

“It’s been interesting doing the schedule for 2024 and being able put events back into the lineup that have been absent, as well as continue to add new events,” stated series owner Terry Mattox.

“It’s always a challenge putting together a lineup that makes logistical and economic sense for teams, but going to 49 events at 34 tracks is a big improvement and shows the popularity of the tour. This series has always been a proving ground for new and veteran teams. We had a great title fight for 2023, and I think 2024 is going to be even better.”

Breakdown by State:

Arkansas: Three visits into the state of Arkansas, with another potential stop still sitting as a TBA, Batesville Motor Speedway will greet the tour for the 12th time on June 22. Texarkana 67 Speedway, as of now, will end out the 2024 season with the COMP Cams Short Track Nationals on November 1 and 2.

Arizona: Kicking off the 2024 season at Cocopah Speedway in Somerton and Central Arizona Speedway in Casa Grande, the first four events in the desert are non-point shows for teams to get tuned up. Cocopah Speedway has seen the tour 15 times, with the last visit coming in 2017. A regular stop for the ASCS Southwest Region, Central Arizona has been on the schedule before but has never hosted the National Tour.

Iowa: Three Iowa ovals grace the 2024 lineup. Two regular stops and a new addition, the stop in the town of Knoxville lasts three days, dishes out over $150,000, and is the kickoff to Southern Iowa Sprint Week. Happening August 1-3, the Xtreme Powered by Mediacom 360 Knoxville Nationals, presented by Great Southern Bank, will bring the tour count to 84. Returning in September, Clay County Speedway in Spencer has a dancing partner this time, with Winneshiek Raceway in Decorah hosting their first event on Saturday, September 7, while Clay County goes green for the fourth time on Tuesday, September 10.

Kansas: Six nights of racing will roll through the state of Kansas with stops at five tracks. Twice at Dodge City Raceway on June 1 and August 24, the first stop at Dodge is paired with Rush County Speedway in La Crosse on May 31, with both nights paying $5,000 to win. WaKeeney Speedway joins the next trip on August 23. Lakeside and 81 Speedway each have one night in 2024, with Kansas City on May 24 and Park City on July 20.

Kentucky: Rolling back to life and back on the National Tour’s schedule is Paducah International Raceway. One of several tours making trips to the legendary oval, the tour’s last visit was in 2018. Surrounded by a TBA, the Kentucky date is October 12.

Louisiana: Tried last year and won by Mother Nature, the tour will head back to Super Bee Speedway in Chatham on April 19 and 20. Formerly Jones Motor Speedway, a Monday Speedweek show took place in 2012 and was the sixth time the tour rolled into town.

Missouri: The home of the Diamond of Dirt Tracks and of course, the Hockett/McMillin Memorial, Lucas Oil Speedway’s September 12, 13, and 14 event pays $10,000 to win, and is one of two tracks in the “Show-Me State” on the National lineup. Lake Ozark Speedway occupies the first round of visits on May 25 and 26. There is one TBA in Missouri as of now.

Montana: A much-anticipated return, Gallatin Speedway will see action on July 12, with Electric City Speedway in Great Falls back on the schedule for the first time since 2015.

Oklahoma: Seven nights at just as many tracks; Oklahoma has the most tracks per state on the 2024 lineup. Tulsa Speedway returns to the tour on May 10, followed by the massive Salina Highbanks Speedway the following night. Creek County Speedway on June 13 starts a three-night kick that includes Arrowhead Speedway in Colcord on June 14, then Lawton Speedway for $5,000 to win on June 15. Muskogee’s Thunder Speedway will see action on July 19, with Outlaw Motor Speedway taking August 30.

Texas: The most nights of any state on the schedule at nine; those are split between five facilities. South Texas Race Ranch in Corpus Christi kicks off the 2024 point’s chase on March 1 and 2, with RPM Speedway on the schedule for the first time on March 15 and 16. Two trips accounting for four nights, the Texas Motor Speedway Dirt Track is back for the first time since 2019 with a stop on April 5 and 6, then October 4 and 5. The finale of both doubleheaders pays $5,000 to win. A track nearly lost to the pages of history, Lone Star Speedway in Kilgore is back in action, with the tour back on August 31. The $ 5,000-to-win affair is the first time back since 2012.

Wisconsin: Mississippi Thunder Speedway will be the site of the tour’s first trip into the “Badger State” on September 6. The stop joins with Iowa stops at Decorah the following night, then Spencer on Tuesday.

TBA: One more state and two more tracks sit in the TBA column. Updates on those events will be posted once confirmed.

Terry Mattox will continue his role as series owner and direction of competition in 2024. Any questions about scheduling, rules, or otherwise can be directed to him via email at terry@ascsracing.com or by phone at (918) 417-0624.

National Tour events, with the exception of Knoxville and the Short Track Nationals, will be shown live on RacinDirt.com.

The 2024 season will mark the 33rd year of competition for the American Sprint Car Series. Spearheaded by the American Sprint Car Series National Tour, the ASCS Nation includes Regional Tours that encompass both wing and non-wing competition.

For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@ascsracing).

Date – Track (City, State) Amount to win

1/26-Cocopah Speedway (Somerton, AZ) $3,000/win
1/27-Cocopah Speedway (Somerton, AZ) $4,000/win
2/2-Central Arizona Raceway (Casa Grande, AZ) $3,000/win
2/3-Central Arizona Raceway (Casa Grande, AZ) $4,000/win

3/1-South Texas Race Ranch (Corpus Christi, TX) $3,000/win
3/2-South Texas Race Ranch (Corpus Christi, TX) $4,000/win
3/15-RPM Speedway (Crandall, TX) $3,000/win
3/16-RPM Speedway (Crandall, TX) $4,000/win

4/5-Texas Motor Speedway (Fort Worth, TX) $3,000/win
4/6-Texas Motor Speedway (Fort Worth, TX) $5,000/win
4/19-Super Bee Speedway (Chatham, LA) $3,000/win
4/20-Super Bee Speedway (Chatham, LA) $4,000/win

5/10-Tulsa Speedway (Tulsa, OK) $4,000/win
5/11-Salina Highbanks Speedway (Salina, OK) $4,000/win
5/24-Lakeside Speedway (Kansas City, KS) $5,000/win
5/25-Lake Ozark Speedway (Eldon, MO) $3,000/win
5/26-Lake Ozark Speedway (Eldon, MO) $4,000/win
5/31-Rush County Speedway (La Crosse, KS) $5,000/win

6/1-Dodge City Raceway Park (Dodge City, KS) $5,000/win
6/13-Creek County Speedway (Sapulpa, OK) $4,000/win
6/14-Arrowhead Speedway (Colcord, OK) $4,000/win
6/15-Lawton Speedway (Lawton, OK) $5,000/win
6/21-TBA - $4,000/win
6/22-Batesville Motor Speedway (Locust Grove, AR) $4,000/win
6/28-TBA - $4,000/win
6/29-TBA - $4,000/win

7/12-Gallatin Speedway (Belgrade, MT) $4,000/win
7/13-Electric City Speedway (Great Falls, MT) $4,000/win
7/19-Thunderbird Speedway (Muskogee, OK) $4,000/win
7/20-81 Speedway (Park City, KS) $4,000/win

8/1-Knoxville Raceway (Knoxville, IA) $3,000/win
8/2-Knoxville Raceway (Knoxville, IA) $3,000/win
8/3-Knoxville Raceway (Knoxville, IA) $20,000/win
8/23-WaKeeney Speedway (WaKeeney, KS) $4,000/win
8/24-Dodge City Raceway Park (Dodge City, KS) $4,000/win
8/30-Outlaw Motor Speedway (Oktaha, OK) $4,000/win
8/31-Lonestar Speedway (Kilgore, TX) $5,000/win

9/6-Mississippi Thunder Speedway (Fountain City, WI) $4,000/win
9/7-Winneshiek Raceway (Decorah, IA) $4,000/win
9/10-Clay County Fair Speedway (Spencer, IA) $4,000/win
9/12-Lucas Oil Speedway (Wheatland, MO) $3,000/win
9/13-Lucas Oil Speedway (Wheatland, MO) $3,000/win
9/14-Lucas Oil Speedway (Wheatland, MO) $10,000/win

10/4-Texas Motor Speedway (Fort Worth, TX) $3,000/win
10/5-Texas Motor Speedway (Fort Worth, TX) $5,000/win
10/11-TBA - $4,000/win
10/12-Paducah International Raceway (Paducah, KY) $4,000/win

11/1-Texarkana 67 Speedway (Texarkana, AR) TBA
11/2-Texarkana 67 Speedway (Texarkana, AR) TBA

 

 

ASCS Gulf South Drops 2024 Lineup Of Events

Bryan Hulbert – DRUMRIGHT, Okla. (November 28, 2023) The first ASCS Regional Tour to release its 2024 lineup of events, the ASCS Gulf South Region presented by Pipeline+MD is looking at a 23-race lineup in the tour’s first full season since 2019.

Bringing the series back to life with a couple of events in 2023, Chris Walters (Walters Promotions, LLC) has based the schedule primarily in the state of Texas, with a coupe select shows branching into Louisiana to take on the American Sprint Car Series presented by RacinDirt.com, and the ASCS Hurricane Super Sprints.

Lonestar Speedway in Kilgore, Texas, will feature a large number of events, with three multi-day affairs combining for seven overall nights at the high-banked oval. Hunt County Speedway will follow a similar trajectory with four nights.

Big O Speedway (Ennis, Texas), Grayson County Speedway (Bells, Texas), RPM Speedway (Crandall, Texas), South Texas Race Ranch (Corpus Christi, Texas), and Super Bee Speedway (Chatham, La.) will each see two nights of racing. Abilene Speedway and Sabine Speedway are the only tracks with a single night with the tour this coming season.

Anyone with questions about the series can call Chris at (281) 475-1919.

Support for the ASCS Gulf South Region is provided by Fast 5 Solutions, Pipeline+MD, Griffith Truck and Equipment, Precision Spray Foam, C4 Branding, What Makes Us Fire Foundation, Dusty Moon Veterinary Service, Top Coat Fabrication, Willy’s Racing Products, and Integrity Cleaning.

The 2024 season will mark the 33rd year of competition for the American Sprint Car Series. Spearheaded by the American Sprint Car Series National Tour, the ASCS Nation includes Regional Tours that encompass both wing and non-wing competition.

For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@ascsracing).

2024 ASCS Gulf South Regional Schedule:

Date – Track (City, State)

3/1/2024-South Texas Race Ranch (Corpus Christi, TX)**
3/2/2024-South Texas Race Ranch (Corpus Christi, TX)**
3/15/2024-RPM Speedway (Crandall, TX)**
3/16/2024-RPM Speedway (Crandall, TX)**

4/19/2024-Super Bee Speedway (Chatham, LA)**
4/20/2024-Super Bee Speedway (Chatham, LA)**
4/27/2024-Grayson County Speedway (Bells, TX)

5/24/2024-Lonestar Speedway (Kilgore, TX)
5/25/2024-Lonestar Speedway (Kilgore, TX)
5/26/2024-Lonestar Speedway (Kilgore, TX)

7/5/2024-Lonestar Speedway (Kilgore, TX)
7/6/2024-Lonestar Speedway (Kilgore, TX)

8/9/2024-Hunt County Raceway (Greenville, TX)
8/10/2024-Abilene Speedway (Abilene, TX)
8/31/2024-Lonestar Speedway (Kilgore, TX)

9/1/2024-Lonestar Speedway (Kilgore, TX)
9/6/2024-Sabine Speedway (Many, LA)*
9/7/2024-Grayson County Speedway (Bells, TX)
9/19/2024-Hunt County Raceway (Greenville, TX)
9/20/2024-Hunt County Raceway (Greenville, TX)
9/21/2024-Hunt County Raceway (Greenville, TX)

10/4/2024-Big O Speedway (Ennis, TX)
10/5/2024-Big O Speedway (Ennis, TX)

**co-sanctioned with ASCS National
*co-sanctioned with ASCS Hurricane

 

 

Bradley Fezard Making The Jump To The American Sprint Car Series!

Bryan Hulbert - BONNERDALE, Ark. (November 13, 2023) Adding another name to the 2024 Brodix National Rookie of the Year chase, 23-year-old Bradley Fezard will make the jump to the American Sprint Car Series presented by RacinDirt.com.

Moving through the ranks of open-wheel racing, the former Floridian turned Razorback has been driving a combination of vocations for Vince and Mary Rosa, and will continue to wheel the V&H Fresh No. 938, with the team's focusing solely on running the American Sprint Car Series.

The V&H Fresh Race Team is committed to running the ASCS National Tour for 2024, starting in Arizona," stated Vince Rosa. "This is an awesome opportunity for our team, and we are excited for the opportunity."

For driver Bradley Fezard, his racing career began in 2013. Taking over from his father, Frederic Fezard, his racing career included Rally Cars on Ice in Europe, Formula 3, and eventually Micros once he moved to the United States.

Earning titles with POWRi and NOW600 in Micro competition, Fezard began racing Sprint Cars and Midgets in 2022. Racing around the past two seasons, Fezard is excited to get on a tour schedule again.

"I’m ready coming into this year to follow a series again. After winning the NOW600 Non-Wing championship and the POWRi Wing championship, I’m excited to hit the road and follow such a prestigious tour. My goal is to be top-five in points when all is said and done."

Fans can follow the V&H Fresh team at https://www.facebook.com/vhfreshracepage.

The 2024 lineup of events for the American Sprint Car Series presented by RacinDirt.com is nearly finalized and will be posted soon.

The 2024 season will mark the 33rd year of competition for the American Sprint Car Series. Spearheaded by the American Sprint Car Series National Tour, the ASCS Nation includes Regional Tours that encompass both wing and non-wing competition.

For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@ASCSRacing).

 

 

Dominic Scelzi Leads All For ASCS Southwest Score At Central Arizona Raceway

Bryan Hulbert - CASA GRANDE, Ariz. (November 11, 2023) Bettering his position by one over Friday's preliminary feature event, California's Dominic Scelzi snagged Saturday’s $4,000 prize at the Keith Bryan Memorial at Central Arizona Raceway.

Win No. 12 on the year for Dominic, Saturday was the fourth time this year he's graced Casa Grande clay, with three previous run landing runner-up finishes.

Scelzi's second career ASCS Southwest Regional victory, the No. 41 took off from the pole, and kept point from there. Pulling a 1.543-second margin of victory over Logan Forler, the No. 2L moved to second with four laps to go. Seventh starting, Jake Helsel, crossed third, followed by Friday night's winner, Terry McCarl, who made his way from thenth. JT Imperial made up the top five.

The final event of the season for the ASCS Southwest Region, the 2023 title went to Chris Bonneau.

The 2023 season will mark the 32nd year of competition for the American Sprint Car Series. Spearheaded by the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series presented by the MAVTV Motorsports Network, the ASCS Nation includes Regional Tours that encompass both wing and non-wing competition.

For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@LucasOilASCS).

Race Results:

ASCS Southwest Region
Central Arizona Raceway (Casa Grande, Ariz)
Saturday, November 11, 2023

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 75X-JT Imperial[1]; 2. 2-Brekton Crouch[2]; 3. 41X-Dominic Scelzi[6]; 4. 01-Terry McCarl[3]; 5. 88-Austin Torgerson[4]; 6. 02-Ashton Torgerson[7]; 7. 6C-Travis Coelho[5]

Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 2L-Logan Forler[4]; 2. 8-Jake Helsel[3]; 3. X-Dylan Harris[6]; 4. 86-Jim Maroney[1]; 5. 5H-Patrick Krob[2]; 6. 57-Stevie Sussex III[5]

Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 14T-Tim Estenson[2]; 2. 49-Cameron La Rose[1]; 3. 75-Chris Bonneau[4]; 4. 61-Chaz Baca[3]; 5. 54-Glen Brace[5]; 6. (DNS) 22-Garen Linder

A Feature (30 Laps): 1. 41X-Dominic Scelzi[1]; 2. 2L-Logan Forler[3]; 3. 8-Jake Helsel[7]; 4. 01-Terry McCarl[10]; 5. 75X-JT Imperial[5]; 6. 14T-Tim Estenson[2]; 7. 2-Brekton Crouch[6]; 8. 49-Cameron La Rose[8]; 9. 75-Chris Bonneau[9]; 10. 02-Ashton Torgerson[15]; 11. 54-Glen Brace[13]; 12. 57-Stevie Sussex III[17]; 13. 61-Chaz Baca[11]; 14. 6C-Travis Coelho[18]; 15. 86-Jim Maroney[12]; 16. X-Dylan Harris[4]; 17. 88-Austin Torgerson[14]; 18. (DNS) 5H-Patrick Krob; 19. (DNS) 22-Garen Linder

 

 

Terry McCarl Lands ASCS Southwest Victory At Central Arizona Raceway

Bryan Hulbert - CASA GRANDE, Ariz. (November 10, 2023) Adding his name to the list of winners with the ASCS Southwest Region Friday night, Iowa's Terry McCarl raced his way to the top at Central Arizona Raceway.

Winning Night 1 of the Keith Bryan Memorial, the win marks the fifth ASCS Regional Tour that McCarl has won with.

Doing so in the Kaylene Verville owned No. 01, the win came over California's Dominic Scelzi by 1.050-seconds, who advanced seven positions for the silver step on the podium.

Idaho's Logan Forler crossed third, followed by Brekton Crouch and Tye Mihocko to complete the top five.

The Keith Bryan Memorial at Central Arizona Raceway concludes on Saturday, November 11, with the winner taking home $4,000. Racing gets underway at 7:00 P.M. (MT).

Admission is $20 for adults, $18 for seniors and Military, $10 for Students (13-17), and free for Youth (12 and under). Pit opens at 4:00 P.M. and Pit Passes are $35. Central Arizona Raceway is located behind the Pinal County Fairgrounds at 512 S. Eleven Mile Corner.

For information on the track and coming events, log onto https://www.facebook.com/CentralArizonaRaceway or call (602) 292-7607.

The 2023 season will mark the 32nd year of competition for the American Sprint Car Series. Spearheaded by the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series presented by the MAVTV Motorsports Network, the ASCS Nation includes Regional Tours that encompass both wing and non-wing competition.

For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@LucasOilASCS).

Race Results:

ASCS Southwest Region
Central Arizona Raceway (Casa Grande, Ariz.)
Friday, November 10, 2023

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 02-Ashton Torgerson[1]; 2. 75-Chris Bonneau[2]; 3. 2-Brekton Crouch[6]; 4. 22-Garen Linder[4]; 5. 6C-Travis Coelho[3]; 6. 7BG-Joshua Shipley[7]; 7. 61-Chaz Baca[5]

Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 7OH-Tye Mihocko[2]; 2. 14T-Tim Estenson[1]; 3. 2L-Logan Forler[5]; 4. 41X-Dominic Scelzi[6]; 5. 5H-Patrick Krob[4]; 6. 8-Jake Helsel[3]

Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 01-Terry McCarl[1]; 2. 57-Stevie Sussex III[2]; 3. 88-Austin Torgerson[3]; 4. 49-Cameron La Rose[4]; 5. X-Dylan Harris[5]; 6. (DNS) 75X-JT Imperial

A Feature (25 Laps): 1. 01-Terry McCarl[2]; 2. 41X-Dominic Scelzi[9]; 3. 2L-Logan Forler[6]; 4. 2-Brekton Crouch[1]; 5. 7OH-Tye Mihocko[3]; 6. X-Dylan Harris[13]; 7. 75-Chris Bonneau[8]; 8. 22-Garen Linder[11]; 9. 88-Austin Torgerson[10]; 10. 49-Cameron La Rose[12]; 11. 75X-JT Imperial[19]; 12. 6C-Travis Coelho[16]; 13. 02-Ashton Torgerson[4]; 14. 57-Stevie Sussex III[5]; 15. 8-Jake Helsel[17]; 16. 61-Chaz Baca[18]; 17. 7BG-Joshua Shipley[15]; 18. 5H-Patrick Krob[14]; 19. 14T-Tim Estenson[7]

Submitted By: Bryan Hulbert
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Still Winning! Sammy Swindell Takes ASCS Hurricane Area Super Sprints Victory

Bryan Hulbert - LOXLEY, Ala. (October 28, 2023) Wrapping up two nights of racing with the ASCS Hurricane Area Super Sprints on Saturday night at Deep South Speedway's Halloween Havoc, the tour's final checkered flag of the season went to Tennessee's Sammy Swindell in the Dale Howard Racing No. 47s.

Sammy's fifth overall win of the season, and third in ASCS Regional competition, the victory is his first with the ASCS Hurricane Tour.

Taking off from sixth, Sammy battled his way to the lead over Dewayne White on Lap 7. Red on Lap 11, the pause did little to slow the wily veteran, who pulled away to a 3.609-second lead at the drop of the checkered flag. Winning Friday night's preliminary feature, Zane DeVault charged through the field from 11th to claim second. Koty Adams moved up two spots to claim third, with Dewayne White ending up fourth. Ohio's Max Stambaugh completed the top-five.

Moving up seven spots, Dale Howard crossed sixth, followed by Chase Howard in seventh. Brandon Blenden, Shane Morgan, and Butch David made up the top-ten.

Saturday's field had 32 drivers on hand. Special thanks to Taylor Howard for the Facebook Live during the A-Feature.

With the season in the books, Mississippi's Brandon Blenden earned the 2023 tour championship. Work on the 2024 lineup of events is underway. Updates will be posted as they are made available.

The ASCS Hurricane Area Super Sprints is under the direction of Stefen Oakes. For questions regarding rules, procedures, and events, contact Stefen Oakes at bigshowmotorsports@yahoo.com or call (985) 285-9177.

The 2023 season will mark the 32nd year of competition for the American Sprint Car Series. Spearheaded by the American Sprint Car Series National Tour, the ASCS Nation includes Regional Tours that encompass both wing and non-wing competition.

For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@ASCSRacing).

Race Results:

ASCS Hurricane Area Super Sprints
Deep South Speedway (Loxley, Ala.)
Saturday, October 28, 2023

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 6-Koty Adams[2]; 2. 10-Terry Gray[3]; 3. 13-Chase Howard[7]; 4. 01-Shane Morgan[5]; 5. 17-Adam Moneyhun[1]; 6. 2H-Tommy Hall[8]; 7. 56T-DL (Tank) Brashier[4]; 8. (DNS) 8-Brad Bowden

Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 10K-Dewayne White[6]; 2. 47S-Sammy Swindell[4]; 3. 9-Lane Whittington[5]; 4. 6Z-Zane DeVault[7]; 5. 44-Ronny Howard[3]; 6. 28S-Rusty Sanford[2]; 7. 6BLACK-Chase Wood Sr[8]; 8. 77-David Mabry[1]

Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 71H-Max Stambaugh[1]; 2. 47-Dale Howard[2]; 3. 132-Jamie Manley[4]; 4. 5711-John Robicheaux[7]; 5. 21-Todd Bliss[3]; 6. 27-Chase Wood Jr[8]; 7. 18-Paul Jones[6]; 8. 67-Blake Mallette[5]

Heat 4 (8 Laps): 1. 4M-Michael Miller[5]; 2. 88-Brandon Blenden[8]; 3. 121-Butch David[6]; 4. 13X-Jake Brashier[1]; 5. 57-Levi Beard[7]; 6. 56-Jeff Smith[3]; 7. 61-Sean Wimpee[2]; 8. 15-Kyle Mabry[4]

B Feature (12 Laps): 1. 44-Ronny Howard[2]; 2. 13X-Jake Brashier[1]; 3. 56-Jeff Smith[6]; 4. 17-Adam Moneyhun[4]; 5. 21-Todd Bliss[3]; 6. 6BLACK-Chase Wood Sr[5]; 7. 67-Blake Mallette[9]; 8. 61-Sean Wimpee[8]; 9. 18-Paul Jones[7]; 10. (DNS) 56T-DL (Tank) Brashier; 11. (DNS) 77-David Mabry; 12. (DNS) 15-Kyle Mabry; 13. (DNS) 28S-Rusty Sanford

A Feature (25 Laps): 1. 47S-Sammy Swindell[6]; 2. 6Z-Zane DeVault[11]; 3. 6-Koty Adams[5]; 4. 10K-Dewayne White[1]; 5. 71H-Max Stambaugh[8]; 6. 47-Dale Howard[13]; 7. 13-Chase Howard[4]; 8. 88-Brandon Blenden[2]; 9. 01-Shane Morgan[15]; 10. 121-Butch David[7]; 11. 132-Jamie Manley[14]; 12. 5711-John Robicheaux[12]; 13. 6BLACK-Chase Wood Sr[24]; 14. 57-Levi Beard[16]; 15. 21-Todd Bliss[23]; 16. 9-Lane Whittington[10]; 17. 4M-Michael Miller[3]; 18. 2H-Tommy Hall[17]; 19. 27-Chase Wood Jr[18]; 20. 17-Adam Moneyhun[22]; 21. 10-Terry Gray[9]; 22. 44-Ronny Howard[19]; 23. 56-Jeff Smith[21]; 24. 13X-Jake Brashier[20]

 

 

DeVault Dominates ASCS Hurricane Area Super Sprints At Deep South Speedway!

Bryan Hulbert - LOXLEY, Ala. (October 27, 2023) Amassing a field of 33 cars on Friday night at Deep South Speedway, the ASCS Hurricane Area Super Sprints kicked off the opening night of Halloween Havoc with Indiana's Zane DeVault rolling into Victory Lane.

Zane's first career ASCS-sanctioned victory, the win is his fifth overall triumph on the season in just as many states.

Leading start to finish over the 25-lap affair, a late race caution was not enough to deny the victory, as DeVault jettisoned the Jeremy Scadden Construction/J&J Chassis No. 6z to a 4.078-second victory over Koty Adams.

Dale Howard crossed third, with Sammy Swindell moving 10th to fourth. Michael Miller completed the top five. Ohio's Max Stambaugh was sixth, followed by Brad Bowden from 14th. Terry Gray, Lane Whittington, and Chase Howard made up the top ten.

The ASCS Hurricane Area Super Sprints wrap up their 2023 season at Deep South Speedway on Saturday, October 28. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors and military, $13 for youth (8-13), and free for kids seven and under. Pit Passes are $35. For more information, find the Deep South Speedway on Facebook or log onto https://deepsouthspeedway.org.

The ASCS Hurricane Area Super Sprints is under the direction of Stefen Oakes. For questions regarding rules, procedures, and events, contact Stefen Oakes at bigshowmotorsports@yahoo.com or call (985) 285-9177.

The 2023 season will mark the 32nd year of competition for the American Sprint Car Series. Spearheaded by the American Sprint Car Series National Tour, the ASCS Nation includes Regional Tours that encompass both wing and non-wing competition.

For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@ASCSRacing).

Race Results:

ASCS Hurricane Area Super Sprints
Deep South Speedway (Loxley, Ala.)
Friday, October 27, 2023

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 47-Dale Howard[2]; 2. G6-Brandon Grubaugh[3]; 3. 4M-Michael Miller[6]; 4. 44-Ronny Howard[9]; 5. 121-Butch David[1]; 6. 5711-John Robicheaux[4]; 7. 57-Levi Beard[7]; 8. 56T-DL (Tank) Brashier[8]; 9. 83-Blake Carrier[5]

Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 13-Chase Howard[2]; 2. 6-Koty Adams[5]; 3. 8-Brad Bowden[1]; 4. 47S-Sammy Swindell[7]; 5. 01-Shane Morgan[6]; 6. 28S-Rusty Sanford[8]; 7. 77-David Mabry[3]; 8. 61-Sean Wimpee[4]

Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 71H-Max Stambaugh[1]; 2. 10K-Dewayne White[2]; 3. 132-Jamie Manley[3]; 4. 18-Paul Jones[4]; 5. 27-Chase Wood Jr[6]; 6. 67-Blake Mallette[5]; 7. 21-Todd Bliss[7]; 8. (DNS) 1A-Lee Moore

Heat 4 (8 Laps): 1. 6Z-Zane DeVault[3]; 2. 10-Terry Gray[1]; 3. 9-Lane Whittington[6]; 4. 13X-Jake Brashier[2]; 5. 56-Jeff Smith[7]; 6. 6BLACK-Chase Wood Sr[4]; 7. 88-Brandon Blenden[8]; 8. 2H-Tommy Hall[5]

B Feature 1 (12 Laps): 1. 01-Shane Morgan[1]; 2. 88-Brandon Blenden[4]; 3. 13X-Jake Brashier[2]; 4. 121-Butch David[3]; 5. 6BLACK-Chase Wood Sr[5]; 6. 21-Todd Bliss[6]; 7. 56T-DL (Tank) Brashier[7]; 8. 61-Sean Wimpee[8]; 9. 132-Jamie Manley[9]

B Feature 2 (12 Laps): 1. 28S-Rusty Sanford[2]; 2. 27-Chase Wood Jr[1]; 3. 57-Levi Beard[5]; 4. 2H-Tommy Hall[7]; 5. 67-Blake Mallette[3]; 6. 77-David Mabry[6]; 7. 5711-John Robicheaux[4]; 8. (DNS) 83-Blake Carrier

A Feature (25 Laps): 1. 6Z-Zane DeVault[1]; 2. 6-Koty Adams[2]; 3. 47-Dale Howard[3]; 4. 47S-Sammy Swindell[10]; 5. 4M-Michael Miller[6]; 6. 71H-Max Stambaugh[8]; 7. 8-Brad Bowden[14]; 8. 10-Terry Gray[12]; 9. 9-Lane Whittington[7]; 10. 13-Chase Howard[4]; 11. 10K-Dewayne White[11]; 12. 01-Shane Morgan[17]; 13. 88-Brandon Blenden[19]; 14. 132-Jamie Manley[13]; 15. 28S-Rusty Sanford[18]; 16. 121-Butch David[23]; 17. 2H-Tommy Hall[24]; 18. 56-Jeff Smith[15]; 19. 57-Levi Beard[22]; 20. 13X-Jake Brashier[21]; 21. 44-Ronny Howard[5]; 22. 27-Chase Wood Jr[20]; 23. 18-Paul Jones[16]; 24. G6-Brandon Grubaugh[9]

 

 

Sam Hafertepe, Jr. Wins The

50th Annual Devil’s Bowl Winter Nationals!

Bryan Hulbert – MESQUITE, Texas (October 14, 2023) Fastest in Qualifying, won his Heat Race, earned the Pole in the A-Feature, and never looked back. That’s the way it went Saturday night for Sam Hafertepe, Jr., who etched his name in the record books as the winner of the final A-Feature with the American Sprint Car Series presented by RacinDirt.com at the Devil’s Bowl Speedway.

“We had an awesome racecar tonight,” said Hafertepe. “I was amazed at how good we were, and honestly, on the restarts, I kind of wasn’t going as hard because we’d catch lapped traffic so fast.”

Hafertepe’s ninth win at the half-mile with the American Sprint Car Series presented by RacinDirt.com, the victory is his 65th with the tour.

Giving a tip of the cap to the track crew on getting the surface ironed out and providing multiple grooves of racing, Sam then stated, “It’s sad to see this place go. I’ve spent a lot of my life racing here. I started when I was sixteen years old, and that was 20 years ago, but it’s neat to be a part of this place. It’s impressive for a facility like this to last as long as it has, and it takes people like the Edwards running to make it last all these years.”

Never a challenge over the course of 30 laps, Hafertepe was quick into lapped traffic several times. Slowed for the final time with nine laps to run, Traffic over the final two laps at one point looked like it was going to give Matt Covington a chance at the Hills Racin No. 15h with Hafertepe nearly brought to a standstill in the first and second turns.

Stripping nearly two seconds off of his advantage at the wave of the white flag, Sam found smoothing sailing through the final sets of turns and captured the win by 2.542-seconds.

Matt Covington crossed second, with Howard Moore third.

Trading fourth with Harli White during the feature, Jace Park was able to retake the spot, with White able to go tenth to fifth. Blake Hahn, from ninth, made it to sixth, followed by Saturday’s KSE Hard Charger, Channin Tankersley, who picked up ten positions to finish eighth. Chase Randall was ninth with Tucker Doughty, who won the BMRS B-Feature, climbing to a top-ten finish.

The final running of the Devil’s Bowl Winter Nationals included 29 drivers for the tour’s 107th event.

The final full points race of the season, Jason Martin secured his first career ASCS National Tour Championship and the $50,000 that goes with it. Jason’s record included Nine wins on the season, 18 top-five, and 24 top-ten finishes. He secured the title by 46 over Matt Covington.

One weekend of racing remains for the American Sprint Car Series presented by RacinDirt.com at the COMP Cams Short Track Nationals, happening October 26-28 at Texarkana 67 Speedway. The rescheduled event is show-up points event. That event will be shown on http://www.floracing.com.

The 2023 season will mark the 32nd year of competition for the American Sprint Car Series. Spearheaded by the American Sprint Car Series National Tour, the ASCS Nation includes Regional Tours that encompass both wing and non-wing competition.

For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@ascsracing).

Race Results:

ASCS National

Devil's Bowl Speedway (Mesquite, Texas)

Saturday, October 14, 2023

Car Count: 29

The Driver's Project Group Qualifying

The Drivers Project Qualifying 1 (3 Laps): 1. 3-Howard Moore, 00:16.079[6]; 2. 52-Blake Hahn, 00:16.114[10]; 3. 8M-Kade Morton, 00:16.136[7]; 4. 55B-Brandon Anderson, 00:16.380[9]; 5. 2-Brekton Crouch, 00:16.393[1]; 6. 0-Eric Baldaccini, 00:16.714[5]; 7. 71-Channin Tankersley, 00:16.721[4]; 8. 2J-Zach Blurton, 00:16.810[2]; 9. 10-Landon Britt, 00:16.872[3]; 10. 16-Blake Baccus, 00:17.128[8]

The Drivers Project Qualifying 2 (3 Laps): 1. 95-Matt Covington, 00:15.718[7]; 2. 36-Jason Martin, 00:15.916[8]; 3. 87J-Jace Park, 00:15.997[4]; 4. 9-Chase Randall, 00:16.033[6]; 5. 7M-Chance Morton, 00:16.154[1]; 6. 4C-Tuesday Calderwood, 00:16.393[10]; 7. 1J-Danny Jennings, 00:16.449[3]; 8. 45-Martin Edwards, 00:16.548[9]; 9. 2X-Tucker Doughty, 00:16.714[5]; 10. 33C-Casey Carter, 00:18.411[2]

The Drivers Project Qualifying 3 (3 Laps): 1. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr, 00:15.442[9]; 2. 14-Jordon Mallett, 00:15.634[5]; 3. 2C-Wayne Johnson, 00:15.648[8]; 4. 45X-Kyler Johnson, 00:15.785[6]; 5. 12H-Harli White, 00:15.793[2]; 6. 6-Christopher Townsend, 00:16.029[4]; 7. 91-Michael Day, 00:16.066[7]; 8. 4-Austin Mundie, 00:16.370[1]; 9. 15-Michael Colaluca, 00:16.996[3]

AR Dyno Specialty Heat Races (Top 16 in combined Qualifying and Heat Points advance to the A-Feature)

AR Dyno Specialty Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 8M-Kade Morton[2]; 2. 55B-Brandon Anderson[1]; 3. 3-Howard Moore[4]; 4. 52-Blake Hahn[3]; 5. 0-Eric Baldaccini[6]; 6. 10-Landon Britt[9]; 7. 71-Channin Tankersley[7]; 8. 2J-Zach Blurton[8]; 9. 2-Brekton Crouch[5]; 10. 16-Blake Baccus[10]

AR Dyno Specialty Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 87J-Jace Park[2]; 2. 9-Chase Randall[1]; 3. 95-Matt Covington[4]; 4. 36-Jason Martin[3]; 5. 7M-Chance Morton[5]; 6. 45-Martin Edwards[8]; 7. 2X-Tucker Doughty[9]; 8. 1J-Danny Jennings[7]; 9. 4C-Tuesday Calderwood[6]; 10. 33C-Casey Carter[10]

AR Dyno Specialty Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[4]; 2. 2C-Wayne Johnson[2]; 3. 14-Jordon Mallett[3]; 4. 12H-Harli White[5]; 5. 45X-Kyler Johnson[1]; 6. 6-Christopher Townsend[6]; 7. 91-Michael Day[7]; 8. 4-Austin Mundie[8]; 9. 15-Michael Colaluca[9]

BMRS B-Feature (Top 6 advance)

B-Main (12 Laps): 1. 2X-Tucker Doughty[2]; 2. 71-Channin Tankersley[4]; 3. 6-Christopher Townsend[1]; 4. 2J-Zach Blurton[7]; 5. 4-Austin Mundie[6]; 6. 1J-Danny Jennings[8]; 7. 2-Brekton Crouch[11]; 8. 4C-Tuesday Calderwood[10]; 9. 15-Michael Colaluca[9]; 10. 45X-Kyler Johnson[5]; 11. 16-Blake Baccus[12]; 12. 91-Michael Day[3]; 13. (DNS) 33C-Casey Carter

A-Feature

A-Main (30 Laps): 1. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[1]; 2. 95-Matt Covington[2]; 3. 3-Howard Moore[3]; 4. 87J-Jace Park[4]; 5. 12H-Harli White[10]; 6. 52-Blake Hahn[9]; 7. 14-Jordon Mallett[6]; 8. 71-Channin Tankersley[18]; 9. 9-Chase Randall[11]; 10. 55B-Brandon Anderson[16]; 11. 2X-Tucker Doughty[17]; 12. 0-Eric Baldaccini[12]; 13. 36-Jason Martin[8]; 14. 7M-Chance Morton[13]; 15. 2J-Zach Blurton[20]; 16. 6-Christopher Townsend[19]; 17. 45-Martin Edwards[15]; 18. 1J-Danny Jennings[22]; 19. 10-Landon Britt[14]; 20. 8M-Kade Morton[5]; 21. 2C-Wayne Johnson[7]; 22. 4-Austin Mundie[21]; 23. 45X-Kyler Johnson[23]; 24. 91-Michael Day[24]

Lap Leader(s): Sam Hafertepe, Jr. 1-30

Hard Charger: Channin Tankersley +10

Quick Time: Sam Hafertepe, Jr. - 15.442-seconds

High Point Driver: Sam Hafertepe, Jr.

Provisional(s): Kyler Johnson (Points) / Michael Day (Points)

ASCS Online:

American Sprint Car Series: http://www.ascsracing.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/americansprintcarseries

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ascsracing [@ascsracing]

Broadcast: http://www.racindirt.com

Live-Scoring: My Race Pass App

ASCS Drivers Online:

3 Howard Moore (Memphis, TN) R

6 Christopher Townsend (La Porte, TX) R

10 Landon Britt (Memphis, TN)

13 Elijah Gile (Phoenix, AZ) R

14 Jordon Mallett (Greenbrier, AR)

23 Seth Bergman (Snohomish, WA)

36 Jason Martin (Liberal, KS)

45X Kyler Johnson (Quinter, KS)

55B Brandon Anderson (Glenpool, OK)

71 Brady Baker (Alexander, AR) R

91 Michael Day (Farmersville, TX) R

95 Matt Covington (Glenpool, OK)

R denotes a driver running for the Brodix National Rookie of the Year

2023 Race Winners: Jason Martin – 9 (4/20 – Jackson Motor Speedway; 4/22 – Boothill Speedway; 5/20 – Longdale Speedway; 5/28 – Lake Ozark Speedway; 6/17 – 81 Speedway; 7/7 – Dodge City Raceway Park; 7/22 – 81 Speedway; 8/26 – Salina Highbanks Speedway; 9/2 – Longdale Speedway); Matt Covington – 3 (6/16 – Humboldt Speedway; 7/8 – Dodge City Raceway Park; 8/25 – Lakeside Speedway); Sam Hafertepe, Jr. – 2 10/13 – Devil’s Bowl Speedway; 10/14 – Devil’s Bowl Speedway); Ryan Timms – 2 (9/14 – Lucas Oil Speedway; 9/17 – Lucas Oil Speedway); Seth Bergman – 2 (4/21 – Longdale Speedway; 6/2 – Outlaw Motor Speedway); Jake Bubak – 2 (7/1 – WaKeeney Speedway; 9/15 – Lucas Oil Speedway); Austin McCarl – 1 (5/26 – Lakeside Speedway); Joe B. Miller – 1 (5/17 – Lake Ozark Speedway); Sean McClelland – 1 (6/15 – Creek County Speedway); Jeffrey Newell – 1 (6/22 – Lawton Speedway); Alex Sewell – 1 (6/24 – Caney Valley Speedway); Blake Hahn – 1 (6/30 – Boone County Raceway); Aaron Reutzel – 1 (8/3 – Knoxville Raceway); Parker Price-Miller – 1 (8/4 – Knoxville Raceway); Brian Brown – 1 (8/5 – Knoxville Raceway); Landon Britt – 1 (9/1 – Arrowhead Speedway); Terry McCarl – 1 (9/12 – Clay County Fair Speedway);

2023 Driver Points (Top 10): 1. Jason Martin 3,562; 2. Matt Covington 3,516; 3. Jordon Mallett 3,269; 4. Howard Moore 3,267; 5. Brandon Anderson 3,203; 6. Kyler Johnson 2,976; 7. Landon Britt 2,837; 8. Christopher Townsend 2,827; 9. Michael Day 2,505; 10. Chris Morgan 1,505;

 

 

Hafertepe Shines On Night 1 Of

The Devil’s Bowl Winter Nationals!

Bryan Hulbert – MESQUITE, Texas (October 13, 2023) Capitalizing on traffic in the late stages of the preliminary A-Feature at the Devil’s Bowl Winter Nationals, Sam Hafertepe, Jr. returned to Victory Lane with the American Sprint Car Series presented by RacinDirt.com.

Win No. 8 in National Tour competition for Hafertepe at the famed half-mile, the victory was No. 64 with the American Sprint Car Series presented by RacinDirt.com, and marks ten consecutive years that the Sunnyvale, Texas native has won at least one National Tour event.

Chasing Blake Hahn from the drop of the green, traffic began entering the mix on Lap 16. Leading by 1.611-seconds as he began working around the back markers, Hahn's advantage dissipated rapidly. On the back bumper of the Smiley’s Racing Products No. 52 on Lap 18, the pair raced wheel-to-wheel the following lap, with Hahn holding by 0.015—seconds. Not able to fend off the Hills Racing No. 15h any longer, Hafertepe took over with six laps to go.

Caution on the white flag: the attempt at a green, white, checkered ended with Kyler Johnson bringing out the red with a wild series of flips off the top of turns three and four. Bringing things to a one-lap shootout, Hafertepe darted to a 0.765-second advantage at the checkered flag.

“When we took the green, I ran the bottom, and obviously he [Blake Hahn] has really good speed around the top, but I knew once we got to traffic, he’d be skittish to go low, so I felt it out at the start of the race to see if the holes would upset my car, and it timed out where he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, but that’s part of being a veteran in the sport. Sometimes you capitalize on people’s mistakes,” said Hafertepe of the race for the win.

Blake Hahn held on for second with Chase Randall, who slipped to eight on the opening lap from fifth, making the last lap pass for the final podium step on Howard Moore.

Surviving contact early in the race that saw Jason Marting going over Wayne Johnson’s left front exiting the second turn, the No. 36 crossed fifth. Jace Park picked up six positions to finish sixth, followed by Chance Morton, Brandon Anderson, and Harli White, who all advanced seven spots over the course of the 25-lap affair. Jordon Mallett completed the top ten.

The final running of the Devil’s Bowl Winter Nationals is Saturday, October 14, with races going green at 8:00 P.M. (CDT). Tickets are $25 for adults, $15 for seniors, youth (13-15), and military. Kids 12 and under get in the stands for free. Pits are $35 each night. Devil’s Bowl Speedway is located at 1711 Lawson Rd. in Mesquite, Texas. For tickets and directions, log onto http://www.devilsbowl.com or call (972) 222-2421.

The 2023 season will mark the 32nd year of competition for the American Sprint Car Series. Spearheaded by the American Sprint Car Series National Tour, the ASCS Nation includes Regional Tours that encompass both wing and non-wing competition.

Live coverage of the American Sprint Car Series can be found at http://www.racindirt.com. Fans can choose to subscribe for $32.99 a month or $199.99 a year. RacinDirt.com broadcasts can be viewed on your Smart TV, Mobile Devices, and your Laptop or Computer. New subscribers can receive 25% off when they use promo code ASCS2023 at checkout.

For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@ascsracing).

Race Results:

ASCS National

Devil's Bowl Speedway (Mesquite, Texas)

Friday, October 13, 2023

Car Count: 32

The Driver's Project Group Qualifying

The Drivers Project Qualifying 1 (3 Laps): 1. 2J-Zach Blurton, 00:15.308[8]; 2. 95-Matt Covington, 00:15.426[1]; 3. 36-Jason Martin, 00:15.546[4]; 4. 55B-Brandon Anderson, 00:15.639[2]; 5. 87J-Jace Park, 00:15.807[5]; 6. 0-Eric Baldaccini, 00:15.968[3]; 7. 16-Blake Baccus, 00:16.082[7]; 8. (DNS) 23X-Austin Shores, NT

The Drivers Project Qualifying 2 (3 Laps): 1. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr, 00:15.497[5]; 2. 2C-Wayne Johnson, 00:15.568[2]; 3. 85-Colby Stubblefield, 00:15.598[7]; 4. 1Z-Justin Zimmerman, 00:15.935[8]; 5. 4C-Tuesday Calderwood, 00:16.084[6]; 6. 33C-Casey Carter, 00:16.619[1]; 7. 15-Michael Colaluca, 00:16.704[3]; 8. (DNS) 2X-Tucker Doughty, NT

The Drivers Project Qualifying 3 (3 Laps): 1. 52-Blake Hahn, 00:15.445[7]; 2. 2-Brekton Crouch, 00:15.522[8]; 3. 14-Jordon Mallett, 00:15.690[4]; 4. 12H-Harli White, 00:15.808[3]; 5. 45X-Kyler Johnson, 00:15.877[2]; 6. 45-Martin Edwards, 00:16.177[5]; 7. 8M-Kade Morton, 00:16.186[1]; 8. 91-Michael Day, 00:16.380[6]

The Drivers Project Qualifying 4 (3 Laps): 1. 3-Howard Moore, 00:15.135[7]; 2. 1J-Danny Jennings, 00:15.382[5]; 3. 9-Chase Randall, 00:15.502[8]; 4. 7M-Chance Morton, 00:15.576[6]; 5. 4-Austin Mundie, 00:15.833[4]; 6. 71-Channin Tankersley, 00:16.111[3]; 7. 6-Christopher Townsend, 00:16.166[2]; 8. 10-Landon Britt, 00:16.737[1]

AR Dyno Specialty Heat Races (Top 16 in combined Qualifying and Heat Points advance to the A-Feature)

AR Dyno Specialty Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 36-Jason Martin[2]; 2. 55B-Brandon Anderson[1]; 3. 95-Matt Covington[3]; 4. 87J-Jace Park[5]; 5. 2J-Zach Blurton[4]; 6. 0-Eric Baldaccini[6]; 7. 16-Blake Baccus[7]; 8. (DNS) 23X-Austin Shores

AR Dyno Specialty Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 2C-Wayne Johnson[3]; 2. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[4]; 3. 1Z-Justin Zimmerman[1]; 4. 4C-Tuesday Calderwood[5]; 5. 15-Michael Colaluca[7]; 6. 85-Colby Stubblefield[2]; 7. 33C-Casey Carter[6]; 8. (DNS) 2X-Tucker Doughty

AR Dyno Specialty Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 14-Jordon Mallett[2]; 2. 12H-Harli White[1]; 3. 52-Blake Hahn[4]; 4. 2-Brekton Crouch[3]; 5. 45X-Kyler Johnson[5]; 6. 45-Martin Edwards[6]; 7. 91-Michael Day[8]; 8. 8M-Kade Morton[7]

AR Dyno Specialty Heat 4 (8 Laps): 1. 9-Chase Randall[2]; 2. 7M-Chance Morton[1]; 3. 3-Howard Moore[4]; 4. 1J-Danny Jennings[3]; 5. 4-Austin Mundie[5]; 6. 71-Channin Tankersley[6]; 7. 6-Christopher Townsend[7]; 8. (DNS) 10-Landon Britt

BMRS B-Feature (Top 6 advance)

BMRS B-Main (12 Laps): 1. 1Z-Justin Zimmerman[2]; 2. 45X-Kyler Johnson[4]; 3. 4-Austin Mundie[3]; 4. 71-Channin Tankersley[6]; 5. 91-Michael Day[8]; 6. 2X-Tucker Doughty[15]; 7. 8M-Kade Morton[13]; 8. 15-Michael Colaluca[1]; 9. 6-Christopher Townsend[10]; 10. 16-Blake Baccus[9]; 11. 33C-Casey Carter[12]; 12. 45-Martin Edwards[7]; 13. 0-Eric Baldaccini[5]; 14. 23X-Austin Shores[16]; 15. 10-Landon Britt[14]; 16. 85-Colby Stubblefield[11]

A-Feature

RacinDirt A-Main (25 Laps): 1. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[4]; 2. 52-Blake Hahn[1]; 3. 9-Chase Randall[5]; 4. 3-Howard Moore[2]; 5. 36-Jason Martin[6]; 6. 87J-Jace Park[12]; 7. 7M-Chance Morton[14]; 8. 55B-Brandon Anderson[15]; 9. 12H-Harli White[16]; 10. 14-Jordon Mallett[7]; 11. 95-Matt Covington[8]; 12. 91-Michael Day[21]; 13. 2J-Zach Blurton[11]; 14. 6-Christopher Townsend[24]; 15. 4C-Tuesday Calderwood[13]; 16. 2-Brekton Crouch[10]; 17. 45X-Kyler Johnson[18]; 18. 71-Channin Tankersley[20]; 19. 4-Austin Mundie[19]; 20. 1Z-Justin Zimmerman[17]; 21. 2X-Tucker Doughty[22]; 22. 1J-Danny Jennings[9]; 23. 2C-Wayne Johnson[3]; 24. 10-Landon Britt[23]

Lap Leader(s): Blake Hahn 1-19; Sam Hafertepe, Jr. 20-25

Hard Charger: Michael Day +9

Quick Time: Howard Moore 15.135-seconds

High Point Driver: Sam Hafertepe, Jr.

Provisional(s): Christopher Townsend (Points)

ASCS Online:

American Sprint Car Series: http://www.ascsracing.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/americansprintcarseries

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ascsracing [@ascsracing]

Broadcast: http://www.racindirt.com

Live-Scoring: My Race Pass App

ASCS Drivers Online:

3 Howard Moore (Memphis, TN) R

6 Christopher Townsend (La Porte, TX) R

10 Landon Britt (Memphis, TN)

13 Elijah Gile (Phoenix, AZ) R

14 Jordon Mallett (Greenbrier, AR)

23 Seth Bergman (Snohomish, WA)

36 Jason Martin (Liberal, KS)

45X Kyler Johnson (Quinter, KS)

55B Brandon Anderson (Glenpool, OK)

71 Brady Baker (Alexander, AR) R

91 Michael Day (Farmersville, TX) R

95 Matt Covington (Glenpool, OK)

R denotes a driver running for the Brodix National Rookie of the Year

2023 Race Winners: Jason Martin – 9 (4/20 – Jackson Motor Speedway; 4/22 – Boothill Speedway; 5/20 – Longdale Speedway; 5/28 – Lake Ozark Speedway; 6/17 – 81 Speedway; 7/7 – Dodge City Raceway Park; 7/22 – 81 Speedway; 8/26 – Salina Highbanks Speedway; 9/2 – Longdale Speedway); Matt Covington – 3 (6/16 – Humboldt Speedway; 7/8 – Dodge City Raceway Park; 8/25 – Lakeside Speedway); Ryan Timms – 2 (9/14 – Lucas Oil Speedway; 9/17 – Lucas Oil Speedway); Seth Bergman – 2 (4/21 – Longdale Speedway; 6/2 – Outlaw Motor Speedway); Jake Bubak – 2 (7/1 – WaKeeney Speedway; 9/15 – Lucas Oil Speedway); Austin McCarl – 1 (5/26 – Lakeside Speedway); Joe B. Miller – 1 (5/17 – Lake Ozark Speedway); Sean McClelland – 1 (6/15 – Creek County Speedway); Jeffrey Newell – 1 (6/22 – Lawton Speedway); Alex Sewell – 1 (6/24 – Caney Valley Speedway); Blake Hahn – 1 (6/30 – Boone County Raceway); Aaron Reutzel – 1 (8/3 – Knoxville Raceway); Parker Price-Miller – 1 (8/4 – Knoxville Raceway); Brian Brown – 1 (8/5 – Knoxville Raceway); Landon Britt – 1 (9/1 – Arrowhead Speedway); Terry McCarl – 1 (9/12 – Clay County Fair Speedway); Sam Hafertepe, Jr. – 1 10/13 – Devil’s Bowl Speedway);

2023 Driver Points (Top 10): 1. Jason Martin 3,458; 2. Matt Covington 3,374; 3. Jordon Mallett 3,150; 4. Howard Moore 3,132; 5. Brandon Anderson 3,093; 6. Kyler Johnson 2,911; 7. Landon Britt 2,745; 8. Christopher Townsend 2,729; 9. Michael Day 2,440; 10. Chris Morgan 1,505;

 

 

Hafertepe is Devil's Bowl Bound For The Winter Nationals With The American Sprint Car Series

Bryan Hulbert - MESQUITE, Texas (October 11, 2023) When you get the chance to race close to home, there's nothing like it, and Sunnyvale, Texas shoe, Sam Hafertepe, Jr. is doing just that this weekend in the Hills Racing No. 15h as he takes on the American Sprint Car Series presented by RacinDirt at the 50th annual Devil's Bowl Winter Nationals.

Racing Friday, October 13, and Saturday, October 14, Sam has repeatedly stated the Devil's Bowl is his favorite track. In ASCS National competition, Sam has been on top seven times since 2011. His most recent Devil's Bowl win came during the 2020 Winter Nationals prelim night.

"I love coming back to race the Devil's Bowl, and we get a couple of chances this weekend with ASCS, and next week, we come here and run with the Outlaws. It's right down the road from where I grew up, so this place means a lot to me," said Hafertepe.

On track earlier this season with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars, Sam's weekend concluded with a sixth-place finish.

Both nights during the Devil's Bowl Winter National this weekend go green at 8:00 P.M. (CDT). Fans not able to attend can watch every lap on http://www.racindirt.com.

Hafertepe will have his T-Shirt Trailer set up during the event behind the grandstands for fans to purchase merchandise.

For continued updates on Sam Hafertepe, Jr., log onto http://www.sam15.com and make sure to find him on Twitter (@samhafertepejr). For news on Hill's Racing Team, log onto https://www.facebook.com/hillsracing/ and on Twitter (@HillsRacingTeam).

 

 

Chili Bowl Nationals Now $20,000 To Win!

Bryan Hulbert – TULSA, Okla. (October 10, 2023) On top of the money added into Saturday’s program during the 2023 Chili Bowl Nationals, teams will now have more to look forward to when they roll into Tulsa this coming January, as the 38th annual Chili Bowl Nationals will wrap up with a $20,000 to win, $2,000 to start championship feature event.

Throw in the annual lap money bonus ($150 per lap to the leader, $50 to second) on Saturday, and the winner could potentially walk away with $28,250.

Along with adding money to the 55-lap affair, payouts throughout Saturday’s alphabet soup will also increase, along with preliminary nights getting a bump to $3,000 to win, $300 to start.

Looking through Saturday’s alphabet payout, the first non-transfer in the B-Features will get $800, with the two consolation races paying $600 to start. C-Features will start at $500 for the first non-transfer. D-Features start at $400. E-Features are $200 for all non-transferring teams. F-Features are $150 to all who don’t advance, G-Features are $125, with H-Features and beyond receiving $100 to non-transferring teams.

Transferring drivers will also receive bonus money in addition to money earned in the next race. That goes for preliminary nights as well.

Monday and Tuesday reserved seat tickets are on sale now by calling (918) 838-3777, along with a few scattered, single seats for the entire event. Monday and Tuesday tickets are $60 each. Four-day tickets are $245, five-day tickets are $305, and tickets for the full event are $365, plus tax (8.517%) and shipping, which is $8 for orders up to 15 tickets and $10 for 16 ticket orders and up.

Domestic orders not held in Will Call will be sent via USPS Certified Mail. Each order sent will require a signature upon arrival. All international orders will be kept in Will Call. The offices of the Chili Bowl Nationals are open Monday-Friday from 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. (CT).

The 38th annual Chili Bowl Nationals takes place January 8-13, 2024, under the giant roof of the SageNet Center in Tulsa, Okla. Fans unable to attend the Chili Bowl Nationals can watch every lap live at http://www.floracing.com.

For continued updates on the Chili Bowl Nationals, fans can follow along on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram with @CBNationals. All official press, updates, and results on the Chili Bowl Nationals can be found online at http://www.chilibowl.com.

Quick Notes:

What: 38th annual Chili Bowl Nationals

When: January 8-13, 2024

Where: SageNet Center (Tulsa, Okla.)

Address: 4145 E 21st St, Tulsa, OK 74114

Ticket Information:

Four-Day: $245

Five-Day: $305

Six-Day: $356

Tax Rate: 8.517%

Shipping: $8 for orders up to 15 tickets. $10 from 16 ticket orders and up. All international orders are held in Will Call. Orders are not accepted via Email or Social Media

Contact:

Phone: (918) 838-3777

Fax: (918) 836-5517

Mail: 1140 S. 83rd East Ave. Tulsa, OK 74112

Chili Bowl Online:

Website: http://www.chilibowl.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/chilibowlnationals

Twitter: (@cbnationals)

Official Hashtag: #ChiliBowl2024

Instagram: cbnationals

Chili Bowl Nationals Champions:

Year - Driver (Owner)

2023 - Logan Seavey (Kevin & Jordan Swindell/Curb/Bertrand)

2022 - Tanner Thorson (Andy Reinbold)

2021 - Kyle Larson (Kyle Larson Openwheel)

2020 - Kyle Larson (Kyle Larson Openwheel, LLC-Mike Larson)

2019 - Christopher Bell (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian)

2018 - Christopher Bell (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian)

2017 - Christopher Bell (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian)

2016 - Rico Abreu (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian)

2015 - Rico Abreu (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian)

2014 - Bryan Clauson (Joe Dooling/Rusty Kunz/Curb Records)

2013 - Kevin Swindell (Swindell Motorsports/Curb Records)

2012 - Kevin Swindell (Swindell Motorsports/Curb Records)

2011 - Kevin Swindell (Swindell Motorsports/Curb Records)

2010 - Kevin Swindell (Swindell Motorsports/Curb Records)

2009 - Sammy Swindell (Swindell Motorsports/Curb Records)

2008 - Damion Gardner (Jason Leffler)

2007 - Tony Stewart (Tony Stewart Motorsports)

2006 - Tim McCreadie (Steve Smith)

2005 - Tracy Hines (Wilke - Pak)

2004 - Cory Kruseman (Andy Bondio)

2003 - Dan Boorse (Dan Boorse)

2002 - Tony Stewart (Keith Kunz)

2001 - Jay Drake (Keith Kunz)

2000 - Cory Kruseman (Andy Bondio)

1999 - Dan Boorse (Dan Boorse)

1998 - Sammy Swindell (Pete Willoughby)

1997 - Billy Boat (John Lawson)

1996 - Sammy Swindell (Rusty Kunz / Jay McKinnie)

1995 - Donnie Beechler (Zarounian Motorsports)

1994 - Andy Hillenburg (Keith Kunz / Rusty Kunz)

1993 - Dave Blaney (Ralph Potter)

1992 - Sammy Swindell (Dave Ellis)

1991 - Lealand McSpadden (Andy Bondio)

1990 - John Heydenreich (Tony Finley)

1989 - Sammy Swindell (Jack Runyon)

1988 - Scott Hatton (Jerry Hatton)

1987 - Rich Vogler (Bob Lowe)

O’Reilly Auto Parts Race of Champions: Spencer Bayston (2023), Justin Grant (2022), Christopher Bell (2021 and 2020), Tanner Thorson (2019 and 2016), Chad Boat (2018), Kyle Larson (2017 and 2014), Sammy Swindell (2015, 2012, 2011, 2009), Kevin Swindell (2013), Brad Loyet (2010)

Trade Show: A long-standing tradition at the Chili Bowl, the Trade Show, which is open to the public each day (Monday through Saturday), is free of charge. All variety of racing products, apparel, and more is available with well over 100 vendors. The Trade Show still has space available. Anyone looking to be a part of the Trade Show can contact the Chili Bowl office at 918-838-3777. The Trade Show covers approximately 20,000 square feet.

 

 

Devil’s Bowl Winter Nationals Will Decide 2023 ASCS National Title Chase

Bryan Hulbert – MESQUITE, Texas (October 5, 2023) With the recent cancellation of events by Lake Ozark Speedway on October 27 and 28, the 2023 chase to the championship with the American Sprint Car Series presented by RacinDirt.com will be settled at the 50th annual Devil’s Bowl Winter Nationals on Friday, October 13, and Saturday, October 14.

The rescheduled COMP Cams Short Track Nationals the following week is a show-up points event, with all participants receiving 100 points once checked in.

Going into the final two-point paying nights, the fight comes down to Jason Martin and Matt Covington, with a 67-point gap separating the two from their first National Tour title and a $50,000 payday.

Looking through the top ten, several positions are still in the air, starting with third place. Held by Jordon Mallett, the Greenbrier, Ark. shoe holds a slim 38-point advantage over leading Brodix Rookie of the Year, Howard Moore. Only 63 back from Mallett and 25 from Moore sits Brandon Anderson in fifth.

Kyler Johnson sits sixth, followed by Landon Britt, who has made a comeback from being as far back as tenth after being forced to miss a weekend, but the margin is only 16 over Christopher Townsend. Michael Day and Chris Morgan make up the top ten.

The most visited track in the history of the American Sprint Car Series presented by RacinDirt.com, the upcoming Winter Nationals will be rounds 106 and 107 at the famed half-mile. The 2022 event saw a sweep by Blake Hahn.

Friday, October 13, and Saturday, October 14, the Pits will open at 2:00 P.M. Grandstands at 5:00 P.M. will be followed by racing at 8:00 P.M. (CDT). Along with the American Sprint Car Series presented by RacinDirt.com, Limited Modifieds and Factory Stocks will be on the card Friday, with A-Modifieds and RaceSaver Sprint Cars on Saturday.

Tickets are $25 per night for adults, $15 for seniors, youth (13-15), and military. Kids 12 and under get in the stands for free. Pits are $35 each night. Devil’s Bowl Speedway is located at 1711 Lawson Rd. in Mesquite, Texas. For tickets and directions, log onto http://www.devilsbowl.com or call (972) 222-2421.

The 2023 season will mark the 32nd year of competition for the American Sprint Car Series. Spearheaded by the American Sprint Car Series National Tour, the ASCS Nation includes Regional Tours that encompass both wing and non-wing competition.

Live coverage of the American Sprint Car Series can be found at http://www.racindirt.com. Fans can choose to subscribe for $32.99 a month or $199.99 a year. RacinDirt.com broadcasts can be viewed on your Smart TV, Mobile Devices, and your Laptop or Computer. New subscribers can receive 25% off when they use promo code ASCS2023 at checkout.

For other news, notes, and information on any of the tours under the ASCS banner, log onto http://www.ascsracing.com, follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@ascsracing).

 

Short Track Nationals Reset for
October 19-21 Due to Excessive Rain


Lonnie Wheatley, TEXARKANA, Ark. (October 4, 2023) – Even with a new locale, it simply wouldn’t be the Short Track Nationals without some interaction with Mother Nature.

With the 36th edition of the American Sprint Car Series-sanctioned event set for Texarkana 67 Speedway this weekend after 35 years at Little Rock’s I-30 Speedway, heavy rain overnight Wednesday and throughout the day with more expected through Thursday has left the facility unsuitable for racing action this weekend with the track and pit area already waterlogged.

As such, the event has been reset for the scheduled rain date of October 19-21.

The official statement from the track as posted on social media reads as follows:

“As bad as we hate to cancel this weekend's event, the track has received over 6” of rain with a lot more on the way. The facility is underwater. We will be postponing the event until October 19-21.Thank you to everyone that pre-entered and to the racers and fans that were committed to attending. We hope you will join us in two weeks. Drivers that pre-entered, if you cannot attend please send us a message for a refund of your entry fee."

The event will now kick off with the $4,646-to-win 16th Annual ASCS Mid-South Ralph Henson Memorial on Thursday, October 19, with the 36th Annual COMP Cams Short Track Nationals presented by Hoosier Tires & Ark-La-Tex Lawn and Landscape taking place on Friday and Saturday, October 20-21, culminating with the 41-lap, $20,000-to-win STN championship feature event.

There are currently 61 drivers from 15 different states entered for the event ASCS National Championship series-sanctioned event.

The Current Short Track Nationals Entries:

0-Mike Vaculik (Hot Springs, AR)

1-Sean McClelland (Tulsa, OK)

1d-Prestin Dalton (Millington, TN)

1jr-Steven Russell (Rochester, IL)

2-Whit Gastineau (Moore, OK)

2-Chase Porter (St. Joseph, MO)

2-Jason Shavers (Canton, MS)

2c-Wayne Johnson (Oklahoma City, OK)

2T-Todd Bradford (Arlington, TN)

3-Howard Moore (Memphis, TN)

4-Tuesday Calderwood (Goodyear, AZ)

4-Chase Johnson (Penngrove, CA)

4x-Brad Bowden (Hernando, MS)

6-Koty Adams (Haughton, LA)

6-Christopher Townsend (La Porte, TX)

G6-Cody Gardner (Benton, AR)

7c-Chris Morgan (Topeka, KS)

8m-Kade Morton (Coweta, OK)

9jr-Derek Hagar (Marion, AR)

10-Landon Britt (Memphis, TN)

10-Brock Lemley (Sedro Woolley, WA)

10k-Dewayne White (Byhalia, MS)

11n-Harli White (Lindsay, OK)

12-Jeffrey Newell (Tulsa, OK)

12m-Greg Merritt (Nesbit, MS)

12x-Garet Williamson (Columbia, MO)

13-Chase Howard (Nesbit, MS)

14-Jordon Mallett (Greenbrier, AR)

14T-Tim Estenson (Fargo, ND)

15h-Sam Hafertepe, Jr. (Sunnyvale, TX)

21m-Spencer Meredith (Hernando, MS)

22m-Rees Moran (Tulsa, OK)

23-Junior Jenkins (Greenville, TX)

23w-Conner Wray (Olive Branch, MS)

26-Marshall Skinner (W. Memphis, AR)

27J-Joseph Poe, Jr. (Scott, AR)

30-Joseph Miller (Cove, AR)

36-Jason Martin (Liberal, KS)

43-Mark Smith (Sunbury, PA)

44-Ronny Howard (Nesbit, MS)

44-Chris Martin (Ankeny, IA)

45-Mark Huddleston (Genoa, AR)

45x-Kyler Johnson (Quinter, KS)

47-Dale Howard (Byhalia, MS)

47-Sammy Swindell (Germantown, TN)

52-Blake Hahn (Sapulpa, OK)

55b-Brandon Anderson (Glenpool, OK)

71-Channin Tankersley (Arlington, TX)

71b-Brady Baker (Alexander, AR)

79-Gage Montgomery (Fredericktown, MO)

85-Josh McCord (Bossier City, LA)

87J-Jace Park (Overland Park, KS)

88-Austin McCarl (Altoona, IA)

91-Michael Day (Farmersville, TX)

91-Zach Pringle (Benton, AR)

91a-Ernie Ainsworth (Bartlett, TN)

95-Matt Covington (Glenpool, OK)

98p-Miles Paulus (Marshall, MO)

122-Lane Warner (Bloomfield, MO)

132-Jamie Manley (Memphis, TN)

938-Bradley Fezard (Bonnerdale, AR)

Pre-Entry Deadline

The pre-entry deadline of October 2 has passed, however post-entries will be $150 with no driver pit pass included. Entries may be submitted at https://www.67speedwayoftexarkana.com/driverinfo/.

There is no pre-entry for the Ralph Henson Memorial.

The Pertinent Info:

The What: 36th Annual COMP Cams Short Track Nationals presented by Hoosier Tires & Ark-Law-Tex Lawn and Landscape.

The Where: Texarkana 67 Speedway (Texarkana, AR). Texarkana 67 Speedway is located east of Texarkana to I-30 Exit 7, then 0.5 miles southeast on SR 108 then 2.6 miles northeast on US 67.

The When: October 19-21, 2023.

October 19 - Ralph Henson Memorial

October 20 – STN Preliminary action culminating with Twin 25-lap features.

October 21 – STN Championship culminating with $20,000 to win finale.

The Mufflers: Leave ‘em at home, no mufflers required for the event.

The Format: Thursday’s Ralph Henson Memorial will be contested under standard ASCS Mid-South Region format with one of top three finishers eligible for Saturday STN provisional if needed.

Friday’s preliminary event will be contested under a derivative of the All Star Circuit of Champions format, with group qualifying establishing heat race lineups with an invert of four in each heat race. The Friday preliminary will conclude with Twin-25 lap features that each offer up $1,500 to win.

The top two from each of the Twin 25-lap features will be locked into Saturday night’s Pole Dash and the championship main event.

Friday event points accumulated will be carried over to Saturday night, with another set of heats utilizing passing points added to the Friday total to set the championship feature lineups. The top two in combined points from Friday night and the Saturday heat races with join Friday’s four lock-ins in the Pole Dash. The next eight in points will occupy STN championship feature positions 7-14 with the balance of the field in “B” and “C” Mains.

Three will transfer from both “B” Mains to set the 20-car feature field. The 21st position is reserved for a top-three Thursday night finisher if necessary.

The Past STN Winners (All previous events contested at Little Rock’s I-30 Speedway):

2022-Sam Hafertepe, Jr.

2021-Blake Hahn

2020–Sam Hafertepe, Jr.

2019-Blake Hahn

2018-Blake Hahn

2017-Sammy Swindell

2016-Sammy Swindell

2015-Rained Out

2014-Christopher Bell

2013-Sammy Swindell

2012-Paul McMahan

2011-Sammy Swindell

2010-Brad Sweet

2009-Tony Bruce, Jr.

2008-Tony Bruce, Jr.

2007-Jason Meyers

2006-Jason Johnson

2005-Tim Montgomery

2004-Gary Wright

2003-Gary Wright

2002-Paul McMahan

2001-Jason Sides

2000-Mike Ward

1999-Gary Wright

1998-Tim Crawley

1997-Wayne Johnson

1996-Pete Butler

1995-Gary Wright

1994-Terry Gray

1993-John Gerloff

1992-Rained Out

1991-Steve Kinser

1990-Sammy Swindell

1989-Steve Kinser

1988-Steve Kinser

The Past Ralph Henson Memorial Winners (All previous events contested at Little Rock’s I-30 Speedway):

2022 – Aaron Reutzel

2021 – Derek Hagar

2020 – Mark Smith

2019 – Tim Crawley

2018 – Derek Hagar

2017 – Tony Bruce, Jr.

2016 – Derek Hagar

2015 – Tim Crawley

2014 – Jordon Mallett

2013 – Cody Gardner

2012 – Dale Howard

2011 – Zach Pringle

2010 – Zach Pringle

2009 - Jeff Swindell

2008 – Gary Wright

The Feature Purse:

Thursday: 1. $4,646, 2. $1,250, 3. $1,100, 4. $800, 5. $700, 6. $600, 7. $500, 8. $400, 9. $300, 10. $250, 11. $250, 12. $250, 13. $250, 14. $250, 15. $250, 16. $250, 17. $250, 18. $250, 19. $250, 20. $250.

Friday (Twin Features): 1. $1,500, 2. $750, 3. $650, 4. $625, 5. $600, 6. $550, 7. $525, 8. $500, 9. $450, 10. $400, 11. $350, 12. $325, 13. $300, 14. $275, 15. $250, 16. $250, 17. $250, 18. $250, 19. $250, 20. $250.

Saturday: 1. $20,000, 2. $5,000, 3. $2,500, 4. $2,200, 5. $2,000, 6. $1,700, 7. $1,600, 8. $1,500, 9. $1,400, 10. $1,350, 11. $1,300, 12. $1,200, 13. $1,150, 14. $1,100, 15. $1,000, 16. $1,000, 17. $1,000, 18. $1,000, 19. $1,000, 20. $1,000.

The Tickets:

Thursday: Pits $35. Grandstand for Adults $25, Military $20 (with ID), Kids 6-11 $5 accompanied by an adult and 5 and under free.

Friday: Pits $35. Grandstand for Adults $25, Military $20 (with ID), Kids 6-11 $5 accompanied by an adult and 5 and under free.

Saturday: Pits $40. Grandstand for Adults $30, Military $25 (with ID), Kids 6-11 $5 accompanied by an adult and 5 and under free.

Driver pit pass for Friday and Saturday is included in the $100 entry fee if submitted by the deadline.

Tickets will be available at the gate each day with gates with grandstands opening daily at 5:00 p.m. Debit/credit cards are accepted at the front gate and concessions.

Free camping is available on a first-come, first-served basis along the west side tree line with no water or electrical hookups.

The Broadcast: If you can’t make it to the STN, watch live at https://flosports.link/3ECzSVP.

For more information regarding the 36th Annual COMP Cams Short Track Nationals presented by Hoosier Tires at Texarkana 67 Speedway, check online at www.67speedwayoftexarkana.com, call 870-648-5688 or email tcrawley87@yahoo.com.

 

 

 

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