The home state of the American Sprint Car Series returns to stir the championship hunt with a two-day swing in the heart of Summer.
The ASCS National Tour visit to Arkansas will begin at Batesville Motor Speedway on Friday, July 10, to make up for a postponement from the previous month. After the battle at the 3/8-mile dirt oval, the Series heads to the state line on Saturday as Texarkana 67 Speedway hosts the Ralph Henson Memorial on July 11.
Tickets for Batesville will be available at the track on Friday, while you can purchase tickets for Texarkana online. Hot Laps at Batesville will begin at 7:30 p.m CT, and Texarkana will start at 7 p.m on Saturday.
Here are the top storylines to look for:
Razorback Heritage – The American Sprint Car Series owes much of its history to “The Natural State” by helping Emmett Hahn’s vision come to life at Little Rock, AR’s I-30 Speedway on May 15, 1993.
In the 35th season of ASCS racing, Arkansas will see the National Tour visit twice in 2026 with the Batesville and Texarkana doubleheader, then Riverside International Speedway is slated for racing with King of the Ditch II on August 22.
On Saturday, Texarkana will honor the life of Ralph Henson, a Little Rock native who raced motorcycles and Sprint Cars around the state until his passing in 2007. Originally held on the same weekend as the Short Track Nationals at I-30 Speedway beginning in 2008, the event was moved to Texarkana after I-30 closed in 2022 and has remained an ASCS staple event.
Sweeping Belleville – Sam Hafertepe Jr. silenced the questions about when his first American Sprint Car Series Feature win was going to arrive in 2026 with a dominating weekend in The Big One at Belleville High Banks.
The Sunnyvale, TX native had a perfect run on both Friday and Saturday by leading a combined 40 laps between the night’s Features to leave the month of June with a $14,000 deposit and an even score of 90 in career Series wins.
The pilot of the Hill’s Racing Team No. 15H extended the points lead to 52 over Matt Covington as he seeks a first win at Batesville with previous National Tour finishes of second and fifth. At Texarkana, he’s gunning for a third-straight National Tour win with victories the past two years.
Knocking Podiums – Matt Covington is looking for his second win of the season since he last parked in Victory Lane at Central Arizona Raceway.
That hasn’t stopped him from placing the Triple X Chassis No. 95 on the podium, finishing within the top three in four of the past five Features.
While the deficit to Hafertepe has widened, the Glenpool, OK driver looks to the Arkansas weekend as a chance to swing momentum in his direction. He’s never finished outside of the top-10 at Batesville with a career-high of third in 2024. Covington won at Texarkana in 2012 with the former ASCS Lone Star Region and has finished on the podium at the track in the last two National Tour visits.
Making Moves – The halfway mark of the 2026 American Sprint Car Series approaches as the full-time competitors seek to improve their place inside the championship’s top-10.
While Whit Gastineau finished seventh on Friday and a runner-up on Saturday at Belleville, Kyler Johnson’s finishes of 12th and ninth, respectively, moved the Moore, OK native ahead by 39 points for fourth place.
Between sixth and ninth place in the rundown stands a 26-point difference that includes Ryder LaPlante, Brogan Carder, Austyn Gossel, and Terry Easum. Easum has the best finish at Batesville of the four drivers with a sixth-place run from 2025, while Gossel has the highest result at Texarkana with an eighth in 2024.
THIS WEEKEND AT A GLANCE
WHEN AND WHERE
Friday, July 10, at Batesville Motor Speedway in Batesville, AR
Saturday, July 11, at Texarkana 67 Speedway in Texarkana, AR
AROUND THE CORNER
Saturday, July 25, at Dodge City Raceway Park in Dodge City, KS
CURRENT TOP-10 STANDINGS
- Sam Hafertepe Jr. (1457pts)
- Matt Covington (-52)
- Seth Bergman (-68)
- Whit Gastineau (-205)
- Kyler Johnson (-244)
- Ryder LaPlante (-364)
- Brogan Carder (-370)
- Austyn Gossel (-386)
- Terry Easum (-390)
- Cole Schroeder (-419)
FEATURE WINNERS (9 Drivers)
2 wins – Sam Hafertepe Jr., Seth Bergman, Justin Peck, Tyler Courtney
1 win – Blake Hahn, Chris Martin, Brady Bacon, Levi Hillier, Matt Covington
FEATURE LAPS LED (16 Drivers)
52 laps – Justin Peck
43 laps – Sam Hafertepe Jr.
30 laps – Levi Hillier, Blake Hahn
22 laps – Chris Martin
21 laps – Austin McCarl
20 laps – Seth Bergman
19 laps – Matt Covington
18 laps – Brady Bacon
16 laps – Cameron Martin
13 laps – Brian Brown
10 laps – Kyler Johnson
9 laps – Whit Gastineau
7 laps – Cole Macedo
6 laps – Tyler Courtney
3 laps – Sean McClelland
QUICK TIME AWARDS (7 Drivers)
6 awards – Sam Hafertepe Jr
1 award – Seth Bergman, Howard Moore, Chris Martin, Levi Hillier, Kyler Johnson, Matt Covington
HEAT RACE WINNERS (23 Drivers)
5 wins – Matt Covington
4 wins – Seth Bergman
3 wins – Sam Hafertepe Jr, Whit Gastineau, Garrett Benson
2 wins – Chris Martin, Justin Peck
1 win – Jordan Mallett, Sean McClelland, Cam Martin, Brady Bacon, Tyler Clem, Emerson Axsom, Brian Brown, Cole Macedo, Garen Linder, Colby Copeland, Nick Parker, Hank Davis, Ryder Laplante, JJ Hickle, Kyler Johnson, Alex Hill, Jeremy Campbell, Blake Hahn, Kade Morton, Alex Sewell
DASH STARTS (34 Drivers)
11 starts – Sam Hafertepe Jr
9 starts – Matt Covington
6 starts – Kyler Johnson, Seth Bergman, Whit Gastineau
4 starts – Levi Hillier
3 starts – Chris Martin, Tyler Courtney, Brian Brown, Justin Peck
2 starts – Camerson Martin, Emerson Axsom, Austin McCarl, Brady Bacon, Davie Franek, Garrett Benson
1 start – Jordan Mallett, Howard Moore, Paul Solomon, Brock Zearfoss, Cole Macedo, Tyler Clem, Hank Davis, Ryder Laplante, Nick Parker, Colby Copeland, Garen Linder, JJ Hickle, Alex Hill, Blake Hahn, Alex Sewell, Kade Morton, Jeremy Campbell, Bryant Wiedeman
SMITH TITANIUM LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINNERS (7 Drivers)
2 wins – Braxton Weger
1 win – DJ Christie, Matt Covington, Tyler Clem, Whit Gastineau, Sterling Cling, Gage Montgomery
HARD CHARGER AWARDS (11 Drivers)
2 awards – Whit Gastineau
1 award – Seth Bergman, Ryder Laplante, Brady Bacon, Cole Macedo, Sam Hafertepe Jr., DJ Netto, Brogan Carder, Joe B. Miller, Bradley Fezard, Hayden Mabe, Jack Thomas
PODIUM FINISHES (18 Drivers)
7 podiums – Sam Hafertepe Jr.
6 podiums – Matt Covington
3 podiums – Justin Peck, Seth Bergman
2 podiums – Tyler Courtney, Brady Bacon, Austin McCarl, Levi Hillier, Whit Gastineau
1 podium – Cole Macedo, Emerson Axsom, Brock Zearfoss, Kyler Johnson, JJ Hickle, Jordan Mallett, Chris Martin, Blake Hahn, Alex Sewell, Garrett Benson
2026 AMERICAN SPRINT CAR SERIES SCHEDULE + WINNERS
Date / Track / City, State / Winner (Total Wins)
- Thu, Jan. 29 / Volusia Speedway Park /Barberville, FL / Tyler Courtney
- Fri, Jan. 30 / Volusia Speedway Park /Barberville, FL / Tyler Courtney (2)
- Mon, Feb. 2 / Volusia Speedway Park /Barberville, FL / Brady Bacon
- Sat, Feb. 21 / Central Arizona Raceway / Casa Grande, AZ / Justin Peck
- Sun, Feb. 21 / Central Arizona Raceway / Casa Grande, AZ / Matt Covington
- Sat, Feb. 28 / Central Arizona Raceway / Casa Grande, AZ / Justin Peck (2)
- Sun, Mar. 1 / Central Arizona Raceway / Casa Grande, AZ / Levi Hillier
- Sat, Apr. 11 / Salina Highbanks Speedway / Salina, OK / Chris Martin
- Fri, May 8 / Benton Speedway / Benton, MO / Seth Bergman
- Fri, June 5 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK / Blake Hahn
- Sat, June 6 / 81 Speedway / Park City, KS / Seth Bergman (2)
- Fri, June 26 / Belleville High Banks / Belleville, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr.
- Sat, June 27 / Belleville High Banks / Belleville, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (2)
