The quest for the 2026 American Sprint Car Series championship is nearing its close with two of the final five races ahead.
The final weekend of ASCS National Tour racing in September begins with a trip toward Central Missouri for a Saturday night battle at Moberly Motorsports Park on Sept. 12. On Sunday, the Series will travel westbound to Lincoln, NE, for the Stewart Alley Memorial at Eagle Raceway. Eagle will offer the night’s winner a $10,022 payday and $1,000-to-start.
The National Tour will also be joined by the Malvern Bank ASCS Midwest Region presented by Hoosier through the two nights, with the weekend marking the start of the final five events in 2026 for both tours.
Looking for info about Moberly? CLICK HERE
Looking for info about Eagle? CLICK HERE
Here’s a look at the top storylines:
Cool Under Pressure – Sam Hafertepe Jr. had the weekend he needed to win a seventh Series championship with a memorable Frontier Speedweek.
On Friday at Gallatin Speedway, Hafertepe worked from a sixth-place start through 24 laps to pass Seth Bergman in the final set of turns around the cushion for a 0.198-second margin of victory. Electric City Speedway on Saturday was a smoother ride for Hafertepe as he led 30 laps for his 94th career National Tour win.
Commanding the standings by 22 points over Matt Covington, Hafertepe returns to Moberly for the first time since 2017, when he finished second to Brian Brown. The Sunnyvale, TX native has finished on the podium at Eagle in the last two Series visits, but has yet to win at the Nebraska track.
Not Out – Matt Covington has kept his championship hopes alive throughout Frontier Speedweek despite Hafertepe scoring three wins in the five-race stretch.
The Glenpool, OK native kept his No. 95 Reece Construction Sprint Car within the top five in every Feature, including two podiums from Sheridan Speedway and Electric City. Covington also started on the front row in three Frontier Speedweek races.
The ASCS veteran faces the final five challenges ahead to earn his first career Emmett Hahn Trophy in 2026. He finished seventh in his only Series start at Moberly in 2017 and boasts two Series podiums at Eagle from 2015 and 2019. In the 2025 “Cornhusker State” visit, Covington finished seventh.
Four-Way Fight – Frontier Speedweek added new points battles within the top 10 as multiple drivers try to finish the year with career-high markings.
Montana rookie Cole Schroeder kept the positive momentum rolling in the final Montana weekend with a top-five at Gallatin and a top-10 finish at Electric City to pass Austyn Gossel for sixth in the Series points standings by a one-point margin.
Sophomore driver Brogan Carder brought steam from a career-high top five at Sheridan to finish eighth at Gallatin for his sixth top-10 of the season. The Sioux Falls, SD native is in the meat of the points battle, sitting eighth in the standings, 22 points back from Gossel and 25 ahead of Terry Easum.
Midwestern Might – The ASCS Midwest Region has seen a close fight for championship honors in its revival season, with two drivers hoping to make 2026 the year of a first title.
Bates City, MO’s Jack Thomas leads the way with title opponent Joey Danley sitting 24 points behind. Thomas will make his first start at Moberly this weekend in a 360 Sprint Car, after owning a top-five finish at Eagle in May.
Danley made his first start at Moberly in 2025, finishing in second place to Dustin Selvage. The Lincoln, NE native has a wealth of knowledge around Eagle with three track wins. His most recent triumph came on Saturday night with his first Racesaver Nationals victory.
THIS WEEKEND AT A GLANCE
WHEN AND WHERE
Saturday, Sept. 12, at Moberly Motorsports Park in Moberly, MO
Sunday, Sept. 13, at Eagle Raceway in Eagle, NE
AROUND THE CORNER
Saturday, Oct. 10, at RPM Speedway in Crandall, TX
CURRENT TOP-10 STANDINGS
- Sam Hafertepe Jr. (2638 pts)
- Matt Covington (-22)
- Seth Bergman (-82)
- Kyler Johnson (-264)
- Ryder LaPlante (-435)
- Cole Schroeder (-548)
- Austyn Gossel (-549)
- Brogan Carder (-571)
- Terry Easum (-596)
- Whit Gastineau (-1067)
FEATURE WINNERS (13 Drivers)
6 wins – Sam Hafertepe Jr.
4 wins – Seth Bergman
3 wins – Tyler Courtney
2 wins – Justin Peck, Matt Covington
1 win – Kyler Johnson, Blake Hahn, Chris Martin, Brady Bacon, Levi Hillier, Gio Scelzi, Ryan Timms, Jett Barnes
FEATURE LAPS LED (21 Drivers)
102 laps – Sam Hafertepe Jr.
73 laps – Seth Bergman
54 laps – Kyler Johnson
52 laps – Justin Peck
37 laps – Jett Barnes
34 laps – Matt Covington
30 laps – Levi Hillier, Blake Hahn, Ryan Timms
29 laps – Brady Bacon
24 laps – Austyn Gossel
22 laps – Chris Martin
21 laps – Austin McCarl
20 laps – Gio Scelzi
16 laps – Cameron Martin
15 laps – Tyler Courtney
13 laps – Brian Brown
9 laps – Whit Gastineau
7 laps – Cole Macedo
3 laps – Sean McClelland
2 laps – Brady Baker
QUICK TIME AWARDS (10 Drivers)
10 awards – Sam Hafertepe Jr
4 awards – Matt Covington
2 awards – Kyler Johnson, Jett Barnes
1 award – Seth Bergman, Howard Moore, Chris Martin, Levi Hillier, Aaron Reutzel, Brogan Carder
HEAT RACE WINNERS (42 Drivers)
9 wins – Matt Covington
8 wins – Seth Bergman
6 wins – Sam Hafertepe Jr.
5 wins – Ryder Laplante
4 wins – Garrett Benson
3 wins – Whit Gastineau, Justin Peck, Kyler Johnson
2 wins – Chris Martin, Austyn Gossel
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, JJ Hickle, Alex Hill, Jeremy Campbell, Blake Hahn, Kade Morton, Alex Sewell, Brady Baker, Howard Moore, John Carney II, Tanner Holmes, Austin McCarl, Matt Juhl, Tyler Courtney, Ryan Timms, Tasker Phillips, Clint Garner, Evan Semerad, Brogan Carder, Cole Schroeder, Jett Barnes
DASH STARTS (42 Drivers)
15 starts – Sam Hafertepe Jr., Matt Covington
11 starts – Kyler Johnson
9 starts – Seth Bergman
7 starts – Whit Gastineau
5 starts – Ryder Laplante
4 starts – Levi Hillier
3 starts – Chris Martin, Tyler Courtney, Brian Brown, Justin Peck, Garrett Benson, Jett Barnes, Brogan Carder
2 starts – Camerson Martin, Emerson Axsom, Austin McCarl, Brady Bacon, Davie Franek, Howard Moore, Austyn Gossel, Cole Schroeder
1 start – Jordan Mallett, Paul Solomon, Brock Zearfoss, Cole Macedo, Tyler Clem, Hank Davis, Nick Parker, Colby Copeland, Garen Linder, JJ Hickle, Alex Hill, Blake Hahn, Alex Sewell, Kade Morton, Jeremy Campbell, Bryant Wiedeman, Brady Baker, Rich Bailey, Terry Easum, Paxton Fleming
LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINNERS (14 Drivers)
2 wins – Braxton Weger, Rico Abreu
1 win – DJ Christie, Matt Covington, Tyler Clem, Whit Gastineau, Sterling Cling, Gage Montgomery, Brogan Carder, Bradley Fezard, Chris Martin, Cole Schroeder, Kade Morton, Zach Blurton
HARD CHARGER AWARDS (20 Drivers)
3 awards – Seth Bergman, Whit Gastineau
2 awards – Sam Hafertepe Jr.
1 award – Ryder Laplante, Brady Bacon, Cole Macedo, DJ Netto, Brogan Carder, Joe B. Miller, Bradley Fezard, Hayden Mabe, Jack Thomas, Kyler Johnson, Casey Wills, Riley Goodno, Tasker Phillips, Rico Abreu, Cole Schroeder, Zach Blurton, Sheldon Bender
PODIUM FINISHES (30 Drivers)
12 podiums – Sam Hafertepe Jr.
11 podiums – Matt Covington
7 podiums – Seth Bergman
4 podiums – Kyler Johnson, Tyler Courtney
3 podiums – Garrett Benson, Justin Peck, Whit Gastineau, Brady Bacon
2 podiums – Austin McCarl, Levi Hillier, Austyn Gossel, Ryan Timms, Aaron Reutzel
1 podium – Cole Macedo, Emerson Axsom, Brock Zearfoss, JJ Hickle, Jordan Mallett, Chris Martin, Blake Hahn, Alex Sewell, Christopher Townsend, Gio Scelzi, Kyle Larson, Ryder Laplante, Cole Schroeder, Zach Blurton, Jett Barnes
2026 AMERICAN SPRINT CAR SERIES SCHEDULE + WINNERS
Date / Track / City, State / Winner (Total Wins)
*Denotes Split-Field Prelim Feature
- 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)
- Fri, July 10 / Batesville Motor Speedway / Locust Grove, AR / Matt Covington (2)
- Sat, July 11 / Texarkana 67 Speedway / Texarkana, AR / Seth Bergman (3)
- Sat, July 25 / Dodge City Raceway Park / Dodge City, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (3)
- Sat, Aug. 1 / Viking Speedway / Alexandria, MN / Kyler Johnson
- *Thu, Aug. 6 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Gio Scelzi
- *Fri, Aug. 7 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Tyler Courtney
- Sat, Aug. 8 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Ryan Timms
- Fri, Aug. 28 / Big Sky Speedway / Shepherd, MT / Seth Bergman (4)
- Sat, Aug. 29 / Big Sky Speedway / Shepherd, MT / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (4)
- Sun, Aug. 30 / Sheridan Speedway / Sheridan, WY / Jett Barnes
- Fri, Sept. 4 / Gallatin Speedway / Belgrade, MT / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (5)
- Sat, Sept. 5 / Electric City Speedway / Black Eagle, MT / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (6)
