Saturday night in Oklahoma will decide the newest American Sprint Car Series champion.
The 11th annual Fuzzy’s Fall Fling at Creek County Speedway on Oct. 17 will feature a dual-driver title fight as Sam Hafertepe Jr. and Matt Covington square off to close the 2026 book on the ASCS National Tour.
They’ve led most of the season’s stat categories. But the one they want to lead most will earn them the Emmett Hahn Championship Trophy at the conclusion of the 30-lap, $10,000-to-win finale.
Let’s take a look at the season’s high numbers:
11 – Hafertepe knew how to get a fast start, racking up the majority of Quick Time awards from the 2026 season. While Covington is second with four Quick Time honors, the Glenpool, OK native has 11 Heat race wins in 2026, the most of all drivers. Hafertepe is third in the category with six victories in the eight-lap contests.
17 – Both drivers have made an equal number of appearances in the Honest Abe Roofing Dash through 2026 with 17 for each. Adding to the equal numbers from the collection of five-lap sprints, they each share a season-high split of four Dash wins.
6 – Hafertepe owns the most wins of all Series drivers for the ninth time in a single season, with visits to Victory Lane coming at Belleville High Banks twice, Dodge City Raceway Park, Big Sky Speedway, Gallatin Speedway, and Electric City Speedway. Covington owns two National Tour wins in 2026, coming at Central Arizona Speedway and Batesville Motor Speedway, and won with the Hurricane Area Super Sprints in May.
3 – Earning a championship takes more than winning Feature races. Consistent top-five and top-10 finishes without major trouble can help a driver stay in the fight for a championship. While Covington never left a night with a DNF, Hafertepe endured three nights where his Townline Variety No. 15H did not cross the checkered flag. Covington capitalized on Hafertepe’s woes by finishing runner-up at Creek County in June, winning at Batesville, and taking fourth in the Big Sky opener.
5.20 – Covington made the most of his season-leading Heat wins, with his Honest Abe Roofing Dash visits helping him earn the highest average start of all full-time competitors, with an average start of 5.20. In 17 top-five Series starts, Covington missed a top-five finish twice in 2026. Hafertepe is second in the overall average with a 5.73.
5.96 – Despite Covington owning the highest start, Hafertepe leads all drivers in the average finishing column with a 5.96. His 18 top-fives in the year include his six Feature wins and 13 podium appearances, a Series high in all categories. Covington is right behind Hafertepe in second with a 6.16 average finishing position.
7 – Hafertepe is looking to join an elite club in the world of sports as the first seven-time ASCS National Tour champion. If he completes the mark, Saturday’s stand at Creek County will leave Hafertepe with the closest career points margin he’s faced for the championship.
1 – Covington is one race away from quenching the satisfaction of a first Emmett Hahn Trophy after traveling with the national-touring 360 Sprint Cars since 2014. Covington has won ASCS championships in the Sooner, Warrior, and Lone Star regions, but Saturday’s test will be the biggest of his career.
21 – The points margin has stayed razor-thin throughout the 2026 ASCS National Tour as Hafertepe and Covington prepare for the final dual at Creek County. Covington’s goal is simple: win at all costs. If his Reece Construction No. 95 finishes the 30-lap Feature on the top step, Hafertepe needs to finish fourth or better to clinch the championship.
Hafertepe and Covington will take center stage in the final 2026 chapter for the American Sprint Car Series at Creek County Speedway for Fuzzy’s Fall Fling on Saturday, Oct. 17. The ASCS Sooner Region will be in attendance to crown their champion.
Where can you find information for Saturday’s Fuzzy’s Fall Fling program? Click Here
Where can you watch every lap of the American Sprint Car Series? Live on DIRTVision.
