The 35th consecutive season of American Sprint Car Series (ASCS) racing begins in one month, Thursday–Saturday, Jan. 29–31, with more money and a new format on tap to open the 55th annual Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park.
For the second-straight year, 360 Sprint Car drivers from around the country will converge on the historic 1/2-mile oval in Barberville, Florida — approximately 30 minutes west from the famed Daytona International Speedway. Series regulars are projected to meet a host of national and regional 410 Sprint Car talent in the multi-day affair as the invaders prepare for competition with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series the following week.
2026 will bring a new challenge to the ASCS portion of the program with a new cash bonus for top performers. Both Thursday and Friday programs will be contested under the normal ASCS format and award event points to each driver for their finishes in Qualifying, Heat Races and the 25-lap, $3,000-to-win Feature.
At the conclusion of Friday’s Feature, the top eight drivers in event points standings will be locked into the Honest Abe Roofing Dash on Saturday, while all other drivers will be lined up by event points in one of four Heat Races. The finish of the Dash will set starting positions 1–8 for the main event, while the Heat Races will take the top three finishers to the main event. Non-transfers will be seeded into the Smith Titanium Last Chance Showdown or a C-Main, if necessary.
Saturday’s main event will go 30 laps and award $12,000 to the winner. In addition to the main event purse, the top three finishers in the week-long Big Gator Championship points will receive a cash bonus — $2,000 to the champion, $1,000 to the runner-up and $500 to third place. The iconic DIRTcar Nationals Big Gator trophy will also be awarded to the points champion.
Points toward the overall American Sprint Car Series championship standings will be awarded to each driver based on rank in the final DIRTcar Nationals points standings. All three races will count as a single event toward the standings, meaning the Big Gator champion will earn 150 points, runner-up will earn 142 points, third place receives 135 points and so on, according to the ASCS Feature points scale.
Unlike 2025, the 2026 ASCS season will not include a “drop” race, meaning Volusia results (or lack thereof) will be reflected in each driver’s points total, regardless of full-time status.
In the Series debut last January, Indiana-native Justin Peck scored big, sweeping all three Features, pocketing $18,000 in first-place money and hoisting the Big Gator trophy for the first time in his career. In doing so, Peck became only the third driver in Series history to win the first three races of the season.
Tickets for all three days of ASCS action at DIRTcar Nationals are on sale now; click here to purchase. If you can’t be at the track, stream every lap live on DIRTVision.
IMPORTANT TIMES:
Thursday–Saturday, Jan. 29–31
Pit Gates Open — 1 p.m.
Grandstands Open — 4 p.m.
Hot Laps — 5:30 p.m.
COMPETITOR GUIDE — Click Here
