Seth Bergman has nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Sitting 118 points from the top of the American Sprint Car Series points standings with three races remaining, the 2024 champion knows the work ahead of him in the three-driver fight. Despite the stakes, the work isn’t adding stress to the veteran.
“Right now, the position we’re in, we’ve got nothing to lose,” Bergman said. “Two years ago, when we led all year, there was a lot more pressure then, and there’s more to think about when you’re the guy on the top. I feel like you got to be careful, a little bit cautious, and think more when you’re in that spot.
“Our goal is to win, and we’re in a position where we’re behind. The pressure is going out trying to make sure our cars and things are performing like they need to. We have the pace, and for me, it’s being precise and doing what I need to do. We just need three solid nights where we can try to win, not let Sam or Matt capitalize, and really, there’s not a lot of pressure in that because we’re chasing them.”
The Snohomish, WA native has endured a year that includes four Series wins while battling unseasoned woes that hurt his championship hopes towards the end of the campaign. Still, he is determined to stay in the conversation with Sam Hafertepe Jr. and Matt Covington after Saturday night at RPM Speedway.
When the ASCS National Tour visited the Crandall, TX track for the first time in 2024, Bergman took his No. 23 machine to Victory Lane as he drove to the year’s points crown. He’ll use the past laps and the time around the mid-south tracks in the season to stay at the top from the start.
“It’s a place that’s been good to us for a while,” Bergman said. “We had a really good 1/4-mile package, and we fudged it up a few times this year. But we’re rolling in there with a good game plan, and I feel like if we’re right on it, it should be a good opportunity for us to chalk up a win. It’s really simple; the mentality is to go in there and maximize everything we can through these last three races.”
The National Tour and ASCS Sooner Region will close the year with a return to Creek County Speedway for the Fuzzy’s Fall Fling on Oct. 16-17. After picking up two top-fives and three top-10s in three races at the Sapulpa, OK track in June between ASCS and POWRi, Bergman expects similar track conditions in the fall as in the summer.
“Right now, here in Tulsa, it’s been almost 90 degrees every day,” Bergman said. “So if that trend continues into next week, I don’t think you’ll see too much of a difference. I know at night it’s going to cool down a little bit, so if anything, you might see a little bit more grip in the track. But I expect to see a really racey Creek. We’re going to have moisture in the track, but I think it’s going to be slick as well. I think the racing will be similar; it’d just be a little more enjoyable with some cooler temps.”
While Creek County marks the starting point of a 109-day wait until Sprint Cars roar back to life at Volusia Speedway Park for the 57th Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals, the veteran’s offseason work has already begun.
Bergman continues to review the good and bad from the year to see where he can improve and what areas he can toy with before Sprint Cars roar back to life in February.
“Our offseason has been in the works for a couple months already,” Bergman said. “Because the time off is so short now, our downtime here has us doing a lot of our offseason work to get things lined up and prepared. When we run at Creek and go home, we can get right into the work and be ahead of schedule.
“It’s more so about learning what held us back this year. We’re coming up with plans on how to fix those areas that we felt like were hurting us. Then also trying to build a stronger team, like we want to be an elite team no matter what we do or where we go. That comes down to having the right personnel, making sure cars and the engine program are where they need to be, getting parts in order, then having the goals in mind for the offseason that will set us up in a good position for next year.”
Bergman will go after his second Emmett Hahn Trophy in the final three races of the 2026 season with RPM on Saturday, Oct. 10, and Creek County on Friday-Saturday, Oct. 16-17. The ASCS Sooner Region will join the National Tour to determine its newest champion.
How can you find info for RPM? Click here
How can you find info for Creek County? Click here
Where can you watch every lap of the American Sprint Car Series? Live on DIRTVision.
