ASCS National Tour / Sooner Region

Seventy-nine wins may not be the typical, even-numbered milestone commonly celebrated in sports, but for Sam Hafertepe Jr., it’s one of the biggest he’s reached. His Feature win Saturday night at Salina Highbanks Speedway tied him with the late Jason Johnson for second-most in American Sprint Car Series (ASCS) National Tour history.

Hafertepe, the 39-year-old five-time Tour champion from Sunnyvale, TX, dominated the main event — co-sanctioned by the ASCS Sooner Region — leading flag-to-flag for his 79th career Tour victory and second of his career at Salina over Seth Bergman and Sean McClelland.

The win holds great significance for Hafertepe as a driver and for the Hill’s Racing Team, who has had Hafertepe in the seat of the Townland Variety No. 15H since 2018, winning 49 Tour races since joining forces. Hafertepe and Johnson competed against each other full-time on the National Tour in 2014 — the year of Johnson’s last ASCS championship and his final full-time season in the 360 ranks before committing to the full World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series schedule the following year.