There’s no time for a post-Speedweek hangover as the American Sprint Car Series National Tour will roar back to life at Batesville Motor Speedway on Saturday, June 22.
The one-night show will feature a standard $4,000-to-win/$400-to-start purse. The Sprint Cars will be joined in the itinerary by IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars, Hobby Stocks, Midwest Modifieds and Factory Stocks.
Tickets will be available at the gate on race day, with live coverage available on DIRTVision for those unable to make it to the track.
Here are the top storylines entering the weekend:
BACK TO BATESVILLE: The National Tour is making its return trip to the Arkansas 3/8-mile for the first time since 2022 after last season’s date was lost to rain.
Batesville was a regular stop for the Series in the late 1990s and early 2000s, but it was off the calendar from 2004 until 2021. Since its return to the schedule, Dale Howard and Tim Crawley won the two races held in 2021 and 2022, respectively.
The only two current full-timers to finish top 10 in both recent Batesville events are Jordon Mallett and Matt Covington, and both will look to use that experience at the track to collect their first Series win of the season.
BERGMAN’S RISE: Seth Bergman has been back in his family-owned No. 23 car for less than a month and has already collected impressive stats.
The Washington native was already the points leader when he switched back, and he turned up the performance even further during Speedweek. Two wins and four podiums in four races was enough for the miniseries title. It also led to him extending his points lead to 172 points over Covington.
This week’s venue could present a challenge as Saturday’s race will serve as Bergman’s Batesville debut. However, this year’s events at Rush County Speedway and Tri-State Speedway also marked Bergman’s first visit to both tracks, and he ended the night in Victory Lane on both occasions.
WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN: Sam Hafertepe Jr. began Speedweek with back-to-back wins at Texarkana 67 Speedway and Creek County Speedway and was in contention for another triumph at Arrowhead Speedway until he jumped the cushion and pounded the wall in Turn 4 coming to the white flag.
Early in the night at Tri-State, Hafertepe appeared to be back on track when he went to the top of the board in his Qualifying group, but engine trouble in his Heat Race brought an early end to his race for the second-straight night.
Midway through Speedweek, it looked like Hafertepe would be heading to Batesville as Seth Bergman’s biggest rival in the championship chase. Instead, he sits fourth in the standings, 180 points behind Bergman entering a track he last raced at 18 years ago.
MARTIN’S MISHAPS: Reigning National Tour champion Jason Martin arrived at Texarkana for the Speedweek opener second in points but fell to fifth before the week was over. Whether it was a rear-end lockup at Texarkana or getting swept up in accidents at Arrowhead and Tri-State, a myriad of issues out of Martin’s control kept him from finishing towards the front.
Martin’s two National Tour Feature starts at Batesville may have been separated by 19 years, but he finished 13th in 2003 and 2022. However, to close his 231-point gap to Bergman, he may need to score a career-best run at the track.
WHEN AND WHERE:
Saturday, June 22, at Batesville Motor Speedway in Locust Grove, AR
AROUND THE TURN:
The American Sprint Car Series National Tour will head to Tulsa Speedway for the inaugural Dirt Down in T-Town on Friday-Saturday, June 28-29.
CURRENT POINT STANDINGS (TOP 10):
FEATURE WINNERS (3):
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 4
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 3
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
QUICK TIME AWARDS (5):
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 4
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 1
Josh McCord – Bossier City, LA – 1
Alex Sewell – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 1
HEAT RACE WINS (19):
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 3
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 3
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 2
Seth Bergman – Snohomsih, WA – 2
Whit Gastineau – Moore, OK – 2
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 2
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 1
Lane Whittington – Denham Springs, LA – 1
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 1
Koty Adams – Haughton, LA – 1
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 1
Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 1
Brekton Crouch – Lubbock, TX – 1
Jeremy Campbell – Wichita, KS – 1
Cody Gardner – Benton, AR – 1
Austyn Gossel – Windsor, CO – 1
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 1
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 1
DASH APPEARANCES (23):
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 7
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 7
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 5
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 3
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 3
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 3
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 3
Whit Gastineau – Moore, OK – 3
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Alex Sewell – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 2
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 2
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 1
Lane Whittington – Denham Springs, LA – 1
Koty Adams – Haughton, LA – 1
Ryder Laplante – Calera, OK – 1
Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 1
Brekton Crouch – Lubbock, TX – 1
Jeremy Campbell – Wichita, KS – 1
Elijah Gile – Phoenix, AZ – 1
Cody Gardner – Benton, AR – 1
Austyn Gossel – Windsor, CO – 1
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 1
LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINNERS (4):
Rees Moran – Tulsa, OK – 2
Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 1
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 1
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 1
PODIUM FINISHERS (12):
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 7
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 3
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 3
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 2
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 2
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 1
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Tanner Conn – Oklahoma City, OK – 1
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 1
Ryder Laplante – Calera, OK – 1
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 1
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 1
TOP 10 FINISHERS (29):
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 8
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 7
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 7
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 5
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 5
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 5
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 5
Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 4
Kyler Johnson – Quinter, KS – 4
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 3
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 3
Whit Gastineau – Moore, OK – 3
Rees Moran – Tulsa, OK – 3
Alex Sewell – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 1
Brandon Anderson – Glenpool, OK – 1
Channin Tankersley – Arlington, TX – 1
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 1
Tanner Conn – Oklahoma City, OK – 1
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Brekton Crouch – Lubbock, TX – 1
Jeremy Huish – Jetmore, KS – 1
Zach Blurton – Quinter, KS – 1
Ryder Laplante – Calera, OK – 1
Jeremy Campbell – Wichita, KS – 1
Harli White – Lindsay, OK – 1
Austyn Gossel – Windsor, CO – 1
Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 1
Fred Mattox – Drumright, OK – 1
2024 AMERICAN SPRINT CAR SERIES SCHEDULE & WINNERS:
Friday, Apr. 19 / Super Bee Speedway / Chatham, LA / Seth Bergman (1)
Friday, May 10 / Red Dirt Raceway / Meeker, OK / Terry Easum (1)
Friday, May 31 / Rush County Speedway / La Crosse, KS / Seth Bergman (2)
Saturday, Jun. 1 / Dodge City Raceway Park / Dodge City, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (1)
Tuesday, Jun. 11 / Texarkana 67 Speedway / Texarkana, AR / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (2)
Thursday, Jun. 13 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (3)
Friday, Jun. 14 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK / Seth Bergman (3)
Saturday, Jun. 15 / Tri-State Speedway / Pocola, OK / Seth Bergman (4)
Saturday, Jun. 22 / Batesville Motor Speedway / Locust Grove, AR
Friday, Jun. 28 / Tulsa Speedway / Tulsa, OK
Saturday, Jun. 29 / Tulsa Speedway / Tulsa, OK
Friday, Jul. 19 / Lakeside Speedway / Kansas City, KS
Saturday, Jul. 20 / 81 Speedway / Wichita, KS
Thursday, Aug. 1 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA
Friday, Aug. 2 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA
Saturday, Aug. 3 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA
Friday, Aug. 16 / Dodge City Raceway Park / Dodge City, KS
Saturday, Aug. 17 / Lincoln County Raceway / North Platte, NE
Friday, Aug. 23 / Big Sky Speedway / Shepherd, MT
Saturday, Aug. 24 / Big Sky Speedway / Shepherd, MT
Friday, Aug. 30 / Electric City Speedway / Black Eagle, MT
Saturday, Aug. 31 / Electric City Speedway / Black Eagle, MT
Friday, Sep. 6 / Mississippi Thunder Speedway / Fountain City, WI
Saturday, Sep. 7 / Winneshiek Raceway / Decorah, IA
Tuesday, Sep. 10 / Clay County Fair Speedway / Spencer, IA
Friday, Sep. 13 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK
Saturday, Sep. 14 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK
Friday, Sep. 27 / Riverside International Speedway / West Memphis, AR
Saturday, Sep. 28 / Riverside International Speedway / West Memphis, AR
Friday, Oct. 11 / Benton Speedway / Benton, MO
Saturday, Oct. 12 / Paducah International Raceway / Paducah, KY
Friday, Oct. 18 / RPM Speedway / Crandall, TX
Saturday, Oct. 19 / RPM Speedway / Crandall, TX
Friday, Nov. 15 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK
Saturday, Nov. 16 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK
