The American Sprint Car Series (ASCS) begins its annual outing in “Big Sky Country” this Friday–Saturday, Aug. 22–23, at Big Sky Speedway in Billings, MT, for the annual running of the Harvey Ostermiller Memorial.
Big Sky Speedway has been a home to multiple races nearly every season since 2013 with the ASCS Frontier Region, helping foster a region of dedicated and competitive 360 Sprint Car racers. This weekend, those drivers will meet the national Series stars for the eighth time in history at the 3/8-mile oval, racing for a $4,000 check on Friday before the $15,000-to-win finale on Saturday.
The event is run in memory of local Montana racer Harvey Ostermiller, who was killed in a 2016 car accident at the age of 70. Outside of his 40-plus-year career in the seat, the Billings native was noted for his role in constructing Big Sky Speedway, which opened in 2003 and is now owned and operated by promoter Jerry Brey.
Tickets for both nights of the event are on sale now at the link below and will also be sold at the track on race day. If you can’t be there to watch in person, stream every lap live on DIRTVision.
Here are the drivers to watch for and storylines to follow this weekend:
KING OF THE FRONTIER — When the northernmost regional subdivisions of the American Sprint Car Series go racing, one driver stands above the rest.
Canadian Sprint Car standout Kelly Miller is the two-time and defending ASCS Frontier Region champion. The 34-year-old Lethbridge, AB-native won both the Frontier and the Northern Plains Region championships last year with six wins in Frontier competition. He currently leads the Frontier Region points standings with five Feature wins and nine top-five finishes in the first 10 races, aiming for an unprecedented third-straight points championship with eight races left on the schedule.
Historically, Miller has been one of the most successful Sprint Car racers at Big Sky with 10 career Feature wins at the track, including three this year with the Frontier Region. In last year’s running of the Ostermiller Memorial, Miller was the highest-finishing ASCS regional driver, driving from 16th on the starting grid to finish seventh in the main event.
BIG SKY BIG DOG — For the past two years, the Ostermiller Memorial has been ruled by regional 360 Sprint Car racer Jake Bubak.
The 30-year-old from Arveda, CO, topped the 2023 edition of the event, which was sanctioned only by the ASCS Frontier Region. When the national ASCS stars invaded one year ago, Bubak stood up against the tall competition again, leading all 30 laps to pocket the $12,012 check and secure his fifth career national Series victory.
Bubak has been competitive with the Series this year, making three starts outside of Knoxville and posting three top-10 finishes — one of which came as a runner-up effort at WaKeeney Speedway last Friday, which was later vacated after coming up light at the scales.
TALK OF THE TOWN — Two weeks following his victory in the sport’s biggest crown jewel event, Ryan Timms is headed for Big Sky Speedway this weekend with Liebig Motorsports.
Timms, 18, of Oklahoma City, OK, led the 64th running of the NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s flag-to-flag for the biggest win of his career last Saturday at Knoxville Raceway, topping the world’s best 410 Sprint Car drivers to claim the $195,000 grand prize. After backing that up with another win in weekly competition at Huset’s Speedway one week later, Timms and car owner Shane Liebig have hooked the Hampel Oil No. 10 up with a 360 engine and will make the tow to Billings to compete for the $15,000 grand prize.
Outside of the ASCS-sanctioned 360 Knoxville Nationals, Timms has not made an appearance with the national Series since sweeping the Winged Sprint Car portion of the 2023 Hockett/McMillin Memorial at Lucas Oil Speedway, nor has he ever competed at Big Sky in any form.
THE CHAMP RETURNS — For the first time since June, Seth Bergman is projected to join the American Sprint Car Series roster this weekend at a place he’s had success at before.
Bergman, the reigning Series champion from Snohomish, WA, has three career victories in ASCS competition at Big Sky, including a sweep of a two-day ASCS Frontier Region event in 2020, and the preliminary night of the Ostermiller Memorial last August with the national Series.
This weekend, he’s projected to be racing Big Sky with the national Series for the first time since Batesville Motor Speedway in June. Diverting from the national Series schedule shortly after, Bergman spent some time racing back around his native Washington, making four appearances at Skagit Speedway and recording two podium finishes — one with a 410 engine in the car — three top-fives and a seventh place in the marquee Fred Brownfield 360 Nationals event.
THIS WEEKEND AT A GLANCE
WHEN AND WHERE
- Friday–Saturday, Aug. 22–23 at Big Sky Speedway in Billings, MT
TRACK FACTS
- 3/8-mile, high-banked oval
ON THE INTERNET
X — @ASCSRacing
Instagram — @ascs_racing
Facebook — @AmericanSprintCarSeries
YouTube — @AmericanSprintCarSeries
DIRTVision — DIRTVision.com (Platinum annual FAST PASS for $299 or monthly FAST PASS for $39/month)
CURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (18/34 Races)
- Sam Hafertepe Jr. (2064pts)
- Blake Hahn 1854pts (–210)
- Matt Covington 1842pts (–222)
- Jason Martin 1785pts (–279)
- Kyler Johsnon 1641pts (–423)
- Brady Baker 1631pts (–433)
- Garrett Benson 1383pts (–450)
- Austyn Gossel 1600pts (–464)
- Zach Blurton 1591pts (–473)
- Landon Britt 1545pts (–519)
FEATURE WINNERS (8 Drivers):
- Sam Hafertepe Jr. (9 wins)
- Justin Peck (3 wins)
- Rico Abreu (2 wins)
- Matt Covington, Zach Blurton, Blake Hahn, Austin McCarl, Jason Martin (1 win)
FEATURE LAPS LED (15 Drivers)
- Sam Hafertepe Jr. (185 laps)
- Justin Peck (65 laps)
- Matt Covington (55 laps)
- Jason Martin (36 laps)
- Rico Abreu (34 laps)
- Zach Blurton (25 laps)
- Chase Randall (16 laps)
- Brian Brown (15 laps)
- Blake Hahn, Austyn Gossel, Jake Bubak (13 laps)
- Ryan Timms (10 laps)
- Austin McCarl, Cameron Martin (4 laps)
- Kyle Larson (2 laps)
QUICK TIME AWARDS (10 Drivers)
- Sam Hafertepe Jr. (6 awards)
- Matt Covington, Seth Bergman, Blake Hahn (2 awards)
- Emerson Axsom, Austin McCarl, Kyler Johnson, Roger Crockett, Jason Martin, Carson McCarl (1 award)
HEAT RACE WINNERS (36 Drivers)
- Matt Covington (10 wins)
- Sam Hafertepe Jr. (8 wins)
- Garrett Benson (5 wins)
- Justin Peck, Blake Hahn, Jason Martin (3 wins)
- Scotty Thiel, Whit Gastineau, Seth Bergman, Hank Davis, Sean McClelland, Harli White, Austyn Gossel, Jake Bubak, Kyler Johnson (2 wins)
- Chris Martin, Cole Macedo, Emerson Axsom, Austin McCarl, Caleb Saiz, Bradley Fezard, Bryan Gossel, Jordon Mallett, Cameron Martin, Bryant Wiedeman, Sterling Cling, Tucker Boutlon, Landon Britt, Dustin Selvage, Jamie Ball, Matt Juhl, Tony Rost, Jack Dover, Cam Sorrels, Tyler Lee, Chase Dietz (1 win)
DASH APPEARANCES (42 Drivers)
- Sam Hafertepe Jr. (14 appearances)
- Matt Covington (11 appearances)
- Blake Hahn (7 appearances)
- Garrett Benson (6 appearances)
- Kyler Johnson (5 appearances)
- Seth Bergman, Austyn Gossel, Jason Martin (4 appearances)
- Justin Peck, Whit Gastineau, Jake Bubak (3 appearances)
- Austin McCarl, Emerson Axsom, Scotty Thiel, Danny Dietrich, Cole Macedo, Brady Bacon, Daison Pursley, Jordon Mallett, Sean McClelland, Bryant Wiedeman, Brady Baker (2 appearances)
- Hank Davis, Jordan Thomas, Scotty Thiel, Chris Martin, Brian Brown, Caleb Saiz, Chance Morton, Bradley Fezard, Zach Blurton, Bryan Gossel, Roger Crockett, Joey Danley, Cameron Martin, Alex Sewell, Steven Shebester, Harli White, Tucker Boulton, Landon Britt, Sterling Cling, Scotty Milan (1 appearance)
SMITH TITANIUM LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINS (12 Drivers)
- Blake Hahn, Emerson Axsom, Tyler Clem, Kyle Clark, Bryant Wiedeman, Jason Martin, Harli White, Connor Lee, Giovanni Scelzi, Tanner Holmes, Daison Pursley, Adam Trimble (1 win)
HARD CHARGER AWARDS (14 Drivers)
- Brady Baker (5 awards)
- Ryder Laplante (2 awards)
- Austin McCarl, Emerson Axsom, Blake Hahn, Landon Britt, Jordon Mallett, Jason Martin, Brad Bowden, Stu Snyder, Tanner Holmes, Tasker Phillips, Giovanni Scelzi, Brogan Carder (1 award)
PODIUM FINISHES (25 Drivers)
- Sam Hafertepe Jr. (12 podiums)
- Jason Martin (6 podiums)
- Blake Hahn (5 podiums)
- Matt Covington (4 podiums)
- Justin Peck, Kyler Johnson (3 podiums)
- Brian Brown, Rico Abreu, Parker Price-Miller, Kyle Larson, Austin McCarl (2 podiums)
- Emerson Axsom, Cole Macedo, Seth Bergman, Sean McClelland, Zach Blurton, Austyn Gossel, Brady Baker, Cameron Martin, Joey Danley, Garrett Benson, Ryan Timms, James McFadden, Jake Bubak, Bryant Wiedeman (1 podium)
2025 SCHEDULE + WINNERS
Race Number. Day, Date / Track / City, State / Winner (Total Wins)
- Thu, Jan. 30 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Justin Peck (1)
- Fri, Jan. 31 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Justin Peck (2)
- Sat, Feb. 1 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Justin Peck (3)
- Sat, April 12 / Salina Highbanks Speedway / Salina, OK / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (1)
- Sat, May 10 / Paducah International Raceway / Paducah, KY / Matt Covington (1)
- Fri, May 30 / Salt City Speedway / Hutchinson, KS / Zach Blurton (1)
- Sat, May 31 / Dodge City Raceway Park / Dodge City, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (2)
- Sat, June 7 / Texarkana 67 Speedway / Texarkana, AR / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (3)
- Sat, June 21 / Batesville Motor Speedway / Locust Grove, AR / Blake Hahn (1)
- Thu, July 3 / Belleville High Banks / Belleville, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (4)
- Fri, July 4 / Belleville High Banks / Belleville, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (5)
- Fri, July 18 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (6)
- Fri, July 25 / Windy Hollow Speedway / Owensboro, KY / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (7)
- Sat, July 26 / Benton Speedway / Benton, MO / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (8)
- Thu, July 31 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Austin McCarl (1)
- Fri, Aug. 1 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Rico Abreu (1)
- Sat, Aug. 2 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Rico Abreu (2)
- Fri, Aug. 15 / WaKeeney Speedway / WaKeeney, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (9)
- Sat, Aug 16 / El Paso County Raceway / Calhan, CO / Jason Martin (1)
