WHAT TO WATCH FOR: The Big One at Belleville Brings Big Payout, High Speeds

The dawning of a new marquee event in the 360 Sprint Car world is here. Belleville High Banks hosts the American Sprint Car Series in the inaugural running of The Big One this Thursday–Friday, July 3–4.

Since 2015, the national 360 Sprint Car series has not seen the high speeds of “Big Belleville.” Missouri racer Brian Brown was the first and only driver in Series history to take the checkered flag at the 1/2-mile dirt track in May of that year. Fast forward 10 years to this Thursday–Friday, and the national Sprint Car stars will make their return in this new, two-day event, paying a standard $4,000-to-win purse on Thursday before the $10,000-to-win grand finale on Friday.

Friday’s program is the second of seven five-figure payouts on the 2025 Series schedule, joining marquee events at Volusia Speedway Park ($10,000), Knoxville Raceway ($20,000), Big Sky Speedway ($15,000), Eagle Raceway ($10,222), I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park ($10,000), and the season finale at Creek County Speedway ($10,000).

The local Hobby Stock division will support Thursday’s Sprint Car program, while the local Cruiser division will race adjacent to the Sprint Cars on Friday. Advance-sale tickets are available now; click here to purchase. Admission will also be sold at the track on race day. If you can’t make it to the track to watch in person, stream every lap live on DIRTVision.

Here are the drivers to watch and storylines to follow this weekend:

EXPERIENCED VETERAN — Of all drivers projected to be in the field this weekend, Jason Martin has more laps around Belleville in a Sprint Car than most.

The 2023 Series champion from Liberal, KS, has recorded 17 starts in his career at the track, producing three Feature wins, 13 top-five finishes, and 16 top-10s. Two of those wins came in 2021 with the United Rebel Sprint Series (URSS), and the third came in 2023 with the Malvern Bank 360 Sprints.

Martin is coming off a season-best third-place finish with the American Sprint Car Series at Batesville two weeks ago, vaulting him into fifth place in the current points standings.

FAMILY MATTERS — Belleville has been a track of success for the Blurton family, and second-generation racer Zach Blurton will try and add more of his family’s name into the record books with what would be the biggest win of his career.

Blurton, 30, of Quinter, KS, has made 29 recorded starts in his career at Belleville, amassing 14 top-five finishes, 22 top-10s and one Feature win (URSS, July 2020). His father, John Blurton, made several trips to Victory Lane through the 1990s and into the 2000s, topping four National Championship Racing Association (NCRA) races (1990, twice in 1992, 2000).

Blurton has already been to American Sprint Car Series Victory Lane in Kansas this year, topping the field at Salt City Speedway in Hutchinson in May. He currently sits ninth in the current points standings.

NEBRASKA’S FINEST — Stu Snyder is projected to make his first appearance of the season with the American Sprint Car Series this weekend, ready to take his Belleville experience with him in search of his first career Series victory.

Snyder, 38, of Lincoln, NE, has made 24 recorded starts at the track between Sprint Cars and Midgets, recording seven podium finishes, 10 top-fives, 17 top-10s and one Feature win. That lone victory came last July with the Malvern Bank 360 Sprints, when he beat Jason Martin for his first win at the track.

The two-time and defending Malvern Bank 360 Sprints champion has one Feature win in 2025, which came in May at Offroad Speedway in Norfolk, NE. This weekend, he’ll try for his first career American Sprint Car Series win.

POINTS BATTLE — Sam Hafertepe Jr. continues to lead the chase for the Emmett Hahn Trophy with three Feature wins and a 55-point advantage over Blake Hahn and an 88-point gap over Matt Covington.

Hahn is the most recent Series winner, punching through to Victory Lane for the first time this year two weeks ago at Batesville Motor Speedway in Arkansas. Covington also has one Feature win with the Series this year, which came in May at Paducah International Raceway.

Together, the three drivers combine for only four Feature starts and three top-10 finishes at Belleville, but have been strong as of late and will lead the charge into Kansas as the Series’ leading contenders for their first win at the track.

THIS WEEKEND AT A GLANCE

WHEN AND WHERE 

• Thursday–Friday, July 3–4 at Belleville High Banks in Belleville, KS

TRACK FACTS

• High-banked, 1/2-mile oval
• Track Record — 15.472 seconds set by Jason Martin on July 3, 2023

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 (9/34 Races)

1. Sam Hafertepe Jr. (852pts)
2. Blake Hahn 797pts (–55)
3. Matt Covington 764pts (–88)
4. Seth Bergman 702pts (–150)
5. Jason Martin 699pts (–153)
6. Jordon Mallett 686pts (–166)
7. Kyler Johnson 677pts (–175)
8. Brady Baker 664pts (–188)
9. Zach Blurton 652pts (–200)
10. Austyn Gossel 648pts (–204)

FEATURE WINNERS (5 Drivers):

1. Justin Peck, Sam Hafertepe Jr. (3 wins)
2. Matt Covington, Zach Blurton, Blake Hahn (1 win)

FEATURE LAPS LED (7 Drivers)

1. Justin Peck (65 laps)
2. Sam Hafertepe Jr. (61 laps)
3. Matt Covington (48 laps)
4. Zach Blurton (25 laps)
5. Brian Brown (15 laps)
6. Blake Hahn, Austyn Gossel (13 laps)

QUICK TIME AWARDS (6 Drivers)

1. Matt Covington, Seth Bergman (2 awards)
2. Emerson Axsom, Austin McCarl, Kyler Johnson, Roger Crockett (1 award)

HEAT RACE WINNERS (21 Drivers)

1. Sam Hafertepe Jr. (6 wins)
2. Matt Covington (4 wins)
3. Justin Peck, Blake Hahn (3 wins)
4. Scotty Thiel, Whit Gastineau, Seth Bergman (2 wins)
5. Hank Davis, Chris Martin, Cole Macedo, Emerson Axsom, Austin McCarl, Sean McClelland, Caleb Saiz, Bradley Fezard, Garrett Benson, Bryan Gossel, Jake Bubak, Jordon Mallett, Jason Martin, Austyn Gossel (1 win)

DASH APPEARANCES (32 Drivers)

1. Sam Hafertepe Jr. (7 appearances)
2. Blake Hahn, Matt Covington (6 appearances)
3. Seth Bergman (4 appearances)
4. Justin Peck, Kyler Johnson, Whit Gastineau (3 appearances)
5. Austin McCarl, Emerson Axsom, Scotty Thiel, Danny Dietrich, Cole Macedo, Brady Bacon, Daison Pursley, Garrett Benson, Jordon Mallett, Austyn Gossel (2 appearances)
6. Hank Davis, Jordan Thomas, Scotty Thiel, Chris Martin, Brian Brown, Sean McClelland, Caleb Saiz, Chance Morton, Bradley Fezard, Zach Blurton, Bryan Gossel, Jake Bubak, Roger Crockett, Brady Baker, Jason Martin (1 appearance)

SMITH TITANIUM LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINS (7 Drivers)

1. Blake Hahn, Emerson Axsom, Tyler Clem, Kyle Clark, Bryant Wiedeman, Jason Martin, Harli White (1 win)

HARD CHARGER AWARDS (8 Drivers)

1. Brady Baker (2 awards)
2. Austin McCarl, Emerson Axsom, Blake Hahn, Landon Britt, Jordon Mallett, Jason Martin, Brad Bowden (1 award) 

PODIUM FINISHES (15 Drivers)

1. Sam Hafertepe Jr. (6 podiums)
2. Justin Peck, Blake Hahn (3 podiums)
3. Brian Brown, Matt Covington, Jason Martin (2 podiums)
4. Emerson Axsom, Cole Macedo, Austin McCarl, Seth Bergman, Sean McClelland, Zach Blurton, Austyn Gossel, Kyler Johnson, Brady Baker (1 podium)

2025 SCHEDULE + WINNERS

Race Number. Day, Date / Track / City, State / Winner (Total Wins)

1. Thu, Jan. 30 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Justin Peck (1)
2. Fri, Jan. 31 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Justin Peck (2)
3. Sat, Feb. 1 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Justin Peck (3)
4. Sat, April 12 / Salina Highbanks Speedway / Salina, OK / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (1)
5. Sat, May 10 / Paducah International Raceway / Paducah, KY / Matt Covington (1)
6. Fri, May 30 / Salt City Speedway / Hutchinson, KS / Zach Blurton (1)
7. Sat, May 31 / Dodge City Raceway Park / Dodge City, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (2)
8. Sat, June 7 / Texarkana 67 Speedway / Texarkana, AR / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (3)
9. Sat, Jun 21 / Batesville Motor Speedway / Locust Grove, AR / Blake Hahn (1)