TOP FIVE STORYLINES: Midwest Doubleheader Brings 360 Stars to Benton, Paducah

BENTON, MO (May 5, 2026) — The American Sprint Car Series is set to open the May slate with a return to the Midwest.

The country’s top 360 Sprint Car drivers begin the two-day trek with a stop at Missouri’s Benton Speedway on Friday, May 8. Then, the Series crosses the Kentucky state line to visit Paducah International Raceway for the Mother’s Day Salute on Saturday, May 9. Both Feature races will offer a $4,000 winner’s share.

While the two tracks share the same 3/8-mile length, each brings different characteristics: Benton is a low-banked, gumbo-dirt facility, while Paducah is a high-banked clay racetrack. Both key to the hunt for the Emmett Hahn Championship Trophy.

BENTON INFO

PADUCAH INFO

WATCH ON DIRTVISION

Here’s what to look for this weekend:

Sam Staying Up – Sam Hafertepe Jr. may be looking for his first win of the 2026 season, but he hasn’t lost his way of staying at the top of the Series points standings.

With eight races complete in the ASCS campaign, the Sunnyvale, TX native holds the points lead by 66 markers over Matt Covington as he continues to chase a seventh Series championship.

Hafertepe has a history of feats between the two tracks. He won the 2025 Series event at Benton on the way to clinching the year-end championship. Though he’s never won at Paducah, Hafertepe owns the track’s 360 Sprint Car track record and has two second-place finishes with ASCS.

Hot Pursuit – As the sole championship chaser that has visited Victory Lane in the year, Matt Covington will visit two tracks that have treated him well in recent outings.

In two career starts at Benton, Covington’s highest finish is an eighth-place result from 2024. Across four Paducah appearances, the Glenpool, OK racer holds two ASCS National victories at the track in 2018 and 2025. He sits at a 1.75 average start and has never started outside of the top three.

With a 66-point gap separating Covington from Hafertepe for the Series lead, he has an opportunity to shorten the distance between the two days of racing with his second win of the season.

Who’s Next? – Amongst the field of title chasers in ASCS, five drivers are hoping to cross their first Feature win off the list in 2026.

The highest driver in the standings without a victory is Kyler Johnson, who has finished top-10 in the last six Features, including a top-five and second-place result at Central Arizona Raceway.

Behind Johnson, the Series regulars that are seeking a first-career win at Benton or Paducah include Ryder Laplante, Brogan Carder, Austyn Gossel, and Cole Schroeder. Gossel owns the highest finishes among the group, with a fifth-place at Benton and a runner-up at Paducah – both of which came in 2025.

Steady Gains – Seth Bergman began the 2026 season without scoring a top-10 finish at Volusia Speedway Park. Since then, he’s managed to finish in the top-10 six consecutive times, along with his first podium of the year at Salina Highbanks Speedway.

The 2024 champion’s climb up the Series standings in the last six Features has him placed in fourth, three points away from third-place Kyler Johnson and 102 points behind Hafertepe.

Though the Snohomish, WA driver has never claimed victory at Benton and Paducah, they have each played a hand in his success with the Series. In his only start at Benton in 2024, he finished in seventh place. In three appearances at Paducah, Bergman earned two top fives and a career-high of third in 2024.

Mighty 3/8 Miles – Benton and Paducah have each provided a share of ASCS history, and the May swing will add another chapter for the Series in entering the first racing weekend of May.

Benton made its debut in 1995 with all-time Series winner Gary Wright taking victory. The next year, Terry Gray and Jerrod Hull were triumphant in two races in June and July, respectively. In the return to the “Show Me State” track in 2024, Missouri native Joe B. Miller claimed his second career Series win, then Sam Hafertepe Jr took the most recent Feature win in 2025 at the facility.

Paducah made its first appearance with the Series in 2018 as Matt Covington captured his sixth career Series win. When the “Blue Grass State” 3/8-mile returned to the schedule in 2024, Sand Springs, OK’s Hank Davis scored his most recent ASCS triumph. Two separate visits to Paducah in 2025 saw Covington return to Victory Lane in May, and Jason Martin bagging the September showcase.

THIS WEEKEND AT A GLANCE

WHEN AND WHERE

May 8 at Benton Speedway in Benton, MO

May 9 at Paducah International Raceway in Paducah, KY

AROUND THE CORNER

Saturday, May 30 at Salt City Speedway in Hutchinson, KS

CURRENT TOP-10 STANDINGS

Sam Hafertepe Jr. (664pts)
Matt Covington (-66)
Kyler Johnson (-99)
Seth Bergman (-102)
Whit Gastineau (-152)
Ryder Laplante(-186)
Brogan Carder (-229)
Terry Easum (-231)
Hank Davis (-239)
Austyn Gossel (-239)

FEATURE WINNERS (6 Drivers)

2 wins – Justin Peck, Tyler Courtney

1 win – Chris Martin, Brady Bacon, Levi Hillier, Matt Covington

FEATURE LAPS LED (12 Drivers)

52 laps – Justin Peck

30 laps – Levi Hillier

22 laps – Chris Martin

21 laps – Austin McCarl

18 laps – Brady Bacon, Matt Covington

16 laps – Cameron Martin

13 laps – Brian Brown

10 laps – Kyler Johnson

7 laps – Cole Macedo

6 laps – Tyler Courtney

3 laps – Sean McClelland

QUICK TIME AWARDS (4 Drivers)

4 awards – Sam Hafertepe Jr

1 award – Chris Martin, Levi Hillier, Kyler Johnson

HEAT RACE WINNERS (22 Drivers)

3 wins – Matt Covington

2 wins – Whit Gastineau, Chris Martin, Sam Hafertepe Jr, Justin Peck

1 win – Sean McClelland, Garrett Benson, Cam Martin, Brady Bacon, Tyler Clem, Emerson Axsom, Brian Brown, Cole Macedo, Garen Linder, Colby Copeland, Nick Parker, Hank Davis, Ryder Laplante, JJ Hickle, Seth Bergman, Kyler Johnson, Alex Hill

DASH STARTS (26 Drivers)

6 starts – Sam Hafertepe Jr

5 starts – Kyler Johnson

4 starts – Whit Gastineau, Levi Hillier, Matt Covington

3 starts – Chris Martin, Tyler Courtney, Brian Brown, Justin Peck

2 starts – Camerson Martin, Emerson Axsom, Austin McCarl, Brady Bacon, Davie Franek

1 start – Garrett Benson, Brock Zearfoss, Cole Macedo, Tyler Clem, Hank Davis, Ryder Laplante, Nick Parker, Colby Copeland, Garen Linder, JJ Hickle, Seth Bergman, Alex Hill

SMITH TITANIUM LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINNERS (6 Drivers)

2 wins – Braxton Weger

1 win – DJ Christie, Matt Covington, Tyler Clem, Whit Gastineau, Sterling Cling

HARD CHARGER AWARDS (8 Drivers)

1 award – Seth Bergman, Ryder Laplante, Brady Bacon, Cole Macedo, Sam Hafertepe Jr., DJ Netto, Whit Gastineau, Brogan Carder

PODIUM FINISHES (14 Drivers)

4 podiums – Sam Hafertepe Jr.

3 podiums – Justin Peck

2 podiums – Tyler Courtney, Brady Bacon, Austin McCarl, Matt Covington, Levi Hillier

1 podium – Chris Martin, Seth Bergman, Cole Macedo, Emerson Axsom, Brock Zearfoss, Kyler Johnson, JJ Hickle

2026 AMERICAN SPRINT CAR SERIES SCHEDULE + WINNERS

Date / Track / City, State / Winner (Total Wins)

TOP FIVE STORYLINES: Midwest Doubleheader Brings 360 Stars to Benton, Paducah BENTON, MO (May 5, 2026) — The American Sprint Car Series is set to open the May slate with a return to the Midwest.