CONCORD, NC (May 15, 2026) — Seth Begman knew after the first weekend of the 2026 American Sprint Car Series season that he needed a refresh.
The 2024 Series champion struggled out of the gates at Volusia Speedway Park in his debut appearance in the 55th Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals. Through three 360 Sprint Car Features, Bergman’s highest finish was 15th, missed the Friday Feature, and left the Barberville, FL 1/2-mile sitting 18th in points.
“We didn’t get off to the start we had worked or hoped for at Volusia,” Bergman said. “I knew never being there before was going to be a challenge, but I didn’t think we’d be as far off as we were. I unloaded expecting to be close, and we just struggled all weekend with the car. We couldn’t find the right balance. It turned out to be a frustrating weekend, but that’s how it goes.”
When Bergman returned to his Oklahoma-based race shop, he went back to work in his efforts to turn the early momentum back in his direction for Central Arizona Speedway’s Sonoran Clash.
“We came back to the shop and really went back to the drawing board,” Bergman said. “We were trying to figure out why we were awful, basically, and what we could do to make sure that doesn’t happen again moving forward. It’s been an ongoing thing now; I’ve openly been struggling with getting our cars right to where we’re fast all night, both qualifying good and racing good.
“I’ve been spending a lot of time in the shop with the guys, putting thought into what’s going on. Why the cars are doing what they’re doing, and making sense of it all with tires, chassis, engines, wings, suspension. We put a lot of time in the shop, and we’re making headway, but we’re not able to do that unless we’re at the track getting the raw data and feedback. Overall, though, it’s been helpful for us.”
At Central Arizona, Bergman got his points campaign back on the right path with three consecutive top-10s, then capped off the Saturday finale with a fourth-place result.
When the Series crossed paths at Salina Highbanks Speedway in April, the Snohomish, WA native scored his first podium of the season, finishing third after starting the 25-lap Feature in 12th. Instead of returning to his familiar notes from past seasons, Bergman has been writing a new notebook to get a handle on his No. 23 Triple X Chassis.
“I wish we could fall back on the old notebook because that’s what I was trying to do for a while,” Bergman said. “It wasn’t working and seemed like we were getting worse by doing it. The sport progresses, and the tires have changed, so it makes a huge difference in today’s age of racing. I had success running my cars a certain way. We were competitive everywhere, winning races, and saw no reason to change.”
“Then, it started to change, you start to struggle, and you can’t understand why, because you’re not doing anything differently. It’s really been about not going back to the old notebook and creating a new one instead. Recently, I think the results are starting to show, and we feel pretty good about the progress we’ve been making so far.”
Bergman’s encounter with Benton Speedway in 2024 left him with a seventh-place result, but issues with title contender Sam Hafertepe Jr. helped propel him with a healthy points gap for his first Series title.
Returning to the track two years later, it was an opportunity for Bergman to continue rising the ladder as he entered the night sitting fourth in the standings. Rolling off from fifth for the 30-lap Feature, Bergman steadily worked his way through the top five to take the high-point position from Hafertepe after he collided with a lapped car with five laps left, culminating in Bergman’s 27th career National Tour victory.
“Last time we were there, I struggled,” Bergman said. “We ran seventh, but I was not good at all. So, to go back and win was a huge turnaround. It speaks even more to what we’ve been doing lately, so winning the race was a huge morale booster, and it shows the work we’ve been putting in is pointing us in the right direction.
“We weren’t great when we showed up, but we kept working on it all night to get to where we were competitive, or in the fight at least. It’s tricky, tight, and easy to make a mistake, especially when you’re in traffic. There’s a lot going on, because when you’re in the moisture, it’s tacky. But, the second you get out, it’s slick, the tire spins easily, and you get unsettled. It was unfortunate for Sam (Hafertepe), but we were right there trying to keep ourselves out of trouble, and we were able to do that.”
When Bergman travels to Salt City Speedway at the end of the month, it will be his first time visiting the Kansas State Fairgrounds half-mile. Despite the rough debut at Volusia, he knows that he finds comfort faster around bigger tracks than smaller ones.
“If anything, Volusia was just a big learning experience,” Bergman said. “But, it was kind of unique itself because you get around there a bit differently than other places. I know what didn’t work then, and I know how we need to be rolling now.
“Honestly, with the balance and the way we roll our race cars right now, I envision us struggling more at the small places versus the big places. So, I feel like when we get there (to Salt City), we’re going to be up to speed, and I expect to race for wins.”
Bergman will chase down a 66-point gap on Hafertepe for the points lead when the Series makes the stop in the “Sunflower State” at Salt City Speedway on Saturday, May 30.
Where can you watch every lap of the American Sprint Car Series? Live on DIRTVision.
Seth Bergman’s Early Bounce Back Has Him Set For 2026 ASCS Title Fight CONCORD, NC (May 15, 2026) — Seth Begman knew after the first weekend of the 2026 American Sprint Car Series season that he needed a refresh.
The 2024 Series champion struggled out of the gates at Volusia Speedway Park in his debut appearance in the 55th Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals. Through three 360 Sprint Car Features, Bergman’s highest finish was 15th, missed the Friday Feature, and left the Barberville, FL 1/2-mile sitting 18th in points.
“We didn’t get off to the start we had worked or hoped for at Volusia,” Bergman said. “I knew never being there before was going to be a challenge, but I didn’t think we’d be as far off as we were. I unloaded expecting to be close, and we just struggled all weekend with the car. We couldn’t find the right balance. It turned out to be a frustrating weekend, but that’s how it goes.”
When Bergman returned to his Oklahoma-based race shop, he went back to work in his efforts to turn the early momentum back in his direction for Central Arizona Speedway’s Sonoran Clash.
“We came back to the shop and really went back to the drawing board,” Bergman said. “We were trying to figure out why we were awful, basically, and what we could do to make sure that doesn’t happen again moving forward. It’s been an ongoing thing now; I’ve openly been struggling with getting our cars right to where we’re fast all night, both qualifying good and racing good.
“I’ve been spending a lot of time in the shop with the guys, putting thought into what’s going on. Why the cars are doing what they’re doing, and making sense of it all with tires, chassis, engines, wings, suspension. We put a lot of time in the shop, and we’re making headway, but we’re not able to do that unless we’re at the track getting the raw data and feedback. Overall, though, it’s been helpful for us.”
At Central Arizona, Bergman got his points campaign back on the right path with three consecutive top-10s, then capped off the Saturday finale with a fourth-place result.
When the Series crossed paths at Salina Highbanks Speedway in April, the Snohomish, WA native scored his first podium of the season, finishing third after starting the 25-lap Feature in 12th. Instead of returning to his familiar notes from past seasons, Bergman has been writing a new notebook to get a handle on his No. 23 Triple X Chassis.
“I wish we could fall back on the old notebook because that’s what I was trying to do for a while,” Bergman said. “It wasn’t working and seemed like we were getting worse by doing it. The sport progresses, and the tires have changed, so it makes a huge difference in today’s age of racing. I had success running my cars a certain way. We were competitive everywhere, winning races, and saw no reason to change.”
“Then, it started to change, you start to struggle, and you can’t understand why, because you’re not doing anything differently. It’s really been about not going back to the old notebook and creating a new one instead. Recently, I think the results are starting to show, and we feel pretty good about the progress we’ve been making so far.”
Bergman’s encounter with Benton Speedway in 2024 left him with a seventh-place result, but issues with title contender Sam Hafertepe Jr. helped propel him with a healthy points gap for his first Series title.
Returning to the track two years later, it was an opportunity for Bergman to continue rising the ladder as he entered the night sitting fourth in the standings. Rolling off from fifth for the 30-lap Feature, Bergman steadily worked his way through the top five to take the high-point position from Hafertepe after he collided with a lapped car with five laps left, culminating in Bergman’s 27th career National Tour victory.
“Last time we were there, I struggled,” Bergman said. “We ran seventh, but I was not good at all. So, to go back and win was a huge turnaround. It speaks even more to what we’ve been doing lately, so winning the race was a huge morale booster, and it shows the work we’ve been putting in is pointing us in the right direction.
“We weren’t great when we showed up, but we kept working on it all night to get to where we were competitive, or in the fight at least. It’s tricky, tight, and easy to make a mistake, especially when you’re in traffic. There’s a lot going on, because when you’re in the moisture, it’s tacky. But, the second you get out, it’s slick, the tire spins easily, and you get unsettled. It was unfortunate for Sam (Hafertepe), but we were right there trying to keep ourselves out of trouble, and we were able to do that.”
When Bergman travels to Salt City Speedway at the end of the month, it will be his first time visiting the Kansas State Fairgrounds half-mile. Despite the rough debut at Volusia, he knows that he finds comfort faster around bigger tracks than smaller ones.
“If anything, Volusia was just a big learning experience,” Bergman said. “But, it was kind of unique itself because you get around there a bit differently than other places. I know what didn’t work then, and I know how we need to be rolling now.
“Honestly, with the balance and the way we roll our race cars right now, I envision us struggling more at the small places versus the big places. So, I feel like when we get there (to Salt City), we’re going to be up to speed, and I expect to race for wins.”
Bergman will chase down a 66-point gap on Hafertepe for the points lead when the Series makes the stop in the “Sunflower State” at Salt City Speedway on Saturday, May 30.
Where can you watch every lap of the American Sprint Car Series? Live on DIRTVision.
ARTICLE:https://ascsracing.com/news/seth-bergmans-early-bounce-back-has-him-set-for-2026-ascs-title-fight/