Watkins Glen, NY – (June 27, 2026) – Jack Aitken, driver of the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R, won the pole for the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen at Watkins Glen International with a lap of 1 minute 31.248 seconds (134.544 mph).  It’s the second consecutive pole for Cadillac and for Action Express Racing as they took the top spot in May in Detroit with Earl Bamber at the wheel. They went on to win the race in Cadillac’s hometown.  Louis Delétraz and the No. 40 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing V-Series.R was third at 1 minute 31.487 seconds (134.245 mph), while Filipe Albuquerque, driver of the No. 10 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing V-Series.R was seventh with a lap of 1 minute 32.029 seconds (133.455 mph).  It’s the 35th pole for Cadillac since 2017 and the fourth of the 2026 season. Cadillac has now won three consecutive poles with three different drivers as Delétraz and the No. 40 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing V-Series.R, won the pole for the Monterey Sportscar Championship at Laguna Seca Raceway, followed by Bamber’s pole at Detroit and now Aitken’s top spot at Watkins Glen.  The Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen is scheduled for 12:10 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 28. It will stream live on Peacock in the U.S. starting at noon ET and on IMSA’s YouTube channel internationally. IMSA Radio will air all on-track sessions at IMSA.com along XM 206, SiriusXM Online 996.

Jack Aitken, No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R run by Action Express Racing:  “It turned out to be quite a long day waiting for the delayed session. But the car felt good. The track feels good and feels quick. Honestly, I’m really happy with the lap that I got together. I knew it would be close and there were a couple of guys within a few tenths. It’s very easy to over drive around here and it really invites you to keep pushing more and more so just trying to be controlled. It was nice and clean, and we have the best starting spot for tomorrow. Cadillac Whelen has been awesome for the last few races, and we want to keep it going.” Can you talk about the momentum this team is on?  “(The win at Detroit) was really special. There were so many friends and family around with us. It was the local race for the brand. Seeing the joy in pitlane afterward was really cool for some really distinguished guests and everyone was jumping and cheering and hollering. They’re racers like the rest of us. Glad to get that win in the pocket and it gave us great momentum.” What is the outlook for Sunday?  “Obviously the car is quick. I think there are a few manufacturers in the mix, which is cool to see. I think it could be quite a strategic race with the tires. There’s a bit of drop-off that we’ve seen this weekend more than previous years. We don’t know who the biggest challengers will be until we get to those final two hours and when it gets into crunch time. It will be a cool race.”

Louis Delétraz, No. 40 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing V-Series.R: “Happy with qualifications and good for Cadillac for winning the pole position. Congrats to the 31 and Jack (Aitken). We’ve had a really good weekend so far. The car felt good in practice and during the long run and we are starting up front tomorrow. Big thanks to everyone and I’m looking forward to the race.”

Cadillac Racing wins pole at Watkins Glen, Aitken takes top spot

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Watkins Glen, NY – (June 27, 2026) – Jack Aitken, driver of the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R, won the pole for the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen at Watkins Glen International with a lap of 1 minute 31.248 seconds (134.544 mph).  It’s the second consecutive pole for Cadillac and for Action Express Racing as they took the top spot in May in Detroit with Earl Bamber at the wheel. They went on to win the race in Cadillac’s hometown.  Louis Delétraz and the No. 40 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing V-Series.R was third at 1 minute 31.487 seconds (134.245 mph), while Filipe Albuquerque, driver of the No. 10 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing V-Series.R was seventh with a lap of 1 minute 32.029 seconds (133.455 mph).  It’s the 35th pole for Cadillac since 2017 and the fourth of the 2026 season. Cadillac has now won three consecutive poles with three different drivers as Delétraz and the No. 40 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing V-Series.R, won the pole for the Monterey Sportscar Championship at Laguna Seca Raceway, followed by Bamber’s pole at Detroit and now Aitken’s top spot at Watkins Glen.  The Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen is scheduled for 12:10 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 28. It will stream live on Peacock in the U.S. starting at noon ET and on IMSA’s YouTube channel internationally. IMSA Radio will air all on-track sessions at IMSA.com along XM 206, SiriusXM Online 996.

Jack Aitken, No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R run by Action Express Racing:  “It turned out to be quite a long day waiting for the delayed session. But the car felt good. The track feels good and feels quick. Honestly, I’m really happy with the lap that I got together. I knew it would be close and there were a couple of guys within a few tenths. It’s very easy to over drive around here and it really invites you to keep pushing more and more so just trying to be controlled. It was nice and clean, and we have the best starting spot for tomorrow. Cadillac Whelen has been awesome for the last few races, and we want to keep it going.” Can you talk about the momentum this team is on?  “(The win at Detroit) was really special. There were so many friends and family around with us. It was the local race for the brand. Seeing the joy in pitlane afterward was really cool for some really distinguished guests and everyone was jumping and cheering and hollering. They’re racers like the rest of us. Glad to get that win in the pocket and it gave us great momentum.” What is the outlook for Sunday?  “Obviously the car is quick. I think there are a few manufacturers in the mix, which is cool to see. I think it could be quite a strategic race with the tires. There’s a bit of drop-off that we’ve seen this weekend more than previous years. We don’t know who the biggest challengers will be until we get to those final two hours and when it gets into crunch time. It will be a cool race.”

Louis Delétraz, No. 40 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing V-Series.R: “Happy with qualifications and good for Cadillac for winning the pole position. Congrats to the 31 and Jack (Aitken). We’ve had a really good weekend so far. The car felt good in practice and during the long run and we are starting up front tomorrow. Big thanks to everyone and I’m looking forward to the race.”

Filipe Albuquerque, No. 10 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing V-Series.R: “Everything was good with the car. I was happy with the car set up. We just need to understand why we are lacking pace in qualifying. In the race, we are always good. Thankfully, it is an endurance race, not a sprint. Six hours is very long. Just want to understand the lack of pace. We move on.”

SATURDAY RECAP – NORWALK Race 10 of 20

Photography: John Force Racing / Auto Imagery / Gary Nastase

JFR DRIVERS POST BEST QUALIFYING RUNS SATURDAYHart and DeJoria both No. 2, Beckman No. 4 and Vandergriff No. 11

SATURDAY RECAP – NORWALKRace 10 of 20

Photography: John Force Racing / Auto Imagery / Gary Nastase

JFR DRIVERS POST BEST QUALIFYING RUNS SATURDAYHart and DeJoria both No. 2, Beckman No. 4 and Vandergriff No. 11

NORWALK, Ohio (June 27, 2026) – All four John Force Racing teams posted solid runs on Friday and Saturday at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park but saved their best runs for Day 2 of qualifying for the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals. Josh Hart and the Speedmaster Top Fuel team got better with each session. They ran 3.966 seconds in Q1, 3.803 seconds in Q2, and 3.762 seconds in Q3, Saturday’s first session, before securing the No. 2 qualifying spot with a Q4 run of 3.722 seconds at 332.51 mph. Hart will face No. 15 qualifier Scott Farley (4.669 seconds, 162.51 mph) in Rd. 1 on Sunday. Alexis DeJoria, John Force Racing’s top performer in Friday’s two qualifying sessions, ran her quickest run of the event Saturday in Q3 when the Bandero Café Chevrolet SS Funny Car posted a 3.886-second elapsed time at 330.31 mph. She ran 3.947 and 3.918 seconds in Q1 and Q2 Friday, respectively, and 3.900 seconds in Q4. She’ll face No. 15 qualifier Blake Alexander (3.983 seconds, 324.62 mph) in tomorrow’s first round of eliminations. The PEAK Chevrolet SS Funny Car smoked the tires in Q1 (4.612 seconds) but Jack Beckman and the PEAK SQUAD then clicked off a 3.945 in Q2, 3.916 in Q3 and then 3.911 seconds at 332.02 mph in Q4 to secure the No. 4 qualifying spot. Beckman will face No. 13 qualifier Spencer Hyde (3.965 seconds, 322.19 mph) in Round 1. Qualifying was a mixed bag for Jordan Vandergriff and the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS Funny Car team. There was tire smoke in Q1 (4.438 seconds), then a solid 3.936-second run in Q2. In Saturday’s first session (Q3), the Cornwell Tools Chevy dropped a cylinder and slowed to a run of 4.611 seconds but the team bounced back in Q4 with a run of 3.935 seconds at 322.81 mph to earn the No. 11 qualifying spot. Vandergriff will face No. 6 qualifier J.R. Todd (3.916 seconds, 335.90 mph) in Round 1 on Sunday. The first round of eliminations is scheduled for Sun., June 28, beginning at 11 a.m. ET. Quote from Josh Hart, Speedmaster Top Fuel Dragster: “I think for myself and the entire Speedmaster team this weekend, it’s just a been confidence builder every time we got down the track A to B, and it just got progressively faster and faster. Everybody on this team wants that No. 1 spot and we’re going to get there. I have all the confidence in the world in our program and how cool is it that right before they fired up the car, I get to see John Force, one of the greatest of all time, standing right there to give me a fist bump. I have zero complaints going into race day.” Quote from Alexis DeJoria, Bandero Café Chevrolet SS Funny Car: “The Bandero Café team has made a great showing in qualifying here in Norwalk. We made four solid runs, finished No. 2 in qualifying and gained seven of a possible nine bonus points which is absolutely incredible. Zippy and Jonnie (crew chiefs Mike Neff and Jonnie Lindberg) really have a handle on this race car and I can’t wait to go rounds tomorrow.” Quote from Jack Beckman, PEAK Chevrolet SS Funny Car: “I got out of the PEAK Chevy after that last run and I could have sworn that felt like a 3.80 run. Because we went 286 mph to 660 feet, which is huge, we picked up five miles an hour over our last run. As a driver, that’s what you feel, your body and your butt are your G meter and this thing pushed me back in the seat. When they said 3.91, I was thinking that’s just not possible. We just lost elapsed time in the first 100 feet. The great news is we know exactly how to pick that back up. The guys did some changes to the clutch pack to ensure that we have the longevity to make it through the Countdown and it’s a case of maybe one step back to run for the Countdown. So we’re getting used to what this pack’s characteristics are and what it wants and we’ve kind of missed a little bit on both sides. We were quick early but a little bit lazy on the top end. That last run, we pushed the hardest in the middle that we have all weekend. We just need to go back to being quicker early.” Quote from Jordan Vandergriff, Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS Funny Car: “Yeah, it was definitely on fire in the lights and it definitely reached my lower area. I was like ‘my feet are warmer than normal.’ It felt like it was on a great run and it still ran 3.935 pushing a head guest get out late. It’s still a really good run and might have been a 3.92. It’s been a complicated weekend so far for this Cornwell Quality Tools Funny Car team. I just don’t know if we’ve really hit what we’ve wanted so far, but that’s the beauty of race day. You just go out there, you bring what you got, and you go for it.” TV ScheduleTelevision coverage includes qualifying action on Sunday, June 28, from 12 – 2 p.m. ET on FS1, leading into eliminations from 5:30 – 9 p.m. ET on FOX.

Both GTD PRO Corvettes seeking to move up throughout six hours at The Glen WATKINS GLEN, NY (June 27, 2026) – Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller’s No. 3 Corvette Z06 GT3.R of Antonio Garcia and Alexander Sims will look for their second straight GTD PRO victory in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship from the fourth row of the class at the start of Sunday’s Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen.Garcia qualified eighth in class as Corvette Racing seeks its third win in the Six Hours since 2014. His lap of 1:44.660 (117.340 mph) was less than a second from the class pole-winning car. The championship-leading No. 4 Corvette of Nicky Catsburg and Tommy Milner will start behind their teammates Sunday. The title fight in GTD PRO is razor thin with 31 points between the top-four in class – Milner and Catsburg in the lead and the No. 3 Corvette duo of Garcia and Sims fourth as they aim to repeat as GTD PRO champions. The GTD field will start Sunday’s race based on Teams Championship points. The session was red-flagged after only five minutes due to a heavy crash for one of the Mercedes, and qualifying did not resume for the class. As a result and based on the current championship standings, 13 Autosport’s No. 13 Corvette will start eighth. DragonSpeed’s No. 81 Corvette will start 13th followed by the No. 36 DXDT Racing Corvette. The four qualifying sessions – including the ones for GTD and GTD PRO – were delayed more than two hours due to track repairs at the entrance to the Bus Stop chicane. The Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen is scheduled for 12:10 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 28. It will stream live on Peacock in the U.S. starting at noon ET and on IMSA’s YouTube channel internationally. IMSA Radio also will stream the race at IMSA.com along XM 206, SiriusXM Online 996.

CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R POST-QUALIFYING DRIVER QUOTES

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “The car felt OK. Unfortunately our position didn’t change much throughout. I think we were expecting more but obviously we didn’t have enough. So yes, the car felt good so let’s see tomorrow.”

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It felt pretty decent in qualifying so it’s a bit of a surprise to be this far off the pace. So we need to figure out how to gain some places tomorrow. I feel like we have a good racecar and it’s going to be a long race. So let’s see what happens.”

CORVETTE RACING AT THE GLEN: Qualifying ReportBoth GTD PRO Corvettes seeking to move up throughout six hours at The Glen WATKINS GLEN, NY (June 27, 2026) – Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller’s No. 3 Corvette Z06 GT3.R of Antonio Garcia and Alexander Sims will look for their second straight GTD PRO victory in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship from the fourth row of the class at the start of Sunday’s Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen.Garcia qualified eighth in class as Corvette Racing seeks its third win in the Six Hours since 2014. His lap of 1:44.660 (117.340 mph) was less than a second from the class pole-winning car. The championship-leading No. 4 Corvette of Nicky Catsburg and Tommy Milner will start behind their teammates Sunday. The title fight in GTD PRO is razor thin with 31 points between the top-four in class – Milner and Catsburg in the lead and the No. 3 Corvette duo of Garcia and Sims fourth as they aim to repeat as GTD PRO champions. The GTD field will start Sunday’s race based on Teams Championship points. The session was red-flagged after only five minutes due to a heavy crash for one of the Mercedes, and qualifying did not resume for the class. As a result and based on the current championship standings, 13 Autosport’s No. 13 Corvette will start eighth. DragonSpeed’s No. 81 Corvette will start 13th followed by the No. 36 DXDT Racing Corvette. The four qualifying sessions – including the ones for GTD and GTD PRO – were delayed more than two hours due to track repairs at the entrance to the Bus Stop chicane. The Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen is scheduled for 12:10 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 28. It will stream live on Peacock in the U.S. starting at noon ET and on IMSA’s YouTube channel internationally. IMSA Radio also will stream the race at IMSA.com along XM 206, SiriusXM Online 996.

CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R POST-QUALIFYING DRIVER QUOTES

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “The car felt OK. Unfortunately our position didn’t change much throughout. I think we were expecting more but obviously we didn’t have enough. So yes, the car felt good so let’s see tomorrow.”

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It felt pretty decent in qualifying so it’s a bit of a surprise to be this far off the pace. So we need to figure out how to gain some places tomorrow. I feel like we have a good racecar and it’s going to be a long race. So let’s see what happens.”

Corvette Racing at Watkins Glen (wins in bold)2014 – No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Antonio Garcia/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GTLM (Team’s first race at Watkins Glen)No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 4th in GTLM 2015 – No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Antonio Garcia/Jan Magnussen – 4th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 7th in GTLM (Ret., Accident) 2016 – No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Antonio Garcia/Jan Magnussen – 7th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 4th in GTLM 2017 – No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Antonio Garcia/Jan Magnussen – 3rd in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 5th in GTLM 2018 – No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Antonio Garcia/Jan Magnussen – 2nd in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 5th in GTLM 2019 – No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Antonio Garcia/Jan Magnussen – 2nd in GTLM (Garcia pole, fastest race lap)No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 8th in GTLM (Accident on first lap) 2021 – No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 1st in GTLM (Garcia pole)No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy – 4th in GTLM (Tandy fastest race lap) 2021* – No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 1st in GTLM (Taylor pole, fastest race lap)No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy – 2nd in GTLM 2022 – No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 6th in GTD PRO 2023 – No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 3rd in GTD PRO 2024 – No. 3 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Antonio Garcia/Alexander Sims – 3rd in GTD PRONo. 4 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Tommy Milner/Nicky Catsburg – 7th in GTD PRONo. 13 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Matt Bell/Orey Fidani/Lars Kern – 7th in GTD 2025 – No. 3 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Antonio Garcia/Alexander Sims – 2nd in GTD PRONo. 4 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Tommy Milner/Nicky Catsburg – 4th in GTD PRONo. 13 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Matt Bell/Orey Fidani/Lars Kern – 9th in GTDNo. 36 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Charlie Eastwood/Alec Udell/Salih Yoluc – 15th* Two-hour, 40-minute sprint race

NASCAR CUP SERIES SONOMA RACEWAY TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES JUNE 27, 2026

Shane van Gisbergen, driver of the No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet and No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet, met with the media in advance of running double duty in the NASCAR Cup and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series at Sonoma Raceway.

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

NASCAR CUP SERIESSONOMA RACEWAYTEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTESJUNE 27, 2026

Shane van Gisbergen, driver of the No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet and No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet, met with the media in advance of running double duty in the NASCAR Cup and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series at Sonoma Raceway.

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

Media Availability Quotes:  How has the preparation been this week for Sonoma, a track that you ran for the first time in the Cup Series last year, with it being sandwiched in between both San Diego and Chicagoland, a track that you have zero experience on?“Yeah, I feel like we did a fair bit before we left the shop, and then we had a good couple of days off after last weekend. The last few days, we sort of switched over to Sonoma. We had a good meeting yesterday; planning what we were going to do, how we’re going to approach it and really just maximizing points. We had a really good strong car here last year, so kind of just building off that and tweaking it a little bit. Hopefully, we’re still a strong car. We really need to maximize our points achieved on Sunday to help our Chase position.”  To follow up with that, what is that preparation like for Chicagoland and North Wilkesboro? You know what your expectations are for this weekend, but considering where you are in points, how hard are you prepping for Chicagoland and North Wilkesboro?“I know nothing about Chicagoland, other than it doesn’t have a back-straight. I kind of live week-to-week and focus as much as I can every week, so I’ll change over next week. I don’t know if they have that track on the simulator or not, but I’ll try and do a bit next week to understand that place. They did a test a month or two ago and I think there’s a lot of information around about that. Next week will be a lot of studying to learn a new track. We have an open practice, too, and I always seem to go better when I have a longer practice, a couple of sets of tires and can try a bit with my car. But yeah, I look forward to that.”   Red Bull put out a really cool video where a lot of their athletes were trying to hit the five-second timer. You and Connor (Zilisch) were really close. You’ll be going head to head again today. How competitive is the rivalry between you guys?“One person had one go at that and one had five (laughs). It was a bit of social media stuff. But yeah, we have a pretty friendly banter, Connor and I, and that relationship gets better and better. We drove up here together this week. He’s awesome. Obviously, he’s pretty frustrated, I guess, at the moment. The results aren’t going his way and it seems to be one thing after another. Even yesterday in qualifying for O’Reilly, there’s nothing you can do about stuff like that. But we all go through that stuff and I’m sure he’ll be a factor today in the race and also qualifying today, too. It’s going to work out for him. He’s a great teammate and it’s been fun to see him pushing himself to get better.”  You kind of touched on my follow-up of just kind of the up and downs Connor (Zilisch) has faced this year. Not as a teammate but as a friend, what advice do you offer to him?“I mean, I went through a pretty similar thing last year. You come in expecting to do decent. Everyone in the Cup Series has won O’Reilly races. That’s the level everyone’s at. It’s tough. Everyone in here is good. You jump in after you’ve been in good cars all through your junior career, and then you jump in the main series and it’s a shock. I had it in Supercars when I was 18 years old. I did really well in all my junior formulas, and then I got into the main class and I was qualifying at the back. It’s a rude awakening, but you got to push through it. I’m sure the second-half of his season will be good and he’ll just keep at it. Things will start turning around for him.”   I saw that I think you did stuff with Race Service in LA this week. I know also, occasionally, you have events with Red Bull that kind of take you out of the NASCAR bubble. When you talk to people in those situations where maybe they love motorsports or cars but not specifically NASCAR, what do you think the perception is of the racing here and of yourself? What is the awareness of what’s going on in NASCAR?“Yeah, I find it always cool. The questions are certainly unique. I think it was like that the first Chicago Street Race, but also at San Diego. I think it was some stat like 80% of people hadn’t gone to a NASCAR race before. That’s why it’s cool going to new places and seeing new people. I think you introduce them to what the sport is like, and then hopefully, we have good races the weeks after and it keeps them engaged. I think our sport is really awesome as a motorsport. You don’t know who’s going to win, whereas you watch F1, there’s three guys who are going to win. I think our sport’s really cool. Even at a road course, there are 10 guys who can win. I think that’s really cool how many different storylines there are in our sport. I think you guys do a good job, but as drivers, we have to do a good job, as well, of keeping people interested, keeping the storylines coming and hopefully people keep coming into our sport.”  The result from last week (at San Diego), does that make you angry more just because it was an opportunity to win or because of the impact on a potential Chase spot?“Both. I was pretty pissed off Sunday knowing that we had a good opportunity for a points day. Especially when the track rubbered up, my car just came alive, so I was pretty gutted trying to think about what I could have done better there. I was pretty pissed off with that, but I can use it as motivation pretty well. I’m pretty fired up this weekend, but also pretty calm and focused, too. We just have to go and execute; do my job and try and make up for it this week.”   No mic…“No, no I can’t. You can just do things better and not make mistakes. I did all the preparation I could to see where I was weak last year and try and be better. But I just have to go out and execute and hopefully have a good party Sunday night.”   Do you feel there’ll be more V8 Supercar drivers that will make the switch to NASCAR racing? “I mean, I hope. I think it’s cool that Broc Feeney’s here this weekend. It was cool to catch-up with him for dinner last night, and I know he’d love to do a race and a couple of others, too. Yeah, I certainly welcome it. I think it’s appealing to teams, in some ways. You’re going to have strong road course guys, but you’ve got to commit to a big building phase on the ovals, as we’ve seen. But yeah, I’d love to see more come and try and do it.”   Slightly disappointed that Matt Payne not here this weekend?“I’d love to see him do it. I think he’s a massive talent. He was only just starting when I left, but from what I saw, he was he was really good. It sounds like he wants to come do it, so hopefully, he can have a go.”   I talked to Connor (Zilisch) earlier in the week and I asked him how much he leans on you for advice. I want to know what is the relationship between the two of you? It’s his first season after switching over from the O’Reilly Series over here to the Cup Series… “Yeah we’re pretty open, I think as far as teammates go. It’s been really good. We do rely on Ross (Chastain) a lot on the ovals, and he’s the same on road courses. He can ask any question he wants and we’ll give him an answer. It’s been pretty cool trying to make each other better. With Connor (Zilisch), we’re really pushing each other to get better. As I said earlier, it will click for him soon. But yeah, hopefully it’s us at the front this weekend. It’s been fun working with him. He’s almost 20 years younger, but he’s very fast, too.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES SONOMA RACEWAY TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES JUNE 27, 2026

AJ Allmendinger, driver of the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet, met with the media in advance of making his milestone 500th career NASCAR Cup Series start at Sonoma Raceway this weekend.

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

NASCAR CUP SERIESSONOMA RACEWAYTEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTESJUNE 27, 2026

AJ Allmendinger, driver of the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet, met with the media in advance of making his milestone 500th career NASCAR Cup Series start at Sonoma Raceway this weekend.

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

Media Availability Quotes:  AJ Allmendinger will make his 500th start in the NASCAR Cup Series tomorrow afternoon, and will be the 48th driver in series history to accomplish this incredible feat. What are you looking forward to this weekend at Sonoma Raceway?“Yeah, I mean this place is always special. It’s basically my home race. I always get to see a lot of family and friends that I don’t get to see enough of, for sure. I think when it comes to results on this track, I haven’t had the best results, but I do enjoy racing and just running laps around Sonoma. I feel like kind of where we’re at as a race team right now, having the outright speed to win the race, I’m not sure we are there right now. But I feel like if we execute and we’re at our best, we can put ourselves in position to have a really good result. And then, you never know what could happen. Just being close enough to the front is important, for sure. It’s tough here. I think the last couple of years has been interesting because obviously they repaved it two years ago and it had a massive amount of grip and tire wear wasn’t an issue. And then last year, it felt like, I wouldn’t say that it went completely back to the old Sonoma, but it was kind of slick again. But then watching O’Reilly practice yesterday, it looked like the tires weren’t falling off a lot. So, I’m not sure what to expect on that front. But yeah, I mean it’s a technical race track. It’s easy to burn off the rear tires at times around here, and for us, I think that’s kind of our focus of just trying to have a good balance when we unload here. If we do that, it makes the weekend a whole lot easier, for sure.”  Last year, you said you can learn from Shane (van Gisbergen), but you can’t let it torment you. At what point do you stop studying the guy that everyone is chasing and trust in your own game?“Well, I mean, that’s actually a really good question. There’s a happy mix, for sure. You know, you still learn from what makes him so good. But with that said, it’s like you go out there and you try to drive exactly like him and it makes some of the things I think I’m strong at weak trying to do that. So, it’s just a balance, I think more than anything. He’s so smooth in the way he takes care of the rear tires. It’s pretty impressive because if you watch his in-car stuff, I mean, it looks slow. If you don’t put a stopwatch on it, you’re like, it’s not very fast, but obviously it is.  I’m always trying to learn. But yeah, I think at some point when it comes to us at Kaulig Racing, we know what our cars are and where we need to make them better, and we’re not probably at that point right now, so you try to make the best of that. And then for me, it’s trying to execute, just minimize any mistakes that I make and still focusing on what’s going to make the car good in a short run and the long run. So, yeah, there’s always a little bit of mix in there. I still study it though.”  We have the different kind of racing now where there’s no longer ‘win and you’re in’. How does the points here try to match up? Does your strategy change to try to get more points in certain stages here?“Well, I mean, for us this year, I think that’s something that we focused on. You kind of see as you go through practice and qualifying, and then even a little bit during the first stage of what you have as a race car. I think if you really think you can win the race, you got to run the stages like you have in the past of short-pitting them and making sure you keep track position. There have been races this year where we’ve run the stages out knowing like, ‘hey, you know, we probably don’t have the speed to win the race, so points are important.’ At this place, I think it’s hit or miss. Sometimes you can kind of come through middle of the field and make some passes and make it work and get to the front, but it’s also not the easiest place to pass either. So, yeah, it’s about having that right mix.  It comes down to really seeing what we are through practice and qualifying today; judge what kind of speed we have and then see how it’s going through the first stage. I still think ultimately to win the race or to run in the top-three, you’re going to have to short-pit the second stage. So, yeah, I guess we determine what we are at that point of what’s more important. That is one thing we’ve done well this year is that we’ve done a really good job at these races of getting kind of the max amount of points that we can get for what we have that weekend.”   With the In-Season Challenge starting here at Sonoma, how does that affect your racing style? “Yeah, I mean honestly, I don’t think about it at all. Sure, if there’s four or five laps to go — this weekend, we’re racing against (Chase) Briscoe, so if you’re racing around him, I think it enters your mind a little bit. But when it comes to thinking about the race and how you go about it, that’s probably the last thing on my mind, for sure.”   What has been your most memorable victory lane moment in your career so far? Coming into this weekend at Sonoma, how special would that mean to you to win on your 500th start?“Yeah, I mean, it’s funny. I didn’t even think about the 500th start until our race team started posting about it. You know, I think there’s two ways to think about it and it’s the way I am mentally about myself. You think 500 starts, immediately my mind goes, ‘well, damn, I wish I had won more.’ Yeah, I wish in these 500 starts, there’d be more ups. But if you’d ask 2007 A.J. as I was missing most of the races on a brand new race team like, ‘hey, by the way, 19 years later, you’re going to be at start 500 at Sonoma’, I would have been like there’s not a chance in hell. I’m literally just trying to get to the next one.  I guess it’s good and bad because it’s what pushes me. But, you know, I spent so many years early on just trying to make one fast lap in practice, make the race, show some sort of speed or put together just one good race. But people still wanted me to drive their racecars, and I guess it’s probably, unfortunately and fortunately, the way my mentality is still of I’m always out there trying to prove it to myself that I still belong here. It’s what drives me insane sometimes. It’s also what pushes me to want to be at my best every second of the day, to prove it to myself. Matt (Kaulig), Chris (Rice) and Trent (Owens), everybody on this race team is always like you got nothing to prove. You’ve done everything. And I’m like, no, I still have to wake up tomorrow and prove it to myself.  To be able to do it here (at Sonoma Raceway) especially, is pretty amazing. It would be one hell of a victory lane. There would be a lot of wine, mixed with Celsius, mixed with some other stuff probably. You might have to carry me out of victory lane, so hopefully that happens.”  On the note of the 500th start, you’re not going to be too reflective about it because like you said, you’re still pushing yourself all the time. But just from a longevity standpoint, you see Casey Mears want to come back and get to a milestone number and stuff like that. It’s hard to last that long in the Cup Series. Do you give yourself any credit for the way that you’ve been able to endure all these years?“I give myself credit that I’ve tricked a lot of owners to keep me in their racecars still (laughs).  I’ll be honest, the fact that I’m the 48th person, I just thought there were more people that have done it, so I didn’t think much of it. That kind of shocked me that I’m the 48th driver to reach that milestone. I think it’s something I’ll look back when I’m done and, you know, kind of go through the fun times. Getting to have Aero (son) at a lot of these races now and how just super excited he is. He just loves it. I’m going to have to do more because racing is not cheap. I keep trying to get a golf club in his hands and he just keeps screaming at me about race cars, so I think I’m going to be here for a little bit longer.  But yeah, for me, I just always want to be better. So I think maybe at the end of it, I’ll look back and be like, ‘hey, that’s pretty amazing that I’ve gotten to do so many of them’. But right now, I just want to be better.”   What about the Northern California racing scene? It worked for you growing up, so why has Northern California always kind of been in a driver development hotbed with yourself, Kyle Larson and Tyler Reddick?“Yeah, they’ve had a lot of incredible racecar drivers come out of this area. I think a lot of it is on the dirt track side of it. There’s so many dirt tracks around here. My dad raced local dirt tracks, and if we weren’t at one of his races, we were at Baylands. We were at Ascot. We were at San Jose. There were so many dirt tracks that you could just go and race at or watch. I think there are a lot of places to develop talent out here, especially on the sprint car side of it. But even in my region of karting, like the names that came out of the guys that I raced against and how many of them made it in true top-level echelon motorsports, it just shows that racing’s always been strong out here. I think it’s continually stayed strong, whether it’s sprint car racing, karting, late models, whatever it may be. For me, it’s nice to be a part of that group that I’ve gotten to share in that and still be doing it here.”   You have a new sponsor on board this weekend and a scheme that’s going to be pretty hard to miss around here. What would it be like to park that EchoPark green and victory lane and just talk about a little bit about that sponsorship?“Well, I like any time we get a sponsor that has green in it because that’s always been my favorite color growing up. I still remember my parents taking me out here and me getting a picture next to Harry Gant’s car because that was my favorite paint scheme, that skull bandit green. So yeah, I always like a green racecar. I always got the ‘green is bad luck in racing’, and I was like, ‘it’s the same color as money…why is that bad luck?’  Obviously, it’s not a new sponsor to NASCAR. EchoPark Automotive does a lot with this sport. But for them to put their belief in myself and Kaulig Racing, that always means a lot to me. Hopefully, we can go out there and run up front; have a shot to win the race and pull that thing into victory lane. But yeah, you’re not going to miss it. It definitely stands out, which I really like.”  On his relationship with Matt Kaulig and Chris Rice: “This is why I went from doing TV, thinking I was retiring and doing a couple of races with Kaulig Racing, to where all of a sudden within a couple of years, I was running 54 racings during the year with them, between O’Reilly and Cup. I love this team; Matt, Chris, all the men and women at Kaulig Racing. I always start with Matt and Chris because they’re the leadership of the team and they have been from the start of it. This is my home. Sometimes it can be a dysfunctional home on all ends. I’m the first one to admit it… I’m a little crazy, you hear it on the radio. But we love each other and we will fight to the death for each other. When I thought I retired the first time, I had two O’Reilly wins and one Cup win. And now, we have like 21 wins together. I’ve gotten to kiss the bricks at Indianapolis. I got to win at Charlotte. I got to win on ovals. I got one of the coolest finishes ever at Bristol. I owe the happiness of my career to them. Whether it’s good enough in my mind, which like I’ve said, I wish I’ve done more. But if I would have retired the first time, I would have been kind of miserable about not doing enough. We’ve done some pretty damn cool things, and hopefully we’ve got more to go. I owe the happiness of my career when I’m done to Matt and Chris.”

NORWALK, OH (June 27, 2026) — Jason Dietsch drove his Mustang Cobra Jet to the top of the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown qualifying order at the Summit Racing Equipment Nationals today to secure the No. 1 qualifier position. The driver from Edgerton, Ohio, posted a blistering 7.586 seconds at 175.75 mph run on Friday night to move around Tony Scott Jr. for the top spot. Dietsch’s pass was the second quickest run in class history narrowly missing Mark Pawuk’s record run 7.583 seconds from St. Louis in 2023. 
 
“This is basically our home track, and we’re two hours from the house to the track. We always like coming here we have a lot of people that follow our racing,” said Dietsch. “I know lots of the guys are mad we went out there and ran that number. I look at it this way, I pay the same bills I’ve never been the guy that is going to save it for the next guy. I’m gonna use it up on every run.”

 Norwalk No. 1 qualifier Jason Dietsch launches off the starting line at Summit Motorsports Park,
photo credit Auto Imagery/Gary Nastase

JASON DIETSCH RUNS TO FLEXJET FACTORY STOCK SHOWDOWN NO. 1 IN NORWALK 

NORWALK, OH (June 27, 2026) — Jason Dietsch drove his Mustang Cobra Jet to the top of the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown qualifying order at the Summit Racing Equipment Nationals today to secure the No. 1 qualifier position. The driver from Edgerton, Ohio, posted a blistering 7.586 seconds at 175.75 mph run on Friday night to move around Tony Scott Jr. for the top spot. Dietsch’s pass was the second quickest run in class history narrowly missing Mark Pawuk’s record run 7.583 seconds from St. Louis in 2023. 
 
“This is basically our home track, and we’re two hours from the house to the track. We always like coming here we have a lot of people that follow our racing,” said Dietsch. “I know lots of the guys are mad we went out there and ran that number. I look at it this way, I pay the same bills I’ve never been the guy that is going to save it for the next guy. I’m gonna use it up on every run.”

 Norwalk No. 1 qualifier Jason Dietsch launches off the starting line at Summit Motorsports Park,
photo credit Auto Imagery/Gary Nastase

For Dietsch and the rest of his team the work to have success on the track starts at the shop. Between races his teams are preparing for the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown national events running other races and testing the shop.
 
“These guys at KSR work their rear ends off. Tony Scott’s team is working hard. We race head-to-head against each other every week. You must go work to get results. There’s a lot of technology out there and we test every week. We’re going out there because we want to beat each other. Other guys just really need to get to work over there, plain and simple.”
 
While the field is chasing Dietsch on the qualifying ladder Jonathan Allegrucci is the racer to catch on the track. The Mustang Cobra Jet driver from Scotts Township, Penn., is looking to win his fourth consecutive Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown race of the season. As the No. 5 qualifier he will have lane choice over No. 12 qualifier Ricky Hord in the first round. The Flexjet Bounty has grown to $3,000 to the driver who can turn on a win light against the current points leader.
 
Two Ohioans will also be looking to get into the winner’s circle. Two-time and reigning Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown world champion Mark Pawuk, the No. 8 qualifier, is racing to go back-to-back at the Summit Equipment Nationals with his Empaco-backed Dodge Charger. Thunder Valley Nationals runner-up Raymond Nash finished in the No. 15 spot after some challenging qualifying runs and is hoping to capture his first national event win in the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown class this weekend. Pawuk will face Rouven Dawson in the first round and Nash will square off with James Betz.
 
The first round of eliminations at the Summit Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Motorsports Park will begin Saturday evening with eliminations concluding tomorrow. Fans can follow the racing action at www.nhra.com.
 
First Round Match-ups
 
No. 1 Jason Dietsch vs. No. 16 Lee Hartman
No. 2 Tony Scott vs. No. 15 Kyle Pawuk
No. 3 Taylor Dietsch vs. No. 14 David Davies II
No. 4 Raymond Nash vs. No. 13 James Betz
No. 5 Jonathan Allegrucci vs. No. 12 Ricky Hord
No. 6 Doug Duell vs. No. 11 David Janac
No. 7 Alex Anderson vs. No. 10 Scott Libersher
No. 8 Mark Pawuk vs. No. 9 Rouven David
 
Flexjet Bounty Program
Gatornationals (Gainesville, Fla.)
$1,000 bounty collected by Jonathan Allegrucci, defeated Mark Pawuk (2025 Flexjet world champion)
 
NHRA 4-Wide Nationals (Charlotte, N. C.)
$1,000 bounty collected by Raymond Nash, defeated Ricky Hord (2026 Gatornationals winner)
 
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 Nationals (Chicago, Illinois)
$1,000 bounty was not claimed with Allegrucci’s victory
 
Super Grip Thunder Valley Nationals (Bristol, Tenn,)
$2,000 bounty was not claimed with Allegrucci’s victory

2026 Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Results
Gainesville – Ricky Hord, winner; David Janac, runner-up
Charlotte – Jonathan Allegrucci, winner; Jason Dietsch, runner-up
Chicago – Jonathan Allegrucci, winner; Jason Dietsch, runner-up
Bristol – Jonathan Allegrucci, winner; Raymond Nash, runner-up
 

BELLEVILLE, KS (June 27, 2026) — Sam Hafertepe Jr. is back in his groove again.

The American Sprint Car Series points leader ended his wait to Victory Lane with a dominating performance on the opening night of The Big One at Belleville High Banks for his first win of the 2026 season.

Hafertepe put his No. 15H Maxim Chassis at the top of the leaderboard throughout Friday, leading the way in Hot Laps, setting a new track record in Qualifying, then won the Honest Abe Roofing Dash to start on the Pole Position for the night’s Feature.

When the green flag dropped, Hafertepe darted to the lead over Matt Covington by keeping his car through the middle lane of Turn 1, then slid up the track out of Turn 2 to get clear as Garrett Benson used the open space on the cushion of the 1/2-mile to take the runner-up spot over Covington.

The Sunnyvale, TX driver orchestrated the pace of the Feature by stretching the lead by 0.5 seconds per lap to reach a one-second lead over Benson through the first quarter of the 20-lap Feature.

When Hafertepe reached the halfway point, he amassed a 2.6-second gap as lap traffic began to interrupt his leading momentum. Benson began to reel in the leader back in his direction, then lost ground on Hafertepe once more as he found clean air after overtaking the lapped cars.

Reaching a 3.5-second lead by the sight of the twin checkered flags, Hafertepe claimed his 89th career ASCS National Tour triumph and stretched the points lead to 37 markers over Covington exiting the night.

“It was a really good race car,” Hafertepe said. “We kind of tried a little bit in the Heat race, and probably wasn’t what we needed. Then, we tried a little more in the Dash, then made some more changes for the Feature, and got our car feeling like it was here last year.

“We’re on, man. I’ve had interviews about it, going ‘You haven’t won a race and all this.’ I mean, I won one now. So, it was inevitable. I didn’t know if it was gonna happen tonight, tomorrow, whenever, but it was gonna happen.”

Benson finished the night in second, and Covington completed the podium for his third appearance in the last four Series races. Jake Bubak finished fourth, and Seth Bergman rounded out the top five.

Recap Notes:

Quick Time Award: Sam Hafertepe Jr. (15.030 sec.)

Heat Race Winners: Matt Covington, Seth Bergman, Garrett Benson

Honest Abe Roofing Dash Winner: Sam Hafertepe Jr.

Hard Charger Award: Whit Gastineau (+5)

Up Next: The American Sprint Car Series will return to Belleville High Banks on Saturday night for The Big One finale on June 27.

BIG ONE INFO

Where can you watch every lap of the American Sprint Car Series? Live on DIRTVision.

WON ONE: Sam Hafertepe Jr. Claims 89th American Sprint Car Series Victory in The Big One Opener at Belleville BELLEVILLE, KS (June 27, 2026) — Sam Hafertepe Jr. is back in his groove again.

The American Sprint Car Series points leader ended his wait to Victory Lane with a dominating performance on the opening night of The Big One at Belleville High Banks for his first win of the 2026 season.

Hafertepe put his No. 15H Maxim Chassis at the top of the leaderboard throughout Friday, leading the way in Hot Laps, setting a new track record in Qualifying, then won the Honest Abe Roofing Dash to start on the Pole Position for the night’s Feature.

When the green flag dropped, Hafertepe darted to the lead over Matt Covington by keeping his car through the middle lane of Turn 1, then slid up the track out of Turn 2 to get clear as Garrett Benson used the open space on the cushion of the 1/2-mile to take the runner-up spot over Covington.

The Sunnyvale, TX driver orchestrated the pace of the Feature by stretching the lead by 0.5 seconds per lap to reach a one-second lead over Benson through the first quarter of the 20-lap Feature.

When Hafertepe reached the halfway point, he amassed a 2.6-second gap as lap traffic began to interrupt his leading momentum. Benson began to reel in the leader back in his direction, then lost ground on Hafertepe once more as he found clean air after overtaking the lapped cars.

Reaching a 3.5-second lead by the sight of the twin checkered flags, Hafertepe claimed his 89th career ASCS National Tour triumph and stretched the points lead to 37 markers over Covington exiting the night.

“It was a really good race car,” Hafertepe said. “We kind of tried a little bit in the Heat race, and probably wasn’t what we needed. Then, we tried a little more in the Dash, then made some more changes for the Feature, and got our car feeling like it was here last year.

“We’re on, man. I’ve had interviews about it, going ‘You haven’t won a race and all this.’ I mean, I won one now. So, it was inevitable. I didn’t know if it was gonna happen tonight, tomorrow, whenever, but it was gonna happen.”

Benson finished the night in second, and Covington completed the podium for his third appearance in the last four Series races. Jake Bubak finished fourth, and Seth Bergman rounded out the top five.

Recap Notes:

Quick Time Award: Sam Hafertepe Jr. (15.030 sec.)

Heat Race Winners: Matt Covington, Seth Bergman, Garrett Benson

Honest Abe Roofing Dash Winner: Sam Hafertepe Jr.

Hard Charger Award: Whit Gastineau (+5)

Up Next: The American Sprint Car Series will return to Belleville High Banks on Saturday night for The Big One finale on June 27.

BIG ONE INFO

Where can you watch every lap of the American Sprint Car Series? Live on DIRTVision.

RESULTS: Feature (20 Laps): 1. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[1]; 2. 27B-Garrett Benson[4]; 3. 95-Matt Covington[2]; 4. 9-Jake Bubak[8]; 5. 23-Seth Bergman[3]; 6. 1X-Bryant Wiedeman[5]; 7. 2-Whit Gastineau[12]; 8. 14-Joey Danley[6]; 9. 88-Terry Easum[9]; 10. 2J-Zach Blurton[7]; 11. 88R-Ryder Laplante[16]; 12. 45X-Kyler Johnson[10]; 13. 10C-Jeremy Campbell[11]; 14. 68-Taylor Milton[13]; 15. 63-Jack Thomas[14]; 16. 16G-Austyn Gossel[17]; 17. 88C-Brogan Carder[18]; 18. 3-Cole Schroeder[19]; 19. 70K-Henry Rogers[20]; 20. 88J-Jeremy Huish[15]

GRAND FORKS, ND (June 26, 2026) – Bobby Pierce has finally figured out River Cities Speedway.

Going into Friday’s World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision event, the Grand Forks, ND bullring had been one of Pierce’s worst tracks on the tour. In three prior visits, he recorded finishes of 11th, 19th and sixth.

The rest of the field was hopeful that one of Pierce’s weak tracks would be the place where his incredible hot streak cooled down. Instead, it only continued to heat up, as Pierce got to the lead on Lap 11 and never looked back for his fourth World of Outlaws win in a row.

“It’s awesome to finally win here and just have a good car,” Pierce said. “We thought long and hard about it yesterday. We studied lots of film and just thought about what to do to the race car. The attributes to this racetrack, how it kind of bleeds back as the night goes on. We’ve kind of got to do different stuff than what we normally do.”

Bilstein Pole Award winner Ethan Dotson led the field to green, while Pierce got by second-starting Sam Mars on the bottom on the start. Dotson got caught in the fluff at the top of Turn 1 on the second lap, allowing Pierce to briefly get side-by-side before Dotson regained momentum and held him off.

However, Pierce remained right behind Dotson until the duo caught the back of the field, giving Pierce another chance to pounce. When Dotson had to check up for Brent Larson and Laela Eisenschenk racing side-by-side in front of him, it opened the door for Pierce to clear him in Turns 1 and 2 before Tyler Erb followed him through for second.

From that point forward, it was all Pierce. Erb remained in his tire tracks and was only a half-second back at the end, but that wasn’t quite close enough to try a last-corner move on the No. 32. Pierce crossed the line first to add another $15,000 victory to what’s been an unforgettable summer, as he has now won eight of his last nine starts since the Dirt Late Model Dream and pocketed more than $230,000 over that three-week span.

“Car stuck on the bottom for the first couple laps, got me to second,” Pierce said. “Realized it was time to get up. Honestly, I couldn’t see my signal guy at all, it was so dark on the backstretch. I didn’t really know where second place was at all, every time I’d come off the corner, the board never showed me or anything. I was pretty blind out there. Ran out of tear-offs about halfway through the race, so the last couple laps, I was really struggling. I was trying my best to wipe my shield, but the mud was just sticking to it.

“Last lap got pretty interesting, I thought I might have gave it up. Feel like if ‘Terbo’ was a little closer on the last corner, he probably could have snuck in there because I kind of got hung out in the middle.”

Erb settled for second in his first River Cities start since 2018, while Dotson finished third for his first World of Outlaws podium since February at Hendry County Motorsports Park. Behind them, Nick Hoffman and Dennis Erb Jr. rounded out the top five.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision travels west across North Dakota to Nodak Speedway in Minot, which hosts the Series on Sunday, June 28. Get your tickets in advance by clicking here.

Want to watch the World of Outlaws? Stream every race live on DIRTVision.

RACE NOTES:

Tyler Erb set the Dirt King Simulators Fastest Hot Lap.

Nick Hoffman won the Simpson Quick Time Award.

Sam Mars won Heat 1.

Ethan Dotson won STAKT Products Heat 2.

Nick Hoffman won Keyser Manufacturing Heat 3.

Bobby Pierce won Jarrett Rifles Heat 4.

Ryan Gustin won the Last Chance Showdown.

Ethan Dotson won the Bilstein Pole Award.

Ryan Gustin won the FOX Factory Hard Charger Award.

Daulton Wilson won the MD3 Rookie of the Race Award.

Tyler Erb was the WELD Racing Second-Place Finisher.

Ethan Dotson was the WIX Filters Third-Place Finisher.

Nick Hoffman was the ARP Fourth-Place Finisher.

Dennis Erb Jr. was the MSD Fifth-Place Finisher.

Jonathan Davenport was the Swift Springs Sixth-Place Finisher.

Tim McCreadie was the Penske Racing Shocks Seventh-Place Finisher.

Jake Timm was VP Racing Fuels Eighth-Place Finisher.

Daulton Wilson was the Lifeline Ninth-Place Finisher.

Ryan Gustin was the COMP Cams 10th-Place Finisher.

Trey Mills was the Quarter Master 11th-Place Finisher.

Dallon Murty was the Cometic Gaskets 12th-Place Finisher.

Eli Johnson was the Quarter Master 13th-Place Finisher.

Sam Mars was the ARP 14th-Place Finisher.

Brent Larson was the Arizona Sport Shirts 18th-Place Finisher.

Feature (40 Laps): 1. 32-Bobby Pierce[3]; 2. 1-Tyler Erb[8]; 3. 74X-Ethan Dotson[1]; 4. 9-Nick Hoffman[4]; 5. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[6]; 6. 49-Jonathan Davenport[12]; 7. 9M-Tim McCreadie[9]; 8. 22*-Jake Timm[5]; 9. 58V-Daulton Wilson[11]; 10. 19R-Ryan Gustin[17]; 11. 14-Trey Mills[13]; 12. 13-Dallon Murty[10]; 13. 55E-Eli Johnson[7]; 14. 28M-Sam Mars[2]; 15. 16-Tyler Bruening[15]; 16. 19-Dustin Sorensen[16]; 17. 20TC-Tristan Chamberlain[23]; 18. B1-Brent Larson[24]; 19. 1Z-Logan Zarin[20]; 20. 1E-Amelia Eisenschenk[18]; 21. 7P-Joey Pederson[19]; 22. 15-Laela Eisenschenk[22]; 23. 44*-Cole Schill[14]; 24. 11-Gordy Gundaker[21]

Pierce Conquers River Cities for Fourth Consecutive World of Outlaws Win

GRAND FORKS, ND (June 26, 2026) – Bobby Pierce has finally figured out River Cities Speedway.

Going into Friday’s World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision event, the Grand Forks, ND bullring had been one of Pierce’s worst tracks on the tour. In three prior visits, he recorded finishes of 11th, 19th and sixth.

The rest of the field was hopeful that one of Pierce’s weak tracks would be the place where his incredible hot streak cooled down. Instead, it only continued to heat up, as Pierce got to the lead on Lap 11 and never looked back for his fourth World of Outlaws win in a row.

“It’s awesome to finally win here and just have a good car,” Pierce said. “We thought long and hard about it yesterday. We studied lots of film and just thought about what to do to the race car. The attributes to this racetrack, how it kind of bleeds back as the night goes on. We’ve kind of got to do different stuff than what we normally do.”

Bilstein Pole Award winner Ethan Dotson led the field to green, while Pierce got by second-starting Sam Mars on the bottom on the start. Dotson got caught in the fluff at the top of Turn 1 on the second lap, allowing Pierce to briefly get side-by-side before Dotson regained momentum and held him off.

However, Pierce remained right behind Dotson until the duo caught the back of the field, giving Pierce another chance to pounce. When Dotson had to check up for Brent Larson and Laela Eisenschenk racing side-by-side in front of him, it opened the door for Pierce to clear him in Turns 1 and 2 before Tyler Erb followed him through for second.

From that point forward, it was all Pierce. Erb remained in his tire tracks and was only a half-second back at the end, but that wasn’t quite close enough to try a last-corner move on the No. 32. Pierce crossed the line first to add another $15,000 victory to what’s been an unforgettable summer, as he has now won eight of his last nine starts since the Dirt Late Model Dream and pocketed more than $230,000 over that three-week span.

“Car stuck on the bottom for the first couple laps, got me to second,” Pierce said. “Realized it was time to get up. Honestly, I couldn’t see my signal guy at all, it was so dark on the backstretch. I didn’t really know where second place was at all, every time I’d come off the corner, the board never showed me or anything. I was pretty blind out there. Ran out of tear-offs about halfway through the race, so the last couple laps, I was really struggling. I was trying my best to wipe my shield, but the mud was just sticking to it.

“Last lap got pretty interesting, I thought I might have gave it up. Feel like if ‘Terbo’ was a little closer on the last corner, he probably could have snuck in there because I kind of got hung out in the middle.”

Erb settled for second in his first River Cities start since 2018, while Dotson finished third for his first World of Outlaws podium since February at Hendry County Motorsports Park. Behind them, Nick Hoffman and Dennis Erb Jr. rounded out the top five.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision travels west across North Dakota to Nodak Speedway in Minot, which hosts the Series on Sunday, June 28. Get your tickets in advance by clicking here.

Want to watch the World of Outlaws? Stream every race live on DIRTVision.

RACE NOTES:

Tyler Erb set the Dirt King Simulators Fastest Hot Lap.

Nick Hoffman won the Simpson Quick Time Award.

Sam Mars won Heat 1.

Ethan Dotson won STAKT Products Heat 2.

Nick Hoffman won Keyser Manufacturing Heat 3.

Bobby Pierce won Jarrett Rifles Heat 4.

Ryan Gustin won the Last Chance Showdown.

Ethan Dotson won the Bilstein Pole Award.

Ryan Gustin won the FOX Factory Hard Charger Award.

Daulton Wilson won the MD3 Rookie of the Race Award.

Tyler Erb was the WELD Racing Second-Place Finisher.

Ethan Dotson was the WIX Filters Third-Place Finisher.

Nick Hoffman was the ARP Fourth-Place Finisher.

Dennis Erb Jr. was the MSD Fifth-Place Finisher.

Jonathan Davenport was the Swift Springs Sixth-Place Finisher.

Tim McCreadie was the Penske Racing Shocks Seventh-Place Finisher.

Jake Timm was VP Racing Fuels Eighth-Place Finisher.

Daulton Wilson was the Lifeline Ninth-Place Finisher.

Ryan Gustin was the COMP Cams 10th-Place Finisher.

Trey Mills was the Quarter Master 11th-Place Finisher.

Dallon Murty was the Cometic Gaskets 12th-Place Finisher.

Eli Johnson was the Quarter Master 13th-Place Finisher.

Sam Mars was the ARP 14th-Place Finisher.

Brent Larson was the Arizona Sport Shirts 18th-Place Finisher.

Feature (40 Laps): 1. 32-Bobby Pierce[3]; 2. 1-Tyler Erb[8]; 3. 74X-Ethan Dotson[1]; 4. 9-Nick Hoffman[4]; 5. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[6]; 6. 49-Jonathan Davenport[12]; 7. 9M-Tim McCreadie[9]; 8. 22*-Jake Timm[5]; 9. 58V-Daulton Wilson[11]; 10. 19R-Ryan Gustin[17]; 11. 14-Trey Mills[13]; 12. 13-Dallon Murty[10]; 13. 55E-Eli Johnson[7]; 14. 28M-Sam Mars[2]; 15. 16-Tyler Bruening[15]; 16. 19-Dustin Sorensen[16]; 17. 20TC-Tristan Chamberlain[23]; 18. B1-Brent Larson[24]; 19. 1Z-Logan Zarin[20]; 20. 1E-Amelia Eisenschenk[18]; 21. 7P-Joey Pederson[19]; 22. 15-Laela Eisenschenk[22]; 23. 44*-Cole Schill[14]; 24. 11-Gordy Gundaker[21]

ARTICLE: https://worldofoutlaws.com/latemodels/pierce-conquers-river-cities-for-fourth-consecutive-world-of-outlaws-win/

The two-time champion puts together a flawless night for his seventh victory of the year

NEW RICHMOND, WI (June 26, 2026) – David Gravel was simply perfect Friday night.

Perfect nights don’t come around often with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series. Simply winning a race with the country’s best drivers is an extremely difficult task, let alone being atop the leaderboard every time you hit the track.

But it’s no surprise that the driver and team that pulled it off at Cedar Lake Speedway’s Federated Auto Parts Independence Spectacular opener are the two-time and defending Series champions.

The Big Game Motorsports No. 2 was fastest in Race//Ready Hot Laps, fastest in Honest Abe Roofing Qualifying, won NOS Energy Drink Heat One, pulled the SPA Technique #1 Redraw pill, and won the Toyota Dash. That left only the 35-lap Feature to put the finishing touches on a flawless evening, and Gravel did exactly that. The Watertown, CT driver led every single lap, holding off a charging Michael “Buddy” Kofoid from the fourth row to punctuate the perfect night.

“I’ve got to thank Cody (Jacobs), Pete (Stephens), Zach (Patterson), and Luke (Vaughn),” Gravel said. “This is a brand-new car tonight, first night on this race car. I can’t thank them enough. They bust their butts. Last time we were here we brought out a new car, and there were leaks all over the place. Tonight, we were flawless from the start of the night to the end of the night.” Can’t thank those guys enough. It makes my job so much easier. Hopefully this car will last us through the summer months and win a lot of big races.”

Friday gave Gravel and the Big Game group their second straight win to go along with last Saturday’s $300,000 BillionAuto.com Huset’s High Bank Nationals triumph. They’re up to seven on the season and trail Kofoid and Roth Motorsports by just one for the most in 2026. Gravel is now a three-time Cedar Lake winner, putting him alongside Dave Blaney and Kerry Madsen for the sixth most. He now hasn’t finished off the podium in his last seven tries at the New Richmond, WI track.

Buddy Kofoid took the Roth Motorsports No. 83 from eighth to second and notched his 14th podium of the season.

Bill Balog made his local fans proud by bringing the No. 17B home third, his best World of Outlaws finish at Cedar Lake.

Sheldon Haudenschild and Carson Macedo completed the top five.

NIGHTLY NOTES

David Gravel earned his 11th Race//Ready Hottest Lap of the Night in 2026.

Gravel also clocked his 13th Simpson Quick Time of the season in Honest Abe Roofing Qualifying.

Heat Races belonged to David Gravel (NOS Energy Drink Heat One), Sheldon Haudenschild (TheGreatestStoreonDirt.comHeat Two), and Kelby Watt (WIX Filters Heat Three).

The SPA Technique #1 Redraw went to David Gravel.

Gravel also tapped the Toyota Dash.

Cole Macedo won the Micro-Lite Last Chance Showdown.

Kasey Jedrzejek wheeled from 21st to 11th to earn the KSE Racing Products Hard Charger and Five Star Bodies Rookie of the Race.

Spencer Bayston was the Tub O’ Towels Seventh Place Finisher.

David Gravel laid down the ACME Trading Company Fast Lap.

The Smith Titanium Brake Systems Break of the Race went to Kelby Watt.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars punctuate the Federated Auto Parts Independence Spectacular at New Richmond, WI’s Cedar Lake Speedway on Saturday, June 27. For tickets, CLICK HERE.

Where can you watch every World of Outlaws race? Live on DIRTVision.

Where can you see the World of Outlaws in 2026? Click to see the full schedule.

FEATURE RESULTS:

NOS Energy Drink Feature (35 Laps): 1. 2-David Gravel[1]; 2. 83-Michael Kofoid[8]; 3. 17B-Bill Balog[2]; 4. 18-Sheldon Haudenschild[4]; 5. 41-Carson Macedo[3]; 6. 23-Garet Williamson[7]; 7. 17-Spencer Bayston[16]; 8. 1S-Logan Schuchart[12]; 9. 7S-Chris Windom[6]; 10. 2C-Cole Macedo[19]; 11. 6-Kasey Jedrzejek[21]; 12. 15-Donny Schatz[17]; 13. 51-Ashton Torgerson[13]; 14. 27-Emerson Axsom[10]; 15. 24T-Christopher Thram[11]; 16. 16C-Skylar Gee[14]; 17. 15K-Creed Kemenah[22]; 18. 14-Brooke Tatnell[20]; 19. 33-Scotty Broty[18]; 20. 49-Josh Schneiderman[24]; 21. 1K-Kelby Watt[5]; 22. 28M-Conner Morrell[9]; 23. 23W-Scott Winters[23]; 24. 31-Scotty Thiel[15]

For complete results, CLICK HERE.

PERFECTION: Gravel Sweeps Cedar Lake’s Independence Spectacular Opener

The two-time champion puts together a flawless night for his seventh victory of the year

NEW RICHMOND, WI (June 26, 2026) – David Gravel was simply perfect Friday night.

Perfect nights don’t come around often with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series. Simply winning a race with the country’s best drivers is an extremely difficult task, let alone being atop the leaderboard every time you hit the track.

But it’s no surprise that the driver and team that pulled it off at Cedar Lake Speedway’s Federated Auto Parts Independence Spectacular opener are the two-time and defending Series champions.

The Big Game Motorsports No. 2 was fastest in Race//Ready Hot Laps, fastest in Honest Abe Roofing Qualifying, won NOS Energy Drink Heat One, pulled the SPA Technique #1 Redraw pill, and won the Toyota Dash. That left only the 35-lap Feature to put the finishing touches on a flawless evening, and Gravel did exactly that. The Watertown, CT driver led every single lap, holding off a charging Michael “Buddy” Kofoid from the fourth row to punctuate the perfect night.

“I’ve got to thank Cody (Jacobs), Pete (Stephens), Zach (Patterson), and Luke (Vaughn),” Gravel said. “This is a brand-new car tonight, first night on this race car. I can’t thank them enough. They bust their butts. Last time we were here we brought out a new car, and there were leaks all over the place. Tonight, we were flawless from the start of the night to the end of the night.” Can’t thank those guys enough. It makes my job so much easier. Hopefully this car will last us through the summer months and win a lot of big races.”

Friday gave Gravel and the Big Game group their second straight win to go along with last Saturday’s $300,000 BillionAuto.com Huset’s High Bank Nationals triumph. They’re up to seven on the season and trail Kofoid and Roth Motorsports by just one for the most in 2026. Gravel is now a three-time Cedar Lake winner, putting him alongside Dave Blaney and Kerry Madsen for the sixth most. He now hasn’t finished off the podium in his last seven tries at the New Richmond, WI track.

Buddy Kofoid took the Roth Motorsports No. 83 from eighth to second and notched his 14th podium of the season.

Bill Balog made his local fans proud by bringing the No. 17B home third, his best World of Outlaws finish at Cedar Lake.

Sheldon Haudenschild and Carson Macedo completed the top five.

NIGHTLY NOTES

David Gravel earned his 11th Race//Ready Hottest Lap of the Night in 2026.

Gravel also clocked his 13th Simpson Quick Time of the season in Honest Abe Roofing Qualifying.

Heat Races belonged to David Gravel (NOS Energy Drink Heat One), Sheldon Haudenschild (TheGreatestStoreonDirt.comHeat Two), and Kelby Watt (WIX Filters Heat Three).

The SPA Technique #1 Redraw went to David Gravel.

Gravel also tapped the Toyota Dash.

Cole Macedo won the Micro-Lite Last Chance Showdown.

Kasey Jedrzejek wheeled from 21st to 11th to earn the KSE Racing Products Hard Charger and Five Star Bodies Rookie of the Race.

Spencer Bayston was the Tub O’ Towels Seventh Place Finisher.

David Gravel laid down the ACME Trading Company Fast Lap.

The Smith Titanium Brake Systems Break of the Race went to Kelby Watt.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars punctuate the Federated Auto Parts Independence Spectacular at New Richmond, WI’s Cedar Lake Speedway on Saturday, June 27. For tickets, CLICK HERE.

Where can you watch every World of Outlaws race? Live on DIRTVision.

Where can you see the World of Outlaws in 2026? Click to see the full schedule.

FEATURE RESULTS:

NOS Energy Drink Feature (35 Laps): 1. 2-David Gravel[1]; 2. 83-Michael Kofoid[8]; 3. 17B-Bill Balog[2]; 4. 18-Sheldon Haudenschild[4]; 5. 41-Carson Macedo[3]; 6. 23-Garet Williamson[7]; 7. 17-Spencer Bayston[16]; 8. 1S-Logan Schuchart[12]; 9. 7S-Chris Windom[6]; 10. 2C-Cole Macedo[19]; 11. 6-Kasey Jedrzejek[21]; 12. 15-Donny Schatz[17]; 13. 51-Ashton Torgerson[13]; 14. 27-Emerson Axsom[10]; 15. 24T-Christopher Thram[11]; 16. 16C-Skylar Gee[14]; 17. 15K-Creed Kemenah[22]; 18. 14-Brooke Tatnell[20]; 19. 33-Scotty Broty[18]; 20. 49-Josh Schneiderman[24]; 21. 1K-Kelby Watt[5]; 22. 28M-Conner Morrell[9]; 23. 23W-Scott Winters[23]; 24. 31-Scotty Thiel[15]

For complete results, CLICK HERE.

ARTICLE: https://worldofoutlaws.com/sprintcars/perfection-gravel-sweeps-cedar-lakes-independence-spectacular-opener/

Thornton and Sheppard Collect Friday Night Preliminary Wins at Lernerville

SARVER, PA (June 26, 2026) – Ricky Thornton Jr. and Brandon Sheppard each earned $5,000 victories Friday night, winning their respective 25-lap preliminary features at Lernerville Speedway. The twin preliminary features set the lineups for Saturday’s four heat races, which will determine the starting field for the 20th Annual Firecracker 100 presented by Experience Butler County. The crown jewel event will pay $50,000 to the winner. Thornton claimed the opening feature for the 58th LOLMDS victory of his career in one of the season’s most eventful races. Dan Ebert recorded the best Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series finish of his career in second, while two-time Firecracker 100 winner Brandon Overton rounded out the Big River Steel podium in third. Josh Rice finished fourth, and current Midwest Sheet Metal championship points leader Hudson O’Neal completed the top five. O’Neal led the opening 12 laps before slipping in turn four, allowing Thornton – who started fourth – to take over the lead. Rice reclaimed second during the frantic lap-13 action before Overton moved into the runner-up spot on lap 17. Ebert then charged into second with five laps remaining and closed on Thornton in the final laps but came up just short. The victory positions the two-time Firecracker 100 winner for a favorable starting spot in Saturday’s heat races. “I thought we had a really good car,” Thornton said. “We built a new one coming here, and I told (Anthony) Burroughs I didn’t really want to know what was going on – just do what you think we need to do. I felt like our car was really good. Sheppy looked really good around the bottom in the second feature, so I think we’ve still got a little room to improve down there. I was just a little too tight to be as good as he was. Hats off to all the fans for coming out. Hopefully we can get tomorrow’s show in.” Thornton’s winning Koehler Motorsports, Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Cornett Racing Engine and backed by Knight’s Companies, Hoker Trucking, Coltman Farms Racing, Capital Waste, Elite Ready Mix, Certified Inspection Services, Strange Oval, SI Towing and Recovery, and Sunoco Race Fuels. Completing the top ten in the first feature were Carson Ferguson, Brian Shirley, Chub Frank, Eric Wilson, and Brenden Smith. In the second 25-lap feature, Brandon Sheppard charged from the seventh starting position and passed Devin Moran for the lead on lap seven, then pulled away to score his 41st career Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series victory. Moran, the defending Series champion, led the opening six laps before Sheppard used the bottom groove to take command. From there, Sheppard steadily extended his advantage, crossing the finish line 2.120 seconds ahead of Moran. Max Blair slipped past five-time and defending Lernerville track champion Michael Norris on the final lap to finish third, while Garrett Alberson rounded out the top five after starting 10th. “It’s one of those deals where, starting that far back, you just go where everyone else isn’t,” Sheppard said. “I knew my car was good no matter where I put it. I was just biding my time and watching where everyone was running. The top was pretty treacherous after seeing guys go over the edge in the first feature, so I didn’t want to go up there unless I absolutely had to. Our car has been really balanced all year, and it was good again tonight. I just messed up both qualifying laps, or we probably would’ve started a little farther forward.” Sheppard’s winning Mark Richards Racing, Rocket Chassis is powered by a Durham Racing Engine and backed by Valvoline, Seubert Calf Ranches, Ace Metal Works, Performance Grading, Petroff Towing, Franklin Enterprises, Sunoco Race Fuels, Gunter’s Honey, Stiles Marine and Maintenance, and Collins Brothers Towing. Completing the top ten in the second feature were Dillon McCowan, Alex Ferree, Tyler Wyant, Gregg Satterlee, and Ryan Montgomery. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary Firecracker 100 Presented by Experience Butler County | Night 2Friday, June 26, 2026Lernerville Speedway | Sarver, PA Allstar Performance Time TrialsFast Time Group A: Dan Ebert | 16.665 seconds (Overall)Fast Time Group B: Devin Moran | 17.447 seconds Group A Results: Penske Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, All Transfer): 1. 93-Carson Ferguson[2]; 2. 60-Dan Ebert[1]; 3. 11-Josh Rice[5]; 4. 17SS-Brenden Smith[3]; 5. 27W-Eric Wilson[8]; 6. 55-Chris Schneider[6]; 7. 93L-Cory Lawler[10]; 8. 10L-Gary Lyle[7]; 9. 9-Breyton Santee[11]; 10. 6M-Matt Martin[9]; 11. 42C-Chad Shearer[12]; 12. (DNS) 33-Josh Ferry Summit Racing Products Heat Race #2 Finish (8 Laps, All Transfer): 1. 71-Hudson O’Neal[1]; 2. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[2]; 3. 76-Brandon Overton[5]; 4. 3S-Brian Shirley[3]; 5. 77-Tyler Dietz[6]; 6. 99B-Chub Frank[4]; 7. 29-Ken Schaltenbrand[7]; 8. 10-Jared Miley[8]; 9. B22-Bump Hedman[9]; 10. 76C-Charles Powell[11]; 11. 0-Ryan Scott[10] Firecracker 100 Presented by Experience Butler County | Night 2 Group A – Feature Finish (25 Laps):Pos – Start – Car # – Competitor – Hometown – Earnings1 – 4 – 20RT – Ricky Thornton Jr – Chandler, AZ – $5,0002 – 3 – 60 – Dan Ebert – Lake Shore, MN – $3,0003 – 6 – 76 – Brandon Overton – Evans, GA – $2,0004 – 5 – 11 – Josh Rice – Crittenden, KY – $1,5005 – 2 – 71 – Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – $1,2506 – 1 – 93 – Carson Ferguson – Lincolnton, NC – $1,0007 – 8 – 3S – Brian Shirley – Chatham, IL – $9508 – 12 – 99B – Chub Frank – Bear Lake, PA – $9009 – 9 – 27W – Eric Wilson – Vienna, OH – $85010 – 7 – 17SS – Brenden Smith – Dade City, FL – $80011 – 14 – 29 – Ken Schaltenbrand – Sarver, PA – $70012 – 16 – 10 – Jared Miley – Pittsburgh, PA – $60013 – 22 – 0 – Ryan Scott – Garland, PA – $60014 – 17 – 9 – Breyton Santee – Conneaut, OH – $60015 – 13 – 93L – Cory Lawler – Hanover, PA – $60016 – 18 – B22 – Bump Hedman – Sugar Grove, PA – $60017 – 15 – 10L – Gary Lyle – Hyde Park, PA – $55018 – 19 – 6M – Matt Martin – Indiana, PA – $50019 – 20 – 76C – Charles Powell – Brookville, PA – $50020 – 21 – 42C – Chad Shearer – Leechburg, PA – $50021 – 11 – 55 – Chris Schneider – Lower Burrell, PA – $50022 – 10 – 77 – Tyler Dietz – Saxonburg, PA – $50023 – 23 – 33 – Josh Ferry – Titusville, PA – $0 Group A Race Statistics  Entrants: 46Bilstein Shocks Pole Sitter: Carson FergusonMD3 Lap Leaders: Hudson O’Neal (Laps 1-12); Ricky Thornton, Jr. (Laps 13-25)Hellraizer Jacks Halfway Leader: Ricky Thornton, Jr.Wieland Feature Winner: Ricky Thornton, Jr.Margin of Victory: 0.608 secondsHellraizer Jacks Cautions: Charlie Powell (Lap 9); Tyler Dietz (Lap 16); Chad Shearer, Charlie Powell (Lap 17)MyRacePass Series Provisional: n/aFast Time Provisional: n/aEmergency Provisionals: n/aTrack Provisional: n/aBig River Steel Podium Top 3: Ricky Thornton, Jr., Dan Ebert, Brandon OvertonPenske Shocks Top 5: Ricky Thornton, Jr., Dan Ebert, Brandon Overton, Josh Rice, Hudson O’NealBehrent’s One-Lap-to-Go Top 3: Ricky Thornton, Jr., Dan Ebert, Brandon OvertonPEM 4th Place Feature: Josh RiceDiversified Machine 5th Place Feature: Hudson O’NealWilwood Brakes 7th Place Feature: Brian ShirleyWehrs Machine 11th Place Feature: Ken SchaltenbrandVelocity Manufacturing 13th Place Feature: Ryan ScottXS Power Batteries 15th Place Feature: Cory LawlerHoker Trucking Hard Charger of the Race: Ryan Scott (Advanced 9 positions)MD3 Most Laps Led: Ricky Thornton, Jr. (13 Laps)Sunoco Race Fuels Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Ricky Thornton, Jr.Midwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Hudson O’NealO’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Race: n/aPro Fabrication Headers Fastest Lap of the Race: Hudson O’Neal | Lap 1 | 17.689 secondsFK Rod Ends Hard Luck Award: Hudson O’NealVictory Fuel Power Move of the Race: Josh RiceOuterwears Crew Chief of the Race: Anthony BurroughsARP Engine Builder of the Race: Clements Race EnginesMiller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Longhorn ChassisDirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Brandon Overton | 16.1037 secondsTime of Race: 22 minutes 46 seconds Group B Results: Cool-It Thermo-Tec Heat Race #3 Finish (8 Laps, All Transfer): 1. 99-Devin Moran[1]; 2. 8-Dillon McCowan[2]; 3. 72-Michael Norris[5]; 4. 1-Brandon Sheppard[8]; 5. 40B-Kyle Bronson[9]; 6. 10*-Levi Yetter[3]; 7. 24T-Tyler Wyant[7]; 8. 555-Brock Pinkerous[6]; 9. 12M-Ryan Montgomery[10]; 10. 24-Rick Eckert[4]; 11. J4-John Garvin Jr[11]; 12. 14R-Clay Ruffo[12] Simpson Race Products Heat Race #4 Finish (8 Laps, All Transfer): 1. 1C-Alex Ferree[3]; 2. 111-Max Blair[8]; 3. 157-Mike Marlar[1]; 4. 22G-Gregg Satterlee[10]; 5. 58-Garrett Alberson[4]; 6. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[9]; 7. 14-Dan Angelicchio[11]; 8. 1D-Braeden Dillinger[2]; 9. 6-Clay Harris[5]; 10. 15K-Lane Snook[6]; 11. (DNS) 48F-Colton Flinner Firecracker 100 Presented by Experience Butler County | Night 2 Group B – Feature Finish (25 Laps):Pos – Start – Car # – Competitor – Hometown – Earnings1 – 7 – 1 – Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – $5,0002 – 1 – 99 – Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – $3,0003 – 4 – 111 – Max Blair – Centerville, PA – $2,0004 – 5 – 72 – Michael Norris – Sarver, PA – $1,5005 – 10 – 58 – Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – $1,2506 – 3 – 8 – Dillon McCowan – Urbana, MO – $1,0007 – 2 – 1C – Alex Ferree – Saxonburg, PA – $9508 – 13 – 24 – Tyler Wyant – Oil City, PA – $9009 – 8 – 22G – Gregg Satterlee – Indiana, PA – $85010 – 17 – 12M – Ryan Montgomery – Fairmont, WV – $80011 – 15 – 555 – Brock Pinkerous – Ellenville, NY – $70012 – 18 – 6 – Clay Harris – Jupiter, FL – $60013 – 12 – 22 – Daniel Hilsabeck – Earlham, IA – $60014 – 11 – 10* – Levi Yetter – Cabot, PA – $60015 – 6 – 157 – Mike Marlar – Winfield, TN – $60016 – 16 – 1D – Braeden Dillinger – Dawson, PA – $60017 – 22 – 48F – Colton Flinner – Allison Park, PA – $55018 – 14 – 14 – Dan Angelicchio – Mt. Pleasant, PA – $50019 – 19 – 24 – Rick Eckert – York, PA – $50020 – 20 – 15K – Lane Snook – Port Royal, PA – $50021 – 23 – 14R – Clay Ruffo – Brookfield, OH – $50022 – 21 – J4 – John Garvin Jr. – Sarver, PA – $50023 – 9 – 40B – Kyle Bronson – Brandon, FL – $500 Group B Race Statistics  Entrants: 46Bilstein Shocks Pole Sitter: Devin MoranMD3 Lap Leaders: Devin Moran (Laps 1-6); Brandon Sheppard (Laps 7-25)Hellraizer Jacks Halfway Leader: Brandon SheppardWieland Feature Winner: Brandon SheppardMargin of Victory: 2.120 secondsHellraizer Jacks Cautions: Kyle Bronson (Lap 5)MyRacePass Series Provisional: n/aFast Time Provisional: n/aEmergency Provisionals: n/aTrack Provisional: n/aBig River Steel Podium Top 3: Brandon Sheppard, Devin Moran, Max BlairPenske Shocks Top 5: Brandon Sheppard, Devin Moran, Max Blair, Michael Norris, Garrett AlbersonBehrent’s One-Lap-to-Go Top 3: Brandon Sheppard, Devin Moran, Max BlairPEM 4th Place Feature: Michael NorrisDiversified Machine 5th Place Feature: Garrett AlbersonWilwood Brakes 7th Place Feature: Alex FerreeWehrs Machine 11th Place Feature: Brock PinkerousVelocity Manufacturing 13th Place Feature: Daniel HilsabeckXS Power Batteries 15th Place Feature: Mike MarlarHoker Trucking Hard Charger of the Race: Ryan Montgomery (Advanced 7 positions)MD3 Most Laps Led: Brandon Sheppard (19 Laps)Sunoco Race Fuels Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Brandon SheppardMidwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Hudson O’NealO’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Race: n/aPro Fabrication Headers Fastest Lap of the Race: Devin Moran | Lap 1 | 17.728 secondsFK Rod Ends Hard Luck Award: Kyle BronsonVictory Fuel Power Move of the Race: Brandon SheppardOuterwears Crew Chief of the Race: Danny WhiteARP Engine Builder of the Race: Durham Race EnginesMiller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Rocket ChassisDirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Ryan Montgomery | 16.3334 secondsTime of Race: 10 minutes 05 seconds Firecracker 100 Preliminary Points:Pos – Car # – Driver – Friday Points – Tie Breaker (Fastest Lap in Time Trials)1 – 20RT – Ricky Thornton, Jr. – 250 – 17.0042 – 1 – Brandon Sheppard – 250 – 17.9393 – 60 – Dan Ebert – 240 – 16.6654 – 99 – Devin Moran – 240 – 17.4475 – 76 – Brandon Overton – 220 – 17.2646 – 111 – Max Blair – 220 – 18.0547 – 11 – Josh Rice – 210 – 17.2578 – 72 – Michael Norris – 210 – 17.8049 – 71 – Hudson O’Neal – 205 – 16.78610 – 58 – Garrett Alberson – 205 – 17.79111 – 93 – Carson Ferguson – 200 – 16.94812 – 8 – Dillon McCowan – 200 – 17.58513 – 3s – Brian Shirley – 195 – 17.17614 – 1C – Alex Ferree – 195 – 17.71215 – 99B – Chub Frank – 190 – 17.23316 – 24 – Tyler Wyant – 190 – 17.90317 – 27W – Eric Wilson – 185 – 17.66918 – 22G – Gregg Satterlee – 185 – 18.20119 – 17SS – Brenden Smith – 180 – 17.09620 – 12M – Ryan Montgomery – 180 – 18.10321 – 29 – Ken Schaltenbrand – 175 – 17.66422 – 555 – Brock Pinkerous – 175 – 17.84623 – 10 – Jared Miley – 170 – 17.82324 – 6 – Clay Harris – 170 – 17.84125 – 0 – Ryan Scott – 165 – 18.07226 – 22 – Daniel Hilsabeck – 165 – 18.127 – 10* – Levi Yetter – 160 – 17.68328 – 9 – Breyton Santee – 160 – 18.24229 – 157 – Mike Marlar – 155 – 17.48530 – 93L – Cory Lawler – 155 – 18.02931 – 1d – Braeden Dillinger – 150 – 17.67332 – B22 – Bump Hedman – 150 – 18.02233 – 10L – Gary Lyle – 145 – 17.61734 – 48F – Colton Flinner – 145 – 17.92835 – 6M – Matt Martin – 140 – 17.84936 – 14 – Dan Angelicchio – 140 – 18.51537 – 24 – Rick Eckert – 135 – 17.79138 – 76C – Charlie Powell – 135 – 18.41939 – 42C – Chad Shearer – 130 – 040 – 15K – Lane Snook – 130 – 17.8841 – 55 – Chris Schneider – 125 – 17.55342 – 77 – Tyler Dietz – 125 – 17.58243 – 40B – Kyle Bronson – 125 – 18.05744 – J4 – John Garvin, Jr. – 125 – 18.20345 – 14R – Clay Ruffo – 125 – 19.00646 – 33 – Josh Ferry – 50 – 17.193 Penske Shocks Heat 1 Line-Up (8 Laps | Top 4 Transfer)Row – Car # – Driver – Hometown – Car # – Driver – Hometown1 – 20RT – Ricky Thornton Jr – Chandler, AZ – 76 – Brandon Overton – Evans, GA2 – 71 – Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – 3S – Brian Shirley – Chatham, IL3 – 27W – Eric Wilson – Vienna, OH – 29 – Ken Schaltenbrand – Sarver, PA4 – 0 – Ryan Scott – Garland, PA – 157 – Mike Marlar – Winfield, TN5 – 10L – Gary Lyle – Hyde Park, PA – 24 – Rick Eckert – York, PA6 – 55 – Chris Schneider – Lower Burrell, PA – 14R – Clay Ruffo – Brookfield, OH Summit Racing Heat 2 Line-Up (8 Laps | Top 4 Transfer)Row – Car # – Driver – Hometown – Car # – Driver – Hometown1 – 1 – Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – 111 – Max Blair – Centerville, PA2 – 58 – Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – 1C – Alex Ferree – Saxonburg, PA3 – 22G – Gregg Satterlee – Indiana, PA – 555 – Brock Pinkerous – Ellenville, NY4 – 22 – Daniel Hilsabeck – Earlham, IA – 93L – Cory Lawler – Hanover, PA5 – 48F – Colton Flinner – Allison Park, PA – 76C – Charles Powell – Brookville, PA6 – 77 – Tyler Dietz – Saxonburg, PA – 33 – Josh Ferry – Titusville, PA Cool-It Thermo Tec Heat 3 Line-Up (8 Laps | Top 4 Transfer)Row – Car # – Driver – Hometown – Car # – Driver – Hometown1 – 60 – Dan Ebert – Lake Shore, MN – 11 – Josh Rice – Crittenden, KY2 – 93 – Carson Ferguson – Lincolnton, NC – 99B – Chub Frank – Bear Lake, PA3 – 17SS – Brenden Smith – Dade City, FL – 10 – Jared Miley – Pittsburgh, PA4 – 10* – Levi Yetter – Cabot, PA – 1D – Braeden Dillinger – Dawson, PA5 – 6M – Matt Martin – Indiana, PA – 42C – Chad Shearer – Leechburg, PA6 – 40B – Kyle Bronson – Brandon, FL –  – Simpson Race Products Heat 4 Line-Up (8 Laps | Top 4 Transfer)Row – Car # – Driver – Hometown – Car # – Driver – Hometown1 – 99 – Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – 72 – Michael Norris – Sarver, PA2 – 8 – Dillon McCowan – Urbana, MO – 24T – Tyler Wyant – Oil City, PA3 – 12M – Ryan Montgomery – Fairmont, WV – 6 – Clay Harris – Jupiter, FL4 – 9 – Breyton Santee – Conneaut, OH – B22 – Bump Hedman – Sugar Grove, PA5 – 14 – Dan Angelicchio – Mt. Pleasant, PA – 15K – Lane Snook – Port Royal, PA6 – J4 – John Garvin Jr – Sarver, PA –  –

Thornton and Sheppard Collect Friday Night Preliminary Wins at Lernerville

SARVER, PA (June 26, 2026) – Ricky Thornton Jr. and Brandon Sheppard each earned $5,000 victories Friday night, winning their respective 25-lap preliminary features at Lernerville Speedway. The twin preliminary features set the lineups for Saturday’s four heat races, which will determine the starting field for the 20th Annual Firecracker 100 presented by Experience Butler County. The crown jewel event will pay $50,000 to the winner. Thornton claimed the opening feature for the 58th LOLMDS victory of his career in one of the season’s most eventful races. Dan Ebert recorded the best Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series finish of his career in second, while two-time Firecracker 100 winner Brandon Overton rounded out the Big River Steel podium in third. Josh Rice finished fourth, and current Midwest Sheet Metal championship points leader Hudson O’Neal completed the top five. O’Neal led the opening 12 laps before slipping in turn four, allowing Thornton – who started fourth – to take over the lead. Rice reclaimed second during the frantic lap-13 action before Overton moved into the runner-up spot on lap 17. Ebert then charged into second with five laps remaining and closed on Thornton in the final laps but came up just short. The victory positions the two-time Firecracker 100 winner for a favorable starting spot in Saturday’s heat races. “I thought we had a really good car,” Thornton said. “We built a new one coming here, and I told (Anthony) Burroughs I didn’t really want to know what was going on – just do what you think we need to do. I felt like our car was really good. Sheppy looked really good around the bottom in the second feature, so I think we’ve still got a little room to improve down there. I was just a little too tight to be as good as he was. Hats off to all the fans for coming out. Hopefully we can get tomorrow’s show in.” Thornton’s winning Koehler Motorsports, Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Cornett Racing Engine and backed by Knight’s Companies, Hoker Trucking, Coltman Farms Racing, Capital Waste, Elite Ready Mix, Certified Inspection Services, Strange Oval, SI Towing and Recovery, and Sunoco Race Fuels. Completing the top ten in the first feature were Carson Ferguson, Brian Shirley, Chub Frank, Eric Wilson, and Brenden Smith. In the second 25-lap feature, Brandon Sheppard charged from the seventh starting position and passed Devin Moran for the lead on lap seven, then pulled away to score his 41st career Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series victory. Moran, the defending Series champion, led the opening six laps before Sheppard used the bottom groove to take command. From there, Sheppard steadily extended his advantage, crossing the finish line 2.120 seconds ahead of Moran. Max Blair slipped past five-time and defending Lernerville track champion Michael Norris on the final lap to finish third, while Garrett Alberson rounded out the top five after starting 10th. “It’s one of those deals where, starting that far back, you just go where everyone else isn’t,” Sheppard said. “I knew my car was good no matter where I put it. I was just biding my time and watching where everyone was running. The top was pretty treacherous after seeing guys go over the edge in the first feature, so I didn’t want to go up there unless I absolutely had to. Our car has been really balanced all year, and it was good again tonight. I just messed up both qualifying laps, or we probably would’ve started a little farther forward.” Sheppard’s winning Mark Richards Racing, Rocket Chassis is powered by a Durham Racing Engine and backed by Valvoline, Seubert Calf Ranches, Ace Metal Works, Performance Grading, Petroff Towing, Franklin Enterprises, Sunoco Race Fuels, Gunter’s Honey, Stiles Marine and Maintenance, and Collins Brothers Towing. Completing the top ten in the second feature were Dillon McCowan, Alex Ferree, Tyler Wyant, Gregg Satterlee, and Ryan Montgomery. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary Firecracker 100 Presented by Experience Butler County | Night 2Friday, June 26, 2026Lernerville Speedway | Sarver, PA Allstar Performance Time TrialsFast Time Group A: Dan Ebert | 16.665 seconds (Overall)Fast Time Group B: Devin Moran | 17.447 seconds Group A Results: Penske Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, All Transfer): 1. 93-Carson Ferguson[2]; 2. 60-Dan Ebert[1]; 3. 11-Josh Rice[5]; 4. 17SS-Brenden Smith[3]; 5. 27W-Eric Wilson[8]; 6. 55-Chris Schneider[6]; 7. 93L-Cory Lawler[10]; 8. 10L-Gary Lyle[7]; 9. 9-Breyton Santee[11]; 10. 6M-Matt Martin[9]; 11. 42C-Chad Shearer[12]; 12. (DNS) 33-Josh Ferry Summit Racing Products Heat Race #2 Finish (8 Laps, All Transfer): 1. 71-Hudson O’Neal[1]; 2. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[2]; 3. 76-Brandon Overton[5]; 4. 3S-Brian Shirley[3]; 5. 77-Tyler Dietz[6]; 6. 99B-Chub Frank[4]; 7. 29-Ken Schaltenbrand[7]; 8. 10-Jared Miley[8]; 9. B22-Bump Hedman[9]; 10. 76C-Charles Powell[11]; 11. 0-Ryan Scott[10] Firecracker 100 Presented by Experience Butler County | Night 2 Group A – Feature Finish (25 Laps):Pos – Start – Car # – Competitor – Hometown – Earnings1 – 4 – 20RT – Ricky Thornton Jr – Chandler, AZ – $5,0002 – 3 – 60 – Dan Ebert – Lake Shore, MN – $3,0003 – 6 – 76 – Brandon Overton – Evans, GA – $2,0004 – 5 – 11 – Josh Rice – Crittenden, KY – $1,5005 – 2 – 71 – Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – $1,2506 – 1 – 93 – Carson Ferguson – Lincolnton, NC – $1,0007 – 8 – 3S – Brian Shirley – Chatham, IL – $9508 – 12 – 99B – Chub Frank – Bear Lake, PA – $9009 – 9 – 27W – Eric Wilson – Vienna, OH – $85010 – 7 – 17SS – Brenden Smith – Dade City, FL – $80011 – 14 – 29 – Ken Schaltenbrand – Sarver, PA – $70012 – 16 – 10 – Jared Miley – Pittsburgh, PA – $60013 – 22 – 0 – Ryan Scott – Garland, PA – $60014 – 17 – 9 – Breyton Santee – Conneaut, OH – $60015 – 13 – 93L – Cory Lawler – Hanover, PA – $60016 – 18 – B22 – Bump Hedman – Sugar Grove, PA – $60017 – 15 – 10L – Gary Lyle – Hyde Park, PA – $55018 – 19 – 6M – Matt Martin – Indiana, PA – $50019 – 20 – 76C – Charles Powell – Brookville, PA – $50020 – 21 – 42C – Chad Shearer – Leechburg, PA – $50021 – 11 – 55 – Chris Schneider – Lower Burrell, PA – $50022 – 10 – 77 – Tyler Dietz – Saxonburg, PA – $50023 – 23 – 33 – Josh Ferry – Titusville, PA – $0 Group A Race Statistics  Entrants: 46Bilstein Shocks Pole Sitter: Carson FergusonMD3 Lap Leaders: Hudson O’Neal (Laps 1-12); Ricky Thornton, Jr. (Laps 13-25)Hellraizer Jacks Halfway Leader: Ricky Thornton, Jr.Wieland Feature Winner: Ricky Thornton, Jr.Margin of Victory: 0.608 secondsHellraizer Jacks Cautions: Charlie Powell (Lap 9); Tyler Dietz (Lap 16); Chad Shearer, Charlie Powell (Lap 17)MyRacePass Series Provisional: n/aFast Time Provisional: n/aEmergency Provisionals: n/aTrack Provisional: n/aBig River Steel Podium Top 3: Ricky Thornton, Jr., Dan Ebert, Brandon OvertonPenske Shocks Top 5: Ricky Thornton, Jr., Dan Ebert, Brandon Overton, Josh Rice, Hudson O’NealBehrent’s One-Lap-to-Go Top 3: Ricky Thornton, Jr., Dan Ebert, Brandon OvertonPEM 4th Place Feature: Josh RiceDiversified Machine 5th Place Feature: Hudson O’NealWilwood Brakes 7th Place Feature: Brian ShirleyWehrs Machine 11th Place Feature: Ken SchaltenbrandVelocity Manufacturing 13th Place Feature: Ryan ScottXS Power Batteries 15th Place Feature: Cory LawlerHoker Trucking Hard Charger of the Race: Ryan Scott (Advanced 9 positions)MD3 Most Laps Led: Ricky Thornton, Jr. (13 Laps)Sunoco Race Fuels Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Ricky Thornton, Jr.Midwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Hudson O’NealO’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Race: n/aPro Fabrication Headers Fastest Lap of the Race: Hudson O’Neal | Lap 1 | 17.689 secondsFK Rod Ends Hard Luck Award: Hudson O’NealVictory Fuel Power Move of the Race: Josh RiceOuterwears Crew Chief of the Race: Anthony BurroughsARP Engine Builder of the Race: Clements Race EnginesMiller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Longhorn ChassisDirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Brandon Overton | 16.1037 secondsTime of Race: 22 minutes 46 seconds Group B Results: Cool-It Thermo-Tec Heat Race #3 Finish (8 Laps, All Transfer): 1. 99-Devin Moran[1]; 2. 8-Dillon McCowan[2]; 3. 72-Michael Norris[5]; 4. 1-Brandon Sheppard[8]; 5. 40B-Kyle Bronson[9]; 6. 10*-Levi Yetter[3]; 7. 24T-Tyler Wyant[7]; 8. 555-Brock Pinkerous[6]; 9. 12M-Ryan Montgomery[10]; 10. 24-Rick Eckert[4]; 11. J4-John Garvin Jr[11]; 12. 14R-Clay Ruffo[12] Simpson Race Products Heat Race #4 Finish (8 Laps, All Transfer): 1. 1C-Alex Ferree[3]; 2. 111-Max Blair[8]; 3. 157-Mike Marlar[1]; 4. 22G-Gregg Satterlee[10]; 5. 58-Garrett Alberson[4]; 6. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[9]; 7. 14-Dan Angelicchio[11]; 8. 1D-Braeden Dillinger[2]; 9. 6-Clay Harris[5]; 10. 15K-Lane Snook[6]; 11. (DNS) 48F-Colton Flinner Firecracker 100 Presented by Experience Butler County | Night 2 Group B – Feature Finish (25 Laps):Pos – Start – Car # – Competitor – Hometown – Earnings1 – 7 – 1 – Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – $5,0002 – 1 – 99 – Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – $3,0003 – 4 – 111 – Max Blair – Centerville, PA – $2,0004 – 5 – 72 – Michael Norris – Sarver, PA – $1,5005 – 10 – 58 – Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – $1,2506 – 3 – 8 – Dillon McCowan – Urbana, MO – $1,0007 – 2 – 1C – Alex Ferree – Saxonburg, PA – $9508 – 13 – 24 – Tyler Wyant – Oil City, PA – $9009 – 8 – 22G – Gregg Satterlee – Indiana, PA – $85010 – 17 – 12M – Ryan Montgomery – Fairmont, WV – $80011 – 15 – 555 – Brock Pinkerous – Ellenville, NY – $70012 – 18 – 6 – Clay Harris – Jupiter, FL – $60013 – 12 – 22 – Daniel Hilsabeck – Earlham, IA – $60014 – 11 – 10* – Levi Yetter – Cabot, PA – $60015 – 6 – 157 – Mike Marlar – Winfield, TN – $60016 – 16 – 1D – Braeden Dillinger – Dawson, PA – $60017 – 22 – 48F – Colton Flinner – Allison Park, PA – $55018 – 14 – 14 – Dan Angelicchio – Mt. Pleasant, PA – $50019 – 19 – 24 – Rick Eckert – York, PA – $50020 – 20 – 15K – Lane Snook – Port Royal, PA – $50021 – 23 – 14R – Clay Ruffo – Brookfield, OH – $50022 – 21 – J4 – John Garvin Jr. – Sarver, PA – $50023 – 9 – 40B – Kyle Bronson – Brandon, FL – $500 Group B Race Statistics  Entrants: 46Bilstein Shocks Pole Sitter: Devin MoranMD3 Lap Leaders: Devin Moran (Laps 1-6); Brandon Sheppard (Laps 7-25)Hellraizer Jacks Halfway Leader: Brandon SheppardWieland Feature Winner: Brandon SheppardMargin of Victory: 2.120 secondsHellraizer Jacks Cautions: Kyle Bronson (Lap 5)MyRacePass Series Provisional: n/aFast Time Provisional: n/aEmergency Provisionals: n/aTrack Provisional: n/aBig River Steel Podium Top 3: Brandon Sheppard, Devin Moran, Max BlairPenske Shocks Top 5: Brandon Sheppard, Devin Moran, Max Blair, Michael Norris, Garrett AlbersonBehrent’s One-Lap-to-Go Top 3: Brandon Sheppard, Devin Moran, Max BlairPEM 4th Place Feature: Michael NorrisDiversified Machine 5th Place Feature: Garrett AlbersonWilwood Brakes 7th Place Feature: Alex FerreeWehrs Machine 11th Place Feature: Brock PinkerousVelocity Manufacturing 13th Place Feature: Daniel HilsabeckXS Power Batteries 15th Place Feature: Mike MarlarHoker Trucking Hard Charger of the Race: Ryan Montgomery (Advanced 7 positions)MD3 Most Laps Led: Brandon Sheppard (19 Laps)Sunoco Race Fuels Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Brandon SheppardMidwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Hudson O’NealO’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Race: n/aPro Fabrication Headers Fastest Lap of the Race: Devin Moran | Lap 1 | 17.728 secondsFK Rod Ends Hard Luck Award: Kyle BronsonVictory Fuel Power Move of the Race: Brandon SheppardOuterwears Crew Chief of the Race: Danny WhiteARP Engine Builder of the Race: Durham Race EnginesMiller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Rocket ChassisDirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Ryan Montgomery | 16.3334 secondsTime of Race: 10 minutes 05 seconds Firecracker 100 Preliminary Points:Pos – Car # – Driver – Friday Points – Tie Breaker (Fastest Lap in Time Trials)1 – 20RT – Ricky Thornton, Jr. – 250 – 17.0042 – 1 – Brandon Sheppard – 250 – 17.9393 – 60 – Dan Ebert – 240 – 16.6654 – 99 – Devin Moran – 240 – 17.4475 – 76 – Brandon Overton – 220 – 17.2646 – 111 – Max Blair – 220 – 18.0547 – 11 – Josh Rice – 210 – 17.2578 – 72 – Michael Norris – 210 – 17.8049 – 71 – Hudson O’Neal – 205 – 16.78610 – 58 – Garrett Alberson – 205 – 17.79111 – 93 – Carson Ferguson – 200 – 16.94812 – 8 – Dillon McCowan – 200 – 17.58513 – 3s – Brian Shirley – 195 – 17.17614 – 1C – Alex Ferree – 195 – 17.71215 – 99B – Chub Frank – 190 – 17.23316 – 24 – Tyler Wyant – 190 – 17.90317 – 27W – Eric Wilson – 185 – 17.66918 – 22G – Gregg Satterlee – 185 – 18.20119 – 17SS – Brenden Smith – 180 – 17.09620 – 12M – Ryan Montgomery – 180 – 18.10321 – 29 – Ken Schaltenbrand – 175 – 17.66422 – 555 – Brock Pinkerous – 175 – 17.84623 – 10 – Jared Miley – 170 – 17.82324 – 6 – Clay Harris – 170 – 17.84125 – 0 – Ryan Scott – 165 – 18.07226 – 22 – Daniel Hilsabeck – 165 – 18.127 – 10* – Levi Yetter – 160 – 17.68328 – 9 – Breyton Santee – 160 – 18.24229 – 157 – Mike Marlar – 155 – 17.48530 – 93L – Cory Lawler – 155 – 18.02931 – 1d – Braeden Dillinger – 150 – 17.67332 – B22 – Bump Hedman – 150 – 18.02233 – 10L – Gary Lyle – 145 – 17.61734 – 48F – Colton Flinner – 145 – 17.92835 – 6M – Matt Martin – 140 – 17.84936 – 14 – Dan Angelicchio – 140 – 18.51537 – 24 – Rick Eckert – 135 – 17.79138 – 76C – Charlie Powell – 135 – 18.41939 – 42C – Chad Shearer – 130 – 040 – 15K – Lane Snook – 130 – 17.8841 – 55 – Chris Schneider – 125 – 17.55342 – 77 – Tyler Dietz – 125 – 17.58243 – 40B – Kyle Bronson – 125 – 18.05744 – J4 – John Garvin, Jr. – 125 – 18.20345 – 14R – Clay Ruffo – 125 – 19.00646 – 33 – Josh Ferry – 50 – 17.193 Penske Shocks Heat 1 Line-Up (8 Laps | Top 4 Transfer)Row – Car # – Driver – Hometown – Car # – Driver – Hometown1 – 20RT – Ricky Thornton Jr – Chandler, AZ – 76 – Brandon Overton – Evans, GA2 – 71 – Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – 3S – Brian Shirley – Chatham, IL3 – 27W – Eric Wilson – Vienna, OH – 29 – Ken Schaltenbrand – Sarver, PA4 – 0 – Ryan Scott – Garland, PA – 157 – Mike Marlar – Winfield, TN5 – 10L – Gary Lyle – Hyde Park, PA – 24 – Rick Eckert – York, PA6 – 55 – Chris Schneider – Lower Burrell, PA – 14R – Clay Ruffo – Brookfield, OH Summit Racing Heat 2 Line-Up (8 Laps | Top 4 Transfer)Row – Car # – Driver – Hometown – Car # – Driver – Hometown1 – 1 – Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – 111 – Max Blair – Centerville, PA2 – 58 – Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – 1C – Alex Ferree – Saxonburg, PA3 – 22G – Gregg Satterlee – Indiana, PA – 555 – Brock Pinkerous – Ellenville, NY4 – 22 – Daniel Hilsabeck – Earlham, IA – 93L – Cory Lawler – Hanover, PA5 – 48F – Colton Flinner – Allison Park, PA – 76C – Charles Powell – Brookville, PA6 – 77 – Tyler Dietz – Saxonburg, PA – 33 – Josh Ferry – Titusville, PA Cool-It Thermo Tec Heat 3 Line-Up (8 Laps | Top 4 Transfer)Row – Car # – Driver – Hometown – Car # – Driver – Hometown1 – 60 – Dan Ebert – Lake Shore, MN – 11 – Josh Rice – Crittenden, KY2 – 93 – Carson Ferguson – Lincolnton, NC – 99B – Chub Frank – Bear Lake, PA3 – 17SS – Brenden Smith – Dade City, FL – 10 – Jared Miley – Pittsburgh, PA4 – 10* – Levi Yetter – Cabot, PA – 1D – Braeden Dillinger – Dawson, PA5 – 6M – Matt Martin – Indiana, PA – 42C – Chad Shearer – Leechburg, PA6 – 40B – Kyle Bronson – Brandon, FL –  – Simpson Race Products Heat 4 Line-Up (8 Laps | Top 4 Transfer)Row – Car # – Driver – Hometown – Car # – Driver – Hometown1 – 99 – Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – 72 – Michael Norris – Sarver, PA2 – 8 – Dillon McCowan – Urbana, MO – 24T – Tyler Wyant – Oil City, PA3 – 12M – Ryan Montgomery – Fairmont, WV – 6 – Clay Harris – Jupiter, FL4 – 9 – Breyton Santee – Conneaut, OH – B22 – Bump Hedman – Sugar Grove, PA5 – 14 – Dan Angelicchio – Mt. Pleasant, PA – 15K – Lane Snook – Port Royal, PA6 – J4 – John Garvin Jr – Sarver, PA –  –

Photography: John Force Racing / Auto Imagery / Gary Nastase

JFR POSTS STRONG DAY 1 NUMBERS AT NORWALKQualifying moved up six hours due to evening rain forecast in Norwalk area

FRIDAY RECAP – NORWALKRace 10 of 20

Photography: John Force Racing / Auto Imagery / Gary Nastase

JFR POSTS STRONG DAY 1 NUMBERS AT NORWALKQualifying moved up six hours due to evening rain forecast in Norwalk area

NORWALK, Ohio (June 26, 2026) – All four John Force Racing teams took advantage of unseasonably cool temperatures to post solid qualifying runs Friday for the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals after a strong chance of rain in the Norwalk area forced NHRA officials to move up the day’s qualifying sessions by six hours. The two Friday sessions were originally scheduled for 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. ET but were eventually run at 12:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. Alexis DeJoria and the Bandero Café Chevrolet SS Funny Car team made two solid runs, going 3.947 seconds at 331.53 in Q1 (second quickest of the round) and a quicker 3.918 seconds at 330.63 mph in Q2, which was good enough for third quickest of the day. Josh Hart and the Speedmaster team posted the fifth-quickest Top Fuel time with a Q2 run of 3.803 seconds at 332.34 mph after dropping a cylinder in Q1. Jordan Vandergriff put the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS Funny Car into the sixth spot with a Q2 run of 3.936 seconds at 329.18 mph after smoking the tires in Q1. Jack Beckman and the PEAK Chevrolet SS Funny Car team smoked the tires in Q1 but came back in Q2 with a solid run of 3.945 seconds at 327.59 mph to grab the No. 8 spot. Qualifying sessions for Sat., June 27, are scheduled for 12 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Quote from Jack Beckman, PEAK Chevrolet SS Funny Car: “Dan and Tim (crew chiefs Hood and Fabrisi) made a blood pact, after just flat getting outrun in the second round at Bristol, that we need to be more aggressive. And in Q1, we were a little too aggressive which put us in a doubly odd position. The right lane’s much smoother. The left lane has a pretty noticeable bump at 150 feet and that’s where we were going to have to make our Q2 run. We also had to be the first pair out so we didn’t have the benefit of watching any of the other cars. The track was cooling down by the minute as we rolled out there for Q2 so, to make sure we got past that bump, we launched and then slowed the clutch down going over the bump. Once the PEAK Chevy got over the bump, let me tell you, I could feel it. Once the car settled, we accelerated but it’s like a sprinter stutter stepping. You never recover the lost momentum but we knew that would happen. After the Q1 stumble, I’m actually very satisfied with our 3.94. If the cloud cover comes back tomorrow, we’ll definitely have a chance to push harder.” Quote from Alexis DeJoria, Bandero Café Chevrolet SS Funny Car: “The Friday sessions went really well for our Bandero Café team. On the first run, we qualified second with a 3.94-second run and earned two bonus points. On the second run, they tuned it up a bit. We were the second-to-last pair so we got to see all the cars in front of us and they were running really good numbers. So, we went out and ran a 3.91 or 90. We dropped to third but still walked away with another bonus point for a total of three today. The rain stayed away and we feel really good going so far.” Quote from Josh Hart, Speedmaster Top Fuel Dragster: “On Day 1 at Norwalk, the Speedmaster team set out to get fresh data and qualify in the Top 5. Mission accomplished. We are sitting fifth and ready to whip this car back into shape for tomorrow. The rain delay right before we made our run through us a curve. I mean, you get hyped up and you’re ready to go to the starting line every time. When something like that happens, it’s hard not to let it deflate your sails a little bit. So, you sit there, you try to stay calm, maybe loosen your belts a little bit so you can breathe, but you don’t you don’t have control over it. There’s nothing anybody can do. You just wait it out. And then when they say, fire them up, you try to get the same thing going on inside your mind or you try to get your mind right, go up there and go A to B. I’m focusing on hitting my driving weight so it’s good to sit inside the car and smolder a little bit. They might feed me tonight.” Quote from Jordan Vandergriff, Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS Funny Car: “The Cornwell Quality Tools team definitely picked up from Q1 with that 3.936-second run. I haven’t looked at the numbers too closely, but if you look at our 60-foot to 330 time, I think they’re gonna be almost identical. I think we pushed a little too hard in Q1 so we pulled it back a little, maybe too much. Most importantly, the 3.936 is very impressive for this team. We wanted to get down the racetrack in that right lane and we did. So, thank you to Cornwell’s Quality Tools for a great week, introducing me to everybody at the headquarters, at the distribution center, and at the manufacturing plant. So many awesome and great people and I am so happy to represent them.” TV ScheduleTelevision coverage includes qualifying action on Sunday, June 28, from 12 – 2 p.m. ET on FS1, leading into eliminations from 5:30 – 9 p.m. ET on FOX.

Event: Toyota/Save Mart 350Date/Time: Sunday, June 28, 2026, 3:30 p.m. ETLocation: Sonoma Raceway, Sonoma, CaliforniaLayout: 1.99-Mile Road CourseTV/Radio: TNT, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR RadioJosh Berry and the No. 21 eero team are headed into this weekend’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway looking forward to a more traditional road course contest after racing on the temporary street course at Naval Base Coronado last week.“San Diego was a unique challenge, but it’s nice to head to Sonoma, a place that’s a little more familiar to everyone,” Berry said.Sunday’s 110-lap race on the 12-turn, 1.99-mile road course in northern California is the fourth and final road course event of the 2026 season. Berry’s best road course finish so far this year is a 26th-place effort at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. He finished 13th at Sonoma one year ago.“We haven’t had the results we’ve wanted on road courses this year, but we’ve continued to learn a lot,” he said. “Hopefully we can put together a complete race and come away with a good result.”This weekend also marks the return of the In-Season Challenge, a five-race bracket-style competition featuring the 32 drivers who were highest in the points standings following the recent race at Pocono Raceway.Berry will face Ford teammate Ryan Blaney in Sunday’s opening-round matchup. The driver with the better finish in each head-to-head pairing will advance to the next round, with the competition culminating at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 26. The overall winner will earn a $1 million prize.Fans also can fill out a bracket and compete for bragging rights, prizes and cash. The In-Season Challenge coincides with TNT’s portion of the NASCAR Cup Series television schedule.Practice at Sonoma is set for Saturday at 2 p.m. ET, followed by qualifying at 3:10 p.m. ET). Both sessions will be televised on truTV.Sunday’s 110-lap, 218.9-mile race is scheduled to get the green flag at 3:30 p.m. ET, with stage breaks planned for Laps 25 and 55. TNT will provide the race telecast.

CONCORD, NC (June 25, 2026) – The second half of the 2026 season is already here, and it starts with a huge month of racing in the heat of summer.

The month of July for the World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision begins with a three-day celebration of America’s 250th birthday, and it ends with the two biggest races of the season. In between is a three-race trip back east to a pair of northeastern staples.

Here’s a look at what’s ahead:

Deer Creek Speedway | NAPA Auto Parts Gopher 50 (July 2-4): The World of Outlaws is in the middle of a three-week tour of the upper Midwest, and it’s all building toward one of the tour’s signature events.

The Gopher 50 returns to Deer Creek on Independence Day weekend, with three full programs on tap. The weekend opens with a pair of $10,000-to-win shows on Thursday and Friday before the stakes are raised on Saturday with $40,000 up for grabs.

In addition to the racing, fans can expect plenty of off-track entertainment to celebrate the holiday weekend. A concert will take place in the B-Main Bar Commons immediately following Friday’s race featuring Old Country Boys, while the weekend will also include fireworks, midway giveaways, autograph sessions and more.

Last year’s Saturday finale was lost to rain, but the first two nights included plenty of tight racing, with Bobby Pierce and Nick Hoffman picking up the wins. Pierce enters next week’s race having won the last two completed Gopher 50s in 2023 and 2024, making him one of two full-time Outlaws with a Gopher 50 trophy, the other being Tim McCreadie (2010).

Stateline Speedway | Rick Briggs Memorial powered by Dave Warren Powersports (July 8): There won’t be any time to rest after a long weekend at Deer Creek, because teams have four days to make the 850-mile tow over to New York for a midweek visit to Stateline Speedway.

The Busti, NY facility is appearing on the World of Outlaws schedule for the first time since 2023, when Nick Hoffman broke through for his maiden Series victory. This year’s race will hold extra meaning for everyone in the region, as it honors one of its heroes, Rick Briggs.

Boom Briggs will be on hand at his father’s race making his return to the driver’s seat for the first time since the opening weeks of the season in Florida. He’ll also be doing it in his dad’s colors, as Briggs will run a red No. 95 tribute wrap on his Briggs Transport Racing machine at Stateline.

Sharon Speedway | Battle at the Border (July 10-11): Following an off day on Thursday, the World of Outlaws will make its annual midsummer visit to Sharon for a two-night event.

The Hartford, OH oval hosted its first World of Outlaws race as part of the Series’ revival season in 2004, and has been part of every season since 2021. It also holds the distinction of being one of only four tracks in the nation to welcome the World of Outlaws Late Model Series, the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and the Super DIRTcar Series in 2026 alongside Volusia Speedway Park, Mansfield Speedway and The Dirt Track at Charlotte.

Last year, Bobby Pierce won the opener on Friday and was leading on Saturday until Mike Marlar got by him and went on to score his only national Late Model victory of 2025.

Fairbury Speedway | Prairie Dirt Classic (July 24-25): Late July in Illinois means one thing – it’s Prairie Dirt Classic time.

The biggest event on the World of Outlaws schedule packs the entire dirt Late Model universe into the small town of Fairbury, IL, for a weekend culminating with a 100-lap battle around one of America’s best bullrings. Teams come from across the country with the sole goal of driving two blocks down South Third Street to the Bank of Pontiac after the race on Saturday night.

The past two editions of the race have seen a pair of Illinois favorites break through in their home state’s biggest race. In 2024, it was Bobby Pierce clearing Nick Hoffman on the final lap to finally end his years of shortcomings in the PDC. Then, in 2025, Brian Shirley held off Brandon Sheppard at the end to earn the biggest win of his career.

Cedar Lake Speedway | USA Nationals (July 30-Aug. 1): What’s the best way to follow up a crown jewel? With another crown jewel a week later.

Cedar Lake’s biggest event made its debut during the inaugural season of the World of Outlaws in 1988, and the USA Nationals has been a cornerstone of the Series ever since. The winners list is filled with legends of the past and present, including names like Billy Moyer, Scott Bloomquist, Dale McDowell, Darrell Lanigan, Jimmy Owens, Jonathan Davenport and Bobby Pierce.

The race’s level of prestige reached new heights starting last year when the Saturday purse was raised to $100,000-to-win. Ryan Gustin became the ultimate benefactor from that change, as he drove a flawless race to collect the biggest payday of his career.

Find tickets and more information for every World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision event in 2026 by clicking here.

Want to watch the World of Outlaws? Stream every lap live on DIRTVision.

THE MONTH AHEAD: Marquee Race Weekends Bookend July World of Outlaws Calendar

CONCORD, NC (June 25, 2026) – The second half of the 2026 season is already here, and it starts with a huge month of racing in the heat of summer.

The month of July for the World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision begins with a three-day celebration of America’s 250th birthday, and it ends with the two biggest races of the season. In between is a three-race trip back east to a pair of northeastern staples.

Here’s a look at what’s ahead:

Deer Creek Speedway | NAPA Auto Parts Gopher 50 (July 2-4): The World of Outlaws is in the middle of a three-week tour of the upper Midwest, and it’s all building toward one of the tour’s signature events.

The Gopher 50 returns to Deer Creek on Independence Day weekend, with three full programs on tap. The weekend opens with a pair of $10,000-to-win shows on Thursday and Friday before the stakes are raised on Saturday with $40,000 up for grabs.

In addition to the racing, fans can expect plenty of off-track entertainment to celebrate the holiday weekend. A concert will take place in the B-Main Bar Commons immediately following Friday’s race featuring Old Country Boys, while the weekend will also include fireworks, midway giveaways, autograph sessions and more.

Last year’s Saturday finale was lost to rain, but the first two nights included plenty of tight racing, with Bobby Pierce and Nick Hoffman picking up the wins. Pierce enters next week’s race having won the last two completed Gopher 50s in 2023 and 2024, making him one of two full-time Outlaws with a Gopher 50 trophy, the other being Tim McCreadie (2010).

Stateline Speedway | Rick Briggs Memorial powered by Dave Warren Powersports (July 8): There won’t be any time to rest after a long weekend at Deer Creek, because teams have four days to make the 850-mile tow over to New York for a midweek visit to Stateline Speedway.

The Busti, NY facility is appearing on the World of Outlaws schedule for the first time since 2023, when Nick Hoffman broke through for his maiden Series victory. This year’s race will hold extra meaning for everyone in the region, as it honors one of its heroes, Rick Briggs.

Boom Briggs will be on hand at his father’s race making his return to the driver’s seat for the first time since the opening weeks of the season in Florida. He’ll also be doing it in his dad’s colors, as Briggs will run a red No. 95 tribute wrap on his Briggs Transport Racing machine at Stateline.

Sharon Speedway | Battle at the Border (July 10-11): Following an off day on Thursday, the World of Outlaws will make its annual midsummer visit to Sharon for a two-night event.

The Hartford, OH oval hosted its first World of Outlaws race as part of the Series’ revival season in 2004, and has been part of every season since 2021. It also holds the distinction of being one of only four tracks in the nation to welcome the World of Outlaws Late Model Series, the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and the Super DIRTcar Series in 2026 alongside Volusia Speedway Park, Mansfield Speedway and The Dirt Track at Charlotte.

Last year, Bobby Pierce won the opener on Friday and was leading on Saturday until Mike Marlar got by him and went on to score his only national Late Model victory of 2025.

Fairbury Speedway | Prairie Dirt Classic (July 24-25): Late July in Illinois means one thing – it’s Prairie Dirt Classic time.

The biggest event on the World of Outlaws schedule packs the entire dirt Late Model universe into the small town of Fairbury, IL, for a weekend culminating with a 100-lap battle around one of America’s best bullrings. Teams come from across the country with the sole goal of driving two blocks down South Third Street to the Bank of Pontiac after the race on Saturday night.

The past two editions of the race have seen a pair of Illinois favorites break through in their home state’s biggest race. In 2024, it was Bobby Pierce clearing Nick Hoffman on the final lap to finally end his years of shortcomings in the PDC. Then, in 2025, Brian Shirley held off Brandon Sheppard at the end to earn the biggest win of his career.

Cedar Lake Speedway | USA Nationals (July 30-Aug. 1): What’s the best way to follow up a crown jewel? With another crown jewel a week later.

Cedar Lake’s biggest event made its debut during the inaugural season of the World of Outlaws in 1988, and the USA Nationals has been a cornerstone of the Series ever since. The winners list is filled with legends of the past and present, including names like Billy Moyer, Scott Bloomquist, Dale McDowell, Darrell Lanigan, Jimmy Owens, Jonathan Davenport and Bobby Pierce.

The race’s level of prestige reached new heights starting last year when the Saturday purse was raised to $100,000-to-win. Ryan Gustin became the ultimate benefactor from that change, as he drove a flawless race to collect the biggest payday of his career.

Find tickets and more information for every World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision event in 2026 by clicking here.

Want to watch the World of Outlaws? Stream every lap live on DIRTVision.

ARTICLE: https://worldofoutlaws.com/latemodels/the-month-ahead-marquee-race-weekends-bookend-july-world-of-outlaws-calendar/

NEW RICHMOND, WI (June 25, 2026) – Success in Sprint Car racing is so much more than pairing a talented driver with a capable car.

Listen to any of Michael “Buddy” Kofoid’s interviews, and you’re guaranteed to hear him thank not only Dennis and Teresa Roth for the opportunity to drive for their team, but also Dylan Buswell (crew chief), Nate Knotts (car chief), and Gage Tyra (tire specialist) for their efforts on the car.

The trio and Kofoid are the group on the road every week for Roth Motorsports with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series. This team has put all the right pieces in place and become one of the best teams in the sport. Since Kofoid joined forces with Roth, he’s amassed 28 victories with The Greatest Show on Dirt, including a Series-leading eight so far in 2026.

Walk by the No. 83 trailer at any race, and you’ll never find spirits low. This team wins plenty and has fun doing it. But perhaps even more importantly, they don’t hang their heads when a race doesn’t go their way.

“I’ve always said that if I’m around people that want it as bad as me or more, then I feel like I’m in the right place and that we’re going to be successful,” Kofoid explained. “I feel like I’ve gathered that from all of them from the beginning and as long as I’ve known them. I feel like we believe in each other and the positivity is always there. They just work so hard. I’ve just become a lot closer and we all hang out, and I feel like we don’t really get tired of each other. We always just want to be better. I think to a certain degree, you have to have fun because it’s so hard and you’re around each other so much, so you can’t really have a negative interaction because I feel like it just snowballs. We’ve all been really good to each other and understand what we need.”

Kofoid’s journey from the bullrings of California to national stardom is well-documented, but how did the other three in the group connect to grow into one of the sport’s powerhouses?

Buswell hails from Australia and is the son of Sprint Car mechanic Kim Buswell. Dylan started spending summers in the United States helping whoever he could before returning home. Then came a pivotal 2019 when he got a shot to work for Big Game Motorsports with Kerry Madsen behind the wheel.

“I came over really just to help him out at first, then fell in love with working on the road over here and working for a big team,” Buswell said. “At the end of that, I decided I didn’t want to go home.”

Buswell found his way to Roth Motorsports when Aaron Reutzel was the driver in 2021. He then moved over to KCP Racing for a stint before returning to Roth midway through 2023 with Kofoid. Fast forward three years, and Buswell is the leader of this charismatic group performing at the sport’s highest level.

“It all starts with attitude,” Buswell said. “And these guys have a great attitude. They show up to work every day in a good frame of mind and ready to work and learn. That makes my job a lot easier when you have guys show up like that every day.”

Knotts comes from Dover, DE and grew up going to Sprint Car races with his father in Pennsylvania. He was never hands-on in the sport until finishing high school and deciding to give it a shot. Keith Kunz Motorsports was hiring for their Midget operation, Knotts reached out, and one thing led to another. Now, at 23 years old, Knotts is living out a dream.

“I saw that they (KKM) were hiring, so I just emailed them just being as green as you can be with no experience,” Knotts recalled. “Luckily, I got the job there, which obviously led me to meeting Buddy. I worked there for a year, but ultimately, I wanted to go Sprint Car racing. Midgets weren’t really what I really wanted to do. But I was still working on a race car, so I was perfectly okay with it, and they got my foot in the door.

“It’s kind of unreal. Going through the year you don’t really understand what you’re accomplishing while you’re accomplishing it until the year’s over and you get to look back and think of what you were able to do. I try to not take it for granted, which is really easy to do. It’s really cool to grow up watching the Roth car forever. I was obviously a fan of the sport before I was ever involved.”

Tyra’s path began on the coast opposite of Knotts as he calls Granger, CA home. His father, Tyrone, worked with two-time Series champion Jason Meyers before heading to another famed west coast operation, Tarlton Motorsports. Gage began to help his dad when he was only a teenager, and the pit area could see this kid had work ethic. It wound up earning him a spot working with Roth and Buswell before Kofoid arrived as Tyra hit the road with the team in 2021 with Aaron Reutzel behind the wheel.

“My dad told me that Roth needed a tire guy,” Tyra said. “So, when I was 17, I left, and I just took a role in learning from Aaron and Dylan. It was a good year to learn and grow. I was 17 and turned 18 that year. I learned and got better. I worked with Kasey Kahne and got to meet a lot of people. It was a cool experience.”

Austin McCarl came calling the following year as Tyra wound up working with Country Builders Racing during a successful 2022. It wasn’t much longer before he wound up back at Roth and made a comfortable home with perhaps the most storied Sprint Car team from his home state.

“It is very surreal for me because, being from California, I grew up watching this car with TK (Tim Kaeding) and everybody who drove it, Bubba DeCaires, all these people who got a chance to drive this car,” Tyra said. “It’s an honor to be able to say I’ve been a part of a team with such a long history and be able to win as much as we have and be in contention for a championship.”

Team manager Todd Ventura assembled this crew and watched the magic unfold. Kofoid is already the second-winningest driver with the World of Outlaws in Roth Motorsports history and closing in on Danny Lasoski’s tally of 41. They’ve established themselves as annual contenders to give Dennis Roth his first title with the Series. And they have fun doing it.

“We spend a full year together most of the time, so you become brothers,” Tyra said. “I love these guys. We do anything for each other. We work hard and get our jobs done. When we’re at the track, we’re just trying to have fun.”

Kofoid and the Roth crew continue their pursuit of a World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series championship this weekend in New Richmond, WI at Cedar Lake Speedway’s Federated Auto Parts Independence Spectacular. For tickets, CLICK HERE.

Where can you watch every World of Outlaws race? Live on DIRTVision.

Where can you see the World of Outlaws in 2026? Click to see the full schedule.

‘YOU BECOME BROTHERS’: How Kofoid, Buswell, Knotts, Tyra Formed Roth Motorsports Powerhouse

NEW RICHMOND, WI (June 25, 2026) – Success in Sprint Car racing is so much more than pairing a talented driver with a capable car.

Listen to any of Michael “Buddy” Kofoid’s interviews, and you’re guaranteed to hear him thank not only Dennis and Teresa Roth for the opportunity to drive for their team, but also Dylan Buswell (crew chief), Nate Knotts (car chief), and Gage Tyra (tire specialist) for their efforts on the car.

The trio and Kofoid are the group on the road every week for Roth Motorsports with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series. This team has put all the right pieces in place and become one of the best teams in the sport. Since Kofoid joined forces with Roth, he’s amassed 28 victories with The Greatest Show on Dirt, including a Series-leading eight so far in 2026.

Walk by the No. 83 trailer at any race, and you’ll never find spirits low. This team wins plenty and has fun doing it. But perhaps even more importantly, they don’t hang their heads when a race doesn’t go their way.

“I’ve always said that if I’m around people that want it as bad as me or more, then I feel like I’m in the right place and that we’re going to be successful,” Kofoid explained. “I feel like I’ve gathered that from all of them from the beginning and as long as I’ve known them. I feel like we believe in each other and the positivity is always there. They just work so hard. I’ve just become a lot closer and we all hang out, and I feel like we don’t really get tired of each other. We always just want to be better. I think to a certain degree, you have to have fun because it’s so hard and you’re around each other so much, so you can’t really have a negative interaction because I feel like it just snowballs. We’ve all been really good to each other and understand what we need.”

Kofoid’s journey from the bullrings of California to national stardom is well-documented, but how did the other three in the group connect to grow into one of the sport’s powerhouses?

Buswell hails from Australia and is the son of Sprint Car mechanic Kim Buswell. Dylan started spending summers in the United States helping whoever he could before returning home. Then came a pivotal 2019 when he got a shot to work for Big Game Motorsports with Kerry Madsen behind the wheel.

“I came over really just to help him out at first, then fell in love with working on the road over here and working for a big team,” Buswell said. “At the end of that, I decided I didn’t want to go home.”

Buswell found his way to Roth Motorsports when Aaron Reutzel was the driver in 2021. He then moved over to KCP Racing for a stint before returning to Roth midway through 2023 with Kofoid. Fast forward three years, and Buswell is the leader of this charismatic group performing at the sport’s highest level.

“It all starts with attitude,” Buswell said. “And these guys have a great attitude. They show up to work every day in a good frame of mind and ready to work and learn. That makes my job a lot easier when you have guys show up like that every day.”

Knotts comes from Dover, DE and grew up going to Sprint Car races with his father in Pennsylvania. He was never hands-on in the sport until finishing high school and deciding to give it a shot. Keith Kunz Motorsports was hiring for their Midget operation, Knotts reached out, and one thing led to another. Now, at 23 years old, Knotts is living out a dream.

“I saw that they (KKM) were hiring, so I just emailed them just being as green as you can be with no experience,” Knotts recalled. “Luckily, I got the job there, which obviously led me to meeting Buddy. I worked there for a year, but ultimately, I wanted to go Sprint Car racing. Midgets weren’t really what I really wanted to do. But I was still working on a race car, so I was perfectly okay with it, and they got my foot in the door.

“It’s kind of unreal. Going through the year you don’t really understand what you’re accomplishing while you’re accomplishing it until the year’s over and you get to look back and think of what you were able to do. I try to not take it for granted, which is really easy to do. It’s really cool to grow up watching the Roth car forever. I was obviously a fan of the sport before I was ever involved.”

Tyra’s path began on the coast opposite of Knotts as he calls Granger, CA home. His father, Tyrone, worked with two-time Series champion Jason Meyers before heading to another famed west coast operation, Tarlton Motorsports. Gage began to help his dad when he was only a teenager, and the pit area could see this kid had work ethic. It wound up earning him a spot working with Roth and Buswell before Kofoid arrived as Tyra hit the road with the team in 2021 with Aaron Reutzel behind the wheel.

“My dad told me that Roth needed a tire guy,” Tyra said. “So, when I was 17, I left, and I just took a role in learning from Aaron and Dylan. It was a good year to learn and grow. I was 17 and turned 18 that year. I learned and got better. I worked with Kasey Kahne and got to meet a lot of people. It was a cool experience.”

Austin McCarl came calling the following year as Tyra wound up working with Country Builders Racing during a successful 2022. It wasn’t much longer before he wound up back at Roth and made a comfortable home with perhaps the most storied Sprint Car team from his home state.

“It is very surreal for me because, being from California, I grew up watching this car with TK (Tim Kaeding) and everybody who drove it, Bubba DeCaires, all these people who got a chance to drive this car,” Tyra said. “It’s an honor to be able to say I’ve been a part of a team with such a long history and be able to win as much as we have and be in contention for a championship.”

Team manager Todd Ventura assembled this crew and watched the magic unfold. Kofoid is already the second-winningest driver with the World of Outlaws in Roth Motorsports history and closing in on Danny Lasoski’s tally of 41. They’ve established themselves as annual contenders to give Dennis Roth his first title with the Series. And they have fun doing it.

“We spend a full year together most of the time, so you become brothers,” Tyra said. “I love these guys. We do anything for each other. We work hard and get our jobs done. When we’re at the track, we’re just trying to have fun.”

Kofoid and the Roth crew continue their pursuit of a World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series championship this weekend in New Richmond, WI at Cedar Lake Speedway’s Federated Auto Parts Independence Spectacular. For tickets, CLICK HERE.

Where can you watch every World of Outlaws race? Live on DIRTVision.

Where can you see the World of Outlaws in 2026? Click to see the full schedule.

ARTICLE: https://worldofoutlaws.com/sprintcars/you-become-brothers-how-kofoid-buswell-knotts-tyra-formed-roth-motorsports-powerhouse/

Dalton Gauthier (No. 79) racing for Moto Anatomy X Royal Enfield. [Photo: Moto Anatomy X Royal Enfield]

Unfinished Business: Dalton Gauthier Returns to Moto Anatomy X Royal Enfield

Dalton Gauthier (No. 79) racing for Moto Anatomy X Royal Enfield. [Photo: Moto Anatomy X Royal Enfield]

Posted on behalf of Moto Anatomy X Royal Enfield DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 25, 2026) — Dalton Gauthier Returns to Moto Anatomy X Royal Enfield, Presented by Fairway Ford, Chevy, GMC, and JMC Motorsports for Lima Doubleheader Weekend. Moto Anatomy X Royal Enfield is excited to announce the return of Dalton Gauthier (#79) for the Lima doubleheader weekend this Friday and Saturday in Lima, Ohio, with support from presenting sponsors Fairway Ford, Chevy, GMC, and JMC Motorsports. Gauthier made his first appearance with the Moto Anatomy X Royal Enfield program in 2024, stepping in for team owner and rider Johnny Lewis. In his debut race aboard the Royal Enfield, he delivered an impressive podium finish, showcasing his adaptability and the program’s potential. As the team prepares for the Lima Half Mile, Gauthier’s presence becomes even more crucial with rookie Evan Renshaw (#95) unable to compete this weekend. The team is eager to capitalize on Gauthier’s experience and past success as they aim for their first podium finish of the season. “Dalton proved his capabilities during his first stint with us, stepping onto the podium in his very first race,” said Johnny Lewis. “As we head into Lima, we’re focused on securing a strong finish. Dalton is more than capable of helping us achieve that goal.” The Lima doubleheader presents a prime opportunity for Gauthier to capitalize on his familiarity with the Royal Enfield platform. Currently, he sits just six points outside of eighth place in the championship standings, despite only one top ten finish on a development motorcycle earlier this season. With a double header weekend ahead, the team is optimistic about climbing the rankings. Gauthier’s return adds proven race-winning experience and renewed momentum to the Moto Anatomy X Royal Enfield team as they look to make a mark at Lima.

Arizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel Cup Heads to Lernerville Speedway This Weekend

BATAVIA, Ohio (June 25, 2026) – The battle for the 2026 Arizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel Cup continues this weekend as the stars of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series presented by FloRacing make their annual pilgrimage to one of dirt racing’s most prestigious events — the Firecracker 100 at Lernerville Speedway. Lernerville Speedway will host the third stop of the Arizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel Cup, a season-long championship within the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series that rewards excellence in the sport’s biggest and richest events. Drivers competing full-time with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will accumulate points at all Crown Jewel Cup events paying $50,000 or more to win throughout the season. The driver with the highest point total at the conclusion of the series will earn a $15,000 bonus at the year-end awards banquet. Second place in the standings will receive $3,500, while third place will earn $1,500. “Every Crown Jewel Cup event carries tremendous significance because these are the races every driver wants to win,” said Wayne Castleberry of FloSports. “The Firecracker 100 is one of the most prestigious events on our schedule, and Lernerville Speedway always provides a tremendous stage for championship-caliber racing.” For the latest news, results, and championship standings from the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series presented by FloRacing, please visit LucasDirt.com. 2026 Arizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel Cup ScheduleMay 16 – Eagle Raceway | Eagle, NE | $50,000 (Canceled)May 23 – Lucas Oil Speedway | Wheatland, MO | $75,000 (Bobby Pierce)June 27 – Lernerville Speedway | Sarver, PA | $50,000July 18 – Shelby County Speedway | Harlan, IA | $53,000August 8 – Florence Speedway | Union, KY | $75,000August 15 – Batesville Motor Speedway | Batesville, AR | $50,000August 29 – Port Royal Speedway | Port Royal, PA | $50,000September 19 – Knoxville Raceway | Knoxville, IA | $75,000September 26 – Brownstown Speedway | Brownstown, IN | $50,000October 3 – Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway | Imperial, PA | $50,000October 10 – Eldora Speedway | Rossburg, OH | $50,000October 17 – West Virginia Motor Speedway | Mineral Wells, WV | $100,000 2026 Arizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel Cup Standings (as of May 23)Pos – Car # – Competitor – Hometown – Points1 – 32 – Bobby Pierce – Oakwood, IL – 2502 – 1 – Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – 2303 – 49 – Jonathan Davenport – Blairsville, GA – 2204 – 58 – Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – 2105 – 71 – Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – 2056 – 20RT – Ricky Thornton Jr – Chandler, AZ – 2007 – 6 – Clay Harris – Jupiter, FL – 1958 – 76 – Brandon Overton – Evans, GA – 1909 – 22F – Chris Ferguson – Mt. Holly, NC – 18510 – 93 – Carson Ferguson – Lincolnton, NC – 18011 – 3s – Brian Shirley – Chatham, IL – 17512 – 8 – Dillon McCowan – Urbana, MO – 17013 – 40B – Kyle Bronson – Brandon, FL – 16514 – 11 – Josh Rice – Crittenden, KY – 16015 – 99 – Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – 155

BELLEVILLE, KS (June 25, 2026) — Sam Hafertepe Jr. is back in familiar territory this season, rising to the top of multiple categories with the American Sprint Car Series. But one key stat is still missing after 11 races for the current Series points leader – a win. 

This is the longest the Sunnyvale, TX native has gone into a full season with ASCS without a win since his first full year on tour two decades ago. 

The six-time Series champion isn’t sweating just yet, though. He’s had speed, but been plagued by things out of his control. 

“I feel like we’ve been about the best car every night on paper, we just don’t have the wins to add up,” Hafertepe said. “That’s part of racing sometimes, you can have the fastest car, but if things don’t go your way, they won’t go your way. That’s how the year’s been, we just had lots of small things add up. We haven’t raced enough to really get in a good rhythm either, so the schedule is going to pick up soon and start racing more consistently, and that’ll definitely help a team like us.” 

Fortunately for Hafertepe, the next event on the ASCS schedule is one he swept both races at last year – The Big One at Belleville High Banks (June 26-27). The victories also helped kick off a five-race winning streak for him.  

It bodes well as the 88-time Feature winner faces a summer of marquee ASCS events at high-speed tracks like Belleville, including August events at Knoxville Raceway for the Xtream powered by Mediacom 360 Knoxville Nationals presented by Great Southern Bank, and Big Sky Speedway for the Harvey Ostermiller Memorial. 

“When we prepare to race, we’re preparing to win,” Hafertepe said. “Over time, it’s going to happen, it’s kind of inevitable that we’re going to win one with ASCS. I feel like this weekend will be as good a chance as any to go win, and that’s what we’ll try to do. At the end of the day, we’ve won 88 of them, and I tell people all the time, ‘You don’t forget how to win if you’ve won that much.” 

Though Hafertepe hasn’t won with ASCS in 2026, he’s scored two POWRi Outlaw 410 Sprints triumphs in the year at Lake Ozark Speedway and Creek County. 

“We’ve already won two other races this year with (POWRi),” Hafertepe said. “On those nights, things did fall our way and worked well for us. It just so happens that in the ASCS races we’ve ran this year, things didn’t go our way. Honestly, to still be in the points lead after all that, it’s a testament to how good our team is and how resilient we are, and how we make the most out of every situation we’re handed. 

“I think because I’ve raced for so long, we’ve been in about every situation you can imagine. Going through all the years we’ve raced, there’s plenty of ups and downs. Even as many races as we’ve won, you still lose a lot more. So, I always tell everyone you have to keep the mindset of preparing every night the same, and you can’t get down because you haven’t won a race.” 

Hafertepe leads the championship standings by 22 points over Matt Covington and 23 points over Seth Bergman. While it’s a tighter differential than he’d like to see, it’s not changing his approach. 

“I feel like when you’re in a tight points battle, your window of what you’re gonna change is a lot smaller because you’re gonna go with stuff that you know,” Hafertepe said. “You generally don’t want to go outside of the box, and you go with the sure thing that is going to work. It might not help you win, but it might keep you in the ballgame. Then, when you’re in a huge points lead, you’ve got the freedom to try a few things, which leads to you getting better because now the notebook’s bigger.” 

With several big-money events coming up, including The Big One, which pays $10,000 to the winner on Saturday, Hafertepe and his Hill’s Racing Team are eager to put their winless streak to bed and add a few more big checks and prestigious trophies to their collection. 

“Once the schedule starts playing out, my eyes are always on the prize at Knoxville,” he said. “It’s the one big 360 race that I’ve never won. I mean, of all the races that we go to after this, visiting (Big Sky) is another big-paying show that we haven’t had a good showing at. My crew guys are getting better, they’re starting to be able to get all their stuff handled without me giving a lot of direction, which makes it easier on me. The whole deal will fall together, and we’ll be back to winning a bunch of races.” 

Sam Hafertepe Jr. Not Sweating ASCS Winless Streak, Focused on Another Belleville Sweep  BELLEVILLE, KS (June 25, 2026) — Sam Hafertepe Jr. is back in familiar territory this season, rising to the top of multiple categories with the American Sprint Car Series. But one key stat is still missing after 11 races for the current Series points leader – a win. 

This is the longest the Sunnyvale, TX native has gone into a full season with ASCS without a win since his first full year on tour two decades ago. 

The six-time Series champion isn’t sweating just yet, though. He’s had speed, but been plagued by things out of his control. 

“I feel like we’ve been about the best car every night on paper, we just don’t have the wins to add up,” Hafertepe said. “That’s part of racing sometimes, you can have the fastest car, but if things don’t go your way, they won’t go your way. That’s how the year’s been, we just had lots of small things add up. We haven’t raced enough to really get in a good rhythm either, so the schedule is going to pick up soon and start racing more consistently, and that’ll definitely help a team like us.” 

Fortunately for Hafertepe, the next event on the ASCS schedule is one he swept both races at last year – The Big One at Belleville High Banks (June 26-27). The victories also helped kick off a five-race winning streak for him.  

It bodes well as the 88-time Feature winner faces a summer of marquee ASCS events at high-speed tracks like Belleville, including August events at Knoxville Raceway for the Xtream powered by Mediacom 360 Knoxville Nationals presented by Great Southern Bank, and Big Sky Speedway for the Harvey Ostermiller Memorial. 

“When we prepare to race, we’re preparing to win,” Hafertepe said. “Over time, it’s going to happen, it’s kind of inevitable that we’re going to win one with ASCS. I feel like this weekend will be as good a chance as any to go win, and that’s what we’ll try to do. At the end of the day, we’ve won 88 of them, and I tell people all the time, ‘You don’t forget how to win if you’ve won that much.” 

Though Hafertepe hasn’t won with ASCS in 2026, he’s scored two POWRi Outlaw 410 Sprints triumphs in the year at Lake Ozark Speedway and Creek County. 

“We’ve already won two other races this year with (POWRi),” Hafertepe said. “On those nights, things did fall our way and worked well for us. It just so happens that in the ASCS races we’ve ran this year, things didn’t go our way. Honestly, to still be in the points lead after all that, it’s a testament to how good our team is and how resilient we are, and how we make the most out of every situation we’re handed. 

“I think because I’ve raced for so long, we’ve been in about every situation you can imagine. Going through all the years we’ve raced, there’s plenty of ups and downs. Even as many races as we’ve won, you still lose a lot more. So, I always tell everyone you have to keep the mindset of preparing every night the same, and you can’t get down because you haven’t won a race.” 

Hafertepe leads the championship standings by 22 points over Matt Covington and 23 points over Seth Bergman. While it’s a tighter differential than he’d like to see, it’s not changing his approach. 

“I feel like when you’re in a tight points battle, your window of what you’re gonna change is a lot smaller because you’re gonna go with stuff that you know,” Hafertepe said. “You generally don’t want to go outside of the box, and you go with the sure thing that is going to work. It might not help you win, but it might keep you in the ballgame. Then, when you’re in a huge points lead, you’ve got the freedom to try a few things, which leads to you getting better because now the notebook’s bigger.” 

With several big-money events coming up, including The Big One, which pays $10,000 to the winner on Saturday, Hafertepe and his Hill’s Racing Team are eager to put their winless streak to bed and add a few more big checks and prestigious trophies to their collection. 

“Once the schedule starts playing out, my eyes are always on the prize at Knoxville,” he said. “It’s the one big 360 race that I’ve never won. I mean, of all the races that we go to after this, visiting (Big Sky) is another big-paying show that we haven’t had a good showing at. My crew guys are getting better, they’re starting to be able to get all their stuff handled without me giving a lot of direction, which makes it easier on me. The whole deal will fall together, and we’ll be back to winning a bunch of races.” 

Hafertepe will try to sweep The Big One again at the 1/2-mile Belleville High Banks on Friday-Saturday, June 26-27. Joining the American Sprint Car Series for the two nights in Belleville will be the Malvern Bank ASCS Midwest Region presented by Hoosier. 

KICKER AFT Singles line up for a heat race at Nashville Short Track. [Photo: Scott Hunter for AMA Pro Racing]Download high-resolution photo from AMA Pro’s Digital Asset Management system

Drane Aims to Rule the Roost at Lima Doubleheader

KICKER AFT Singles line up for a heat race at Nashville Short Track. [Photo: Scott Hunter for AMA Pro Racing]Download high-resolution photo from AMA Pro’s Digital Asset Management system

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 25, 2026) – The emerging stars of Progressive American Flat Track, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, will continue to highlight the bright future of the sport when the KICKER AFT Singles and AFT ProSport 450 classes resume their respective clashes at the Allen County Fairgrounds, host of the Super.com Lima Half-Mile I & II presented by Drag Specialties, in Lima, Ohio, on Friday, June 26, and Saturday, June 27. All Aboard While it took nearly a half season for the championship outlook to take shape, you can almost feel reigning KICKER AFT Singles champion Tom Drane (No. 1 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) building up that trademark freight train-like momentum at this point. With three victories on the year and a 20-point title advantage, the Australian comes into the venue that has defined his power more than any other poised to truly seize control. Drane first burst onto the Progressive AFT scene with a stunning runner-up debut at Lima back in 2022. He’s only furthered his mastery over the challenging pea-gravel circuit in the time since. In that first race, Drane finished second to current Mission AFT SuperTwins title leader Kody Kopp by some four seconds. In 2023 – Drane’s first full season in the series – he came second to Kopp again, this time by a margin of two-and-a-half-seconds. In 2024, Drane beat Kopp by nearly a half-second. And last year, the Estenson Racing Yamaha star completely dominated the proceedings, winning both the final leg of the Mission Triple Challenge and Saturday’s Main Event by over five seconds. Should Drane repeat that sort of form with another Lima sweep, he’ll not just extend his lead to more than a full race’s payment of points, he’ll overtake Kopp for the all-time KICKER AFT Singles wins record. He’d also make a compelling argument regarding the wisdom of Estenson Racing granting him a handful of premier-class wild cards entries down the stretch this season. En Garde That same weekend Drane made his runner-up debut in ‘22, Chase Saathoff (No. 88 1st Impressions Race Team Husqvarna FC450) backed up his first-career KICKER AFT Singles podium with a second, finishing third to Kopp and Drane at Lima. He’s also continued to excel at the track, notching up four podiums in five-career attempts. He’s been embroiled with a heated rivalry with Drane over that time, as the two have traded wins, paint, and barbs over the years. Trevor Brunner (No. 21 KMA Racing/March Equipment Yamaha YZ450F) has largely been in that same orbit as well, despite opening his KICKER AFT Singles career a couple years earlier and then spending one season away garnering Mission AFT SuperTwins Rookie of the Year honors.But Brunner has been a regular frontrunner as well, winning races in all six of his seasons in the class, including this one. This year, however, has threatened to upset the power dynamic with a potential changing of the guard taking effect. As Saathoff continues to seek his first victory of the year, and Brunner comes to Lima following a pair of disappointing outings, second-year ace Kage Tadman (No. 28 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R) has claimed two wins and a runner-up over the last four races, leaping up past both in the points in the process. Tadman, Saathoff, Drane won’t want to spend too much time arguing over second place, however. Drane is still the primary target, and all three will need to come up huge this weekend if they hope to slow him down. Santero Watch The Lima doubleheader will provide two more chances for Tarren Santero (No. 75 Roof Systems/Vinson Construction Honda CRF450R) to at last get his first career Progressive AFT victory. Fifth-ranked Santero has been knocking on the door for nearly two full seasons at this point. This weekend presents a real opportunity for Santero, considering he finished as the runner-up in last year’s Mission Triple Challenge overall results. Similarly, sixth-ranked Walker Porter (No. 10 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R) continues to hunt his first pro podium, an accomplishment that has only narrowly eluded him for multiple weeks on end. Porter made his Progressive AFT debut here last year and did so in impressive fashion, collecting a top-five result in his very first weekend. Young Brucks Turner Racing teammates Tadman and Porter are far from the only first- and second-year riders making waves. Rookie Jack Brucks (No. 113 1st Impressions Race Team Husqvarna FC450) has finished inside the top ten in five of his seven starts, including three finishes of sixth or better. His ascendent teammate, Jett Katarzy (No. 117 1st Impressions Race Team Husqvarna FC450), is even newer on the scene, having recently graduated from AFT ProSport 450 success. Despite transitioning from the amateur ranks up to the pros midseason, Katarzy has lived up to the team’s name by making the Main Event in his first two attempts. Meanwhile, Ryder Reese (No. 41 Fasthouse/Smoking Butcher Coffee KTM 450 SX-F FE) andSkylar Sentell (No. 60 R&D Racing/Hoffer Performance KTM 450 SX-F) – who both first broke into the KICKER AFT Singles top ten at Lima a year ago – have continued to work their way up the order more regularly as they accumulate valuable experience. And keep an eye on Dylan Cunningham (No. 252 Scott Stump/Joel Laub KTM 450 SX-F), who comes into Lima having converted his first two Main Event qualifications into consecutive top-ten finishes. Keeping Up with the Joneses Meanwhile, the field is stocked up with established runners hoping to reassert themselves.The likes of Justin Jones (No. 91 Fairway Ford Chevy GMC Yamaha YZ450F), Bradon Pfanders (No. 83 Memphis Shades/Corbin Seats Yamaha YZ450F), Jared Lowe (No. 63 Big R Racing/Vinson Construction Honda CRF450R), Evan Kelleher (No. 31 Schaeffer’s Motorsports KTM 450 SX-F), and Logan Eisenhard (No. 66 Eisenhard Racing/Pags Powersports KTM 450 SX-F) have all enjoyed their moments this season, but it’s been a minute since any of them really pushed for podium contention. Perhaps this will be the weekend one (or more) of them reminds the usual suspects exactly what they’re capable of on their day. No Sleep Till DuQuoin The all-new AFT ProSport 450 class will make one last appearance this season as the nation’s top amateurs make their final preparations before heading to DuQuoin, Illinois, from July 5-10 for the 2026 Roof Systems AMA Flat Track Grand Championship. The class has helped raise the profile of a number of heralded prospects, including race winners Sam Drane (No. 7 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F), Adam Costan-Wood (No. 88 Turner Racing Honda CRF450R), Bayne Nantz (No. 313 Nantz Bros Racing KTM 450 SX-F), and the aforementioned Katarzy.Will another rising star add their name to that list and carry some extra momentum into DuQuoin? Three-Day Weekend Fans will have plenty to keep them entertained beyond the world-class on-track excitement. There will also be music, a bouncy house for kids, numerous vendors, and plenty of food and beverage options, along with extensive motorcycle parking. And spectators are invited to get the party started a day early, as Thursday at the track will spotlight the future stars of the sport with a AMA-sanctioned Mission Foods CTR Showcase Event, which will feature the 450 Road to AFT clash that will set the grid for Saturday’s AFT ProSport 450 season finale. Act Fast to Save Your Cash  General Admission Bleacher tickets are just $45 each night (kids 12 and under free with a paid adult GA ticket) with Reserved Grandstand and Premier Reserved Grandstand tickets priced at $55 and $60, respectively. Meanwhile, fans who purchase a two-day ticket will save $5. The Pit Pass add-on ($40/day) provides fans a chance to get an up-close look at the race bikes and meet the riders and their teams. Fans looking to take things to the next level can choose the VIP Experience add-on ($150 per day or $280 for two days, seats included) to gain access to a climate-controlled VIP room with a catered meal, five alcoholic beverages, and a Pit Pass. Camping is also available at the Allen County Fairgrounds. The camping sites, which are accessible off Harding Highway and include water and electric hookups, are available on a first-come, first-served basis at $50 per night (Wednesday night through Saturday night). To purchase Lima Half-Mile I tickets, click HERE. To purchase Lima Half-Mile II tickets, click HERE. And to save $5 by purchasing Friday and Saturday tickets together for the Super.com Lima Half-Mile I & II, click HERE. Gates will open for fans at 2:00 p.m. ET (11:00 a.m. PT) with Opening Ceremonies scheduled to begin at 6:40 p.m. ET (3:40 p.m. PT) on Friday. On Saturday, Gates will open at 2:30 p.m. ET (11:30 a.m. PT) with Opening Ceremonies slated for a 6:30 p.m. ET (3:30 p.m. PT) start. For more information, ticket purchases, and updates, visit www.limahalf-mile.com or call 419-991-1491

FERGUS FALLS, MN (June 24, 2026) – The northern swing couldn’t be going any better for Bobby Pierce.

The trip started with a wire-to-wire win at 141 Speedway in Wisconsin. Pierce then traveled over to Minnesota for a night at Ogilvie Raceway, where he outran Jonathan Davenport, Nick Hoffman and several others for a second-straight win.

The next stop was the first World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision race in three years at I-94 emr Speedway, a place where he won back in 2023. The 2026 edition ended with the same result, as the Oakwood, IL native parked the No. 32 in Victory Lane for the 13th time this season in World of Outlaws competition.

His wins at 141 and Ogilvie both came from the Bilstein Pole, but Pierce had a little more work to do on the start this time from the fourth starting spot. Pierce made quick work of Hoffman on the opening lap to get to third, but out front, it was a battle between youth and experience. The front row featured 21-year-old Super Late Model rookie Dallon Murty racing for the lead with 53-year-old Tim McCreadie, who has competed in the division for as long as Murty has been alive.

That tussle was interrupted on Lap 3 for a flat left-rear tire on Eli Johnson’s car, and Pierce took advantage of the restart to blast past McCreadie up high in Turn 2. One lap later, Murty got his first chance to experience Pierce’s signature deep slider for the lead from the driver’s seat. That moved Pierce up to the top spot, which he never relinquished for the rest of the race.

Murty started to drop back through the field, but McCreadie and Hoffman both kept Pierce in sight as the 40-lapper progressed, all while racing each other hard for second. Hoffman was ahead when the final caution flew with two laps left, but he didn’t have anything for Pierce on the final sprint to the finish.

“I saw Nick was running the bottom, and I really didn’t get a very good restart on the last one,” Pierce said. “Feel like I kind of spun the tires, the uke tire placement was a bit hard to grab that last bit of traction on the bottom there. Kind of protected a little bit in Turn 1, probably made it look a little exciting there for a second until I got that cushion blast off the corner.”

The win was the 55th of Pierce’s World of Outlaws career, putting him 19 behind Darrell Lanigan in third on the all-time wins list. It also continued Pierce’s personal summer of money. Starting at the Dirt Late Model Dream, Pierce has gone on a run of seven wins in his last eight starts, winning a total of $216,500 in the past 22 days.

Hoffman made it three-straight podiums to start the northern swing in second ahead of McCreadie in third, who earned his 200th World of Outlaws top five.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision heads up to Grand Forks, ND for the annual visit to River Cities Speedway on Friday, June 26. Get your tickets in advance by clicking here.

Want to watch the World of Outlaws? Stream every race live on DIRTVision.

RACE NOTES:

Bobby Pierce set the Dirt King Simulators Fastest Hot Lap.

Bobby Pierce won the Simpson Quick Time Award.

Nick Hoffman won Heat 1.

Dallon Murty won STAKT Products Heat 2.

Bobby Pierce won Keyser Manufacturing Heat 3.

Tim McCreadie won Jarrett Rifles Heat 4.

Dennis Erb Jr. won the Last Chance Showdown.

Dallon Murty won the Bilstein Pole Award.

Trey Mills won the FOX Factory Hard Charger Award.

Trey Mills won the MD3 Rookie of the Race Award.

Nick Hoffman was the WELD Racing Second-Place Finisher.

Tim McCreadie was the WIX Filters Third-Place Finisher.

Ryan Gustin was the ARP Fourth-Place Finisher.

Tyler Erb was the MSD Fifth-Place Finisher.

Trey Mills was the Swift Springs Sixth-Place Finisher.

Cody Overton was the Penske Racing Shocks Seventh-Place Finisher.

Daulton Wilson was VP Racing Fuels Eighth-Place Finisher.

Dustin Sorensen was the Lifeline Ninth-Place Finisher.

Sam Mars was the COMP Cams 10th-Place Finisher.

Jonathan Davenport was the Quarter Master 11th-Place Finisher.

Ethan Dotson was the Cometic Gaskets 12th-Place Finisher.

Dallon Murty was the Quarter Master 13th-Place Finisher.

Jake Timm was the ARP 14th-Place Finisher.

Logan Zarin was the Arizona Sport Shirts 18th-Place Finisher.

Feature (40 Laps): 1. 32-Bobby Pierce[4]; 2. 9-Nick Hoffman[3]; 3. 9M-Tim McCreadie[2]; 4. 19R-Ryan Gustin[5]; 5. 1-Tyler Erb[7]; 6. 14-Trey Mills[14]; 7. 97-Cody Overton[13]; 8. 58V-Daulton Wilson[6]; 9. 19-Dustin Sorensen[11]; 10. 28M-Sam Mars[10]; 11. 49-Jonathan Davenport[9]; 12. 74X-Ethan Dotson[8]; 13. 13-Dallon Murty[1]; 14. 22*-Jake Timm[12]; 15. B1-Brent Larson[19]; 16. 20TC-Tristan Chamberlain[18]; 17. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[17]; 18. 1Z-Logan Zarin[15]; 19. 8-Matthew Larson[22]; 20. 7-Ross Robinson[16]; 21. 1E-Amelia Eisenschenk[24]; 22. 55E-Eli Johnson[20]; 23. 16-Tyler Bruening[23]; 24. 15-Laela Eisenschenk[21]

Pierce Extends Win Streak to Three With Second I-94 Triumph

FERGUS FALLS, MN (June 24, 2026) – The northern swing couldn’t be going any better for Bobby Pierce.

The trip started with a wire-to-wire win at 141 Speedway in Wisconsin. Pierce then traveled over to Minnesota for a night at Ogilvie Raceway, where he outran Jonathan Davenport, Nick Hoffman and several others for a second-straight win.

The next stop was the first World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision race in three years at I-94 emr Speedway, a place where he won back in 2023. The 2026 edition ended with the same result, as the Oakwood, IL native parked the No. 32 in Victory Lane for the 13th time this season in World of Outlaws competition.

His wins at 141 and Ogilvie both came from the Bilstein Pole, but Pierce had a little more work to do on the start this time from the fourth starting spot. Pierce made quick work of Hoffman on the opening lap to get to third, but out front, it was a battle between youth and experience. The front row featured 21-year-old Super Late Model rookie Dallon Murty racing for the lead with 53-year-old Tim McCreadie, who has competed in the division for as long as Murty has been alive.

That tussle was interrupted on Lap 3 for a flat left-rear tire on Eli Johnson’s car, and Pierce took advantage of the restart to blast past McCreadie up high in Turn 2. One lap later, Murty got his first chance to experience Pierce’s signature deep slider for the lead from the driver’s seat. That moved Pierce up to the top spot, which he never relinquished for the rest of the race.

Murty started to drop back through the field, but McCreadie and Hoffman both kept Pierce in sight as the 40-lapper progressed, all while racing each other hard for second. Hoffman was ahead when the final caution flew with two laps left, but he didn’t have anything for Pierce on the final sprint to the finish.

“I saw Nick was running the bottom, and I really didn’t get a very good restart on the last one,” Pierce said. “Feel like I kind of spun the tires, the uke tire placement was a bit hard to grab that last bit of traction on the bottom there. Kind of protected a little bit in Turn 1, probably made it look a little exciting there for a second until I got that cushion blast off the corner.”

The win was the 55th of Pierce’s World of Outlaws career, putting him 19 behind Darrell Lanigan in third on the all-time wins list. It also continued Pierce’s personal summer of money. Starting at the Dirt Late Model Dream, Pierce has gone on a run of seven wins in his last eight starts, winning a total of $216,500 in the past 22 days.

Hoffman made it three-straight podiums to start the northern swing in second ahead of McCreadie in third, who earned his 200th World of Outlaws top five.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision heads up to Grand Forks, ND for the annual visit to River Cities Speedway on Friday, June 26. Get your tickets in advance by clicking here.

Want to watch the World of Outlaws? Stream every race live on DIRTVision.

RACE NOTES:

Bobby Pierce set the Dirt King Simulators Fastest Hot Lap.

Bobby Pierce won the Simpson Quick Time Award.

Nick Hoffman won Heat 1.

Dallon Murty won STAKT Products Heat 2.

Bobby Pierce won Keyser Manufacturing Heat 3.

Tim McCreadie won Jarrett Rifles Heat 4.

Dennis Erb Jr. won the Last Chance Showdown.

Dallon Murty won the Bilstein Pole Award.

Trey Mills won the FOX Factory Hard Charger Award.

Trey Mills won the MD3 Rookie of the Race Award.

Nick Hoffman was the WELD Racing Second-Place Finisher.

Tim McCreadie was the WIX Filters Third-Place Finisher.

Ryan Gustin was the ARP Fourth-Place Finisher.

Tyler Erb was the MSD Fifth-Place Finisher.

Trey Mills was the Swift Springs Sixth-Place Finisher.

Cody Overton was the Penske Racing Shocks Seventh-Place Finisher.

Daulton Wilson was VP Racing Fuels Eighth-Place Finisher.

Dustin Sorensen was the Lifeline Ninth-Place Finisher.

Sam Mars was the COMP Cams 10th-Place Finisher.

Jonathan Davenport was the Quarter Master 11th-Place Finisher.

Ethan Dotson was the Cometic Gaskets 12th-Place Finisher.

Dallon Murty was the Quarter Master 13th-Place Finisher.

Jake Timm was the ARP 14th-Place Finisher.

Logan Zarin was the Arizona Sport Shirts 18th-Place Finisher.

Feature (40 Laps): 1. 32-Bobby Pierce[4]; 2. 9-Nick Hoffman[3]; 3. 9M-Tim McCreadie[2]; 4. 19R-Ryan Gustin[5]; 5. 1-Tyler Erb[7]; 6. 14-Trey Mills[14]; 7. 97-Cody Overton[13]; 8. 58V-Daulton Wilson[6]; 9. 19-Dustin Sorensen[11]; 10. 28M-Sam Mars[10]; 11. 49-Jonathan Davenport[9]; 12. 74X-Ethan Dotson[8]; 13. 13-Dallon Murty[1]; 14. 22*-Jake Timm[12]; 15. B1-Brent Larson[19]; 16. 20TC-Tristan Chamberlain[18]; 17. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[17]; 18. 1Z-Logan Zarin[15]; 19. 8-Matthew Larson[22]; 20. 7-Ross Robinson[16]; 21. 1E-Amelia Eisenschenk[24]; 22. 55E-Eli Johnson[20]; 23. 16-Tyler Bruening[23]; 24. 15-Laela Eisenschenk[21]

ARTICLE: https://worldofoutlaws.com/latemodels/pierce-extends-win-streak-to-three-with-second-i-94-triumph/