By Spence Smithback
CRANDALL, TX (October 22, 2024) – For the first and only time in 2024, the American Sprint Car Series National Tour is set to invade the Lone Star State.
The 1/4-mile RPM Speedway – located in Crandall, TX near Dallas – will welcome the Series for the first time ever this Friday and Saturday, Oct. 25-26. The third of three-straight weekends of racing for the National Tour marks the final two races on the schedule before the Series heads to Oklahoma to wrap up the season in mid-November.
Both nights will conclude with a $4,000-to-win/$400-to-start Feature, and the Sprint Cars will be joined on the card by Limited Modifieds and Factory Stocks on both nights.
Tickets will be available at the track on race day. Can’t make it? Catch every lap live on DIRTVision.
Here are the top storylines entering the weekend:
HOMETOWN HERO: RPM Speedway sits about 25 miles southeast of Sunnyvale, TX, making it the home track on tour for Sam Hafertepe Jr.
The driver of the No. 15H sits 129 points behind Seth Bergman in the championship battle, and with only six races to go in the season, Hafertepe desperately needs a statement weekend at home to give himself a realistic chance at a sixth title entering Oklahoma next month. And if the Drivers championship wasn’t enough to think about, Hill’s Racing Team is also 15 points behind TwoC Racing in a tight battle atop the Owners standings.
Fortunately for Hafertepe, RPM has been good to him in the past. The most recent winged 360 Sprint Car race at the track was an ASCS Gulf South Region event in 2018, and the winner that night was none other than Hafertepe. He finished second in Gulf South action a year prior to give himself a 1.5 average finish in ASCS competition at RPM, and he plans on keeping that number intact this weekend.
CRANDALL KNOW HOW: Hafertepe wasn’t the only current National Tour driver in the field on those two nights though.
Matt Covington finished 10th in 2017 and sixth in 2018 in his only two starts at RPM. He still has plenty to play for even with the Drivers title being out of reach, as the No. 95 team is third in the Owners standings, 51 points behind TwoC Racing. Additionally, Covington has six more chances to avoid going winless on the National Tour in 2024, something he hasn’t done since 2016.
Bergman was also present at the 2017 Gulf South Region race and came home ninth. After a weekend at the World Short Track Challenge in which he never found his footing – finishing 11th on Friday and missing the show on Saturday – Bergman will be looking to get back to his usual consistency this weekend to maintain his triple-digit lead atop the standings.
MIDGET MEMORIES: The top three in the standings may be the only ones with Sprint Car experience at RPM, but a pair of others have competed at the facility before.
Andrew Deal made a pair of trips to Crandall to race with the POWRi West Midgets and scored finishes of 12th in 2016 and sixth in 2017. He’ll look to transfer that knowledge from the small car into the big car as he tries to rebound from a pair of DNQs at Riverside last weekend.
Rookie of the Year leader Hank Davis also has laps around RPM in a Midget, with his only visit to the track ending with a seventh-place finish in 2018.
HERE COMES MARTIN: The closest points battle in the top 10 entering RPM is the fight for the final spot in the top five, with Deal leading Jason Martin by 15 points.
The two drivers entered the season with polar-opposite backgrounds – Martin as the defending Series champion with two decades of Sprint Car experience under his belt, while Deal is wrapping up his first full season on a national Sprint Car series.
Martin has been climbing back up the order for much of the season after an injury forced him to miss the Batesville Motor Speedway event, knocking him outside the top 10 in points. His ascent has accelerated in the last few weeks, with his first win of the season at Arrowhead Speedway highlighting a stretch of six-straight top 10s – Martin’s longest of the season.
Following a tough weekend at Riverside, Deal will head to RPM looking for his first top five since Clay County Fair Speedway on Sept. 10. If he can get that done, it would be his first on a 1/4-mile bullring since finishing second in the season opener at Super Bee Speedway in April.
WHEN AND WHERE:
Friday and Saturday, Oct. 25-26, at RPM Speedway in Crandall, TX
AROUND THE TURN:
The American Sprint Car Series National Tour season will conclude in Oklahoma at Tulsa Speedway (Thursday, Nov. 14) and Creek County Speedway (Friday and Saturday, Nov. 15-16).
CURRENT POINT STANDINGS (TOP 10):
Seth Bergman (3399 points)
Sam Hafertepe Jr. (-129)
Matt Covington (-265)
Hank Davis (-341)
Andrew Deal (-516)
Jason Martin (-531)
Landon Britt (-590)
Zach Blurton (-635)
Kyler Johnson (-689)
Terry Easum (-786)
FEATURE WINNERS:
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 9
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 5
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 3
Derek Hagar – Marion, AR – 2
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 1
Kaleb Johnson – Sioux Falls, SD – 1
Tyler Courtney – Indianapolis, IN – 1
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 1
Aaron Reutzel – Clute, TX – 1
Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 1
Joe B. Miller – Millersville, MO – 1
QUICK TIME AWARDS:
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 12
Aaron Reutzel – Clute, TX – 2
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 1
Josh McCord – Bossier City, LA – 1
Alex Sewell – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 1
Tyler Groenendyk – Oskaloosa, IA – 1
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 1
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 1
Skylar Gee – Leduc, AB – 1
Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Joe B. Miller – Millersville, MO – 1
Lance Moss – Cherryville, NC – 1
HEAT RACE WINS:
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 8
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 8
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 8
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 7
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 6
Whit Gastineau – Moore, OK – 4
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 4
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 3
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 3
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 3
Zach Blurton – Quinter, KS – 3
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 2
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 2
Kyler Johnson – Quinter, KS – 2
Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 2
Cody Gardner – Benton, AR – 2
Lane Whittington – Denham Springs, LA – 1
Koty Adams – Haughton, LA – 1
Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 1
Brekton Crouch – Lubbock, TX – 1
Jeremy Campbell – Wichita, KS – 1
Austyn Gossel – Windsor, CO – 1
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Matt Juhl – Tea, SD – 1
Garet Williamson – Columbia, MO – 1
Emerson Axsom – Franklin, IN – 1
Hunter Schuerenberg – Sikeston, MO – 1
Tanner Holmes – Jacksonville, OR – 1
Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Tyler Groenendyk – Oskaloosa, IA – 1
Parker Price-Miller – Kokomo, IN – 1
Colton Hardy – Phoenix, AZ – 1
Tanner Thorson – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Brian Brown – Hugginsville, MO – 1
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 1
Phil Dietz – Laurel, MT – 1
Joe Perry – Billings, MT – 1
Kory Wermling – Great Falls, MT – 1
Chris Martin – Ankeny, IA – 1
Garrett Benson – Concordia, MO – 1
Sterling Cling – Tempe, AZ – 1
Tucker Boulton – Brighton, TN – 1
Derek Hagar – Marion, AR – 1
Dale Howard – Byhalia, MS – 1
Ayden Gatewood – Caruthersville, MO – 1
Marshall Skinner – Marion, AR – 1
DASH APPEARANCES:
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 21
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 21
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 14
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 13
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 9
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 6
Whit Gastineau – Moore, OK – 5
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 5
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 4
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 4
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 4
Zach Blurton – Quinter, KS – 4
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 3
Kyler Johnson – Quinter, KS – 3
Alex Sewell – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 2
Kory Wermling – Great Falls, MT – 2
Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Garrett Benson – Concordia, MO – 2
Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 2
Riley Goodno – Knoxville, IA – 2
Cody Gardner – Benton, AR – 2
Lane Whittington – Denham Springs, LA – 1
Koty Adams – Haughton, LA – 1
Ryder Laplante – Calera, OK – 1
Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 1
Brekton Crouch – Lubbock, TX – 1
Jeremy Campbell – Wichita, KS – 1
Elijah Gile – Phoenix, AZ – 1
Austyn Gossel – Windsor, CO – 1
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Harli White – Lindsay, OK – 1
Austin McCarl – Altoona, IA – 1
DJ Brink – Rapid City, SD – 1
Phil Dietz – Laurel, MT – 1
Joe Perry – Billings, MT – 1
Skylar Gee – Leduc, AB – 1
Aaron Reutzel – Clute, TX – 1
Chris Martin – Ankeny, IA – 1
Joe B. Miller – Millersville, MO – 1
Sterling Cling – Tempe, AZ – 1
Gunner Ramey – Sedalia, MO – 1
Dale Howard – Byhalia, MS – 1
Derek Hagar – Marion, AR – 1
LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINNERS:
Rees Moran – Tulsa, OK – 2
Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 1
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 1
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 1
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Aaron Reutzel – Clute, TX – 1
Chase Porter – St. Joseph, MO – 1
Kerry Madsen – Knoxville, IA – 1
Chase Randall – Waco, TX – 1
Rich Bailey – Helena, MT – 1
Kyler Johnson – Quinter, KS – 1
Skylar Gee – Leduc, AB – 1
Zach Blurton – Quinter, KS – 1
Brandon Anderson – Glenpool, OK – 1
Noah Harris – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Gunner Ramey – Sedalia, MO – 1
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 1
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 1
Ayden Gatewood – Caruthersville, MO – 1
Marshall Skinner – Marion, AR – 1
PODIUM FINISHERS:
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 17
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 16
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 9
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 7
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 3
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 2
Austin McCarl – Altoona, IA – 2
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 2
Zach Blurton – Quinter, KS – 2
Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 2
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 2
Derek Hagar – Marion, AR – 2
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Tanner Conn – Oklahoma City, OK – 1
Ryder Laplante – Calera, OK – 1
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Kaleb Johnson – Sioux Falls, SD – 1
Chase Randall – Waco, TX – 1
Kade Higday – Knoxville, IA – 1
Cory Eliason – Visalia, CA – 1
Brian Brown – Higginsville, MO – 1
Tyler Courtney – Indianapolis, IN – 1
Emerson Axsom – Franklin, IN – 1
Aaron Reutzel – Clute, TX – 1
Joe B. Miller – Millersville, MO – 1
Sterling Cling – Tempe, AZ – 1
Dale Howard – Byhalia, MS – 1
Kyle Jones – Kennedale, TX – 1
TOP 10 FINISHERS:
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 22
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 22
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 19
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 18
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 17
Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 15
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 14
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 9
Kyler Johnson – Quinter, KS – 8
Zach Blurton – Quinter, KS – 8
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 8
Austyn Gossel – Windsor, CO – 6
Rees Moran – Tulsa, OK – 4
Brandon Anderson – Glenpool, OK – 4
Harli White – Lindsay, OK – 4
Kelly Miller – Stirling, AB – 4
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 4
Riley Goodno – Knoxville, IA – 4
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 3
Whit Gastineau – Moore, OK – 3
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 3
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 3
Terry McCarl – Altoona, IA – 3
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 3
Dale Howard – Byhalia, MS – 3
Alex Sewell – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Tyler Courtney – Indianapolis, IN – 2
Emerson Axsom – Franklin, IN – 2
Austin McCarl – Altoona, IA – 2
Brian Brown – Higginsville, MO – 2
Cory Eliason – Visalia, CA – 2
Tasker Phillips – Pleasantville, IA – 2
Jamie Ball – Knoxville, IA – 2
Kaleb Johnson – Sioux Falls, SD – 2
Jeremy Campbell – Wichita, KS – 2
Skylar Gee – Leduc, AB – 2
Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 2
Sterling Cling – Tempe, AZ – 2
Derek Hagar – Marion, AR – 2
Kyle Jones – Kennedale, TX – 2
Channin Tankersley – Arlington, TX – 1
Tanner Conn – Oklahoma City, OK – 1
Brekton Crouch – Lubbock, TX – 1
Jeremy Huish – Jetmore, KS – 1
Ryder Laplante – Calera, OK – 1
Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 1
Fred Mattox – Drumright, OK – 1
Brad Bowden – Hernando, MS – 1
Michael Day – Farmersville, TX – 1
Chase Randall – Waco, TX – 1
Kade Higday – Knoxville, IA – 1
Justin Peck – Monrovia, IN – 1
Gunner Ramey – Sedalia, MO – 1
Miles Paulus – Marshall, MO – 1
Kasey Kahne – Enumclaw, WA – 1
Ryan Giles – Grimes, IA – 1
Kerry Madsen – Knoxville, IA – 1
Alex Hill – Six Nations, ON – 1
Cole Macedo – Lemoore, CA – 1
DJ Brink – Rapid City, SD – 1
Blayne Brink – Gillette, WY – 1
Phil Dietz – Laurel, MT – 1
Kory Wermling – Great Falls, MT – 1
Aaron Reutzel – Clute, TX – 1
Chris Martin – Ankeny, IA – 1
Emilio Hoover – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Joe B. Miller – Millersville, MO – 1
Cody Gardner – Benton, AR – 1
Anton Hernandez – Arlington, TX – 1
Howard Moore – Memphis, TN – 1
Morgan Turpen Havener – Gallatin, TN – 1
Marshall Skinner – Marion, AR – 1
2024 AMERICAN SPRINT CAR SERIES SCHEDULE & WINNERS:
Friday, Apr. 19 / Super Bee Speedway / Chatham, LA / Seth Bergman (1)
Friday, May 10 / Red Dirt Raceway / Meeker, OK / Terry Easum (1)
Friday, May 31 / Rush County Speedway / La Crosse, KS / Seth Bergman (2)
Saturday, June 1 / Dodge City Raceway Park / Dodge City, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (1)
Tuesday, June 11 / Texarkana 67 Speedway / Texarkana, AR / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (2)
Thursday, June 13 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (3)
Friday, June 14 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK / Seth Bergman (3)
Saturday, June 15 / Tri-State Speedway / Pocola, OK / Seth Bergman (4)
Saturday, June 22 / Batesville Motor Speedway / Locust Grove, AR / Jordon Mallett (1)
Friday, June 28 / Tulsa Speedway / Tulsa, OK / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (4)
Friday, July 19 / Lakeside Speedway / Kansas City, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (5)
Saturday, July 20 / 81 Speedway / Wichita, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (6)
Thursday, Aug. 1 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Kaleb Johnson (1)
Friday, Aug. 2 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (7)
Saturday, Aug. 3 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Tyler Courtney (1)
Friday, Aug. 16 / Dodge City Raceway Park / Dodge City, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (8)
Saturday, Aug. 17 / Lincoln County Raceway / North Platte, NE / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (9)
Friday, Aug. 23 / Big Sky Speedway / Shepherd, MT / Seth Bergman (5)
Saturday, Aug. 24 / Big Sky Speedway / Shepherd, MT / Jake Bubak (1)
Friday, Aug. 30 / Electric City Speedway / Black Eagle, MT / Hank Davis (1)
Saturday, Aug. 31 / Electric City Speedway / Black Eagle, MT / Hank Davis (2)
Tuesday, Sept. 10 / Clay County Fair Speedway / Spencer, IA / Aaron Reutzel (1)
Friday, Sept. 13 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK / Roger Crockett (1)
Saturday, Sept. 14 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK / Jason Martin (1)
Friday, Oct. 11 / Benton Speedway / Benton, MO / Joe B. Miller (1)
Saturday, Oct. 12 / Paducah International Raceway / Paducah, KY / Hank Davis (3)
Friday, Oct. 18 / Riverside International Speedway / West Memphis, AR / Derek Hagar (1)
Saturday, Oct. 19 / Riverside International Speedway / West Memphis, AR / Derek Hagar (2)
Friday, Oct. 25 / RPM Speedway / Crandall, TX
Saturday, Oct. 26 / RPM Speedway / Crandall, TX
Thursday, Nov. 14 / Tulsa Speedway / Tulsa, OK
Friday, Nov. 15 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK
Saturday, Nov. 16 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK
ARTICLE: https://ascsracing.com/what-to-watch-for/what-to-watch-for-rpm-speedway-set-to-host-final-stop-before-national-tour-championship-weekend/
EVENT INFO: https://ascsracing.com/schedule/event-info/?event=7544
TRACK INFO: http://www.rpmdirt.com/default.aspx
FAN 101: https://about.dirtcar.com/
The American Sprint Car Series was founded in 1992, comprised of regional races primarily in the Southwest region. It then went national in 1993 and has become the premier 360 Sprint Car Series in the country, while still sanctioning nine regional series that include 360 Sprint Cars, 410 Sprint Cars and Non-Wing Sprint Cars. ASCS is supported by DIRTVision, Hoosier Racing Tire, Racing Electronics and VP Racing.