By Jordan Delucia
BARBERVILLE, FL (Jan. 28, 2025) — The American Sprint Car Series (ASCS) National Tour begins its 34th consecutive season of competition this weekend with a debut at one of the fastest dirt tracks in the country — Volusia Speedway Park.
The nation’s premier 360 Sprint Car series kicks off the 54th edition of Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals with three complete shows this Thursday–Saturday, Jan. 30–Feb. 1, with back-to-back $3,000-to-win Features on Thursday and Friday before the $12,000-to-win finale on Saturday. DIRTcar UMP Modifieds will support the program over all three days.
Each night of competition will award participating drivers points in the DIRTcar Nationals Big Gator points championship. The driver with the most points at the conclusion of the final night of racing will be crowned DIRTcar Nationals champion of the division and hoist the iconic Big Gator trophy.
Drivers will also earn points toward the season-long ASCS National Tour championship standings. Details on how those points will be calculated and information on the “drop” race can be viewed by clicking here. Drivers should also note all information listed in the competitor guide at the link below.
VOLUSIA COMPETITOR GUIDE
Tickets for each night of the 54th Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals are on sale now by clicking here and will also be available at the gate on race day. If you can’t be at the track, stream every lap live from all 41 races of the 2025 ASCS National Tour live on DIRTVision.
Here are the drivers to watch and storylines to follow this weekend:
CHASING HISTORY — This season, ASCS National Tour history is within the grasp of Sam Hafertepe Jr.
The 39-year-old from Sunnyvale, TX, begins his quest toward a record-breaking sixth Tour championship at Volusia. He and fellow five-time Tour champion Jason Johnson are currently tied for the most points titles in Tour history and are also separated by one on the all-time Feature wins — Johnson with 79, Hafertepe with 78.
One year ago, Hafertepe scored the win on the opening night of the United Sprint Car Series (USCS)-sanctioned Germfree Southern Sprint Car Shootout at Volusia, marking his first career win at the Florida 1/2-mile. He then followed that up with finishes of second and third, giving him the best average finish of any driver in the event.
Hafertepe was a winner of 12 National Tour races in 2024 — most of any driver. Should he reach Victory Lane once more this weekend, he’ll tie Johnson for second on the all-time wins list.
THE BIG UNIT — Austin McCarl headlined the 410 Sprint Car invaders in the winter 360 Sprint Car events at Volusia last January and will be among the favorites again this weekend as a pre-entered driver.
McCarl, 32, of Altoona, IA, finished second to Hafertepe on the opening night of the 2024 Southern Sprint Car Shootout, and then backed that up with a win the next night before capping the weekend with a fourth-place finish on Saturday. Three weeks later, he was back in Victory Lane at East Bay Raceway Park in Tampa, FL, in a USCS-sanctioned event.
The two-time Knoxville Raceway 410 Sprint Car track champion made only two appearances with the Tour in 2024, notching a third-place finish at Lakeside Speedway in July and another third-place effort at the 360 Knoxville Nationals in August. He was also a 360 winner in weekly competition at the 1/2-mile of Knoxville last July.
POSSE INVADES — Danny Dietrich is another of the many 410 Sprint Car invaders coming to Volusia early to compete with ASCS, representing his Pennsylvania Sprint Car racing home.
Dietrich, 36, of Gettysburg, PA, will enter his Weikert’s Livestock Inc, Travis Racing Engines-powered Maxim Chassis No. 48 at Volusia this weekend for his first-ever ASCS appearance outside of the 360 Knoxville Nationals. He raced Volusia for the first time with a 360 engine in the car last year on the final two nights of Southern Sprint Car Shootout, garnering back-to-back fifth-place finishes.
The “PA Posse” standout has been a DIRTcar Nationals entrant every year since 2017 with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars and has plenty of laps around Volusia’s fast, 1/2-mile confines in his regular 410 Sprint Car. As one of the most experienced racers in the pits, he’ll be among the favorites for his first Big Gator trophy this weekend.
FROM KNOXVILLE WITH LOVE — Five-time Knoxville Raceway track champion Brian Brown is kicking off his 2025 season with the National Tour this weekend.
Brown, 46, of Higginsville, MO, is set to pilot the Brian Brown Racing, Caseys/FVP No. 21 at all three ASCS races, trying for his first National Tour win since his triumph in the 2023 360 Knoxville Nationals.
While he’s never won at Volusia, Brown has come close, posting six top-five finishes in his career in the 410 ranks against the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series, including a best finish of third in 2023.
JERSEY BOY — Davie Franek is one of multiple Northeastern 360 Sprint Car regulars making the trip south to race Volusia this weekend. Though he sticks mainly to tracks in his region throughout the regular season, Franek has had past success in Florida.
The 37-year-old from Wantage, NJ, was runner-up to Tyler Clem in the 2023 Southern Sprint Car Shootout finale — a career-best finish at Volusia. Later on, in USCS Winter Heat competition, Franek went on to wins at Hendry County Motorsports Park (Clewiston, FL), Hattiesburg Speedway (Hattiesburg, MS) and Magnolia Motor Speedway (Columbus, MS).
The two-time Patriot Sprint Tour and United Racing Club champion posted two top-10 finishes at Volusia last January, and will be among the contenders for his first Volusia win this weekend.
ARTICLE: https://ascsracing.com/what-to-watch-for/what-to-watch-for-ascs-national-tour-opens-2025-season-in-debut-at-volusia-dirtcar-nationals/
EVENT INFO: https://dirtcarnationals.com/
TRACK INFO: https://volusiaspeedwaypark.com/
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.