From Jordan DeLucia
KANSAS CITY, KS (September 3, 2025) — The American Sprint Car Series (ASCS) begins the last third of its schedule this weekend with four races in three days at three fast and challenging tracks across Kansas and Nebraska.
The weekend lineup begins with a visit to Lakeside Speedway on Friday, Sept. 5, to complete the remainder of the postponed program from July 11 — which includes the Honest Abe Roofing Dash and the Feature — and a separate full program to create a two-in-one race day at the 4/10-mile oval.
The Series then travels south to Wichita for a visit to 81 Speedway on Saturday, Sept. 6, for a clash with the ASCS Sooner Region. On Sunday, it’s off to Nebraska and Eagle Raceway for the second annual Stewart Alley Memorial with a big purse on the line — $10,222 goes to the winner and at least $800 to each Feature starter.
Tickets for each event will be sold at the track on race day. If you can’t be there in person, stream every lap live on DIRTVision.
Here are the drivers to watch and storylines to follow this weekend:
BACK ON TRACK — August was a month full of ups and downs for Sam Hafertepe Jr., but the current Series points leader may be getting back on track in September.
The five-time Series champion from Sunnyvale, TX, had amassed a points gap of over 200 following his ninth Feature win of the season at WaKeeney Speedway on Aug. 15. Then came a bit of struggle the following weekend at Big Sky Speedway, getting involved in on-track incidents both nights, producing results of 13th and a DNF in the main events. Last weekend at Electric City Speedway brought more issues in the main event on Friday, blowing a tire late in his charge from the rear of the field, but a rebound on Saturday with a third-place finish to Martin and race winner Seth Bergman.
His points gap now sits at 147 over runner-up Blake Hahn heading into Lakeside on Friday, where he’s won three times with the Series — 2021, 2022, and 2024. While he’s never won at Eagle, Hafertepe does have one win at 81, which came in the Series’ visit last July.
COMING HOME — Following back-to-back podium finishes at Electric City, Jason Martin has taken over third place in the championship standings heading back into his home states this weekend.
The 43-year-old from Liberal, KS, scored his second Feature win of the season on Friday before following with a runner-up finish Saturday. Matt Covington had held third place in the standings for several weeks, but after finishes of ninth and 11th at Big Sky two weekends ago and fourth and fifth at Electric City, three-straight podium finishes for Martin between the two tracks pushed him from fourth place past Covington into third.
Of the three tracks on this weekend’s schedule, Martin — a former Nebraska resident — has won at 81 and Eagle. During his national ASCS championship-winning season in 2023, Martin swept both races on the schedule at 81 and also has Feature wins with the National Championship Racing Association (NCRA) and United Rebel Sprint Series (URSS). At Eagle, Martin was victorious in the 2017 and 2019 editions of the RaceSaver Nationals in 305 Sprint Car competition.
BREAKTHROUGH — Seth Bergman returned to ASCS Victory Lane last Saturday at Electric City, notching his third podium in the last four races, signaling a return to form for the 2024 Series champion.
Bergman, from Snohomish, WA, banked back-to-back runner-up finishes with the Series at Big Sky before coming to Great Falls last weekend and punching through to Victory Lane on Saturday for the first time in 2025.
With that momentum, Bergman has indicated his plans to compete at the ASCS Sooner Region event at Creek County Speedway this Friday before coming to compete with the national Series Saturday–Sunday at 81 and Eagle — both tracks where he’s won before. Bergman topped the Series visit to 81 during ASCS Speedweek in 2020 and Eagle’s marquee Eagle Nationals when the event was under ASCS sanctioning in 2015.
SOONER STARS — The heroes of the national Series face off against the stars of the ASCS Sooner Region Saturday at 81. Here’s who to look out for.
Sean McClelland, of Tulsa, OK, is the current Sooner Region points leader by 25 over Caleb Saiz. The five-time Sooner Region champion has not been to Victory Lane with ASCS in 2025 but has a best finish of third, which came against the national Series stars in a co-sanctioned event at Salina Highbanks Speedway in April. His best ASCS finish at 81 was a third-place result with the Sooner Region in 2020.
Saiz, of Albuquerque, NM, sits second in the championship standings in pursuit of his first ASCS regional championship. Saiz has not won in Sooner Region competition this year but has two top-five finishes and a career-best finish of ninth at 81, which came in August 2024.