By Steven Blakesley
LAS VEGAS, NV (November 16, 2025) – Two-time BITNILE Open Wheel Showdown runner-up Bobby Santos kicked off his drive for Saturday’s $50,000 payday by leading Thursday’s practice action at the Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Santos roared around the .375-mile speedway in the Elliott’s Custom Trailer & Carts Winged Sprints action at 12.054 seconds, averaging 111.99 miles per hour.
Opening practice was led by Kingsburg, Calif.’s Kody Swanson, the defending winner. 2023 winner Aaron Willison of British Columbia, Canada paced the second session.
“It’s tough. I mean a lot of great race cars here. Davey and his crew have put on an unbelievable event. As far as I’m concerned it is the biggest race of the year. Just been working hard to have a good car to get here. Practice went well today. The next two days are more important than today,” Santos said. “Tomorrow’s all about going fast for a couple laps and putting ourselves in position to start up front. Then we will put this thing into race mode Saturday morning.”
The opening session saw wild swings of pace, with JoJo Helberg of Rohnert Park initially unloading several tenths ahead before the rest of the pack grabbed hold of the speedway. Warm 80 degree temperatures presented a challenging surface for the winged machines. British Columbia, Canada’s Jeff Montgomery continued his tradition of strong opening practice day performances as well, ending the night session in fifth.
Colorado’s Kyle Ray dominated both practices for the inaugural Larry Trigueiro Memorial for the Firstline Systems Super Modifieds. Ukiah, California’s Kyle Tellstrom and Las Vegas’ Jaron Giannini split the Klotz Synthetics Modifieds practices. Both sessions saw at least the top-five cars separated by less than a tenth of a second.
Windshield Defense INEX Legends made their debut laps with New York racer and 2025 Young Lions Nationals feature winner Ben Morbadito leading the first session. California Legends stalwart Jeremy Doss paced the night session. 14-year-old Liam Hammond of Denver, Colorado and Indiana’s Chase Bohannon led the INEX Bandolero trials.
BR Motorsports Qualifying Night is on tap for Friday night. Admission gates open at 10:45am followed by final practices for all five divisions. Elliott’s Custom Trailers & Carts Winged Sprint Cars kick off time trials at 1:40pm followed by Klotz Synthetics Modifieds and Windshield Defense Legends in qualifying activities. Opening ceremonies are at 4:35pm followed by a full slate of heat races, C-Mains, and the Firstline Systems Pole Shuffle for Winged Sprints.
Tickets are available via the Las Vegas Motor Speedway website or at the gates. Pit Passes will be sold at the gate and include grandstand access.
Speed Sport TV returns as the Open Wheel Showdown media partner with live coverage of the entire event on Speed Sport 2.
For more information, visit www.OpenWheelShowdown.com
About the Open Wheel Showdown:
The Open Wheel Showdown is the premier pavement open wheel event in the country, attracting top drivers and teams from across the country to compete for record-breaking purses and national attention.