By Jordan DeLucia
TULSA, OK (Nov. 17, 2025) — The American Sprint Car Series Class of 2025 took center stage Sunday night in Tulsa, OK, for the annual awards banquet to recognize each driver’s achievements in the 34th season of national ASCS competition.
Dressed in their Sunday best, all 13 full-time competitors on the national Series took to the stage to thank crews, sponsors, reflect and share stories of their time on the road racing in the country’s oldest national 360 Sprint Car circuit. For their efforts, a collection of trophies and special awards were handed out in recognition of their accomplishments.
THE CHAMPION — For an unprecedented sixth time, Sam Hafertepe Jr. once again stands atop of 360 Sprint Car racing and the American Sprint Car Series.
For five-straight seasons, from 2016–2020, the Texas native reigned supreme over the national 360 circuit, winning five-straight championships to match the late Jason Johnson’s all-time record. After falling one spot short of the peak of the mountain in his return to full-time ASCS racing last year, Hafertepe and the Ontario-based Hill’s Racing Team made certain they would be atop their game in 2025.
Together, they delivered, winning 11 Features with 22 top-fives and 27 top-10 finishes in 32 main event starts in pursuit of the Emmett Hahn Trophy. In addition to Hafertepe’s sixth championship as a driver, the Hill’s Racing Team garners its fifth national ASCS owners title after joining forces with Hafertepe in 2018.
“There’s a lot of people that make this possible for me,” an emotional Hafertepe spoke to his peers on stage. “Miles Hill — what a time to get a car owner that believed in a guy that ain’t really done much. That guy, he set my world on fire. We all work so hard, and then we all pray for the opportunity. And I was given that opportunity.”
In clinching championship number six, Hafertepe has surpassed Johnson for most national ASCS points titles all-time. While he still trails four-time national champion Gary Wright in Feature wins (128), Hafertepe expressed his still-present drive in chasing not only Wright’s wins record, but more national points championships as well.
“I’m so ecstatic about six, but six ain’t enough for me,” he said. “We had this conversation two or three years ago, ‘What would the number be?’ And I’m like, ‘Man, I don’t know what I’m doing from this day to the next.’ I don’t even know from one year to the next — my kids are getting older and I devote all this time, and I don’t devote the time that I used to because my kids are more important now.
“I don’t know how long it’s going to last. But as long as I’m still able to do it, and as long as it seems feasible to me, I think 10 is the number.”
In addition to the Emmett Hahn Trophy, Hafertepe was also awarded a brand-new set of ASCS-spec cylinder heads, courtesy of BRODIX.
BRODIX ROOKIE OF THE YEAR — There’s a first time for everything, and Garrett Benson certainly won’t forget his first campaign with the American Sprint Car Series.
At only 15 years of age, the Missouri native becomes the youngest Rookie of the Year winner in ASCS history, which was previously established by Cole Wood, who was 17 years old when he claimed the honor in 2013.
His first full season behind the wheel of a Sprint Car ended with a fifth-place finish in the championship points standings, four top-five finishes, 19 top-10s and a best finish of third on three occasions — all within 29 Feature starts.
For his efforts, Benson received a brand-new set of ASCS-spec cylinder heads, courtesy of BRODIX.
SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD — Good finishes and points championships are important and help write the legacy of the sport’s greatest drivers. But it’s a driver’s respect for their competition that stands out most in the pit area.
Matt Covington was presented with the award — much to his surprise — for his outstanding respect for his competitors, officials, and the sport of Sprint Car racing throughout 2025. His positive attitude at the track, day after day, made him most deserving of the honor.
“It came as a big surprise because I didn’t do anything special because I was wanting to win the award. I was just being myself,” Covington said. “I think, really, (when) it boils down, I care about the Series and the future of the Series. I’ve dedicated my whole adult life to this Series, so it means a lot with World Racing Group coming in and helping lifting the Series back up meant the world to me. Really, I just have a vested interest in the betterment of the Series, so it just kinda came naturally.”
JASON JOHNSON HARD CHARGER AWARD — It’s not always about starting up front. It’s about how you get there and stay there that matters.
Brady Baker was exemplary in the art of passing cars in Feature events this season, notching seven Hard Charger honors. No other driver had more than two.
The 17-year-old Arkansas racer was presented with the Jason Johnson Hard Charger Award for his passing mastery to compliment his eighth-place finish in the championship points standings.
LEE MAIER CREW CHIEF OF THE YEAR — Drivers perform their best with a loyal and knowledgeable crew chief by their side. This year, Kyler Johnson had one with him that stood out among the rest in brother Kahne Johnson.
Kahne, only 20 years old, joined his brother’s team in the crew chief position before the 360 Knoxville Nationals in July, and made vast improvements in Kyler’s results, cutting his average finish in half and making him most worthy of top mechanic honors for 2025 — presented by 1992 American Sprint Car Series champion, Garry Lee Maier.
GARY WRIGHT DETERMINATION AWARD — In only his second season following the ASCS trail, Terry Easum went through the typical trials and tribulations experienced by so many drivers in the early years of their development.
But the Oklahoma native pushed through vigilantly to receive the Gary Wright Determination Award, notching three top-five finishes and five top-10s on the national circuit in 2025, doing it all alongside his only full-time crew member — fiancée Kacee Frazier.
REGIONAL HONORS — Five regional counterparts to the national ASCS circuit crowned champions in 2025 as well as masters of 360 Sprint Car racing in their respective areas. Of those five, Sean McClelland and Bryan Gossel were in attendance to accept their championship trophies.
McClelland ended his season with one win, four top-fives and six top-10 finishes over the nine-race schedule, good enough to earn him a sixth ASCS Sooner Region championship. Gossel clinched his first ASCS championship as king of the Western Plains Region, banking two wins, five top-fives and seven top-10s over the 10-race slate.
Each of the 13 full-time drivers in the 2025 American Sprint Car Series championship points standings were also awarded their points fund checks as follows:
Sam Hafertepe Jr. ($40,000)
Matt Covington ($25,000)
Blake Hahn ($20,000)
Jason Martin ($15,000)
Garrett Benson ($12,000)
Kyler Johnson ($10,000)
Zach Blurton ($9,000)
Brady Baker ($8,000)
Austyn Gossel ($7,000)
Ryder Laplante ($6,000)
Landon Britt ($2,000)
Terry Easum ($1,500)
Brogan Carder ($1,000)
The 2026 ASCS season begins with three races at Volusia Speedway Park — Jan. 29–31 — as part of the Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals.
Tickets are on sale now at DIRTcarNationals.com. If you can’t be there, stream every lap live on DIRTVision.