From Jordan DeLucia
CONCORD, NC (January 8, 2026) — Sam Hafertepe Jr. made history in 2025, winning his sixth American Sprint Car Series (ASCS) championship. In 2026, he’ll go for a seventh national title with new crew help and renewed competitive drive.
Hafertepe, 40, of Sunnyvale, TX, will embark on a 10th full-time season with the national 360 Sprint Car circuit this year as the defending champion for the first time since 2020. In clinching his sixth ASCS national championship — most of any driver — he also ascended into second place on the all-time Feature wins list with 11 main event victories in 2025, now holding a total of 88 national Series wins.
He and the Ontario-based Hill’s Racing Team will begin their ninth consecutive year together in the season opener at Volusia Speedway Park — Thursday-Saturday, Jan. 29–31 — as part of the 55th annual Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals. Hafertepe drove the familiar Townline Variety, Fisher Racing Engines-powered Triple X Chassis No. 15H to two top-10 finishes, including a podium on opening night, at the historic Florida 1/2-mile oval one year ago.
These strong runs against a deep field of over 50 cars gave him the early advantage in the points standings he needed in the chase for the points title. He’s already working overtime to ensure even better results in 2026.
“The preparation’s a little more than usual just because we really have to be fully prepared once we get down there because the points season does start so early,” Hafertepe said.
To aid in his preparation, Hafertepe’s hired some new crew help in 16-year-old Brody Brown. The former Micro Sprint racer from Lawton, OK, spent last year racing in the 305 and 360 Sprint Car ranks and will assume the role of car chief on the No. 15H in 2026.
As Hafertepe begins his 31st season as a driver in the motorsports world and commemorates a decade of national 360 Sprint Car racing, he now stares down only one man in the ASCS record books — his hero, Gary Wright.
Wright, a four-time ASCS national champion from 2004–2007, amassed a total of 128 Feature wins in his career — an ASCS record — and was inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall-of-Fame in 2011.
Hafertepe now stands 40 Feature wins away from tying Wright’s mark. It will take a great deal of skill, longevity and patience to reach that height, but Hafertepe is optimistic about his career and its future with ASCS.
“We hope to get excited about the future of ASCS and where World Racing Group can take it,” Hafertepe said. “It may be small strides or little-by-little, but that’s the kind of stuff that I do get excited to see out of ASCS, and hopefully it can continue to grow through the years.”