By Jordan DeLucia
CASA GRANDE, AZ (Jan. 22, 2026) — In one month’s time, national 360 Sprint Car racing will debut in the Sonoran Desert with the arrival of the American Sprint Car Series at Avanti Raceway Park.
The inaugural Sonoran Clash hits the 3/8-mile, high-banked oval — formerly known as Central Arizona Raceway — for two separate Saturday–Sunday stints, Feb. 21–22 and Feb. 28–March 1. Drivers will race for the Series standard $4,000-to-win purse on both Saturday dates and a $6,000-to-win purse on both Sunday dates.
Over the four-race stretch, drivers will earn points toward a special miniseries championship chase, which pays $3,000 to the winner, $2,000 to the runner-up and $1,000 to third place. This is separate from the season-long championship points standings which all drivers earn points by default.
Avanti will mark the fourth different track in “The Copper State” the American Sprint Car Series has raced at in its 34-year history. The most recent Series event in Arizona took place at Canyon Speedway Park in February 2020, won by six-time Series champion Sam Hafertepe Jr. The Series has also contested events at Cocopah Speedway (2012–2017) and USA Raceway (2009–2013).
Hafertepe will lead the charge for the Series regulars into Avanti as the defending Series champion, coming off an 11-win season last year. Matt Covington will follow him into the desert as the next biggest threat for the season-long championship after a runner-up finish in the 2025 points chase.
Tickets for both weekends of the event will be sold at the track on race day.
How can you watch every American Sprint Car Series race? Live on DIRTVision.