From Jared Owen
(February 4, 2026) — Two drivers from the Pacific Northwest are set to take on one of pavement sprint car racing’s toughest challenges in 2026, as Chris Schmelzle and Chris Ochs, both of Colville, Washington, commit to the yourBIGplans.com 500 Sprint Car Tour and chase Rookie of the Year honors.
While they may be rookies to the series, neither driver lacks experience.
Schmelzle brings more than two decades of racing knowledge to the Midwest, having competed across a wide range of disciplines including winged dirt sprint cars, midgets, pavement sprint cars, and NASCAR’s K&N Pro Series West. His résumé includes years of competition at Skagit Speedway, ASCS National events, West Coast sprint car racing, and seven consecutive starts in the prestigious USAC Turkey Night Grand Prix.
“I’ve pretty much done a little bit of everything over the last 20 years,” Schmelzle said. “But non-wing racing is something I’ve always really enjoyed. Turkey Night was our one non-wing race every year, and it always left me wanting to do more.”
In addition to his time behind the wheel, Schmelzle is also a respected chassis builder. Since 1997, he has operated CS Fabworks, producing pavement sprint car chassis under the Black Widow Chassis brand, equipment both drivers will race during their rookie campaign.
The move to the yourBIGplans.com 500 Sprint Car Tour represents a major step up in competition, geography, and track style. Accustomed to smaller, flatter quarter-mile tracks in the Northwest and Arizona, Schmelzle knows the Midwest’s bigger ovals will present a steep learning curve.
“The half-miles and the big sweeping corners are definitely going to be different for us,” he explained. “Then you throw in the Hoosier tire and the big right rear, we’re used to something completely different. There’s going to be a learning curve, but that’s part of the challenge.”
Joining Schmelzle is longtime friend and teammate Chris Ochs, a heavy-duty diesel mechanic by trade who has raced Schmelzle-built cars for years. Though the two have only known each other for about a dozen years, their working relationship has grown into a strong partnership, one they believe will be an advantage during their rookie season.
Ochs is a veteran of winged sprint car racing on both dirt and pavement. Ochs has spent years competing in winged sprint cars across multiple surfaces, building a reputation as a hard-nosed, adaptable racer before turning his focus toward non-wing pavement competition. Ochs finished 6th in the pavement sprint car during night two of the Sneva Memorial held at Stateline Speedway.
“It’ll be nice to have two cars and be able to lean on each other,” Schmelzle said. “We work well together, and we’ve both raced a lot of wing stuff recently, so I think we’ll be able to catch on fairly quickly.”
Realistic expectations are key for the pair as they enter one of the deepest pavement sprint car tours in the country.
“For the first year, if we can consistently run top 10 and be in the mix, I’d be really happy with that,” Schmelzle said. “We know we’re not coming in and beating up on guys who know these tracks inside and out but we want to be competitive.”
The duo plans to transport their equipment 2032 miles from Washington to the Midwest early in the season, targeting the Glen Niebel Classic at Anderson Speedway as their debut. Followed by preparations for one of Schmelzle’s longtime bucket-list events, the Unified Group Services Little 500 presented by Ed Martin Automotive Group.
“That race has been on my list for years,” he said. “This is probably my third or fourth attempt to actually make it happen, and I’m really excited about it.”
Schmelzle is also eager to compete at venues like Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park and Toledo Speedway, citing the wide racing grooves and multi-lane racing as major draws.
“If you’ve got a fast car, it looks like you can really move around and work traffic at those tracks,” he said. “That’s what makes it appealing.”
As the 2026 season approaches, Schmelzle and Ochs may be labeled rookies but their combined experience, technical knowledge, and commitment to the challenge suggest they’ll be contenders to watch all season long.