By Marty Czekala
The witching hour has arrived in the 2026 A-Verdi Storage Containers CRSA Sprints season.
Racing will draw to a close Friday and Saturday night in the two-night $4000-to-win Hoag Memorial, with Friday featuring a non-winners event and Saturday featuring a full day of racing.
These will be the 337th and 338th events in CRSA history. At Outlaw in 2026, the season began May 8, when Mikey Smith won his first of four features in a caution-free, wire-to-wire run. The season returned July 31 for a $2011-to-win show, when Paul Colagiovanni Sr. won his first career CRSA A-Main.
More details below.
Last Time Out: It feels like forever since the last race, especially with two busy race weekends in dirt across the state, plus last weekend’s rainout.
Sep. 26 was the last time CRSA pushed off at The Dirt Track at Genesee in a $2500-to-win show, following two other September shows and another first-time winner.
Scott Kreutter, running Brandon Warner’s No. 21K, threw a late-race slidejob on Spencer Burley to claim his first career CRSA feature and become the 93rd different winner in series history.
Burley led most of the race, but on a late-race restart with four to go, Kreutter threw it in on Burley for the race-winning pass, took the lead, and ran away for the checkers.
“It feels good,” said Kreutter. “He was definitely better in clean air. The motor wouldn’t take off, and I had to get him going in and was planning [the slider].”
Spencer Burley finished second while Timmy Lotz finished third.
Two-Night Format: Friday’s portion of the Hoag Memorial will be a non-winners event, meaning anyone who has not won an A-Main in 2026 in any Sprint Car class is eligible for the CRSA portion. Winners can still enter the Empire Super Sprints portion of the show, just not the CRSA portion.
Drivers will draw for their group and split into an A/B format for HotLap 3D timed hot laps, green-white-checkered.
The fastest car in each of the two groups will receive $25 cash or a check and a $25 gift certificate to HotLap 3D on orders over $75 in existing parts in their catalog.
The top three times from each group will be inverted. Group one will set up the inside row, while group two will set up the outside row for the A-Main.
The feature will be 15 laps, with a $250 prize. Top two drivers will be in the redraw for Saturday’s Dash.
For Saturday’s format, drivers will draw for groups. HotLap 3D timed hot laps will once again be split into an A/B format, with the top four inverted from each group.
The overall fastest time will receive a bonus courtesy of HotLap 3D
Heats will be 10 laps, with the transfer spots depending on the following.
21-30 cars: Three heats, top six transfer
31-40 cars: Four heats, top five transfer
41-50 cars: Five heats, top four transfer
The heat winner, along with the fastest qualifier from the heat, will advance into the Elab Smokers Boutique Dash. If the heat winner is the fastest timer, the second-fastest timer will advance to the Dash.
The B-Main will line up from finishing position in heats instead of passing points.
The feature remains 25 laps and will pay $4000 to win, $250 to start.
The Champ is Here: If Dalton Herrick shows up this weekend, he will officially be crowned the CRSA Sprints champion for the second time, his first since 2022.
After a rough season last year that never saw him in the top five in any race, the No. 29 recorded six top-fives and 15 top-10s in 18 features.
More importantly, Herrick ended a winless streak at his home track, Thunder Mountain, with his lone win so far—the streak dated back to Sept. 2024 at Skyline.
High-Paying Trend: In 2026, every show that has paid over the normal $1000 has led to a first-time winner.
The trend started July 31 in a $2011-to-win show at Outlaw Speedway when Paul Colagiovanni Sr. won his first career CRSA feature after years of crew chiefing his son Paulie to wins in a 360 Sprint.
The trend followed on Sep. 6 during the Cole Cup at Utica-Rome Speedway when Paulie scored his first career CRSA victory for $3000.
Sep. 18 at Land of Legends, Timmy Lotz recorded his in a late-race pass to cash $2500.
Most recently, Scott Kreutter won another $2500 at The Dirt Track at Genesee on Sept. 26.
By the Numbers: At Outlaw, the track joined the 40 club when the series hit 42 in last year’s Hoag Memorial. This is the 13th and 14th times the series has run at Outlaw with 10 different winners. Two drivers have repeated, with Darryl Ruggles and Jordan Hutton finding victory lane multiple times.
From the Frontman: “It has been a long season in 2026, from a slow start with the rainouts to an exciting second half of the season from great racing to first-time winners and another tight championship battle right to the final checkered. We’re excited to close the year out in style with a $4000-to-win show!”
Up Next: CRSA will end 2025 with an awards ceremony TBD.
Standings
29 Dalton Herrick, 2863 pts
25G Tyler Graves -25
18 Timmy Lotz -171
410 Jerry Sehn Jr. -407
D9 Dustin Sehn -504
61 Johnny Scarborough -591
31C Maverick Coffey -748
3 Bailey Boyd -861
30 Kirsten Dombroski -1033
27W Nick Webb -1048
10SR Paul Colagiovanni Sr. -1107
27G/21D Dillon Paddock -1255