HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Salt City Speedway is set for a Saturday night showdown between two American Sprint Car Series campaigns going head-to-head.
The National Tour and ASCS Gunsmoke Region join forces for the first time in 2026 at the Kansas State Fairgrounds for a Saturday night battle worth a $4,000 payday.
Built in 1910, the “Sunflower State” half-mile first hosted the ASCS Elite North Non-Wing Sprint Cars in 2022 before the series made its debut in 2025. The 2026 visit will be the Gunsmoke Region’s first time at the track.
Bergman’s Comeback
Seth Bergman’s rocky debut at Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals fueled an early points comeback that has him sitting in third entering Salt City.
The 2024 series champion has finished in the top 10 through every ASCS feature since Central Arizona Speedway, including a podium finish at Salina Highbanks Speedway and his first win of the season at Benton Speedway.
While the half-mile will also become a first-time visit for the Snohomish, Wash., driver, he’ll have a second chance at finding his rhythm around bigger race tracks.
Edge of Victory
Sam Hafertepe Jr. has done most of what he has needed to achieve to lead the standings through the first quarter of the season.
His only finish outside the top-10 came on the second night at Volusia, won the Sonoran Clash points title, and has finished on the podium in four of the last six features. However, the box that the Sunnyvale, Texas, native is looking to cross off is a feature victory.
He was laps away from crossing the goal at Benton until contact with a lapped car sent him spinning from the lead. Though he rallied to finish ninth, Hafertepe is eyeing his 89th American Sprint Car Series win to come at Salt City.
Smoking Guns
The ASCS Gunsmoke Region will clash with the National Tour for the first time in 2026 for a debut trip to Salt City Speedway.
In the tour’s season opener at Dodge City Raceway Park on May 2, 15-year-old Ryder McCutcheon drove to the win. When Gunsmoke joined forces with the ASCS Western Plains Region at Phillips County Raceway on Saturday, series regular Kyler Johnson captured the checkered flag.
Sitting at the top of the region are Zach Blurton and Bryant Wiedeman, each sharing two top fives and a podium appearance, respectively. Blurton was the winner of the 2025 debut at Salt City and will hunt to repeat the feat.
No. 2 Chasing No. 3
Through four career visits to Salt City Speedway, Whit Gastineau has a handle on what it takes to contend for the feature win.
Before 2025, Gastineau’s only start was a top-five result with the NCRA Sprint Cars. In the May debut for the National Tour, the Moore, Okla., driver kept his form with a fifth-place result, then swept the October doubleheader with the series.
Through the first quarter of 2026, Gatineau is fifth in points, 167 points away from the top of the standings. Saturday in Hutchinson is an opportunity for him to climb higher with a first feature win of the year.
Back To Half
The Kansas State Fairgrounds is the site of the first half-mile the National Tour has visited since Volusia’s season-opening weekend.
Salt City will be the first of two Kansas half-mile tracks the series will face in 2026 before re-visiting the state for The Big One at Belleville High Banks on Friday-Saturday, June 26-27.
With title contenders Seth Bergman and Matt Covington as the only full-time drivers to visit victory lane with the series this year, eight full-time competitors are chasing to add their name to the year’s wins list.
Five drivers seek to make it their first ASCS National Tour triumph.
