CRANDALL, Texas — Everything is bigger in Texas.
The stakes for the American Sprint Car Series championship intensify as a visit to RPM Speedway on Saturday, Oct. 10 marks the final weekend before the 2026 trail comes to a close at Creek County Speedway on Friday-Saturday, Oct. 16-17.
Between the two weekends, the ASCS Sooner Region will join the series to close their year.
RPM returns to the schedule for the first time since 2024, with 30 laps around the quarter-mile bullring rewarding a $4,000 payday to the night’s victor and vital points to log before Creek County.
Longhorn vs. Sooner
College football will not be the only sport to host a stateline brawl in the Dallas metroplex on Saturday as the ASCS National Tour gets closer to deciding the 2026 title between a representative from each state.
Texas veteran Sam Hafertepe Jr. leads Oklahoma’s Matt Covington by 38 points heading into the second-to-last Saturday night feature of the season. While Covington has more Heat wins and top-10 finishes, Hafertepe leads in feature wins (six to Covington’s two) and has more top-fives, with 17 to Covington’s 15.
The series visited the track once in 2024 for a doubleheader weekend, with Seth Bergman winning the opening night and Hafertepe taking the final feature. Covington’s best finish at RPM was a fifth-place result from the 2024 finale.
Last Chance
Since an early turnaround in February, Seth Bergman has been on the heels of earning his second ASCS National Tour title throughout the 2026 season.
The Snohomish, Wash., native earned four wins, 13 top fives, and 18 top 10s in the year to keep his Oklahoma Chillers No. 23 within the podium of the standings. His hopes for the Emmett Hahn Trophy turned sideways at the last series event at Moberly Motorsports Park after he finished 15th in the 25-lap feature.
Bergman needs a substantial points gain at RPM to slim a 118-point gap to Hafertepe for the lead. Bergman won the debut visit for the series at RPM en route to the year’s championship.
Sooner Shootout
Multiple drivers in the Sooner Region take a step closer alongside the National Tour in the final three events to crown the region’s king.
Bradley Fezard leads 2024 champion Casey Wills by 50 points in his quest for a first title. Both drivers are hunting a first win in the 2026 season at RPM.
Among the top five sitting within double digits of Fezard are Hayden Mabe (66 points), Steven Shebester (74 points), and Whit Gastineau (90 points).
The trip to RPM will be the first time since 2010 that the Sooner Region has logged laps around the half-mile bullring.
Final Shakeup
While Hafertepe, Covington, and Bergman battle for the Emmett Hahn Trophy, the top-10 in National Tour standings have three opportunities to move upwards before season’s end.
While Austyn Gossel chases a 77-point gap to Ryder Laplante for fifth, rookie Cole Schroeder is 19 points away from passing the Fort Collins, Colo., native for sixth. Sophomore Brogan Carder sits 27 points back, and Terry Easum follows in ninth, 35 markers behind.
From Easum to Gossel, it’s an 81-point bubble that can make a $4,000 difference in the season-ending points fund. Though they will focus on the points gain at RPM, three of the four drivers will close the year with a career-high points finish.
