STRAFFORD, Mo. — The USAC Wholesale Batteries Midwest Racing Association Sprint Car Series will begin competition in 2026 featuring a 14-race schedule with additional dates yet to be announced.
Jon Sawyer will oversee the operation of this new venture which will race primarily around the greater Kansas City area.
The Sawyer family has been involved in motorsports in some form or another for decades. It’s a family tradition that includes Jon’s grandfather, Hugh Sawyer, and father, Jim Sawyer, as well as his wife, Jessica, and son Jonathon.
Jon raced go karts and modified midgets before deciding being a car owner was the way to go for many years, winning championships in midgets and sprint cars while capturing the 2021 USAC Midwest Wingless Racing Association title with driver Kory Schudy behind the wheel of his black No. 28, plus the POWRi WAR Sprint Car crown in 2022.
Turning their focus to running USAC MRA, the Sawyers are grateful for all the support of the race teams, fans, sponsors, USAC, and the staff that will be on board with them for the inaugural campaign.
Also joining the MRA team for 2026 will be scorer Becky Burks, announcer/media director Ray Cunningham, Chaplain Justin Lawson, video streaming producer/media Nathaniel Viscioni, and Carter Markley, who will help anywhere needed.
The 2026 slate will consist of six dates at Grain Valley, Missouri’s Valley Speedway on a monthly basis on April 11, May 23, June 20, July 11, August 29 and the Helm Memorial on September 26.
Electric City Speedway in Butler, Missouri welcomes the series twice on May 15 and July 31. Winston, Missouri’s I-35 Speedway will host a pair of series events on June 13 and July 18. The annual Weld Memorial is slated for August 28 at Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas.
The Avanti Windows & Doors Corn Belt Clash at Iowa’s Knoxville Raceway will be held on National Sprint Car Hall of Fame induction weekend on May 29-30. Both nights will be co-sanctioned with the USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship.
On April 25, the Aubren Dudley Memorial Race will be held at Springfield Raceway, in Springfield, Mo. This event will honor the life of Aubren, niece/cousin of the Sawyers who worked for the Missouri division of family services.
Along with her husband, she fostered five children before being killed in an auto accident in 2024 while on the job. This event will have many sponsors to help increase the purse over the standard events and will join the Weld Memorial at Lakeside Speedway in KCK, and the Helm Memorial at Valley Speedway in Grain Valley, as special events for the series for 2026.
2026 USAC MIDWEST RACING ASSOCIATION SCHEDULE
April 11 – Valley Speedway – Grain Valley, Missouri
April 25 – Springfield Raceway – Springfield, Missouri
May 15 – Electric City Speedway – Butler, Missouri
May 23 – Valley Speedway – Grain Valley, Missouri
May 29-30 – Knoxville Raceway – Knoxville, Iowa
June 13 – I-35 Speedway – Winston, Missouri
June 20 – Valley Speedway – Grain Valley, Missouri
July 11 – Valley Speedway – Grain Valley, Missouri
July 18 – I-35 Speedway – Winston, Missouri
July 31 – Electric City Speedway – Butler, Missouri
Aug. 28 – Lakeside Speedway – Kansas City, Kansas
Aug. 29 – Valley Speedway – Grain Valley, Missouri
Sept. 26 – Valley Speedway – Grain Valley, Missouri
