May 30, 2025 | By John Rittenoure

Conkwright tops Sooner feature at Humboldt with last lap pass

HUMBOLDT, Kansas—eff Milan [JM/Race Rush 66 Racing Photos] - HUMBOLDT, Kans. (May 30, 2025) - The race is never decided until the checkered flag waves, no matter how it may seem. Just ask Brandon Conkwright.

Kyle Berck seemed to have the Hayden Ross Motorsports Foundation Sooner Late Model feature well in hand with only a lap remaining when Conkwright made his move. Conkwright pushed underneath Berck in turn one of the final lap to take away the lead and pick up the victory by a 0.401 second margin.

“I made a really good corner in (turns) 1-2,” Conkwright said of his pass for the lead. “It was real slick up there in 1-2 where Berck was running and I just got fortunate enough to not miss my mark and get side-by-side with him down the backstretch. I knew if I got beside him then in 3-4 I got him.”

Lapped traffic also played a part in the pass for the lead.

“He got the lapped traffic at the wrong time and he had two cars he had to split and I was fortunate enough to get by him,” Conkwright said. “He was up on the top and he was down on the bottom and the middle. it looked like he was searching for the best line. Usually when you are out front you don’t know where the line is.”

Conkwright felt fortunate to beat Berck.

“Kyle Berck is the best dirt late model driver in the midwest,” he said.

Last year Conkwright won his first career Sooner Series event with a final lap move around Dan Smith at 81 Speedway.

“It is just being in the right place at the right time,” Conkwright recalled. “Last year when I got around Dan Smith he had issues and got a right rear flat and got into the wall and I was in the right place at the right time.

“I am fortunate enough to have what I have, my mom and dad, crew guy Brad, my girl friend and daughter. I just drive it and they work their tails off to get this going.”

If Berck had it to do all over again he would have chose a different line.

“I would have ran it lower,” said Berck of his line through turn one. “I knew he was there. I felt him bump me lightly. I was trying to plug up the middle of the race track but you can’t plug up three lanes. The last three or four laps I was losing traction. The tires were going away fast. Once he got underneath me there in (turns) 1-2 I knew I was done. The outside of 3-4 did not have enough grip.”

Berck had led since lap four.

“The race was pretty clean except for that early crash, but he knew what he had to do,” Berck said of Conkwright. “His pass on me was excellent. He did exactly what he needed to do.”

Joseph Gorby led the first three laps before falling to second they dropped to third on lap 20 where he finished. Dusty Leonard was fourth and Delbert Smith rounded out the top five.


Sooner Late Model Series
Humboldt Speedway, Humboldt, Kansas

May 30, 2025

Hayden Ross Motorsports Foundation A Feature 1 (25 Laps): 1. 24C-Brandon Conkwright[4]; 2. 14-Kyle Berck[3]; 3. 9-Joseph Gorby[1]; 4. 7D-Dusty Leonard[2]; 5. 92-Delbert Smith[8]; 6. 2B-Jordan Barbee[13]; 7. 95-Zach Nickell[12]; 8. 92S-Dan Smith[5]; 9. 65-Eric Brill[6]; 10. H1-Steve Hewitt Sr[9]; 11. 2-Colby Moore[10]; 12. 18B-Bob Bills[11]; 13. H2-Chris Hewitt[7]

Heat 1 (10 Laps): 1. 14-Kyle Berck[1]; 2. 24C-Brandon Conkwright[5]; 3. 92S-Dan Smith[6]; 4. H2-Chris Hewitt[2]; 5. H1-Steve Hewitt Sr[7]; 6. 18B-Bob Bills[3]; 7. 2B-Jordan Barbee[4]

Heat 2 (10 Laps): 1. 7D-Dusty Leonard[3]; 2. 9-Joseph Gorby[5]; 3. 65-Eric Brill[2]; 4. 92-Delbert Smith[6]; 5. 2-Colby Moore[4]; 6. 95-Zach Nickell[1]

Lap Leaders: 1-3 Joseph Gorby, 4-24 Kyle Berck, 25 Brandon Conkwright.

Margin of Victory: 0.401.

2025 Winners: 3/28 - Eli Ross, Enid Speedway; 4/11 - Eli Ross, Thunderbird Speedway; 4/12 - Bryan Glaze; 5/30 - Brandon Conkwright, Humboldt Speedway.

2025 Top 10: 1. Delbert Smith 1650; 2. Dan Smith 1632; 3. Eric Brill 1440; 4. Colby Moore 1420; 5. Steve Hewitt, Sr., Gary Lowe 1105; 7. Chris Hewitt 1040; 8. Eli Ross 960; 9. Kip Hughes 890; 10.Jeff Cloninger 715.


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Ray's Metal Depot USRA B-Mods

A Feature 1 (20 Laps): 1. 54-Tyler Kidwell[4]; 2. 66-Ethan Isaacs[6]; 3. 22-Brian McGowen[1]; 4. 6-Lucas Isaacs[5]; 5. 20C-Shane Collins[8]; 6. 19-Curt Drake[10]; 7. 09-Tret Bailey[9]; 8. 16-Matthew Kay[11]; 9. 12G-Garrett Vannoster[3]; 10. 89-Jackson McGowen[2]; 11. D86-Donald McIntosh[12]; 12. 3P-Matt Powell[15]; 13. 34-Kolt Knoblich[13]; 14. 70P-Tanner Prochnow[14]; 15. (DNF) 01JR-Tyler Davis[7]; 16. (DNF) 09J-Jimmy Wolfe Jr[16]

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 22-Brian McGowen[7]; 2. 6-Lucas Isaacs[5]; 3. 12G-Garrett Vannoster[1]; 4. 01JR-Tyler Davis[3]; 5. 19-Curt Drake[4]; 6. 16-Matthew Kay[8]; 7. 34-Kolt Knoblich[6]; 8. (DNF) 09J-Jimmy Wolfe Jr[2]

Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 54-Tyler Kidwell[6]; 2. 89-Jackson McGowen[2]; 3. 66-Ethan Isaacs[8]; 4. 20C-Shane Collins[3]; 5. 09-Tret Bailey[7]; 6. D86-Donald McIntosh[5]; 7. 70P-Tanner Prochnow[1]; 8. 3P-Matt Powell[4]


Extrusions Inc Midwest Mods

A Feature 1 (20 Laps): 1. 3DJR-Dylan Daniels[2]; 2. 8-Mitch Coulter[9]; 3. 17-Tevyn James[8]; 4. 25-Clint Drake[1]; 5. 61-Joey Decoster[3]; 6. 40-Quentin Sams[7]; 7. 15RRT-Ryan Sigg[17]; 8. 23M-Norman Mackley[4]; 9. 5S-Stratton McGhee[15]; 10. 32K-Wyatt Williamson[14]; 11. 53-Kody Mullins[12]; 12. (DNF) 37-Ben Stipp[10]; 13. (DNF) 96B-Brad Byrd[16]; 14. (DNF) 7-Brady Folk[11]; 15. (DNF) 23-AJ Reed[5]; 16. (DNF) 01JR-Tyler Davis[6]; 17. (DNS) 711-Baron Folk

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 01JR-Tyler Davis[1]; 2. 3DJR-Dylan Daniels[6]; 3. 61-Joey Decoster[5]; 4. 23M-Norman Mackley[8]; 5. (DNF) 711-Baron Folk[2]; 6. (DNF) 32K-Wyatt Williamson[7]; 7. (DNF) 5S-Stratton McGhee[4]; 8. (DNS) 15RRT-Ryan Sigg

Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 25-Clint Drake[1]; 2. 23-AJ Reed[2]; 3. 40-Quentin Sams[4]; 4. 17-Tevyn James[6]; 5. 8-Mitch Coulter[8]; 6. 37-Ben Stipp[5]; 7. 7-Brady Folk[9]; 8. 53-Kody Mullins[7]; 9. (DNF) 96B-Brad Byrd[3]


Home Savings Bank Factory Stocks

A Feature 1 (15 Laps): 1. 7-Dallas Joyce[4]; 2. 21-Jacob Ellison[1]; 3. 98-Brian McGowen[3]; 4. 89-Levi McGowen[5]; 5. 10G-Grant Reeves[2]; 6. 8-Rusty Etherton[6]; 7. 4D-Blake Davis[7]; 8. 34-Todd Greenlee[11]; 9. 99-Kerry Gorby[8]; 10. (DNF) 98X-Carson Allen[9]; 11. (DNF) 136-Cayden Vance[10]

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 98-Brian McGowen[3]; 2. 89-Levi McGowen[1]; 3. 21-Jacob Ellison[6]; 4. 4D-Blake Davis[2]; 5. 98X-Carson Allen[4]; 6. 34-Todd Greenlee[5]

Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 7-Dallas Joyce[2]; 2. 10G-Grant Reeves[1]; 3. 8-Rusty Etherton[3]; 4. 99-Kerry Gorby[5]; 5. 136-Cayden Vance[4]


Wilson Automotive Mini Stock/Tuner

A Feature 1 (15 Laps): 1. 17H-Clint Haigler[1]; 2. 2-Chance Aiello[2]; 3. 4D-Alex Boyden[3]; 4. 25-Conner Rigsby[5]; 5. 707-Larry Trester[8]; 6. C14-Deann Aiello[4]; 7. 33-Dillon Brown[6]; 8. 1N1-Derek Tompkins[12]; 9. 3A-Austin Robertson[11]; 10. 3B-Mike Brown[7]; 11. 15-Travis Bockover[9]; 12. (DNF) 1324-Kurt Skillman[10]

Heat 1 (6 Laps): 1. 17H-Clint Haigler[1]; 2. C14-Deann Aiello[5]; 3. 33-Dillon Brown[4]; 4. 3B-Mike Brown[6]; 5. 15-Travis Bockover[2]; 6. (DNF) 3A-Austin Robertson[3]

Heat 2 (6 Laps): 1. 2-Chance Aiello[1]; 2. 4D-Alex Boyden[6]; 3. 25-Conner Rigsby[4]; 4. 707-Larry Trester[5]; 5. 1324-Kurt Skillman[2]; 6. 1N1-Derek Tompkins[3]