Tulsa Speedway Hosts Third Annual ASCS Dirt Down in T-Town
Photo by Emily Schwanke
CONCORD, N.C.—Oklahoma’s newest marquee Sprint Car event is set for another edition this weekend, and the stars of the American Sprint Car Series (ASCS) are ready to put on a show for the loyal fanbase of Tulsa Speedway.
The third annual Dirt Down in T-Town hits the 1/4-mile oval this Friday–Saturday night, June 27–28, featuring a host of local divisions to accompany the Sprint Car program and a special admission deal for fans to take advantage of and enjoy the area’s finest dirt track racing.
Friday features a $4,000-to-win program for the 360 Sprint Cars, which will be joined by the local Dwarf Car, USRA B-Modified, and USRA Tuner divisions. Saturday’s finale puts $6,000 on the line for the winner of the Sprint Car main event, racing adjacent to the local Factory Stock and USRA Modified classes. Both Sprint Car programs are co-sanctioned by the ASCS Sooner Region.
General admission tickets for both days are free for all ages; fans will instead be charged by the carload at $25 per vehicle of any size. If you can’t make it out to watch in person, stream every lap live on DIRTVision.
Here are the drivers to watch and storylines to follow this weekend:
TWO-TIMER — Sam Hafertepe Jr. was victorious in last year’s running of Dirt Down in T-Town, twice, after winning the opening night in June and the added program as part of the rainout makeup date in November.
The five-time Series champion from Sunnyvale, TX, has only three recorded appearances at Tulsa, all of which came in last year’s event. In addition to both victories he claimed, Hafertepe finished fourth in the second main event contested following the rainout makeup on Nov. 14.
Hafertepe currently leads the points standings by 55 over Blake Hahn and 88 over Matt Covington after a seventh-to-fifth charge in the main event last Saturday at Batesville Motor Speedway.
REDEMPTION TIME — After suffering his second DNF of the season last Saturday in Batesville, Seth Bergman is looking for a weekend of redemption in Tulsa.
The defending Series champion — a native of Snohomish, WA, now residing in Owasso, OK — was racing sixth in the main event when his right-rear tire shredded, sending him off the top side of the racetrack in Turn 4. Despite a visit to the work area, he was not able to return to the track in time for the restart and was forced to take a second DNF after engine issues resulted in his first at Paducah in May.
However, Bergman may be poised for a rebound this weekend, considering his past success in Tulsa. Bergman finished fifth there in June last year and followed with results of third and a win in the finale to Dirt Down in T-Town in November.
MOMENTUM SWING — Blake Hahn comes into Tulsa as the Series’ most recent Feature winner after going to Victory Lane Saturday at Batesville.
The two-time Series champion from nearby Sapulpa, OK, advanced one spot in the points standings with his first Series victory of the season and now only trails leader Hafertepe by 55 points.
Hahn won his debut at Tulsa Speedway with ASCS in 2021, topping Ryan Timms and JJ Hickle in the main event. Last year, Hahn also ran second to Hafertepe in the makeup Feature event on Nov. 14.
LOOKING UP — Brady Baker’s young skills in the seat have been producing some of his best career results as of late, and he’s taking them to Tulsa this weekend in search of his first career national Sprint Car series victory.
The 17-year-old Rookie of the Year contender from Alexander, AR, drove from 17th on the starting grid up to a seventh-place finish three weeks ago at Texarkana 67 Speedway, followed by a career-best runner-up finish to Hahn at Batesville last Saturday.
Baker has only one career appearance at Tulsa in a Sprint Car, which came last November, when he started and finished third to only Matt Covington and winner Seth Bergman.
LOCAL FLAVOR — Tulsa native Sean McClelland will lead the charge in representing the Oklahoma locals this weekend against the national stars of the American Sprint Car Series.
The 50-year-old, five-time ASCS Sooner Region champion is the current regional points leader by six over New Mexico racer Caleb Saiz with two top-fives in the first three races. So far this season, McClelland has one podium against the National Series regulars — a third-place finish at Salina Highbanks Speedway in April.
McClelland has also won at Tulsa before, topping an Oil Capital Racing Series event at the track last July.
THIS WEEKEND AT A GLANCE
WHEN AND WHERE
• Friday–Saturday, June 27–28 at Tulsa Speedway in Tulsa, OK
TRACK FACTS
• Semi-banked, 1/4-mile oval
• Track Record — 12.766 set by Seth Bergman on Nov. 14, 2024
ON THE INTERNET
X — @ASCSRacing
Instagram — @ascs_racing
Facebook — @AmericanSprintCarSeries
YouTube — @AmericanSprintCarSeries
DIRTVision — DIRTVision.com (Platinum annual FAST PASS for $299 or monthly FAST PASS for $39/month)
CURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (9/34 Races)
1 Sam Hafertepe Jr. (852pts)
2 Blake Hahn 797pts (–55)
3 Matt Covington 764pts (–88)
4 Seth Bergman 702pts (–150)
5 Jason Martin 699pts (–153)
6 Jordon Mallett 686pts (–166)
7 Kyler Johnson 677pts (–175)
8 Brady Baker 664pts (–188)
9 Zach Blurton 652pts (–200)
10 Austyn Gossel 648pts (–204)
FEATURE WINNERS (5 Drivers):
Justin Peck, Sam Hafertepe Jr. (3 wins)
Matt Covington, Zach Blurton, Blake Hahn (1 win)
FEATURE LAPS LED (7 Drivers)
Justin Peck (65 laps)
Sam Hafertepe Jr. (61 laps)
Matt Covington (48 laps)
Zach Blurton (25 laps)
Brian Brown (15 laps)
Blake Hahn, Austyn Gossel (13 laps)
QUICK TIME AWARDS (6 Drivers)
Matt Covington, Seth Bergman (2 awards)
Emerson Axsom, Austin McCarl, Kyler Johnson, Roger Crockett (1 award)
HEAT RACE WINNERS (21 Drivers)
Sam Hafertepe Jr. (6 wins)
Matt Covington (4 wins)
Justin Peck, Blake Hahn (3 wins)
Scotty Thiel, Whit Gastineau, Seth Bergman (2 wins)
Hank Davis, Chris Martin, Cole Macedo, Emerson Axsom, Austin McCarl, Sean McClelland, Caleb Saiz, Bradley Fezard, Garrett Benson, Bryan Gossel, Jake Bubak, Jordon Mallett, Jason Martin, Austyn Gossel (1 win)
DASH APPEARANCES (32 Drivers)
Sam Hafertepe Jr. (7 appearances)
Blake Hahn, Matt Covington (6 appearances)
Seth Bergman (4 appearances)
Justin Peck, Kyler Johnson, Whit Gastineau (3 appearances)
Austin McCarl, Emerson Axsom, Scotty Thiel, Danny Dietrich, Cole Macedo, Brady Bacon, Daison Pursley, Garrett Benson, Jordon Mallett, Austyn Gossel (2 appearances)
Hank Davis, Jordan Thomas, Scotty Thiel, Chris Martin, Brian Brown, Sean McClelland, Caleb Saiz, Chance Morton, Bradley Fezard, Zach Blurton, Bryan Gossel, Jake Bubak, Roger Crockett, Brady Baker, Jason Martin (1 appearance)
SMITH TITANIUM LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINS (7 Drivers)
Blake Hahn, Emerson Axsom, Tyler Clem, Kyle Clark, Bryant Wiedeman, Jason Martin, Harli White (1 win)
HARD CHARGER AWARDS (8 Drivers)
Brady Baker (2 awards)
Austin McCarl, Emerson Axsom, Blake Hahn, Landon Britt, Jordon Mallett, Jason Martin, Brad Bowden (1 award)
PODIUM FINISHES (15 Drivers)
Sam Hafertepe Jr. (6 podiums)
Justin Peck, Blake Hahn (3 podiums)
Brian Brown, Matt Covington, Jason Martin (2 podiums)
Emerson Axsom, Cole Macedo, Austin McCarl, Seth Bergman, Sean McClelland, Zach Blurton, Austyn Gossel, Kyler Johnson, Brady Baker (1 podium)
2025 SCHEDULE + WINNERS
Race Number. Day, Date / Track / City, State / Winner (Total Wins)
Thu, Jan. 30 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Justin Peck (1)
Fri, Jan. 31 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Justin Peck (2)
Sat, Feb. 1 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Justin Peck (3)
Sat, April 12 / Salina Highbanks Speedway / Salina, OK / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (1)
Sat, May 10 / Paducah International Raceway / Paducah, KY / Matt Covington (1)
Fri, May 30 / Salt City Speedway / Hutchinson, KS / Zach Blurton (1)
Sat, May 31 / Dodge City Raceway Park / Dodge City, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (2)
Sat, June 7 / Texarkana 67 Speedway / Texarkana, AR / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (3)
Sat, Jun 21 / Batesville Motor Speedway / Locust Grove, AR / Blake Hahn (1)
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