Highlight credit: ASCS
Calhan, CO — August 16, 2025
The American Sprint Car Series rolled into El Paso County Raceway Saturday night, and fans in Colorado were treated to a high-energy program capped by a dominant performance from Jason Martin, who snapped an 11-month winless streak with a flag-to-flag victory.
A Feature: Martin Controls, but Action Everywhere
From the drop of the green, the 25-lap A-Main set the tone with Jason Martin charging past polesitter Sam Hafertepe Jr. into Turn 1. The Liberal, KS driver’s decision to commit to the bottom in one and two and hustle the top in three and four proved decisive, as he paced every circuit despite a flurry of cautions and one red flag.
Behind him, the battle for podium spots provided plenty of drama. Bryant Wiedeman wasted no time moving into second on the opening lap and matched Martin’s pace through multiple restarts. While he never found a lane to attempt a winning pass, the Colby, KS youngster impressed with a career-best runner-up finish.
Kyler Johnson stayed consistent all night, holding third in the early going and fending off pressure late to secure his second consecutive podium after finishing runner-up the night before at WaKeeney. Matt Covington used steady forward progress to claim fourth, while Hafertepe — the current series leader and dominant force much of the season — faded to fifth after slipping from the pole.
Preliminary Action: Heats, Dash, and Drama
The program began with three heat races, where Kyler Johnson, Matt Covington, and Jason Martin each claimed wins to set the stage for the dash. In the six-lap shootout, Hafertepe got the jump and earned the pole for the main event, but Martin made his move when it counted in the feature.
The Smith Ti Last Chance Showdown added intensity, with Pueblo’s Adam Trimble topping the 10-lap race to transfer into the big dance, followed closely by Brady Baker and Terry Easum. Trimble later worked his way from 16th to 12th in the A-Main, gaining valuable track time against national competition.
Hard Hits and Hot Laps
The night wasn’t without incident. Local favorite Coby Pearce and veteran Johnny Boos tangled early, while Zack Merritt brought out a red flag after a violent flip in Turn 4 midway through the feature. Fortunately, Merritt climbed out uninjured to the applause of the crowd.
Through it all, Martin remained unshaken. His restarts were crisp, his lines precise, and his car never faltered as he crossed the line to earn his 15th career ASCS National Tour victory and first in the state of Colorado.
Official Top 5 – ASCS 360 Sprint Feature (25 Laps)
-
Jason Martin (#36) — Liberal, KS
-
Bryant Wiedeman (#1X) — Colby, KS
-
Kyler Johnson (#45X) — Quinter, KS
-
Matt Covington (#95) — Glenpool, OK
-
Sam Hafertepe Jr. (#15H) — Sunnyvale, TX
Next Up
The ASCS National Tour now heads northwest for the Harvey Ostermiller Memorial at Big Sky Speedway in Billings, MT (Aug. 22–23), one of the biggest races of the summer, with $15,012 on the line for Saturday’s feature winner.
ASCS NATIONAL 360 SPRINTS - WINGED
Feature (25 Laps):
-
36-Jason Martin[2]
-
1X-Bryant Wiedeman[4]
-
45X-Kyler Johnson[3]
-
95-Matt Covington[6]
-
15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[1]
-
52-Blake Hahn[7]
-
27B-Jake Bubak[5]
-
2B-Garrett Benson[9]
-
16G-Austyn Gossel[8]
-
71-Brady Baker[17]
-
88C-Brogan Carder[11]
-
5D-Adam Trimble[16]
-
88R-Ryder Laplante[14]
-
2J-Zach Blurton[12]
-
10-Landon Britt[15]
-
88-Terry Easum[18]
-
6G-Bryan Gossel[10]
-
45-Bradley Cox[13]
-
75-Nick Nichols[22]
-
92-Coby Pearce[20]
-
24B-Johnny Boos[21]
-
74-Zack Merritt[19]
Smith TI LCS (10 Laps):
-
5D-Adam Trimble[1]
-
71-Brady Baker[5]
-
88-Terry Easum[3]
-
74-Zack Merritt[2]
-
92-Coby Pearce[6]
-
24B-Johnny Boos[4]
-
75-Nick Nichols[10]
-
32-Blair Cooper[8]
-
44-Ryan Rader[9]
-
16X-Scott Cochran[7]
-
77-Cole MacEwen[11]
-
(DNS) 71T-Christopher Townsend
Honest Abe Roofing Dash (5 Laps):
-
15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[1]
-
36-Jason Martin[2]
-
45X-Kyler Johnson[3]
-
1X-Bryant Wiedeman[4]
-
27B-Jake Bubak[5]
-
95-Matt Covington[6]
Heat 1 (8 Laps):
-
45X-Kyler Johnson[3]
-
52-Blake Hahn[2]
-
16G-Austyn Gossel[1]
-
15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[4]
-
88R-Ryder Laplante[5]
-
88-Terry Easum[6]
-
16X-Scott Cochran[7]
-
75-Nick Nichols[8]
-
(DNS) 71T-Christopher Townsend
Heat 2 (8 Laps):
-
95-Matt Covington[1]
-
27B-Jake Bubak[4]
-
2B-Garrett Benson[2]
-
2J-Zach Blurton[3]
-
10-Landon Britt[5]
-
24B-Johnny Boos[7]
-
92-Coby Pearce[6]
-
44-Ryan Rader[9]
-
77-Cole MacEwen[8]
Heat 3 (8 Laps):
-
36-Jason Martin[2]
-
1X-Bryant Wiedeman[4]
-
6G-Bryan Gossel[1]
-
88C-Brogan Carder[6]
-
45-Bradley Cox[3]
-
5D-Adam Trimble[5]
-
71-Brady Baker[8]
-
32-Blair Cooper[9]
-
74-Zack Merritt[7]
Qualifying 1 (2 Laps):
-
15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr — 12.636 (Sunnyvale, TX)[8]
-
16G-Austyn Gossel — 12.833 (Fort Collins, CO)[5]
-
52-Blake Hahn — 13.010 (Sapulpa, OK)[2]
-
45X-Kyler Johnson — 13.069 (Quinter, KS)[9]
-
88R-Ryder Laplante — 13.238 (Calera, OK)[6]
-
88-Terry Easum — 13.461 (Broken Arrow, OK)[7]
-
16X-Scott Cochran — 13.926 (Highlands Ranch, CO)[4]
-
75-Nick Nichols — 60.000 (Colorado Springs, CO)[3]
-
(DNS) 71T-Christopher Townsend (Tarkington, TX)
Qualifying 2 (2 Laps):
-
27B-Jake Bubak — 12.797 (Arvada, CO)[7]
-
95-Matt Covington — 12.806 (Glenpool, OK)[5]
-
2B-Garrett Benson — 13.124 (Concordia, MO)[8]
-
2J-Zach Blurton — 13.337 (Quinter, KS)[9]
-
10-Landon Britt — 13.349 (Memphis, TN)[4]
-
92-Coby Pearce — 13.566 (Golden, CO)[6]
-
24B-Johnny Boos — 13.851 (Lakewood, CO)[2]
-
77-Cole MacEwen — 14.422 (Julesburg, CO)[1]
-
44-Ryan Rader — 15.271 (Parker, CO)[3]
Qualifying 3 (2 Laps):
-
1X-Bryant Wiedeman — 13.151 (Colby, KS)[3]
-
6G-Bryan Gossel — 13.152 (Windsor, CO)[5]
-
36-Jason Martin — 13.160 (Liberal, KS)[6]
-
45-Bradley Cox — 13.187 (Burkburnett, TX)[1]
-
5D-Adam Trimble — 13.276 (Pueblo, CO)[4]
-
88C-Brogan Carder — 13.299 (Sioux Falls, SD)[7]
-
74-Zack Merritt — 13.399 (Greeley, CO)[9]
-
71-Brady Baker — 13.420 (Alexander, AR)[2]
-
32-Blair Cooper — 13.639 (Pueblo, CO)[8]
