HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Six races stay within the chase for the Emmett Hahn Trophy, and the celebrities of the American Dash Automotive Collection are prepared to start the house stretch of the season with back-to-back races this weekend at Salt Metropolis Speedway.
The near-flat, half-mile oval on the historic Kansas State Fairgrounds in Hutchinson has been internet hosting motorsports occasions way back to the Nineteen Thirties and this weekend hosts the nationwide 360 dash automotive tour for the second time in monitor historical past.
The primary got here this previous Could, when Zach Blurton led flag-to-flag in the principle occasion and captured his second profession nationwide collection victory.
Drivers will compete for a share of the $4,000-to-win purse on Friday earlier than chasing a $6,000 grand prize on Saturday. Each nights of racing might be supported by the native inventory automotive division.
HUTCHINSON HERO
In entrance of mates, household and sponsors at Salt Metropolis, Kansas native Zach Blurton gained the collection debut in Could and has two probabilities to do it once more this weekend.
Blurton, 31, of Quinter, Kan., led each lap, besting collection champions Blake Hahn and Sam Hafertepe Jr. to financial institution his second collection victory.
The win marked his first collection victory since July 3, 2022, ending a close to three-year, 151-week winless streak on the nationwide circuit, and changing into the 102nd multi-time winner in collection historical past.
Traditionally, Blurton has carried out nicely on the half-mile oval, accumulating seven top-five finishes in 9 profession Characteristic begins between ASCS, the Nationwide Championship Racing Ass’n and the monitor’s long-running Hutchinson Grand Nationals occasion within the 305 dash automotive division.
Not too long ago, Blurton has produced robust outcomes, notching back-to-back top-10 finishes within the earlier two nationwide ASCS occasions earlier than scoring a win and a fifth-place run with the ASCS Frontier Area two weeks in the past on the Wyoming oval of Sheridan Speedway.
ALMOST THERE
After coming so near his first profession nationwide Collection victory at I-55 Federated Auto Elements Raceway Park three weeks in the past, Kyler Johnson is able to strive once more this weekend in his house state.
Johnson, 22, led 20 laps of the principle occasion on the high-banked Missouri oval however misplaced the result in eventual winner Matt Covington in lapped site visitors late within the race. Nonetheless, he held on for second place and his fourth top-10 end in his final 5 function begins — the perfect stretch of his ASCS profession.
He’ll take the momentum swing into his house state of Kansas this weekend and check out once more for his first nationwide ASCS win at Salt Metropolis, the place he completed fourth in Could.
ROOKIE BREAKTHROUGH?
Seven of Garrett Benson’s final eight nationwide collection function races have produced top-10 finishes, three of which had been on the rostrum, marking his greatest stretch of the season.
The 15-year-old, main Brodix Rookie of the 12 months contender from Concordia, Mo., posted back-to-back third-place finishes within the final race weekend at Paducah Worldwide Raceway and I-55, exhibiting the velocity and ability essential to contend for a Characteristic win on the nationwide circuit.
His first win may doubtlessly come this weekend at Salt Metropolis, the place he bagged his first top-10 end of the season in Could when he completed sixth in a 32-car discipline.
TROPHY CHASE
With six races left, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Matt Covington and Blake Hahn are the frontrunners contending for the Emmett Hahn Trophy, all separated by lower than 200 factors.
Hafertepe, the five-time Collection champion and present factors chief from Sunnyvale, Texas, has been a dominant power all through the season, accumulating 10 function wins in 27 function begins, and leads the standings by 146 factors over Covington. In Could, he completed third at Salt Metropolis.
Covington, of Glenpool, Okla., has six races left to attempt to make up the 146-point hole that lies forward of him in pursuit of his first collection championship. This yr, he’s collected three function wins, and can strive for a fourth at Salt Metropolis, the place he completed seventh in Could.
Hahn, a two-time collection champion from Sapulpa, Okla., is 192 factors behind Hafertepe in pursuit of his first championship since 2022, holding onto two function wins in 28 begins. Within the collection’ debut in Could, he ran runner-up to Blurton.
