The 2025 American Sprint Car Series (ASCS) National Tour season opener is complete, and several new and notable storylines came from the three-day stretch at Volusia Speedway Park.
The Tour’s 34th consecutive season began with a debut at the Florida 1/2-mile, contesting three race programs as part of the 54th Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals. Fifty-three drivers came to compete with the nation’s premier 360 Sprint Car series, but only one left as a race winner and event champion.
Justin Peck was crowned DIRTcar Nationals “Big Gator” points champion after winning his third-straight Feature event Saturday night, clinching the $12,000 grand prize and the signature Golden Gator trophy — the first of he and Rudeen Racing’s career.
Several other 410 and 360 Sprint Car regulars made their mark over the weekend as well. See the sections below for a recap of the action from the “Sunshine State” and make plans now to see the National Tour back in action on Saturday, April 12, at Salina Highbanks Speedway in Salina, OK.
GATOR GETTER — Justin Peck’s first weekend out in 2025 as Rudeen Racing’s new primary driver went as well as it could have, dominating all three nights of ASCS action and bringing home their first DIRTcar Nationals championship.
Peck, 27, of Monrovia, IN, won Thursday’s Feature from the outside pole and Friday’s Feature from the pole, leaving a question of his potential results before Saturday’s main event, starting from eighth. But after only a single lap, Peck had advanced to fourth, and on Lap 16 had run down Brian Brown to take the lead. He led the rest of the way unchallenged to his third career Tour victory.
Saturday’s win marked only the second time in Tour history that a single driver won the first three races of the season, joining Jason Martin who accomplished the feat in 2023, and Sam Hafertepe Jr, who won the first five races in 2017.
LEAD ROLE — Sam Hafertepe Jr. is off to a solid start in his quest for a sixth ASCS National Tour championship, coming out of Volusia as the leading driver on the full-time roster.
The 39-year-old from Sunnyvale, TX, finished on the podium Thursday night in the season opener, running third to Peck and runner-up Emerson Axsom. He fell back during Friday night’s Feature to an 11th-place finish after starting fifth but rebounded to a seventh-place result in the Saturday night finale.
Hafertepe was the biggest challenger to the 410 Sprint Car invaders over the weekend, posting a better average finish (7.0) than any of his 360 rivals. He’s currently ranked sixth in the Tour points standings but will be the leading driver coming into the next Tour event at Salina Highbanks.
HEADS TURNED — Only three races into the new season and already Emerson Axsom has turned heads with his performances to start his second year with Klaasmeyer/Petry Motorsports.
The 20-year-old Franklin, IN-native ran second to Peck on opening night before mounting a 21st-to-fourth charge in Friday’s main event. He blew a tire in his Heat Race on Friday, forcing him to come from out of the Smith Titanium Last Chance Showdown, which he won, setting the stage for his drive through the field in the Feature.
Coming into the finale on Saturday, sitting second in points, Axsom was projected to be Peck’s biggest threat for the win and the DIRTcar Nationals points championship. After a third-place finish in the Dash, it looked as though Axsom had the early advantage until Peck drove by him on the opening lap and went on to the win. Despite Axsom slipping back to finish 10th, he made his presence felt and will be an outsider to watch during World of Outlaws competition this week at Volusia.
BIG YELLOW — Blake Hahn made his Volusia debut over the weekend and showed speed against the stacked field, posting finishes of 11th and back-to-back 13th-place runs to cap his first weekend at DIRTcar Nationals.
With those results, the two-time Tour champion will be the second-ranked full-time driver coming into the next race at Salina Highbanks, where he won with the National Tour in 2015.
UPS-AND-DOWNS — Tour regulars Matt Covington and Jason Martin made their presence felt during the weekend and established themselves as the third and fourth-ranked full-timers on the roster coming into the new season.
Covington earned a spot in all three main events, bagging finishes of ninth, 16th and 17th, while Martin finished 13th on Thursday and missed a transfer spot into the main event Friday but rebounded to finish 11th in the finale on Saturday.
The two will come into Salina Highbanks in April ready to take on a more familiar field of 360 Sprint Car regulars with the knowledge they gained on the fast, 1/2-mile of Volusia.
CURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (3/41 Races)
- Justin Peck (150pts)
- Brian Brown 142pts (–8)
- Cole Macedo 135pts (–15)
- Emerson Axsom 130pts (–20)
- Austin McCarl 125pts (–25)
- Sam Hafertepe Jr. 122pts (–28)
- Danny Dietrich 119pts (–31)
- Scotty Thiel 116pts (–34)
- Brady Bacon 113pts (–37)
- Chris Martin 110pts (–40)
FEATURE WINNERS (1 Driver):
- Justin Peck (3 wins)
FEATURE LAPS LED (2 Drivers)
- Justin Peck (65 laps)
- Brian Brown (15 laps)
QUICK TIME AWARDS (2 Drivers)
- Emerson Axsom, Austin McCarl (1 award)
HEAT RACE WINNERS (10 Drivers)
- Justin Peck, Sam Hafertepe Jr. (3 wins)
- Scotty Thiel (2 wins)
- Matt Covington, Hank Davis, Blake Hahn, Chris Martin, Cole Macedo, Emerson Axsom, Austin McCarl (1 win)
DASH APPEARANCES (16 Drivers)
- Justin Peck, Sam Hafertepe Jr. (3 appearances)
- Blake Hahn, Austin McCarl, Emerson Axsom, Scotty Thiel, Danny Dietrich, Cole Macedo, Brady Bacon, Daison Pursley (2 appearances)
- Hank Davis, Jordan Thomas, Matt Covington, Scotty Thiel, Chris Martin, Brian Brown (1 appearance)
SMITH TITANIUM LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINS (3 Drivers)
- Blake Hahn, Emerson Axsom, Tyler Clem (1 win)
HARD CHARGER AWARDS (3 Drivers)
- Austin McCarl, Emerson Axsom, Blake Hahn (1 award)
PODIUM FINISHES (6 Drivers)
- Justin Peck (3 podiums)
- Brian Brown (2 podiums)
- Emerson Axsom, Sam Hafertepe Jr, Cole Macedo, Austin McCarl (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)