Cale Coons named USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship Max Papis Innovations Rookie of the Year
NXTbets Pro | Published On: November 2, 2026
Coons earned rookie honor
Coons earned the 2026 USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship Max Papis Innovations Rookie of the Year award after a season that put him 11th in the final standings and first among rookies. The 17-year-old from Greencastle, Indiana, drove the No. 63 for Dooling Autosports-Curb-Agajanian/Curb Records-Kalitta Charters and finished with 2,233 rookie points, which left him well ahead of runner-up Gavin Miller’s 1,084. The award capped a year in which Coons paired one feature win with steady production across the national tour, giving him a rookie season that stood out from start to finish.
Coons posted strong season
Coons’ biggest victory came in the Sprint Car Smackdown at Kokomo, where he led 29 of 30 laps and took the lead back from Thomas Meseraull to seal the win. That result fit into a season built on front-running pace. Coons led 32 laps overall, recorded four top-five finishes and added 23 top-10 finishes. He also finished second at Route 66 Motor Speedway in Amarillo, Texas, giving him another strong result away from the win column. Those finishes showed up alongside his season-high total of 16 heat-race wins, a mark that put him at the top of the field in that category and helped set up his main-event results throughout the year.
Coons made history
Coons also became the first son of a past USAC National Sprint Car champion to win Rookie of the Year, adding a family note to his title. The milestone gives his season a place in series history beyond the numbers in the standings. Coons did enough across the year to make the rookie award look like the natural result of a complete campaign, from the opening races to the final points tally. He won once, ran near the front often and turned consistency into a strong finish in the championship. With a feature win at Kokomo, a runner-up finish in Texas and a pile of top-10s, Coons closed the season with a résumé that matched the award attached to his name.
