Logan Seavey won the USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship season opener at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla., earlier this week. He took the feature at Winter Dirt Games XVII and set a new 25-lap track record of 8:10.705. Seavey, driving the Abacus Racing/Mountain Mechanical – Droplight – Indy Powersports/DRC/Stanton Chevy, held off a late charge from Brady Bacon and prevailed by 0.646 seconds.

Bacon led a race-high 19 laps and mounted a decisive late move, with reports differing on precisely when Seavey took control. Two accounts said he ran green-to-checkered, while another said he took the lead from Bacon on lap 20. But all agree Seavey fended off Bacon’s move in turns one and two on the final lap and regained the lead exiting turn two to hold the last half lap.

The victory was Seavey’s 34th career USAC triumph and his third straight USAC National Sprint Car feature win, dating to the final weekend of 2025 at Central Arizona Raceway. It moves him within one win of tying Rich Vogler and Jon Stanbrough for 14th on the USAC all-time wins list. The result left Seavey and Bacon tied atop the USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship standings with 76 points each. Justin Grant finished third, C.J. Leary fourth, and Briggs Danner fifth. Jake Swanson posted the LearnLab qualifying fast-time at 16.489 seconds, while C.J. Leary posted the fastest hot lap at 16.352 seconds. The heat winners were Kevin Thomas Jr., Kyle Cummins, and Briggs Danner. Brady Bacon collected the K&N Filters Clean Air Award, and Chase Stockon earned Rod End Supply Hard Charger honors after charging from 17th to eighth.

Justin Grant posted the fastest lap in Sunday afternoon practice for the USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship at Ocala Speedway, turning a 14.856-second lap in his TOPP Motorsports/NOS Energy Drink – TOPP Industries – LA Poly/Maxim/Stanton Chevy entry. A noted figure at the Winter Dirt Games, Grant entered the session as an eight-time feature winner and the series’ winningest driver. He topped a 22-car timed practice that saw Mitchel Moles record the second-quickest time at 14.918, with Logan Seavey (15.006), Chase Stockon (15.013), and C.J. Leary (15.052) rounding out the top five. Organizers said more teams were expected to join the field as the week progressed. The times offered an early look at speed and contenders ahead of the headline race nights.

The Ocala session was part of Winter Dirt Games XVII Presented by Yokohama Tire, the multi-event build-up tied into the Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals. Following the practice, the program was set to move to Volusia Speedway Park for events on February 9–10 and then return to Ocala Speedway for four consecutive nights of racing from February 11–14. Teams and drivers used the timed runs to assess setups and form as the series prepared for its Ocala headliners. Grant’s quick lap underlined his continued strength at the Winter Dirt Games venue while the close times among the top five signaled a competitive field for the upcoming nights. With additional entrants expected, the practice only began to shape the pecking order that will be tested once the multi-night program gets underway.

Dooling Autosports/Curb‑Agajanian announced that 18‑year‑old Cale Coons will move to a full‑time ride in the 2026 USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship, driving the No. 63. The Greencastle, Indiana, local is explicitly targeting the national Rookie of the Year title. The announcement names Jerry Coons Jr., a decorated USAC competitor and Career Triple Crown champion, as crew chief for the program and links the No. 63 to its legacy run under Bryan Clauson, whose 2014–2016 tenure produced nine USAC National Sprint Car wins. The move represents a step up from Coons’ part‑time national effort in 2025 and places him with an established operation for a full‑season campaign.

Coons earned the full‑time opportunity after a strong 2025 that included six top‑10 finishes in eight USAC National Sprint Car starts and a season‑best fourth at Kokomo Speedway in August. He also collected five local feature victories in 2025, three at Lincoln Park, one at Circle City Raceway, and one at Kokomo. The teenager was voted co‑Rookie of the Year in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame Non‑Wing Sprint Car poll. Those results provided the immediate context for his graduation to the national series, and his father’s presence on the pit box adds direct technical and strategic continuity for the team.

The 2026 plan calls for a 55‑race national schedule that begins with six Florida events during Winter Dirt Games XVII, including practice at Ocala on February 8 and races at Volusia (Feb. 9–10) and Ocala (Feb. 11–14). Coons will enter the season as one of the primary contenders for Rookie of the Year, with rivals such as Chelby Hinton of 2B Racing also expected to pursue the honor. The announcement ties together Coons’ local momentum from his 2025 national flashes, the Dooling/Curb‑Agajanian platform, and a family‑led pit operation as he transitions to a full‑season USAC national effort.