Story By: NICK GRAZIANO / ASCS – BENTON, MO – The American Sprint Car Series National Tour will make its long-awaited return to Benton Speedway in Missouri and Paducah International Raceway in Kentucky in mid-October.
The doubleheader weekend will see the Series venture back to Benton for the first time since 1996 and then return to Paducah for the first time since 2018.
It’ll be the National Tour’s first trip to Missouri and Kentucky this year, its second trip to Paducah and fourth visit to Benton.
The Series first visited the 3/8-mile Missouri dirt track in 1995 – a race won by Gary Wright. Then made its last two stops there in 1996 with Terry Gray and Jerrod Hull picking up National Tour victories.
Kentucky got to see the American Sprint Car Series’ fellow World Racing Group series the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series thrill fans in April. Now, it’ll be the ASCS National Tour’s turn to bring its stout field of drivers to the 3/8-mile dirt track.
The last time the Series visited Paducah, Matt Covington picked up the win there. The Oklahoma native is still on the hunt for his first National Tour win this season.
Both events are part of the final 10 races of the 2024 season and will be key races for the championship chase. Seth Bergman and Sam Hafertepe Jr. are the two prime contenders, and their battle has been like a slinky falling down a set of stairs, closing and expanding each weekend.