A weekend honoring a longtime member of the dirt racing community will also carry major championship implications as the POWRi Heartland Late Model Tour presented by Mel Hambelton Ford Racing returns to Legit Speedway Park in West Plains, Missouri, for the Steve Rushin Memorial October 2–3.

Friday’s opener offers $3,014 to win, followed by a $5,014-to-win program Saturday. Presented by Rushin Towing and Swafford’s of Poplar Bluff, the “Checkers & Wreckers” weekend brings the tour back to the facility that opened its 2026 season.

Rushin, a Poplar Bluff native who passed away September 9, 2023, at age 57, left his mark on racing as a driver, car owner and sponsor. His involvement included the MLRA and MARS racing communities, where he built lasting friendships and supported fellow competitors who remembered Rushin’s competitive spirit, loyalty and willingness to go above and beyond to help racers and the sport.

Away from the track, Rushin served his community as the owner and operator of Rushin Towing. His obituary reflected his love of racing and the time he spent with family and friends in the racing community—a fitting foundation for a weekend bringing those same people together in his memory.

On the track, just 12 points separate Alton, Missouri’s Sawyer Crigler and Scott Crigler atop the Heartland standings. Sawyer leads with 682 points, while Scott enters the weekend with 670 and an opportunity to erase that narrow margin over two complete programs.

Sawyer earned his first tour victory of the season at Dodge City Raceway Park in June, but Scott has continued to apply pressure. In the tour’s most recent outing at SaltCity Racing in Hutchinson, Kansas, Scott finished second to Tad Pospisil, with Sawyer third. The championship margin stood at 24 points following Lake Ozark in early August and has since been cut in half.

Rookie Kayden Clatt of Edina, Missouri, holds third with 591 points, 91 behind Sawyer. Clatt’s position among the championship contenders has been a bright spot in his rookie campaign, and this weekend offers another opportunity to close ground on the leaders.

Hutchinson, Kansas, driver Jake Nightingale sits fourth with 576 points. Nightingale delivered one of the season’s breakthrough performances at Lakeside Speedway July 31, earning both his first Heartland victory and his first Super Late Model win. He enters Legit just 15 points behind Clatt in the race for third.

Another close contest sits at the edge of the top five. Polk, Missouri’s Dustin Walker holds fifth with 516 points, only five ahead of West Plains driver Joey Smith. With the tour returning to Smith’s hometown, that battle adds another local storyline to the weekend.

John Rowland ranks seventh, followed by Jason Sivils, Brandon Morton and Dusty Leonard. Sivils and Morton are separated by just two points, giving competitors throughout the top ten something to chase.

The tour’s May visit to Legit produced victories for Terry Phillips and Tyler Kuykendall. Since then, Josh Leonard, Sawyer Crigler, Nightingale, McKay Wenger and Pospisil have also reached victory lane, underscoring the variety of winners throughout the season.

Weather could influence the weekend, but Legit officials have already established a contingency plan. As of Thursday’s update, both programs remain scheduled for Friday and Saturday. If Friday rains out, that program will move to Sunday, October 4, with revised start times to be announced. Fans and teams should follow the speedway’s updates before traveling.

Pit gates open at 4 p.m. and grandstands at 5 p.m. both scheduled nights. Friday hot laps begin at 7 p.m., with racing at 7:30. Saturday hot laps begin at 6:30 p.m., followed by racing at 7.

General admission is $20, with senior and military admission $18. Children 12 and under are admitted free. Pit passes are $40, and tailgating is available for $15 plus admission. Super Stocks will race for $714 to win Friday and $1,014 Saturday, with a Saturday night wrecker competition also featured.

For updated schedules, championship standings, event details, and breaking series news, visit HeartlandLateModelTour.com. Fans unable to attend in person can catch every remaining race of the 2026 season live and on demand exclusively on RacinDirt.tv.

The POWRi Mel Hambelton Racing Heartland Late Model Tour would like to recognize and thank our season long partners. Please thank them, with your patronage for their support.

Gold Partners – Central Spray Foam & Cement Lifting, Day Motor Sports, Deatherage Opticians, Dirt Track Specialist, Dylan Scott Entertainment, Hochatown Saloon, Hoosier Tire Great Plains, Kevko Racing, Midwest Sheet Metal, Mel Hambelton Ford Racing, Pannell Chipping, RacinDirt.com, Real Racing Wheels, Rick Beebe Heating and Air Conditioning, Smith Equipment Company, Swift Springs, VP Racing Fuels Heartland, Wehrs Machine & Racing Products

Silver Partners – American Racer Tires, Buck Monson Photos, Bulletproof Tees and Racewear, Duvall Electric, Integra Shocks, JRT Trucking, Keyser Manufacturing, Midwest Automation, Photos By Boyd, Scotty Dogg’s Hideout

Bronze Partners – Bryke Racing, Fast Shafts, Freight Logistics Inc., KS Engineering, Maxima Racing Oil, Milburn Acreages by Tillison Enterprises, PEM Racing, Premier Lubricants, Schoenfeld Headers, Service Plumbing of Wichita, Transmissions Unlimited, Wagdog Spices, Wilwood Disc Brakes, Yeoman Race Engines

2026 HLMT Point Fund

1. $10,000

2. $6,000

3. $5,000

4. $4,000

5. $3,000

6. $2,800

7. $2,600

8. $2,400

9. $2,200

10. $2,000

*80 Percent attendance required to remain point fund eligible

NEXT: Cody Sommer And Race DRT Share First Look At Cleetus McFarland’s Gateway Dirt Nationals Car