Friday night at Lakeside Speedway belonged to Jake Nightingale.

The Hutchinson, Kansas driver put together the biggest performance of his young dirt late model career, charging from the outside of the front row to score his first career POWRi Heartland Late Model Tour victory. Even more significant, the triumph also marked Nightingale’s first-ever Super Late Model feature victory.

The 25-lap Pannell Chipping A-Feature began with rookie Kayden Clatt using his pole starting position to grab the early advantage over Dillon McCowan, while Nightingale settled into third as the field completed the opening circuits around the Kansas City-area oval.

Nightingale wasted little time making his move.

On lap three, the driver of the No. 3J worked past McCowan to claim second before setting his sights on Clatt. Five laps later, Nightingale completed another decisive pass, slipping underneath Clatt to assume command of the race.

From there, Nightingale never looked back.

A Midwest Sheet Metal caution with 13 laps remaining erased his comfortable advantage and stacked the field back together, but the restart proved to be little obstacle. Nightingale quickly reestablished control while McCowan, Clatt, Josh Leonard, and a hard-charging Chevy Boyer battled behind him for position.

The final challenge came in heavy lapped traffic, where Nightingale narrowly avoided disaster while threading between slower cars and an infield tractor tire in one tense moment. The close call briefly tightened the margin, but the Kansas racer gathered his machine up, continued his charge, and drove away over the closing laps.

When the checkered flag waved, Nightingale crossed the stripe to collect his first career Heartland Late Model Tour victory and the first Super Late Model win of his racing career.

McCowan finished a strong second, while Boyer made one of the night’s biggest charges from 12th on the starting grid to complete the podium in third. Josh Leonard crossed the line fourth, with early race leader Kayden Clatt rounding out the top five.

With sixth-place points leader Joey Smith retiring early, the championship picture tightened considerably. Sawyer Crigler continues to lead the standings with 428 points, followed by Scott Crigler at 402. Friday’s breakthrough victory vaulted Nightingale to within just 36 points of the championship lead entering Saturday night’s event at Lake Ozark Speedway, while Clatt remains just three points behind Nightingale in fourth.

The POWRi Heartland Late Model Tour returns to action Saturday night as competitors head to Lake Ozark Speedway for the second half of the weekend doubleheader.

Current Championship Standings

1. Sawyer Crigler (428)

2. Scott Crigler (-26)

3. Jake Nightingale (-36)

4. Kayden Clatt (R) (-39)

5. Joey Smith (-73)

6. Dustin Walker (-99)

7. Josh Leonard (-146)

8. Terry Phillips (-171)

9. Braxten Leonard (-189)

10. Dusty Leonard (-224)

Media Results

Media Results for July 31, 2026
Lakeside Speedway | Kansas City, Kansas
POWRi Heartland Late Model Tour
20 Dirt Super Late Models

Pannell Chipping A-Feature (25 Laps): 1. Jake Nightingale 2. Dillon McCowan 3. Chevy Boyer 4. Josh Leonard 5. Kayden Clatt 6. Brandon Morton 7. Sawyer Crigler 8. Scott Crigler 9. Daniel Hilsabeck 10. Dustin Walker 11. Braxten Leonard 12. Joey Smith 13. Brandon Baldridge 14. Dusty Leonard 15. Terry Phillips 16. Dalton Imhoff 17. Jason Sivils 18. John Rowland 19. Justin Zeitner 20. Aaron Marrant

Rick Beebe Heating & Air Conditioning Heat Race #1 (8 Laps): 1. Kayden Clatt 2. Justin Zeitner 3. Josh Leonard 4. Scott Crigler 5. Braxten Leonard 6. Sawyer Crigler 7. Brandon Baldridge

Smith Equipment Company Heat Race #2 (8 Laps): 1. Jake Nightingale 2. Terry Phillips 3. Dalton Imhoff 4. Dusty Leonard 5. Dustin Walker 6. Aaron Marrant 7. John Rowland

Kevko Racing Heat Race #3 (8 Laps): 1. Dillon McCowan 2. Daniel Hilsabeck 3. Brandon Morton 4. Chevy Boyer 5. Joey Smith 6. Jason Sivils

Deatherage Opticians Qualifying: 1. Justin Zeitner 2. Jake Nightingale 3. Daniel Hilsabeck 4. Kayden Clatt 5. Terry Phillips 6. Dillon McCowan 7. Josh Leonard 8. Aaron Marrant 9. Brandon Morton 10. Scott Crigler 11. Dusty Leonard 12. Chevy Boyer 13. Braxten Leonard 14. Dalton Imhoff 15. Joey Smith 16. Sawyer Crigler 17. Dustin Walker 18. Jason Sivils 19. Brandon Baldridge 20. John Rowland

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.

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 POWRi Heartland Late Model Tour 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

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