Two regional Super Late Model tours. Two nights. One historic Kansas half-mile.

The POWRi Heartland Late Model Tour presented by Mel Hambelton Racing and the Revival Super Dirt Series will converge on SaltCity Racing at the Kansas State Fairgrounds in Hutchinson, Kansas, this Friday and Saturday, August 21-22, for the 2026 Super Dirt Showdown.

Rather than simply sharing a weekend, the two tours will go head-to-head as competitors from across the Heartland and southern plains meet on one of the region’s most historic racing surfaces.

A combined $42,000 in Late Model purse money will be on the line during the two-day event. Friday night’s opener will pay $3,000 to win and $400 to start from an $18,000 purse before the stakes increase Saturday with $5,000 awaiting the winner and $500 guaranteed to every A-Feature starter from a $24,000 purse.

“We’re really excited to get to the historic Kansas State Fairgrounds track and bring REVIVAL to SaltCity Racing for the first time,” Revival Super Dirt Series co-owner Tyler McGee said. “Coming together with the Heartland Tour, we expect to have some of the best Late Model drivers in the region there, and we believe fans are going to see two incredible nights of racing on the historic half-mile.”

That opportunity to bring two different groups of competitors together was also a major attraction for the Heartland Late Model Tour.

“One of the things we wanted to do when we started the Heartland Late Model Tour was create events that gave our racers an opportunity to compete against some different cars and different names, and I think this weekend is exactly what we had in mind,” Heartland Promotions’ Erick Chesterman said. “Tyler mentioned having some of the best Late Model drivers in the region together, and I think that’s what makes this deal exciting. We have two series with their own championship battles and their own group of talented racers, and now we’re putting everybody together for two nights on a place like Hutchinson. I think it’s going to be a pretty special weekend.”

For SaltCity Racing promoter Phil Nightingale, the Super Dirt Showdown also serves as a fitting finale to the 2026 season at the historic Kansas State Fairgrounds facility.

“We’re really excited to have both the POWRi Heartland Late Model Tour presented by Mel Hambelton Racing and the Revival Super Dirt Series at SaltCity this weekend,” Nightingale said. “It should make for an action-packed weekend. I can’t believe it’s here already, but what a way to end this season at SaltCity Racing!”

Six Races, Six Winners for Heartland

The Super Dirt Showdown arrives at an important point in the inaugural Heartland Late Model Tour championship season, and if the first six races are any indication, predicting who will leave Hutchinson with the hardware won’t be easy.

Six completed events have produced six different winners.

Terry Phillips and Tyler Kuykendall split the season-opening weekend at Legit Speedway Park before Josh Leonard and Sawyer Crigler each found Victory Lane at Dodge City Raceway Park. Jake Nightingale became the fifth different winner at Lakeside Speedway before McKay Wenger continued the streak the following night at Lake Ozark Speedway.

That parity has also helped keep the championship battle tight entering the final four races of the season.

Sawyer Crigler leads the HLMT standings with 504 points, but his father Scott Crigler sits only 24 points behind. Rookie Kayden Clatt remains firmly in the championship conversation, trailing the leader by just 34 markers, while Jake Nightingale sits fourth, 54 points out of the lead.

Nightingale Stands on Both Sides of the Showdown

Perhaps no driver better represents the unique nature of this weekend than Hutchinson’s own Jake Nightingale.

The driver of the No. 3J enters his hometown weekend ranked fourth in Heartland Late Model Tour points and fifth in Revival Super Dirt Series points, making him the only driver currently inside the top five of both championship standings.

Nightingale also returns home carrying plenty of momentum.

On July 31 at Lakeside Speedway, Nightingale raced to his first career Heartland Late Model Tour victory — a win that also marked his first career Super Late Model feature triumph.

Now the hometown driver gets an opportunity to return to the Kansas State Fairgrounds and square off against competitors from both tours.

On the Revival side, Eli Ross leads the championship chase with 4,130 points, holding a 240-point advantage over Chris Bragg. Jerrett Bransom enters Hutchinson third, followed by Jon Mitchell and Nightingale.

The two groups aren’t entirely unfamiliar with one another, either.

Several Revival competitors have already tested themselves against Heartland Late Model Tour competition this season, and the Super Dirt Showdown provides an opportunity to expand that crossover considerably as racers from Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas and beyond converge on Hutchinson.

For two nights, championship allegiances will take a back seat to one simple question:

Heartland or Revival — who will rule the half-mile?

Heartland Late Model Tour Championship Standings

1. Sawyer Crigler — 504

2. Scott Crigler — 480 (-24)

3. Kayden Clatt (R) — 470 (-34)

4. Jake Nightingale — 450 (-54)

5. Joey Smith — 421 (-83)

6. Dustin Walker — 389 (-115)

7. John Rowland — 290 (-214)

8. Josh Leonard — 282 (-222)

9. Terry Phillips — 257 (-247)

10. Jason Sivils — 245 (-259)

Revival Super Dirt Series Championship Standings

1. Eli Ross — 4,130

2. Chris Bragg — 3,890 (-240)

3. Jerrett Bransom — 3,480 (-650)

4. Jon Mitchell — 2,040 (-2,090)

5. Jake Nightingale — 1,880 (-2,250)

6. John Briggs — 1,700 (-2,430)

7. Brandon Conkwright — 1,510 (-2,620)

8. Morgan Bagley — 1,370 (-2,760)

9. Dylan Schmer — 1,030 (-3,100)

10. Drew Armstrong — 940 (-3,190)

The 2026 Super Dirt Showdown gets underway Friday, August 21, before Saturday night’s $5,000-to-win finale closes the 2026 SaltCity Racing season.

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

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