Through the opening four events of the 2026 POWRi Heartland Late Model Tour presented by Mel Hambelton Ford Racing season, one thing has become abundantly clear—there is no shortage of parity.

Four races have produced four different winners, and with the championship battle beginning to tighten, the series heads into another pivotal weekend with a pair of highly anticipated stops. The tour visits Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas on Friday, July 31, before making its long-awaited return to Lake Ozark Speedway in Eldon, Missouri on Saturday, August 1.

The season opened with a memorable doubleheader at Legit Speedway in West Plains, Missouri, where veteran Terry Phillips claimed opening night honors before Tyler Kuykendall answered with a thrilling victory the following evening. After several weather-related interruptions slowed the early schedule, the tour returned to action in June at Dodge City Raceway Park, where Josh Leonard added his name to the winners list on Friday before current points leader Sawyer Crigler broke through for his first series victory on Saturday.

With no repeat winners through four races, nearly every contender in the field enters the weekend believing their opportunity could be next.

Crigler’s Dodge City triumph vaulted the Alton, Missouri driver to the top of the championship standings. His consistency has been just as impressive as his race-winning speed, allowing him to build a slim 24-point advantage over his father, Scott Crigler, giving the family a one-two punch atop the standings entering the weekend.

Rookie Kayden Clatt continues to impress in his first full touring campaign, sitting third in points just 45 markers behind the leader while establishing himself as one of the series’ most consistent performers. Kansas racer Jake Nightingale has quietly put together a solid start to the season and enters the weekend fourth, while former West Plains standout Joey Smith rounds out the top five after four events.

With the championship still in its infancy, every position on the racetrack—and every point—will become increasingly valuable as the summer schedule begins to intensify.

Friday’s stop at Lakeside Speedway presents a unique challenge on one of the Midwest’s most historic dirt tracks. The fast 4/10-mile oval has long rewarded drivers willing to search the racetrack for grip, often producing multiple racing grooves and exciting side-by-side competition.

Twenty-four hours later, the tour shifts east to Lake Ozark Speedway, where the lightning-fast 3/8-mile oval has become one of Missouri’s premier dirt racing facilities. With sweeping corners and plenty of speed, the Eldon facility traditionally produces outstanding Late Model racing and provides another opportunity for someone to become the season’s fifth different winner.

Whether the streak of first-time winners continues or one of the opening four victors becomes the season’s first repeat winner remains one of the biggest storylines heading into the weekend.

Current POWRi Heartland Late Model Tour Point Standings

1. Sawyer Crigler – 350
2. Scott Crigler (-24) – 326
3. Kayden Clatt (R) (-45) – 305
4. Jake Nightingale (-58) – 292
5. Joey Smith (-63) – 287

With momentum building and the championship battle beginning to take shape, fans can expect another exciting weekend as the POWRi Heartland Late Model Tour continues its 2026 campaign with a pair of races that could significantly impact the title chase.

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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