12/11/2025
OPEN WHEEL SHOWDOWN RETURNS FOR FOURTH RUNNING IN LAS VEGAS, NOV 5-7, 2026
LAS VEGAS, NV - The fourth annual Davey Hamilton, Jr.’s Open Wheel Showdown has confirmed a return to the Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, bringing the definitive pavement open wheel event to the .375-mile oval November 5-7, 2026. The highest paying weekend on asphalt continues with $50,000 on the line for the Winged Sprint Cars. The Larry Trigueiro Memorial for Super Modifieds will pay a record $10,000 to win. Open Wheel Modifieds return for their third appearance at the Showdown and will also race for $10,000 to win.
Legends and Bandoleros return in 2026 for the next generation of pavement open wheel competitors. Additional programming announcements will be made in the coming months. New for 2026 is the addition of heat races for the Legends and a pole shuffle for both the Legends and Modifieds. The expanded Friday lineup will see the Winged Sprint Cars, Modifieds, and Legends all participating in the same event format. Saturday’s program includes features for all five divisions.
Kody Swanson of Kingsburg, Calif. won his second consecutive 100-lap Winged Sprint Car feature in 2025 against a nearly 50-car turnout. Bobby Santos earned his third consecutive podium as well.
Driver registrations, hotel registrations, and RV bookings will open in January at www.OpenWheelShowdown.com Division and event sponsorship details will also be announced throughout 2026.
“I am excited to keep Open Wheel Showdown growing and staying at Las Vegas,” Promoter Davey Hamilton, Jr. said. “The LVMS team is really getting behind the event in a big way and I see a lot of great years with them. We have some great partners returning along with a lot of upcoming news that I can’t wait to share with everyone.”
Open Wheel Showdown experienced over three million social media impressions across its own pages, along with significant coverage from Speed Sport and its broadcast channels Speed Sport 1 and Speed Sport 2. Open Wheel Showdown sponsors, competitors, and fans contributed to even more excitement and visibility for the sport through their posts and engagement as well. The efforts culminated with the largest Saturday crowd among the three editions of the event in 2025.
Additionally, pavement Sprint Car racing will likely experience a dozen races with five figure paydays in 2026. When the Open Wheel Showdown kicked off in 2023, as few as two events in the country carried awards of that caliber.
“We’re thrilled to partner with Davey Hamilton, Jr. He’s quickly become one of the most dynamic young race promoters in the country,” said Patrick Lindsey, General Manager of Las Vegas Motor Speedway. “In just three years, the Open Wheel Showdown, powered by an impressive purse, has exploded into a must-see event for asphalt sprint car racers nationwide. The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway has continued to be the perfect home for this showcase, and we’re excited to keep building on this momentum for years to come.”
Speed Sport returns as the Open Wheel Showdown media partner with live coverage of the entire weekend.
For more information, visit www.openwheelshowdown.com
About the Open Wheel Showdown:
The Open Wheel Showdown is the premier pavement open wheel event in the country, attracting top drivers and teams from across the country to compete for record-breaking purses and national attention.
