08/03/2026
Championship Night Brings Curtain Down on 2026 Season at Double X Speedway
Submitted by: Dean Reichel, Double X Speedway PR
CALIFORNIA, Mo. β Another exciting chapter in the history of Double X Speedway came to a close Sunday evening as Season Championship Night crowned champions in all three divisions while providing fans with one final night of the close, competitive racing that has made "Sunday Night Thunder" a Central Missouri tradition.
With championships on the line and plenty of pride at stake, drivers left everything on the quarter-mile clay oval in pursuit of one final victory before the checkered flag waved on the 2026 season.
The B Modified class started off the evening with two heat races. Heat one saw Chad Staus hold off the challenges of Colson Kirk to pick up the win. The two veterans would race in close quarters for the second half of the race with Staus winning by a car length. The second heat would see Tyler Potter take a decisive victory over Don Williams. In the Super Stocks John Clancy, Jr. would take heat one over Brandon Dunham, Hayden Dowell worked hard on the bottom groove to take heat two over Darin Porter and Shawn Clair would win heat three over Kyle Miller. In the 360 Winged Sprint Cars, Miles Paulus looked very strong in taking the first heat over Samuel Wagner. In heat two Jack Wagner was the winner after battling Blake Bowers for six laps until Bowers had mechanical issues. Broc Elliott would finish second.
When the feature events rolled out the B Modifieds were the first division out. Chad Staus brought the field to green with Tyler Potter joining him on the front row. Potter would win the race into turn one with Staus and Colson Kirk giving chase. Kirk would ride the high groove around Staus and start giving the leader some concern. With Potter hearing the 55 of Kirk closing in he would turn it up a notch as they encountered lapped traffic. This would give Potter the breathing room he needed to secure feature victory #9 at Double X this season. Kirk would finfish second, Chad Staus was third, Ryan Oerly finished fourth and Justin Hawkins completed the top five.
Sixteen Super Stocks were scheduled to start the feature event led by John Clancy, Jr and Hayden Dowell. Clancy would use his number one starting position to take the lead and open a six car advantage while the racing was occurring behind him. Brandon Dunham would give chase but the car on the move was James Nighswonger in the 44. Nighswonger would charge from his seventh starting spot to finish a solid second in the event. Brandon Dunham would hold on to the third position at the finish with Clayton Campbell fourth and Steve Beach taking the checkered in fifth.
Miles Paulus and Jack Wagner were on the front row to start the 360 Winged Sprint Car feature event. βmonsterβ Miles Paulus would put the #0 machine to the point leaving Wagner to try high and low to make a pass. A lap 8 caution would bunch the field and would allow Wagner to take a chance on the low line entering turn one and he would complete the pass to take the lead. That was all he needed to secure the victory however, the real excitement was tenth starting Tyler Blank who arrived at intermission. On the restart he would advance into the top four, trading slide jobs with Broc Elliott for a couple of laps before gaining the third spot. At the checkered the finishing order was Jack Wagner claiming the win, Paulus posting a strong second place, Blank finishing an impressive run in third, Ben Brown in fourth and Samuel Wagner in fifth.
While the evening celebrated the night's winners, it also honored the drivers whose consistency and determination over the course of the season earned them the title of Double X Speedway Track Champion.
The 2026 Double X Speedway Season Champions and top finishers in points are:
360 Winged Sprint Cars:
1. Jack Wagner #77
2. Samuel Wagner #72
3. Ben Brown
4. Paul Solomon #7
5. Blake Bowers #52
B Modifieds:
1. Tyler Potter #94
2. Chad Staus
3. Ryan Oerly #99
4. Dennis Cook #00
5. Tristan Leicher
Super Stocks:
1. Darin Porter #21
2. Steve Beach #10
3. John Clancy, Jr.
4. Jody Romig #12
5. Dale Berry #05
6. Kyle Miller #33
7. Hayden Dowell #29
8. Ethan Daniels #87
Rookie of The Year- Kyle Miller
Congratulations to each of our 2026 champions for their outstanding accomplishments and dedication throughout the season. Their perseverance, sportsmanship, and commitment to local dirt track racing exemplify the spirit of competition that makes Double X Speedway special.
As another successful season comes to a close, the ownership and management of Double X Speedway extend our heartfelt appreciation to everyone who made 2026 such a memorable year. To our loyal fans who filled the grandstands each Sunday night, and kept coming back through the rain outs, thank you for supporting local racing and making Double X Speedway one of the premier weekly racing destinations in Missouri.
To our drivers, crews, officials, safety personnel, sponsors, volunteers, concession workers, and countless individuals who work behind the scenes each week, thank you for your dedication, professionalism, and countless hours of hard work. Your commitment creates the family atmosphere that has become the hallmark of Double X Speedway and keeps "Sunday Night Thunder" alive for generations of racing fans.
We are especially grateful to our sponsors whose continued support helps make weekly racing possible, and to our track officials who work tirelessly to provide a fair, competitive, and safe racing environment each and every week.
Although the final checkered flag has fallen on the 2026 season, the anticipation for another year of exciting racing is already building.
Make plans now to join us when Sunday Night Thunder returns to Double X Speedway on Sunday, May 2, 2027, as another season of side-by-side dirt track excitement gets underway on Central Missouri's favorite quarter-mile clay oval.
From all of us at Double X Speedway, thank you for making the 2026 season one to remember. Have a safe and enjoyable off-season, and we'll see everyone back at the track next spring for another year of family-style dirt track racing.
Double X Speedway
California, MO
August 2, 2026
Complete Results
360 Winged Sprint Cars-Presented by Brockes Tire & Auto
Feature Event- 1. 77-Jack Wagner, Lone Jack; 2. 0-Miles Paulus, Marshall; 3. 75-Tyler Blank, California; 4. 7B-Ben Brown, Marshall; 5. 73-Samuel Wagner, Lone Jack; 6. 00-Broc Elliott, California; 7. 7-Pual Solomon, AUS; 8. 382-Grant Ensign, Overbrook, KS; 9. 32D-Daryn Langford, Kearney; 10. 52-Blake Bowers, K**b Noster (DNS)
First Heat- 1. Paulus; 2. S. Wagner; 3. Brown; 4. Solomon; 5. Ensign
Second Heat- 1. J. Wagner; 2. Elliott; 3. Langford; 4. Bowers (DNF)
Super Stocks Presented by Grace Print House
Feature Event- 1. 87C-John Clancy, Jr. California; 2. 44-James Nighswonger, Osawatomie, KS; 3. 409-Brandon Dunham, California; 4. 30C-Clayton Campbell, Otterville; 5. 10-Steve Beach, Eldon; 6. 21C-Shawn Clair, Eldon; 7. 33-Kyle Miller, California; 8. 52J-James Keeran, California; 9. 29-Hayden Dowell, Tipton; 10. 05-Dale Berry, Tuscumbia (DNF); 11. 83-Dusty See, Eldon (DNF); 12. 21-Darin Porter, California (DNF); 13. 12-Jody Romig, Syracuse (DNF); 14. 14B-Brian Barnett, Hartsburg (DNS); 15. 87-Ethan Daniels, California (DNS); 16. 10R-Chris Romig, Syracuse (DNS)
First Heat- 1. Clancy; 2. Dunham; 3. Nighswonger; 4. Beach; 5. Keeran; 6. See
Second Heat- 1. Dowell; 2. Porter; 3. J. Romig; 4. Berry; 5. Barnett (DNF)
Third Heat- 1. Clair; 2. Miller; 3. Campbell; 4. Daniels; 5. C. Romig
B Modifieds Presented by Hitachi Energy
Feature Event- 1. 94-Tyler Potter, Fulton; 2. 55-Colson Kirk, Tunas; 3. C3-Chad Staus, Otterville; 4. 99-Ryan Oerly, Jamestown; 5. 10H-Jston Hawkins, Eldon; 6. 18-Konner Reed, Holts Summit; 7. 00-Dennis Cook, California; 8. 10-Austin DeTienne, Fulton; 9. 23-Jason Brotherton, Versailles; 10. 5-Don Williams, Osage Beach (DNF); 11. T3-Tristan Leicher, Hughesville (DNS)
First Heat- 1. Staus; 2. Kirk; 3. Oerly; 4. Reed; 5. Cook; 6. Leicher (DNF)
Second Heat 1. Potter; 2. Williams; 3. Hawkins; 4. Brotherton; 5. DeTienne
