The first wave of sprint car entries for the Dec. 1-2, 2023, inaugural Davey Hamilton Jr.’s Open Wheel Showdown at the Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway was released on Tuesday.
The winged asphalt sprint car race will pay the winner a hefty $50,000 to win the 100-lap event.
The list of entrants is currently at 37 and growing, representing nearly every pavement sprint car series in the country.
Drivers from Must See Racing, 500 Sprint Car Tour, Speed Tour, Inland Winged Sprints, NCMA, NSRA, USAC Silver Crown Series, Northwest Sprint Tour, Southern Sprint Car Shootout Series, Gunslingers and Granite Super Sprints make up the list of entrants.
The list is dotted with several expected entrants, including event promoter Davey Hamilton Jr. himself, who tied for the most pavement sprint car feature victories in the country last season. Canadian Aaron Willison, who already has five victories this year, is also entered.
Former King of the Wing champions Eric Humphries and 2020 Little 500 champion Bobby Santos III are also entered.
Four drivers who regularly compete with the Florida-based Southern Sprint Car Shootout Series have signed up — among them being Hamilton Jr., Dude Teate, Bryan Riddle and Dylan Reynolds. Given the fact that it’s a 4,600-mile round trip journey from Tampa, Fla., where most of these teams are based, the entries come as a surprise.
Defending USAC Silver Crown Series and 500 Sprint Car Tour champion Kody Swanson’s entry may be the most surprising entry due to the fact he has not competed in many winged asphalt sprint car events in nearly a decade. He does have one winged pavement victory to his credit when he picked up a Hoosier Outlaw Sprint Series victory at Jones, Mich., in 2014.
Two-time Little 500 winner Tyler Roahrig is also entered. The Plymouth, Ind., driver has just recently made a return to winged competition and finished second in the $10,000-to-win War of the Wings at Monroe, Wash., this past Saturday.
Other surprising entrants include California drivers Justin Kawahata and Audra Sasselli. Both have competed in winged events previously, but in recent years have been competing in non-winged events with NCMA.
AP Development has entered two cars with no drivers listed.
There are still many more drivers who have not filed an entry but are expected to do so in the coming weeks. Please visit www.openwheelshowdown.com for more news and event format details.
Current Entries
BOBBY SANTOS III
TRISTEN SPIERS
RYAN BURDETT
JARETT BURDETT
AARON WILLISON
CORY LOCKWOOD
DAVEY HAMILTON JR
AUSTIN CARTER
DJ LYONS
DUDE TEATE
DYLAN REYNOLDS
TJ SNEVA
CASEY TILLMAN
AP DRIVER DEVELOPMENT TBA
AP DRIVER DEVELOPMENT TBA
TYLER ROAHRIG
ROB GRICE
MIKE HATHAWAY
NATALIE WATERS
JEFF MONTGOMERY
SHANE BUTLER
MIKE MURGOITIO
BRYAN RIDDLE
ED NOVAK
JUSTIN KAWAHATA
MIKE ANDERSON
DREW CRENSHAW
ROBBIE PRICE
ERIC HUMPHRIES
MOTT BOLDING MOTORSPORTS TBA
AUDRA SASSELLI
LEVI ROSE
DAVEY HAMILTON RACING TBA
RILEY ROGERS
JAKE TRAINOR
RICHIE LARSON
KODY SWANSON