WAGNER SIZZLES IN GRAIN VALLEY’S USAC MRA SPRINT SALUTE TO SERVICE SHOWDOWN

Winner: Jack Wagner. (Ryan Black Photo)

By: Ray Cunningham

Grain Valley, Missouri (June 19, 2026)………Jack Wagner sizzled in slicing and dicing his way to victory in the 25-lap Salute to Service Showdown for the USAC Wholesale Batteries MRA Sprint Cars on Friday night at Missouri’s Valley Speedway.

The “Jack of All Trades” drove his Jesse Hockett/Wagner Boys Racing No. 77 pretty much anywhere he wanted for 25 laps without a caution to best the field by 7.220 seconds after taking the lead on the second lap from Chad Goff.

This was a statement win for the Show Me State Gasser after being passed on the white flag lap for the win on May 23 at Valley.

With Wagner setting a torrid pace out front, a battle behind him raged throughout the feature for the next five to six spots. Nesbit, Mississippi gunner Chase Howard fought tooth and nail to come from sixth to second at the stripe to best the “Hammer” Samuel Wagner of Lone Jack, Missouri who finished third.

Spring Hill, Kansas chauffeur Goff took fourth, while Lone Jack’s Braydon Cromwell continued his streak of top fives by running fifth.

R.J. Miller of Edgewood, Texas made his presence felt by running sixth in his first ever appearance at Valley. Luke Howard of Overland Park, Kansas took his Brent Lewis mount to seventh.

Wyatt Burks of Topeka, Kansas had a very eventful night at Dennis Shrout’s speed plant after dropping out while leading the third heat race. Burks then had to swap out the motor in the Rumsey Special during intermission before advancing six spots in the feature from 14th to eighth. That earned Burks the Hard Charger award.

Kansas City, Missouri wheelman Tom Curran finished ninth, and Jake Kouba of Fairmount, Minnesota rounded out the top 10 to finish 10th.

Although the top finishers in the feature went from green to checker without a caution or red flag, there was, unfortunately, an incident involving Bryson Smith of Nixa, Missouri and Chad Tye of Independence, Missouri on the last lap between turns three and four. Both drivers were okay, but Bryson’s No. 33 suffered significant front end damage to spoil a great night for the Missouri racer who was the top point man entering the redraw after setting quick time and running second in his heat.

Twenty-three cars checked into the pits Friday night at Valley with Bryson Smith setting the overall fast qualifying time, while his brother, Wesley Smith, won the first heat race. Cromwell captured the second heat race victory, while Luke Howard raced to the win in heat number three.

USAC WHOLESALE BATTERIES MRA SPRINT CAR SERIES RACE RESULTS: June 19, 2026 – Valley Speedway – Grain Valley, Missouri

FIRST QUALIFYING GROUP: 1. Bryson Smith, 33, Smith-13.498; 2. Chad Goff, 9, Goff-13.795; 3. Dakota Earls, 15E, Earls-13.964; 4. Wesley Smith, 12, Helm-14.176; 5. Jake Kouba, 6, Kouba-14.299; 6. Justin Johnson, 27, Johnson-14.540; 7. Chad Tye, 88, Tye-14.702; 8. Charlie Burton, 91, Burton-14.825.

SECOND QUALIFYING GROUP: 1. Jack Wagner, 77, Hockett/Wagner-13.705; 2. R.J. Miller, 34, Miller-14.074; 3. Tyler Burton, 03, Burton-14.136; 4. Braydon Cromwell, 4, Cromwell-14.212; 5. Jarrett Weyant, 99, Weyant-14.642; 6. Junior Parkinson, 93, Weld-14.680; 7. Mark Lane, 33L, Lane-15.986; 8. Kyle Gorham, 18K, Gorham-NT.

THIRD QUALIFYING GROUP: 1. Samuel Wagner, 73, Wagner-13.664; 2. Chase Howard, 13, Howard-13.784; 3. Luke Howard 2, Lewis-13.995; 4. Wyatt Burks, 11w, Burks-14.073; 5. Tom Curran, 11x, Curran-14.268; 6. Jared McCarty, 44m, McCarty-15.856; 7. Brennon Marshall, 43, Miller-15.950.

FIRST HEAT: (8 laps, starting positions in parentheses, all transfer to the feature) 1. Wesley Smith (1), 2. Bryson Smith (4), 3. Chad Goff (3), 4. Dakota Earls (2), 5. Jake Kouba (5), 6. Justin Johnson (6), 7. Chad Tye (7), 8. Charlie Burton (8). NT

SECOND HEAT: (8 laps, starting positions in parentheses, all transfer to the feature) 1. Braydon Cromwell (1), 2. Jack Wagner (4), 3. R.J. Miller (3), 4. Tyler Burton (2), 5. Junior Parkinson (6), 6. Jarrett Weyant (5), 7. Mark Lane (7), 8. Kyle Gorham (8). NT

THIRD HEAT: (8 laps, starting positions in parentheses, all transfer to the feature) 1. Luke Howard (2), 2. Chase Howard (3), 3. Samuel Wagner (4), 4. Tom Curran (5), 5. Brennon Marshall (7), 6. Jared McCarty (6), 7. Wyatt Burks (1). NT

FEATURE: (25 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Jack Wagner (2), 2. Chase Howard (6), 3. Samuel Wagner (5), 4. Chad Goff (1), 5. Braydon Cromwell (9), 6. R.J. Miller (7), 7. Luke Howard (3), 8. Wyatt Burks (14), 9. Tom Curran (12), 10. Jake Kouba (13), 11. Dakota Earls (10), 12. Bryson Smith (4), 13. Tyler Burton (11), 14. Justin Johnson (17), 15. Junior Parkinson (16), 16. Jarrett Weyant (15), 17. Chad Tye (20), 18. Brennon Marshall (19), 19. Charlie Burton (23), 20. Mark Lane (21), 21. Jared McCarty (18), 22. Wesley Smith, 23. Kyle Gorham. NT

FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Lap 1 Chad Goff, Laps 2-25 Jack Wagner.

NEXT USAC WHOLESALE BATTERIES MRA SPRINT CAR SERIES RACE: June 20, 2026 – Valley Speedway – Grain Valley, Missouri