9/7/2025
Sooner Late Model Series
Hughes gets back on track Saturday at Enid Speedway
By John Rittenoure (Rickety Roach photo) - ENID, Okla. (September 6, 2025) - One month ago Kip Hughes broke in a new car with a convincing victory at Enid Speedway. After a not so good weekend away from home Hughes returned to Enid looking better than before on his way to his second Hayden Ross Motorsports Foundation Sooner Late Model Series victory of the season on Saturday.
“We ran it here the first night and ran good with it, went to Arrowhead and got our teeth kicked in a little bit, but we learned a lot,” Hughes said of his new car.
Hughes started fourth and had to chase pole setter Dustin Bolster for the first nine laps. Hughes was closing in to challenge when Bolster suddenly slowed and left the racing surface. That put Hughes in the lead.
“He was good,” said Hughes. “Once I got out in clean air I thought I just had to pick my spot to get by him. It was so fast around the top. I would try something and lose ground and try something else and gain. I was fixing to get close when it looked like he blew up. I hated to see that.”
With Bolster in the infield Hughes raced unchallenged the final 16 laps. However, Hughes got into the turn two wall late in the race allowing Jon Herring, Jr. to gain valuable ground. But Hughes retained his lead for his 43rd career Sooner victory.
The wall mishap was the second occurrence of the night. In his heat race Hughes skated high in turn one and touched the wall.
“In the heat race I screwed up at the entry to the corner and it just carried me up there and I kind of rubbed the wall a little bit,” Hughes recalled. “In the feature I got in behind those two lapped cars and I knew I was going to hit the wall. When you get the air off the nose it just kind of floats up.
“I was just trying to drive as hard as I could and click off good laps.”
Herring held on to second over Australian Brad Smith who climbed from eighth to third,, Nate Jantz was fourth and Bob Bills fifth.
Sooner Late Model Series
Enid Speedway - Enid, Oklahoma
September 6, 2025
Hayden Ross Motorsports Foundation A Feature 1 (25 Laps): 1. 60-Kip Hughes[4]; 2. 96-Jon Herring Jr[2]; 3. 6-Brad Smith[8]; 4. 99-Nate Jantz[10]; 5. 18B-Bob Bills[3]; 6. 92S-Dan Smith[9]; 7. 4X-Dalon Helm[6]; 8. 65-Eric Brill[7]; 9. 122-Damian Patocka[5]; 10. B1-Dustin Bolster[1]; 11. 171H-Drew Harless[14]; 12. 171-Dax Harless[13]; 13. 92-Delbert Smith[11]; 14. 95-Tommy Bohnstedt[12]
Heat 1 (10 Laps): 1. 18B-Bob Bills[2]; 2. 96-Jon Herring Jr[4]; 3. 122-Damian Patocka[6]; 4. 65-Eric Brill[1]; 5. 92S-Dan Smith[3]; 6. 171-Dax Harless[7]; 7. (DNS) 92-Delbert Smith
Heat 2 (10 Laps): 1. 60-Kip Hughes[1]; 2. B1-Dustin Bolster[4]; 3. 4X-Dalon Helm[2]; 4. 6-Brad Smith[3]; 5. 99-Nate Jantz[5]; 6. 171H-Drew Harless[7]; 7. (DNS) 95-Tommy Bohnstedt
Lap Leaders: Dustin Bolster 1-9, Kip Hughes 10-25.
Margin of victory: 1.741.
2025 Winners: 3/28 - Eli Ross, Enid Speedway; 4/11 - Eli Ross, Thunderbird Speedway; 4/12 - Bryan Glaze, Crawford County Speedway; 5/30 - Brandon Conkwright, Humboldt Speedway; 5/31 - Kyle Berck, 81 Speedway; 6/20 - Christopher Wilhite, Enid Speedway; 6/28 - Eli Ross, Thunderbird Speedway; 7/5 - Terry Phillips, Enid Speedway; 7/19 - Jon Herring, Jr., Longdale Speedway; 8/9 - Kip Hughes, Enid Speedway; 8/22 - Dusty Leonard, SaltCity; 8/23 - Dusty Leonard, SaltCity; 9/6 - Kip Hughes, Enid Speedway.
2025 Top 10: 1. Dan Smith 5847; 2. Delbert Smith 5750; 3. Eric Brill 3935; 4. Steve Hewitt, Sr. 3165; 5. Damian Patocka 3065; 6. Dalon Helm 2955; 7. Nate Jantz 2905; 8. Kip Hughes 2720; 9. Jon Herring, Jr. 2965; 10. Gary Lowe 2395.
Hayden Ross Motorsports Foundation
Hayden Ross Motorsports Foundation goal is to help grow both high school, trade school and college programs to start and or develop a motorsports program, club, or organizations at their school as well as individual motorsports programs. HRMF will provide financial grants, equipment, expertise, scholarships, and educational opportunities for these organizations and individuals. This program will allow students to overcome the hurdle of entering motorsports due to the high costs and specialized experience needed to get started. This program will allow these students the opportunity to be part of a team with one overall goal of success on the track, including budgeting, marketing, mechanical skills, logistics, and team building efforts. All while honoring the life lost to early of Hayden Diesel Ross, #forever66.
Sooner Late Model Series
The Sooner Late Model Series was formed in 2016 by Enid Speedway co-promoter Mark Brill. Brill felt there was not many opportunities for late model competitors to race in Oklahoma and the Sooner Late Model Series was formed. Now the series has grown beyond the borders of Oklahoma with events held in the neighboring states of Kansas, Texas and Arkansas.
Article Credit: John Rittenoure
