2/26/2026
Matt Covington
Covington Wins the Sonoran Clash Night 2
Glenpool, OK (February 25, 2026) — Matt Covington put his top-side hustle on full display over the weekend, charging to a runner-up finish on Saturday before storming to victory Sunday night aboard the No. 95 machine at Central Arizona Raceway with the American Sprint Car Series during the inaugural Sonoran Clash.
Saturday night saw Covington unload with speed at the 3/8-mile oval. After advancing through his heat race and positioning himself at the front of the field with a Dash win, Matt powered his way to a strong second-place finish in the A-Main, showing early signs that the team had found something special on the Arizona surface.
“We were really good Saturday,” Covington said. “Peck was better in lapped traffic. It’s cool having these 410 guys come run with us because you can always learn race craft from them. But we learned a lot throughout the night and felt like we had something we could build on going into Sunday.”
That momentum carried straight into Sunday’s program.
Covington again qualified well and capitalized with another heat race win. After the Dash results were finalized, Covington lined up sixth for the 30-lap feature.
When the feature went green, Peck jumped out to an early lead as Covington and the field worked to close the gap. After a caution on Lap 14, Peck ducked into the infield with a flat right-front tire, surrendering the lead to Kyler Johnson with Whit Gastineau and Covington close behind.
On the restart, Johnson stretched his advantage while Covington worked past Gastineau on Lap 18. Over the next several circuits, Matt erased a 1.5-second deficit, finding momentum on the high side, a lane few had tried, and even fewer had made work.
With five laps remaining, Covington carried a full head of steam into Turns 3 and 4, rolling the cushion as Johnson protected the bottom. Drag racing to the line to complete Lap 25, Covington surged ahead to take the lead.
From there, the Glenpool, Oklahoma native was not to be denied, pacing the field over the final five laps to secure the $6,000 victory, .. the 23rd American Sprint Car Series triumph of his career.
“I really can’t believe we won this thing tonight,” Covington said. “The car was great. If there’s a fast top line, I’m going to try to make it work.”
“I feel bad for those guys, they’re my friends, and I’ve stole two from him now going back to I-55 last year,” Covington added. “He’s going to get there. It’s just traffic and experience. I didn’t do a very good job of it Saturday night with Peck, but we cleaned it up Sunday. I need to thank Steven for all his help this winter and the last month or so as we get rolling into the year. People don’t understand the work and sacrifice it takes behind the scenes and the grind up and down the road.”
-Up Next
The American Sprint Car Series returns to Central Arizona Raceway February 28–March 1 for the finale of the Sonoran Clash.
-Matt Covington Racing Thanks the Following Partners for Their Support in 2026:
Triple X Chassis, Missile Motorsports, Reece Construction, Fisher Racing Engines, All-Star Performance, Outlaw Wings, KSE Steering, Winters Performance, A-Rock Materials, Smiley’s Racing Products, Keizer Wheels, Factor 1 Racing, Smith Titanium, Simpson Race Products, Huggins Cams, Kaeding Performance / FK Shocks, Ultra Lite Brakes, Moe’s Helmet Painting, Maxima Racing Oils, Eaton Industrial, Hot Rod Powder Coating, Rod End Supply, Maxwell Oil, Schoenfeld Headers, Edison Auto Body, Brodix Cylinder Heads, Swindell Bleeders, D&W Towing, and T&L Foundry.
-2026 Season Stats:
Starts: 6 | Wins: 1 | Top 5s: 3 | Top 10s: 5
-Watch Live:
Catch all the action live on DIRTVision, with live timing and scoring available at MyRacePass.com.
-Merchandise:
Official Matt Covington Racing apparel—including shirts, hats, and hoodies…is available online at: www.mattcovingtonracing.com
Or visit the merchandise trailer at the track on race nights!
-Stay Connected and follow Matt Covington all season long:
Facebook: Matt Covington Racing
X (Twitter): @mattcovington95
Instagram & TikTok: @mattcovingtonracing
Submitted By: Matt Covington