26th Glen Niebel Classic Set to Kick Off 2026 500 Sprint Car Tour Campaign

The yourBIGplans.com 500 Sprint Car Tour officially kicks off their 2026 season this Saturday, April 18th with the Glen Niebel Classic presented by CB Fabricating at Anderson Speedway. The 26th edition of the Glen Niebel Classic will be the fourth consecutive year that the event begins the 500 Sprint Car Tour schedule. The traditional opening weekend race will serve as a tune up event for the 78th Annual Unified Group Services Little 500 presented by Ed Martin Automotive Group.

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The last three Glen Niebel Classic’s at Anderson Speedway have been won by different competitors. Kyle O’Gara won in 2023, Kody Swanson in 2024, and Dakoda Armstrong in 2025. O’Gara is the most recent repeat winner as he also won the event in 2022, before the event moved to the front of the calendar. Swanson’s victory in 2024 as well as Armstrong’s victory in 2025 propelled the drivers into a Championship season, proving that winning a championship, sometimes, is about how you start and how you finish.

A field of 24 cars is currently entered into the 26th Glen Niebel Classic presented by CB Fabricating, with a couple teams potentially joining the field later in the week. A strong field of competitors has been common for this event since moving it to April as teams view the opportunity as a chance to fine tune before the Little 500. The event will see a lot of new faces as a handful of competitors will make their debut with the series. Mike Hathaway from Falson, Colorado, Tyler Fitzpatrick from Columbia City, Indiana, Chris Schmelzle from Colville, Washington, and Mario Clouser from Auburn, Illinois will all be making their first starts in the 500 Sprint Car Tour. They will be joined by qualifying rookies, Colin Grissom, Olivia Shelbo, Rob Keesling, and Tony McVey as drivers with little experience in the series who will be looking to put together a solid Rookie of the Year campaign in 2026.

Fans will see no shortage of experienced competitors for this year’s Glen Niebel Classic as there will be four former winners in the field, as well as an array of experienced drivers. Dakoda Armstrong, Tyler Roahrig, Bobby Santos III, and Kody Swanson have all gone to victory lane in the 26-year-old event’s past. All four are championship caliber drivers looking for a hot start to the 2026 season. Travis Welpott will be making his long-awaited return to racing after an injury kept him out of the majority of the past two seasons. Other notable drivers entered into the event include but are not limited to: Derek Bischak, Donnie Adams Jr., Jackson Macenko, Colton Bettis, Justin Harper, Rylan Gray, Brian Vaughn, and Brady Allum.

The 26th Running of the Glen Niebel Classic presented by CB Fabricating will not only open the season for the 500 Sprint Car Tour, but will also be the first race of the 2026 season for some of the Anderson Speedway local divisions, as well as the USSA Kenyon Midget Series. The event will be held on Saturday, April 18th and the 500 Sprint Car Tour will be joined by the USSA Kenyon Midget Series, Beaver Contracting Thunder Roadsters, and Vern’s Concrete Late Models. Pit gates will open at 1:00pm, front gates will open at 3:00pm, and racing is set to begin at 6:00pm. The event will be streamed live on Racing America, and pre-sale tickets for the event can be purchased online by clicking HERE.

-yourBIGplans.com 500 Sprint Car Tour Release
-Photo credit: Jack Kessler

Entry List for the 26th Glen Niebel Classic presented by CB Fabricating