Ross picks up 2nd Sooner victory at Humboldt Speedway

By John Rittenoure (Rickety Roach photo) - HUMBOLDT, Kans. (May 15, 2026) - It did not take long for Eli Ross to find his way to the front of Friday nights Hayden Ross Motorsports Foundation Sooner Late Model Series feature at Humboldt Speedway.

Ross was patient as he chased early leader William Nusser. But on lap 6 Ross made his move around Nusser for the lead and raced to his second victory of the season.

“I was making sure I was not over driving,” Ross said of his run in early traffic. “I ran in the middle and up top where the moisture was. It was just momentum in the middle thru turns 3-4.”

After taking the lead Ross just stayed focused on not making any mistakes.

“When you set a pace you just concentrate on hitting your marks,” Ross said. “It was a real racy track tonight.”

Brandon Conkwright drove into second on lap 8 and stayed within striking distance of Ross. Midway of the 25-lapper Conkwright tried to get beside Ross, but could not get around him.

“He was pretty good up on top and realistically he was better then me in (turns) 3-4, but we salvaged a pretty good second,” said Conkwright who was trying to repeat his victory here a year ago. “He had the cleaner air early and got around lapped traffic so much better than I did. That played a big role.

“I think if I could have got underneath him and not spun the tires and made it a drag race, it would have been fun. But I think ultimately with the moisture off of two he would have got me.”

Humboldt is one of Conkwright’s favorite tracks.

“I love this place,” Conkwright said of Humboldt. “Every time I come here John Allen has never had a bad racetrack. He does a great job.”

At the finish Joseph Gorby came from seventh to finish third, Nusser dropped to fourth after leading early, and Zach Nickell rounded out the top five.

Sooner Late Model Series Results

Humboldt Speedway - Humboldt, Kansas

May 15, 2026

A Feature 1 (25 Laps): 1. 66-Eli Ross[5]; 2. 24C-Brandon Conkwright[8]; 3. 99-Joseph Gorby[7]; 4. 7N-William Nusser[1]; 5. 95-Zach Nickell[3]; 6. 7D-Dusty Leonard[6]; 7. 92-Delbert Smith[11]; 8. 65-Eric Brill[2]; 9. 9XX-Dakota Dellinger[14]; 10. 3-Derrek Wilson[19]; 11. 7L-Brian Stinson[12]; 12. 32J-Jaden Bolster[17]; 13. 66R-James Rini[18]; 14. 19-Shane Cook[15]; 15. 8B-Ashlee Buck[13]; 16. 9L-Dustin Leatherman[4]; 17. 92S-Dan Smith[16]; 18. 14S-Randy Swett[20]; 19. 11H-Denver Howard[10]; 20. 9*-Troy Martin Jr[9]

Heat 1 (10 Laps): 1. 66-Eli Ross[4]; 2. 95-Zach Nickell[3]; 3. 99-Joseph Gorby[7]; 4. 11H-Denver Howard[2]; 5. 8B-Ashlee Buck[6]; 6. 92S-Dan Smith[1]; 7. 3-Derrek Wilson[5]

Heat 2 (10 Laps): 1. 7D-Dusty Leonard[1]; 2. 7N-William Nusser[2]; 3. 24C-Brandon Conkwright[4]; 4. 92-Delbert Smith[6]; 5. 9XX-Dakota Dellinger[3]; 6. 32J-Jaden Bolster[7]; 7. 14S-Randy Swett[5]

Heat 3 (10 Laps): 1. 65-Eric Brill[2]; 2. 9L-Dustin Leatherman[5]; 3. 9*-Troy Martin Jr[6]; 4. 7L-Brian Stinson[1]; 5. 19-Shane Cook[4]; 6. 66R-James Rini[3]

Lap Leaders: William Nusser 1-5, Eli Ross 6-25.

Margin of Victory: 1.898.

2026 Winners: 4/4/2026 - Eli Ross, Enid Speedway; 5/2/2026 - Dakota Dellinger, Enid Speedway; 5/15/2026 - Eli Ross, Humboldt Speedway.

2026 Top 10: 1. Dakota Dellinger 1260; 2. Ashley Buck 1120; 3. Eric Brill 1115; 4. James Rini 1045; 5. Eli Ross 950; 6. Zach Nickell 790; 7. Dustin Leatherman 760; 8. Denver Howard, Brian Stinson 730; 10. Troy Martin, Jr. 680.

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 Missouri, and Arkansas.