Warner Springs, California — August 27, 2026 — "Shugah" Shane Sexton had an unexpected change to his racing schedule earlier this week. Instead of racing his lightning sprint at Perris Auto Speedway, he will compete in his 410 sprint car with the Ultimate Sprint Car Series at Ventura Raceway on Saturday night.
Until Monday morning, Sexton, who lives in Warner Springs, California, planned to compete in the co-sanctioned California Lightning Sprint Cars/SoCal Lightning Sprints California Clash Series race at Perris. When that race was canceled, Sexton had the option of racing his USCS car or his lightning sprint with the CLS at Ventura, or he could run both.
The decision ended up being an easy one. Sexton is currently second in the SCLS championship standings, and when that series decided not to accompany the CLS to Ventura, he opted for the 410. He also did not want to risk damaging his lightning sprint before the next SCLS race at Barona Speedway on September 12.
Sexton, who has concentrated on the SCLS championship chase this year, has not raced his 410 since June 27 at Ventura. That also happens to be the only time he has driven the pretty purple and blue #74 in 2026. Fortunately, there was not much work needed to get the car ready.
"We were pretty much set up," he said while taking a break from prepping things for the race on Thursday. "I had to dismount and mount some new tires on it. Just check everything on the car. We made sure it would fire off and as of 30-minutes ago, it fired off fine. Like I said, we were pretty much ready. Sprint Car stuff takes a lot longer than lightning stuff, even though we were pretty close to being ready."
The longtime driver's last appearance in the 410 at Ventura did not end the way he would have liked. It was his first time there in a big car, and the track conditions were considerably different from what he had experienced while racing lightning sprints at the seaside oval.
"Loosen up behind the wheel," he answered when asked what could produce a better result. "I never raced Ventura before in a sprint car. That threw me for a loop. It (the track) did not race like Ventura does at all because the wing sprint cars were there. I just threw some stuff at it and then had some bad luck at the end of the B main. This weekend we are looking forward to it. As we had one race on it before, we kind of know what to expect."
After this weekend's race, Sexton will return to lightning sprint action at Barona on September 12. His last outing there two weeks ago produced his worst lightning sprint finish of the year when he placed eighth. He maintained second in the championship standings, but lost ground to the point leader.
"I just have to be consistent," he said when quizzed on what he has to do in the final four SCLS races of the year. "This last race was the worst finish I have had in a lightning sprint in a long time. We started in the back because our heat race did not go so well. I thought there was a line where there wasn't. I missed the invert by two points. I was starting at the back, and I was racing around some people I usually don't. So, I kind of handled it with white gloves. I was way too patient. I have to knock off top-five finishes, and we should be able to maintain where we are at."
Spectator gates will open at 3:00 p.m. at Ventura, with racing scheduled to begin at 5:30. Adult tickets are $22. Seniors 60 and older, military personnel with ID, and students with ID are $18. Children 12 and under are admitted free with a paying adult. For more information, visit Ventura Raceway or call (805) 648-RACE.
Ventura Raceway is located on the Ventura County Fairgrounds at 10 W. Harbor Blvd., Ventura, CA 93001.
Sexton would like to thank the following marketing partners for their support of his 2026 racing efforts: Black Widow Diesel, Site One Green Tech, Reel Technologies, AG Sandcars, Toby Ramos Tires, ,Allied American, Savage Racing, and Hose & Rubber Products (HRP).
Businesses interested in partnering with Shane Sexton's exciting 2026 racing program are encouraged to contact him at ShaneSexton7@gmail.com or (610) 362-5921.
Shane Sexton 2026 Race Results
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Date Track Series Results
3/6/26 Imperial Valley Raceway SCLS/CLS 5TH A Main
3/7/26 Imperial Valley Raceway SCLS/CLS 6th A Main
4/4/26 Santa Maria Speedway CLS 3rd A Main
4/11/26 Barona Speedway SCLS 4th A Main
5/2/26 Placerville Speedway USCS 13th B Main
5/16/26 Merced Speedway BCRA 7th A Main
5/23/26 Barona Speedway SCLS 5th A Main
5/24/26 Barona Speedway SCLS 7th A Main
6/20/26 Barona Speedway SCLS 4th A Main
6/27/26 Ventura Raceway USCS 10th B Main
8/1/26 Barona Speedway SCLS 3rd A Main
8/1/26 Barona Speedway Pure Stocks 3rd A Main
8/15/26 Barona Speedway SCLS 8th A Main
This release was produced by Scott Daloisio. For more information call 951-940-0134 or email sdaloisiosports@gmail.com
