Monroe Asphalt 40 Set for October 3 at Toledo Speedway

Monroe Asphalt 40 Set for October 3 at Toledo Speedway

The YourBIGPlans.com 500 Sprint Car Tour will return to Toledo Speedway on Saturday, October 3, for the rescheduled Monroe Asphalt 40 as the Tour enters the final stretch of the 2026 season.

Originally scheduled for June 14, the Monroe Asphalt 40 was postponed and will now serve as the penultimate event of the 2026 YourBIGPlans.com 500 Sprint Car Tour season. With only two races remaining on the schedule, the championship battle has reached a critical point as Kody Swanson carries the points lead into Toledo with Jackson Macenko currently second in the standings.

Swanson, the reigning champion of the 78th Annual Unified Group Services Little 500 presented by Ed Martin Automotive Group, will be looking to protect his championship advantage when the green flag falls at Toledo. The Kingsburg, California driver has been a consistent presence at the front of the YourBIGPlans.com 500 Sprint Car Tour throughout the season and enters the final two races with the championship firmly within his sights.

Macenko, meanwhile, will be looking to close the 65 point gap to Swanson and put himself in position to take the championship battle down to the season finale. The Cincinnati, Ohio driver has put together a strong 2026 campaign and will have two remaining opportunities to challenge Swanson for the Tour championship, beginning with Saturday's 40-lap event at Toledo.

The driver arriving at Toledo with the most recent trip to Victory Lane is Bobby Santos III. The Franklin, Massachusetts driver captured the 11th Annual Tony Elliott Classic presented by CB Fabricating at Anderson Speedway this past Saturday, The win gives Santos another YourBIGPlans.com 500 Sprint Car Tour victory heading into the final two races of the season.

Santos will now look to carry that momentum to Toledo, where he will attempt to add another Monroe Asphalt 40 victory to his resume. Santos won the event when the Tour last competed at Toledo in 2025 and will return this October looking to defend that victory. Santos was the third different driver to win a yourBIGplans.com 500 Sprint Car Tour event at Toledo Speedway. Kody Swanson won in the series’ first trip to Toledo in 2023, and Tyler Roahrig went to victory lane in 2024. With three different winners in as many years, all eyes will be on the trio to see who will be the first to repeat, or to see if another new winner will emerge.

The expected field for the Monroe Asphalt 40 currently includes 16 entries, with competitors representing Indiana, Ohio, Arizona, Florida, Massachusetts, California, Michigan and North Carolina. Along with Santos, Swanson and Macenko, the entry list includes Dakoda Armstrong, Derek Bischak, Donnie Adams Jr., Olivia Shelbo, Landon Butler, Nathan Byrd, Rob Keesling, Tony McVey, Justin Harper, Tyler Roahrig, Rylan Gray, Race Bible and Brady Allum.

Several drivers will be worth watching as the field takes to the Toledo Speedway oval. New Castle, Indiana's Dakoda Armstrong returns to the Tour field, while Plymouth, Indiana's Tyler Roahrig brings another proven pavement sprint car contender into the mix. Armstrong and Roahrig will join a strong group of Indiana-based drivers that also includes Bischak, Adams, Keesling, McVey, Harper and Gray.

With the championship battle tightening and the most recent race winner returning to the track, the Monroe Asphalt 40 has plenty at stake. Swanson will be focused on maintaining his position atop the standings, while Macenko will be looking to gain valuable ground. Behind them, a talented field will be chasing the opportunity to score one of the final victories of the 2026 season.

When the YourBIGPlans.com 500 Sprint Car Tour takes the green flag at Toledo Speedway on Saturday, October 3, the focus will be on more than just the 40-lap race. With the championship entering its final two events and Santos looking to build on his recent Anderson Speedway victory, the Monroe Asphalt 40 could play a pivotal role in determining who enters the season finale with the championship in reach.

The Monroe Asphalt 40 will be part of Toledo Speedway's Stars, Stripes and Speed Fest on Saturday, October 3. Pit gates and registration open at 9:00 a.m., with the yourBIGplans.com 500 Sprint Car Tour driver's meeting scheduled for 11:00 a.m. The Tour's engine heat will take place at 11:45 a.m., followed by the first practice session at noon and final practice at 1:50 p.m. Qualifying is scheduled for 2:30 p.m., with opening ceremonies beginning at 4:00 p.m.

The yourBIGplans.com 500 Sprint Car Tour Monroe Asphalt 40 feature will be part of an action-packed afternoon and evening that also includes the USAC Silver Crown Championship Rollie Beale Classic, the Folds of Honor 50 for Outlaw Super Late Models and the Monroe Asphalt Factory Stock Championship. Tickets are available online and can be purchased in advance by clicking HERE.