39th ANNUAL BUDWEISER NATIONALS HITS THE DIRT AT BAKERSFIELD SPEEDWAY ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (October 7, 2025) – The 39th annual Budweiser Nationals moves west in 2025 to the Bakersfield Speedway at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway, presenting six divisions of dirt track racing on both Friday and Saturday nights with an over $45,000 purse. IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Mods, IMCA Stock Cars, H&S Body Works Hobby Stocks, American Stocks, and So-Cal Dwarf Cars will be competing on the .333-mile dirt track with complete shows each night.
Grandstand gates open at 4pm nightly with hot laps at 5pm. Opening ceremonies are set for approx. 6pm followed by heat races and main events for all six divisions. General Admission tickets are on sale now at www.BakersfieldSpeedway.com. Adult general admission tickets are $20 per night with kids ages 6-12 admitted for $12 while kids five and under are free! Parking is free of charge. Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway is located at 13500 Raceway Blvd, near Enos Ln and Interstate 5 in Bakersfield.
So-Cal Dwarf Cars will race for a $1,000 to win purse on Saturday night as will IMCA Sport Mods. IMCA Modifieds battle for $1,000 on Friday night and $1,500 to win on Saturday night. The IMCA Stock Cars are $800 to win nightly. H&S Body Works Hobby Stocks and American Stocks race for $600 to win nightly.
Nearly 130 different competitors took on the 38th Budweiser Nationals with 2024 champion Gavyn Manning winning Saturday night’s IMCA Modified feature to wrap up the weekend. Manning returns in 2025 to take on 2025 track champion Brad Pounds. Bakersfield’s Robby Sawyer will compete in three different Tim Huddleston-promoted events over the weekend, running Thursday in the INEX Legends at Las Vegas before taking on Friday’s CARS Tour West at Las Vegas. He will then journey back to Bakersfield for the IMCA Modified action on Saturday.
The Bannister family was locked out of Budweiser Nationals victory lane in the IMCA Sport Mods in 2024 and came out swinging in 2025. Tyler Bannister claimed the 2025 track championship and faces off with one of the largest fields of the weekend in the Sport Modified competition.
Nicholas Johnson, a 12-time race winner across the speedway’s divisions, returns for a three-division effort this weekend. Johnson won the Friday portion of the Hobby Stocks in 2024 and the Hobby Stock title in 2025. Kyle Wood won the 2024 American Stocks Bud Nationals and also followed that up with the 2025 Bakersfield Speedway championship.
IMCA Stock Cars race during both nights of the Bud Nationals for the first time this year while the So-Cal Dwarf Cars make their Bud Nationals debut.
Pit gates open at noon each night with the pill draw closing at 3:30pm and the drivers meeting at 3:45pm. Complete details are available online or on social media.
For more information on Bakersfield Speedway at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway, visit www.BakersfieldSpeedway.com or follow the speedway on social media. Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway is located at 13500 Raceway Blvd, near Enos Ln and Interstate 5 in Bakersfield.
