All roads to a Bandolero national title lead to EchoPark Speedway, for this weekend’s Bandolero Championship Nationals, September 25th-26th.
Sixty-six Bandolero drivers are making the pilgrimage from 18 U.S. states and one Canadian province for a chance to win the season’s championship event, but lock in their 2026 points position. Thirteen of the drivers hail from Georgia, including both Bandolero Thursday Thunder championship from this season, Carson Sherman and Casen Tate.
Tate picked up five wins during Thursday Thunder, and was a consistent face at the front of the Bandits field. He will enter this weekend just on the outside of the top 10 in points, but with 16 starts at EchoPark Speedway in 2026, there is no shortage of experience for Tate on the track’s quarter-mile.
As the Outlaws Thursday Thunder champion this summer, Sherman was the driver to beat every week. Of his 36 oval wins this season, eight of those came during Thursday Thunder. Another six came from weekly races at EchoPark Speedway throughout the season. Sherman and his no. 9 Bandolero will enter EchoPark Speedway with a perfect 1900 points. Thirty-two of his 36 oval wins are 100-point victories, easily clearing the mark for clean 1900 points with only Bandolero Championship Nationals remaining.
On top of Sherman’s accomplishments at EchoPark Speedway in 2026, he has also captured the series championships at INEX Winter Nationals and the Cook Out Summer Shootout. Chasing him will be Wisconsin’s Harley Johnson, who trails by 18 points, with all other competitors more than 50 points behind.
Bandits Division points leader Lucas Harrison, competed in the full Thursday Thunder championship, scoring a single victory. Only two other podium finishes accompanied that victory, but over the course of the year he has produced 20 total victories across Indiana, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Georgia. Only 15 points behind Harrison is Rhode Island’s Landon Solomito, who has compiled a total of 41 starts and 12 wins
One year ago, Bandolero Championship Nationals at Charlotte Motor Speedway were defined by chaos, resilience, and championship drama. In the Outlaw Division, Landon Thrasher survived repeated cautions and late restarts to hold off the field, earning the hard fought victory. Carson Sherman challenged Thrasher throughout before a late spin ended his hopes. In the Bandits Division, Brexton Busch overcame numerous cautions and pressure from Bryce Castille to claim another Charlotte win. James Behnke’s mechanical issues hurt his title hopes. The victories for Thrasher and Busch secured them their division’s respective national titles for the 2025 season.
Can’t make it to EchoPark Speedway? You can stream all the action on USLegendCars.TV. Friday’s coverage will begin at 4pm ET/1pm PT with ProFabrication Qualifying for Friday’s INEX National Qualifier features. On Saturday, coverage will begin at approximately 2:40pm ET/11:40am PT with ProFabrication Qualifying, followed by feature racing, including a Legend Car feature to end the day.
While Bandolero Championship Nationals is the championship deciding race, the 2026 INEX Racing Series points season ends on October 4th with points not being official until October 28th.
See a complete list of previous Bandolero national champions, winners of the first 28 running of Bandolero Championship Nationals, along with 2025 results by viewing the 2025 INEX Racing Series Yearbook.
ONES TO WATCH:
Bandolero Outlaws
Carson Sherman (GA): 1900 points, 44 starts, 36 wins, 40 podiums
Harley Johnson (WI): 1882 points, 38 starts, 15 wins, 28 podiums
Christopher Flynn (MN): 1843 points, 53 starts, 14 wins, 25 podiums
Jordan Bauer (TN): 1834 points, 50 starts, 6 wins, 26 podiums
Jackson Jones (NC): 1831 points, 39 starts, 10 wins, 29 podiums
Bandolero Bandits
Lucas Harrison (TN): 1888 points, 48 starts, 20 wins, 27 podiums
Landon Solomito (RI): 1873 points, 41 starts, 12 wins, 24 podiums
Daylen Pennington (GA): 1855 points, 28 starts, 7 wins, 20 podiums
Maverick Bradshaw (NC): 1849 points, 28 starts, 13 wins, 19 podiums
Wesley Baumeister (WI): 1849 points, 26 starts, 9 wins, 16 podiums
PIT NOTES:
Landon Solomito: “I’ve been watching videos of people racing there since I’ve never been there before. I’m also trying to race more unrestricted races since we only race with a blue plate here in New England. My goal is to try to win it!”
Carson Sherman: “Mike Gordon and Team Gordon always bring me fast cars. So, for me I'm just ready to get back to EchoPark Speedway and race since we've had a few weeks off. I'm ready to get back on track. I know I'll have a car to win but I have to be on top of my game because the best of the best will be there. My goals are to go out and lead every lap and win the National Championship race but the main goal is to finish up strong and win the Outlaw National Championship.”