Montgomery, Alabama (August 31, 2026) — After a thrilling battle in the Black Sheep Woodlands Late Model Sportsman 35-lapper, Chris Wagner returned to Front Porch Grill victory lane for the second time in 2026 on Saturday at the Summer Classic.
The leaders were virtually inseparable for most of the feature, with Wagner duking it out against Trey Grimes, J.R. Hartley, and others throughout the course of the race. Coming to the white flag, Wagner found himself in second place when leader Trey Grimes suddenly lost power.
Taking advantage of Grimes’ mechanical gremlins, Wagner went on to score the victory. This particular triumph stands as Wagner’s second consecutive win at Alabama’s House of Speed.
“I don’t know what happened to [Grimes] on the last lap, just saw him slow up. We had some good, hard racing. I might’ve gotten into him a little bit, not on purpose, but hopefully it didn’t rub him the wrong way. Glad it wasn’t more than 35 laps, because I don’t think I have anything left after running that hard.”
Behind Wagner, J.R. Hartley came home in the runner-up spot. Thomas Hartzog rounded out the podium, with Trey Grimes managing to salvage a fourth place result after his late-race misfortune. Larry Hughes completed the top five.
Late Model Sportsman Qualifying Results
- #5 Chris Wagner – 20.914 seconds
- #75 Branon Bishop – 20.993 seconds
- #51 Trey Grimes – 21.057 seconds
- #00 Thomas Hartzog – 21.331 seconds
- #27 Jeremy Peoples – 21.492 seconds
- #88 Larry Hughes – 23.096 seconds
Late Model Sportsman 35 Results
- #5 Chris Wagner
- #12 J.R. Hartley
- #00 Thomas Hartzog
- #51 Trey Grimes -1 lap
- #88 Larry Hughes -2 laps
- #75 Branon Bishop -5 laps
- #27 Jeremy Peoples -8 laps
Story: Montgomery Motor Speedway press release
Cover photo: Montgomery Motor Speedway