User blog:Ajaxcupseries/2026 Ajax Cup Series Season Preview

The Fallon Corner - February 2026

Another new season, another fresh start.

That is the mentality that 24 of the ASCA’s best have heading into the 2026 edition of Speedweeks at Ajax Superspeedway on February 22nd, with many drivers believing this could be finally be their year.

For the first time since 2015, the playing field has been dramatically leveled enough so to give just about anyone who did their homework last year an opportunity to compete for a championship.

The new V6 turbo hybrid engines figure to turn the sport’s hierarchy completely upside down, and loosen the grip that powerhouses Ronnie Woods Motorsports and Orkedi Bros Racing have had in recent years.

This plus the addition of composite bodies which will potentially lower the high amount of DNF’s seen in recent years provide an opportunity for the best talent the ASCA has to offer to fully shine, while any pretenders be fully exposed.

Factoring in the farewell tour of a future first ballot Hall of Famer and one of the greatest wheelmen the sport has ever seen, the 12th season of the modern era marks the dawn of a new era full of many unknowns for drivers, teams, and fans alike.

As I set out to do every year, here’s my top storylines to follow closely throughout the record 17 race calendar set to take place from February 22nd to June 18th:

Randle Woods’ Last Ride
January 4th, 2026 - an announcement that blindsided all ASCA fans and pundits alike, but also one we knew was unfortunately inevitable.

That morning, Randle Woods announced via Twitter that this would be his last full time campaign in the sport after nearly 20 full seasons of competition, likely going out as the sport’s all time wins leader, fourth on the Cup Series all time wins list, and most importantly the 2019 and 2021 champion.

Off the heels of back to back winless seasons at the age of 38 it was only a matter of time before the Computerville native would hang it up - but doing so now truly marks the largest flashpoint to date in signifying the changing of the guard.

Woods is far from the only high profile retirement in recent years. Jimmy Hood, Ryan Braun, and Nick Orkedi have all called it quits within the past four campaigns, but the 55 time ASCA winner’s retirement is arguably the most impactful of all.

Gone is the ASCA many grew up with featuring Woods, Hood, and Diego Orkedi running the show. While the latter Orkedi is still at the top of his game, it’s now the likes of Todd Kidd and Shane Park challenging him for championships year in and year out.

Soak it in, ladies and gentlemen. You will get to witness a historic 17 races this year featuring one of the greatest behind the wheel for one final ride in 2026.

The ASCA’s New Era
New regulations. New cars. New faces in new places. New schedule. New Computer Motor Speedway.

What is NOT new in 2026?

With so many unknowns heading into this season, it presents a rare opportunity for someone to challenge the two current heavyweights of the sport - Diego Orkedi and Todd Kidd.

The two future Hall of Famers have seen either one or the other finish first or second in the standings each of the past four years; with Orkedi and Kidd trading championships in 2024 and 2025.

Could this be the year Carson Schmidt fully comes into his own and provides his first real title challenge?

Could Toyota nail the new regulations like many think they will to provide their breakout star Braeden Bennett with the equipment necessary to contend for a championship?

Can Shane Park convert his back to back top 3 points finishes into a championship charge in 2026?

Those are just three of the fresh, young faces 25 years old or younger who boast a great shot at competing for a title - but they’ll have to compete with the FIVE rookies this year for the right to lead the sport’s next youth movement into the 2030’s.

Whoever wins the championship this year will not just be setting the tone for now, but also the rest of the decade.

Can Todd Kidd Run it Back in 2026?
No driver in ASCA history has EVER won back to back titles in either division of the sport.

Not even the legendary four time champions Ronnie Woods or Diego Orkedi can say they’ve ever pulled off the repeat in their careers to date - two drivers that make hoisting hardware look easy in this business.

However, if there’s any driver that could do it, especially at this stage of his career, it’s Todd Kidd.

It took the Silicon Valley native 55 starts at the Cup level to capture his first victory in the 2019 season finale at Belltown, but once he did he’s been borderline unstoppable since.

Each of the past two years Kidd has one upped his career high single season wins total with three in 2024 and a record tying FIVE in 2025, needing every ounce of his career campaign last year to narrowly best Diego Orkedi via tiebreaker for the big trophy in the closest title fight in history.

Now only at the age of 30, the California Kidd, the Comeback Kidd, the Cool Kidd, or whatever you want to call him continues to seemingly age like a fine wine - only getting better and better with the more experience he racks up.

It’s going to take some help from Ronnie Woods Motorsports that they did not sacrifice too much chasing glory a year ago to nail the new regulations out of the gate, but if they do get it right - Kidd absolutely has to be the odds on title favorite as the best driver in the sport right now.

Season 12 Breakout Star: Colin Ward
All he does is win, win, win no matter what.

Whether it’s in the Craftsman Series, late models, or especially on dirt, more often than not if Colin Ward is behind the wheel that car will end up in victory lane.

The 24 year old went on an absolute TEAR the past month in his natural habitat, capturing the Lasagna Bowl and the Morgantown Nationals in successive weeks along with four other major dirt events in what pundits call the ‘single greatest dirt racing win streak of all time’.

Now returning to his day job with all this newfound momentum, Ward is coming off quietly one of the best rookie campaigns in ASCA history only to be derailed by a whopping six DNF’s. While the torn up cars are most certainly not ideal, there’s an argument to be made that none of those incidents were directly his fault.

This decade has all but done away with the sophomore slump in favor of the sophomore surge. In recent years, we’ve seen the likes of Laquon Scransen, Carson Schmidt, and Braeden Bennett all take their first Cup victory by the end of their second season.

With the addition of an extra road race at the Michigan Road Course, arguably Ward’s best track, expect him to continue his run of dominance and firmly entrench himself as one of the ASCA’s brightest young stars in 2026.

And the 2026 Ajax Cup Champion Will Be……
With all the aforementioned unknowns heading into this season discussed throughout this preview, it’s harder than ever to decide on a championship pick with only one test’s worth of public data to go on.

While teams have run plenty of private wind tunnel sessions and tests with robots behind the wheel, nothing beats actually seeing the best of the best on track measuring up against one another.

Speaking of that test at Computer Motor Speedway a few weeks back, it was rather clear that Toyota bolstered the upper hand taking three of the top five spots on the timing sheets - but was everyone else showing their true colors? Or were they holding back?

Betting on a manufacturer that has a combined two victories in the past 32 races, both on short tracks, is too risky of a proposition for my liking. The Braeden Bennett rise is fun, but he’s a year away from winning it all in my book.

But who’s hype I will buy into is the biggest story of last year’s silly season shenanigans: Chris Barrymore.

After nine years at his father’s team, it was clear things had fizzled out for Chris at CJ Barrymore Racing, meaning that it was time for a change.

The last time a son of ASCA royalty left their father’s team looking for a fresh start, it was Randle Woods back in 2019 leaving for the greener pastures of Michael White Racing.

The rest, as they say, is history.

While Barrymore didn’t have nearly half the resumé Randle Woods did when he made that move, people forget this is a former Craftsman Series champion with five Cup wins to his credit. On his day, he has proven numerous times that he can win.

And while Cameron Atwood did rather clearly get the best of him at CBR on the stat sheet, head to head Barrymore beat the former champion twice in two high profile battles for the win: the 2023 All Star Race and 2024 at The Stoneyard.

Yes, there is a real chance Barrymore ends up being the worst driver at Ronnie Woods Motorsports making $14M this year with how absolutely STACKED their driver lineup is now.

But what if he isn’t? And what if all it takes is a fresh start for him to unleash his true potential?

All I can say is watch out for that iconic No. 5 back on track in 2026.

And the Windows 300 Winner Will Be….
Let’s cut straight to the chase here: it will be Randle Woods.

Maybe I’m letting some bias come in with how sentimental of an event this will be. Maybe Randle Woods is far from the driver he was a half decade ago.

But damn it all, if Woods cannot retire with a 300 trophy that will be a form of cruel and unusual punishment from fate itself.

The two time champion has run this race 15 times. Of those 15 starts, his closest shots at victory were finishing runner up after an incredible duel with Nick Orkedi in 2015 and leading 114 laps in 2021 with the dominant car - only to blow an engine with 32 laps to go.

This seems like a race Woods should have won multiple times. After all, Diego Orkedi has three of these trophies, Todd Kidd has won the last two, and Jimmy Hood took one in 2014.

However, for one reason or another whether it’s been the equipment or reliability Woods has not put together the total package required to win the most prestigious race in the ASCA.

Adding in the fact that there’s a very real chance the 38 year old enters this race on a 40+ race winless drought, this would be the perfect farewell present that an all time great deserves.