JAKE TRAINOR AND JOJO HELBERG WIN THEIR CUT OF LARGEST SINGLE DAY PURSE IN PAVEMENT SPRINT CAR HISTORY AT BERLIN RACEWAY

📸 Rick Kimball

MARNE, Mich. (July 25, 2026) – Race For The Million made pavement sprint car racing history Saturday night at Berlin Raceway, awarding a record $221,300, the largest single-day purse in pavement sprint car history -- while Jake Trainor and JoJo Helberg each earned their first career Race For The Million victories in an unforgettable twin-feature event. Trainor backed up his Quick Time performance (12.751 seconds) by driving from the outside front row to victory in Feature 1, earning championship points and a $25,000 payday. Kody Swanson and Aaron Willison completed the podium.

An ecstatic Trainor said, “Unbelievable. Right, Quick Time that was unbelievable for us. I did not think we had that in us to start the night. That set the tone…Man, I knew Jeff [Montgomery] was going to be tough starting on the pole, but I was really just hoping we had a better race car, and did we have an awesome one. It was awesome.”

The format of Feature 2 was revealed in Victory Lane of Feature 1, a 12-car invert of cars that finished second through thirteenth in Feature 1, with Trainor to the tail. Feature 2 was a dash for cash, with no championship points awarded. Kody Swanson was also the recipient of the Eibach Spring Forward Award, advancing eight positions in Feature 1.

The second Feature belonged to the driver who made a 40-hour trek to Berlin Raceway, JoJo Helberg. Helberg found speed on the high-line and made a late-race pass around Kody Swanson to secure his cut of the large purse payout. Helberg started seventh in the second Feature.

Helberg recounted, “The start of the main event, it did ok and then it didn’t do all that good. I started to think, man, this is going to be a long race. And then, I got to the outside and I started building momentum enough to pass a couple of people. I was like ok. And then, one time on a restart I went to the third lane which I was really nervous, if I'm nervous in the second lane what's the third lane going to be? So I get in the third lane and that thing takes off like a rocket and passes people and the car felt so stuck good.”

Kody Swanson, again, finished runner-up and Colton Bettis finished third. Trainor's Feature 1 victory also made him eligible for a $50,000 bonus had he completed the sweep from the tail of the field. While the bonus remained unclaimed, he was awarded the Eibach Spring Forward Award and won a $17,000 bonus, $1,000 for every car he passed in the second Feature.

Race For The Million founder Richard Fieler said, “Tonight’s race was particularly awesome. All of our races have been good, and people have come from various positions to win them. The speed of the cars, the fan reactions to the cars and the drivers, and the professionalism exhibited by the drivers of the group. At these speeds with 25 cars on this racetrack, it was just absolutely breathtaking, and I couldn’t be prouder of everybody who raced tonight’s event.”

Race For The Million heads to Colorado National Speedway on August 22nd for the season finale.

FEATURE 1 RESULTS

Sunbelt Rentals Feature 1(40 laps): 1. 29-Jake Trainor [2]; 2. 50M-Kody Swanson [10]; 3. 36-Aaron Willison [6]; 4. 7X-Matt Dimit [4]; 5. 88X-Chase Locke [5]; 6. 22A-Bobby Santos III [11]; 7. 7-JoJo Helberg [13]; 8. 99-Troy De Caire [7]; 9. 5-Joe Ligouri [9]; 10. 1-Dakoda Armstong [8]; 11. 14-Davey Hamilton Jr. [19]; 12. 88SR-Jimmy McCune [17]; 13. 61-Colton Bettis [18]; 14. 91-Bryan Warf [15] 15. 33J-Jeff Montgomery [1]; 16. 11-Kyle Edwards [12]; 17. 42-Dorman Snyder [24]; 18. 5R-Darren Roberts [23]; 19. 71-Quintin Saymaan [22]; 20. 7K-Bobby Komisarski [16]; 21. 68-Mike Anderson [21]; 22. 07-Ryan Litt [3]; 23. 4-Donnie Adams Jr. [14]; 24. 6G-Bryan Gossel [25]; 25. 15-Eric Humphries [20]

FEATURE 2 RESULTS

Sunbelt Rentals Feature 2(40 laps): 1. 7-JoJo Helberg [7]; 2. 50M-Kody Swanson [12]; 3. 61-Colton Bettis [1]; 4. 22A-Bobby Santos III [8]; 5. 14-Davey Hamilton Jr. [3]; 6. 36-Aaron Willison [11]; 7. 91-Bryan Warf [13]; 8. 29-Jake Trainor [25]; 9. 15-Eric Humphries [22]; 10. 88SR-Jimmy McCune [2]; 11. 99-Troy De Caire [6]; 12. 1-Dakoda Armstrong [4]; 13. 11-Kyle Edwards [15]; 14. 33J-Jeff Montgomery [14] 15. 07-Ryan Litt [21]; 16. 88X-Chase Locke [9]; 17. 7X-Matt Dimit [10]; 18. 6G-Bryan Gossel [23]; 19. 42-Dorman Snyder [16]; 20. 71-Quintin Saymaan [18]; 21. C45-Colton Stepke [24]; 22. 5R-Darren Roberts [17]; 23. 5-Joe Ligouri [5]; 24. 7K-Bobby Komisarski [19]; 25. 68-Mike Anderson [20]

About Race for the Million

The Race for the Million is a bold new chapter in 410-Winged Pavement Sprint Car racing, bringing fresh energy and excitement to pavement ovals across the nation. The brainchild of owner and founder Richard Fieler, the series hits legendary short tracks across the country delivering heart-pounding, wheel-to-wheel racing and a full-scale entertainment experience that redefines the traditional night at the races. The 2026 season features a four-race schedule with a total purse payout and point fund exceeding $1 million. FloSports, a leader in sports streaming and original content, will provide exclusive live coverage of each event. For more information regarding the Race for the Million, visit www.raceforthemillion.com. Fans can also follow Race for the Million on X at @race4themillion, Instagram at @race4themillion, Facebook at Race for the Million, and YouTube at Race for the Million.

CONTACT:Sarah Tonsmeire

Public Relations, Race for the Million

pr@raceforthemillion.com