Swanson Blisters Race for the Million Field at Owosso Speedway
- Mike Powell
- 22 hours ago
- 4 min read
Ovid, MI - On June 3, 2026, Owosso Speedway in Ovid, Michigan, brought together round 2 of the Race for the Million and the season opener for the All Star National Pavement Midget Series for a star-studded, record-breaking Wednesday evening of open-wheel asphalt sprint racing.
The field was filled with some of the best short-track racers vying for the night’s top prizes, including NASCAR’s Christopher Bell and Ryan Newman, alongside his daughter Brooklyn, racing alongside him in the pavement midgets. Fresh off of his Little 500 win, Kody Swanson joined as well, racing in both classes. Chase Cabre, Davey Hamilton Jr., Jake Trainer, and Race for the Million race 1 winner, Aaron Willison came out to race, just to name a few.
History was made at Owosso Speedway during the Race for the Million qualifying session as Chase Cabre set the fastest time of the session, which also became the new fastest lap in Owosso Speedway’s 87-year history. With a time of 11.774, Cabre was wheeling his winged sprint at an average of 117mph around the 3/8 mile oval.
The Race for the Million heat races provided a glimpse of the wheel-to-wheel racing we would see in the upcoming features. The drivers had 4 very clean, 10-lap, caution-free heats, with the fourth giving us some really great battles. It seemed the drivers were ready to race their features. Each winner won in fairly dominant fashion, pulling away from their fields within the opening laps. Cabre, Trainor, Willison, and Montgomery each won their respective heat races.
As the sun set, we began our feature races with the Race for the Million B Main. It took a few yellow flag cautions to get us past lap 1. Even before it began, it became a race of attrition. From there, we were green for 12 laps. The top 8 pilots transferred into the a main feature race, including:
After a bit of a break, it was time for the Race to the Million, a 55-lap A Main Feature race, where the prize for first is a cool $30,000. #36 Aaron Willison, who won round 1 of 4 of this series, started in the top spot; he was keen to keep that run going. However, Kody Swanson, in his 50M machine, took the lead early in the race and held on tight to that lead for the remaining 52 laps. After navigating lapped traffic, a few yellow flags, and threats from Willison on the final three-lap run to the checkered, Swanson brought it home. Before quickly regrouping and strapping into his wingless pavement midget. Kody Swanson had the fastest lap of the race, with a 12.718.
The Race to the Million top 10 from Owosso Speedway include:
1. #50M Kody Swanson
2. #36 Aaron Willison
3. #22A Bobby Santos III
4. #26 Chase Cabre
5. #14 Davey Hamilton Jr.
6. #61 Colton Bettis
7. #29 Jake Trainor
8. #88 Jimmy McCune
9. #5 Joe Liguori
10. #1 Dakota Armstrong
The All Star National Pavement Midget Series put the period on the evening at Owosso Speedway with their 25-lap feature. These racers were pulling Blue Angel-style formations through the corners, with the main pack having three to four rows of cars, each 3-wide, slinging through turns 1 & 2. Christopher Bell had a strong race, keeping 2nd position safe for most of the race and through the end, finishing behind #29 Jake Trainor. Multiple pilots, including Newman, Swanson, and Trainor, ran both races.
Swanson and Newman brought some excitement mid-race with Newman running in 4th behind Swanson. He had a great run out of turn 4 and down through turn 1. Newman came slinging down on Swanson through the apex, nearly coming together. Post-race, the two light-heartedly recounted the close call with Newman explaining how he did his best to slide a bit high as he saw his front right aiming at Swanson, and fast. That was enough to slow him and avoid a collision. Swanson joked about how he saw a flash of Newman’s green car nose at the last moment and was thankful for the avoidance.
Lap 22 of 25 brought out a quick caution, with all of us looking forward to a Trainor, Bell, Swanson, and Newman 3-lap shootout. The checkered flag flew with the top four intact, with #29 Jake Trainor taking the win. Kody Swanson also had the fastest lap of the race, with a 14.662.
The top 10 from the All Star National Pavement Midget Series feature include:
1. #29 Jake Trainor
2. #19 Christopher Bell
3. #47 Kody Swanson
4. #61 Ryan Newman
5. #88 Chase Locke
6. #7 Ayrton Houk
7. #67 Kyle O'Gara
8. #85 Michael Lewis
9. #53 Dylan Coutu
10. #9 Ben Mikitarian
The Race for the Million continues with Race 3 at Berlin Raceway on July 25 for round 3 of the series. Next, the All Star National Pavement Midget Series races at Lucas Oil Raceway Park on June 25. Look to Michigan Area Racing Connection for coverage and Horsepower Happenings for more in-depth conversations and interviews from these races, racing around Michigan, and more.
Coverage provided by Mike Powell - Biography Photography. Â
Information and data from MyRacePass.com