(Photo: Rocket Gear Media)

The third edition of the Cup Karts North America Summer Nationals took place over the July 31-August 2 weekend, visiting the Motorsports Country Club of Cincinnati for a second straight time. The Batavia, Ohio facility experienced wild weather conditions with storms rolling through both Saturday and Sunday, keeping the CKNA staff and the paddock on their toes. The conditions brought on schedule changes, moving some of the heat races on Saturday to Sunday. The nearly 250 entries powered through the weather delays and wet conditions to decide the nine winners on the weekend. In total, four drivers were able to repeat in their respective category with five new winners added to the history book.

Colin Warren won a second career victory at the Summer Nationals (Photo: Rocket Gear Media)

The largest category of the weekend was the Senior Medium division, welcoming 47 drivers to MCC. Last year’s Grand Nationals winner Cale Zimmermann (VLR) came out of the qualifying session with fast lap to earn the RLV Fastest Qualifier award, recording a 1:07.526. Four drivers came out of the four heat races after the field was split into two groups based on qualifying. Colin Warren (VLR) and two-time defending race winner Dylan Amundson (VLR) won the odd heat races while Alex Zakusilo (Birelart) and Sam Tutwiler (Birelart) took the wins in the even heat races. Tutwiler and Warren earned the most points to start the Feature from the front row with Zakusilo and Amundsen from row two. Christopher McKeithan (Coyote) jumped from sixth on the grid to lead the opening lap, dropping back to second the following circuit behind Warren. Lap three, McKeithan suffered contact and was sent off the course, forcing him to retire. Tutwiler took over the lead on lap four, leading the middle portion of the race before Warren reclaimed the position. He would lead the final four circuits, holding off the challenges from the rest of the top four to claim his first victory in the category at the Summer Nationals. Zimmermann won the battle for second ahead of Tutwiler with Amundsen crossing the line in fourth. He was penalized for contact on lap two, classified ninth. This promoted Aidan Lourenco (Coyote) to fourth and Levi Getz (Coyote) into fifth.

Two straight in Senior Light for Christopher McKeithan (Photo: Rocket Gear Media)

The field for Senior Light was nearly as large, welcoming 44 drivers with many of the same contenders. Sam Tutwiler (Birelart) was RLV Fastest Qualifier award with a time of 1:06.891. Similar to Medium, the field was split up into two groups for the two rounds of heat races, featuring four different winners in the four races. Tutwiler opened up with the first win while Canadian Major Makovskis (Kosmic) won the other odd group heat. 2024 class winner Colin Warren (VLR) and Cale Zimmermann (VLR) took the top spot in the even group heat races. Warren and Makovskis locked up the front row starting spots for the Feature with Zimmermann and defending race winner Christopher McKeithan (Coyote) in row two. The track for the Feature was aggressively wet with more rain coming in as the race progressed. Makovskis took the lead over the opening four laps before McKeithan took over the top spot. The top two pulled away as the rain continued, with McKeithan lead the rest of the 12-lap Feature to record a second straight victory. Makovskis was a close second with Zimmermann crossing the line in third with a last lap move on Warren. Zimmermann was penalized for contact on lap two, moving him to sixth in the order. This promoted Warren to third with Addison Ianniello (Coyote) and Adriano Yannuzzi (Coyote) completing the top five.

Ben Lyda scored his first victory in Senior Heavy (Photo: Rocket Gear Media)

It was a very competitive weekend in the Senior Heavy division that welcomed a first time winner. Qualifying was in wet conditions as Bryce Frank (MGM) secured the RLV Fastest Qualifier award with a time of 1:18.757, edging out Nick Ksobiech (VLR) by 37 thousandths. Dry Vega Tires came on for the opening heat race with Clay Settles (Top Kart) taking the win ahead of two-time defending race winner Owen Lloyd (VLR). The first attempt at running the second heat was delayed until Sunday morning due to weather. The shortened race finished with Ksobiech with the win over Randall Potter (Coyote). The win gave Ksobiech the pole position for the Feature with Settles on the outside of the front row. Lloyd and Potter started from row two. Lloyd jumped out to the lead to begin the 15-lap main event, showing the way for the first nine laps. Ksobiech took back the spot for one lap before Ben Lyda (Stealth) come up from fourth to the lead over two circuits. Lyda led the final five laps to secure his first CKNA major victory. Ksobiech was second at the line ahead of Settles with Potter classified fourth after a one position penalty to Lloyd for contact.

First Junior victory for Isaac Payn at Summer Nationals (Photo: Rocket Gear Media)

The Junior category welcomed a third different winner over the third edition of the event. Florida drivers Carter Barkis (EOS) and Ryder Thompson (Coyote) were able to match their quick times in the wet qualifying session, with Barkis earning the RLV Fastest Qualifier award. All four heat races were in dry conditions, led by Isaac Payn (Stealth) and Daniel Draganov (VLR). Both drivers won their heat races to secure the front row for the Final. Draganov was shuffled back to third until lap four when contact and a spin by Draganov took him and others out of the running. This allowed Payn and Teghan Schneider (Birelart) to break away from the field. Payn was able to lead every lap, holding off Schneider at the line by 26 thousandths of a second for his first CKNA major victory. Hayden Lawson (Stealth) crossed the line in third but penalty for contact put him back to fifth, promoting Canadian Jamie Stewien (Intrepid) to third and Jett Price (EOS) into fourth.

Jamie Bradford became the third different winners in Masters (Photo: Rocket Gear Media)

It was a near sweep in the Masters division, welcoming 19 drivers to make up a very competitive field. Spring Nationals winner AJ Roderick (Coyote) cleared the field by over three tenths in qualifying for the RLV Fastest Qualifier award. Roderick led all 10 laps of Heat One before battling to the win in Heat Two. Jamie Bradford (MGM) joined him on the front row for the Feature with Scott Falcone (Coyote) and defending race winner Michael Dittmer (VLR) starting from row two. The class hit a wet track for the first time on the weekend Roderick showing the way for the first three laps. Lap four, Bradford took control and was able to pull away to over a two-second advantage. Bradford locked up his first Summer Nationals victory with Roderick finishing second. Falcone held on to third with JD Gunn (CRG) coming from 13th to fourth, finishing ahead of Dittmer.

Second straight for Todd Bolton in Legends (Photo: Rocket Gear Media)

Todd Bolton (Coyote) was able to earn a second straight win in Legends category. Canadian Eli Yanko (YPM) navigated the rain the best to earn the RLV Fastest Qualifier award, edging out Doug Cook (Coyote) and Scott Falcone (Coyote) by 37 thousandths. Yanko paced the field on a dry track in Heat One while rain returned for Heat Two as Tim Shutt (Pantano) went from fourth to first to claim the win. Shutt and Cook earned the front row starting spots with Falcone and Yanko in row two. The Legends class had the pleasure of welcoming back the rain weather, with the Feature red flagged just after it started. They restarted with rain tires and rain on the circuit. Starting fifth was Bolton, who was able to take advantage of contact on lap three with the leaders to take the lead. Bolton led the last nine laps to secure a second straight victory. James Perkins (CRG) moved up to second late, bringing 2024 winner Todd Baron (MGM) to third with Brandt Estes (Coyote) and Jody Covington (MGM) rounding out the top five.

Camila Canache scored the victory in Sportsman (Photo: Rocket Gear Media)

For the second straight year, the Sportsman division welcomed a female winner. Austin Taylor (Kart Republic) set the pace in qualifying, earning the RLV Fastest Qualifier award by clearing the 21 driver field by four tenths. Second in the order was Camila Canache (Parolin) as the two went 1-2 in the opening heat, separated by only 19 thousandths at the line. Heat Two saw Taylor get shuffled out of the top five Canache scored the win by a mere 69 thousandths ahead of Vicente Santino Aguilar (Tony Kart). Canache and Taylor made up the front row for the Feature while Mikey Todd (CRG) and Aguilar filled out row two. The class hit the wet racetrack for the main event Canache led the opening six circuits before Taylor took control. On the final circuit, Canache was able to take back the lead and reach the checkered flag first for the victory. Taylor settled for second with Todd in third. Aguilar crossed the line in fourth but was penalized two positions for contact, moving Cristobal Ricci (Tony Kart) to fourth and Ryan Hall (Pantano) into fifth.

Spencer Hite recorded a second straight in Cadet (Photo: Rocket Gear Media)

Cadet was a near sweep by defending race winner Spencer Hite (Nitro Kart) who grabbed a second straight victory at the Summer Nationals. James Fox (Top Kart) led the way in qualifying to earn the RLV Fastest Qualifier award as Hite found himself fourth in the order. Hite was able to grab the lead late in the opening heat to hold off Fox by 72 thousandths at the line for the win. The second heat was a wire-to-wire performance by Hite, landing the pole position for the Feature with Matteo Romeo (LGK) on the front row with Maddox Nieves (Coyote) and Fox in row two. Nieves jumped up to second early in the 15-lap race behind Hite. He took the lead prior to the white flag but Hite was able to take the spot back and secure the victory by 48 thousandths. Fox had fast lap of the race to finish third ahead of Romeo with Elam Stoner (Coyote) in fifth.

Two in a row in Kid Kart for Maverick Reddick (Photo: Rocket Gear Media)

The only sweep of the weekend came in Kid Kart by defending race winner Maverick Reddick (CRG). The Texan cleared the 13-driver field by over a second in the rain to earn the RLV Fastest Qualifier award. Reddick went wire-to-wire in both heat races and led all nine laps of the Feature for the second straight victory in the category. Kit Dixon (EKS) went from third to second for the runner-up finish with Elio Dwyer (Birelart) in third. Hal Byrd (CRG) and Millie Clements (Alonso Kart) rounded out the top five.

The Cup Karts North America gears up for the final stretch of the season. The CKNA North Division closes out its season on August 22-23 at the Norway Motorsports Park in Sheridan, Illinois. CKNA East wraps up its championship program at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, New Jersey over the August 29-30 weekend. The September 4-6 weekend is the final weekend for the CKNA Canada Division, visiting the Karting Trois-Rivieres circuit in Trois-Rivieres, Quebec. Then the big one, the CKNA Grand Nationals 10, scheduled for October 8-11 at the New Castle Motorsports Park in New Castle, Indiana.

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