Race 3 of the Super Late Model East Regional Series Season 2 took the field to Dirt (Jan 16, 2026), and it delivered another major swing point in a season where every single point matters. With the scoring format set at 12 points to win (one less per position behind) plus 1 bonus point for qualifying fast time, Oswego offered a prime chance for someone to post a “max points” night and tighten the championship picture. After three races, the series is officially past the early stage, and with four races remaining, the margin for error is starting to shrink.

Brayden E Carter cashed in on that opportunity in the biggest way possible. Starting from P1, Carter captured the qualifying fast-time bonus and converted it into the win for a full 13-point haul. He was credited with leading 28 laps, setting the tone early and controlling the pace right to the finish. Even with the official laps-led showing Carter out front the entire distance, the closing stretch still tightened up significantly—race notes show Aidan Strawberry briefly took over the lead with five to go down the back stretch, but Carter was able to reclaim control, and the top four were nose-to-tail at the end.

Strawberry’s night was another example of why the points lead isn’t always owned by the driver with the most wins. He started third, finished second again, and posted the fastest lap of the race at 17.707. That’s now three straight runner-up finishes to open the season, and those steady 11-point nights have Strawberry leading the standings with 33 points. Carter has won the last two races and has been perfect on points in both starts (13 and 13), but Strawberry’s consistency has him still in front by 7 with four races left to run.

Behind the front two, Joseph Grandy made his first start of the season count in a big way by landing on the podium. Grandy started second and finished third for 10 points, immediately placing himself in the thick of the standings battle among the drivers tied on points just outside the top four. Samuel Wright5 continued his strong start to the season as well, backing up his Charlotte performance with another fourth-place finish at Oswego. That second straight 9-point night has Wright up to third in the standings at 18 points—and he made the biggest move in the top group, jumping three positions in the points order.

The hard-charger award at Oswego goes to Joshua Nevoraski, who drove from 12th on the grid to a 5th-place finish, a +7 position gain that turned into an 8-point debut. Brandon Lindell also made his first start of the season and finished 6th for 7 points, setting himself up as another name to watch if he can return and stack results. On the other end of the swing chart, the biggest position losses belonged to Dale Farness, Caiden Black, and Eddie Farness (each dropping three spots from start to finish), making Oswego a tough points night compared to where they lined up.

Now the points storyline is clear and getting sharper. Strawberry’s advantage comes from relentless consistency, while Carter’s advantage is that he’s shown he can hit the maximum score when he’s on track—especially with the qualifying bonus point, which has already been a difference-maker (Carter has two bonus points in two starts; Strawberry has none). Jake Silvia remains a key factor as well: he still has a 13-point total from his opening-round win, but missing the last two races has dropped him to fourth, and with only four races left, every start from here on out becomes critical. The mid-pack points fight is also building quickly, with a tight cluster at 10 points (Grandy, Robert Hentschel, and Chance Sealy2), and another group at 8 points (Ty Bumgarner, Nevoraski, and Easton Zent) where one strong run can create a multi-position jump in the standings.

WHAT’S NEXT
Race 4 heads to Port Royal Speedway. With four races remaining, the title fight is still wide open, but the math is starting to reward drivers who can pair race results with that 1-point qualifying bonus to maximize each opportunity.

RACE 3 RESULTS — OSWEGO SPEEDWAY DIRT

  1. Brayden E Carter — Start 1 — Finish 1 — 13 pts (12 race + 1 qualifying bonus) — Laps Led 28 — Best Lap 17.727

  2. Aidan Strawberry — Start 3 — Finish 2 — 11 pts — Fastest Lap 17.707

  3. Joseph Grandy — Start 2 — Finish 3 — 10 pts — Best Lap 17.840

  4. Samuel Wright5 — Start 4 — Finish 4 — 9 pts — Best Lap 17.765

  5. Joshua Nevoraski — Start 12 — Finish 5 — 8 pts — Hard Charger (+7) — Best Lap 17.891

  6. Brandon Lindell — Start 7 — Finish 6 — 7 pts — Best Lap 17.966

  7. Lance J West — Start 9 — Finish 7 — 6 pts — DQ/Scoring Invalidated

  8. Dale Farness — Start 5 — Finish 8 — 5 pts — DQ/Scoring Invalidated

  9. Caiden Black — Start 6 — Finish 9 — 4 pts — DQ/Scoring Invalidated

  10. Justin Bennetts — Start 11 — Finish 10 — 3 pts — DQ/Scoring Invalidated

  11. Eddie Farness — Start 8 — Finish 11 — 2 pts — DQ/Scoring Invalidated

  12. Pierce Newlon — Start 10 — Finish 12 — 1 pt — DQ/Scoring Invalidated

TOP 20 STANDINGS AFTER RACE 3

  1. Aidan Strawberry — 33

  2. Brayden E Carter — 26

  3. Samuel Wright5 — 18

  4. Jake Silvia — 13

  5. Chance Sealy2 — 10

  6. Joseph Grandy — 10

  7. Robert Hentschel — 10

  8. Kamden Gossard — 9

  9. Easton Zent — 8

  10. Joshua Nevoraski — 8

  11. Ty Bumgarner — 8

  12. Brandon Lindell — 7

  13. Dennis Holley — 7

  14. Thomas Enger — 7

  15. Cortney Coyle — 6

  16. Jason Brown12 — 6

  17. Lance J West — 6

  18. Dale Farness — 5

  19. Spencer Harp — 5

  20. Tommy Toughknuckles — 5

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