Lakeside, CA — December 7, 2025 — Nine months after opening what turned out to be a very busy season, Sexton Gatlin Racing wrapped up its 2025 campaign with a flurry of races in late November. Dodging raindrops throughout, the team’s season finale featured three team drivers competing at four different tracks across three distinct racing disciplines.
The final stretch was scheduled to begin on November 14 with night one of the Hangtown 100 at Placerville Speedway. Three-time lightning sprint car champion Brent Sexton made the 540-mile trip to the iconic Northern California venue to represent SGR in the Bay Cities Racing Association sanctioned event. That opening night was ultimately rained out. Fortunately, track officials were able to beat Mother Nature the following evening, and Brent delivered a strong performance, charging from 14th to finish fourth in the main event on a rough-and-tumble “cowboy-up” racing surface.
Next up on the schedule was a November 21 event at the Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, California. However, after conceding defeat at Placerville the previous Friday, Mother Nature answered back decisively, washing out the event and handing racing a knockout blow.
The night following the Tulare rainout, attention shifted to Merced Speedway, where Brent’s son Grant took center stage. The race marked a major milestone for the 21-year-old, as it was his first-ever start in a winged 360 sprint car, competing in the prestigious Chase Johnson Classic. The 2021 POWRi Southwest Series champion looked right at home from the start. He qualified 21st in the loaded 30-car field, then started sixth and finished seventh in his eight-lap heat race. That result sent the energetic young racer to the B main with one final shot at transferring into his first 360 winged sprint car main event.
Despite the odds stacked against him, Grant rose to the challenge in the 12-lap B main, capturing the fourth and final transfer spot into the A main. Starting dead last in his first-ever 360 winged sprint car feature, he kept his composure, avoided trouble, and advanced four positions to finish 20th.
The next stop on SGR’s California tour brought the team to the Bakersfield Speedway at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway. This event marked the 9th Annual California Lightning Sprints Western Lightning Sprints Championship and featured Brent and Grant Sexton, along with El Cajon rookie teammate Braydin Collie. Unfortunately, Grant’s night came to a premature end moments after he set the 13th-fastest qualifying time among the 22-car field, when an engine failure caused his car to erupt into flames.
Collie and Brent enjoyed better fortunes in qualifying. Fresh off his run in the grueling BAJA 1000, Collie timed in fifth fastest, while Brent was close behind with the seventh-quickest lap of the session. Collie, who entered the night fifth in the CLS championship standings, finished second in his heat race, while Brent secured a third-place result in his qualifier.
The spotlight shined brightly on Collie during the main event, and the teenager delivered. Starting fifth, he stayed in contention for a top-five finish throughout the race. When the checkered flag waved on both the feature and the 2025 season, Collie crossed the line in fifth. The result moved him up one position to fifth in the Motor City Buick/GMC Championship standings, just 48 points shy of third place. Additionally, he wrapped up the season as the runner-up in the Rookie of the Year standings.
Brent started from the pole in the same lightning sprint car race. Early on, the savvy veteran ran with the lead pack on an extremely rough track surface that was ravaged by heavy rain just days before. Near the end, he slipped back and ultimately finished ninth.
SGR’s final appearance of the season came at the historic 84th Running of the Turkey Night Grand Prix at Ventura Raceway. Spread over two nights, Brent and Grant both competed in the Ultimate Sprint Car Series portion of the program. On opening night, Grant laid down a blistering lap of 12.378 seconds, third fastest in his group and fourth fastest overall among the 56 entries. Brent followed with a lap of 12.840, placing him 32nd in qualifying.
Grant earned an automatic transfer to the A main by finishing third in his heat race. Brent’s evening proved more challenging. After finishing seventh in his heat, he was forced into the B main, where he started eighth. Disaster struck on lap two when a car ahead abruptly moved to the bottom, leaving Brent with nowhere to go. Contact destroyed the front end of his car, and with no steering, he slammed violently into the front-stretch wall, narrowly avoiding a nasty flip.
Brent emerged physically unscathed aside from a frustrated mindset, but the car sustained extensive damage and was finished for the night.
Grant started the A main in 11th position and raced his way up to seventh by the midpoint of the event before a fuel line came loose, ending his night early and relegating him to a disappointing 23rd-place finish.
Saturday’s finale saw Brent advance as far as 14th in the Last Chance Qualifier, falling short of transferring to the main event. Grant stole the show in his Last Chance Qualifier. Starting seventh, he rim-rode the high side of the beach side track and came away with a fifth-place finish, securing his entry into the A main.
During a lengthy red-flag delay for fence repairs during the race, Flo Racing placed a microphone in front of Grant as he waited patiently in his car. As usual, he delivered memorable commentary.
“I just need to keep it underneath me and don’t overdrive it, but also I have to drive the piss out of the thing and kind of let my nuts hang a bit,” he told infield announcer Drake York when asked what it was going to take to get one of the transfers. “It is always sketchy being on the bubble, not knowing who is coming up on you and not knowing what line to run. I don’t want to just follow the leader and let someone blow by me on the outside. Braden Chiaramonte has me pretty dialed in, and all my boys are working on the car this weekend. They are telling me where I can hammer it, and where I can’t hammer it. That part is nice. I don’t know, but they are telling me that you can never go wrong on the bottom. I am just going to have to sack up and make some moves so we are not so worried on the bubble.“
For the main Grant lined up for SGR’s final race of 2025, the Turkey Night Grand Prix sprint car feature. Starting 18th, he avoided the chaos that plagued much of the race and took the final checkered flag of the season in 13th place.
With the season officially concluded, the hard work now begins. The team will tear down cars, refresh equipment, and search for marketing partners ahead of the 2026 season. Anyone interested in aligning with one of the most competitive and fun teams in American short-track racing is encouraged to contact Brent Sexton using the information provided in this release.
For those interested in lightning sprint car racing, Brent also has a Henchcraft chassis with numerous spares available. As he says, he is “motivated to sell fast.”
For more updates, follow Sexton Gatlin Racing on social media and stay tuned for results throughout the 2025 season.
Sexton Gatlin Racing would like to thank the following companies for making the 2025 season possible. East County Electric Works, Keys Brothers, Geoff Dale, BR Motorsports, Maxima Oil, Automated Interiors, Valley Lubricant Services, Sexton Fire Protection, BK Wings, and Troy Dirt.
If you or your company are interested in becoming a marketing partner with Sexton Gatlin Racing in 2025, please call (619) 454-6945 or E-mail mailto:sextonfire@cox.net or mailto:sextonfire@gmail.com.
Brent Sexton 2025 Results
3/8/25 Ventura Raceway USCS Sprint Cars 13th A Main
3/14/25 Imperial Valley Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars DNS
3/15/25 Imperial Valley Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 14th A Main
3/28/25 Ocean Speedway USCS Sprint Cars 5th A Main
3/29/25 Merced Speedway USCS Sprint Cars 12th A Main
4/12/25 Bakersfield Speedway USCS Sprint Cars 12th A Main
5/17/25 Santa Maria Speedway Ultimate Sprint Cars 21st A Main
6/3/25 Circle City Speedway (Indianapolis) 410 Sprint Cars 14th A Main
6/4/25 Paragon Speedway (Indiana) 410 Sprint Cars 11th B Main
6/5/25 Lincoln Park Speedway (Indiana) 410 Sprint Cars Rained Out
6/6/25 Bloomington Speedway (Indiana) 410 Sprint Cars Rained Out
6/7/25 Tri State Speedway (Indiana) 410 Sprint Cars Rained Out
6/8/25 Kokomo Speedway (Indiana) 410 Sprint Cars 8th B Main
8/1/25 Barona Speedway SoCal Lightning Sprints 21st A Main
8/2/25 Barona Speedway SoCal Lightning Sprints DNS
8/10/25 Buffalo River Speedway Minkota Lightning Nationals 7th A Main
8/10/25 Buffalo River Speedway Minkota Lightning Nationals 13th A Main
8/22/25 Plaza Park Raceway California Lightning Sprints DNS
9/12/25 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprints 19th A Main
9/13/25 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 21st A Main
9/20/25 Ventura Raceway Ultimate Sprint Cars 3rd A Main
10/4/25 Mohave Valley Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 18th A Main
10/24/25 Central Arizona Raceway USAC National Sprint Cars DNS
10/25/25 Central Arizona Raceway USAC National Sprint Cars 19th B Main
11/15/25 Placerville Speedway Bay Cities Racing Association 4th A Mail
11/25/25 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprints 9th A Main
11/28/25 Ventura Raceway Ultimate Sprint Car Series 18th B Main
11/29/25 Ventura Raceway Ultimate Sprint Car Series 13 LCQ
Braydin Collie 2025 SGR Results
3/14/25 Imperial Valley Raceway SoCal Lightning Sprints 11th A Main
3/15/25 Imperial Valley Raceway SoCal Lightning Sprints 11th A Main
4/12/25 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprints 11th A Main
5/17/25 Merced Speedway CLS vs BCRA Civil War 9th A Main
6/7/25 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprints 3rd A Main
6/21/25 Ventura Raceway California Lightning Sprints 6th A Main
7/5/25 Santa Maria Speedway California Lightning Sprints 5th A Main
7/26/25 Santa Maria Speedway California Lightning Sprints 6th A Main
8/1/25 Barona Speedway SoCal Lightning Sprints 5th A Main
8/2/25 Barona Speedway SoCal Lightning Sprints 10th A Main
8/7/25 Norman County Raceway Minkota Lightning Nationals 10th A Main
8/10/25 Buffalo River Speedway Minkota Lightning Nationals 12th A Main
8/10/25 Buffalo River Speedway Minkota Lightning Nationals 3rd A Main
8/22/25 Plaza Park Raceway California Lightning Sprints 7th A Main
8/23/25 Lemoore Jet Bowl Raceway California Lightning Sprints 7th a Main
8/30/25 Ventura Raceway California Lightning Sprints 7th A Main
9/12/25 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprints 8th A Main
9/13/25 Merced Speedway California Lightning Sprints 10th A Main
10/4/25 Ventura Raceway California Lightning Sprints 6th A Main
10/25/25 Ventura Raceway California Lightning Sprints 7th A Main
11/25/25 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprints 4th A Main
Grant Sexton 2025 Results
2/22/25 Mohave Valley Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 20th A Main
3/8/25 Ventura Raceway USCS Sprint Cars 8th A Main
3/14/25 Imperial Valley Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 19th A Main
4/12/25 Bakersfield Speedway USCS Sprint Cars 17th A Main
5/17/15 Santa Maria Speedway USCS Sprint Cars DNS
8/1/25 Barona Speedway SoCal Lightning Sprints 13th A Main
8/2/25 Barona Speedway SoCal Lightning Sprints 10th A Main
8/7/25 Norman County Raceway Minkota Lightning Nationals 5th A Main
8/10/25 Buffalo River Speedway Minkota Lightning Nationals 21st A Main
8/10/25 Buffalo River Speedway Minkota Lightning Nationals 18th A Main
9/12/25 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprints 6th A Main
9/20/25 Ventura Raceway Ultimate Sprint Cars 17th A Main
10/4/25 Mohave Valley Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 10th A Main
11/22/25 Merced Speedway Winged 360 Sprint Cars 20th A Main
11/25/25 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprints DNS
11/28/25 Ventura Raceway Ultimate Sprint Car Series 23rd A Main
11/29/25 Ventura Raceway Ultimate Sprint Car Series 13th A Main
Dalton Sexton 2025 Results
8/1/25 Barona Speedway SoCal Lightning Sprints 14th A Main
8/2/25 Barona Speedway SoCal Lightning Sprints 20th A Main
AJ Bender 2025 SGR Results
3/15/25 Imperial Valley Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 23rd A Main
