Hi-TEC OILS TOOWOOMBA SPEEDWAY ROARS INTO LIFE
BY DAVID BUDDEN:
After the long winter recess, the wait is finally over, the nights are starting to warm up and it’s time to think about Hi-Tec-Oils Toowoomba Speedway.
No better way to kick off the summer season with four big nights of Sprintcar racing across two massive weekends. Nights one and two of the Sedl Earthmoving Thunder On The Downs get under way on September 18 and 19.
Sprintcars return on September 25 for round three and the Grand Final on the 26. Each feature race paying $7,500 to win attracting Australia’s best drivers and teams to Toowoomba’s high banks in the build up to the NuTrend Homes Australian Sprintcar Championship in November as to who will be the Grand Marshal for that weekend will be announced in the coming weeks. The next two weekends of Sprintcar action will also double as the opening rounds of the Queensland Speedway Spares Ultimate Sprintcar Championship.
GW Racing has also come on board this summer with the quick time award for every Sprintcar event at Toowoomba this season. The driver who sets a quick time in qualifying will take home the GW Racing QuickTime Award plus as an added bonus of a GW Racing Voucher.
The best drivers and teams are locked in and every state represented. Current Australian Champion Jock Goodyer, who just keeps standing on the podium when the nights count, cannot be ruled out after winning the Northern Territory Title recently then another win on night one of Chariots of Thunder.
Brock Hallett and the GW Racing team are impressive everywhere they race. Hallett had a superb Chariots of Thunder in Darwin last weekend finishing third on night one, a feature win on night two, on the final night he again stood on the podium finishing third . Hallett is the reigning Victorian Sprintcar Champion and a Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic winner and this season comes back to Australia with two US A-Main victories on his resume. Lachlan McHugh always brings incredible speed and is a master in traffic, always the crowd favourite wherever he goes as he looks toward to his 100th 410 feature race win, 35 of those wins happened in Toowoomba.
This year takes on an International flavour with three New Zealanders arriving in Toowoomba this week. Brothers Jacob and Joshua McIntyre. Jacob will drive the Tullboro Motorsport entry while Joshua will pilot the RJM Motorsport Team car. Max Gilford, a former New Zealand Champion makes a welcome return to Hi-Tec-Oils Speedway as he starts his 2026/27 Australian Tour.
Toowoomba’s Nic Whell,Tarhlea Apelt and Nathan Black also join the impressive nomination list as does Queensland Club Champion Aaron Kelly.
This Saturday night will see the opening round of the Rudd’s Towing Late Model Allstar Series.
A brand new concept to showcase Late model racing in Queensland. The series will be contested over seven rounds with competitors able to drop or miss one round before the championship Grand Final on April third . Offering further incentive to the series, it boasts a massive $15,000 end-of-season prize pool, with the series paying back to the top five drivers, including an impressive $6,000 payday for the series champion.
Every round of the series will pay $2,000 to win, while competitors will also have the opportunity to race for additional prize money during the Rudd’s Towing Queensland Late Model Championship on December 31which is one of the premier and sought-after events on the Queensland calendar.
With strong fields expected all season, substantial prize money on offer and a championship designed to reward consistency, allowing drivers and teams some flexibility, the inaugural Rudd’s Towing Late Model Allstar Series promises to deliver spectacular racing and further enhance the future of Late Model racing at Hi-Tec-Oils Toowoomba Speedway. Early nominations include Tasmanian Ellis Dickenson along with Rob Hamilton. Toowoomba’s Jordan Cunningham and Bryce Lack.
Series Rounds
R1 – September 19, 2026
R2 – October 31, 2026
R3 – December 26, 2026
R4 – December 31, 2026 (QLD title)
R5 – 9 January 9, 2027
R6 – 27 February 27, 2027
Grand Final – April 3, 2027
Night 1 Support Program consists of Wingless Sprintcars and Formula 500s while night 2 will feature Late Models, Modlites and Compact Speedcars.
Pit Gates open from 1pm both afternoons with the pit walk for online ticket holders until 3pm.
Spectator Gates open at 3pm, racing from 5pm. Merchandise is available from the fan zone between 3 and 8pm. If you can’t make it to the track this weekend you can watch all the action on Clay-Per-View.
