The Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series didn’t just show up at Famoso Dragstrip – it put on a two-day war.
With a doubleheader weekend on March 28–29, the famed Bakersfield quarter-mile became a proving ground for some of the West Coast’s toughest bracket racers, where consistency ruled and mistakes were punished fast.
By the time the smoke cleared Sunday night, one name stood above the rest.
San Luis Obispo’s Kyle Rizzoli – a past NHRA national champion – delivered the kind of performance racers talk about for years, driving two different cars to victory in two different categories on the same day. Rizzoli doubled up in Summit Pro and Summit Super Pro, navigating deep fields and relentless competition to park both cars in the winner’s circle.
That’s not luck. That’s elite.
While Rizzoli’s double-up headlined Sunday, the entire weekend was loaded with standout performances.
Saturday’s opener saw Frank Malone take control of Summit Sportsman, while Bakersfield’s Matt Fritts gave the hometown crowd something to cheer about with the Summit Pro win. Joseph Ghyselinck added another local score in Summit Super Pro, and Mark Avila powered his Hayabusa to victory in Summit Motorcycle competition.
Mark Simoniann grabbed the Super Street win, Kyle Conrad topped So-Cal Pro Gas, and David Wolf sealed the deal in Foggit Super Comp. In Junior Street, Alex Rees closed out the day with a win that would turn into something bigger by weekend’s end.
Sunday also delivered a strong family storyline in Junior Street.
Travis Rees stormed to victory, joining his brother Alex as winners on back-to-back days – sweeping the class across the entire doubleheader and putting both names in the winner’s column for the weekend.
Elsewhere on Sunday, Pam Hulse captured the Summit Sportsman win, while Bakersfield’s Paul Silva took control of Summit Motorcycle. Jordan Yeager added a Super Street victory, Austin Frey delivered in So-Cal Pro Gas, and Steve Hendrix flew the Bakersfield flag with a win in Foggit Super Comp.
Two days. Two races. One track that kept delivering.
From seasoned champions to rising young talent, the Summit Series doubleheader at Famoso Dragstrip proved once again why sportsman racing remains one of the most competitive – and most unforgiving – arenas in drag racing.
And if this weekend was any indication, the road to a championship at Famoso is going to be anything but easy.
This story was originally published on March 30, 2026. 
