2026 ROAR 1/8 Nationals: Dakotah Phend takes TQ in nitro buggy

Photo: LiveRC (photo Xray USA) (source)

Only days after his ebuggy title, Dakotah Phend did it again at the Silver Dollar RC Raceway in Chico, California: the XRAY driver took TQ in nitro buggy at the 2026 ROAR 1/8 Nationals, the last class on the programme of the American national championship.

2026 ROAR 1/8 Nationals: a nitro buggy TQ built on consistency

The qualifying format used in Chico only counted the best two rounds out of the four run. Dakotah Phend posted two fastest runs and one second place, a total nobody could get close to. Behind him, Seth VanDalen also put together three strong rounds — two second places and one fastest run — to line up on the front row, while Mason Fuller completed the qualifying podium with a second and a third place.

Fuel mileage, the real decider in qualifying

What made the day special was fuel consumption: several drivers gambled on running their full ten-minute round without a single pit stop. A move that pays off when it works and is ruinous when the car stops on track, and one that weighed heavily on the final nitro buggy qualifying order.

The front of the A-main grid

1. Dakotah Phend (TQ)
2. Seth VanDalen
3. Mason Fuller
4. Ryan Maifield
5. Phi-Long Nguyen

Dakotah Phend will therefore start the A-main from pole position, with the chance to add nitro buggy to an already well-stocked 2026 record. Facing him, Ryan Maifield, already crowned in both truggy classes this week, and Phi-Long Nguyen, beaten by a whisker for the ebuggy title, clearly have what it takes to turn the tables.