2026 ROAR 1/8 Nationals: Seth VanDalen crowned nitro buggy champion

Photo: LiveRC (source)

The 2026 ROAR 1/8 Nationals have delivered their final verdict: Seth VanDalen is the new national nitro buggy champion. At Silver Dollar RC Raceway in Chico, California, the Tekno driver completed a one-hour, World Championship-length main 4.4 seconds ahead of Chase Lemieux.

2026 ROAR 1/8 Nationals: a dramatic nitro buggy main

Second in qualifying behind defending champion Dakotah Phend, VanDalen had not started his day ideally: fourth in his semi-final, won by his team-mate Ryan Maifield, he lined up well back on a fifteen-buggy grid. Phend led the opening laps before pit strategy reshuffled the order: Chase Lemieux took the lead after the second stop, then VanDalen moved to the front during Maifield’s third stop.

The second half of the race turned into a duel. Block passes, moves on the limit, rolls and unintentional shortcuts: the two men traded blows for almost twenty minutes. VanDalen made the decisive move with under three minutes remaining and never relinquished the lead again.

Mason Fuller completes the podium

Starting eleventh, Mason Fuller produced the charge of the day to reach the third step of the podium with his SWorkz. Chase Lemieux, on Xray, missed the title by 4.4 seconds. Ryan Maifield paid for a late issue and finished seventh, while Dakotah Phend retired two thirds of the way through.

A-Main results

1. Seth VanDalen — 110 laps / 3617.757
2. Chase Lemieux — 110 laps / +4.425 s
3. Mason Fuller — 110 laps / +10.308 s
4. Brandon Rose — 109 laps
5. Jonah Wilson — 109 laps
6. Phi-Long Nguyen — 109 laps
7. Ryan Maifield — 108 laps
8. Jared Wiggins — 108 laps
9. Jermaine Robinson — 108 laps
10. Spencer Rivkin — 107 laps

The win closes a busy week for American 1/8 off-road, after the electric truggy, nitro truggy and electric buggy titles already awarded on the same Californian track.