Robby Sawyer scores maiden CARS Tour West Pro Late Model Victory at All-American Speedway

For the first time in his career, Robby Sawyer is a winner on asphalt.

The Bakersfield native held off a late charge from Jaron Giannini to win Saturday night’s CARS Tour West JM Environmental 125 at All American Speedway, claiming his first Pro Late Model victory and first win in CARS Tour West competition.

Sawyer spent more than a decade racing dirt modifieds around the Southwest before making the transition to asphalt racing over the last year and a half.

The transition has been a work in progress every time Sawyer has climbed behind the wheel, but throughout the 2026 season he has steadily improved and consistently found himself running near the front.

That consistency has put Sawyer in the middle of the Pro Late Model championship fight, but entering Saturday night, the one thing that had continued to elude him was a trip to victory lane.

“I mean, work-wise, it’s been hard,” Sawyer said. “I don’t have a full-time crew, I get off work after a 14-hour day and I go work on the race car. I’ve really put in the work and had to change the way I drive a race car over the last year and a half and get acclimated to pavement racing.”

That learning process continued Saturday night as Sawyer found himself having to control a race from the lead for the first time.

“I’ve never had to restart a race in the lead before,” Sawyer said. “I was learning and trying to figure everything that comes with that out on the fly, like the restart box and timing. I come from a dirt background where we restart when we want to. I was really trying to focus on hitting my marks.”

After qualifying sixth, Sawyer worked his way toward the front before eventually finding himself in position to take control of the race.

“As far as tonight goes, we just buckled down,” Sawyer said. “I qualified sixth and then I started to pass cars and worked my way up to second. After the leader got into it with the lapper, I just kept my head on straight. It’s just awesome to bring it home, man.”

Vito Cancilla captured his first pole position of the season and led the field of 16 Pro Late Models to the green flag in the 125-lap feature, getting away to an early lead.

The first caution of the race fell on Lap 10 when Pro Late Model championship contender Kyle Keller came to a stop in Turn 1 with a flat tire.

Keller entered the weekend five points behind Keelan Harvick for the championship lead, while Sawyer sat third, 15 points back.

With Harvick not competing in the remaining Pro Late Model races on the West schedule, the championship fight has shifted to Keller and Sawyer over the final races of the season.

When racing resumed, Giannini took the lead away from Cancilla off Turn 2 while Sawyer moved into third.

Giannini remained out front until Lap 47, when contact with Hans Beeler in Turn 2 sent Beeler around in front of the field and brought out the caution.

Beeler had previously served a drive-through penalty and re-entered the track in front of Giannini off Turn 4, with Giannini making contact with the back of Beeler’s car. Giannini was sent to the rear of the field for causing the caution.

The incident handed control of the race over to Sawyer, who had worked his way into second and began putting distance between himself and the field when racing resumed.

Giannini, meanwhile, began working his way back through the running order.

On Lap 60, Giannini and Eric Schmidt made contact off Turn 4 while battling for 10th, giving Giannini right-front damage and Schmidt left-rear damage. Both continued as Giannini completed the pass.

Cancilla began falling through the running order after starting from the pole before eventually coming to pit road with brake issues.

The caution flew again on Lap 82 when Schmidt spun in Turn 4, erasing Sawyer’s advantage.

On the following restart, Sawyer and John Moore fought for the top spot, with Moore staying pinned to Sawyer’s door before eventually sliding back into second.

Meanwhile, Giannini had worked his way back inside the top five.

On Lap 87, Giannini made contact with Donald Witkowski entering Turn 1, sending Witkowski up the track and into the side of Jaiden Reyna. Giannini passed both drivers in the process to climb back inside the top three and once again set his sights on the lead.

Keller was also making up positions following his early tire issue as he continued working his way back toward the front.

On Lap 102, Giannini caught John Moore for second, passing him around the outside of Turn 4 to move back into the runner-up position.

Less than a second separated Giannini and Sawyer for the lead.

Giannini closed the gap to within a couple of car lengths, but with nine laps to go he began suffering from a right-front flat tire and started losing ground to Sawyer.

The caution flew again on Lap 116 when Scott Sanchez spun in Turn 4 following contact with James Hamlin, giving Giannini the break he needed.

Giannini entered the hot pit for a new tire but once again lost all the track position he had gained racing through the field.

When racing resumed, Keller came to a stop in Turn 2 to bring the caution back out after suffering another tire issue. Keller continued after making his own trip to the hot pit for a new tire.

On the following restart, Cole Moore applied pressure to Sawyer for the lead. The two made contact in Turn 3 but both held onto their cars and continued, with Moore staying right on Sawyer’s back bumper.

With seven laps remaining, Reyna spun in Turn 2 after contact with John Moore while battling for fourth, bringing the caution back out and giving Giannini one more opportunity after he had already raced his way back to sixth.

On the final restart, Giannini lined up directly behind Sawyer in third.

Entering Turn 1, Giannini gave Sawyer a slight tap, giving Cole Moore another chance to take the lead. Sawyer and Moore raced side-by-side down the backstretch and into Turn 3 before Sawyer cleared Moore to hold onto the top spot.

Giannini then worked his way around Moore for second and once again found himself trying to run down Sawyer over the final laps.

Sawyer, however, withstood the pressure from Giannini to claim his maiden win in CARS Tour West competition and his first career victory on asphalt.

For Giannini, it was another race where he fell short of reaching victory lane after leading laps early and racing his way through the field twice before having to settle for a second-place finish.

It marked his second consecutive runner-up finish in Pro Late Model competition after leading the most laps last time out at Colorado National Speedway before getting caught in lapped traffic late, allowing Kevin Harvick the opportunity to pass and eventually take the victory.

“I’m just kind of out of words, I don’t know what to say,” Giannini said. “We had a bad fast race car, it’s very frustrating. We’re getting close. I mean, we just got to get some luck on our side. It’s just frustrating.”

After battling through adversity of his own, Keller finished third, keeping the championship fight between himself and Sawyer alive heading into the seventh race of the season at Orange Show Speedway in two weeks.

“We started making our way to the front, I think we got a little bit of contact, and it must have just knocked the tire over just a little bit and I think it just started causing the flats,” Keller said. “The whole team never gave up. We went back to the front and it was still a good night for points. We’ll go to Orange Show and then win that one.”

Cole Moore and Eric Schmidt rounded out the top five.

Donald Witkowski finished sixth, followed by Jaiden Reyna, John Moore, Kyle Gottula and Mike Beeler to complete the top 10.

RACE RESULTS: CARS Tour West Pro Late Models- JM Environmental Wild West Shootout 125
All-American Speedway
August 29, 2026

1. Robby Sawyer
2. Jaron Giannini
3. Kyle Keller
4. Cole Moore
5. Eric Schmidt
6. Donald Witkoski
7. Jaiden Reyna
8. John Moore
9. Kyle Gottula
10. Mike Beeler
11. James Hamlin
12. Bristol Borneman
13. Hans Beeler
14. Scott Sanchez
15. Vito Cancilla
16. Adam Coonfield