On a cold night in early January, Austin Gammill, his father Willie and his crew chief Payton Rigney gathered at their race shop to discuss an important business matter.
How were they going to win the NASCAR Local Racing Series Powered by O'Reilly Auto Parts Division V national championship?
The plan the trio came up with was simple: Gammill would run at Arrowhead Speedway on Friday nights and Salina Highbanks Speedway on Saturday nights. Only 40 miles separate the two dirt tracks, so logistics were not going to be a hinderance to Gammill during his first national title pursuit.
Winning would not be an issue for Gammill, either, as he earned 11 victories between Arrowhead and Salina Highbanks in the Front-Wheel Drive Hornet and Tuner classes, respectively. That consistency enabled Gammill to earn track titles at Arrowhead and Salina Highbanks, the Division V Midwest Regional title and the prize Gammill sought during that January meeting: the Division V national championship.
“The car we ran this year was the exact same car we ran last year,” Gammill said. “We just really worked at it every single night, whether it was tires, suspension, the motor, my hands on the steering wheel. We went out in March and won three of the six races [at Arrowhead]. Every night, no matter what the result was, we kept working at it and working at it.
“We were always staying focused on and off the track and never gave up.”
[caption id="attachment_527980" align="aligncenter" width="1300"]It was only natural for Gammill to chase success in racing. With many members of Gammill’s family being racers themselves, the passion they shared for the sport was passed over to him.
The figure in Gammill’s racing family that has influenced him the most is Willie, whose resumé on dirt tracks includes starts in dirt late models, dirt modifieds and B-Mods. Gammill recalls how close Willie came to winning the NASCAR Local Racing Series Division II title in 2020 only to narrowly lose after another track added a race late in the year.
Gammill considered it a privilege to watch Willie rack up plenty of accolades during his own career and strived to emulate him once he came of age. Any advice Gammill could absorb from Willie was going to be imperative toward sustaining his title ambitions from a local and national standpoint.
Having a home-track advantage at Arrowhead was also going to help Gammill. His family owns the complex, and it's where he earned his first victory as a driver. The challenge was going to be Salina Highbanks, where Gammill had raced just once prior to 2026.
Gammill was not going to let his inexperience at Salina Highbanks deter him. If Willie could win a B-Mod title at Salina Highbanks, Gammill knew he could get one himself while piloting a FWD Tuner.
“Arrowhead is a bullring track, and it’s a lot different from Salina,” Gammill said. “I’ve watched so many races at Salina. From 2020 until now, I was over there every Saturday night watching my dad race or other people race. If I could keep the car straight, we could have good nights, finish up front and succeed.
“Salina is a super high horsepower track. The more horsepower and motor you got, the better you will succeed.”
[caption id="attachment_528456" align="alignnone" width="2048"]Success found Gammill at Salina Highbanks. By the end of the final weekend to collect national points, Gammill had visited Victory Lane at Salina Highbanks six times.
Just like he envisioned at the start of 2026, Gammill joined his father Willie as a Salina Highbanks track champion. Arrowhead’s FWD Hornet title also belonged to Gammill following a stellar season in that class. Both of those accomplishments set Gammill up perfectly to become the national champion.
Yet pursuing that goal made Gammill realize just how strenuous a national title run was. Gammill needed to win as many races as possible to stay ahead of drivers like Jimmy Cooper, who ended his year with 10 victories in 16 UCAR features at North Carolina's Caraway Speedway.
Mother Nature limited the number of races Gammill could run at Arrowhead and Salina Highbanks, but it did not impact any of the work that went into his car. Whenever the skies were clear, Gammill was always ready to go out and win.
“At the beginning of the year, it was super difficult,” Gammill said. “Here in the Midwest, we were struggling with rainouts. I think we had a total of 13 nights where we got rained out. There was a couple weekends where we got rained out at Salina that were considering going up [to Adams County] to try and get points.
“Eventually the rain started to slow down, and we went on a tear.”
A strong second half to what was already a great year allowed Gammill to close out the national and Midwest Region titles by comfortable margins. The 442 points Gammill tallied were the second most of any NASCAR Local Racing Series champion this year, only trailing the Division III winner in Tim DeVos, who had 448.
Gammill still finds himself in disbelief over the reality that every goal he set out for himself in January was reached. There was even a point where he, Willie and Rigney stood in the exact same spot during their initial deliberation to reflect upon and relish in everything that made those accomplishments a reality.
Gammill’s titles were the culmination of a rigorous, concerted effort by him, Willie, Ragney and so many others to prove they could become national champions in NASCAR.
From Gammill’s perspective, teamwork and camaraderie have always been key pillars to success not just in racing, but in life. With the people in his corner, Gammill believes he can accomplish anything behind the wheel.
“[It comes down to] having good people around you, people who are going to help you and motivate you, and just staying focused on and off the track,” Gammill said. “I believe hard work, the right network of people around you and being driven to your goal [are important]. If you can do those three things, you’re able to push forward a lot further than you think.”
[caption id="attachment_528191" align="alignnone" width="2048"]Gammill plans to continue to embrace that mindset in 2027, especially since he has his eyes on a more ambitious goal.
Not one, but two NASCAR Local Racing Series national titles.
That plan does not involve a defense of his Division V crown, as Gammill is going to primarily compete in Division III and IV while staying close to home at Arrowhead and Salina Highbanks. Gammill’s Division IV national title pursuit will see him participate in a rear-wheel drive Interceptors, a stark contrast from the FWD Tuners he has contested over the past few years.
In Division III, Gammill plans to compete in Salina Highbanks’ Factory Stocks division. The equivalent to that class at Arrowhead is Pure Stocks, similar cars with different names like the Hornets and Tuners.
Another long offseason of planning is ahead for Gammill and his crew, but it does not bring any trepidation. The plan of attack that was formulated in January led to four championships, so Gammill has every reason to believe he can build upon everything that worked in 2026.
“I knew the more I put into it, the more we were going to get out of it,” Gammill said. “Staying focused I think is the big part. This sport is a mental game, and the more you’re strong in the head, the more you’re going to keep pushing and having those accomplishments.”
Once the championship celebrations end, Gammill anticipates a similar meeting of the minds at the shop during the offseason. The three will have a lot to discuss on how to win two national championships in the same year with two different types of cars.
Whatever plan they come up with is bound to be successful.