The 2026 JConcepts Florida Carpet Championship brought 162 drivers and 409 entries to Beachline RC Raceway in Cocoa Beach, Florida. After a weekend of finding speed on the carpet and fighting for a place on the grid, Sunday put it all on the line. Some titles were settled with two straight wins. Others stayed open until the third and final A-main, with fractions of a second separating the drivers at the finish.
Bartek Zalewski would leave Beachline with both Modified Buggy titles, but the path to that double was anything but straightforward. Daniel Kobbevik and Broc Champlin made the 4WD mains one of Sunday’s defining stories, beginning with a finish separated by just 0.228 seconds.
There was just as much to follow elsewhere in the field. Jacob Doron put together a three-podium weekend, the Expert Stock classes produced two very different title fights, and the lower mains delivered close finishes of their own. From the first battles for a main win to the championship celebrations, Sunday gave Beachline plenty to remember.
More Than Racing: Good Times with Friends & Family
The racing tells only part of the weekend’s story. Around the pits and trackside, drivers, friends and families shared the time between races before attention turned back to the next main.
Find yourself, your friends, or your favorite cars in the full event photo gallery. Type a driver’s name or car brand into the search box to find matching photos.
A Fast, High-Grip Beachline Layout
Beachline’s new carpet gave the field plenty of grip, but making the most of it took more than an aggressive setup. Joona Haatanen explained that he had been calming his car’s steering response to make it easier to drive and carry speed through the corners. The off-camber section and a fast landing into a tight turn were two places where getting the line right mattered. That combination of speed and precision set the challenge for Sunday’s finals.
Explore Beachline RC Raceway in 3D
Take a closer look at the layout that challenged the field. Drag to orbit, scroll or pinch to zoom, and use Follow car to ride along around Beachline’s carpet course.
Top Qualifiers
| Class | Top qualifier |
|---|---|
| WHITZ Modified 2WD | Daniel Kobbevik |
| XRAY Modified 4WD | Bartek Zalewski |
| Meridith Expert 17.5 2WD | Domnic Paccione |
| Reedy Expert 13.5 4WD | Martin Bayer |
| JConcepts Intermediate 17.5 2WD | Landen Welder |
| JConcepts Intermediate 13.5 4WD | Michal Hudy |
| Donathen RC 21.5 2WD | Russ Johnson |
| Team Associated 40+ Modified 2WD | Brent Thielke |
| Schumacher 40+ Modified 4WD | David Alberico |
One Place Left: The B-Main Battles
For the B-main drivers, the route into the A-main came down to one place: first. Only the winner bumped up. That made the finish decisive, and Expert 13.5 4WD delivered one of the closest contests for that final spot.
Ryder Himanek took the win, but Brady Carrico was only 0.425 seconds behind and Daigan Bledsoe finished within a second of Himanek. Three drivers ended the race so close together, yet only Himanek’s day continued in the A-main. He later added a sixth-place finish in A3.
Nick Sava faced a similarly narrow margin in 40+ Modified 2WD, beating Kevin Castillo by 0.699 seconds to advance. Other B-main winners made their extra opportunity count: Diego Fagundo finished fourth in Intermediate 13.5 4WD A2, Scotty Mack reached fourth in Intermediate 17.5 2WD A3, and Matthew Hudak recorded two fifth-place finishes in the 21.5 2WD finals.
Braeden Banci earned the Expert 17.5 2WD transfer, while Bryan Thomas advanced in 40+ Modified 4WD. Jovy Levin and Aydin Horne claimed the final A-main places in Modified 2WD and Modified 4WD, completing the fields for the title races.
Lower Mains, Close Finishes
In the C-mains and below, there were no bumps. Each race was its own final, and a win was the reward. Creed Nally took the Expert 13.5 4WD C-main just 0.474 seconds ahead of Bryson Furnish. The same class produced another tight finish in the D-main, where Bradley Kistner beat Austin Craig by 0.484 seconds.
The close finishes continued in Intermediate 17.5 2WD, with Scott Galante taking the E-main by 0.879 seconds over Tory Santiago. Yonsue Cardona had two wins to celebrate, taking the Intermediate 13.5 4WD D-main as well as the 40+ Modified 2WD D-main, the latter by only 0.839 seconds over Bryan Thomas.
CJ Soderlund and Charlie Walters also claimed lower-main wins in 21.5 2WD. Tobias Bayer, Jason Lineweaver and Vojta Johan joined the winners in Intermediate 13.5 4WD, while Shyla Hodge and Misael Rivera took wins in Intermediate 17.5 2WD.
Ryan Harris and Billy Womack added Expert 17.5 2WD victories, Ed Fiore won in 40+ Modified 2WD, and David Alberico took a lower-main win in Modified 2WD. Those results were part of Sunday’s story too, with drivers throughout the field ending their races on a winning note.
Zalewski Takes Modified 2WD in Two
Daniel Kobbevik had set the qualifying pace in WHITZ Modified 2WD, but Bartek Zalewski took control of the results when the finals began. His opening win came with a 5.494-second margin over Marcus Kaerup, with Kobbevik third. It put Zalewski one win away from settling the class in A2.
Kobbevik made that second final much closer. This time, he finished just 0.920 seconds behind Zalewski, with Kaerup third. The margin had tightened, but Zalewski had the result he needed: two wins and the Modified 2WD title.
With the championship decided, A3 settled the remaining podium places. Kaerup took the final win to secure second overall, while Kobbevik completed the podium in third.
Overall podium: 1. Bartek Zalewski | 2. Marcus Kaerup | 3. Daniel Kobbevik
Modified 4WD Goes to A3
Modified 4WD asked more of Zalewski. The opening final ended with him and Broc Champlin separated by only 0.228 seconds after 20 laps, with Daniel Kobbevik third. Zalewski had the first win, but the small margin showed how little room there was between the contenders.
Kobbevik changed the picture in A2, taking the win ahead of Champlin and keeping the title undecided. Zalewski would need the third final to complete his Modified double.
He delivered in A3, finishing 1.015 seconds ahead of Kobbevik to claim the race and the championship. Kobbevik’s challenge earned him second overall, with Champlin third. For Zalewski, the two titles capped a weekend he described afterward as a step-by-step progression toward the final result.
Overall podium: 1. Bartek Zalewski | 2. Daniel Kobbevik | 3. Broc Champlin
Paccione Wins Expert 17.5 2WD
Domnic Paccione turned his Meridith Motorsports Expert 17.5 2WD TQ into a championship in the opening two finals. Daniel Chavez finished second in A1, with Nate Sutherland third. Martin Bayer took up the challenge in A2, but Paccione again finished first, sealing the title before the last leg.
Behind him, Sutherland built his result across all three races. After finishing third in both opening legs, he won A3 to move into second overall. Chavez’s second place in A1 helped him complete the podium.
Overall podium: 1. Domnic Paccione | 2. Nate Sutherland | 3. Daniel Chavez
Three Winners, One Title in Expert 13.5 4WD
The Reedy Expert 13.5 4WD title took all three finals to resolve. Domnic Paccione struck first, winning A1 ahead of Martin Bayer and Maccoy Martin, with just 1.022 seconds covering the top three. Bayer then answered in A2, edging Nate Sutherland by only 0.260 seconds to add a win to his opening second place.
A third driver joined the winners in A3. Maccoy Martin took the final ahead of Sutherland and Kai Goff, leaving the overall result to the scores from a tightly contested set of mains. Bayer’s win and second place gave him the title. Sutherland finished second overall, while Martin’s A3 victory helped secure third.
Overall podium: 1. Martin Bayer | 2. Nate Sutherland | 3. Maccoy Martin
Hudy and Welder Take Intermediate Titles
Michal Hudy and Jacob Doron carried the JConcepts Intermediate 13.5 4WD contest into a deciding third final. Hudy took A1 by 0.991 seconds over Doron, but Doron answered with the A2 win. With one victory apiece, the title remained open.
Hudy’s second win arrived in A3 and settled the championship in his favor. Doron finished runner-up, with Cody Dudley completing the overall podium.
Intermediate 13.5 4WD: 1. Michal Hudy | 2. Jacob Doron | 3. Cody Dudley
The Intermediate 17.5 2WD story unfolded differently, with a new winner in every leg. Kevin Castillo opened with a 0.883-second victory over Alejandro Fagundo. Kameron Goff won A2 ahead of top qualifier Landen Welder, leaving Welder still looking for his first win of the finals.
Welder found it when it mattered in A3, finishing ahead of Diego Fagundo and Castillo. Combined with his second place in A2, that result earned him the overall title. Castillo finished second and Doron added another podium in third.
Intermediate 17.5 2WD: 1. Landen Welder | 2. Kevin Castillo | 3. Jacob Doron
Shumate Opens With Back-to-Back Wins
Bryon Shumate settled Donathen RC 21.5 2WD in two races, but neither win came with much breathing room at the finish. Michal Hudy was just 0.995 seconds behind in A1. Lane Lazarz finished even closer in A2, only 0.714 seconds back. Shumate took both wins and, with them, the title.
Top qualifier Russ Johnson won the remaining final ahead of Hudy and Lazarz to secure second overall. Hudy’s two runner-up finishes put him third on the podium.
Overall podium: 1. Bryon Shumate | 2. Russ Johnson | 3. Michal Hudy
Alberico and Thielke Share the 40+ Titles
David Alberico carried his Schumacher 40+ Modified 4WD qualifying form into the mains, winning A1 and putting himself in position to wrap up the title in A2. Brent Thielke made that second result a close one, finishing only 0.416 seconds behind, but Alberico’s back-to-back wins settled the championship.
Thielke won A3 ahead of Brad Borneill, and the pair joined Alberico on the overall podium in second and third.
40+ Modified 4WD: 1. David Alberico | 2. Brent Thielke | 3. Brad Borneill
Thielke had his own title to celebrate in Team Associated 40+ Modified 2WD. He won the opening final, but Paul Wynn kept the class open by taking A2, just 0.621 seconds ahead of Eugene Galley. Thielke returned with the A3 win to secure the overall, with Galley second and Paul Ciccarello third.
40+ Modified 2WD: 1. Brent Thielke | 2. Eugene Galley | 3. Paul Ciccarello
Doron Adds a Junior Win to a Three-Podium Weekend
Jacob Doron’s Junior win was one part of a bigger Sunday. He completed 17 laps in the Junior A-main and finished 4.584 seconds clear of Lane Lazarz, with Tobias Bayer third. That gave Doron the class victory to go with his second overall in Intermediate 13.5 4WD and third in Intermediate 17.5 2WD.
Three classes, three overall podiums: Doron finished the weekend with one of the strongest sets of results across the field.
Junior: 1. Jacob Doron | 2. Lane Lazarz | 3. Tobias Bayer
Winner’s Circle — Florida Carpet Championship Podiums
2026 Florida Carpet Championship Champions
When the racing was finished, the championship awards brought the weekend’s stories together. Bartek Zalewski took the Modified honors after his double victory. Nate Sutherland earned the Expert Stock award following runner-up finishes in both Expert classes, and Jacob Doron’s three-podium weekend included the Intermediate award. Brent Thielke added the 40+ Modified honor after winning 2WD and finishing second in 4WD.
Beachline’s Sunday mains had produced decisive wins, third-leg title battles and finishes measured in tenths of a second. The podium celebrations gave those results their final moment before the 2026 JConcepts Florida Carpet Championship came to a close.
Watch the 2026 JConcepts Florida Carpet Championship Again!
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