WOO RACING & NEWS

mpressive Contingencies, Big Names Expected for Drydene World Short Track Championship at Charlotte

Three-day extravaganza kicks off Thursday, Oct. 28 with new date for special Features

CONCORD, NC – Oct. 22, 2021 – The anticipation is building for one of the season’s biggest year-end events – the Drydene World Short Track Championship.

Nine divisions of weekly racers, including the two DIRTcar Northeast divisions – DIRTcar Sportsman Modifieds and DIRTcar Pro Stocks – will take to the The Dirt Track at Charlotte over three nights, Thur.-Sat., Oct. 28-30, in search of one of the most coveted trophies in fall dirt track racing. Seeing the red and white colors of Drydene Performance Products splashed across the surface of the unique oil barrel design in Victory Lane brings out the best in every driver – hundreds of which are expected to be in attendance next weekend.

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WATCH LIVE ON DIRTVISION

Pre-registration has now eclipsed 200 drivers, all of which have automatically received two entries into the Saturday afternoon giveaway drawing for a brand-new Chevy Performance 604 Crate Engine. Drivers of all divisions are eligible to gain entries into the drawing by completing the pre-registration form at the link below by 11:59pm ET Friday. More ways to score additional entries will be available early next week.

DRIVER PRE-REGISTRATION

FULL SCHEDULE

New Contingency Packages

Chevy Performance joins a long list of event sponsors presenting contingency awards for several finishing positions of the Saturday Features. With the placement of each sponsor’s decal, drivers are eligible for prizes such as DIRTVision subscriptions, Drydene cash awards, Summit Racing Equipment gift cards, SRI Performance, FOX Factory and COMP Cams product certificates, VP Racing Fuels fuel jugs, Hoosier Racing Tire and Gotta Race apparel packages.

Drydene will also be putting up a $1,000 bonus for the winner of Saturday’s Street Stock Feature to match a brand-new PRO20 helmet by RaceQuip for all Saturday Feature winners. Additionally, the Pro Late Model victor will take home a brand-new set of FOX Factory Shocks, and a $100 fuel certificate from VP Racing Fuels will be leaving with the winner, fifth-place, 10th-place and 20th-place in the Sportsman Modified Feature.

Sportsman of the Year trophies and Hard Luck awards/prize packs will also be handed out for each division, courtesy of Drydene.

Stiff Competition

While each division has its own stars and major contenders, the Summit Racing Equipment UMP Modifieds will be coming in with an abundance of heavy-hitters and drivers to watch.

World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series full-time driver Chris Madden, of Gray Court, SC, has pre-entered to drive Pennsylvanian Dan Davies’ #71D UMP Modified for the event. While Davies has made appearances in the Saturday finale before, this will be Madden’s World Short Track debut.

It’s a great opportunity for the Team Drydene driver to get extra laps in on the 4/10-mile track before climbing behind the wheel of his own Rocket Chassis #44 Late Model the following weekend in the NGK NTK World of Outlaws World Finals, Nov. 4-6.

The UMP Modified Feature in each of the previous five years have been dominated by two men – three-time DIRTcar national champion Nick Hoffman and three-time World Short Track winner Kyle Strickler. Both are projected to compete and defend their titles this year against a long list of tough customers including (but not limited to) Madden, Chris Arnold, David Stremme, Matt Crafton, Evan and Jonathan Taylor, and Curt Spalding.

The FOX Factory Pro Late Models also boast a strong roster, filled with local talent. Michael Brown, of Lancaster, SC, has the most victories in the division with two coming in 2018-2019, and is projected to compete again this year. A host of other 604 Crate Late Model talent has already registered, including Bryan Mullis, Matt Long, Ben Watkins, Jody Knowles and Jeremy Mayfield.

The DIRTVision Hornet/FWD/Sport Compact division always turns out in big numbers and is expected to have another tremendous car count again this year. Announced Friday, an update has been made to their race format – all Friday and Saturday Features will now be lined up by a pill draw conducted on that day.

READ MORE: ‘BEST TIME OF MY LIFE’: Drydene World Short Track Championship provided Chase Hopper with career moment

It all gets underway with a night of practice for all divisions and the first round of Features on Thursday night. Don’t miss a moment – buy a ticket online in advance, at the gate on race day, or stream every lap right to your personal device with a FAST PASS subscription to DIRTVision.

MARVELOUS MAT: Canadian Sensation Mat Williamson Wins Second Consecutive Billy Whittaker Cars 200 at NAPA Super DIRT Week

Super DIRTcar Series champ joins legends with second victory at historic event after pole-sitter Peter Britten suffers heartbreak at Oswego

OSWEGO, NY — Mat Williamson won his second $50,000 NAPA Super DIRT Week Billy Whittaker Cars 200 championship in historic fashion.

The prestigious win puts him in the same category as Stewart Friesen, Billy Decker, Brett Hearn, Merv Treichler, and Buzzie Reutimann as the only drivers to win back-to-back Billy Whittaker Cars 200s.

The Franklin Flyer Billy Decker, in the Gypsum Wholesalers #91 sped across the Oswego Speedway finish line second in Williamson’s tracks after failing to pull off a last-lap pass on the St. Catharines, ON driver.

Matt Sheppard finished third, extended his points lead, and is now well on his way to close out his record eighth career Super DIRTcar Series championship at the NGK NTK World Finals.

Oswego Speedway overlooks one of the Great Lakes, Lake Ontario, where the waters were calm and serene throughout the week. In contrast, a storm raged within the walls of the Clay Palace where 41 Super DIRTcar Series Big Block Modifieds battled door-to-door for 200 laps.

Williamson’s breakthrough moment came when leaders Peter Britten and Tyler Dippel made heavy contact out of Turn 4 on Lap 151. The seas parted and the #88 Buzz Chew Racing Big Block Modified appeared at the head of the pack where he stayed until he passed beneath Head Starter Dave Farney’s double checkered flags for the historic win.

“I don’t even know what to say,” Williamson said. “I am speechless. Everybody that’s a part of this team kept their heads down all week. Last night, we talked to Integra [shocks] on how to be better. I put my trust in them and they built four shocks that were going to survive and be good in the chop. It’s not very often that we change shock programs and win big races. They built us something that was indestructible.”

Williamson passed Britten in points and now sits tied with Billy Decker for second-place. His three Series wins this year break the tie.

“I knew this race was our only shot at moving up in the standings,” Williamson noted. “We spent all week here. We spent all night working on this thing. We welded around. We changed bolts and did everything we needed to do to make it survive. I am happy we got here.”

Like any extra-distance event, there is a certain degree of endurance needed for both driver and car. Runner-up Billy Decker used all of his skill and experience to bring home the $25,000 second-place finish and the Penske Racing Shocks Hard Charger award in the Billy Whittaker Cars 200.

“I am just trying to keep the wheels on it,” Decker said. “It was a true test of man and machine out there. There’s no question about that.”

Decker came up just short in making a run on the final lap to pass Williamson. He was happy to be in the mix at the end when it was go-time.

“Gypsum Wholesalers and Scott and the boys put together a great piece that took a 200-lap beating,” Decker said. “We didn’t quite have enough. We had a great race car. I think the pace picked up after that lap 167 restart. It was pretty much game on from there.”

Decker did all he could to get to Williamson’s rear bumper late in the race, but the Canadian sensation held him off in the end.

According to Sheppard, he’s “had a very good year. Not a great year, but a very good year. That comes in part to him nearly locking in an eighth Super DIRTcar Series championship at NAPA Super DIRT Week.

“I think I had a shot at Billy [Decker] but I didn’t have a shot at Mat [Williamson],” Sheppard said about his Billy Whittaker Cars 200 run. “We kind of rode around and did what we needed to do to be there at the end. We picked up the pace and they told me on the radio that I was one of the fastest cars in the last 10 laps. I pulled up on Billy and I didn’t need that last caution. We’ll take a third.”

Preparing a race car for any 200-lap Feature takes a lot of hard work and determination.

“I can’t thank my pit crew enough,” Sheppard noted. “They went over this thing with a fine-tooth comb. We knew it was going to be a challenging race. Just for this car to hold together for 200 laps is a testament to their work.”

Williamson is an intensely proud Canadian and with border restrictions still in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most Canadians were unable to travel to NAPA Super DIRT Week this year. To the St. Catherines, Ontario native, their absence was felt.

“There was a big chunk of people missing here,” Williamson said. “It didn’t feel complete. My close family friends, my girlfriend, my Mom, and everybody that should have been here — I miss them. I miss the fans. I miss the people that come over and tell me they are from Niagara Falls or Chatham or somewhere close to me. It’s a cool thing to have happen as a Canadian down here at Super DIRT week.”

Australian superstar Britten started the 49th NAPA Super DIRT Week on the right foot — hard on the gas. Britten won the SRI Performance Pole Award in Time Trials to lead the Billy Whittaker Cars 200 field to the initial green flag.

The #21A held a firm command of the lead until 151 when Dippel came up the track and the two made contact coming out of Turn 4, resulting in them both having an issue that forced them to pit and relinquish their top-two spots.

“I am running my line. He blows it in. Knows the bumps are there and is going full throttle. Again, because he’s a moron, he drives through a massive hole and where does he end up? Right against the side of me,” said a dejected Britten, minutes after climbing out of the car. “He knows what he’s doing. He does this shit all the time. I don’t know what else to say except he’s the biggest moron in racing.”

The incident helped Williamson, running third at the time, secure his second consecutive Billy Whittaker Cars 200 title as it handed him the lead and the chance he needed to make history.

When he goes for his third consecutive win in 2022, it’ll be the 50th running of NAPA Super DIRT Week (Oct. 3-9) at Oswego Speedway. Mark your calendars now and keep watch of SuperDIRTWeek.com for tickets to go on sale.

THE FINAL LAP: Next, the Super DIRTcar Series joins the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars and the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series at The Dirt Track at Charlotte for the NGK NTK World Finals (November 4-6). Get your tickets HERE or watch every lap live on DIRTVision presented by Drydene.

FEATURE — 1. 88W-Mat Williamson[7]; 2. 91-Billy Decker[27]; 3. 9S-Matt Sheppard[8]; 4. 44-Stewart Friesen[5]; 5. 99L-Larry Wight[4]; 6. 66X-Carey Terrance[18]; 7. 98JS-Rocky Warner[17]; 8. 1-Tyler Dippel[9]; 9. 2A-Mike Gular[21]; 10. 98H-Jimmy Phelps[2]; 11. 32CM-Max McLaughlin[3]; 12. 19-Tim Fuller[13]; 13. 35-Mike Mahaney[31]; 14. 34-Kevin Root[26]; 15. 83X-Tim Sears Jr[10]; 16. 21A-Peter Britten[1]; 17. 6H-Josh Hohenforst[19]; 18. 42P-Pat Ward[6]; 19. 115-Kenny Tremont Jr[37]; 20. 7MM-Michael Maresca[20]; 21. 28M-Jordan McCreadie[22]; 22. 111-Demetrios Drellos[14]; 23. 20-Brett Hearn[24]; 24. 5H-Chris Hile[11]; 25. 28ZT-Gary Lindberg[35]; 26. 43-Keith Flach[32]; 27. 44P-Anthony Perrego[12]; 28. 62S-Tom Sears Jr[25]; 29. 215-Adam Pierson[36]; 30. 22-Brandon Walters[38]; 31. 3-Justin Haers[30]; 32. 2-Jack Lehner[28]; 33. 17-Marcus Dinkins[39]; 34. 43H-Jimmy Horton[33]; 35. 25-Erick Rudolph[34]; 36. 4-Billy VanInwegen Jr[23]; 37. 49-Billy Dunn[41]; 38. 48TOO-Dave Rauscher[40]; 39. 26-Ryan Godown[15]; 40. 9-Marc Johnson[16]; 41. 23C-Kyle Coffey[29]

PHOTO: Tom Morris

Jeseo captures NAPA Super DIRT Week DIRTcar Pro Stock 50 Pending Inspection

The Averill Park, NY driver survived several restarts to take checkers at Oswego

OSWEGO, NY-October 10, 2021-Chad Jeseo’s patience Sunday afternoon at Oswego Speedway helped him survive multiple restarts and find the checkered flag first in the DIRTcar Pro Stock 50 at NAPA Super DIRT Week.

The win would be Jeseo’s first DIRTcar Pro Stock 50 victory, but results remain unofficial Sunday night pending post-race technical inspection.

Jeseo and Luke Horning brought the field to the green in the 50-lap Pro Stock Championship, as Horning thundered to the lead off Turn 2. Horning led the first 10 laps before a caution allowed Jeseo to make his move.

The Averill Park, NY driver, found the daylight he needed on the ensuing restart, pulling even with Horning on the bottom through Turns 1 and 2. The two drivers waged war in an epic side-by-side battle through Turns 3 and 4 until Jeseo used his momentum to nose ahead of “Cousin Luke” and took the lead — one he’d never relinquish.

However, Jeseo’s run out front wasn’t smooth sailing. Despite leading the final 39 laps, “Bad Chad’s” run in front of the field was broken up by several cautions throughout the event, including one on Lap 38 when Nick Stone and Rich Crane made contact, sending Crane around and rolling on his roof. Five other cars were involved.

The crash set up one of many restarts on Jeseo’s path to Victory — a problem he solved through patience.

“It feels really good; it’s just a statement from the 25 team,” Jeseo said. “Out here, it was kind of just patience, weathering the storm with the bumps and all that, but we had a good run there with Luke at the beginning, and it was too bad to see him get tangled up.”

Jeseo, who started second, knew his competitors weren’t the only battle he had to face during the DIRTcar Pro Stock 50. He stated he was more worried about beating himself as the laps wound down.

“The biggest thing is you just can’t beat yourself at the end of the day,” Jeseo said. “It’s hard enough to beat the guys you’re racing against, but you can’t beat yourself.”

Jason Casey crossed the line behind Jeseo — his best finish at NAPA Super DIRT Week. The Canaan, CT driver, snuck by Nick Stone for second with 28 laps to go, unable to find enough momentum to catch Jeseo in the race’s closing stages.

“I really needed [Jeseo] to bobble,” Casey said. “He’s on the leaf spring car and he seemed to be getting around a little better. I’m on coils, and we’re just trying to figure them out still a little bit.”

Rob Yetman finished third — extending his streak of top-six finishes in the DIRTcar Pro Stock 50 to nine consecutive years. The five-time NAPA Super DIRT Week winner was thrilled after he battled back from two spins to finish on the podium.

“We got dumped twice,” Yetman said. “To get third, I’m pretty ecstatic about that.”

Mike White, filling in for his son Justin, finished fourth, while Scott Towslee rounded out the top five.

FEATURE (RESULTS UNOFFICIAL PENDING POST-RACE TECHNICAL INSPECTION) — 1. 25-Chad Jeseo[2]; 2. 324-Jason Casey[4]; 3. 7-Rob Yetman[11]; 4. 1X-Mike White[25]; 5. 23-Scott Towslee[15]; 6. 51-Jason Meltz[8]; 7. 413-Tommy Dean[26]; 8. 2-Pete Stefanski[17]; 9. 28-Burton Ward[21]; 10. 14J-Johnny Rivers[24]; 11. 17-Nick Hilt[31]; 12. 7D-Chucky Dumblewski[7]; 13. 91-Ian Bressette[27]; 14. 75S-Gary Silkey[20]; 15. 6C-Brian Carter[23]; 16. 178-Steve LaRochelle[13]; 17. 09-Shawn Perez[29]; 18. 56-Jay Fitzgerald[22]; 19. 69-Chris Crane[9]; 20. 6-Shane Playford[19]; 21. 711-Rich Crane[5]; 22. 8N-Nick Stone[3]; 23. 70X-Josh Coonradt[6]; 24. 322-Jay Casey[14]; 25. 54S-Zachary Sorrentino[18]; 26. 75-Eli Gilbert[28]; 27. 4-Dean Charbonneau[16]; 28. 2H-Luke Horning[1]; 29. 14-Kim Duell[10]; 30. X15-Tyler Bushey[30]; 31. 57K-Kevin Fetterly Jr[12]

FROM NINETEENTH WITH LOVE: Sobotka Charges from Deep to Win Chevy Performance 75

Janczuk bests 2019 finish with runner-up, Calabrese third in NAPA Super DIRT Week debut

OSWEGO, NY – Oct. 10, 2021 – It’s a special feeling to stand in Oswego Speedway Victory Lane at NAPA Auto Parts Super DIRT Week for the first time. It’s even more special knowing you drove from 19th on the starting grid to get there.

Zach Sobotka did just that on Sunday afternoon, wheeling his #38 DIRTcar Sportsman Modified from inside Row 10 to the lead in 55 laps and holding on to win $4,000 in the Chevy Performance 75.

“This is only my third time here. To be able to get the win is just amazing,” a grinning Sobotka said in Victory Lane.

The 21-year-old from Parish, NY, used the numerous caution flags and restarts to his advantage, staying out of wrecks and using the top groove to advance his position. But it took a lot of patience, a heap of awareness and a pinch of good fortune to get there by the end of 75 laps.

Polesitter Chad Edwards took the lead at the drop of the green and led through the opening stages, which endured an abundance of spins and other various incidents. One of which retired sixth-starting Chris Mackey in a multi-car incident coming out of Turn 2 on Lap 17, which nearly collected Sobotka on his drive up through the field.

“When Chris Mackey got taken out coming out of Turn 2, I thought I was gonna go right into him, honestly,” Sobotka said. “I’m glad he held the brakes, because he was probably gonna back right up into my left side.”

Once Sobotka reached the top-10, he began making more passes using the outside groove in Turns 1-2.

“Everyone was trying to fight for the bottom in Turns 3-4, but going into 1, I just found [the top],” Sobotka said. “That’s almost the problem with starting up front. You don’t really know what line is better, you’re just trying to protect.”

By Lap 48, Sobotka was staring down the rear bumper of Matt Janczuk, who was riding second behind leader Edwards. A quick yellow set up a restart on Lap 51, where Sobotka again jumped to the top side in Turn 1 and got around Janczuk for second.

In hindsight, Janczuk, of Oneida, NY, knew Sobotka was coming, but veered away from the aggressive driving to try and get him back. He’s chasing the Sportsman Modified Series points championship and Fall Championship, and was thinking of the future in the moment.

“I saw him on the board,” Janczuk said. “[Sobotka] was in a better position than us. We were points racing. We had to finish the race, for one, and I didn’t want to make any huge mistakes and fall back and get myself in a position to get wrecked.”

Now with the runner-up spot, Sobotka didn’t have to wait long to get the lead, as Edwards blew a right-rear tire just three laps later. This handed the lead to Sobotka and completed his drive from over halfway through the field. But it wasn’t over yet.

One final restart with 12 laps left saw the top-two break away from the pack in the final circuits. Sobotka switched to the high groove in Turns 3-4 to try and keep Janczuk at bay, but it had the reverse effect as Janczuk closed to within two car-lengths before taking the white flag.

“I was mainly looking at the [DIRTVision big screen] in Turn 1 to try and see where [Janczuk] was,” Sobotka said. “It looked like he was coming out high in 3-4, so I went up there and tried it, and thought ‘ah, this doesn’t feel right.’ So, I had to go back to the bottom and keep going through those holes.”

Now back on the bottom in 3-4, Sobotka led the field back around to the checkered flag and the first Chevy Performance 75 victory of his career.

Janczuk crossed in second, which one-upped his best career finish of third in 2019.

“We kinda ran out of time, and [Sobotka] had a little bit better car overall, I think,” Janczuk said. “It’s only our second time here, so a third and a second in two races… I can’t be upset about that.”

Crossing the stripe in third was Brian Calabrese, who came into Oswego on Sunday facing a unique situation after racing elsewhere on Saturday night. He drove back to his shop in Johnstown, NY, after the race and wanted to be extra sure he’d make it to Oswego for his first start in the big show.

“I slept in my pickup truck last night because I was too afraid I wasn’t gonna wake up to my alarm,” Calabrese said. “I wanted to lay down in my bed, but if my alarm clock didn’t wake me up, at least I was in my pickup truck when the crew guys got to the shop.”

He ran inside the top-10 the entire race after starting ninth and was able to crack into the podium with a pass on Justin Stone with 10-to-go.

“I dove it in there on the bottom and it stuck,” Calabrese said. “Risk versus reward.”

While he didn’t get the final restart he was looking for, Calabrese did bag a solid third-place to match his runner-up at Weedsport on Wednesday and fourth-place at Brewerton on Thursday.

“At that point, [the leaders] were too checked out. I’m not saying I would’ve won the race, but if we would’ve had [another] restart, it would’ve been interesting,” Calabrese said.

RESULTS

1. 38-Zach Sobotka[19]; 2. 33X-Matt Janczuk[3]; 3. 21C-Brian Calabrese[9]; 4. 1X-Justin Stone[5]; 5. 70A-Alex Payne[13]; 6. 5S-Tanner Siemons[15]; 7. 26-Ryan Godown[17]; 8. 410-Mike Fowler[7]; 9. 7-Michael Sabia[23]; 10. 57H-Remington Hamm[20]; 11. 42B-Justin Buff[24]; 12. 09-Connor Cleveland[25]; 13. 35T-Cameron Tuttle[34]; 14. Z4-JJ Courcy[28]; 15. B24-Brendan Gibbons[30]; 16. 92-Andrew Buff[2]; 17. 1M-Tyler Murray[27]; 18. 8-Alan Fink[4]; 19. 64-Tyler Corcoran[22]; 20. 41-Dalton Rombough[8]; 21. 1XD-Willy Decker Jr[18]; 22. 72-A Jay Potrzebowski[12]; 23. 1-David Rogers[10]; 24. 1R-Ricky Thompson[36]; 25. 10%-Chad Edwards[1]; 26. 19-Jamy Begor[21]; 27. 12G-Matt Guererri[14]; 28. 22B-Mike Bruno[11]; 29. 7Z-Zachary Payne[33]; 30. 31B-Ryan Dolbear[35]; 31. 18-Chris Cayea[16]; 32. 33-Ryan Murtaugh[31]; 33. 29-Nick Heywood[29]; 34. 33O-Cody Ochs[26]; 35. 3M-Chris Mackey[6]; 36. 02-David Boisclair[32]

Stewart Friesen wins his first DIRTcar 358 Modified Salute to the Troops 150

The Canadian added his name to the short stellar list of drivers who have won NAPA Super DIRT Week’s 358 Modified and 200-lap Super DIRTcar Series events

OSWEGO, NY – Oct. 9, 2021 – Open the NAPA Super DIRT Week record book to a random page and blindly lay your finger down anywhere. There’s a good chance it rests on the name Stewart Friesen. However, it's visibly absent in one section.

The Northeast Modified star, turned NASCAR Truck Series championship contender, holds the second most Billy Whittaker Cars 200 victories with five. In the last 11 years of the event, he’s only missed the podium twice. And of his five wins, he holds two of the most prestigious victories in the history of the event – he won the final 200-lap Super DIRTcar Series race at the Syracuse Mile and won the event’s first race hosted at Oswego Speedway.

But of all his NAPA Super DIRT Week accomplishments, he’d never won the DIRTcar 358 Modified Salute to the Troops 150. He finished second four times, but never stood atop the podium. He changed that Saturday night at Oswego Speedway.

Having locked himself into the prestigious $20,000-to-win, 150-lap, race as one of the six fastest drivers in Thursday’s Tim Trial sessions, Friesen lined up fourth on the starting grid and methodically planned out his quest to accomplish the feat that’s denied him year after year.

To get to that point, he had to duel with a stellar cast of 358 Modified drivers. Billy Dunn, the 2021 DIRTcar 358 Modified champion, had earned the SRI Performance Pole Award and 2021 DIRTcar 358 Modified Hoosier Tire Weekly champion and defending Billy Whittaker Cars 200 champion Mat Williamson was on the Low-E Insulation Outside Pole. Rising Modified star Tim Sears, Jr. started to the inside of Friesen and seven-time Salute to the Troops 150 champion Billy Decker was one spot behind him.

There was going to be nothing easy about picking up his first Salute to the Troops 150 title.

When Dave Farney showed the 40-car the green flag for the first time, Williamson launched ahead of Dunn to take the lead, while the red #49 faded from the pole to fourth. The long race was halted early when Peter Britten’s night ended on Lap 3 after an incident put him in the Turn 2 wall.

Williamson, who had won every NAPA Super DIRT Week Feature event this week, held command out front for the first quarter of the race. It wasn’t a comfortable 60 laps on the throne, though. Sears kept the pressure on him the whole time, occasionally peaking his nose underneath the red #6 for a pass. During this time Friesen had fallen out of the top-five.

A caution came out with about 90 laps to go and several lead drivers like Williamson, Larry Wight – who had charged his way up from seventh to third – and Friesen decided it was the right time to pit for adjustments. That handed the lead to Sears and placed Dunn in second.

When the race commenced, Sears maintained a steady lead over Dunn and Michael Maresca, now in third. The top-three at the time were each separated by about two car lengths and rarely gained or lost time to each other. Only when a mistake was made, or a rut was hit wrong were they able to close the gap. At one point Dunn was able to sneak underneath Sears when he missed his line going into Turn 1 but failed to make the past. Shortly after, Dunn had his own misstep, which allowed Maresca to steal second place.

Friesen, Wight and Williamson were slowly making their way back to the front after their pit stop. Williamson had restarted 22nd and didn’t crack the top-10 for another 26 laps. Friesen restart beside him in 21st but had better luck with his march back to the front, finding the top-10 in a 15-lap span. Wight restarted 15th and only needed six laps to get to 10th.

The sixth caution of the night came out on Lap 90 for Rocky Warner, who slowed on track with an issue. Officials decided it would be their competition caution. Sears and Anthony Perrego, who was third at the time, were the only two top runners to take advantage of it. With them pulling off, that placed Maresca in the lead, Danny Johnson in second, Wight in third, Friesen in fourth and Williamson in fifth.

By this point in the race, Friesen had found his groove around the high side of the track. He stuck to it, and it never failed him.

“It was a little dirty early,” Friesen said about the top lane. “Just tried to clean it off and the top started getting better and better and better. Then, I was able to set sail up there. Got through a couple cautions. Maresca was super-fast. It was a pretty nerve-wracking 150 laps.”

He got by Wight for third on Lap 94 and then past Johnson for second on Lap 95. Ten laps later, Wight suffered a right rear suspension failure that eventually took him out of the race.

When the race resumed, Friesen continued to work his high lane to perfection. With it conforming to his liking he was able to power to the outside of Maresca and pass him for the lead on Lap 115.

The record books will show the Niagra-on-the-Lake, Ontario native led every lap from that point on to claim the elusive victory, but Maresca did not let him breathe easy. He kept the pressure on the Halmar #44 for those closing 35 laps, holding Friesen close enough to pounce if he made a mistake. And with two laps to go, it almost happened.

“That last couple got a little crazy,” Friesen said. “My spotter said good job guys, while I hooked down in the middle and almost flipped. Everyone said keep going, keep going, one more lap. We had a great race car. Enough to get it done.”

Friesen saw the duel waving checkered flags first with Maresca on his bumper at the line.

However, when the race concluded, Maresca was found to be more than 20 pounds light at the scales and disqualified, placed 40th in the finishing order. That moved fellow Canadian Williamson to second and Jimmy Phelps into the final podium spot.

“We had a good car, just had to survive there,” Williamson said. “I was really surprised there that Michael (Maresca) was able to make it on fuel. He had a good car. I feel bad for them guys. He was definitely up there battling for a win. That sucks for them guys. You don’t want to finish second this way, but we’ll take it.”

Phelps was the Penske Racing Shocks Hard Charger, picking up an extra $500, with his incredible run from 35th to third. He had to race his way into the main event through a Last Chance Showdown and then lap by lap picked his way through the field in his #98H machine.

“Obviously, attrition helped a little bit. We had a car that stayed together,” Phelps said. “It shows how good these guys are.

“I’m not going to lie. I was half tempted to pull in early. I couldn’t see. It was rough as hell. And they’re not the easiest to drive with a full load of fuel. But as the race went on, the guys made some good changes during the pit stop that helped me get more comfortable. When the fuel burned off, I was able to move around a little more and find some speed.”

An 11th place finish for Dunn wasn’t the result he envisioned after starting from the pole, but with most of his body panels off the car after getting involved in a wreck late in the race, he was proud to finish. And in doing so, he clinched the 2021 DIRTcar 358 Modified championship.

“I wanted to finish the race,” Dunn said. “We had a pretty competitive car there for a while. I was trying not to have this happen, but we finished the race, and I got the points championship. That’s all that matters.”

When Farney went to congratulate Friesen in Victory Lane, the first thing the newly crowned Salute to the Troops 150 champion could say was, “Wow.”

“It's all about the troops," Friesen said. "The men and women who serve north of the border and here in the United States. I'm proud to be here. We’ll celebrate this for an hour or two, get to bed, and then try to do it again tomorrow (on Sunday, Oct. 10, for the Billy Whittaker Cars 200)."

For tickets to Sunday's 49th NAPA Auto Parts Super DIRT Week finale, CLICK HERE.

If you can't make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision – either online or with the DIRTVision App.

NOTES: St. Lawrence Radiology Last Chance Showdowns ahead of the Salute to the Troops 150 Saturday night completed the fields for Sunday’s Super DIRTcar Series Billy Whittaker Cars 200 and DIRTcar Sportsman Chevrolet Performance 75. For the Billy Whittaker Cars 200, Keith Flach won the first showdown over Erick Rudolph while Jimmy Horton took the second over Gary Lindberg. Both winners took home a cool $1,000 for the wins. … In the DIRTcar Sportsman showdowns, Tyler Murray, JJ Courcy and Nick Heywood emerged as victors and were each awarded $500.

RESULTS
FEATURE — 1. 44-Stewart Friesen[4]; 2. 6-Mat Williamson[2]; 3. 98H-Jimmy Phelps[35]; 4. 83-Danny Johnson[16]; 5. 91D-Billy Decker[5]; 6. 111-Demetrios Drellos[19]; 7. 42P-Pat Ward[14]; 8. 31W-Lance Willix[20]; 9. 12-Darren Smith[32]; 10. M1-David Marcuccilli[8]; 11. 49-Billy Dunn[1]; 12. 28M-Jordan McCreadie[37]; 13. 215-Adam Pierson[25]; 14. 58M-Marshall Hurd[27]; 15. 713-Tommy Collins[34]; 16. 38-Jason Parkhurst[24]; 17. 39-Ryan Bartlett[40]; 18. 2A-Mike Gular[29]; 19. 3J-Marc Johnson[18]; 20. 25-Erick Rudolph[33]; 21. 44P-Anthony Perrego[26]; 22. 99L-Larry Wight[7]; 23. 62X-Tim Sears Jr[3]; 24. 3-Justin Haers[13]; 25. 63R-Billy VanInwegen Jr[23]; 26. 98JS-Rocky Warner[15]; 27. 60-Jackson Gill[17]; 28. 66X-Carey Terrance[22]; 29. 34S-Rusty Smith[21]; 30. 11S-Steve Lewis Jr[39]; 31. 32R-Ronnie Davis[9]; 32. 20K-Kyle Inman[36]; 33. 15-Todd Root[31]; 34. 19-Tim Fuller[11]; 35. 36-Ben Bushaw[30]; 36. 27W-Nick Webb[28]; 37. 55-Matt Woodruff[38]; 38. 8R-Rob Bellinger[6]; 39. 21A-Peter Britten[10]; 40. (DQ) 7MM-Michael Maresca[12]

HIT THE LIGHTS: Stars Shine on Huge Night of Racing at Oswego Speedway to Shape Feature Fields

Exciting heat races lock in competitors for Billy Whittaker Cars 200, Salute to the Troops 150, Chevrolet Performance 75 and DIRTcar Pro Stock 50

OSWEGO, NY — When the lights go down, the stars come out. That was certainly the case on Friday night during NAPA Auto Parts Super DIRT Week at Oswego Speedway as the superstars of DIRTcar Racing shined brightest in Heat Race action to help shape the fields for the main events.

Super DIRTcar Series Billy Whittaker Cars 200 Heat Races

Larry Wight, Stewart Friesen, and Max McLaughlin each the checkers in their respective $4,000-to-win Heat Races.

The Triple 25s set the lineup in exciting fashion for Sunday’s Billy Whittaker Cars 200 by filling positions seven to 30 after the top six spots were claimed during Thursday’s time trials. The field for the sport’s most prestigious event will be completed on Saturday following Last Chance Showdowns.

Wight struck first in his Gypsum Express #99L. He powered to the lead over Billy Whittaker Cars 200 pole-sitter Peter Britten. Wight crossed the finish line with fellow podium drivers Mat Williamson, the defending Super DIRTcar Series champion, and young gun Tyler Dippel, who had an impressive showing at Bristol Motor Speedway in April. Stewart Friesen picked up the $1,000 win in Tripe 25 two over the Baldwinvsille Bandit Jimmy Phelps who failed to steal the win on the final restart. Max McLaughlin drove away from the competition in Triple 25 three, including the second-place finisher and seven-time Super DIRTcar Series champion Matt Sheppard.

Here’s how the three Triple 25s played out at Oswego Speedway:

Heat 1

Peter Britten and Larry Wight brought the field to green to kick off the first Triple 25. Britten had difficulty holding off Wight from passing on the inside and lost the initial lead. Britten was saved, however, by a red flag involving Robbie Johnston, Jeff Taylor, and Brian Whittemore. Johnston and Whittemore were able to pull away but Taylor’s #11 had to go off the track on a hook.

When the field refired, Wight went to the top and cleared Britten, who fell back in the field. Britten, knowing he is locked into the Billy Whittaker Cars 200 on the merrit of his first SRI Performance Pole Award, pulled off to save the car. Meanwhile, Wight stretched out his Big Block’s legs and stayed out front for the win.

“I knew Britten was going to take the bottom on the next restart,” Wight said. “He left that top wide open, I set it in there and the car curled around beautifully and I just drove away.

“Luckily my car is good enough and I could hunt around the holes. The car is fast everywhere. This car is just phenomenal to drive. Brandon and Jake did an amazing job putting it together. Now our shock and coil programs are what made this car fast. Right now all together. As long as we don’t get too greedy with it and make some minor adjustments, we’ll let the 200 play out.”

Mat Williamson, from St. Catharines, ON, finished second and is now set to defend his 2019 NAPA Super DIRT Week Billy Whittaker Cars 200 win. Tyler Dippel moved up two spots to finish third after a stellar qualifying effort by the young driver. Anthony Perrego finished fourth and if this had been a 200-lap race, Wight and Williamson would have had company at the front.

Also transferring was Ryan Godown who picked up seven positions in the 25-lap race. Carey Terrance started sixth and finished six. But that’s not the whole story. Terrance was determined to mix it up with the leaders and made it up to second mid-race. Unfortunately, he lost ground on a restart and fell back to his starting position of sixth. Mike Gular, from Harleysville, PA, picked up eight positions to finish seventh for a transfer.

And finally, Brett The Jet Hearn, winner of 900+ dirt Modified races and six-time Billy Whittaker Cars 200 winner, finished eighth for the final transfer position.

Heat 2

Stewart Friesen and Jimmy Phelps have been battling against each other for almost 20 years. The two veteran wheelmen lined up side-by-side and brought the second 25-lap Heat to green. Phelps looked to be running away with the money in the early going by running the top side and gapping second-place Friesen. On Lap 10, Friesen found some bite on the bottom line and passed the HBR #98H out of Turn 4 and under Dave Farney’s flagstand.

“It’s a challenging race track,” Friesen said. “We’re using the whole thing out there. I was able to roll Jimmy [Phelps] on the bottom. Then we found a decent line sliding three and four. Then I moved up to the top in one and two and really got going.”

The race was decided by a late-race restart and Friesen was determined to get a clean start.

“I try not to play games on the restart,” he said. ”I don’t leave gaps. It just causes accidents at the back of the pack. I was just trying to get a clean restart on the top. I hit my line and it was good.”

Transfer driver and Series rookie Tim Sears Jr. finished third and was not letting the leaders out of his sight. The #83X proved he will be a force in the 200.

Tim Fuller made up the most ground out of anyone finishing third from his 11th place starting spot. Fuller made a mega-move around the outside on a late-race restart to put himself up to fourth. Marc Johnson kept his consistent week going with a fifth-place finish to transfer.

Johns Hohenforst took a nasty barrel at Brewerton Speedway last Tuesday (Oct. 5). Not only did he miraculously rebuild the car but he made it fast. Hohenforst drove up from 13th to finish sixth for the transfer.

Jordan McCreadie’s luck turned around despite an early flat tire. The Flack’s Hi-Rise Concrete Restoration #28 team got him back on track and he was good enough to finish seventh to make the Billy Whittaker Cars 200 field. Tom Sears Jr. finished eighth knocking Jack Lehner out of a transfer spot in the late stages.

Heat 3

The Friday Night Lights were full power but Max McLaughlin, from Mooresville, NC, was simply lights out. He immediately built a considerable lead while Matt Sheppard chased. Then, McLaughlin did something most drivers don’t: He held “seven-time” off for the $4,000 payday.

“We were pretty good,” McLaughlin said of his winning Carl Meyers #32C. “The track is wild and a little rough. But we have a really fast race car so it just took me a little bit to figure out my line. If it wasn’t for caution flags we would have lapped up to the top-five.”

Sixth-place starter Chris Hile, from Syracuse, NY, drove his #5H to finish on the final podium step. Demetrios Drellos bounced back from a middling Time Trial by passing eight cars on his way to a fourth-place finish and a solid starting spot for the Billy Whittaker Cars 200.

The Flying Squirrel, Rocky Warner fell two spots from his starting position but managed to hold onto fifth to transfer.

Micahel Maresca, in the #7MM, advanced fourth spots to finish sixth. Orange County Speedway star Billy VanInwegen finished seventh. Kevin Root started eighth and finished eighth, battling hard to make it into his first Billy Whittaker Cars 200.

SALUTE TO THE TROOPS DIRTcar 358 MODIFIED SERIES

The tease of Saturday’s DIRTcar 358 Modified Salute to the Troops 150 came in threefold Friday night at Oswego Speedway.

Three 20-lap Qualifying Heats for the 74 cars entered in the division gave drivers and fans a taste of what they can expect from the 150-lap main event and guaranteed 24 more drivers a starting position in it.

After claiming the SRI Performance Pole Award and setting a new track record for the 358 Modifieds at Oswego Speedway Thursday afternoon, Billy Dunn backed that up by winning the first Heat. In the second Heat, seven-time Salute to the Troops champion Billy Decker became the first driver this week to deny Mat Williamson a win. And in the final Heat, Tim Sears, Jr. set a blistering pace to win by 2.5 seconds. All three took home a $1,000 check for the victory.

The three winners had already locked themselves into Saturday night’s $20,000-to-win Salute to the Troops 150, through Thursday’s Time Trials, along with Williamson, Stewart Friesen and Rob Bellinger. Joining them now as a locked-in driver are the likes of Pat Ward, Larry Wight, Peter Britten, Ronnie Davis and more.

Here is how the three Heats played out:

Heat 1
When the DIRTcar 358 Modifieds thundered into Turn 1 of Oswego Speedway as a group for the first time in two years, Pat Ward was granted an opening. Stewart Friesen slipped from his outside pole position, allowing Ward to dart past him from fourth and then make a run at Dunn for the lead. Right as he snuck past Dunn for the top spot, the caution flew for an accident in Turn 4 that ended Jordan McCreadie and Mike Bruce’s night.

Ward held the lead for the next two laps before another caution hindered this chance at building momentum. When the race commenced, Dunn moved high and found the bite he needed to get back around Ward for the lead on Lap 5. From there, Dunn comfortably held the lead for the next 14 circuits while the last one made him sweat.

While he led, Larry Wight became the show in the final half of the race. He spent most of his time trying to find his way around Friesen for fourth, using any lane he can to get around the NASCAR Truck Series star. With four laps to go, Wight moved high just in time. Lap cars blocked the low and middle lanes, allowing Wight to rocket around the outside of Friesen, Tim Fuller and Ward to go from fifth to second in one corner.

With three laps to go there was about a second and a half gap between him and Dunn. With two to go, it was down to half a second. On the final lap, he charged to the outside of Dunn but the red #49 had enough speed to hold of Wight for the win.

“Man, the track changed a lot in those 20 laps,” Dunn said. “I lost the lead early and had to fight to get it back and was able to hold on (for the win)… It takes me about a lap to get wound up in that W16 motor, but, man, once I got it going it was really good. The track seemed to get rougher, rougher and rougher. I was just trying to be really easy in lap traffic. I know I was losing speed to the cars behind me, but I just wanted to get to the end and stay out front.”

Heat 2
With Mat Williamson winning every race he’s entered in the past seven days, the question lingered if anyone could beat. Billy Decker, the defending Salute to the Troops 150 champion, answered with “yes.”

Williamson launched ahead of the field at the start of the second Heat and held command out front for the first eight laps before the caution came out for a two-car accident in Turn 2. When the race went back green for the final 12 laps, Decker looked like his teammate Larry Wight, ripping the high side of the 5/8-mile track. In doing so, he found himself to the outside of Williamson and in the lead shortly after.

Once he cleared the defending Billy Whittaker Cars 200 winner for the lead on Lap 9, Decker set sail and pulled away to a 1.6-second win over Williamson.

“He (Williamson) raced me very respectfully,” Decker said. “The Wholesaler (#91) cars was really good. Took a few laps to get the tires where they belonged and when they took off, they took off. It was fun at that stage.”

Heat 3
Tim Sears, Jr. has been on the verge of a DIRTcar 358 Modified all week long, nearly stealing the victory from Williamson at Weedsport Speedway on Wednesday and starting up front at Brewerton Speedway on Thursday before fading back. But on Friday night at Oswego Speedway, Sears was in a class of his own.

When the green flag hit the air for the third and final Heat of the night, Sears entered a new dimension when he pushed the throttle. His #62X rocketed ahead of the field and he gapped second-place Dave Marcuccilli by half a second in the first lap.

He caught the rear of the field by the halfway point of the race and even that couldn’t slow his momentum.

Behind him, Peter Britten had his own star moment on the initial start, going from sixth to third in the first lap. However, he couldn’t make any further ground after that. Sears powered to a more than two-second win over Marcuccilli, who finished second with Britten behind him in third.

“I wanted to get to lap traffic to see how we race,” Sears said. “This car has been good all year. Mullen and the guys at the shop, they prepare a great race car. I mean, every time we go on the race track this thing is ready. I couldn’t do it without all of them.”

DIRTcar SPORTSMAN CHEVROLET PERFORMANCE 75

Five Heat Races, five different winners. Another 20 drivers have punched their tickets into Sunday’s DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Chevy Performance 75 at Oswego Speedway.

The remaining 76 drivers will lineup Saturday afternoon to compete in one of three Last Chance Showdown events, vying for another six available starting spots in the $4,000-to-win NAPA Super DIRT Week finale.

The three LCS events will kick off the on-track action Saturday at 4pm, preceding the 358 Modified and Super DIRTcar Series LCS events.

Heat Race 1 – Mike Fowler

Now sitting on the front row of the first Heat Race with Robert Bublak to his outside, Mike Fowler knew he had a great chance to get his ticket punched into the big show on Sunday.

Chevy Performance 75 polesitter Chad Edwards chose not to participate in the event, while fellow locked-in driver Chris Mackey elected to start at the tail. This put Fowler on the pole, where he took the green and held off the field for all 15 laps to pick up the win and a spot in Sunday’s Feature.

“It’s kind of the shorter of the long way to do it,” Fowler said. “We really came here with our mind set on trying to lock-in through time trials, but winning a Heat Race is just as good. You get some extra laps on the car and really figure out what the car’s really gonna want.”

Heat Race 2 – Dalton Rombough

Chevy Performance 75 outside polesitter Andrew Buff also chose not to participate in his Heat Race, which put Dalton Rombough on the point for the 15-lap battle.

Rombough grabbed the lead at the drop of the green and held strong, leading every lap on his way to Victory Lane. He said the longer 75-lap event won’t be a bother to him come Sunday, as he’s taken a liking to the distance challenges.

“I actually like the longer races,” Rombough said. “It’s more consistent, and we’ll have to see what the track does. I really don’t know quite what we’re gonna do just yet.”

Heat Race 3 – Brian Calabrese

Ready for the initial start, now sitting P3 after polesitter Matt Janczuk’s decision to park it for the night, Brian Calabrese stared down the leader’s rear bumper in front of him, still knowing he’d have to at least keep the spot to advance to Sunday’s finale.

Not only did he keep the transfer spot, he improved on it, passing new polesitter Ryan Dolbear in the opening laps and Matt Guererri for the lead on Lap 12, using the very bottom lane to make the passes and drive to victory.

“The experience over the years… I’ve got a lot of good people telling me in my ear to keep it straight, this and that. We’re finally starting to calm down a little bit and show what we’ve learned over the years,” Calabrese said.

Heat Race 4 – David Rogers

Putting on a dominant display of driving ability, David Rogers joined Mike Fowler and Dalton Rombough as the only drivers to win their Heat Race and lead every lap Friday night.

Rogers took command at the drop of the green and led the caution-spotted Feature green-to-checkered to pick up the win and earn himself a spot in the big dance on Sunday.

“I’m ecstatic,” Rogers said. “To come here with 101 cars and do this… This is really the first Super DIRT Week we’ve actually got to run. We’ve been here before, but it just wasn’t good. But, here we are.”

Heat Race 5 – Mike Bruno

Scheduled to start 10th before the green flag dropped, Mike Bruno drove his #22B all the way to the front in 13 laps to pick up the Heat Race win.

It was one of the more challenging journeys to the front – Bruno had to deal with multiple caution flags and slower cars in his way to get it done.

“We got behind, and we had good practice laps, but we went the wrong way for the gears for the time trials,” Bruno said. “We knew we had a good piece, we just had to get through to get to the Heat Races and basically get up on the wheel.”

DIRTcar PRO STOCK 50

Nick Stone and Chad Jeseo used a similar strategy to get a leg up on their competition. The two Capital Region drivers chose the outside line in their 10 lap Twin 20 Heat Races, leading them to Victory Lane Friday night at Oswego Speedway.

The wins back up strong qualifying runs by both drivers. Jeseo starts on the outside pole in Sunday’s DIRTcar Pro Stock 50, while Stone starts third. All 31 cars will start the main event.

Heat 1

Nick Stone and Luke Horning have developed a rivalry over the past few seasons, as the two battled countless times in Pro Stock competition across the Capital Region.

Friday night at Oswego Speedway was no different, as they brought the first Pro Stock Heat Race to green.

Both drivers thundered off Turn 2 side-by-side, each of them nosing out ahead of each other on the backstretch. Horning would lead Stone by inches when they completed Lap 1, but it was the final time he’d be out front.

Stone’s momentum on the outside carried him the lead on Lap 2, and two laps later, the “Manimal” started pulling away from Horning.

The Rotterdam, NY driver never looked back, leading the final nine laps to grab the Heat Race win.

Stone stated the momentum on the outside gave him the ability to stay smooth throughout the race.

“The outside starting position helped me find the outside groove,” Stone said. “I knew once I got a rhythm up there, as long as I didn’t let Luke slide me, I thought we were alright. A little bumpy out there, so I was a little iffy, but once it got rolling, it was going good.”

Horning settled for second, while Rich Crane, Chucky Dumblewski, and Chris Crane rounded out the top five.

Heat 2

Chad Jeseo watched Nick Stone in Heat Race 1, helping him decide what line to run Heat Race 2.

The Averill Park, NY driver, started on the pole, but it wasn’t long until he swung to the top, taking the advantage he needed to pull away.

Jeseo was unchallenged in the 10 lap Heat Race, including a restart where he drove away on the outside.

“I went to watch the first Heat and seen Nick take advantage of the top there,” Jeseo said. “So, I said, ‘Why not?’ I went out and tried it. It seemed really good.

“What an absolute awesome facility it is here today. The track is super racy. It’s super-fast. It’s a good track [Friday].”

While “Bad Chad” was out front alone, Josh Coonradt and Jason Casey waged war for the runner-up spot.

Coonradt, the 2019 Pro Stock 50 winner, tried for two laps to get by Casey before pulling a slingshot move off Turn 2 to pass him for second with three laps to go.

The West Milton, NY driver, held on to the runner-up spot, while Jason Casey finished third. Jason Meltz crossed the line fourth, and Kim Duell was fifth.

Those who can’t make it to the track this weekend, can watch all the action live on DIRTVision – either online or through the DIRTVision App.

NAPA SUPER DIRT WEEK FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS HEAT RACE RESULTS

SUPER DIRTcar SERIES BILLY WHITTAKER CARS 200 HEAT RACES

HEAT 1 — 1. 99L-Larry Wight[2]; 2. 88W-Mat Williamson[3]; 3. 1-Tyler Dippel[5]; 4. 44P-Anthony Perrego[11]; 5. 26-Ryan Godown[12]; 6. 66X-Carey Terrance[6]; 7. 2A-Mike Gular[15]; 8. 20-Brett Hearn[10]; 9. 91-Billy Decker[4]; 10. 01C-Bob Henry Jr[17]; 11. 8-Rich Scagliotta[13]; 12. 34F-Andrew Ferguson[21]; 13. 14M-CG Morey[18]; 14. 33J-Robbie Johnston[19]; 15. 22JZ-Jeffery Daugherty[20]; 16. 21A-Peter Britten[1]; 17. M1-David Marcuccilli[7]; 18. 11-Alissa Cody[23]; 19. 25-Erick Rudolph[24]; 20. 115-Kenny Tremont Jr[9]; 21. 28ZT-Gary Lindberg[8]; 22. 12-Darren Smith[14]; 23. 11T-Jeff Taylor[16]; 24. 36-Brian Whittemore[22]

HEAT 2 — 1. 44-Stewart Friesen[2]; 2. 98H-Jimmy Phelps[1]; 3. 83X-Tim Sears Jr[3]; 4. 19-Tim Fuller[11]; 5. 9-Marc Johnson[6]; 6. 6H-Josh Hohenforst[13]; 7. 28M-Jordan McCreadie[9]; 8. 62S-Tom Sears Jr[8]; 9. 2-Jack Lehner[7]; 10. 3-Justin Haers[10]; 11. 22-Brandon Walters[16]; 12. 49-Billy Dunn[5]; 13. 43-Keith Flach[12]; 14. Z4-JJ Courcy[14]; 15. 28-Michael Trautschold[19]; 16. 0-Dan Humes[20]; 17. 48TOO-Dave Rauscher[18]; 18. 14-Brian Swarthout[21]; 19. 35-Mike Mahaney[4]; 20. 27W-Nick Webb[15]; 21. 1NY-Gregory Atkins[17]; 22. 16-Aaron Jacobs[22]; 23. (DNS) 83-Chris Stevens; 24. (DNS) 160-Jackson Gill

HEAT 3 — 1. 32CM-Max McLaughlin[1]; 2. 9S-Matt Sheppard[4]; 3. 5H-Chris Hile[6]; 4. 111-Demetrios Drellos[12]; 5. 98JS-Rocky Warner[3]; 6. 7MM-Michael Maresca[10]; 7. 4-Billy VanInwegen Jr[11]; 8. 34-Kevin Root[8]; 9. 23C-Kyle Coffey[13]; 10. 02-Roy Bresnahan[18]; 11. 43H-Jimmy Horton[9]; 12. 27J-Daniel Johnson[16]; 13. 24K-Nick Krause[17]; 14. 32C-James Meehan[14]; 15. 63-Adam Roberts[19]; 16. 215-Adam Pierson[7]; 17. 3B-Scott Boudinot[22]; 18. 84-Gary Tomkins[5]; 19. 234-Adam McAuliffe[15]; 20. 42P-Pat Ward[2]; 21. 17-Marcus Dinkins[20]; 22. 29C-Matt Caprara[23]; 23. (DNS) 88-Olden Dwyer

DIRTcar 358 MODIFIED SALUTE TO THE TROOPS HEAT RACES

HEAT 1 — 1. 49-Billy Dunn[1]; 2. 99L-Larry Wight[7]; 3. 44-Stewart Friesen[2]; 4. 19-Tim Fuller[6]; 5. 42P-Pat Ward[4]; 6. 83-Danny Johnson[3]; 7. 111-Demetrios Drellos[8]; 8. 66X-Carey Terrance[5]; 9. 215-Adam Pierson[12]; 10. 27W-Nick Webb[11]; 11. 3M-Michael Stanton[13]; 12. 98H-Jimmy Phelps[25]; 13. 31B-Corey Barker[9]; 14. 21H-Bob Henry Jr[18]; 15. 29-Matt Caprara[10]; 16. 8-Rich Scagliotta[21]; 17. 18-Ryan Macartney[22]; 18. 55-Matt Woodruff[19]; 19. 11S-Steve Lewis Jr[24]; 20. 11-Alissa Cody[23]; 21. 79-Jeffrey Prentice[17]; 22. 21-Ryan Darcy[20]; 23. 28-Michael Trautschold[14]; 24. 28M-Jordan McCreadie[15]; 25. 22-Michael Bruce[16]

HEAT 2 — 1. 91D-Billy Decker[2]; 2. 6-Mat Williamson[1]; 3. 32R-Ronnie Davis[3]; 4. 7MM-Michael Maresca[8]; 5. 98JS-Rocky Warner[6]; 6. 60-Jackson Gill[4]; 7. 31W-Lance Willix[10]; 8. 63R-Billy VanInwegen Jr[12]; 9. 44P-Anthony Perrego[9]; 10. 2A-Mike Gular[14]; 11. 15-Todd Root[7]; 12. 12-Darren Smith[5]; 13. 14M-CG Morey[15]; 14. 69-Randy Green[16]; 15. 21R-RJ Tresidder[21]; 16. 879-Darryl Mitchell[22]; 17. 1NY-Gregory Atkins[13]; 18. 39-Ryan Bartlett[11]; 19. 26R-Corey Cormier[20]; 20. 115-Montgomery Tremont[23]; 21. 34-George Foley[17]; 22. 88-Olden Dwyer[18]; 23. (DNS) 0-Dan Humes; 24. (DNS) 14-Brian Swarthout.

HEAT 3 – 1. 62X-Tim Sears Jr[1]; 2. M1-David Marcuccilli[3]; 3. 21A-Peter Britten[6]; 4. 3-Justin Haers[4]; 5. 8R-Rob Bellinger[2]; 6. 3J-Marc Johnson[11]; 7. 34S-Rusty Smith[5]; 8. 38-Jason Parkhurst[10]; 9. 58M-Marshall Hurd[9]; 10. 36-Ben Bushaw[14]; 11. 20K-Kyle Inman[7]; 12. 91-Bobby Flood[15]; 13. 66W-Derek Webb[8]; 14. 713-Tommy Collins[12]; 15. 02-Roy Bresnahan[18]; 16. 9-Tyler Meeks[13]; 17. 7-Michael Sabia[20]; 18. 34F-Andrew Ferguson[17]; 19. 37-Alex Tonkin[19]; 20. 24K-Nick Krause[16]; 21. 11T-Jeff Taylor[21]; 22. 25-Erick Rudolph[24]; 23. 16-Aaron Jacobs[22]; 24. (DNS) 7Z-Zachary Payne.

DIRTcar SPORTSMAN CHEVROLET PERFORMANCE

HEAT 1 — 1. 410-Mike Fowler[3]; 2. 72-A Jay Potrzebowski[10]; 3. 26-Ryan Godown[5]; 4. 64-Tyler Corcoran[6]; 5. 17Z-Seth Zacharias[11]; 6. 6-Robert Bublak[4]; 7. Z4-JJ Courcy[15]; 8. R1-Riley Rogala[16]; 9. 75-AJ Custodi[13]; 10. 7Z-Zachary Payne[7]; 11. 33-Ryan Murtaugh[9]; 12. 19C-Brandon Carvey[8]; 13. 27-Jason Reome[18]; 14. 01R-Robert Gage[12]; 15. 28-Jordan Moden[14]; 16. 96-Robert Maxon[17]; 17. 42A-Colby Adamczak[21]; 18. 74-Kelly Smith[19]; 19. 111-Henry Desmoreau[20]; 20. 3M-Chris Mackey[2]; 21. (DNS) 10%-Chad Edwards

HEAT 2 — 1. 41-Dalton Rombough[2]; 2. 70A-Alex Payne[6]; 3. 1XD-Willy Decker Jr[7]; 4. 7-Michael Sabia[8]; 5. 1M-Tyler Murray[17]; 6. 00-Beau Reeves[4]; 7. 02-David Boisclair[20]; 8. 69-Brian Borst[9]; 9. 427-Carter Gibbons[10]; 10. 99M-Brett Martin[18]; 11. 79-Jeffrey Prentice[12]; 12. 22-Nick Plumstead[15]; 13. 5B-Brock Pinkerous[16]; 14. 01-Zach Buff[13]; 15. 1R-Ricky Thompson[21]; 16. 11-Jeffrey Lutes[19]; 17. 1D-Robert Delormier[5]; 18. 52-Ron Proctor[14]; 19. (DNS) 92-Andrew Buff; 20. (DNS) 6V-Tanner VanDoren; 21. (DNS) 49-Chris Jakubiak

HEAT 3 — 1. 21C-Brian Calabrese[5]; 2. 12G-Matt Guererri[2]; 3. 38-Zach Sobotka[4]; 4. 42B-Justin Buff[9]; 5. 20-Bucko Branham[14]; 6. 31B-Ryan Dolbear[3]; 7. 29-Nick Heywood[7]; 8. 22S-Dylan Swinehart[11]; 9. 63-Teddy Clayton Jr[8]; 10. 284-Jamie Kamrowski[13]; 11. 04-Dale Gonyo Jr[16]; 12. 9-Steve Schrader[18]; 13. R19-Dale Caswell[6]; 14. 3-Justin McKay[10]; 15. 2-Tyler Doxtater[12]; 16. 32RS-Ryan Shanahan[15]; 17. 5KD-Kyle Devendorf[20]; 18. 33X-Matt Janczuk[1]; 19. 51B-Matthew Bourey[19]; 20. (DQ) 12-Jonathan Miller[17]

HEAT 4 — 1. 1-David Rogers[3]; 2. 5S-Tanner Siemons[8]; 3. 57H-Remington Hamm[20]; 4. 09-Connor Cleveland[5]; 5. 10G-Austin Germinio[4]; 6. FOX28-Tyler Stevenson[14]; 7. B24-Brendan Gibbons[6]; 8. 96JS-John Stowell[18]; 9. 17J-Brenton Joy[12]; 10. 00G-Joe Gosek[19]; 11. 5-Ryan Neiger[17]; 12. 1S-Andrew Smith[11]; 13. T69-Travis Green[13]; 14. 33XM-Rick Miller[16]; 15. 113JR-Frank Guererri[10]; 16. 1F-AJ Lloyd[2]; 17. 35T-Cameron Tuttle[9]; 18. 8-Alan Fink[1]; 19. (DNS) 99-Griffen Mansmith; 20. (DQ) 14X-Scott Duell[7]

HEAT 5 — 1. 22B-Mike Bruno[10]; 2. 18-Chris Cayea[5]; 3. 19-Jamy Begor[9]; 4. 33O-Cody Ochs[4]; 5. 22W-Noah Walker[6]; 6. 3H-Cole Hentschel[3]; 7. 14-Zach Arquiett[7]; 8. 50-William August[20]; 9. 54-Fred Proctor[16]; 10. 10-Michael Delormier[14]; 11. 38S-Kevin Stevens[13]; 12. 44C-Ed Downing[19]; 13. 51-Tim Lafler[8]; 14. 21K-Randy Chrysler[12]; 15. 72H-Kasey Hufcut[11]; 16. 48-Kearra Backus[17]; 17. 42-Daryl Nutting[2]; 18. 13-Teddy Starr[18]; 19. 1X-Justin Stone[1]; 20. (DNS) 5D-Tim Devendorf

DIRTcar PRO STOCK HEAT RACES

HEAT 1 — 1. 8N-Nick Stone[2]; 2. 2H-Luke Horning[1]; 3. 711-Rich Crane[3]; 4. 7D-Chucky Dumblewski[4]; 5. 69-Chris Crane[5]; 6. 7-Rob Yetman[6]; 7. 178-Steve LaRochelle[12]; 8. 23-Scott Towslee[9]; 9. 2-Pete Stefanski[13]; 10. 6-Shane Playford[10]; 11. 28-Burton Ward[8]; 12. 6C-Brian Carter[7]; 13. 1X-Justin White[11]; 14. 91-Ian Bressette[15]; 15. 09-Shawn Perez[14]; 16. 17-Nick Hilt[16]

HEAT 2 — 1. 25-Chad Jeseo[1]; 2. 70X-Josh Coonradt[3]; 3. 324-Jason Casey[2]; 4. 51-Jason Meltz[4]; 5. 14-Kim Duell[6]; 6. 57K-Kevin Fetterly Jr[13]; 7. 322-Jay Casey[5]; 8. 4-Dean Charbonneau[12]; 9. 54S-Zachary Sorrentino[9]; 10. 75S-Gary Silkey[8]; 11. 56-Jay Fitzgerald[10]; 12. 14J-Johnny Rivers[7]; 13. 413-Tommy Dean[14]; 14. 75-Eli Gilbert[11]; 15. X15-Tyler Bushey[15]

PACKIN’ THE LUNCHBOX: Edwards Bags Pole for Chevy Performance 75 at Oswego

Buff, Janczuk, Fink, Stone and Mackey also locked into the big show Sunday

OSWEGO, NY – Oct. 8, 2021 – With a lap of 22.206 around the clay-covered Oswego Speedway, Chad Edwards will bring the DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Chevy Performance 75 to green from the pole on Sunday afternoon.

The top-six fastest drivers from the 102-car field have automatically locked themselves into the Chevy Performance 75. Edwards, of Gloversville, NY, joins Andrew Buff, Matt Janczuk, Alan Fink, Nick Stone and Chris Mackey in the first three rows of the Feature starting grid for a shot at the $4,000 grand prize on Sunday. Everyone else will try and punch their ticket in through a Heat Race in the Friday Night Lights program.

This is Edwards’ first career SRI Performance Pole Award at NAPA Auto Parts Super DIRT Week. He becomes only the third driver in the last five editions of the event to win it, joining present-day DIRTcar Big Block Modified drivers Dave Marcuccilli and Kevin Root as polesitters at Oswego.

“It hasn’t really hit me yet,” Edwards said. “Later on, when we’re having a few, we’ll probably enjoy it.”

Later in the evening, Edwards “The Lunchbox” has the choice of competing in a 15-lap Heat Race, which will transfer another 20 cars into Sunday’s Feature. Since he’s already locked into the Feature, his participation isn’t required, but could serve as some extra practice time.

“I’m not really sure yet,” Edwards said of his decision to race the Heat. “We’re probably gonna mount up some new tires and at least go out in the back maybe and try to break them in. Probably won’t be chancing it, to be honest.”

Edwards also had the luck of the draw on his side, pill drawing in the first five spots of the Qualifying lineup earlier in the program. This put him among the first five cars on the track to take time, which gave him a fresher racetrack to work with.

“On my quick lap, I kinda felt like I messed up in Turn 3,” Edwards said. “I got a little higher than the bottom groove and I think it helped roll through that corner smooth and straight.”

Hoosier Racing Tire Weekly Points champion of the division, Andrew Buff, clocked-in second-quick with a lap of 22.262. He collected the $250 Low-E Insulation Outside Pole Award and will take the green on Sunday alongside Edwards.

“The lap was great,” said Buff, of Latham, NY. “Glad that we can start on the front row for this race on Sunday, it means a lot going into the race. Definitely a lot of stress off of the week we have.”

Seventy-five trips around the five-eighths-mile oval is significantly more demanding than the 20-30-lap Features a typical Sportsman Modified driver tackles on any given weekend during the regular season. Buff finished fifth in the 2018 edition of the Chevy Performance 75, proving his capability to get it done in the big races.

“You have to have a balanced racecar throughout the whole race,” Buff said. “Seventy-five laps is a long time, and the track’s definitely going to have a lot of changes in it. Lapped traffic’s going to come into play. Just as long as we keep our nose clean and stay up front, we’ll give it our best shot.”

Matt Janczuk, of Oneida, NY, laid down a lap of 22.266 to secure his third-place spot on Sunday’s starting grid. He finished third in the 2019 Chevy Performance 75 and wasn’t shy about discussing his love for the big, fast nature of Oswego.

“That’s kinda where I shine, that’s my wheelhouse – big tracks like this here at Oswego,” Janczuk said.

After competing Wednesday and Thursday night at Weedsport Speedway and Brewerton Speedway, Janczuk and his crew made their final preparations and made the trip out to Oswego, where they turned their fastest laps with very few practice laps beforehand.

“This Billy Whittaker Cars & Trucks #33 has been good right off the trailer,” Janczuk said. “After last night, we went home and we just worked so hard on this thing to get this Teo Pro Car going, and right out of the box it was good.”

UP NEXT

The Sportsman Modifieds take to the track for five Heat Races as part of Oswego’s Friday Night Lights program, locking in another 20 cars to Sunday’s Chevy Performance 75. Catch all the action live on DIRTVision presented by Drydene.

Qualifying Results

1. 10%-Chad Edwards, 00:22.206[3]; 2. 92-Andrew Buff, 00:22.262[11]; 3. 33X-Matt Janczuk, 00:22.266[7]; 4. 8-Alan Fink, 00:22.317[22]; 5. 1X-Justin Stone, 00:22.401[29]; 6. 3M-Chris Mackey, 00:22.565[6]; 7. 41-Dalton Rombough, 00:22.575[24]; 8. 12G-Matt Guererri, 00:22.598[71]; 9. 1F-AJ Lloyd, 00:22.620[93]; 10. 42-Daryl Nutting, 00:22.637[66]; 11. 410-Mike Fowler, 00:22.657[64]; 12. 6V-Tanner VanDoren, 00:22.668[25]; 13. 31B-Ryan Dolbear, 00:22.676[75]; 14. 1-David Rogers, 00:22.681[38]; 15. 3H-Cole Hentschel, 00:22.689[62]; 16. 6-Robert Bublak, 00:22.709[50]; 17. 00-Beau Reeves, 00:22.711[2]; 18. 38-Zach Sobotka, 00:22.723[44]; 19. 10G-Austin Germinio, 00:22.738[18]; 20. 33O-Cody Ochs, 00:22.745[69]; 21. 26-Ryan Godown, 00:22.753[61]; 22. 1D-Robert Delormier, 00:22.761[95]; 23. 21C-Brian Calabrese, 00:22.767[9]; 24. 09-Connor Cleveland, 00:22.768[98]; 25. 18-Chris Cayea, 00:22.769[16]; 26. 64-Tyler Corcoran, 00:22.781[35]; 27. 70A-Alex Payne, 00:22.802[99]; 28. R19-Dale Caswell, 00:22.807[36]; 29. B24-Brendan Gibbons, 00:22.811[1]; 30. 22W-Noah Walker, 00:22.813[14]; 31. 7Z-Zachary Payne, 00:22.814[41]; 32. 1XD-Willy Decker Jr, 00:22.819[86]; 33. 29-Nick Heywood, 00:22.842[26]; 34. 14X-Scott Duell, 00:22.864[45]; 35. 14-Zach Arquiett, 00:22.868[54]; 36. 19C-Brandon Carvey, 00:22.877[15]; 37. 7-Michael Sabia, 00:22.883[83]; 38. 63-Teddy Clayton Jr, 00:22.890[12]; 39. 5S-Tanner Siemons, 00:22.891[97]; 40. 51-Tim Lafler, 00:22.911[70]; 41. 33-Ryan Murtaugh, 00:22.919[88]; 42. 69-Brian Borst, 00:22.920[56]; 43. 42B-Justin Buff, 00:22.927[100]; 44. 35T-Cameron Tuttle, 00:22.935[90]; 45. 19-Jamy Begor, 00:22.939[60]; 46. 72-A Jay Potrzebowski, 00:22.962[80]; 47. 427-Carter Gibbons, 00:22.962[10]; 48. 3-Justin McKay, 00:22.965[82]; 49. 113JR-Frank Guererri, 00:22.969[21]; 50. 22B-Mike Bruno, 00:22.994[30]; 51. 17Z-Seth Zacharias, 00:23.006[5]; 52. 49-Chris Jakubiak, 00:23.015[57]; 53. 22S-Dylan Swinehart, 00:23.037[13]; 54. 1S-Andrew Smith, 00:23.039[68]; 55. 72H-Kasey Hufcut, 00:23.045[96]; 56. 01R-Robert Gage, 00:23.077[32]; 57. 79-Jeffrey Prentice, 00:23.103[47]; 58. 2-Tyler Doxtater, 00:23.103[20]; 59. 17J-Brenton Joy, 00:23.134[76]; 60. 21K-Randy Chrysler, 00:23.142[53]; 61. 75-AJ Custodi, 00:23.157[17]; 62. 01-Zach Buff, 00:23.166[39]; 63. 284-Jamie Kamrowski, 00:23.167[8]; 64. T69-Travis Green, 00:23.204[37]; 65. 38S-Kevin Stevens, 00:23.219[94]; 66. 28-Jordan Moden, 00:23.234[27]; 67. 52-Ron Proctor, 00:23.250[23]; 68. 20-Bucko Branham, 00:23.257[77]; 69. FOX28-Tyler Stevenson, 00:23.260[19]; 70. 10-Michael Delormier, 00:23.311[87]; 71. Z4-JJ Courcy, 00:23.314[91]; 72. 22-Nick Plumstead, 00:23.315[89]; 73. 32RS-Ryan Shanahan, 00:23.353[101]; 74. 99-Griffen Mansmith, 00:23.366[43]; 75. 5D-Tim Devendorf, 00:23.370[81]; 76. R1-Riley Rogala, 00:23.378[102]; 77. 5B-Brock Pinkerous, 00:23.428[79]; 78. 04-Dale Gonyo Jr, 00:23.445[78]; 79. 33XM-Rick Miller, 00:23.450[31]; 80. 54-Fred Proctor, 00:23.470[42]; 81. 96-Robert Maxon, 00:23.604[74]; 82. 1M-Tyler Murray, 00:23.642[4]; 83. 12-Jonathan Miller, 00:23.675[63]; 84. 5-Ryan Neiger, 00:23.756[65]; 85. 48-Kearra Backus, 00:23.763[85]; 86. 27-Jason Reome, 00:23.768[72]; 87. 99M-Brett Martin, 00:23.803[84]; 88. 9-Steve Schrader, 00:23.899[46]; 89. 96JS-John Stowell, 00:23.912[49]; 90. 13-Teddy Starr, 00:23.961[92]; 91. 74-Kelly Smith, 00:23.969[59]; 92. 11-Jeffrey Lutes, 00:24.013[58]; 93. 51B-Matthew Bourey, 00:24.091[67]; 94. 00G-Joe Gosek, 00:24.188[55]; 95. 44C-Ed Downing, 00:24.542[28]; 96. 111-Henry Desmoreau, 00:25.349[52]; 97. (DQ) 02-David Boisclair, 00:22.724[51]; 98. (DQ) 5KD-Kyle Devendorf, 00:23.019[40]; 99. (DQ) 57H-Remington Hamm, 00:23.186[34]; 100. (DQ) 50-William August, 00:23.268[48]; 101. 42A-Colby Adamczak[33]; 102. 1R-Ricky Thompson[73]

COUSIN LUKE: Horning grabs SRI Performance Pole Award for Pro Stock 50

Along with Horning, Chad Jeseo, Nick Stone, Jason Casey, Rich Crane, and Josh Coonradt are locked into Sunday's DIRTcar 50

OSWEGO, NY – October 8, 2021 – Luke Horning is a contender anytime he enters a Pro Stock race in the Northeast. A fact he again backed up at Oswego Speedway by claiming the SRI Performance Pole Award for Sunday’s DIRTcar Pro Stock 50.

On Friday afternoon, the Gloversville, NY driver, went out in the first qualifying group, laying down a 24.487 sec. lap to win the SRI Performance Pole Award (worth an extra $500).

Horning’s fast lap came in a new Playfab Chassis—a car he feels pretty good about for Sunday’s race. But “Cousin Luke” still has worries about what it’ll do if the surface gets slick.

“The first lap I ran kind of slow and felt like it was a pretty good lap, so I said let’s see what we got, and the lap was pretty good,” Horning said.

“I think we got a good piece this time; I just really worry about these coil cars as this place slicks off and how fast they’re going to be. But to lead all these cars on the front row, it’s a pretty good deal.”

Joining Horning on the front row of Sunday’s Pro Stock 50 is Chad Jeseo, who won the Low-E Insulation Outside Pole Award (worth an extra $250). He earned it with his 24.610 sec. lap.

The Albany-Saratoga and Lebanon Valley Speedway Track Champion, from Averill Park, NY, said he’s thrilled with his lap, knowing how vital Qualifying is as a step toward the checkered flag.

“Time Trials are crucial for these [DIRTcar Pro Stock] Series races,” Jeseo said. “We race with [Horning] weekly and race with [Nick Stone] a lot, and the top six here are all great guys, and we all really run good together. It’s a little rough at times, but we’re here to put a show on.”

Nick Stone, Jason Casey, Rich Crane and Josh Coonradt also punched their tickets into Sunday’s race by qualifying in the top six.

Out of the top-six drivers locked into the field on Sunday, only Coonradt has won the event. The West Milton, NY driver, found Victory Lane in 2019 and feels confident about his chances to repeat.

“Being locked in is a big accomplishment; you don’t have to stress about the Heat Race,” Coonradt said. “We didn’t make the changes we needed to [in between practice and Qualifying], but we got a better idea of what we have to do, and come Sunday, I think we’ll have something at the end.”

UP NEXT: The Pro Stocks will hit the speedway Friday night for two Heat Races during Friday Night Lights at Oswego Speedway.

If you can’t make it to the tracks, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision – either online or through the DIRTVision App.

LOCKED IN TOP-SIX:
1–Luke Horning– 24.487
2–Chad Jeseo – 24.610
3–Nick Stone – 24.663
4–Jason Casey – 24.703
5–Rich Crane – 24.751
6– Josh Coonradt – 24.837

Full Qualifying Results -1. 2H-Luke Horning, 00:24.487[2]; 2. 25-Chad Jeseo, 00:24.610[27]; 3. 8N-Nick Stone, 00:24.663[6]; 4. 324-Jason Casey, 00:24.703[29]; 5. 711-Rich Crane, 00:24.751[28]; 6. 70X-Josh Coonradt, 00:24.837[31]; 7. 7D-Chucky Dumblewski, 00:24.857[14]; 8. 51-Jason Meltz, 00:24.911[15]; 9. 69-Chris Crane, 00:25.036[22]; 10. 322-Jay Casey, 00:25.217[23]; 11. 7-Rob Yetman, 00:25.230[21]; 12. 14-Kim Duell, 00:25.257[24]; 13. 6C-Brian Carter, 00:25.259[19]; 14. 14J-Johnny Rivers, 00:25.274[9]; 15. 28-Burton Ward, 00:25.301[8]; 16. 75S-Gary Silkey, 00:25.302[26]; 17. 23-Scott Towslee, 00:25.377[12]; 18. 54S-Zachary Sorrentino, 00:25.398[11]; 19. 6-Shane Playford, 00:25.433[30]; 20. 56-Jay Fitzgerald, 00:25.474[5]; 21. 1X-Justin White, 00:25.481[20]; 22. 75-Eli Gilbert, 00:25.504[1]; 23. 178-Steve LaRochelle, 00:25.509[4]; 24. 4-Dean Charbonneau, 00:25.541[18]; 25. 2-Pete Stefanski, 00:25.582[16]; 26. 57K-Kevin Fetterly Jr, 00:25.596[13]; 27. 09-Shawn Perez, 00:25.692[10]; 28. 413-Tommy Dean, 00:25.694[3]; 29. 91-Ian Bressette, 00:26.499[7]; 30. X15-Tyler Bushey, 00:26.588[25]; 31. (DQ) 17-Nick Hilt, 00:25.360[17]

Williamson continues NAPA Super DIRT Week reign with Hurricane Harvey 75 win

CENTRAL SQUARE, NY – Oct. 7, 2021 – Neither demon nor hurricane can stop Mat Williamson. Not even a bad pill draw.

His dominance of the 49th NAPA Auto Parts Super DIRT Week took another step up the ladder of awe Thursday night during the Hurricane Harvey 75 at Brewerton Speedway with the DIRTcar 358 Modifieds.

The luck of the draw may have plagued him to an 11th place starting position, but his drive and his mastery of the D-Shaped Dirt Demon, mixed with a bit of luck, earned him his third consecutive Feature win during NAPA Super DIRT Week – and fourth consecutive Feature win in a matter of six days.

“This is awesome,” Williamson said about his current stretch of victories. “My crew worked all day on this (#6M DIRTcar 358 Modified) while I was playing in the dirt at Oswego. I can’t thank them enough.”

His success started with the Outlaw 200 at Fulton Speedway on Saturday, where he became the first Canadian driver to win the event. Then, on Tuesday, he won the Super DIRTcar Series Demon 100 at Brewerton Speedway. He followed that up with a DIRTcar 358 Modified win at Weedsport Speedway for the NAPA Super DIRT Week Kickoff Party on Wednesday. And before making the trip to Brewerton Speedway Thursday evening, Williamson claimed the Low-E Insulation Outside Pole Award for the DIRTcar 358 Modified Salute to the Troops 150 at Oswego Speedway.

It’s a current wave of momentum and confidence that seems unstopped in its path to NAPA Super DIRT Week glory. Although, the Hurricane tried.

Williamson’s deflated body language said everything when he looked at his redraw pill. After setting the fastest time in his Time Trial group and dominating his Heat Race, luck told him he’d start 11th in the 75-lap Feature.

Tim Sears, Jr. drew the pole, but his time out front didn’t make a lap. Larry Wight, master the top line to move from fourth to the lead in the opening lap past Sears, Michael Maresca and Ryan Bartlett. From there, Wight made sure it would take catching lightning in a bottle to take the lead away from him.

His #99L Small Block could do what everyone couldn’t. While he was best around the top, when lap traffic became a factor, he could move wherever he needed and not lose speed. No matter who moved into the runner-up spot, they couldn’t catch the red Gypsum car.

The battles behind Wight helped him maintain his lead, as well. Maresca held second for most of the race, but pressure from 2021 Brewerton Speedway track champion Jimmy Phelps eventually got him and the #98H moved to the runner-up spot in the opening 30 laps. Williamson had made his way up to sixth at this point.

Maresca charged back at Phelps for second, but cautions hindered his challenges and subjected him to his rivals behind him. After a restart with less than 25 laps to go, a spark lit for Ronnie Davis III. He found something around the top of the track and began taking no prisoners. He passed Maresca for third on Lap 52 and then got by Phelps for second around the top on Lap 61.

Williamson steadily continued his own march, passing Maresca for fourth on Lap 58 and then found his way around Phelps for third on Lap 64. Even with his run and the momentum Davis had built, neither had another for Wight.

Until five laps to go.

Disaster for Wight. A change of fortune for Williamson. According to Wight, a lap car put him in the wall while he was trying to pass him and caused a part failure, taking him out of the race. That moved Davis into the lead and Williamson second. Luck gave him a bad pill draw, but it also gave him a shot at the win.

Williamson tried to take advantage of that on the restart by sneaking underneath Davis down the backstretch. But before the two could argue over who would lead by the flag stand, a caution came out. On the next restart, Davis made sure Williamson couldn’t get the same run and blocked low. A lap later, another caution for a three-car pileup in Turn 2.

That set up a four-lap dash to the finish. All Williamson needed. Davis got the jump ahead of the Canadian on the start and kept a car length distance between them the following two laps. Williamson, unwilling to settle, moved to the high line and found what he needed.

Off Turn 4 with the white flag in the air, Williamson built a head of steam off the corner and powered to the outside of Davis. He squeezed between the front stretch wall and Davis’s right side, to the point where the two made contact before entering Turn 1. It benefited Williamson as he darted ahead of Davis’s #32R machine and ran away with the win and another $4,000 check.

“We probably didn’t earn that one when Larry (Wight) broke there. I was probably a third-place car until that happened, but sometimes it is better to be lucky than good,” Williamson said.

“I got under Ronnie (Davis) there in (Turn) three and the caution came out. I just had no other options (but to run high). I knew I wasn’t good around the top in (Turns) one and two but had to be at the top in (Turns) three and four. I got underneath him in (Turn) one and made him think I was running the bottom. I think that’s why he tried to protect (Turns) three and four and fortunately, the cushion was out there to bang on.”

While there’s heartbreak in losing the lead on the last lap, Davis was still encouraged by his run.

“I really can’t complain finishing second to Mat (Williamson) who has won everything this week,” he said with a chuckle. “We had a great car. I don’t know if I would’ve had anything for Larry (Wight). He was pretty strong on the top there… I don’t know. I feel like when I should’ve went to the top I went to the bottom and when I should’ve gone to the bottom I went to the top. Ughh.”

Phelps around out the podium with Sears fourth and Maresca fifth.

Williamson wasn’t sure how he’d handle the pressure of being the defending Billy Whittaker Cars 200 champion this year. So far, he’s put himself on a seemingly unstoppable path to his first DIRTcar 358 Modified Salute to the Troops 150 win and another 200 title.

UP NEXT: The DIRTcar 358 Modifieds return to Oswego Speedway on Friday, Oct. 8, for another round of practice and Qualifying Heats to lock more drivers into Saturday’s main event. For NAPA Super DIRT Week tickets, CLICK HERE.

If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all of NAPA Super DIRT Week live on DIRTVision – either online or through the DIRTVision App.

RESULTS

Feature (75 Laps)

6m-Mat Williamson [11][$4,000]; 2. 32R-Ronnie Davis [5][$2,500]; 3. 98H-Jimmy Phelps [8][$1,500]; 4. 62X-Tim Sears [1][$1,200]; 5. 7MM-Michael Maresca [2][$1,000]; 6. 98W-Rocky Warner [7][$800]; 7. 215p-Adam Pierson [20][$700]; 8. 49-Billy Dunn [12][$600]; 9. 39B-Ryan Bartlett [3][$550]; 10. 42P-Pat Ward [9][$500]; 11. 21C-Taylor Caprara [13][$450]; 12. 3B-Chad Brachmann [17][$400]; 13. 11T-Jeff Taylor [16][$375]; 14. 28M-Jordan McCreadie [6][$350]; 15. 11C-Justin Chrisanti [19][$325]; 16. 36B-Ben Bushaw [23][$300]; 17. 34S-Rusty Smith [21][$275]; 18. 42W-Colton Wilson [22][$250]; 19. 55-Matt Woodruff [26][$250]; 20. 4M-Greg Martin [27][$250]; 21. 23L-Cameron Black [28][$250]; 22. 31W-Lance Willix [14][$250]; 23. 99L-Larry Wight [4][$250]; 24. 2-Roy Breshnahan [15][$250]; 25. 1M-Dave Marcuccilli [10][$250]; 26. 678-John Smith [29][$250]; 27. 66W-Derek Webb [18][$250]; 28. 15R-Todd Root [25][$250]; 29. 27Z-Dylan Zacharias [24][$250]; 30. 1S-Steve Lewis [30][$250]; Hard Charger Award: 215p-Adam Pierson[+13]

DEMON DEFENDER: Tuttle Denies Sobotka Slide Job for Hurricane Harvey 30 Win at Brewerton

Second career Sportsman Series win for Tuttle in first SDW visit

CENTRAL SQUARE, NY – Oct. 7, 2021 – Escaping the clutches of lapped traffic with five laps to go, Cameron Tuttle had a comfortable lead, but was unaware of the furious drive coming from behind him.

Zach Sobotka, the 2021 Brewerton Speedway Sportsman Modified track champion from Parish, NY, cleared the pack of slower traffic in front of him and set his sights on leader Tuttle with just three circuits remaining. By the wave of the white flag, Sobotka had reeled Tuttle nearly all the way in and knew it was time to make a move.

“Coming out of Turn 2, I didn’t think I had enough for [Tuttle] to even get in there,” Sobotka said. “I just drove in wide-open pretty much going into 3.”

With one swift motion, Sobotka uncorked a slide job on Tuttle in Turns 3-4. But Tuttle held strong on the top side and denied the pass on corner exit, zooming by Sobotka with the lead and the $1,000 Hurricane Harvey 30 check at the stripe.

“That was the best race I’ve ever been in,” Tuttle said.

Getting into Turn 3 on the final lap, Tuttle had just realized Sobotka was coming.

“I thought I heard him coming out of Turn 2 on the last lap, and I didn’t see [Sobotka],” Tuttle said. “I was trying to look up at the [DIRTVision big screen] up there, but I couldn’t see him, so lap car around. Then, he dove under me, so I just kept it to the wood on the top and it was a drag race to the line.”

After battling hard to get on the podium in the final circuits, Sobotka had zero intentions of settling for second once he got out of lapped traffic.

“I was just trying to get to [Tuttle’s] bumper and see what I could make happen in Turns 3-4,” Sobotka said. “If I was a little bit closer, I might have been able to do it, but it was definitely close.”

Tuttle had led since the drop of the green and made quick work of traffic with a racecar setup to his liking. He lost barely any ground to the rest of the field in the first 20 laps, even with multiple lane changes to get through traffic.

“Going through lapped traffic, I could put it on the bottom, I could put it in the middle, and it would still get the drive off the corner that I needed,” Tuttle said. “Multiple lanes to race in made for a phenomenal race.”

The win was the second of his Sportsman Modified Series campaign this season after capturing the Western USA Region points title. He now turns his attention to qualifying for his first career Chevy Performance 75 appearance at Oswego Speedway on Friday.

“It’s a huge confidence booster going into tomorrow,” Tuttle said. “This is our first time going to Oswego, and we haven’t had time to travel around this year to actually see how the car’s gonna do against all these guys.”

Sobotka came home second after a drive from ninth to a near victory in the final corner. One more caution flag, and he said the finish could have been different.

“I saw the flagger give five-to-go and I was stuck behind a couple lap cars, and I split ‘em all three wide and kinda slid them,” Sobotka said. “I feel like I needed a caution really bad.”

Will Shields hung on for third while Brian Calabrese and Wednesday night’s winner Chris Mackey completed the top-five.

UP NEXT

The DIRTcar Sportsman Modified action continues at Oswego Speedway on Friday afternoon with a Hot Lap session before Time Trials to lock-in the first three rows of Sunday’s Chevy Performance 75 as part of NAPA Auto Parts Super DIRT Week XLIX.

Catch all the action live on DIRTVision presented by Drydene.

Feature (30 Laps) 1. 35T-Cameron Tuttle [1][$1,000]; 2. 38S-Zach Sobotka [9][$600]; 3. 82S-Will Shields [3][$450]; 4. 21C-Brian Calabrese [2][$325]; 5. 3M-Chris Mackey [4][$275]; 6. 1X-Justin Stone [5][$225]; 7. 31b-Ryan Dolbear [7][$200]; 8. 06J-Jordan Bennett [6][$180]; 9. 8F-Alan Fink [13][$160]; 10. 33m-Richard Murtaugh [12][$140]; 11. 19c-Brandon Carvey [22][$120]; 12. 7s-Mike Sabia [8][$110]; 13. 10G-Austin Germinio [10][$100]; 14. 17J-Brent Joy [14][$100]; 15. 5S-Tanner Siemans [18][$100]; 16. 29H-Nick Heywood [24][$100]; 17. 7z-Zach Payne [11][$100]; 18. 33x-Matt Janczuk [19][$100]; 19. 5H-Amy Holland [26][$100]; 20. 1M-Tyler Murray [23][$100]; 21. 32H-Max Hill [17][$100]; 22. 92b-Andrew Buff [21][$100]; 23. 6M-Cody Manitta [15][$100]; 24. 16R-Earl Rudy [30][$100]; 25. 64C-Tyler Corcoran [25][$100]; 26. 631-Todd Buckhold [20][$100]; 27. R1-Riley Bogala [27][$100]; 28. 2s-Taylor Doxtater [31][$100]; 29. 1R-Ricky Thompson [29][$100]; 30. 70A-Alex Payne [28][$100]; 31. 1S-Andrew Smith [16][$100] Hard Charger: 19c-Brandon Carvey[+11]

BANKING ON BATMAN: Peter Britten Powers to $1,000 SRI Performance Pole Award in Super DIRTcar Series Qualifying at Oswego

Top six set for Billy Whittaker Cars 200: Britten, Phelps, McLaughlin, Wight, Friesen, and Ward

OSWEGO, NY — The Super DIRTcar Series did not disappoint in its return to NAPA Super DIRT Week on a picture-perfect Thursday by running an exciting Billy Whittaker Cars 200 qualifying session worthy of the stature of this historic event. Australian superstar Peter Britten, who made his way around the 5/8-mile Oswego Speedway in 20.471 seconds, besting 70 other Big Block Modifieds.

It was a nail-biter in the final stage of Time Trials as Britten and the team watched the leader board, hoping it would remain frozen in time.

The fastest six Super DIRTcar Series drivers locked themselves into the Billy Whittaker Cars 200 with their Time Trial results. Britten led the way and grabbed the SRI Performance Pole Award worth $1,000. Jimmy Phelps took the Low-E Insulation Outside Pole award along with an extra $750 for his effort. Meanwhile, former HBR teammate Max McLaughlin was quick enough for third overall. Larry Wight, Stewart Friesen, and Pat Ward rounded out the top-six.

Britten has been having a renaissance year, picking up his first Super DIRTcar Series win since 2017 by taking the checkers at Land of Legends Raceway in the first Twin 60 in August. Britten currently has his #21A second in championship points and is trying to run down points leader Matt Sheppard.

Britten is 147 points back from Sheppard, but starting on the pole for the Billy Whittaker Cars 200 is an excellent way to start the final push. Although he is pleased being the point man for the start, Britten is focused on the 200.

“In reality, it [pole position] doesn’t mean a lot,” Britten said. “A 200-lap race has a lot of strategy. It’s gotta develop a certain way. Don’t get me wrong it’s great to be locked in up here. You gotta stay out of trouble and stay clean. What we know right now is that we have a fast car. It’s potential. Now we have to take that potential and somehow get to that checkered flag first on Sunday.”

The track started very fast in the initial practice sessions. During DIRTcar 358 Modified Series Salute to the Troops 150 Time Trials, Tim Fuller ran a sub-20 second lap, which was faster than Britten’s pole time of 20.471. Britten had to stay on top of the ever-changing racing surface to make sure he had the right line on track.

“I think going out earlier was better as there wasn’t a lot of degradation yet,” Britten noted. “The car is just really fast. I feel the car is really comfortable. I run a Big Block all the time so for me it’s easier than the 358. I think we can be just as good in the 358 race too.”

“I guess I was the fastest guy after all,” an ecstatic Britten said.

Phelps and his HBR team are coming to life at just the right time of the season. With a podium on Tuesday in the Demon 100, Phelps is motivated by the recent results.

Unfortunately, Phelps lost a 358 motor and missed Salute to the Troops 150 Time Trials as a result.

But his Big Block is singing strong.

“I am really happy with the car right now,” said Phelps. “We had a great finish at the Demon 100 and this is just keeping the ball rolling. I am really proud of the team coming together this week and the results have been solid."

An enthusiastic McLaughlin parked third in line in the top-six with a time of 20.783. Setup was everything going into the Time Trial session. His team made wholesale changes on the #32X Carl Meyers Big Block after practice. He’s amped up to go racing again Friday night.

Qualifying speed is lightyears away from what you need to win a 25-lap or a 200-lap race.

“There was bite on the bottom for sure and I didn’t go to the top at all,” McLaughlin said. “When you qualify you run the bottom. In the race tomorrow, the line starts moving up and people start dusting off the top. I won a Triple 30 a few years ago passing through the middle. I think it’ll go that way tomorrow if it cleans off enough. The sun goes down and it may bring up some moisture tomorrow night.”

Wight came across the Oswego Speedway finish line with a 20.802-second lap. Wight won the Billy Whittaker Cars 200 in 2018 over Stewart Friesen and Britten. The #99L Gypsum Express Big Block will roll off from the fourth starting position in Sunday’s 200.

Five-time NAPA Super DIRT Week champion and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series star Friesen is locked into a fifth-place starting position for the Billy Whittaker Cars 200.

Friesen said after missing last year because of the pandemic it felt like getting right back on the horse, but not without its challenges.

“This place is definitely unique,” Friesen said. “Max mentioned it earlier to (announcer) Mike Warren. The line is very similar to the asphalt line. I ran the Race of Champions 200 here for Ricky Kluth a few years ago and the track just has a flow. It’s unique and it’s a once-a-year deal which makes it special. When it’s right it races really good.

“Solid qualifying day for us.”

A second Gypsum Racing machine found its way into the top-six. Ward timed sixth quick for the final lock-in spot.

“We only took one quick Hot Lap session and the car felt good so we parked it after that,” Ward said. “We were going down low where the bite was. The car turned in good and had a lot of drive off. Pretty happy with it. We’re going to be right there. You never know.”

LOCKED-IN TOP-SIX:

Peter Britten - 20.471

Jimmy Phelps - 20.656

Max McLaughlin - 20.783

Larry Wight - 20.802

Stewart Friesen - 20.863

Pat Ward - 20.912

FULL QUALIFYING RESULTS: 1. 21A-Peter Britten, 00:20.471[22]; 2. 98H-Jimmy Phelps, 00:20.656[8]; 3. 32CM-Max McLaughlin, 00:20.783[19]; 4. 99L-Larry Wight, 00:20.802[5]; 5. 44-Stewart Friesen, 00:20.863[15]; 6. 42P-Pat Ward, 00:20.912[1]; 7. 88W-Mat Williamson, 00:20.920[24]; 8. 83X-Tim Sears Jr, 00:20.928[44]; 9. 98JS-Rocky Warner, 00:20.938[48]; 10. 91-Billy Decker, 00:20.950[57]; 11. 35-Mike Mahaney, 00:20.950[33]; 12. 9S-Matt Sheppard, 00:20.996[14]; 13. 1-Tyler Dippel, 00:21.030[42]; 14. 49-Billy Dunn, 00:21.043[21]; 15. 84-Gary Tomkins, 00:21.046[7]; 16. 66X-Carey Terrance, 00:21.071[23]; 17. 9-Marc Johnson, 00:21.090[39]; 18. 5H-Chris Hile, 00:21.093[25]; 19. M1-David Marcuccilli, 00:21.129[12]; 20. 2-Jack Lehner, 00:21.150[49]; 21. 215-Adam Pierson, 00:21.184[6]; 22. 28ZT-Gary Lindberg, 00:21.210[13]; 23. 62S-Tom Sears Jr, 00:21.231[9]; 24. 34-Kevin Root, 00:21.232[18]; 25. 115-Kenny Tremont Jr, 00:21.241[45]; 26. 28-Michael Trautschold, 00:21.243[68]; 27. 43H-Jimmy Horton, 00:21.252[16]; 28. 20-Brett Hearn, 00:21.271[28]; 29. 3-Justin Haers, 00:21.283[35]; 30. 7MM-Michael Maresca, 00:21.292[52]; 31. 44P-Anthony Perrego, 00:21.302[29]; 32. 19-Tim Fuller, 00:21.303[41]; 33. 4-Billy VanInwegen Jr, 00:21.339[10]; 34. 26-Ryan Godown, 00:21.415[47]; 35. 43-Keith Flach, 00:21.424[37]; 36. 111-Demetrios Drellos, 00:21.429[71]; 37. 8-Rich Scagliotta, 00:21.430[11]; 38. 6H-Josh Hohenforst, 00:21.455[36]; 39. 23C-Kyle Coffey, 00:21.501[30]; 40. 12-Darren Smith, 00:21.568[58]; 41. Z4-JJ Courcy, 00:21.568[46]; 42. 32C-James Meehan, 00:21.613[4]; 43. 2A-Mike Gular, 00:21.617[27]; 44. 27W-Nick Webb, 00:21.644[59]; 45. 234-Adam McAuliffe, 00:21.653[26]; 46. 11T-Jeff Taylor, 00:21.695[54]; 47. 22-Brandon Walters, 00:21.718[70]; 48. 27J-Daniel Johnson, 00:21.721[51]; 49. 01C-Bob Henry Jr, 00:21.796[61]; 50. 1NY-Gregory Atkins, 00:21.826[60]; 51. 24K-Nick Krause, 00:21.844[3]; 52. 14M-CG Morey, 00:21.883[62]; 53. 48TOO-Dave Rauscher, 00:21.914[2]; 54. 02-Roy Bresnahan, 00:22.002[17]; 55. 33J-Robbie Johnston, 00:22.006[31]; 56. 63-Adam Roberts, 00:22.137[64]; 57. 22JZ-Jeffery Daugherty, 00:22.156[66]; 58. 0-Dan Humes, 00:22.306[43]; 59. 17-Marcus Dinkins, 00:22.460[20]; 60. 34F-Andrew Ferguson, 00:22.468[63]; 61. 14-Brian Swarthout, 00:22.562[53]; 62. 88-Olden Dwyer, 00:22.754[67]; 63. 36-Brian Whittemore, 00:22.819[50]; 64. 16-Aaron Jacobs, 00:23.139[32]; 65. 3B-Scott Boudinot, 00:23.177[56]; 66. 11-Alissa Cody, 00:23.309[69]; 67. (DQ) 160-Jackson Gill, 00:21.331[40]; 68. (DQ) 29C-Matt Caprara, 00:21.979[55]; 69. (DNS) 25-Erick Rudolph; 70. (DNS) 83-Chris Stevens

GETTING IT ‘DUNN’: Billy Dunn claims the SRI Performance Pole Award for Salute to the Troops 150
Along with Dunn, Mat Williamson, Tim Sears, Jr., Stewart Friesen, Billy Decker and Rob Bellinger lock themselves into the prestigious DIRTcar 358 Modified NAPA Super DIRT Week event

OSWEGO, NY – Oct. 7, 2021 – Less than 24 hours after a heated battle that nearly saw Billy Dunn and Mat Williamson met wheel and bumper, the two found themselves on the front row of the Salute to the Troops 150.

The six fastest drivers locked themselves into Saturday’s prestigious DIRTcar 358 Modified NAPA Super DIRT Week event during Thursday’s Time Trial session. Dunn earned the SRI Performance Pole Award (worth an extra $1,000), while Williamson earned the Low-E Insulation Outside Pole (worth an extra $750). Rounding out the top-six were Tim Sears, Jr. (third), Stewart Friesen (fourth), Billy Decker (fifth) and Rob Bellinger (sixth).

Along with claiming the pole for the 150-lap race, Dunn also broke the track record for the division at Oswego Speedway with a 20.688 sec. lap.

“It’s awesome,” Dunn said. “We haven’t time trialed very good here with the Small Blocks since the very first year at Oswego. We thought we were off a little bit in Hot Laps but the track kind of came to us. We didn’t dial ourselves out and just got a good lap in.”

His pole-winning lap came in the early stage of Time Trials, besting Williamson for the top spot after the Canadian was the first driver to break the previous track record – of 20.899 sec. set by Tim Fuller in 2018 – with his 20.821 sec. lap.

“I didn’t know what the track was going to do there at the end if it would take rubber or not, but it was pretty good,” Williamson said. “Billy [Dunn] laid down a really good lap. We’re just happy to be up here.”

Williamson has been on a hot streak this week for the 49th NAPA Super DIRT Week. He won the Super DIRTcar Series Demon 100 on Tuesday and then followed that up with a DIRTcar 358 Modified win Wednesday night at Weedsport Speedway. During the latter event, Williamson made a furious pass underneath Dunn with, as Williamson stated, “little care if it put him in the wall” due to the way Dunn raced him as a lap car while Williamson was racing for the lead.

The two drivers were all smiles, though, on the front stretch while celebrating their front row starting positions. However, their competitive natures have been on display all season with the two drivers, arguably, being the top-two in the DIRTcar 358 Modified division. The points don’t lie. Williamson claimed the Hoosier Tire Weekly Champion for the DIRTcar 358 Modifieds, while Dunn finished second.

For Dunn, he’ll take any edge he can get on his competition.

“Clean air at the front of the race, you can’t ask for anything better,” Dunn said. “A lot of stuff happens at the beginning. It’s easy to get caught up in an early wreck. We’ll try to win that Qualifier tomorrow night, settle into the race and get it done.”

Of the top-six drivers that locked in, four have won the Billy Whittaker Cars 200 (Dunn, Williamson, Friesen and Decker), and only one has claimed the Salute to the Troops 150 champion (Decker).

Decker is the defending champion of the event and made history last year by becoming the winningest driver of it with his seventh Salute to the Troops 150 title.

“The Gypsum Wholesaler car was really good, drivable,” said Decker, who bumped Danny Johnson out of the top-six with his late qualifying run. “That makes it easier on me. Pretty happy with those two laps. We’ll take it.

“It’s going to be exciting. It usually is. I look forward to getting it on Saturday night.”

LOCKED IN TOP-SIX:
1–Billy Dunn - 20.688
2–Mat Williamson - 20.821
3–Tim Sears, Jr. - 20.873
4–Stewart Friesen - 20.879
5–Billy Decker - 20.894
6–Rob Bellinger - 20.916

FULL QUALIFYING RESULTS: 1. 49-Billy Dunn, 00:20.688[21]; 2. 6-Mat Williamson, 00:20.821[13]; 3. 62X-Tim Sears Jr, 00:20.873[46]; 4. 44-Stewart Friesen, 00:20.879[42]; 5. 91D-Billy Decker, 00:20.894[68]; 6. 8R-Rob Bellinger, 00:20.916[11]; 7. 83-Danny Johnson, 00:20.921[3]; 8. 32R-Ronnie Davis, 00:20.942[51]; 9. M1-David Marcuccilli, 00:20.949[25]; 10. 42P-Pat Ward, 00:20.958[52]; 11. 60-Jackson Gill, 00:20.961[5]; 12. 3-Justin Haers, 00:20.964[38]; 13. 66X-Carey Terrance, 00:20.965[35]; 14. 12-Darren Smith, 00:20.965[74]; 15. 34S-Rusty Smith, 00:20.981[9]; 16. 19-Tim Fuller, 00:20.993[1]; 17. 98JS-Rocky Warner, 00:20.993[23]; 18. 21A-Peter Britten, 00:20.995[61]; 19. 99L-Larry Wight, 00:21.003[73]; 20. 15-Todd Root, 00:21.050[65]; 21. 20K-Kyle Inman, 00:21.070[8]; 22. 111-Demetrios Drellos, 00:21.071[45]; 23. 7MM-Michael Maresca, 00:21.114[54]; 24. 66W-Derek Webb, 00:21.155[10]; 25. 31B-Corey Barker, 00:21.186[31]; 26. 44P-Anthony Perrego, 00:21.190[26]; 27. 58M-Marshall Hurd, 00:21.213[43]; 28. 29-Matt Caprara, 00:21.221[34]; 29. 31W-Lance Willix, 00:21.241[47]; 30. 38-Jason Parkhurst, 00:21.265[59]; 31. 27W-Nick Webb, 00:21.270[60]; 32. 39-Ryan Bartlett, 00:21.274[19]; 33. 3J-Marc Johnson, 00:21.293[33]; 34. 215-Adam Pierson, 00:21.331[53]; 35. 63R-Billy VanInwegen Jr, 00:21.381[49]; 36. 713-Tommy Collins, 00:21.440[40]; 37. 3M-Michael Stanton, 00:21.445[28]; 38. 1NY-Gregory Atkins, 00:21.457[29]; 39. 9-Tyler Meeks, 00:21.459[14]; 40. 28-Michael Trautschold, 00:21.460[20]; 41. 2A-Mike Gular, 00:21.461[62]; 42. 36-Ben Bushaw, 00:21.505[63]; 43. 28M-Jordan McCreadie, 00:21.525[64]; 44. 14M-CG Morey, 00:21.529[48]; 45. 91-Bobby Flood, 00:21.568[27]; 46. 22-Michael Bruce, 00:21.582[4]; 47. 69-Randy Green, 00:21.612[32]; 48. 24K-Nick Krause, 00:21.642[6]; 49. 79-Jeffrey Prentice, 00:21.660[36]; 50. 34-George Foley, 00:21.700[67]; 51. 34F-Andrew Ferguson, 00:21.715[12]; 52. 21H-Bob Henry Jr, 00:21.752[30]; 53. 88-Olden Dwyer, 00:21.803[17]; 54. 02-Roy Bresnahan, 00:21.816[57]; 55. 55-Matt Woodruff, 00:21.831[69]; 56. 0-Dan Humes, 00:21.872[24]; 57. 37-Alex Tonkin, 00:21.905[56]; 58. 21-Ryan Darcy, 00:21.929[55]; 59. 26R-Corey Cormier, 00:21.978[41]; 60. 7-Michael Sabia, 00:21.992[22]; 61. 8-Rich Scagliotta, 00:22.035[66]; 62. 21R-RJ Tresidder, 00:22.093[58]; 63. 11T-Jeff Taylor, 00:22.250[50]; 64. 18-Ryan Macartney, 00:22.251[72]; 65. 879-Darryl Mitchell, 00:22.553[39]; 66. 16-Aaron Jacobs, 00:22.614[15]; 67. 11-Alissa Cody, 00:23.185[37]; 68. (DQ) 115-Montgomery Tremont, 00:23.545[16]; 69. (DNS) 7Z-Zachary Payne; 70. (DNS) 11S-Steve Lewis Jr; 71. (DNS) 14-Brian Swarthout; 72. (DNS) 25-Erick Rudolph; 73. (DNS) 98H-Jimmy Phelps

UP NEXT: The DIRTcar 358 Modifieds will run Brewerton Speedway Thursday night for the Hurricane Harvey 75.

Then, on Friday, the DIRTcar 358 Modifieds return to Oswego Speedway for NAPA Super DIRT Week Qualifying Heat Races. For NAPA Super DIRT Week tickets, CLICK HERE.

If you can’t make it to the tracks, you can watch all of the action live on DIRTVision – either online or through the DIRTVision App.

PORTSIDE POWER: Mackey Wins Battle with Fink for SDW Kickoff Sportsman Triumph at Weedsport

Defeat at Fulton sets up thrilling first career Sportsman Series victory

WEEDSPORT, NY – Oct. 6, 2021 – Chris Mackey was staring down a single chance at redemption on a restart with seven laps to go. He knew he had to take it.

After leading 47 laps and ending up second last Saturday night at Fulton Speedway, Mackey sung a song of redemption atop Weedsport Speedway’s Victory Hill Wednesday night. The Rome, NY-driver made the final pass for the lead on Alan Fink with just five laps left to capture his first career DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Series Feature win as part of NAPA Auto Parts Super DIRT Week XLIX.

“I knew the restart was an opportunity I didn’t have up to that point in the race,” Mackey said. “Luckily, it worked out for us. Sometimes it doesn’t. Last week, it didn’t seem to work for us with everyone else on our tail at Fulton. But we’re standing up here tonight.”

Nothing worth having ever comes easy, and this one certainly wasn’t for Mackey. He moved past polesitter Will Shields for the lead on Lap 6, but Fink was cracking the whip right behind him.

Fink, of Central Square, NY, began his charge to the front from outside Row 5 and worked his way to sixth before the first caution on Lap 6. On the restart, Fink made a stellar move to go from sixth to third in one lap, and then got by Shields for second one lap later.

Now with only one car in front of him, Fink closed in quickly and began hounding Mackey’s rear bumper. He looked to Mackey’s outside several times before getting enough top-side momentum to make the pass at the halfway mark.

Fink ran into lapped traffic ahead with Mackey trailing not far behind and was maneuvering through well when the caution flag flew with seven laps remaining. This restacked the field and put Mackey right on his bumper for the restart.

“Going on the restart, I thought we gained a little on [Fink], but I didn’t know,” Mackey said. “We’d go in lapped traffic, and I’d close a little bit, then he’d pull back out.”

However, Mackey had paid attention when Fink passed him on the top earlier. So, he decided to go where Fink wasn’t to attempt the pass back.

“Alan showed me where the top was, and I knew I had to get him on the restart,” Mackey said. “Both racing hard, and we race week-in and week-out with Alan. We always race each other hard.”

One lap after the green dropped, Mackey got a big bite down low and pulled even with Fink going down the backstretch. As they drag raced into Turn 3, Mackey pulled ahead slightly and made the pass with a quick slide job out of Turn 4 to reclaim the lead.

“I felt like we were pulling away a little bit, and on that restart… I don’t know, maybe I should have chose the bottom on the start and then went back to the outside,” Fink said.

Mackey had found the faster lane on the bottom and zipped around the 3/8-mile to the checkers in front of Brian Calabrese, who came to life in the final circuits after running fourth the entire race. He moved to third on Lap 25 and got around Fink for second just two laps later, sealing his runner up finish at the stripe.

“[Mackey and Fink] were battling hard and I put my left-rear in the brown on the bottom, and just kept front-braking it, and I knew I might have something,” Calabrese said. “I missed the brown coming to the white, and that was my opportunity to win the race, but this has always been a dream to get up here on this hill. This is awesome.”

Fink was able to hold on for third while Zach Sobotka and AJay Potrezebowski Jr. crossed behind him to complete the top-five. Sportsman Central Region champion Matt Janczuk made a nice recovery after starting 20th, advancing 13 positions in 30 laps to finish seventh.

UP NEXT

The Sportsman Modifieds are back in action Thursday night at Brewerton Speedway for Round #3 of the DIRTcar Fall Championship. Catch all the action live on DIRTVision presented by Drydene.

Feature (30 Laps) – 1. 3-Chris Mackey; 2. 21c-Brian Calabrese; 3. 8-Alan Fink; 4. 38-Zach Sobotka; 5. 72-AJay Potrezebowski Jr; 6. 82s-Will Shields; 7. 33x-Matt Janczuk; 8. 10g-Austin Germinio; 9. 111-Brett Senek; 10. 7-Michael Sabia; 11. 17J-Brent Joy; 12. 35T-Cameron Tuttle; 13. 69-Travis Green; 14. 31b-Ryan Dolbear; 15. 64-Tyler Corcoran; 16. 7z-Zach Payne; 17. 5-Tanner Siemons; 18. 29-Nick Heywood; 19. 6-Cody Manitta; 20. 12-Jon Miller; 21. 99m-Mike Phelps; 22. 54-Fred Proctor; 23. 29c-Matt Caprara; 24. 16-Earl Rudy; 25. 11-Ben Wheeler; 26. 70a-Alex Payne; 27. 92-Andrew Buff; 28. 30-Mike Root.

HELLUVA PARTY: Mat Williamson wins epic duel at Weedsport Speedway to kickoff NAPA Super DIRT Week

The Canadian driver won his second consecutive NAPA Super DIRT Week event with two different cars in two days

WEEDSPORT, NY – Oct. 6, 2021 – Twice a dangerous path to glory opened for Mat Williamson, and twice he didn’t hesitate to take it.

The first time was out of determination. The second was mixed with anger. There was no denying the Canadian of Wednesday night’s DIRTcar 358 Modified win at Weedsport Speedway for the NAPA Super DIRT Week Kickoff Party.

However, some uncertainty hovered over his confidence before the start of the 75-lap Feature. He drew the pole in the redraw with a sunken face. To him, it would’ve looked better to start fourth and finish fourth, than to start from the pole and potentially finish anything less.

Even though he won at Weedsport with the Super DIRTcar Series earlier in the season, the 3/8-mile D-shaped track has not always meshed well with Williamson. You wouldn’t have known it after 75 laps around the facility, though.

“It’s one of the nicest facilities and I never ran good at it,” Williamson said. “Al and Jimmy have one of the best facilities in North America and I think I finally got it down pat where I can run decently when we come here.”

Williamson launched ahead of the field on the initial start with Tim Sears, Jr. in tow, moving from third to second in the opening lap. And behind them, Larry Wight went from eighth to fourth.

An early caution on Lap 1 gave little to tease of what was to come. Because what ensued after was a drama built for the silver screen.

While Williamson held command out front with ease for the first 15 laps, Sears, Wight and Jordan McCreadie argued over who would be the first to try and chase down the #6M Small Block machine. Sears made a strong case early on but lost the argument when McCreadie snuck by him on a restart.

As McCreadie pulled away in his attempt to hunt Williamson, Wight was an annoyance in Sears’s right ear. Lap after lap, he edged closer and closer along the right side of Sears’s car. Eventually, Sears decided to give the top lane a try himself. When he did, he passed McCreadie for second and closed to Williamson’s bumper while traffic blocked his lanes.

Sears passed Williamson for the lead on Lap 34 but couldn’t run away quick enough. The 2021 DIRTcar 358 Modified Hoosier Tire Weekly Racing champion kept Sears within reach for the next five laps before seeing the first dangerous path open.

With a lap car high and Sears low, Williamson used his run off Turn 2 to dive between them down the backstretch. The three cars drag raced into the third turn with only the slower giving way into the corner. That allowed Williamson enough breathing room to accelerate where he needed and rocket past Sears down the front stretch on Lap 40.

He wasn’t done with lap cars, though, and Sears wasn’t done with him. Neither was Wight done with Sears. For the next 20 laps, Williamson played the obstacle course of slower cars, while Sears and Wight waged a war for second not far behind him. Switching lanes almost every lap, Sears and Wight were throwing every attack and defense they could at each other, while never making contact.

On Lap 61, the lap cars continued to plague Williamson’s drive and benefit Sears. His #62X found its way around Williamson’s machine once again with the steam to potentially carry him to a victory. However, the calm Canadian had his fill of the way the slower cars were racing him and was not going to let them be the cause of a lost win.

Enter dangerous path number two. Not so dissimilar from the first one.

The slower car of Billy Dunn was high, and Sears was low. With another strong run off Turn 2, Williamson didn’t hesitate to fill the gap between them again. This time, when they got to Turn 3, he didn’t care if Dunn lifted or not, he was driving in with all the might and aggression he wanted and needed to make the pass.

“The way the lap cars were got under my skin,” Williamson said. “There was a time I was going into Turn 3 where there was a lap car outside of me and I didn’t really care if they ended up in the wall or not because I got put in the front straightaway wall by multiple lap cars. I grew up in a different era and respected the cars that were having a good night. I have bad nights and have been in those situations many times. Obviously, I’m not perfect and done things like that but when I have an off night, I think I show the leader a little more respect.”

Williamson officially reclaimed the lead for the final time on Lap 64 and held off Sears for the final 11 laps to claim his second NAPA Super DIRT Week win in two days in two different cars – he won the Super DIRTcar Series Demon 100 at Brewerton Speedway Tuesday night.

“We had a hell of a race with Timmer (Sears, Jr.). Fans probably enjoyed it. We’ll take them when we can get them,” Williamson said.

While Sears had to settle for second, the thrill of the battle wasn’t lost on him.

“That was probably one of the most fun races we’ve had here all year,” Sears said. “Hats off to the track crew. It was really racy and put on a good show for the fans.

“We were all kind of the same through lap traffic. It depended on who got the breaks and who didn’t. Matty ended up getting the better end of that stick. Second, we’ll take it. We put on a hell of a race. That was fun.”

Wight, the defending winner of the race, rounded out the podium – his fourth straight top-five in the event.

“Every time we seemed to get a run on those guys, we hit lap cars and the lap cars were never in my favor,” Wight said.

Ronnie Davis III got by McCreadie for fourth in the final three laps, forcing McCreadie to settle for fifth.

Momentum is now firmly on Williamson’s side as he looks to defend his 2019 Billy Whittaker Cars 200 championship and go after his first DIRTcar 358 Modified Salute to the Troops 150 victory. If he can win it, he’d accomplish a rare feat of winning in three different cars during NAPA Super DIRT Week as he runs for another 358 Modified team at Oswego.

“The Small Block race is one of those that I haven’t won. It’s a prestigious event,” Williamson said. “It would be awesome to win. But we’ll also need some luck on our side at [Oswego Speedway] for the 150 race. You need a little bit more luck and skill. Hopefully, luck keeps riding with us.”

UP NEXT: The DIRTcar 358 Modifieds will get their first laps around Oswego Speedway this year on Thursday, Oct. 7 with a morning Hot Lap session. Then, there will be Salute to the Troops Time Trials at 1:20 p.m. (ET) with the Top 6 fastest cars locking into the Feature.

Following the events at Oswego Speedway is the Hurricane Harvey at Brewerton Speedway, featuring Round Two of the Fall Championship for the DIRTcar 358 Modifieds.

For tickets to NAPA Super DIRT Week, CLICK HERE.

If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch the weeks’ worth of NAPA Super DIRT Week action live on DIRTVision – either online or with the DIRTVision App.

RESULTS
1. 6M-Mat Williamson; 2. 62X-Tim Sears JR; 3. 99L-Larry Wight; 4. 32R-Ronnie Davis III; 5. 28M-Jordan McCreadie; 6. 15R-Todd Root; 7. 83J-Danny Johnson; 8. 98W-Rocky Warner; 9. 98H-Jimmy Phelps; 10. 21C-Taylor Caprara; 11. 49D-Billy Dunn; 12. 3B-Chad Brachmann; 13. 2A-Mike Gular; 14. 55W-Matt Woodruff; 15. 21H-Bob Henry; 16. 25R-Erick Rudolph; 17. 42W-Colton Wilson; 18. 02B-Roy Bresnahan; 19. 34S-Rusty Smith; 20. 12M-Ryan Macartney; 21. 42P-Pat Ward; 22. 31W-Lance Willix II; 23. 9R-Jonathan Reid; 24. 1M-Dave Marcuccilli; 25. 11S-Steve Lewis Jr.; 26. 66W-Derek Webb; 27. 11C-Justin Chrisanti; 28. 1S-Andrew Smith; 29. 14s-Brian Swarthout; 30. 9M-Tyler Meeks.

CONQUERING THE DEMON: Coonradt wins wild Pro Stock Feature at Brewerton

The West Milton, NY driver beat Jim Normoyle to the checkered flag by .094 seconds

BREWERTON, NY- October 5, 2021- All Josh Coonradt needed was a chance. A moment. A quarter panel. And he got it Tuesday night at Brewerton Speedway.

RIDLEY’S ROAD: New York Sportsman Ace Set for Big Stage at the Drydene World Short Track Championship

CONCORD, NC — Kevin Ridley is using his time off from working with the Superstar Racing Experience (SRX) by suiting up in his DIRTcar Sportsman Modified for the Drydene World Short Track Championship Oct. 28-30 at The Dirt Track at Charlotte.

After missing out on 2020’s Drydene World Short Track Championship, DIRTcar Sportsman Modifieds return to the event this year concluding with a $4,000-to-win non-points Feature on Saturday, Oct. 30.

Ridley, a standout racer from Waterloo, NY, who is one of 12 car chiefs on the SRX tour that features some of the biggest names in motorsports, is geared up to be competing at The Dirt Track at Charlotte once again.

“It’s a first-class facility,” Ridley said. “It’s always a blast to race there. I’ve got a lot of friends in the area so that’s a big part for me. It’s definitely a great experience. I would recommend to anyone that has a Sportsman car to go down there at least once. You don’t get to race many tracks like that in our cars.”

There are plenty of world-class DIRTcar Racing facilities in the Northeast but The Dirt Track at Charlotte has a special “NASCAR luster.” The Concord, NC facility not only features the premier 4/10-mile dirt track, but also includes the famous 1.5-mile Charlotte Motor Speedway and the four-lane zMAX Dragway. The atmosphere is unmatched.

“Charlotte is a tough place,” Ridley said. “You gotta have speed out of the box. It’s tough, but fun. It’s pretty much wide open all the way around there, but that track changes throughout the weekend that we are there. You’ll start off with the track tacky and red. As it gets run on it gets darker. We get around there pretty good for a crate car. It makes it fun. There’s nothing like it in the Northeast.”

Ridley took the checkered flag in the All-Star Invitational in 2019, but he is hungry to win the big one in Saturday's finale.

“We haven't had a lot of success there really,” Ridley noted. “It seems every time we go we get caught up in someone else’s mess. We did win the all-star portion of the event there in 2019. Hopefully, we learned a little bit and can bring it to this one.”

New drivers shouldn’t be intimidated by the enormity of the event.

“It’s a race,” Ridley said. “It’s the same race car. Stagger is your friend down there. You gotta keep the car turning. Charlotte is like a big circle for our cars. You’re always turning so stagger doesn’t hurt you.”

Although he hasn’t been in the driver's seat much this year, Ridley has been spending plenty of time at the race track. Ridley is one of the crew chiefs for the 12 SRX cars that compete in each race. Ridley even had former World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series champion Scott Bloomquist as a driver.

That said, Ridley noted the SRX cars and DIRTcar Sportsman Modifieds have very little in common.

“There’s not a lot of comparisons,” Ridley said. “We do run the same rear end in our Sportsman as we do in the SRX cars. It’s a DMI rear end. Other than that there’s not much similarity.”

Drivers can register here to take part on the big stage at The Dirt Track at Charlotte for the Drydene World Short Track Championship that kicks off on Thursday. Tickets are available by clicking HERE.

For race fans who can’t make it, every lap will be live on DIRTvision presented by Drydene, either online or with the DIRTVision App.

‘BEST TIME OF MY LIFE’: Drydene World Short Track Championship provided Chase Hopper with career moment

Hopper earned his first World Short Track win in his first appearance at the prestigious event for short track racers

CONCORD, NC – Oct. 21, 2021 – Tucked away at the foot of a narrow dead-end street, encompassed by a city of trees, in rural North Carolina is the home and the garage of a world champion. A Drydene World Short Track Champion.

Standing in his cozy two-bay garage, adjacent to a black Honda that would be at home in a Mad Max flick, Chase Hopper continued to exude the pride he achieved a year ago. With the Victory Lane hat he earned after his first career Drydene World Short Track Championship triumph in 2020 with the Hornet division worn like a crown, Hopper spoke of the day the same way a quarterback talks of just winning the Super Bowl.

“Everybody out here talks about the best of the best is here (at the Drydene World Short Track Championship),” said Hopper, 26, of Stokesdale, NC. “And it really is. There’s some tough competitors there. For us, we went down there just to have fun last year and see where we were at. If we could’ve got a top-five we would’ve been happy with that. We finished third Friday night and we were thrilled. We won Saturday and, man, we had a ball. The best time of my life.

“Everyone came up to me and congratulated me. No one around here has won a big race like that. All the congrats I got, phone calls, texts, emails, I just couldn’t… if it wasn’t for all them people motivating me, you know, it wouldn’t even be worth it.”

To the right of Hopper’s wood-framed garage, is the brick house he initially grew up in and now owns with his girlfriend Chelsea, having purchased it from his grandparents. To the left of the garage, raised by a small hill, is the house he spent most of his life in, still owned by his parents. Between the two is the story of his hopes and dreams.

Like the original tale of most racers, Hopper’s father, Paul – a lifelong dirt racing fan – opened the door to a world his son had never known. Upon his first time seeing it, all he wanted to do was be a part of it.

Giving Chase the chance of realizing a dream, Paul put him in a dirt go-kart. The opportunity wasn’t wasted. In Chase’s second race, he won. Then, he won a lot more. In 15 years of running go-karts, sometimes three or four classes a night up and down the east coast, Chase collected more than 250 wins.

“He’s just got that knack for it,” Paul Hopper said. “Ever since he was young, he just knew how to drive.”

At the end of his career in go-karts, life took over. He took a break from racing for about three years before he got stung by the buzz of Hornet racing.

For those that don’t know what a “Hornet” is – or simply known as a 4-Cylinder in other regions – it’s a stock appearing, four-cylinder-powered, race car with the windshield and windows removed, a roll cage installed and some other bits changed to the drivers’ liking. While they’re one of the most affordable divisions in racing, with the cars potentially costing as low as $500, but with a $4,500 motor, producing more than 200hp, they still put on one of the most memorable shows of the week during the Drydene World Short Track Championship. It’s the Talladega of Hornet events, with cars racing three and four-wide into the turns around the 4/10-mile Dirt Track at Charlotte.

“It’s always some good racing, man,” Hopper said. “People talk junk about this class but there’s always two or three that put on a good show. Racing back and forth, beating, and banging and stuff like that. You get out there with a bunch of people who have raced these cars, it’s like a Late Model class. You’ve got to give respect to earn respect. Once you do, they don’t push you around and they don’t beat and bang on you.”

Hopper cut his teeth with the Hornet class behind the wheel of his #21 2003 Honda Civic at tracks all within an hour distance from him like 311 Speedway and Friendship Speedway, picking up several wins along the way. All while working a full-time job as a heavy equipment operator, as a boyfriend and as a father to his four-year-old son Layne.

Hornets have the same characteristics as every other race car, being high maintenance and needy. Most of Hopper’s weeknights are spent working on his Honda alone. Although, his brother-in-law and dad will lend a hand when they can. His dad has been helpful with the suspension setup and providing other tips along the way. Hopper said he’s purposely been trying to work on it alone so he can learn and pass along the knowledge to his son if he ever decides to race.

Those long nights and hours of grind paved the path for Hopper’s “best time of his life.”

He entered the Drydene World Short Track Championship at the Dirt Track at Charlotte for the first time in 2020 with the intention of just running for fun. The track and the event were like nothing he’d ever experienced before. The competition was bigger. The track was bigger. And the entire three days put him on the biggest stage of his racing career.

The racing produced by the 4/10-mile track was a new world, as well.

“Charlotte, man, it’s got a lot of speed in that place,” Hopper said. “A lot of people don’t realize, up there, you’re tucked up next to the outside wall. It’s a whole different experience. Everywhere we run, they run middle of the track or bottom at the short tracks. But there, man, a car could blow around you on the outside and you’re like, ‘Wow, is that the other cars?’

“These motors, we can go off into the corner, burp the throttle and hammer back down. A lot of these tracks you have to roll in and kind of ease back into the throttle. There, it is more of a wide-open pace. If you’re not wide open, you’re not going to be up front, that’s for sure.”

In his first laps around the Charlotte Dirt Track, Hopper qualified sixth and put himself in contention for a win during the Friday night race before having to settle for third. Then, on Saturday, the seas parted, providing a path to exceptional glory.

Alan Carter was the early leader of the race with Eddie McGraw in second and Hopper in third. In the late stages of the race, Carter broke and had to retire from the race, leaving the battle for the win to McGraw and Hopper. With a lap to go, Hopper was prepared to finish second. Content and happy with the result. Then, the chance at glory was placed in his hands. McGraw broke and Hopper inherited the lead.

“I don’t think I took my eyes off the gauges the entire last lap,” Hopper said. “It always seems like something happens in those situations. I was just hoping nothing broke.”

The hours in his garage of attending to the car’s every need, making sure no bolt was left unturned, helped guide him to his first Drydene World Short Track Championship win.

“Oh man, I was jumpin’,” Hopper said with a prideful grin. “I wish I could see my in-car. I was going wild inside the car. I couldn’t believe it at first, but when I pulled into Victory Lane, I was like, ‘Wow, this really happened.’”

Hopper aspires to drive a Late Model one day, and see his name presented on another big stage. But for the three days at the Drydene World Short Track Championship, there’s nothing bigger. While others see him pulling up to the track with a Hornet on an open trailer, the prestige of the event given to every division makes him feel no different than a World of Outlaws team pulling up with a full-size rig at the NGK NTK World Finals.

“When you go and run [World Short Track], they treat us like the super Late Model guys,” Hopper said. “There’s no difference in how they treat us. Some places, it’s, ‘Oh, that’s just the front-wheel-drive class.’ We’re what we’re called as “money fillers.” Just there to cover the purse. There, they don’t treat you like that. If you’ve got a question or got a concern, you can go ask an official and they are more than glad to help you. Just a whole different aspect. Different than anything I’m used to local racing.”

Tucked away at the foot of a narrow dead-end street, encompassed by a city of trees, in rural North Carolina is the home and the garage of a local hero, eager to stand on the stage as a world champion, again. A Drydene World Short Track champion.

For tickets to the Drydene World Short Track Championship, CLICK HERE.

If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision – either online or through the DIRTVision App.

HOOSIER CHAMPIONS: Sheppard, Williamson, Buff, Jeseo, Mancuso Take ’21 Hoosier Racing Tire Weekly Championship Titles

CONCORD, NC - From January to Labor Day, five divisions of northeast DIRTcar racing saw drivers in each awarded points towards the $47,000 Hoosier Racing Tire Weekly Championship based on their 16 best finishes.

The points system rewards drivers for racing at their home tracks every week plus, thanks to a common ruleset, encourages drivers to travel to other DIRTcar tracks and Series races to accrue more points and experience.

This year, Matt Sheppard took the DIRTcar Big Block Modified Hoosier Racing Tire Weekly Championship title, Mat Williamson won the DIRTcar 358 Modified championship Andrew Buff took DIRTcar Sportsman Modifieds crown, Chad Jeseo won with the DIRTcar Pro Stocks, and Dante Mancuso is the first-ever DIRTcar 4 Cylinder champion.

DIRTcar Big Block Modifieds

Only Matt Sheppard, from Waterloo, NY, could insist he hasn’t had a “great” year while winning major championships like his record-setting eighth Super DIRTcar Series championship plus his seventh Hoosier Racing Tire Weekly Championship for DIRTcar Big Block Modifieds (formerly Mr. DIRT).

Sheppard’s Hoosier championship points run came with wins at Orange County Fair Speedway, Land of Legends Raceway, Ransomville Speedway, and Weedsport Speedway in both weekly and Series competition totaling 12 wins overall which netted him $5,000 for his title.

Last year’s champion Stewart Friesen came up four points short. He picked up 10 DIRTcar Big Block Feature wins at six different tracks including Volusia Speedway Park, Can-Am Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, Orange County Fair Speedway, Weedsport Speedway, and Land of Legends Raceway.

Peter Britten has had one of the best years of his career. Britten finished third in Hoosier Championship points collecting four wins including a Series DIRTcar Series win at his home track Land of Legends Raceway.

Check out the full DIRTcar Big Block Modified Hoosier Racing Tire Weekly Championship points HERE. The top twenty in points shared from the over $18,000 in point monies.

DIRTcar 358 Modifieds

St. Catharines, ON driver Mat Williamson, is no stranger to Victory Lane but now he is starting to make championships look routine too. Williamson, who is fighting for a podium on the Super DIRTcar Series standings going into the NGK NTK World Finals, picked up this year’s DIRTcar 358 Modified Hoosier Racing Tire Weekly Championship title worth $3,000.

This is Williamson’s third Hoosier championship in a row. Only this year’s third-place overall David Herbert has won three in a row and he made it four between 2014 and 2017.

Williamson’s 11 wins came at six tracks: Ransomville Speedway, Brockville Ontario Speedway, Fulton Speedway, Brewerton Speedway, and Weedsport Speedway.

Billy Dunn finished second in points but he also won the DIRTcar 358 Modified Series championship this year on the back of his herculean efforts to finish the race at Oswego Speedway in the Salute to the Troops 150.

David Herbert represented the Quebec cause coming in third place in the Hoosier standings. Hebert won DIRTcar 358 Modified Features at Autodrome Granby, Le RPM Speedway, Autodrome Drummond, and Cornwall Motor Speedway.

Check out the full points HERE. The top 20 in points will share from the over $14,000 cash point fund.

DIRTcar Sportsman Modifieds

Andrew Buff has proven his ability to win championships at home and is taking the show on the road. Buff is this year’s DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Hoosier Racing Tire Weekly Championship title winner collecting $1,000. The star DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Series: East Region driver beat out both Cameron Tuttle from the West and Zach Sobotka in the Central Region by six points. Tuttle and Sobotka finished tied in the Hoosier standings with 906 points.

Buff added his name to a list that includes Rocky Warner, Matt Sheppard, Chad Brachmann, and Chris Raabe.

Traveling man Andrew Buff took wins at Lakeview Motor Speedway in South Carolina, Glen Ridge Motor Speedway, Fulton Speedway, and Albany-Saratoga Speedway.

The final opportunity race for DIRTcar Sportsman Modifieds comes up at the Drydene World Short Track Championship from Thursday, October 28 to Saturday, October 30, 2021 at The Dirt Track at Charlotte.

Check out the full DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Hoosier Racing Tire Weekly Championship points HERE. The top 20 here will share from the $6,500 point fund.

DIRTcar Pro Stocks

Chad Jeseo, winner of the DIRTcar Pro Stock 50 at the 49th NAPA Super DIRT Week and overall DIRTcar Pro Stock Series Championship, ran away with the DIRTcar Pro Stock Hoosier Racing Tire Weekly Championship in 2021. His 936 points came on the back of 10 wins. Rival Jason Meltz finished second with 886 points while Kevin Fetterly came in third with 844 points overall.

This is Jeseo’s second DIRTcar Pro Stock Hoosier Racing Tire Weekly Championship title which he will take home a $1,000 check at the annual awards banquet. His first came in 2012.

Race fans can catch the DIRTcar Pro Stocks in action at this year’s Drydene World Short Track Championship (Thursday, October 28 - Saturday, October 30, 2021) at The Dirt Track at Charlotte.

Check out the full DIRTcar Pro Stock Hoosier Racing Tire Championship points HERE. Like the DIRTcar Sportsman, the DIRTcar Pro Stocks also paid out the top 20 with a $6,500 total point fund.

DIRTcar 4 Cylinders

Dante Mancuso motored his way to a title in the inaugural DIRTcar 4 Cylinder Hoosier Racing Tire Weekly Championship. He piled up his 11-win season at Ransomville Speedway and Genesee Speedway. Brad Whiteside and Cole Susice finished second and third overall. Twenty-one drivers took part in the first season of DIRTcar sanctioned 4 Cylinder action.

Mancuso will take home $500 for his first ever title and the top 10 in the points will share from the over $2,500 point fund that was established.

Check out the full points HERE.

NEXT UP: Hoosier Racing Tire Weekly Championship points chasing starts up in 2022 at the DIRTcar Nationals for the Super DIRTcar Series Big Block Modifieds on February 14-19. The Big Blocks hit Volusia Speedway Park for a newly added Hot Lap session on Monday, February 14 before five straight nights of Feature action on The World’s Fastest Half-Mile all of which award valuable early-season Hoosier Racing Tire Weekly Championship points.

Watch for more updates, schedule announcements, Features, and more at DIRTcar.com and on social media on Facebook and Twitter.

Jeseo Officially Declared Winner of DIRTcar Pro Stock 50 After Post Race Technical Inspection

OSWEGO, NY – October 11, 2021 – Following a post-race technical inspection, Chad Jeseo has been officially declared the winner of Sunday’s NAPA Super DIRT Week DIRTcar Pro Stock 50 at Oswego Speedway.

The Averill Park, NY driver, has also claimed the 2021 DIRTcar Pro Stock Championship.

“The Pro Stock of Chad Jeseo was taken to a controlled inspection area for further evaluation,” said DIRTcar Northeast Series Director Dean Reynolds. “The car was inspected to make sure it was within GM OEM specifications.

“The car was inspected by DIRTcar technicians Mark Hitchcock and Mike Welch, Nick Stone of Stone Motorsports, and Andy Rider of JACR Chassis. Representatives from Chad Jeseo as well as Albany-Saratoga and Lebanon Valley Speedway were present.

“After measurements were taken, it was determined that Chad Jeseo’s Pro Stock conformed to the specifications and deemed the official winner of the DIRTcar Pro Stock 50.”

DIRTcar Pro Stock 50 (Official Results) — 1. 25-Chad Jeseo[2]; 2. 324-Jason Casey[4]; 3. 7-Rob Yetman[11]; 4. 1X-Mike White[25]; 5. 23-Scott Towslee[15]; 6. 51-Jason Meltz[8]; 7. 413-Tommy Dean[26]; 8. 2-Pete Stefanski[17]; 9. 28-Burton Ward[21]; 10. 14J-Johnny Rivers[24]; 11. 17-Nick Hilt[31]; 12. 7D-Chucky Dumblewski[7]; 13. 91-Ian Bressette[27]; 14. 75S-Gary Silkey[20]; 15. 6C-Brian Carter[23]; 16. 178-Steve LaRochelle[13]; 17. 09-Shawn Perez[29]; 18. 56-Jay Fitzgerald[22]; 19. 69-Chris Crane[9]; 20. 6-Shane Playford[19]; 21. 711-Rich Crane[5]; 22. 8N-Nick Stone[3]; 23. 70X-Josh Coonradt[6]; 24. 322-Jay Casey[14]; 25. 54S-Zachary Sorrentino[18]; 26. 75-Eli Gilbert[28]; 27. 4-Dean Charbonneau[16]; 28. 2H-Luke Horning[1]; 29. 14-Kim Duell[10]; 30. X15-Tyler Bushey[30]; 31. 57K-Kevin Fetterly Jr[12].

THE BIG STAGE: Nine Divisions Set for Sixth Annual Drydene World Short Track Championship

Northeast divisions back on the card, pre-registration now open

CONCORD, NC – Sept. 30, 2021 – Thousands of laps. Hundreds of cars. Three nights. One spectacular event to cap off the weekly racing season.

The sixth annual Drydene World Short Track Championship at The Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway hits the dirt in one month – Thursday-Saturday, Oct. 28-30. Nine divisions of weekly racers will take to the 4/10-mile red clay oval in search of a coveted Drydene oil barrel trophy as victor of one of the fall racing season’s most prestigious events.

“Coming up on the sixth annual Drydene World Short Track Championship, it’s a race that I look forward to every year,” said DIRTcar Director Sam Driggers. “It’s always fun to watch the out-of-towners race against the North Carolina/South Carolina boys on a track that is not a weekly racetrack. Which, makes it fair for everybody.”

Competing Divisions

Drydene Performance Products Street Stocks

FOX Factory Pro/604 Late Models

Chevrolet Performance 602 Late Models

Summit Racing Equipment UMP Modifieds

Hoosier Racing Tire Pro/Crate Modifieds

COMP Cams Monster Mini-Stocks

DIRTVision Sport Compacts/Hornets

VP Racing Fuels Sportsman Modifieds

SRI Performance Pro Stocks

The SRI Performance Pro Stocks and VP Racing Fuels Sportsman Modifieds make their grand return after travel restrictions forced them to miss the event last year. Drivers in the two DIRTcar Northeast divisions get to showcase their talents on two of the biggest stages in three weeks’ time this year with NAPA Super DIRT Week in Oswego, NY, Oct. 5-10, and the Drydene World Short Track Championship.

FORMAT
Thursday night kicks off the on-track activity with a revamped show format, starting with a single Hot Lap session for all divisions. The Pro Late Models, UMP Modifieds, Sportsman Modifieds and Pro Stocks will then come back for a second timed Hot Lap session, taking the top-10 fastest drivers into a special championship Feature event of 20 laps to wrap-up the evening.

Friday night begins with Heat Races and C-main events for all divisions except Sport Compacts, who will race in one of multiple 15-lap Features. Last Chance Showdowns for Pro Late Models, Sportsman Modifieds, Pro Stocks and UMP Modifieds will complete the second night of racing, immediately followed by a post-race Driver Appreciation Party in the pit area.

The remaining Last Chance Showdown events for Street Stocks, 602 Late Models, Pro Modifieds and Mini-Stocks open Saturday’s program, followed by Hot Laps for Sport Compact drivers. Championship Features for all divisions will begin at 6:30pm and run until the event is complete.

REGISTRATION

Pre-registration is now open for all divisions until Friday, Oct. 22. Every driver who pre-registers, regardless of division, will receive one additional entry into the drawing for a brand-new Chevy Performance 604 Crate engine at Saturday’s drivers meeting. More ways to gain extra entries into the giveaway will be announced the week of the event.

DRIVER REGISTRATION

HOW TO WATCH
DIRTVision presented by Drydene will broadcast all the action at The Dirt Track – one week before the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars, Morton Buildings Late Models and Super DIRTcar Series Big Block Modifieds take over the facility for the NGK NTK World of Outlaws World Finals, Nov. 4-6.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Fall Nationals Events at Lincoln, Charleston Cap DIRTcar Regular Season

Weekly racing stars converge on local bullrings for 2021 season sendoff

LINCOLN, IL – Sept. 28, 2021 – Twenty-six weeks of racing down, one final weekend to go. It’s time to crown national champions in the 26th annual DIRTcar Fall Nationals.

Lincoln Speedway will host the season-end spectacular for the second-straight year this Thu-Sat, Sept. 30-Oct. 2. Six DIRTcar divisions will take to the quarter-mile oval over three nights in the final weekend of the DIRTcar regular season.

The on-track action begins with Thursday night Hot Lap sessions for all cars before the first of two full programs Friday night – UMP Modifieds, Pro Late Models, Pro Modifieds and Stock Cars on tap.

UMP Modifieds, Pro Late Models and Pro Modifieds will stick around for Saturday’s show, joining the full-size Late Models and Sport Compacts in the season finale. Late Models will race for $3,000-to-win, while the UMP Modifieds see a winner’s share increase to $1,500.

DRIVER REGISTRATION

The Stock Cars head to Charleston Speedway on Saturday night, joining the Factory Stocks in the track’s annual DIRTcar Street Stock Fall Nationals event, paying $2,000 to the Stock Car Feature winner and $150 to start the race.

It all starts with Thursday night’s practice session at Lincoln – don’t miss a moment of the action! Buy a ticket at the gate, camp out or stream all three nights live on DIRTVision presented by Drydene.

Here are the drivers to watch for and the storylines to follow this weekend…

PRO MOD POWER – Owen Steinkoenig, of Highland, IL, has unofficially captured his first career DIRTcar Pro Modified national points championship and will take his newfound gold into Lincoln with two opportunities at a $1,000 top prize.

One of Steinkoenig’s fifteen victories this year came at Lincoln on June 4 over Ryan Hamilton, who is also scheduled to compete this weekend. The only other Pro Modified race held at Lincoln this year was in the season opener on April 9 – the 2020 Fall Nationals makeup date. Kevin Crowder, of Argenta, IL, scored the win over Kyle Helmick, both of whom are projected to be part of the Pro Modified roster again this weekend.

FEELS LIKE THE FIRST TIME – Newly crowned UMP Modified track champion Ray Bollinger, of Kewanee, IL, comes into the weekend as a favorite with five Feature victories at the track already this year.

This is Bollinger’s first career track championship at Lincoln, winning the gold by 62 points over Brian Lynn. Of the 11 events, Bollinger drove his Nutrien Ag Solutions #77 to a top-10 finish in all but one.

LITTLE BIG CHAMPION – The Midwest Big Ten Late Model Series has a brand-new champion. Jake Little, of Springfield, IL, bagged his first career championship in the DIRTcar Late Model miniseries by 80 points.

This weekend serves as the eighth and final race on the schedule, and with his plentiful Pro Late Model experience at Lincoln this season, Little looks to end his 2021 campaign with a $3,000 check in his pocket as a Fall Nationals winner.

EIGHTEEN AND COUNTING – It’s been a season to remember for New Berlin, IL, driver Jose Parga, with 18 DIRTcar Pro Late Model victories since opening weekend in April – the most of all drivers in the nation. No other driver had more than nine.

Parga unofficially secured his first DIRTcar national championship by nearly 100 points over the rest of the field, largely credited to his dominance in weekly competition at Lincoln. Nine Pro Late Model Features were held at the venue this year – Parga won seven of them.

STREET STOCK FALL NATIONALS – The eighth annual DIRTcar Street Stock Fall Nationals hits Charleston Speedway in Charleston, IL, this Saturday night, Oct. 2, featuring the DIRTcar Stock Cars, Factory Stocks and Sport Compacts.

Nick Macklin has unofficially wrapped-up his first career DIRTcar Stock Car national points championship with eleven Feature wins on the season, including his latest at Jacksonville Speedway last Saturday. Runner-up Terry Reed Jr. scored a win at Macon Speedway the same night, while third-place Megan Erwin appeared to be on her way to victory at Kankakee County Speedway before overheating issues forced her to give up the lead and retire early.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: A ‘super’ week of action, compelling storylines await the 49th NAPA Super DIRT Week

With nearly 300 of the world’s best drivers, a weeks’ worth of racing, more than $400,000 in total winnings available and the return of thousands of fans to Oswego, NY, Racing’s Biggest Party is back

OSWEGO, NY – Oct. 5, 2021 – Seven days before the biggest race of the week, fans lined the streets at Oswego Speedway to get their campers in place. The rain didn’t bother them. They were finally back.

Finally, back at their “Super Bowl.” Finally, back at their “Knoxville Nationals.” Finally, back at NAPA Super DIRT Week.

The 49th running of Racing’s Biggest Party (Oct. 5-10) commences this week, featuring the Super DIRTcar Series, DIRTcar 358 Modifieds, DIRTcar Sportsman and DIRTcar Pro Stocks at Oswego Speedway. Racing kicks off Tuesday, Oct. 5, for the Demon 100 at Brewerton Speedway with the Super DIRTcar Series and DIRTcar Pro Stocks. The event is the last chance for a Super DIRTcar Series and Pro Stock competitor to earn a guaranteed NAPA Super DIRT Week Feature starting position.

The party ramps up on Wednesday, Oct. 6, for “DIRTcar Day.” Fans are invited to wear their favorite racing attire and attend the popular NAPA Super DIRT Week parade (at noon) through the city streets of Oswego, featuring several of the cars that will be racing in the event. A special announcement will follow at City Hall with Mayor William Barlow.

Later that night, 358 Modified and Sportsman drivers will make their way to Weedsport Speedway for the NAPA Super DIRT Week Kickoff Party race.

Practice and Time Trials will place at Oswego Speedway on Thursday, Oct. 7, before a return to Brewerton Speedway later in the day for the Hurricane Harvey 75, again with the 358 Modified and Sportsman drivers.

Qualifying Heats for all divisions will headline the action on Friday, Oct. 8, at Oswego Speedway. The first main event of the week, the Salute to the Troops 150, for the DIRTcar 358 Modifieds will be on Saturday, Oct. 9, at 5 p.m. (ET). The party then continues through 2 a.m. with the band Dirt Road Ruckus and DJ Rick Uhl at the Island Stage for the Saturday Night Bash.

Then, Sunday, Oct. 10, is reserved for main events. The DIRTcar Sportsman Chevrolet Performance 75 will kick off the day at 11 a.m. An autograph session with the Top 30 Super DIRTcar Series competitors will follow at noon. The DIRTcar Pro Stocks 50 will be shortly after that before the ultimate event of the week. The prestigious $50,000-to-win, 200-lap, Billy Whittaker Cars 200 for the Super DIRTcar Series Big Block Modifieds will start at 3 p.m.

Tickets are available by, CLICKING HERE. If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch the weeks’ worth of action on DIRTVision – either online or on the DIRTVision App.

Here are the top storylines to follow throughout NAPA Super DIRT Week:

Super DIRTcar Series

FOUR FOR FOUR: In the four years NAPA Super DIRT Week has been hosted at Oswego Speedway, there have been four different winners. Stewart Friesen, Matt Sheppard, Larry Wight and Matt Williamson. With that, there are two ways history will again be made this year. There will either be a fifth different consecutive winner or the first repeat winner at Oswego.

While the four previous winners are all on track for a potential repeat, others like Peter Britten, Mike Mahaney and Max McLaughlin have had strong 2021 seasons, picking up big Super DIRTcar Series wins, giving them the momentum to go after their first Billy Whittaker Cars 200 win.

EYEING BIG REPEAT: Defending Billy Whittaker Cars 200 winner Mat Williamson will have a busy schedule ahead of him as he tries to be the first to defend his NAPA Super DIRTcar Week championship at Oswego. Along with piloting his Buzz Chew #88 Big Block, he’ll pilot the #6 358 Modified at Oswego and his own 358 Modified for the satellite shows at Brewerton Speedway and Weedsport Speedway.

He said there is pressure to defend his win and chuckled when he said he’s not sure how he’ll handle it. To the Canadian, there’s nothing else like NAPA Super DIRT Week.

“There’s a list longer than my arm I could talk about good things for DIRT Week,” Williamson said. “How cool it is for a driver to be a part of it. There’s a lot of money, $50,000 to win. There’s prestige. People like Brett Hearn, Alan Johnson and Gary Balough, who have won this race in the past, it’s cool to have your name with them.”

FREEZE ZONE: NASCAR Truck Series star Stewart Friesen is taking a break from his chase for his first NASCAR championship to chase another win at what he considers one of the biggest events of the year. Friesen – a five-time Billy Whittaker Cars 200 winner – has been one of the strongest drivers all year long with the Super DIRTcar Series, picking up six wins.

He’s no stranger to making history at NAPA Super DIRT Week. He was the last driver to win at the Syracuse Mile and the first to win at Oswego Speedway.

DIRTcar 358 Modifieds

BACK ON DECK: You’d be hard-pressed to miss Billy Decker’s name in the NAPA Super DIRT Week history books. Especially when it comes to DIRTcar 358 Modified competition. In 2019, he became the winningest 358 Super DIRT Week champion in history by claiming his seventh title.

The Sidney, NY driver will be back behind the wheel of his Gypsum Racing #91 machine to chase another Salute to the Troops 150 win and further extend his presence in the history books.

NOT ‘DUNN’ YET: Billy Dunn has won the Billy Whittaker Cars 200, claimed the pole for the Salute to the Troops 150 and finished second in the prestigious DIRTcar 358 Modified race twice. This year, he’s poised to fill that gap and finally park his #49 358 Modified in Victory Lane Saturday night.

The Watertown, NY driver has had a solid year in the DIRTcar 358 Modified ranks, picking up eight wins at three different tracks and finishing second overall in Hoosier Tire Weekly Championship points.

RUN, RUN RUDOLPH: Erick Rudolph has had a busy race season. Along with running the full Super DIRTcar Series tour, he’s competed weekly at Ransomville behind the wheel of his #25R 358 Modified Speedway – finishing second in points – ran weekly at Mohawk International Raceway – finishing fourth in points – and tied for fifth in the DIRTcar 358 Modified Hoosier Tire Weekly Championship.

With that plethora of seat time, the Ransomville, NY driver will look to translate it into his first Salute to the Troops 150 win. He finished second to Billy Decker in 2019.

DIRTcar Sportsman

CAREER LAUNCHER: Along with being a prestigious event for DIRTcar Sportsman drivers, it’s also acted as a career accelerator for those that win the Chevrolet Performance 75. The defending champion, Kyle Inman, has moved up to 358 Modifieds this year, and the only repeat winners of the event, Rocky Warner (2012, 2015) and Dave Marcuccilli (2016, 2017), have moved up to Big Block Modifieds.

Several other former Super DIRT Week Sportsman winners have gone on to race 358 and/or Big Block Modifieds as well, like Matt Sheppard (2000), Erick Rudolph (2008), Chad Brachmann (1999) and Ryan Godown (2001). In 21 editions of the NAPA Super DIRT Week Sportsman Modified racing, there has been 19 different winners. It's become a race where you're watching future stars in the making.

BUFFING UP: Andrew Buff will get the best shot of his career this October to earn his first NAPA Super Dirt Week victory after an excellent year behind the wheel of his West End Towing & Repair #92 car.

As of mid-September, the Latham, NY driver won 10 races in DIRTcar competition, spanning four different tracks. He also wrapped up his second career Sportsman track championship at Glen Ridge and comes into this year’s Chevy Performance 75 looking to better his fifth-place run from 2018.

YOUTHFUL CHAMPION: Tyler Corcoran, 19, continued his success in the Sportsman ranks this year with his second consecutive track championship at Can-Am Speedway, defeating several other Super DIRT Week hopefuls for the title.

The teenager from Central Square, NY, sits ninth in Hoosier Weekly Points as of mid-September with five victories to his credit. Corcoran also leads the Central Region Series points with five top-10s through the first five races. He shoots for his second career Chevy Performance 75 start this year after dropping out of his first appearance in 2019.

DIRTcar Pro Stocks

ON THE HUNT: Josh Coonradt hopes to repeat after standing tall in Victory Lane in 2019. The West Milton, NY driver, has built momentum in 2021, scoring a DIRTcar Northeast Pro Stock Series win at Glen Ridge Motorsports Park.

If Coonradt can pull off a thrilling win for the second time at “The Clay Palace,” he’d become the sixth driver to win the event multiple times.

CAPITAL REGION KING: The Pro Stock driver with more wins than any other driver in 2021 is Chad Jeseo. The Averill Park, NY driver has 10 wins—five at Albany-Saratoga Speedway and five at Lebanon Valley Speedway. He also won the track championship at both Capital Region venues.

Jeseo hopes to cap off the season with a victory at NAPA Super DIRT Week. It’s his first attempt to qualify for the event since 2012 when he finished 24th at the New York State Fairgrounds.

NORTH COUNTRY CONTENDERS: Justin White and Burton Ward are two of the names to keep an eye on entering NAPA Super Dirt Week.

White is the 2021 Can-Am Speedway Track Champion and won a September DIRTcar Northeast Pro Stock Series race there in September. He had four victories at the Lafargeville, NY facility this season.

Burton Ward finished second to White in the battle for Can-Am’s track title and found Victory Lane once during the season.

Those drivers join a list of stout competitors across the Northeast, all hoping to etch their name into the NAPA Super DIRT Week history books.

For the full NAPA Super DIRT Week schedule, CLICK HERE.

For everything on NAPA Super DIRT Week, including maps, news, schedules, FAQs, results and more, make sure to download the NAPA Super DIRT Week App.

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Hawkeye 100

Firecracker 100

Prairie Dirt Classic

USA Nationals

World Finals