OSWEGO, NY – An annual Central New York tradition is on tap for the Northeast’s best drivers as they prepare for Super DIRT Week 52 at Oswego Speedway.
All four DIRTcar Northeast divisions will be in action Oct. 7-12, culminating with the Billy Whittaker Cars 200 on Saturday, Oct. 12. Before the action kicks off at Oswego, the DIRTcar 358 Modified Series and DIRTcar Pro Stock Series will battle at Brewerton Speedway on Tuesday, Oct. 8, for the Hurricane Harvey event.
Then, everything shifts to the “Clay Palace” on Wednesday, Oct. 9, as the DIRTcar 358 Modifieds and DIRTcar Pro Stocks Qualify and run their Heat Races.
The DIRTcar Sportsman Series will Qualify and run their Heat Races on Thursday, Oct. 10.
Features begin on Friday, Oct. 11, with the Salute to the Troops 150 for the DIRTcar 358 Modifieds and DIRTcar Pro Stock 50 for the DIRTcar Pro Stock Series.
Sportsman competitors will run the Chevrolet Performance 75 on Saturday, Oct. 12, before the Big Block Modifieds battle in the Billy Whittaker Cars 200.
DIRTcar 358 Modifieds
How Sweep It Is: A record number of DIRTcar 358 Modifieds have entered this year’s Salute to the Troops 150, as 89 drivers will battle for the $20,000 prize on Friday nights. Over the past two seasons, the importance of winning the 150 has heightened as the winner has gone on to win the Billy Whittaker Cars 200 on the same weekend. Mat Williamson accomplished that feat in 2023, while Matt Sheppard won both races in 2022 and 2017. The only other driver to sweep the weekend at Super DIRT Week was Danny Johnson in 2006.
Perrego’s Redemption: Anthony Perrego narrowly missed out on winning his first Feature at Oswego after Mat Williamson wrestled the lead away from the Montgomery, NY driver with 16 laps to go. The “Ant-Man” has finished in the top five in each of the last two Salute to the Troops 150’s, after finishing second last year and fourth in 2022. In seven 358 Modified starts in 2024, he won at Big Diamond Speedway in April.
Battle For the Title: While drivers are vying for the checkered flag, Felix Roy and Lance Willix are also battling for the 2024 championship. Entering the Hurricane Harvey 75 at Brewerton on Tuesday, Roy holds a two-point lead over Willix after his runner-up finish at Albany-Saratoga Speedway in September. Roy has made one 358 Modified start at the “Clay Palace,” finishing 12th in last year’s Salute to the Troops 150, while Willix has started all seven races at Oswego—his best finish an eighth in 2021.
DIRTcar Sportsman
The Streak: Since Dave Marcuccilli won the Chevrolet Performance 75 at Oswego in 2016 and 2017, no driver has earned back-to-back wins. Defending winner Matt Janczuk aims to change that this year as he aims for his second straight win. While they can’t win back-to-back, other drivers searching for their second win at Oswego include Zach Sobotka, who finished third in last year’s event and Cody McPherson, who won in 2022.
McPherson Is Money: McPherson also enters Super DIRT Week as the DIRTcar Sportsman Series points leader. The St. Catharines, ON, driver is one of the favorites to win the event after earning 24 victories in 2024. That includes four DIRTcar Sportsman Series wins throughout the season. McPherson leads Gavin Eisele by 29 points heading into Brewerton on Tuesday.
Root’s Double: The words double duty at Super DIRT Week typically means between the Big Block and 358 Modified. That’s not the case for 2023 Chevrolet Performance 75 pole-sitter Nick Root. The Geneva, NY driver will compete in his No. 30 car DIRTcar Sportsman and his uncle Todd Root’s 358 Modified to battle for a starting spot in the Salute to the Troops 150. Root is searching for his first Oswego victory after finishing second last year.
DIRTcar Pro Stocks
Crowning A Champion: Friday’s DIRTcar Pro Stock 50 is the only event that will crown a Series champion. Entering this year’s race, four-time champion Pete Stefanski holds a 16-point lead over Beau Ballard, who’s won two of the last three DIRTcar Pro Stock Series races. Both earned a podium finish at Fulton over the weekend, with Ballard edging Stefanski for second. Ballard has never made a start at Super DIRT Week in his career, while Stefanski is searching for his first Oswego victory after finishing in the top five in four of the seven races.
Cousin Luke’s Coming: After going winless in the first five DIRTcar Pro Stock Series races in 2024, Luke Horning finally broke through over the weekend at Fulton Speedway. That win gave the defending champion and defending race winner momentum entering Super DIRT Week. While “Cousin Luke” broke through last year, he’s struggled at Oswego in the past, only earning one other top 10 finish in the seven races. A win at Super DIRT Week would be Horning’s eighth career Series win.
A Slice of Variety: Like the DIRTcar Sportsman, only one driver has won back-to-back DIRTcar Pro Stock 50sat Oswego. That honor goes to five-time Super DIRT Week winner Rob Yetman. The Castleton, NY driver is back to try and win his first Super DIRT Week checkered flag since 2017 when he scored his fifth consecutive victory. A sixth DIRTcar Pro Stock 50 win would be his 18th career Series win, breaking the tie with Jipp Ortiz for third on the Series all-time wins list.
