WEEDSPORT, NY – Shane Pecore joined a short list of drivers who have won multiple DIRTcar Sportsman Series titles this year with his second championship triumph – a feat nine years in the making. That gap helped make this year’s title a special one for the Cornwall, ON driver.
“The first time was in 2016,” Pecore said. “That was quite a few years ago. I didn’t have many commitments or stuff like that. To build a family, run a business with my dad, and to come back on tour and still get the job done was pretty special.”
Pecore’s road to the 2025 title wasn’t typical. In nine DIRTcar Sportsman Championship Series races, he didn’t earn a victory. However, his consistency was enough, as he was the only driver to finish in the top 10 in every race.
One of the factors that Pecore said kept him out of Victory Lane was his redraw luck. He only started in the first two rows twice.
“We unloaded with good speed,” Pecore said. “I believe every race we ended up in the redraw, which is a big part of the battle. But we always had to start deeper than some of the guys. We plugged away with a lot of top fives. That definitely helped, but it would’ve been nice to pick up a Championship Series win. I think we had the speed, but not the luck.”
Another wrinkle was traveling to tracks he’d either never been to or hadn’t visited in 10 years, like Glen Ridge Motorsports Park, Ransomville Speedway, and Albany-Saratoga Speedway.
At Albany-Saratoga, he brought home a ninth-place finish during Malta Massive Weekend with a hurt motor. That proved he could overcome adversity and still be in contention for the championship. However, that wasn’t the most significant adversity he’d face on the road to the 2025 title.
Super DIRT Week 53 brought a new challenge to the Canadian driver. The former winner of the Great Lakes 75 crashed in his Heat Race and had to start 34th. That didn’t deter Pecore, though, as he went from 34th to fourth by the end of the race.
“(Super) DIRT Week was real tough,” Pecore said. “We’d had such a good car all year. Then we time trialed sixth in our group, which isn’t up to our standards. We thought we’d be in that top eight. So that kind of set us back a little bit. Then, the Heat Race didn’t go our way. I was pushing hard and probably putting myself in positions I probably shouldn’t have been in.
“Starting 34th, you’re sitting there during driver intros and looking at the long line and all those cars you’ve got to get through. And you’re hoping to just get through in one piece. We knew we would have a good car, but we didn’t know we’d be good enough to get into the top five. That really saved our championship run right there.”
Leaving Oswego Speedway, Pecore held a four-point lead entering the season finale at Brockville Ontario Speedway. Waldron redrew the pole for the 50-lap Feature, and Pecore drew eighth. That meant it’d be another uphill battle to win the championship.
Everything played out in his favor, though. Waldron got a right rear flat tire early in the race, and Pecore finished third, allowing him to clinch the 2025 championship.
“We had a really good car,” Pecore said. “Set Quick Time overall and won our Heat Race. Then, we get to the redraw, and Emmett (Waldron), he’s a heck of a racecar driver and comes from a potent shop, draws the pole, and we drew number eight.
“I know lap traffic cost Emmett a tire there, and that was kind of a heartbreak for him, but it was a little bit of fortune for us for all the tough luck we had all year. We got lucky at the right time.”
With the 2025 championship, Pecore becomes the seventh driver to win multiple Series titles, joining Cody McPherson (3), Kevin Root, Mathieu Desjardins, Tim Sears Jr., Chris Raabe, Russ Hefti, and Steve Hall. His title also caps off a season where Pecore earned 13 wins, 28 top fives, and 32 top 10s. Even with his successful season, it’s winning the Series title that was his most memorable moment.
“It was a real good season, and we wanted to cap it off with something special. There’s no other Series that means as much as this one overall,” Pecore said.
Now that Pecore is crowned the champion, there is only one more event on the 2025 schedule for the DIRTcar Sportsman Series. Drivers will compete in a non-point event at The Dirt Track at Charlotte during the World Short Track Championship Oct. 30–Nov. 1.
