In the inaugural edition of the Announcer’s Roundtable, our panel discusses their thoughts on what to expect in the 2025 Super DIRTcar Series season.
Joining Super DIRTcar Series announcer Mike Warren in the monthly roundtable is Series pit reporter Rich Vleck, Land of Legends Raceway announcer Steven Ovens, Ransomville Speedway announcer Steve Petty, and DIRTcar 358 Modified Series announcer Tim Baltz.
What are your thoughts on the Super DIRTcar Series races at Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals?
Mike Warren: I don’t think you could ask for a better start to the 2025 season as a fan. Getting four different winners in four races shows the strength of this Series. And by the way, the defending Super DIRTcar Series champion, Mat Williamson, wasn’t one of the four.
The Series has a lot of momentum heading into New Egypt this weekend, and I think we could be in for a wild ride this season.
Tim Baltz: This year’s DIRTcar Nationals had everything. Four different winners in four races, and Erick Rudolph got his first Volusia win. He, along with Peter Britten, Darren Smith, and Alex Payne, all had a solid four nights of racing in the Sunshine State. Matt Sheppard extended his winning season streak to 22 consecutive seasons with at least one series win since 2004. Mat Williamson also had a great DIRTcar Nationals after coming off a championship season, which is always good for confidence. Williamson was only one of two drivers with top 10 finishes in all four races, with three in the top five. But Alex Yankowski, the other driver to have top 10 runs in all four races in Florida, really stepped up and took on the greats of the sport and came away the DIRTcar Nationals champion.
Rich Vleck: I love the way the races went. The shorter-distance races are such a nice mix-up to the longer-distance events that make the Super DIRTcar Series the best nightly test in dirt racing. The winners were fun to see, but so too were the drivers who didn’t win but were up front every night, like Payne, Haers, and Williamson.
Steven Ovens: As the announcer for Land of Legends, my big takeaway was how well the LOLR contingent faired down South at DCN. Our staff and fans were dialed in all week and took immense pride in seeing our local teams shine in Florida. So many people offered in conversation and posted on social media how many of the DCN races felt like a Saturday night in Canandaigua. Erick Rudolph’s three podiums in four races were really impressive.
Steve Petty: The racing at Volusia was fantastic all week with the four different winners.
What are you looking forward to the most about the 2025 Super DIRTcar Series season?
Tim Baltz: I’m looking forward to the Series getting back to some of the tracks we haven’t been to in a long time and another we will be hitting for the first time. We haven’t been to Georgetown in a very long time, 2008 to be exact, when HJ Bunting won. I’m also happy to see the Series return to Mohawk and Cornwall, where I spent many race nights as an announcer. The last time we were there at both tracks was in 2019, and title rivals Mat Williamson and Matt Sheppard won there. Sheppard has won the previous three in a row at Cornwall, we will see if he keeps his streak going. Sharon Speedway is a place I think could be a favorite for Jimmy Phelps and Peter Britten. Phelps won in 2016, while Batman claimed his first career win there in 2017. I hope the weather allows us to debut at the Selinsgrove Speedway; the track has a rich history, and I’m happy our Series will be a part of it.
Rich Vleck: Returning to Sharon. If you haven’t been to Ohio (two minutes from Pennsylvania), Sharon’s facility is elite, and a great track for Big Blocks. Having Brewerton rain out last year was a bummer, so it will be good to get back there during SummerFAST.
Steven Ovens: The stretch of races starting with Ransomville’s Summer Nationals that leads into SummerFAST 2025. When you think about DIRTcar racing history and memorable moments, places like Ransomville, Weedsport, Brewerton, Land of Legends, and Fulton are at the top of that list.
Steve Petty: I hate to be the homer here and say the 40th running of the Ron Martin Memorial Summer Nationals at Ransomville on Aug.12. Getting the Series stars to venture west to the Niagara Frontier has always been a favorite of mine. I’m also looking forward to seeing the tour venturing to new and returning tracks. When I saw the schedule had Georgetown, Selinsgrove, and Sharon, I got excited because those tracks all provide great racing.
Mike Warren: Cornwall and Georgetown will be new tracks for me in 2025, so those are probably the two I am looking forward to the most. Outside the home games like Albany-Saratoga and Lebanon Valley will always be big for me, but Sharon is catching my eye in 2025. I’ve been there a few times in my role with the World of Outlaws Late Models and can’t wait to see the Big Blocks in action there.
2024 saw two drivers win their first Super DIRTcar Series Feature. Who do you think is the next driver in the Northeast to accomplish that feat?
Rich Vleck: Tim Sears Jr., without question. He’s led so many races past Lap 50 that it is only a matter of time. How can I not mention Jack Lehner, Darren Smith, and Felix Roy, though? It would not surprise me in the least if two or three more are added from this group.
Steven Ovens: I think 2025 is the year that the “Ginga Ninja” Jack Lehner finally unlocks the gates to Super DIRTcar Series Victory Lane. He’s been very close in the past, and I think this could be Jack’s year. I’m circling Albany-Saratoga and the Big Diamond/Selinsgrove races as potential sites for that first win.
Steve Petty: Tim Sears Jr., I’d have to go with Timmer on this one. He’s been in contention for so many Series wins, and in 2025, Timmer will join the list of Super DIRTcar Series feature winners.
Mike Warren: The obvious answer here has to be Tim Sears Jr. I think Darren Smith, Jack Lehner, and Felix Roy are also good candidates, but Sears has knocked on the door multiple times. I have a feeling that if “Timmer” can get the first one early in the season, he may be able to knock a few more down in short order.
Tim Baltz: I have my eye on possibly five different drivers going to Victory Lane for the first time this year. It was challenging to narrow down my decision because everyone deserves a Series win and can do that this year. However, Tim Sears Jr. comes to mind as a driver who is the leading candidate who could pull it off this year. Last season, nine top fives, 10 top 10s, and fifth in the standings; keep in mind he also had several great runs all year long. If he can catch a break, he could claim multiple wins on any type of track this year. The one thing we all need to pay attention to is the possibility of a track regular at a place that could upset the tour regulars and get their first career series win; it has happened many times in series history, including last year at Autodrome Drummond with Michael Parent. But, as far as a tour regular getting their first career series win, I fully believe Tim Sears Jr. is the driver that comes to the top of mind for many people.
Which Super DIRTcar Series driver will take a leap in 2025?
Steven Ovens: People are going to call me a homer for picking this driver, but it’s ok; I’ll wear it because I’m pushing a lot of my chips onto the table for this guy in 2025. We’ve seen a steady progression from the “Slide Job Express” Alex Payne in 2023 and 2024. In 2023, he finally won his first Big Block race at Land of Legends. In 2024, he swept the two opening races at LOLR and won his first-ever Super DIRTcar Series race. In these two years, it has been “they’ve got speed, but everything else needs to go right” for wins and podiums to come. This season, though, the team is consistently a podium finisher in the televised races, both with and away from SDS action. I’m not saying we’re talking about an SDS crown yet, but I think he’s taking a leap from finishing seventh in points in 2024.
Steve Petty: I’m going with Alex Payne, who will be taking the leap in 2025 and is a strong contender and a threat to be in the title conversation. When Alex won at Brockville last September, his emotion and elation were a sight to see. Because we saw his potential with his weekly wins at Land of Legends, we knew that it would only be a matter of time before we saw him win a Series race.
Mike Warren: I think everyone has their eye on Alex Payne, especially after the hot start he’s off to in 2025. He hasn’t won yet, but he hasn’t finished outside the top 10 in any Modified race since the opener at Volusia, and he has proven that he has the speed to run up front consistently.
Tim Baltz: Of all the drivers who could take the leap in 2025, I think it would be Alex Payne. Last season, he had a breakthrough year 6 top 5s and 10 top 10s; if you also recall, last year, he had a run of four consecutive top 5 finishes from Drummond on July 22nd to Fulton on August 14th before winning his first career series race at Brockville on September 5th. I think his confidence is up after last year. After a solid start to the year at DIRTcar Nationals in February, including a best finish of 2nd on February 14th, I believe he is the next driver you’ll see up front every week.
Rich Vleck: Alex Payne was pretty impressive as a rookie. He may move into that nightly top five category. He showed that speed at Volusia, and I don’t think he will slow down.
What will be the biggest surprise of the 2025 season?
Steve Petty: I don’t know if this would be considered a surprise, but you will see at least 10 winners. 2024 saw eight different drivers find Victory Lane. With the talent that races the Series and the home track heroes that will try to defend home turf when the Series comes to town, I would not be surprised to see at least 10 different winners on the Series in 2025.
Mike Warren: I said Alex Payne for the last question because I don’t think it will be a surprise that he’ll take a leap. However, I think it’s Jack Lehner’s time to contend for wins consistently. He said it himself: he had a good year at his weekly tracks; it just didn’t translate to Series competition. I expect the “Ginga Ninja” to be a consistent force no matter where he’s racing in 2025.
Tim Baltz: One of the biggest surprises you will see, and it will be a pleasant surprise, is the return of Erick Rudolph to the Super DIRTcar Series in 2025. Aside from an issue on night one in Florida, Rudolph was like the driver from a few years ago. In the mix, running up front, leading laps, battling for wins, and getting a win on the final night on Feb. 15. I think after the season Erick had a year ago, winning 20 races at eight different tracks across the Northeast in 358 and Big Block Modifieds, his confidence is back. I believe if you give Erick Rudolph some confidence, the rest of the field could be chasing him across the line at the end of many series races. Keep in mind that Erick is no stranger to success in the Series. In 2018, he had his best season with two wins and a second-place finish in the points to Sheppard and scored more top fives (16) that year than Sheppard did. So, in my opinion, Rudolph will be the big surprise this season.
Rich Vleck: I’m looking forward to Peter Britten, Mike Mahaney, and Larry Wight’s bounce-back season. They have speed, and they have started off 2025 well. I don’t know how much of a surprise it is, but I think they all move up a few spots when the season is over.
Steven Ovens: The biggest surprise will be Darren Smith in 2025. He showed up and showed out at the Gerald Haers Memorial at LOLR last September and really impressed me with how good they were. He was interviewed several times during the night and made me pay more attention to the No. 12 car than I may have otherwise that night. I wasn’t quite ready to slide him into the topic of being a new winner in 2025. With tracks like Georgetown, Big Diamond, his home track of Thunder Mountain, and how well they ran at Land of Legends last Fall, I could see it happening. If it does, you will see the surprise on social media.
What race does Matt Sheppard get his 100th career Series win?
Mike Warren: This is tough to predict because we all thought, including Matt, that he would’ve reached this milestone in 2024. I’m going to say it’ll be at Big Diamond during the Anthracite Assault, kicking off the two-race Pennsylvania swing in style.
Tim Baltz: To get to 100, he has to get number 99 first, so I believe the 99th win comes at a track we are visiting for the first time since 2008, Georgetown. Sheppard is very good there and has five wins in a Modified at the track, so with his experience at that place, he may have a leg up on others in the Series. He has wins at several other racetracks in the Series. He has won at all of them except for Sharon on the current schedule. Regarding Series wins at tracks on the current schedule, he has not won series races at five, including Fulton, which surprised me. It’s a place where he has 16 Modified feature wins, the 2001 DIRTcar 358 Modified track championship, and three Outlaw 200 wins in 2014, 2022, and 2023. After thinking this through, I have a feeling his 100th Super DIRTcar Series win could come at the return to Cornwall. Why? He won the last three series races in 2017, 2018, and 2019, and he’s an eight-time winner between DIRTcar Big Block and DIRTcar 358 Modifieds, so his record there is pretty good. When you like a racetrack, you usually run well there, and I think this is where the historic 100th win will happen.
Rich Vleck: Yes- next question. But seriously, last year, he only won a single points race but was so consistent. He’s going to win early and often.
Steven Ovens: Matt has had a knack for getting big milestone wins at Land of Legends, but I’m not sure this is a milestone that will wait long enough to happen at LOLR. I’m sure Matt hopes it doesn’t take that long, either! Having only one win on the Series until the July 3 isn’t a bet I think any of us are willing to take. “Super Matt” has been lights out in past races at Georgetown, including some thrilling finishes, so I’m going to say he wins one of the first three races and bags win 100 in the First State.
Steve Petty: The Delaware Diamond 75 at Georgetown would be a good pick for Matt to get 100, if not sooner.
We all know Mat Williamson and Matt Sheppard will battle for the title. Will anyone challenge the top two for their first championship?
Tim Baltz: The answer to this one was a no-brainer to me because, after last year’s performance on the Super DIRTcar Series, it just seemed fitting that the other driver, aside from maybe Erick Rudolph and Jimmy Phelps, to challenge Williamson and Sheppard for the title, has to be Anthony Perrego. If you include DIRTcar Nationals in 2024, Anthony only had four really bad nights (Both events at Drummond finishing 20th, Fulton finishing 21st, and Oswego 16th). Aside from those four events, Perrego had a great year, winning at New Egypt and then closing the year out at World Finals with his second series win of the year. He also finished second in five other races.
This year, if he can find a way to turn those runner-up finishes into a few wins, find a way to avoid the bad nights, and keep Williamson and Sheppard close in the points, we could be seeing Anthony Perrego as the third challenger for the title. He’s fully capable of getting the job done and has shown that over the last few years, too.
Rich Vleck: Challenge? Yes. We had Perrego, Phelps, and Britten all challenge into July last year. I just don’t know if we get to Charlotte in November, and it is more than a two-horse race. The key is to be in the top 10 or better car every night, which Williamson did last year to get his second title. I think a ton of guys have speed most of the time, but on the nights that don’t, how do they take that next step?
Steven Ovens: The “Baldwinsville Bandit” Jimmy Phelps really impressed me last Fall at Super DIRT Week. I know Charlotte and Volusia did not go how they wanted, but you have to be a goldfish, put those races in the past, and “just keep swimming.” In fact, I’m not sure how much stock you can put into results from Charlotte or Volusia as it pertains to the rest of the points-paying season. If the HBR team can continue to tap into whatever they found last Fall and pick up their top five stat line in 2025, look out.
Steve Petty: Erick Rudolph will be throwing his name into the ring to challenge Mat and Matt for the title. He has proven he can be a force on the Series with his top five points run a few years ago. With his dad, Hall of Famer Charlie Rudolph, turning the wrenches on the 25, I would not be surprised if Rudy is there to challenge Mat and Matt for the 2025 title.
Mike Warren: How he ran during 2024 proves that Anthony Perrego has what it takes to contend for a championship this season. If not for a few tough races in Canada, the “Ant-Man” would’ve been right there with Mat and Matt at the end of the season. I think this could be his time to shine if he can get off to a hot start like last year.
The Super DIRTcar Series kicks off its 2025 season with the Power in the Pines at New Egypt Speedway on Saturday, March 29.
If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all of the Super DIRTcar Series action on DIRTVision, either online or with the DIRTVision app.
