Peter Britten was the man to beat at Albany-Saratoga Speedway in 2024, earning his second track championship.
However, a victory has eluded the Aussie when the Super DIRTcar Series visits the “Great Race Place” in the Fall. He aims to reverse this trend when the Series returns on Saturday, Sept. 21, for Malta Massive Weekend.
“I feel like we’ve been a little cursed at a lot of the Series races at [Albany-Saratoga],” Britten said. “Some years, you’re good, but you get crappy redraws, and it puts you too far behind. Other years, when you’re not good you just miss the boat, or a mechanical gremlin pops up on that night for whatever reason.
“There’s a million different ways you can have a tough night, and all of the good guys come in bringing some stiff competition. It’s probably one of the harder ones to get. You just have to put yourself in position and hope it comes out in our favor for once.”
Entering next weekend, his best finish at Malta Massive Weekend is a pair of fifth-place finishes in 2021 and 2023. And despite his success at the track in 2024, the “Batman” said racing there every Friday night doesn’t always set you up for success.
“It can also be known as the home track disadvantage,” Britten said. “It definitely seems like when you get that many good Big Blocks on the track all doing Hot Laps and Qualifying, it just seems to change the racetrack, and it’s not the same as a weekly night.
“That local knowledge could be a disadvantage because you get stuck in your normal ways of what you do there. If the track’s a little different and you don’t adjust to it, it’s going to be to your detriment. From a driving standpoint, it helps to have home track knowledge, but sometimes that doesn’t really work out in your favor.”
Malta Massive Weekend is the first of the seven races remaining on the 2024 schedule, paying $ 10,000-to-win or more, with stops at Atomic Speedway, Oswego Speedway for Super DIRT Week 52, and The Dirt Track at Charlotte for the World of Outlaws World Finals.
It’s a stretch Britten, who also won the Orange County Fair Speedway track championship, said he’s ready for. That’s especially true at Super DIRT Week, where he’s narrowly missed out on a Billy Whittaker Cars 200victory twice.
“I feel like we’ve been pretty good this year, so it’s all about getting hot at the right time,” Britten said. “I feel like we’re right on the cusp and just can’t break through that barrier. I think if we can grab one of these races, we can grab more of them.
“I feel really good about where we’re at with our program, and you can guarantee we’re doing everything we can to be up front.”
The fall stretch of the Super DIRTcar Series season begins at Albany-Saratoga Speedway on Saturday, Sept. 21, for Malta Massive Weekend. Along with a $10,000 payday, a guaranteed starting spot at Super DIRT Week 52 is on the line.
Before Malta Massive Weekend, Britten will compete at Land of Legends Raceway, his Saturday night home track, in the sixth annual Gerald Haers Memorial on Saturday, Sept. 14, a 100-lap Feature paying $ 10,000-to-win.
If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch both events on DIRTVision, either online or with the DIRTVision app.
