Matt Sheppard looks to claim his sixth victory, while Jimmy Phelps looks to repeat breakout SummerFAST success at home track as Super DIRT Week inches closer
The Super DIRTcar Series Big Block Modifieds will return to Weedsport Speedway for one last time this season, Sept.10-11, for the Cavalcade Weekend. It will include a $7,500-to-win, 60-lap spectacular on Saturday night and a $10,000-to-win, 100-lap NAPA Super DIRT Week Qualifier on Sunday.
If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision – either online or by downloading the DIRTVision App.
Here are the top storylines to follow…
DRIVE FOR NINE: Eight-time and defending Super DIRTcar Series Champion Matt Sheppard is having one of the most successful seasons in recent years. He has claimed five Feature victories thus far and currently leads the Series in points.
The Waterloo, NY driver has a wealth of experience at Weedsport Speedway, notching seven career victories, dating back to 2010. One of them came at the 2021 Cavalcade Weekend. He’ll look to repeat that victory again this year, along with trying to sweep the weekend for the first time.
BATTLING BACK: After hitting a dry-spell around the mid-point of the season, defending NAPA Super DIRT Week champion Mat Williamson broke through with his first points-paying win of the season at his home track Ransomville Speedway. The win helped bump him up into second in the points standings, and back into contention for the championship.
Williamson has seen some success at the Weedsport, NY oval, notching a Feature win in May 2021 followed by two top-10 finishes in 2022.
GOING HOME: Heinke-Baldwin Racing driver Jimmy Phelps experienced one of the highlights of his season during the opening night of SummerFAST at Weedsport Speedway. Phelps won the battle for his first points-paying win in almost three years in front of his home crowd. The win afforded him a much-needed confidence boost, with Phelps claiming a sixth-place finish on night two and a third-place finish on night four. Phelps will look to repeat that successful this weekend to keep himself in contention for the championship.
HBR teammate Max McLaughlin will also aim to bring his “A-game” when he rolls in to his team’s home track. The Mooresville, NC resident earned his first career Super DIRTcar Series win at Weedsport but has struggled at the track this season. In two starts there he’s finished sixth and 19th.
EYE ON THE PRIZE: “Batman” Peter Britten has recently strung together a series of successful finishes that include a second-place finish at Ransomville Speedway, a third-place finish at Brewerton Speedway, and a ninth-place finish at Lebanon Valley Speedway.
Currently sitting 19 points outside of the top five in the points standings, Britten could shake up the standings by claiming a victory during the double header weekend. Britten finished 14th during the Series first season visit to the track back in May, then 13th place during the SummerFAST visit in August.
Stat Glance
Track Facts
Weedsport Speedway
Configuration: 3/8-mile, D-shaped clay oval
Big Block Track Record: 15.156 – set by Demetrios Drellos on Sept. 2, 2019
Website: www.weedsportspeedway.com
AROUND THE TURN: The Super DIRTcar Series will travel back to Albany-Saratoga Speedway for the $10,000-to-win Massive Malta Weekend. It will be the last qualifying race for the 50th Running of NAPA Auto Parts Super DIRT Week, Oct. 3-9.
2022 FEATURE WINS:
1-Matt Sheppard – 5
2-Stewart Friesen – 2
-Max McLaughlin – 2
-Mat Williamson – 2
-Jimmy Phelps – 2
6-Peter Britten – 1
-Ryan Godown – 1
-LJ Lombardo-1
-Mike Mahaney-1
-Andy Bachetti-1
2022 HEAT WINS:
1-Matt Sheppard – 9
2-Peter Britten – 6
-Mat Williamson – 6
-Stewart Friesen – 6
5-Jimmy Phelps –5
-Larry Wight-5
7-Max McLaughlin – 3
8-Jack Lehner – 2
-Tim Fuller – 2
-Marc Johnson-2
-Mike Mahaney-2
-Ronnie Davis III-2
-Tim Sears Jr-2
-Erick Rudolph-2
-Adam Pierson-2
-Andy Bachetti-2
17-Demetrios Drellos – 1
-Rick Laubach – 1
-Ryan Godown – 1
-Ryan Krachun – 1
-Billy Dunn – 1
-Eddie Marshall-1
-Kyle Armstrong-1
-Kenny Tremont Jr.-1
-Matt Delorenzo-1
-Tim McCreadie-1
-Brett Hearn-1
-Anthony Perrego-1
-Chris Hile-1
-Kyle Coffey-1
-Chad Brachmann-1
2022 BILLY WHITTAKER CARS FAST TIME AWARD
1-Stewart Friesen – 3
2-Peter Britten – 2
-Max McLaughlin – 2
-Larry Wight-2
-Andy Bachetti-2
6-Jack Lehner – 1
-Jimmy Phelps – 1
-Mike Mahaney-1
-Matt Sheppard-1
-Pat Ward-1
-Kyle Coffey-1
-Chris Hile-1
2022 LAPS LED
1-Matt Sheppard – 328
2-Jimmy Phelps – 172
3-Stewart Friesen – 106
4-Mat Williamson – 101
5-Ryan Godown – 75
6-Justin Haers-72
7-Peter Britten-71
8-Mike Mahaney-61
9-Andy Bachetti-59
10-LJ Lombardo-56
11-Max McLaughlin – 23
12-Alex Yankowski – 10
13-Larry Wight-10
14-Adam Pierson-8
-Marc Johnson-8
-Ronnie Davis III-8
2022 Super DIRTcar Series Schedule & Winners
#/Day, Date/Track/Location/Winner (Total Wins)
1. Tuesday, Feb. 15 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Stewart Friesen (1)
2. Wednesday, Feb. 16 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Peter Britten (1)
3. Thursday, Feb. 17 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Mat Williamson (1)
4. Friday, Feb. 18 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Max McLaughlin (1)
5. Saturday, Feb. 19 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Jimmy Phelps (1)
6. Tuesday, May 3 / Bridgeport Motorsports Park / Swedesboro, NJ / Ryan Godown (1)
7. Wednesday, May 18 / Can-Am Speedway / LaFargville, NY / Matt Sheppard (1)
8. Sunday, May 29 / Weedsport Speedway / Weedsport, NY / Stewart Friesen (2)
9. Monday, May 30 / Lebanon Valley Speedway / West Lebanon, NY / LJ Lombardo (1)
10. Friday, June 24 / Albany-Saratoga Speedway/ Malta, NY/ Mike Mahaney (1)
11.Thursday, June 30 / Land of Legends Raceway/ Canandaigua, NY/Max McLaughlin (2)
12. Wednesday, July 13/Big Diamond Speedway/ Pottsville, PA/Matt Sheppard (2)
13. Thursday, July 28/Orange County Fair Speedway/Middletown, NY/Matt Sheppard (3)
14. Monday, Aug. 15/Weedsport Speedway/ Weedsport, NY/Jimmy Phelps (2)
15. Tuesday, Aug. 16/ Brewerton Speedway/ Central Square, NY/ Matt Sheppard (4)
16. Thursday, Aug. 18/Land of Legends Raceway/ Canandaigua, NY/ Matt Sheppard (5)
17. Wednesday, Aug. 25/Ransomville Speedway/Ransomville, NY/Mat Williamson (2)
18. Saturday, Sept. 3/Lebanon Valley Speedway/ West Lebanon, NY/ Andy Bachetti (1)
