For the second consecutive Super DIRTcar Series race at Weedsport Speedway, Stewart Friesen’s patience and ability to save his equipment put him in a position to win.
While running second, the Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON driver inherited the lead from Alex Payne when the No. 70 got a flat tire on Lap 76. Once he got the lead, Friesen cruised to the Heroes Remembered 100 win, becoming the first multi-time Series winner of the season.
But a night that ended triumphantly for Friesen started with adversity. After a fast lap earned him the Jam Performance Fastest Hot Lap Award, he broke a right-rear shock while driving into Turn 1, forcing his car to be towed to the pits.
With not much time, Friesen’s team fixed the car in time for Qualifying, which led to a Heat Race victory and the fifth starting position in the Feature.
“We had a challenging night,” Friesen said. “We had a broken shock early like a lot of guys had in the Feature. And these guys dug in and got it straightened back out. We had a good time trial, had a good Heat Race, and seated ourselves to be good for 100 laps to be able to take care of our stuff.”
Payne, the SRI Performance and Stock Car Steel Pole Award winner, led the field to the green in the Heroes Remembered 100. But that lead was short-lived when Felix Roy powered around Payne to take the lead on Lap 1.
As the Napierville, QC driver held off Payne and later Dave Marcuccilli for the lead, Friesen started charging forward. Following a restart on Lap 5, the NASCAR Trucks Series star snuck by Payne and Tim Sears Jr. on the bottom lane. Then, while fighting through traffic, he snuck by Dave Marcuccilli on Lap 22 for second.
Once he cleared Marcuccilli, he needed one more position to take the lead. Friesen kept his No. 44 on the bottom, trying to roll his momentum past the No. 91. He only needed two laps for that to happen as he slid past Roy when they reached the start-finish line on Lap 24.
After another caution on Lap 25, Friesen maintained his lead for the first five laps. However, that’s when Payne started to gain momentum. The Hopewell, NY driver started using the outside line and quickly closed in on Friesen for the lead after he passed Roy for second. With a burst of speed on the top, the 2024 Super DIRTcar Series Rookie of the Year thundered past Friesen to wrestle the top spot away on Lap 37.
Payne cruised in front of the field, separating himself from Friesen on multiple occasions. But a yellow flag for Matt Stangle on Lap 74 changed the entire race.
While the field drove around under caution, Payne was informed he had a flat right-rear tire, which sent him to the pit area to get it changed. That gave the lead back to Friesen, who battled with Mike Mahaney, who was running third.
From there, Friesen outdueled Mahaney on three restarts, including two in the final 10 laps to earn the $7,500 prize and his 49th Series victory.
Despite the win, Friesen said he didn’t think he had anything for Payne.
“Alex was really really good, and it was really his race to lose,” Friesen said. “It was a bummer to see him get that flat.
“He showed me the top. Usually, you can go and make some time up here, but it’s not conducive for a 100-lap race. I just tried to save my stuff and keep my tires underneath me. We rolled back to him once before he got the flat and he got away again. I just kept moving my line trying to find something that would work. We were probably a second-place car, but we’ll take them anyway we can get them.”
Mahaney crossed the line second, earning his second consecutive top five after finishing fourth at Albany Saratoga. The Elizabethtown, NY driver said one key to another consistent finish was how well he started the night in Qualifying.
“We seem to be timing well and running good in the Heat (Race),” Mahaney said. “We just have to get it done in the Feature. Things change a lot at that point in the night.
“I really wanted to win the race tonight. Weedsport was one of my first Big Block wins. It was close to home for me; there’s a lot of hometown family and friends here. And I’d just love to win here; it’s been a long time.”
Defending Series champion Mat Williamson finished third, after starting 21st. The St. Catharines, ON driver had an uphill climb after spinning in his Heat Race, forcing him to transfer into the Feature through the Last Chance Showdown.
“I wasn’t easy on the racecar at all,” Williamson said. “The problem is you had to be up against the wall and going through the holes if you wanted to pass cars. Tonight was a good rebound for the guys. We unloaded slow and made it fast by the end of the night. I made an error on the first lap of the Heat Race and that made us fight from the back all night.”
With his podium finish, Williamson cut Alex Yankowski’s points lead to five points entering Monday’s race at Thunder Mountain Speedway. Yankowski finished eighth after going to the pits for a flat tire midway through the race.
Payne rebounded for fourth after passing 13 cars in the final 25 laps. Erick Rudolph rounded out the top five.
UP NEXT: The Super DIRTcar Series returns to action at Thunder Mountain Speedway on Monday, May 26, for the Natural 77 honoring Dale Planck.
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.
Heroes Remembered 100 (100 Laps): 1. 44-Stewart Friesen[5]; 2. 35-Mike Mahaney[3]; 3. 88-Mat Williamson[21]; 4. 70A-Alex Payne[1]; 5. 25-Erick Rudolph[10]; 6. 91-Felix Roy[2]; 7. 9S-Matt Sheppard[11]; 8. 84Y-Alex Yankowski[8]; 9. 4M-Logan Watt[9]; 10. 4-Anthony Perrego[16]; 11. 2-Jack Lehner[22]; 12. 27-Tanner Van Doren[12]; 13. 12-Darren Smith[26]; 14. 15X-Justin Stone[19]; 15. 3RS-Dalton Slack[17]; 16. 21A-Peter Britten[15]; 17. 83X-Tim Sears Jr[6]; 18. 5H-Amy Holland[14]; 19. (DNF) 98H-Jimmy Phelps[25]; 20. (DNF) 6-Matt Stangle[20]; 21. (DNF) M1-David Marcuccilli[4]; 22. (DNF) 32R-Ronnie Davis III[18]; 23. (DNF) 7Z-Zachary Payne[24]; 24. (DNF) 28-Michael Trautschold[27]; 25. (DNF) 25P-Michael Parent[7]; 26. (DNF) 44H-Chris Hulsizer[13]; 27. (DNF) 35L-LJ Lombardo[23]; 28. (DNF) 99L-Larry Wight[28]
Contingency Awards:
JAM Performance Fastest Hot Lap Award: Stewart Friesen ($100)
Billy Whittaker Cars Quick Time Award: Mike Mahaney ($100)
VP Racing Fuels Award: Alex Yankowski ($50)
ARP Bolts Award: Erick Rudolph ($50)
ASI Racewear Award: Jack Lehner ($50)
Behrent’s Performance Warehouse Award: Stewart Friesen ($50)
Cometic Gasket Award: Darren Smith ($50)
Comp Cams Award: Anthony Perrego ($50)
DIG Racing Products: Logan Watt ($50)
Fox Factory Award: Felix Roy ($50)
MSD Award: Erick Rudolph ($50)
Swift Springs Award: Felix Roy ($50)
Weld Racing Wheels Award: Mike Mahaney ($50)
SRI Performance/Stock Car Steel Pole Award: Alex Payne ($100)
Hoosier Tire Award: Tanner Van Doren (Free Tire)
Another Tow: Daniel Johnson ($300)
