The battle to become the top Sportsman driver in the Northeast continues this weekend with a massive stop in New York’s Capital Region.
Albany-Saratoga Speedway, in Malta, NY, hosts the DIRTcar Sportsman Championship Series on Friday, Sept. 25, as part of night one of Malta Massive Weekend. Drivers will battle in a 30-lap Feature paying $1,500-to-win.
Along with the DIRTcar Sportsman Series, fans will see the DIRTcar 358 Modified Series and the track’s Street Stock and 4-Cylinder divisions.
It’s all part of a two-night weekend that serves as a Super DIRT Week preview, with all four DIRTcar Northeast Series competing at Albany-Saratoga throughout the weekend.
For more on the DIRTcar Northeast, follow the DIRTcar Northeast Facebook page.
Here’s a look at what to watch for at Albany-Saratoga:
Master of Consistency: Entering Friday’s stop at Albany-Saratoga, Tristan Ladouceur’s consistency has put him at the top of the standings with three races remaining in 2026. The Alexandria, ON driver hasn’t finished outside the top 10 in Championship Season competition and has won two of the last three DIRTcar Sportsman Series Features.
Ladouceur will make his second start at the Malta, NY track this weekend, where he finished 11th last year. He’s aiming for his third career Series victory.
His closest championship rival, Richard Murtaugh, is trying to rebound after a 17th-place finish last weekend at Land of Legends Raceway. The good news for the Fulton, NY driver, though, is that he narrowly missed a win at Albany-Saratoga last season, crossing the line second.
Murtaugh has three DIRTcar Sportsman Series wins in 2026 and aims for his 11th overall triumph this weekend.
McGrew’s Chance to Strike: With Murtaugh’s recent struggles, Derrick McGrew Jr. has closed the gap to second in the Series standings.
Entering Albany-Saratoga, which is one of McGrew’s home tracks, the Ballston Spa, NY driver trails Murtaugh by 22 points. McGrew has a victory there this season and has a top five and two top 10s in three DIRTcar Sportsman Series starts.
A win by McGrew would be his third career Series win, and first at Albany-Saratoga. He has four top fives and three podium finishes in seven Championship Series starts.
Double the Crane: When the DIRTcar Sportsman Series visited Malta Massive Weekend over the past two seasons, a Crane stood in Victory Lane. In 2024, Chris Crane Jr. earned the win, while last year it was his younger brother, Connor, outdueled Murtaugh for the victory.
Those two also battled for the Sportsman track championship in 2026, with Connor overtaking his brother on the final night of the regular season.
Connor Crane is searching for his third Series triumph, after winning an East Region Feature at Glen Ridge Motorsports Park. Chris, meanwhile, is cashing his second Series win, and has two Championship Season top 10s in 2026 at Glen Ridge and Utica-Rome Speedway.
2026 Championship Season Schedule:
Sunday, Aug. 9/Glen Ridge Motorsports Park/Fultonville, NY- Derrick McGrew Jr.
Wednesday, Aug. 19/Utica-Rome Speedway/Vernon, NY- Tony Finch II
Tuesday, Aug. 25/Ransomville Speedway/Ransomville, NY- Cody McPherson
Sunday, Sept. 6/Weedsport Speedway/Weedsport, NY- Nigel Pendykoski
Saturday, Sept. 12/Can-Am Speedway/LaFargeville, NY- Tristan Ladouceur
Friday, Sept. 18/Mohawk International Raceway/Akwesasne, NY- Tristan Ladouceur
Saturday, Sept. 19/Land of Legends Raceway/Canandaigua, NY- Karl Comfort
Friday, Sept. 25/Albany-Saratoga Speedway/Malta, NY
Saturday, Oct. 10/Oswego Speedway/Oswego, NY
Saturday, Oct. 17/Brockville Ontario Speedway/Brockville, ON
DIRTCar Sportsman Championship Series Points Standings
- Tristan Ladouceur 2496
- Richard Murtaugh -72
- Derrick McGrew Jr. -94
- Nigel Pendykoski -169
- David Hackett Jr. -202
- Bodie Marks -205
- Jessica Power -226
- Connor Crane -227
- Tyler Stevenson -240
- Nick Brundige -248
