An annual October tradition continues in Central, New York, as the top drivers in the Northeast return to Oswego Speedway for Super DIRT Week 53.
All four DIRTcar Northeast divisions are in action Oct. 6-11, culminating with the Billy Whittaker Cars 200 on Saturday, Oct. 11.
The DIRTcar Pro Stocks and DIRTcar 358 Modifieds kick off the racing action on Wednesday, Oct. 8, with Qualifying and Heat Race action. Then, the DIRTcar Sportsman and Super DIRTcar Series Big Block Modifieds hit the track for Qualifying and Heat Races on Thursday, Oct. 9.
Features begin on Friday, Oct. 10, with the I Love NY 50 for the Pro Stocks, and the Salute to the Troops 150for the 358 Modifieds.
The final night of racing is on Saturday, Oct. 11, with the DIRTcar Sportsman Great Lakes 75, followed by the Billy Whittaker Cars 200 for the Super DIRTcar Series.
Along with the on-track action, there will be several activities throughout the week for fans to enjoy, including “Racing’s Biggest Block Party” in downtown Oswego on Tuesday, Oct. 7, the annual Super DIRT Week parade through the Oswego Streets on Wednesday, Oct. 8, concerts, autograph sessions, and more.
For a complete list of Super DIRT Week activities, CLICK HERE.
Make sure to download the Super DIRT Week App for the full schedule of events, the latest news, stats, and more.
If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all of the Super DIRT Week action on DIRTVision, either online or with the DIRTVision app.
Here’s a look at What to Watch for at Super DIRT Week 53:
Super DIRTcar Series
Going For 4: Entering this year’s Billy Whittaker Cars 200 at Oswego, two drivers have a chance to make history.
With three wins each, 10-time Series champion Matt Sheppard and defending Series champion Mat Williamson could become the fifth driver to win the race four times, joining Brett Hearn, Billy Decker, Gary Balough, and Stewart Friesen.
Sheppard, from Savannah, NY, won the event in 2009, 2017, and 2022, and has finished in the top 10 in six of his eight Big Block starts at the “Clay Palace,” including five top fives.
Williamson, meanwhile, has had more success than any other driver at Oswego, winning three of the eight 200s at the track. The St. Catharines, ON driver has also won the Feature in every odd year since 2019. “Money Mat” enters the week as the Series points leader, owning a 71-point advantage over Alex Yankowski in the race for the 2025 title.
Joining Forces: With defending Billy Whittaker Cars 200 winner Stewart Friesen sidelined due to injury, Yankowski will drive a Halmar-Friesen Racing No. 84Y car this weekend at Oswego.
The Covington Township, PA driver will make his second start in the event, after finishing seventh in the Atlas Paving No. 66 last October. “Kid Rocket” has two Series victories this season, coming at Can-Am Speedway last month and Volusia Speedway Park in February, where he earned the “Big Gator” trophy during Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals.
He’s searching for his fifth career Series win.
Peaking at the Right Time: One driver who’s building momentum just before the biggest race of the season is last year’s runner-up, Jimmy Phelps. The Baldwinsville, NY driver won the Encore 50 at Weedsport Speedway in September, one week after a second-place finish during Malta Massive Weekend at Albany-Saratoga Speedway.
The 2025 edition of the Billy Whittaker Cars 200 will be Phelps’ 22nd start in the event. Last year’s second at Oswego was the “Baldwinsville Bandit’s” best finish at the 5/8-mile facility. He’s also finished in the top five in four of his eight Big Block starts at the track.
Building Momentum: After top 10 finishes last year, Jack Lehner, Darren Smith, and Mike Mahaney aim to build off their Oswego momentum.
Jack Lehner earned his first top five in the Billy Whittaker Cars 200 last season, driving from 21st to finish fifth. In six Big Block starts at Oswego, the Saratoga Springs, NY driver has a top five and two top 10s. However, those top 10 finishes came in each of the last two years.
Like Lehner, Smith earned his best finish at Super DIRT Week during last year’s Billy Whittaker Cars 200. The Binghamton, NY driver crosses the line sixth after earning the outside pole for the event. Smith’s only other top 10 at Oswego came in the Salute to the Troops 150 in 2018.
Mahaney has earned top 10s in each of the past two seasons and scored his first Oswego podium with a third-place finish in 2023. The Elizabethtown, NY driver has three total top 10s at the track in his career, including last year’s eighth-place finish.
DIRTcar 358 Modifieds
Beware of the 6: Like in the Big Blocks, two-time and defending Salute to the Troops 150 winner Mat Williamson has the chance to make history this weekend in the 358 Modifieds.
Mat Williamson celebrates his 2024 Salute to the Troops 150 Victory/Brent Smith
In the 44-year history of the event, Billy Decker and Pete Bicknell are the only two drivers to win the race three consecutive times, a feat Williamson can accomplish with a win on Friday.
Williamson has finished on the podium in three of the last four Salute to the Troops 150s at Oswego and enters the weekend with momentum after winning the Outlaw 200 at Fulton Speedway for the second straight year.
He also enters the event as the DIRTcar 358 Modified Series points leader, holding a 66-point advantage over Mike Mahaney.
Hollywood and Smooth Shoe: Mahaney and Felix Roy have been trying to keep pace with Williamson all season in the battle for the DIRTcar 358 Modified Series title. Roy comes into the event one point behind Mahaney for second with two races remaining on the 2025 schedule.
Roy, from Napierville, QC, has outdueled Mahaney for two championships this season, beating “Smooth Shoe” at both Albany-Saratoga and Airborne Park Speedway for the track championship. “Hollywood” has made two starts in the Salute to the Troops 150, finishing 12th in 2023 and eighth last season.
Mahaney, meanwhile, has made five starts in the event, with his best finish a seventh in 2022.
Ready For a Seventh: In eight Salute to the Troops 150s at Oswego, there have been six different winners, with Williamson, Sheppard, Friesen, Decker, Tim Fuller, and Peter Britten taking the checkered flag. And with 93 drivers entered in this year’s event as of Monday, there’s a chance for a seventh different winner this weekend.
In those eight years, 13 drivers have earned a podium finish, but only six drivers have earned more than one.
Williamson, Sheppard, and Friesen each have four podiums, while Fuller has two. The other driver is Marc Johnson, who earned podium finishes in 2016 and 2023.
The Guilderland, NY driver comes into the event with momentum after winning the DIRTcar 358 Modified Series Feature at Albany-Saratoga during Malta Massive Weekend in September, his first career Series victory.
DIRTcar Sportsman
A Crucial Stop: With two races remaining, the DIRTcar Sportsman Great Lakes 75 will be a crucial stop on the road to the 2025 DIRTcar Sportsman Series title.
Entering Super DIRT Week 53, the top three drivers in the points standings are separated by eight points. Shane Pecore, the 2018 winner, holds a one-point lead over Tristan Ladouceur. Meanwhile, Emmett Waldron is in third, eight points behind Pecore.
Out of those three drivers, Pecore is the only driver to win the event. The Cornwall, ON driver has made two starts at Oswego, finishing 27th in his first attempt in 2017, as well as achieving a victory.
Waldron, meanwhile, has only made one start in the race, finishing 19th last season.
Emmett Waldron battles Zach Sobotka at Super DIRT Week 52/Brent Smith
Ladouceur has never raced at Oswego.
Former Winners: Along with Pecore, this year’s Great Lakes 75 will have two other former winners in the field. Cody McPherson and Zach Sobotka have both entered this year’s event, with McPherson winning in 2022 and Sobotka taking the checkered flag in 2021.
McPherson, from St. Catharines, ON, has been on a tear in 2025, winning 22 Features and finishing in the top five in 35 of his 36 starts this season. He’s made four starts at Oswego, including two podiums.
Sobotka’s 2025 season looked different than McPherson’s. The Parish, NY driver won six Features this season, but all of them were behind the wheel of a Sprint Car. Sobotka, who will be crowned CRSA Sprint Car champion this season, has been consistent over his past four starts at Oswego in a Sportsman. He’s finished in the top five in each of those races, including three podiums.
Consistent Power: One driver who’s been consistent over the past three seasons at Oswego is Jessica Power. The Kingston, ON driver, who enters the weekend fifth in the Series standings, has finished in the top 10 in each of the last three Great Lakes 75.
Those are her best three finishes in the event, after results of eighth in 2022, fifth in 2023, and 10th in 2024. She’s also started in the top 10 in each of those Features, proving she can start the week on a fast note at the “Clay Palace.”
Power is one of the drivers who will pull double duty this week, as she’ll also attempt to qualify for the Salute to the Troops 150.
DIRTcar Pro Stocks
Battle for the Title: The DIRTcar Pro Stocks have the honor of being the only division whose champion will be decided at Super DIRT Week 53. Entering this year’s I Love NY 50, five drivers are mathematically eligible to take home the championship.
That group is led by Tyler Bushey, who enters the event with a two-point lead over five-time and defending Series champion Pete Stefanski. The Heuvelton, NY driver has been consistent throughout the Series, finishing in the top 10 in seven of his eight starts, including three top fives.
However, he’s only made two starts at Oswego in his career, finishing 30th in 2021 and 22nd in 2022.
Stefanski, meanwhile, is not only searching for his sixth championship but also his first Super DIRT Week victory at Oswego. The Wheatfield, NY driver has finished in the top five in five of his eight starts at the track.
Chris Stalker races Pete Stefanski at Oswego Speedway/Brent Smith
However, to earn his first Oswego win, he’ll have to do it driving a different car. Stefanski will be behind the wheel of a second No. 177 car owned by fellow competitor Chris Stalker, after his primary car was damaged in an incident at Fulton.
Two Canadian drivers aiming to wrestle the championship away are Marc Lalonde and Jocelyn Roy. Lalonde, from Plantagenet, ON, is currently third in points, 14 points behind Bushey. He has made four career starts at Oswego, with his best finish being a ninth in 2018.
Roy, meanwhile, is fourth in points, 22 points out of the lead. The Sainte-Helene, QC driver, like Lalonde, has made four starts at the 5/8-mile facility, earning three top 10s and a podium finish in 2017.
Stalker is also within striking distance of the championship, sitting in fifth, 36 points behind Bushey. The Hillsdale, NY driver, who earned the SRI Performance and Stock Car Steel Pole Award last season, finished ninth in his only Oswego start.
Beau is Back: Defending race winner Beau Ballard will return to Oswego in 2025, after holding off Luke Horning and Devon Camenga to win last year’s I Love NY 50.
The Stamford, NY driver also has a chance to make history this season, as he tries to become the first driver to win back-to-back events since Rob Yetman won five consecutive Super DIRT Week Features from 2013 to 2017.
Ballard scored four Feature wins in 2025, along with the Fonda Speedway track championship.
Playfab Dominance: In 2023, Shane Playford’s Playfab Chassis swept the podium at Oswego, with Luke Horning, Playford, and Camenga finishing in the top three. Last season, Horning and Camenga earned another podium finish, crossing the line second and third.
Now, they enter the week with momentum, after Playford and Horning scored back-to-back DIRTcar Pro Stock Series victories at Land of Legends Raceway and Fulton.
Horning, the 2023 Series champion, has finished in the top 10 in each of his last three starts at Oswego, finishing sixth in 2022 to go along with his win and second-place run.
Playford, meanwhile, has finished in the top 10 in two of his four starts, earning a ninth in 2022 to go with his second in 2023.
Camenga, from Troy, NY, has only made two starts in the event, finishing third on both occasions.
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