With the DIRTcar Sportsman Series regional champions crowned, the championship season kicks off its 2024 campaign with two races in four days.
First, the Series visits Glen Ridge Motorsports Park on Sunday, Aug. 11. A $1,500 prize is on the line in a 40-lap Feature.
Then, the Series joins the Super DIRTcar Series during SummerFAST at Fulton Speedway on Wednesday, Aug. 14, for a 30-lap Feature that pays $1,500-to-win.
If you can’t make it to Fulton, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision.
For more on the DIRTcar Northeast, follow the DIRTcar Facebook page and the Series’ X/(Twitter) page.
Here’s a look at what to watch for at Glen Ridge and Fulton:
The Four Champions: Four drivers set themselves apart from the field by winning their regional championships in 2024.
Cody McPherson (West), Zach Sobotka (Central), Shane Pecore (North), and Jason Gray (East) each earned a victory on the road to their championships, with McPherson sweeping all three West Region events.
McPherson is a two-time Series champion and owns the most victories in DIRTcar Sportsman Series history. However, he can add another piece of history to his resume, as the St. Catharines, ON driver hasn’t won at Glen Ridge or Fulton.
Sobotka, meanwhile, has finished second in the DIRTcar Sportsman Series standings for the last three years and is eager to win his first title. The Parish, NY driver finished sixth at Glen Ridge last season and won at Fulton in the Central Region finale earlier this year.
Pecore, the North Region champion, hasn’t made a start at Glen Ridge but has found past success at Fulton. The Cornwall, ON driver earned Central Region victory in 2018 and finished third later that season in a championship trail event.
Gray has the most starts of the four champions at Glen Ridge, racing in three East Region Series events at the 1/4-mile track. His best finish was a fourth earlier this season. The East Thetford, VT driver hasn’t made a start at Fulton.
Chasing the Title: With reigning DIRTcar Sportsman Series champion Andrew Buff moving up to 358 Modifieds, a new champion will be crowned in 2024.
Joining the four regional champions is a stout field of regional competitors aiming to win their first season championship.
That includes Nick Root, Tyler Corcoran, and Gavin Eisele.
Root and Corcoran scored a win in regional competition, while Eisele finished in the top five in three of his four starts.
All three drivers finished in the top 10 in last year’s championship season stop at Glen Ridge, with Root finishing second, Eisele fifth, and Corcoran ninth.
Root also had success at Fulton earlier this year, finishing second to Sobotka in the Central Region finale two weeks ago.
Rolling at the Ridge: The DIRTcar Sportsman Series East Region already stopped at Glen Ridge this season.
Cody Ochs won the 40-lap Feature in May and is also the most recent winner at the 1/4-mile bullring.
Other drivers to watch at Glen Ridge include track points leader Zach Buff, Taylor Wason, and Tavien Blowers. Buff finished 10th during the East Region event, Wason was seventh, and Blowers finished 17th.
All three drivers are searching for their first career Series win.
Fulton’s Best: Like Glen Ridge, Fulton Speedway also boasts a strong field of regional competitors aiming to find Victory Lane on a big stage.
Emmett Waldron, who will also be at Glen Ridge on Sunday, leads the Fulton point standings entering this weekend over Cody Manitta and Buff.
Waldron has two wins, five top fives and seven top 10s in eight starts at Fulton this season. He also has two top 10s in three starts in DIRTcar Sportsman Series Central Region action this season, including a seventh at Fulton two weeks ago.
Manitta, meanwhile, has two top 10s in two Central Region starts this season, finishing sixth at Weedsport and eighth at Fulton. He also has a victory at Fulton this season.
DIRTcar Sportsman Series Championship Season Schedule:
Sunday, August 11/Glen Ridge Motorsports Park
Wednesday, August 14/Fulton Speedway
Tuesday, August 20/Ransomville Speedway
Friday, Sept. 6/Can-Am Speedway
Saturday, Sept. 7/Weedsport Speedway
Saturday, Sept. 14/Land of Legends Raceway
Friday, September 20/Albany-Saratoga Speedway
Tuesday, Oct. 8/Brewerton Speedway
Saturday, October 12/Oswego Speedway
Saturday, October 19/Brockville Ontario Speedway
Thursday-Saturday, Oct. 31-Nov. 2/ The Dirt Track at Charlotte*
*Denotes Non-Points Paying event
