With weekly action complete, the DIRTcar Sportsman Series turns its attention to two crucial stops on the road to the 2025 championship.
First up is a return to Can-Am Speedway in LaFargeville, NY, on Friday, Sept. 5. Drivers will battle in a 30-lap battle paying $1,500-to-win.
Then, the 11th edition of the Sportsman Classic at Weedsport Speedway takes center stage on Saturday, Sept. 6. A $2,500 prize is on the line in a 75-lap Feature.
Joining the DIRTcar Sportsman Series on both occasions is the Super DIRTcar Series.
If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision.
Here’s a look at what to watch for at Can-Am and Weedsport:
Gavin’s Out Front: With Series, Regional, and Home Track bonus points added together after Labor Day, Gavin Eisele currently leads the DIRTcar Sportsman Series standings entering this weekend’s doubleheader.
The LaFargeville, NY driver may also have the advantage this weekend, racing at two tracks he’s familiar with. Eisele is the 2025 Track Champion at Can-Am, outdueling Richard Murtaugh and Jessica Power for the title. Despite having only one win, Eisele never finished outside the top 10 in 15 starts at the “Nasty Track of the North” this season.
He’s also had success in Weedsport in 2025, winning the DIRTcar Sportsman Series Central Region stop in June. Eisele is looking for redemption in the Sportsman Classic, though, after finishing second in last year’s event. He’s also searching for his fifth Series victory.
Here Comes the Show: The driver who beat Eisele to the checkered flag in last year’s Sportsman Classic was Murtaugh, who’s won the previous two editions of the event at Weedsport.
Tyler Corcoran and Richard Murtaugh battle at Can-Am during a DIRTcar Sportsman Series North Region event/Rebecca Eisele
The Fulton, NY driver aims to use this weekend to close the gap on Eisele, entering the doubleheader seventh in points, 62 points out of first. Murtaugh is a three-time winner at Can-Am this season, falling 11 points short in the track’s final standings. He also finished on the podium in both DIRTcar Sportsman Series stops at Can-Am this season.
Murtaugh is searching for his fourth career Series victory.
Canadian Flare: Three Canadian drivers chasing Eisele toward the top of the standings are Tristan Ladouceur, Shane Pecore, and Jessica Power.
Power, who races at Can-Am weekly, had a chance to win the track title on the final night, but ultimately fell short. The Kingston, ON driver earned a win, six top fives, and 15 top 10s in 15 starts at the 4/10-mile track this season. She enters the weekend sixth in points, 53 points behind Eisele.
Ladouceur and Pecore, meanwhile, are second and third in the Series standings, 19 points and 22 points behind Eisele.
Despite two consecutive podiums in the championship season, Ladouceur, from Alexandria, ON, aims to improve at Can-Am. In two North Region starts, Ladouceur finished 12th and 13th.
That wasn’t the case for Pecore, who hasn’t finished outside the top five in his last four Series starts at the “Nasty Track of the North.” The Cornwall, ON driver finished second to Donovan Lussier during the North Region stop in July.
The 2016 Series champion is an 11-time DIRTcar Sportsman Series Feature winner. However, he’s never won a Series event at either Can-Am or Weedsport.
Championship Series Schedule
Sunday, Aug. 3, Glen Ridge Motorsports Park- Gavin Eisele
Tuesday, Aug. 12, Ransomville Speedway- Cody McPherson
Friday, Sept. 5, Can-Am Speedway
Saturday, Sept. 6, Weedsport Speedway
Friday, Sept. 12, Mohawk International Raceway
Saturday, Sept. 13, Land of Legends Raceway
Friday, Sept. 19, Albany-Saratoga Speedway
Saturday, Oct. 11, Oswego Speedway-Super DIRT Week
Saturday, Oct. 18, Brockville Ontario Speedway
Oct. 30-Nov. 1, The Dirt Track at Charlotte (Non-Points)
