The chase for the DIRTcar Sportsman Series championship begins this weekend with one of the four Sportsman regions taking the green flag.
The North Region kicks off its 2024 season as part of Can-Am Speedway’s 50th Jubilee Season opener on Friday, April 26. Drivers will battle in a 30-lap Feature paying $1,000-to-win.
Joining the DIRTcar Sportsman on the card are the DIRTcar 358 Modifieds, 602 Crate Sprint Cars, ThunderCars, and Limited Sportsman.
Here’s a look at what to watch for this weekend:
Dave’s Defense: Defending North Region champion David Rogers will open his title defense close to home in 2024.
The LaFargeville, NY driver won last August at the “Nasty Track of the North,” giving him the points he needed to edge out Tyler Corcoran for the regional championship.
He also won at Can-Am during the DIRTcar Sportsman Series championship chase, holding off Jessica Power for the win in September.
Rogers has six career DIRTcar Sportsman Series wins.
Can-Am’s Best: Rogers must battle Can-Am’s best to repeat as North Region champion in 2024.
That includes Corcoran, the defending track champion. The Central Square, NY driver had a win, eight top fives, and nine top 10s at the track last season.
While he didn’t win in Series competition last year, he’s found Victory Lane seven times in DIRTcar Sportsman Series events—the last coming at Land of Legends in 2022.
Another driver to watch is Mike Fowler, who finished third in last year’s North Region standings. The Fulton, NY driver also finished second in Can-Am’s points with a win, six top fives, and 10 top 10s. He’s searching for his first career DIRTcar Sportsman Series victory.
Gavin Eisele also joins the field at Can-Am this weekend after scoring two wins at the track in 2023, more than any other driver in weekly competition. The LaFargeville, NY driver finished third in the track’s standings last season.
Oh, Canada: With Brockville Ontario Speedway and Autodrome Drummond on the schedule this year, Canada will be represented at all three tracks in the North region.
That starts with Jessica Power and Brennan Moore, who race at Can-Am weekly. Moore, from Elgin, ON, scored a victory last season, finishing third in the track’s points.
Meanwhile, while Power didn’t score a win at Can-Am last season, she put together a consistent year, finishing fourth in the overall DIRTcar Sportsman Series standings. She has one Series victory in her career, coming at Brockville in 2022.
They’ll be joined by 2016 DIRTcar Sportsman champion Shane Pecore, who returns to regional competition this weekend. The Cornwall, ON driver is tied for seventh in all-time Series wins, including a Chevrolet Performance 75 victory at Oswego Speedway during Super DIRT Week in 2022.
Pecore made one DIRTcar Sportsman Series start in 2023, finishing 14th at Can-Am last June.
2024 DIRTcar Sportsman North Region Schedule
Friday, April 26, Can-Am Speedway, LaFargeville, NY
Saturday, May 25, Brockville Ontario Speedway, Brockville, ON
Wednesday, July 3, Can-Am Speedway, LaFargeville, NY
Saturday, Aug. 3, Autodrome Drummond, Drummondville, QC
For more on the DIRTcar Northeast, follow the DIRTcar Facebook page and the Series’ X/(Twitter) page.
