Less than a week after Shane Playford outdueled Luke Horning for a DIRTcar Pro Stock Series win, Horning returned the favor Friday night at Fulton Speedway.
The Gloversville, NY driver led all 30 laps, beating Playford to the checkered flag to score back-to-back wins during the track’s Outlaw 200 weekend.
“Cousin” Luke led the field to the green in the 30 lap Feature, as drivers prepared for one final tune-up before Super DIRT Week 53. Horning led the first four laps before a red flag with championship points implications stopped the Feature on Lap 5.
As the field exited Turn 4, cars got together sending Series points leader Pete Stefanski flipping down Fulton’s frontstretch, ending his night. Seven other cars were also out of the race in the incident, including Chris Wemple, Dakota Sharp, AJ Walters, Bret Belden, Brian Carter, Jason Casey, and Zach Sorrentino.
When the race resumed, Horning continued his lead at the front, holding off Tommy Lizotte and Playford. Lizotte, who was aiming for his first career Series win, caught the No. 2H in traffic and got by him for the lead on Lap 17. However, the caution came out before the lap was complete, which negated the pass.
Unfortunately for Lizotte, that wasn’t the only heartbreak for him during that yellow flag. After contact from J.J. Courcy under caution, Lizotte’s No. 777 car had a flat tire, forcing him to go to the pits. He rebounded for a seventh-place finish.
From there, no one could catch Horning for the final 13 laps, as the 2023 Series champion took home the $1,500 prize and his eighth career Series victory. That win breaks a tie with 2019 champion C.D. Beauchamp and Nick Stone for seventh on the all-time wins list.
Horning said he was worried about Lizotte, especially after he lost the lead before the Lap 17 yellow.
“I love this place,” Horning said. “I felt like the 777 was really the car I had to worry about. He showed speed as soon as we got here. He got by me once in lap traffic, and luckily that lap didn’t count. I knew after that we just had to hammer around the bottom.”
Playford, also from Gloversville, NY, finished second, earning his second consecutive Series podium following his win last weekend at Land of Legends Raceway. He said despite his second place finish, he was fighting handling issues throughout the race.
“I felt like I was fighting for my life,” Playford said. “I couldn’t step on the gas. I couldn’t do anything. But in the end, with the fast guys taking themselves out, we’re here.”
In his first Series start of the season, Sid Harmer Jr. rounded out the podium with a third-place finish. It’s his best Series finish since 2019, when we won at Mohawk International Raceway and finished second at Oswego Speedway.
“It feels pretty good,” Harmer said. “I was fast, and the seas kept parting ways with guys taking each other out. I’ll take it. To finish behind these two who are fast everywhere we go and still see them on the same straightaway, it’s pretty good with this car.”
Bushey crossed the line fourth, after restarting 11th following the Lap 5 red flag. That finish, along with Stefanski’s 17th, puts Bushey ahead of Stefanski by two points entering Super DIRT Week 53, where the 2025 champion will be crowned in the I Love NY 50.
Quebec driver Denis Gauvreau rounded out the top five.
UP NEXT: The 2025 DIRTcar Pro Stock Series champion will be crowned on Friday, Oct. 10, in the I Love NY 50 during Super DIRT Week 53 at Oswego Speedway.
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.
DIRTcar Pro Stock Series Feature (30 Laps): 1. 2H-Luke Horning[1]; 2. 6-Shane Playford[2]; 3. 690-Sid Harmer Jr[22]; 4. X15-Tyler Bushey[5]; 5. 72G-Denis Gauvreau[25]; 6. 177-Chris Stalker[13]; 7. 777-Tommy Lizotte[6]; 8. 110-Devon Camenga[19]; 9. 8-Marc Lalonde[9]; 10. 921-Eric Jean Louis[3]; 11. 25Y-Kenneth Griffin[18]; 12. 48-Jocelyn Roy[12]; 13. 28D-Phillip Defiglio[23]; 14. 5B-JJ Courcy[10]; 15. 2Z-Hugh Page[11]; 16. 58-Roxanne Roy[21]; 17. 2-Pete Stefanski[4]; 18. 54S-Zachary Sorrentino[7]; 19. 324-Jason Casey[8]; 20. 6C-Brian Carter[15]; 21. 81-Bret Belden[14]; 22. 8N-AJ Walters[17]; 23. 12S-Dakota Sharp[20]; 24. 112-Chris Wemple[16]; 25. (DNS) 9B-Slater Baker
