WAVERLY, Ohio –– The Super DIRTcar Series will make its debut at Atomic Speedway for the Rumble in the Hills on March 25.
The series will spend two nights at the 3/8-mile track with big rewards on the line for the championship season opener. Friday night’s race will pay $10,000-to-win and Saturday’s feature will pay $12,000-to-win. Both nights will award guaranteed starting spots for the 50th NAPA Super DIRT Week (Oct. 3-9).
The weekend also marks the series first return to Ohio since 2019.
One of the most competitive fields in series history will be chasing those awards, including drivers like eight-time and defending series champion Matt Sheppard, 2019 series champion Mat Williamson, 2022 DIRTcar Nationals champion Jimmy Phelps, 2021 DIRTcar Nationals champion Max McLaughlin, 2021 Rookie of the Year Chris Hile, Peter Britten and many more. All drivers are on an even playing field as none have raced at Atomic before.
It’s a story of big-profile drivers going for wins in a season that’s presenting a sizable purse–-$200,000 overall. Atomic kicks off the quest for a championship worth $60,000 at the end of the year.
After making history in 2021 by claiming his eighth Super DIRTcar Series title, Sheppard has his sights on securing a ninth title behind the wheel of his No. 9s Big Block. To do so, the Waterloo, N.Y., driver looks to make history again by being the first series winner at Atomic.
Sheppard’s results from the non-points season opening events at Volusia Speedway Park may signal worry, but experience overrules all misfortunes. He struggled to find speed in the first two races, but after making wholesale changes, raced his way back into the top-five on the third night. Bad luck plagued Sheppard the final two nights, forcing DNFs, but he was running upfront before it struck.
With a stout field of competitors this year, he’ll need a strong start at Atomic to put himself in position for a run at his ninth title.
Both Heinke-Baldwin Racing (HBR) teammates entered the year with a new wealth of confidence. Rising-star Max McLaughlin of Mooresville, N.C., returned to HBR, the team that gave him his first Super DIRTcar Series at 15 years old. Now 22 years old, McLaughlin is teaming up with veteran Jimmy Phelps of Baldwinsville, N.Y., who is entering his 26th year racing with the series.
For McLaughlin, it was a return home. For Phelps, it was a welcomed reunion with someone he knew he could lean on for help. Their new team synergy showed during DIRTcar Nationals in February as McLaughlin won in his third race back with the team and Phelps earned his first series win since 2020. He also claimed his first DIRTcar Nationals Big Gator Championship.
Both will likely carry that momentum into Atomic as favorites to win once again. Atomic is a high-banked track, sharing some similarities to Fulton Speedway where Phelps and McLaughlin have both had success at.
The Super DIRTcar Series’ debut at Atomic will be its first-ever stop in central Ohio, but the series has previously hosted nine races in the Buckeye State–-six at Eldora Speedway and three at Sharon Speedway.
Merv Treichler won the first series race in the state at Sharon in 1982 and Erick Rudolph is currently the last to have won in Ohio with his 2019 win at Eldora Speedway.
Full-time series competitors Peter Britten and Jimmy Phelps enter the weekend with the pride of already being Ohio victors. Phelps, who is riding the high of winning in Florida this year, previously won at Sharon in 2016. Britten, who also picked up a big win in Florida, won his first Super DIRTcar Series win at Sharon in 2017.
Tim Fuller is currently the only driver to have won multiple times in Ohio. The 2005 series champion won at Eldora in 2006 and 2016.
Additionally, the local flair is not hesitating to show up for the big block modifieds first race at Atomic.
BRP Modified Champion Rex King Jr. of Bristolville, Ohio, plans to join the competitive field to try and steal a home-state win. His best finish with the series was fifth at Eldora in 2019. While unconfirmed, other Ohio drivers who could make the trek include his father, Rex King, and Rob Kristyak.
Mat Williamson already has a win under his belt this season and he’s looking to keep that momentum rolling to put himself in contention for the $60,000 championship title. The driver out of St. Catharines, Ontario, ended the 2021 season strong, winning his second consecutive NAPA Super DIRT Week title and finishing second in series points.
He has carried that confidence into 2022 by earning his third Volusia Speedway Park win.
With the new season comes an impressive group of new full-time drivers to the Super DIRTcar Series.
Among them are seven drivers contending for the Rookie of the Year honors -– Adam Pierce (VT), Alex Yankowski (PA), Anthony Perrego (NY), C.G. Morey (VT), Marc Johnson (NY), Mike Gular (PA) and Steve Bernard (Canada). And of that group, two enter with series trophies.
Perrego earned his first two series wins in 2020 during OktoberFAST at Albany-Saratoga Speedway and Can-Am Speedway, driving the No. 44p. This year, he’ll be full-time behind the wheel of the iconic No. 4 for Vinny Salerno.
Of the group, 17-year-old Yankowski is the youngest and is still in his junior year of high school. However, he stunned the world during World Finals last year by outrunning Larry Wight and Mat Williamson to win at The Dirt Track at Charlotte in only his second series start. He’s also yet to finish outside the top-10 in his three starts. Behind the wheel of his family-owned No. 84y, he’ll try to stun the world again at Atomic.