CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — The Super DIRTcar Series will kick off a new championship season at Atomic Speedway on March 31-April 1.
The two-night event will be the series’ inaugural trip to the southern Ohio track and the first to the Buckeye state in four years. The payouts will be significant, with both races granting the winner a starting spot at the 51st Running of Super DIRT Week. Contenders will also race for a $10,000 top prize on night one, followed by a $12,000 payday on night two.
Here are the top storylines to follow:
Sheppard Goes For Title No. 10
Nine-time and defending Super DIRTcar Series champion Matt Sheppard will start his hunt for an unprecedented 10th series title at Atomic Speedway.
The Waterloo, N.Y., driver had one of the most pronounced seasons of his career last year, capturing seven feature wins including a third Billy Whittaker Cars 200 title. With that success, he comes into this season currently tied with Danny Johnson for second on the all-time series wins list at 89, looking to make history with a 90th victory.
Williamson Wants To Keep It Going
After capping off last year on top of his game with two wins in three nights at the World Finals season finale, last year’s series runner-up Mat Williamson returned to Florida last month for the Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals to do it all again.
Notching two wins in three nights during the Florida event, the St. Catharines, Ontario, native brought home his first career Big Gator championship trophy. He’ll look to translate that momentum into a strong run in the Buckeye state and the rest of the Northeast region as the championship season begins.
Newcomer Desjardins Knocks On The Door
Canadian Mathieu Desjardins became the center of attention on night two of last year’s World Finals when he beat out eventual series champion Matt Sheppard to take the checkers in only his second series start on American soil.
The veteran sportsman modified driver raced alongside his teammate full-time Series driver Paul St. Sauvuer, who retired at the conclusion of last season. Desjardins will now take over St. Sauvuer’s No. 37 machine, looking to quickly make his presence known and bring home wins.
Perrego Starts Sophmore Season
Last year’s rookie-of-the-year recipient Anthony Perrego will look to build on the success he found in his first full season with the series. His sixth-place finish in the points battle, the most successful finish of any series rookie, garnered him the accolade.
His run was anchored by five top-five finishes, including a runner-up finish at his home track Orange County Fair Speedway. The Walden, N.Y., native will have his first chance to compete for a win this year at Atomic Speedway.
DOUBLE TROUBLE
Heinke-Baldwin Racing teammates Jimmy Phelps and Max McLaughlin have proven time and again to be a force to be reckoned with when they enter the track. Finishing third and fourth last season respectively, both will be contenders to keep an eye on at Atomic Speedway.
Last season, Phelps consistently delivered finishes near the top of the leaderboard.
He notched a feature win at Weedsport Speedway on the opening night of SummerFAST before going on to place fourth in the Billy Whittaker Cars 200 at Super DIRT Week. Though he did not perform up to expectations at this year’s Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals, he plans to put that behind him and start with a clean slate with the start of racing in the Northeast.
McLaughlin proved why he is one of the rising starts of the series after locking in a fourth-place finish at 22 years old last season.
The Mooresville, N.C., native landed his first points paying series win along with a podium finish at the Billy Whittaker Cars 200. He carried that momentum into this season, posting a strong showing at the Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals, capturing the victory on night one. He most certainly will look to continue the strong showings this season starting at Atomic Speedway.
AROUND THE TURN
The Super DIRTcar Series will next travel to LaFargeville, N.Y., on Saturday, April 15 to compete at Can-Am Speedway in a $7,500-to-win spectacular.