After 200 grueling laps around Oswego Speedway during Super DIRT Week 54 presented by StubHub, Darren Smith will never forget the final 100 feet.

With a fresh right-rear tire bolted on, the Binghamton, NY driver went from 16th to first in five laps, beating Mat Williamson to the checkered flag on the final lap to win Saturday’s Billy Whittaker Cars 200.

The epic finish, worth $54,000, is his first Super DIRTcar Series triumph on the Northeast’s biggest stage. 

“This is one way to win your first Series race at the biggest race of the year,” Smith said. “We were digging and digging all week. We didn’t have the best car here tonight, but we didn’t give up. It’s a whole team effort. This is awesome.

“I can’t believe I’m standing here after the halfway break. If this is the only race I win, I’m happy with it. Thanks to all you race fans, I hope you enjoyed that.”

Larry Wight and Jimmy Phelps led the field to the green in the 200-lap Feature, with Wight gaining the early advantage. The Phoenix, NY driver set a fast pace at the front of the field throughout the first 100 laps, only being challenged by Alex Payne on a couple of occasions. 

Wight maneuvered lap traffic with ease until the race’s competition caution flew on Lap 93, giving teams the chances to take fuel, change tires, and adjust.

When the race resumed on Lap 94, Wight took control at the front of the field again, but Williamson charged past Alex Payne on the outside lane in Turn 2 to take second on Lap 105. Then, the four-time Billy Whittaker Cars 200 winner kept his momentum wound up on the outside, driving around Wight in Turns 3 and 4 to take the lead on Lap 107.

Williamson controlled the race for the next 70 laps. But behind him, 10-time Series champion Matt Sheppard picked off cars, getting by Alex Yankowski for third, before taking over second after Alex Payne clipped the boiler plate in Turn 1 with 43 laps remaining.

Sheppard tried closing in on the Buzz Chew Chevrolet No. 88, but with 10 laps to go, the Savannah, NY driver got a flat right-rear tire, forcing him to the pits. 

However, that was the break “Super Matt” needed. Restarting 13th with a fresh right-rear tire, he immediately went to the outside, thundering around nine cars to reach fourth before another caution flew on Lap 195.

That Oswego County Federal Credit Union Caution flag proved pivotal, as several teams, including Smith, mimicked Sheppard by putting on a new tire.

When the green came back out, Sheppard went right back to the top of the racetrack, storming past Alex Payne for third, and Alex Yankowski for second before another yellow flag came out on Lap 196.

Then Sheppard finished the job, getting to the front with a similar pass to the outside of Mat Williamson, taking the lead with a fourth Billy Whittaker Cars 200 win in his clutches. But when the caution came out again for Justin Stone one lap later, heartbreak struck Sheppard as he ran out of gas on the frontstretch. He never came back out, finishing 24th.

That gave the lead back to Williamson, who needed to hold on for three more laps to join Stewart Friesen and Brett Hearn as the only drivers to win the race five times. Behind him though, several challengers were waiting for a chance at Super DIRT Week glory. 

When the green came back out with three laps to go, Williamson pulled ahead of the field. But behind him, a three-wide battle for second emerged with Smith, Phelps, and Yankowski all trying to gain an advantage. 

However, with a fresher right-rear tire, Smith pulled ahead of Phelps and Yankowski, splitting them both down the middle on the back straightaway and taking over second as he chased Williamson to the white flag.

\Williamson maintained his advantage over Smith through Turns 1 and 2, trying to finish off a lap he’s led four times before at Oswego. But as they raced down the backstretch, Smith’s momentum allowed him to close as they entered Turn 3.

With two corners remaining, Smith swung to the outside and pulled even with the No. 88 as they reached the apex of the corner. Smith had the momentum, but as they exited Turn 4, Williamson slid in front of the No. 12, trying to keep Smith from getting by.

But that didn’t deter the Brewerton Speedway and Thunder Mountain Speedway track champion. Smith crossed back over to the inside lane and thundered past Williamson, leading the final 100 feet to capture his first career Billy Whittaker Cars 200 victory.

“When Sheppard stopped on the frontstretch, I said, ‘ Oh boy, I’m the only one with fresh rubber here,” Smith said. “Coming to the white flag, I didn’t get a good (Turn) 1 and 2. But then I got a run on the backstretch on Williamson, and then he moved up, and I went underneath him and holy s**t this is awesome.”

Williamson settled for second, falling a hundred feet short of his eighth Super DIRT Week win at Oswego. The St. Catharines, ON driver said he was holding on at the end of the race, running out of fuel on the cool-down lap.

“I knew I was a third-place car at best when those guys took tires,” Williamson said. “Hats off to the whole Jeremy Smith racing team. Darren has been knocking on the door to these big races for a long time, so I wasn’t surprised it was him passing me there. 

“Just tried to keep the tires underneath it and hoped for a podium at the end. When Sheppard went by me, I knew we were going slower because he just took off. I think out of the rubber the car was as good as I could ask it to be.”

Yankowski rounded out the podium, earning his 17th straight top 10 finish. The Covington Township, PA, driver, who won the Salute to the Troops 150 on Saturday, said he took too long to get by cars in lap traffic.

“There was a couple of key parts to the race,” Yankowski said. “I was battling it out with Alex Payne, and I got caught behind Ryan Krachun for probably 50 laps, and I didn’t do a good job getting in front of him. And then the first restart after the halfway break, he just came up on us, and I jacked the brakes to try and not wreck us, and I think that ultimately cost us second. It’s good hard racing, and that’s what it’s all about.”

Phelps crossed the line fourth, and Felix Roy finished fifth.

Darren Smith was credited with the Swagger Factory Move of the Race with his last lap pass, while Sheppard was given the Bart Contracting Hard Luck Award.

UP NEXT: The Super DIRTcar Series returns to action with its final trip to Canada of 2026, visiting Brockville Ontario Speedway on Friday, Oct. 16, for the Fall Nationals. They’ll be joined by the DIRTcar Sportsman Series, which will conclude its 2026 season.

Where can you buy tickets to Fall Nationals at Brockville? You can buy tickets at the gate.

How can you watch every lap of Super DIRT Week 54 if you can’t be at Oswego Speedway? Live on DIRTVision.

Billy Whittaker Cars 200 (200 Laps): 1. 12-Darren Smith[7]; 2. 88-Mat Williamson[8]; 3. 84Y-Alex Yankowski[6]; 4. 98H-Jimmy Phelps[2]; 5. 91-Felix Roy[21]; 6. 83X-Tim Sears Jr[12]; 7. 44-Stewart Friesen[32]; 8. 25-Erick Rudolph[31]; 9. 2-Jack Lehner[9]; 10. 26-Ryan Godown[17]; 11. 37S-Gary Lindberg[11]; 12. 21A-Peter Britten[14]; 13. 70A-Alex Payne[3]; 14. 28-Michael Trautschold[23]; 15. 99L-Larry Wight[1]; 16. 19-Tim Fuller[4]; 17. 3-Justin Haers[10]; 18. 9-Marc Johnson[24]; 19. 21C-Brian Calabrese[28]; 20. 35-Mike Mahaney[16]; 21. 27-Tanner Van Doren[29]; 22. 15X-Justin Stone[22]; 23. (DNF) 9S-Matt Sheppard[15]; 24. (DNF) 49-Billy Dunn[5]; 25. (DNF) 4-Anthony Perrego[36]; 26. (DNF) 30-Nicholas Root[18]; 27. (DNF) 29K-Ryan Krachun[40]; 28. (DNF) 11-Matt Caprara[27]; 29. (DNF) 32R-Ronnie Davis III[34]; 30. (DNF) 9M-Tim McCreadie[19]; 31. (DNF) 3RS-Dalton Slack[33]; 32. (DNF) 1-Tyler Dippel[26]; 33. (DNF) 7M-Paul Mancini[39]; 34. (DNF) 17-Marcus Dinkins[38]; 35. (DNF) 29-Garrett Krummert[13]; 36. (DNF) 35C-Chris Curtis[25]; 37. (DNF) 92-Andrew Buff[30]; 38. (DNF) 25P-Michael Parent[35]; 39. (DNF) 6-Matt Stangle[37]; 40. (DQ) 7MM-Michael Maresca[20]

This article was republished with permission from the Super DIRTcar Series. The original article can be found here: https://superdirtcarseries.com/recap/wild-night-at-the-palace-darren-smith-captures-billy-whittaker-cars-200-win-with-thrilling-last-lap-pass/

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