Memorial Day weekend is a significant weekend in motorsports, and that’s no different for the Super DIRTcar Series.

The Beasts of the Northeast are preparing for the first back-to-back of the 2026 championship season with two stops in Central New York.

First, the Series heads to Weedsport Speedway in Weedsport, NY, for the Heroes Remembered 75 on Sunday, May 24.

BUY WEEDSPORT TICKETS HERE

Then, a Shower of Big Block Power heads to New York’s Southern Tier for a stop at Thunder Mountain Speedway in Center Lisle, NY, on Monday, May 25, for the Natural 77 honoring Dale Planck.

Where can you watch every Super DIRTcar Series race? Live on DIRTVision.

Here’s a look at what to watch for at Weedsport and Thunder Mountain:

Red Hot Rocket: Entering this weekend’s doubleheader, no one has more momentum than Alex Yankowski.

The Covington Township, PA driver has won the last two Super DIRTcar Series Features and sits nine points behind Mat Williamson for the Series points lead. He also has 12 top 10s in his last 13 points-paying races.

Yankowski made three Series starts at Weedsport last year and never finished outside the top 10, earning an eighth, fourth, and third. He’s only made one Series start at Thunder Mountain, finishing fifth.

“Kid Rocket” is searching for his seventh career Series victory.

Weedsport Success: Over the past three seasons of Super DIRTcar Series action at Weedsport Speedway, only three drivers have reached Victory Lane.

Williamson and Stewart Friesen each have three wins in that span, while Peter Britten earned the other last year during SummerFAST. 

Out of those three drivers, Williamson has been the most consistent. The defending Series champion finished on the podium in six of the seven Features in the last three seasons, which included streaks of three consecutive victories and back-to-back runner-up finishes.

Friesen, like Williamson, also earned three consecutive wins in the span and has won his last four overall starts at the track.

Britten’s win last year was the first time he’s reached Victory Lane at Weedsport. However, the Brisbane, QLD driver has had mixed results there. Outside of his victory, he has five top fives and 10 top 10s in 33 starts. 

Payne’s Redemption: Alex Payne has gotten off to a tough start to this year’s Super DIRTcar Series championship season with 17th, 16th, and 14th-place finishes. However, Weedsport may be the track where Payne can turn his luck around.

The Hopewell, NY driver dominated the track’s Icebreaker 50 earlier this month, leading every lap to score the victory. He’s also looking for redemption in the Heroes Remembered 75, after getting a flat tire while leading the event last season. 

Payne finished in the top five in all three Series events at Weedsport last year and added a sixth at Thunder Mountain.

Quiet Success: Despite only having one top-five finish to start the 2026 championship season, Jack Lehner enters this weekend’s doubleheader third in the Series standings, 33 points behind Mat Williamson.

Lehner, from Saratoga Springs, NY, opened the season with fourth, seventh, and eighth place finishes, moving him into a podium position in the Series points for the first time in his career.

The “Ginga Ninja” has found some success at Weedsport, earning five top 10s in 15 Super DIRTcar Series starts at the 3/8-mile. While he’s only finished in the top 10 33 percent of the time at Weedsport, four of his five top 10s have come in the last six Series events.

Meanwhile, he’s made two starts at Thunder Mountain in his career, finishing fifth in 2024 and 13th last year.

Back to the Mountain: Memorial Day’s Natural 77 at Thunder Mountain will be the Series’ third stop at the Center Lisle, NY oval, after the track’s debut on the schedule in 2024.

So far, the event has produced two different winners, with Jimmy Phelps winning the inaugural event in 2024, and 10-time Series champion Matt Sheppard adding another track he’s won at to his resume last May.

Both drivers enter this weekend searching for their first Series win of the season and have won at both tracks the Series races at this weekend.

Along with a win at Thunder Mountain, Phelps is a two-time Series winner at Weedsport, while Sheppard has reached the track’s “Victory Hill” on eight occasions in Series events.

WHEN AND WHERE
Weedsport Speedway (3/8-mile) in Weedsport, NY, on Sunday, May 24
Thunder Mountain Speedway (1/4-mile) in Center Lisle, NY, on Monday, May 25

TRACK RECORD
Weedsport Speedway: 14.884 set by Peter Britten on 8/17/25
Thunder Mountain Speedway: 13.930 by Mike Mahaney on 5/26/25

FEATURE WINNERS: (4 Drivers)
Rank- Driver- Hometown-Wins

1. Mat Williamson, St. Catharines, ON-3
2. Alex Yankowski, Covington Township, PA-2
3. Stewart Friesen, Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON-1
   Larry Wight, Phoenix, NY-1

HEAT RACE WINNERS (18 Drivers)
Rank- Driver- Hometown-Wins

1. Mat Williamson, St. Catharines, ON-7
2. Alex Payne, Hopewell, NY-3
3. Stewart Friesen, Niagara-On-the-Lake, ON-2
   Jimmy Phelps, Baldwinsville, NY-2
   Alex Yankowski- Covington Township, PA-2
   Peter Britten, Brisbane, QLD-2
4. Erick Rudolph, Ransomville, NY-1
   Matt Caprara, Clayton, NY-1
   Darren Smith, Binghamton, NY-1
   Felix Roy, Napierville, QC-1
   Justin Stone, Middlebury, VT-1
   Matt Sheppard, Savannah, NY-1
   Louden Reimert, Oley, PA-1
   Tim Sears Jr., Hastings, NY-1
   Matt Delorenzo, Cropseyville, NY-1
   Demetrios Drellos, Queensbury, NY-1
   Mike Mahaney, Elizabethtown, NY-1
   Michael Parent, Granby, QC-1

LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINNERS (11 Drivers)
Rank- Driver- Hometown-Wins

1. Rex King Jr., Bristolville, OH-3
2. Felix Roy, Napierville, QC-2
3. Eddie Strada, Lake Ariel, PA-1
   Matt Caprara, Clayton, NY-1
   Jack Lehner, Saratoga Springs, NY-1
   Matt Stangle, Neshanic Station, NJ-1
   Tanner Van Doren, Schnecksville, PA-1
   Larry Wight, Phoenix, NY-1
   J. Bunting, Milford, DE-1
   Alex Payne, Hopewell, NY-1
   Jackson Gill, Plessis, NY-1

PODIUM FINISHES (10 Drivers)
Rank – Driver, Hometown – Podiums

1. Mat Williamson, St. Catharines, ON-5
2. Stewart Friesen, Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON-4
3. Alex Payne, Hopewell, NY-2
   Larry Wight, Phoenix, NY-2
   Alex Yankowski, Covington Township, PA-2
   Felix Roy, Napierville, QC-2
4. Erick Rudolph, Ransomville, NY-1
   Jack Lehner, Saratoga Springs, NY-1
   Matt Delorenzo, Cropseyville, NY-1
   Peter Britten, Brisbane, QLD-1

HARD CHARGER (5 Drivers)
Rank – Driver, Hometown – H.C.

1. Felix Roy, Napierville, QC-2
2. Matt Sheppard, Savannah, NY-1
   Erick Rudolph, Ransomville, NY-1
   Justin Haers, Phelps, NY-1
   Jack Lehner, Saratoga Springs, NY-1
   Billy Pauch Jr., Frenchtown, NJ-1

BILLY WHITAKER CARS AND TRUX QUICK TIMES (6 Drivers)
Rank – Driver, Hometown – QTs

1. Mat Williamson, St. Catharines, ON-2
2. Duane Howard, Oley, PA-1
   Jimmy Phelps, Baldwinsville, NY-1
   Felix Roy, Napierville, QC-1
   Tim Sears Jr., Hastings, NY-1
   Alex Yankowski, Covington Township, PA-1

JAM Performance Fastest Hot Lap Award (7 Drivers)
Rank – Driver, Hometown – QT

1. Stewart Friesen, Niagara-On-the-Lake, ON-1
   Peter Britten, Brisbane, QLD-1
   Justin Stone, Middlebury, VT-1
   Alex Yankowski, Covington Township, PA-1
   Jack Lehner, Saratoga Springs, NY-1
   Tanner Van Doren, Schnecksville, PA-1
   Mat Williamson, St. Catharines, ON-1

Super DIRTcar Series Lap Leaders (10 Drivers)
Rank – Driver, Hometown – Laps Led

1. Alex Yankowski, Covington Township, PA-116
2. Mat Williamson, St. Catharines, ON-75
3. Larry Wight, Phoenix, NY-38
4. Matt Delorenzo, Cropseyville, NY-29
5. Peter Britten, Brisbane, QLD
6. Felix Roy, Napierville, QC-20
7. Stewart Friesen, Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON-18
8. Justin Stone, Middlebury, VT-17
9. Matt Sheppard, Savannah, NY-12
10. Bobby Varin, Johnstown, NY-4

2026 Super DIRTcar Series Schedule and Winners

1. Wednesday, Feb. 11/Volusia Speedway Park/Barberville, FL/Stewart Friesen*
2. Thursday, Feb. 12/Volusia Speedway Park/Barberville, FL/Mat Williamson*
3. Friday, Feb. 13/Volusia Speedway Park/Barberville, FL/Mat Williamson (2)*
4. Saturday, Feb. 14/Volusia Speedway Park/Barberville, FL/Larry Wight*
5. Friday, April 17/Albany-Saratoga Speedway/Malta, NY/Mat Williamson (3)
6. Wednesday, May 13/Georgetown Speedway/Georgetown, DE/Alex Yankowski
7. Sunday, May 17/Cornwall Motor Speedway/Long Sault, ON/Alex Yankowski (2)

*: Denotes Non-Points Paying Victory

This article was republished with the permission of the Super DIRTcar Series. Original article can be found here: https://superdirtcarseries.com/dirtcar-ne/big-block-modifieds/super-dirt-car-series/what-to-watch-for-close-points-battle-highlights-super-dirtcar-series-memorial-day-weekend-doubleheader/

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