A crucial 48 hours on the road to the championship await the DIRTcar 358 Modified Series, with two consecutive nights of action in Central New York.
First, the Series makes its lone stop of 2026 at Weedsport Speedway on Tuesday, June 30, joining the Empire Sprint Car Series for the ESS Speedweek Kickoff.
Then, the top Small Block drivers in the Northeast head to Can-Am Speedway in LaFargeville, NY, for the Pabst Shootout.
Both Features are 50 laps, paying $5,000-to-win.
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Here’s a look at what to watch for at Weedsport and Can-Am:
Smooth at the Top: Entering this week’s doubleheader, Mike Mahaney leads the DIRTcar 358 Modified Series points standings by 42 points over defending Series champion Mat Williamson. The Elizabethtown, NY driver has momentum after winning at Airborne Park Speedway earlier this month and has a lot of experience at both facilities he’ll race at this week.
Mahaney won last year’s stop at Can-Am, passing Williamson to score the $5,000 victory. In five Series starts at the “Nasty Track of the North,” Mahaney has three top 10s and two top fives, adding a fifth in 2019.
At Weedsport, he’s made nine starts in DIRTcar 358 Modified Series competition, finishing in the top 10 in his last seven tries, including a seventh last year.
A win this week would be “Smooth Shoe’s” fourth career Series victory.
Money at Weedsport: While Mahaney won last year’s Can-Am stop, Williamson dominated last year’s event at Weedsport.
The St. Catharines, ON driver has finished on the podium in three of his last four starts at Weedsport, earning another victory in 2021. While he has limited 358 Modified Series starts at the 3/8-mile track, he’s been even more successful in a Big Block. “Money Mat” has four Super DIRTcar Series wins there and has only finished outside the top three in one of his last five starts.
At Can-Am, Williamson has never won a DIRTcar 358 Modified Series event, but does have two wins there, including one with the Super DIRTcar Series. In four 358 Series starts, he’s finished in the top 10 in all of them— his best finish a third in 2019.
Big Block Invaders: With the Series stopping at Weedsport on Tuesday, a few Super DIRTcar Series stars are expected to invade the “Port.”
That starts with track promoter Jimmy Phelps, who won this event two years ago. The Baldwinsville, NY driver has finished in the top 10 in four of his last five Series starts at Weedsport, adding a third in 2022.
He’ll also be joined by Alex Payne, who’s the only Modified winner this season at Weedsport. In 358 competition, the Hopewell, NY driver finished second in his only Series start at the track in 2024.
While he hasn’t made many 358 starts, Payne has finished in the top five in his last three Super DIRTcar Series starts at the 3/8-mile.
Top Dogs at Can-Am: Three veteran drivers aiming to defend home turf at Can-Am on Wednesday are Billy Dunn, Lance Willix, and Tim Fuller.
Dunn, the 2021 Series champion, has three wins at the track so far this season, and three of his 12 Series wins have come at the “Nasty Track of the North.” The Watertown, NY driver has six straight top fives in 358 Series Features at the track, including his runner-up finish to Mahaney last year.
Tim Fuller, the 2003 DIRTcar 358 Modified Series champion, enters Can-Am with 22 career Series Feature wins after earning a victory last year at Cornwall Motor Speedway. The Edwards, NY driver is the current points leader at Can-Am, earning two wins, six top fives, and eight top 10s. Fuller has 13 Series podiums dating back to September 1993, including 12 in a row when he started the race.
Lance Willix, who won last year’s Hoosier Racing Tire Weekly Championship for the 358s, is currently third in the track’s point standings, finishing in the top 10 in all eight Features. The Theresa, NY, driver finished sixth in last year’s Pabst Shootout.
2026 DIRTcar 358 Modified Series Schedule
Saturday, April 18/Lebanon Valley Speedway/West Lebanon, NY- Andy Bachetti
Saturday, April 25/Devil’s Bowl Speedway/West Haven, VT- Mat Williamson
Sunday, June 7/Glen Ridge Motorsports Park/Fultonville, NY- PPD
Thursday, June 11/Airborne Park Speedway/Plattsburgh, NY- Mike Mahaney
Tuesday, June 30/Weedsport Speedway/Weedsport, NY
Wednesday, July 1/Can-Am Speedway/LaFargeville, NY
Wednesday, July 15/Utica-Rome Speedway/Vernon, NY
Sunday, Aug. 2/Cornwall Motor Speedway/Long Sault, ON
Tuesday, Aug. 25/Ransomville Speedway/Ransomville, NY
Friday, Sept. 11/Can-Am Speedway/LaFargeville, NY
Friday, Sept. 18/Mohawk International Raceway/Akwesasne, NY
Friday, Sept. 25/Albany-Saratoga Speedway/Malta, NY
Friday, Oct. 9/Oswego Speedway/Oswego, NY
Saturday, Oct. 17/Brockville Ontario Speedway/Brockville, ON
2026 DIRTcar 358 Modified Series points standings
- Mike Mahaney 438
- Mat Williamson -42
- Lance Willix II -54
- Chris Raabe -68
- Peter Britten -72
- Brad Rouse -82
- Brendan Gibbons -96
- Jack Butler -106
- Andrew Buff -110
- C.G. Morey -124
This article was republished with permission from DIRTcar. The original article can be found here: https://dirtcar.com/dirtcar-ne/358-modifieds/dirtcar-358-modified-series/what-to-watch-for-mid-week-doubleheader-takes-dirtcar-358-modified-series-to-weedsport-can-am/
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