For the first time in 2026, two of the four DIRTcar Sportsman Series Regions will be in action on the same weekend across two states.

First, the East Region races for the second time this season with a highly anticipated stop at Bear Ridge Speedway in Bradford, VT, on Saturday, May 23. Drivers will battle in a 40-lap Feature paying $1,059 to win, as part of the track’s 59th anniversary.

Then, the Central Region returns to action on Monday, May 25, with its lone stop at Thunder Mountain Speedway in Center Lisle, NY.  A $1,000 prize will be on the line in a 30-lap Feature that accompanies the Super DIRTcar Series and the Natural 77.

Where can you watch Monday’s DIRTcar Sportsman Series event? Live on DIRTVision.

For more on the DIRTcar Northeast, follow the DIRTcar Northeast  Facebook page.

Here’s a look at what to watch for at Bear Ridge and Weedsport:

 EAST REGION

Ruling the Ridge: The DIRTcar Sportsman Series has made seven stops at Bear Ridge, and all of them have been won by a track regular.

Kevin Chaffee was the most recent winner last season, holding off Jason Gray and Matt Lashua to earn his first career Series victory.

Out of the Bear Ridge regulars, Gray, from East Thetford, VT, has been the most successful, winning three of the seven Features and finishing on the podium in all seven events. However, he’s yet to reach Victory Lane in a Sportsman so far this season.

Todd Buckwold, from Canaan, NH, and Cody Gregoropoulous, from Corinth, VT, have won the two Feature events contested in 2026.

Another driver to watch is Max Dolliver, who won his first career DIRTcar Sportsman Series Feature at Bear Ridge in 2024. The Londonderry, NH driver is the current track points leader with second and ninth-place finishes.

A Vermont Getaway: Saturday’s trip to Bear Ridge means a few drivers will race at a new track.

That includes Chris Crane Jr., who currently sits second in East Region points. The Canaan, CT driver, who won his first Series Feature at Albany-Saratoga Speedway in 2024, finished second to Tim Hartman Jr. at Lebanon Valley Speedway last month. 

Along with his second-place finish at Lebanon Valley, Crane finished fourth in a Central Region event at Weedsport Speedway.

Another driver heading North this weekend is Bodie Marks, from Scotia, NY. While Marks has never been to Bear Ridge, he did finish third at Glen Ridge Motorsports Park earlier this season, a track similar in size to the Vermont oval.

2026 DIRTcar Sportsman East Region Schedule

Saturday, April 18/Lebanon Valley Speedway/West Lebanon, NY- Tim Hartman Jr.
Saturday, May 23/Bear Ridge Speedway/Bradford, VT
Thursday, June 11/Airborne Park Speedway/Plattsburgh, NY
Sunday, July 5/Glen Ridge Motorsports Park/Fultonville, NY

CENTRAL REGION

 Getting Track Time: With rain impacting most of the Northeast last weekend, several drivers went to Thunder Mountain to gain knowledge for Monday’s Series event. 

That includes current Central Region points leader Hunter Hollenbeck. The Fulton, NY driver finished fourth over the weekend, which ended a streak of three straight victories between Brewerton Speedway and Weedsport. Hollenbeck still has momentum, though, as that Weedsport win was his first career DIRTcar Sportsman Series triumph.

While Hollenbeck had a strong run at Thunder Mountain, it was a driver he competes against weekly who sat in Victory Lane. Tony Finch II drove from fifth to the win last Saturday, successfully gaining momentum for Monday’s event. Finch, from Pennellville, NY, finished third in the Central Region opener at Weedsport.

The third driver who took advantage of track time was last year’s winningest Sportsman driver on the Series, Richard Murtaugh. The defending Great Lakes 75 winner, from Fulton, NY, finished seventh at Thunder Mountain last week and fifth at Weedsport earlier this month. 

Murtaugh is searching for his eighth career Series win.

Shining on the Mountain: While the Central Region competitors found success at Thunder Mountain last weekend, they’ll still have to contend with a stout group of track regulars on Monday. 

Defending track champion Matt Brewer finished third to Finch last Saturday and is coming off a season where he earned two wins, 10 top fives, and 11 top 10s in 13 starts. The New Milford, PA driver has yet to make a DIRTcar Sportsman Series start.

Cody Jackson, from nearby Newark Valley, NY, finished second to Brewer in the track’s standings last year, and second to Finch over the weekend. He had a win, seven top fives, and nine top 10s at the 1/4-mile track last year. Like Brewer, Jackson is expected to make his first Series start.

2026 DIRTcar Sportsman Series Central Region Schedule

Sunday, May 3/ Weedsport Speedway/Weedsport, NY- Hunter Hollenbeck
Monday, May 25/Thunder Mountain Speedway/Center Lisle, NY
Friday, June 26/Brewerton Speedway/Central Square, NY
Wednesday, July 1/Can-Am Speedway/LaFargeville, NY*
Wednesday, Juiy 22/Land of Legends Raceway/Canandaigua, NY*
Saturday, July 25/Fulton Speedway/Fulton, NY

*- Denotes combined event with another region

This article was republished with the permission of DIRTcar Racing. Original article can be found here: https://dirtcar.com/dirtcar-ne/sportsman-modifieds/dirtcar-sportsman-series/what-to-watch-for-dirtcar-sportsman-series-east-central-region-take-on-memorial-day-weekend-stops/

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