CONCORD, N.C. — Jack Lehner is on track for a career-best finish in the Super DIRTcar Series’ championship standings, but the World of Outlaws World Finals could produce a result even more impactful.
After scoring his first top 10 during Super DIRT Week, Lehner is now sixth in points with an eye on his first top-five points finish and potentially a podium finish – sitting 41 points back from Jimmy Phelps in fifth and 70 back from Tim Sears Jr. in third.
“There’s a lot of prestige in the Super DIRTcar Series,” Lehner said. “I’m happy where we’re at in points as far as progression from years prior, but if we can end up on the podium it would be a really big deal to me. It would signify to me that we are getting there.”
The Saratoga Springs, N.Y. driver has been climbing the standings all season with career-best runs, including his triumph of scoring multiple top fives in one season for the first time. His current career-best Series points finish is 10th, earned last year with no top fives and four top 10s. Lehner’s 26th to 10th run in the Billy Whittaker Cars 200 on Monday, Oct. 9, bumped the “Ginja Ninja” to sixth in points.
Now, with three races left this season during the World of Outlaws World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte, Nov. 1-4, he has his sights set on finishing next to champions.
“If we could finish third behind (Matt Sheppard and Mat Williamson), it’s like OK, the next step is, how do we catch those two?” Lehner said. “It would show to me that we are doing the right things, that we’re on the right track, and it would be huge to me. It would give me a lot of motivation over the offseason to set my sights on maybe trying to put ourselves in the championship battle.”
He’s no stranger to the Concord, N.C. track, having made seven starts there and scored two seventh-place finishes in the last two years. To beat the likes of Phelps and Sears, Lehner knows he can’t rely on one top-10 between the three races. He needs to be consistent every night.
“We’re going to have to qualify really well,” Lehner said. “We’re going to have to race well. We’re going to have to run towards the front every single night. What I’m doing to prepare for that is I built a brand-new car for Super DIRT Week and put a fresh motor in it. It just got freshened up by Kevlar… I’ve been going through that car with a fine-tooth comb and making sure its 100% to go down to Charlotte, and just trying to have all our bases covered. We need to be prepared for every situation we might run into down there.”
The series stars will qualify on Wednesday, Nov. 1, and then run features Thursday-Saturday, Nov. 2-4, with Thursday and Friday’s features paying $10,000 to win and Saturday’s finale paying $15,000 to win.