WEEDSPORT, N.Y. — With his options for weekly racing at home dwindling, Paul Mancini decided to take a leap in 2026.
The New Gretna, N.J., driver will compete against the best Big Block Modified drivers in the Northeast as the newest full-time member of the Super DIRTcar Series. He’s also the third MD3 Rookie of the Year contender, joining Matt Caprara and Tyler Dippel.
While it’s a big leap for Mancini, his reason for joining was simple: more seat time.
“My home track that I race at weekly closed for the year,” Mancini said. “I went to a bunch of races last year with (Matt) Stangle, and we just wanted to race more this year. And what better way to do it than to race with the best guys.”
Mancini, who fans will see in the white No. 7m car this season, raced at New Egypt Speedway over the past few seasons. He also made stops at Georgetown Speedway, Delaware International Raceway, and Bridgeport Motorsports Park.
He’s reached victory lane at two of those tracks, winning at Delaware last year, and Bridgeport in 2024.
Racing in New Jersey and Delaware is the same path taken by last year’s MD3 Rookie of the Year, Matt Stangle. Mancini saw what Stangle faced during his rookie year and how he improved throughout the season. That’s the trajectory Mancini said he hopes for but knows he’ll deal with adversity.
“I know we’re going to struggle, but it ain’t easy,” Mancini said. “Hopefully by the end of the year, we’ll just get better and better and qualify for the shows and learn as much as possible while still having fun.”
It’s not just the competition Mancini will deal with throughout the season. He’s also learning on the fly, whether it’s driving a Big Block or racing on Hoosier tires. In New Jersey and Pennsylvania, the tracks typically run American Racer tires, which means it’ll be a learning curve every time he gets in the car.
“It’s my first year really in a Big Block,” Mancini said. “We don’t really have many Big Block tracks around us and Hoosiers are totally different. Those are valuable laps. I feel like we learned a lot (at Georgetown) and I can take it to the next race.”
By racing the series, Mancini gets the chance to race at several new tracks. However, the one that excites him the most is Autodrome Drummond.
“That place looked cool,” Mancini said. “I went last year with Stangle, and that place looked really cool. Another fast track and looks like a blast to drive.”
