BARBERVILLE, Fla. — After a three-month hibernation, the Beasts of the Northeast will awaken for their annual trip to Florida.
The Super DIRTcar Series kicks off its season at Volusia Speedway Park during Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals Feb. 11-14.
Drivers will battle for four straight nights, starting with three 30-lap, $5,000-to-win features on Wednesday-Friday, Feb. 11-13. Then, a Big Gator champion will be crowned on Saturday, Feb. 14, following a 50-lap, $7,500-to-win finale.
While the four nights in Florida won’t count toward the championship, competitors will accumulate points throughout the week to determine who becomes the 15th Big Block Big Gator champion.
Lightning Chasers
Both Mat Williamson and Matt Sheppard have a shot at history this week at Volusia. If either wins their third Big Gator trophy at DIRTcar Nationals, they’ll tie Larry Wight for the most all-time.
Williamson, the defending series champion, missed out on that accomplishment by three points last year despite not reaching victory lane. The St. Catharines, Ontario, driver has six wins at Volusia, including victories in 2023 and 2024 when he won the week-long points championship.
A victory by “Money Mat” will be his 37th Super DIRTcar Series win, breaking a tie with Tim Fuller for eighth on the Series all-time wins list.
Sheppard, who has the most Super DIRTcar Series wins at Volusia (11), is also searching for his third Big Gator after winning the first one in 2012 and another in 2016. The Savannah, N.Y., driver, who’ll race with new colors in 2026, earned his 11th win with his triumph on the season’s opening night.
If he wins Wednesday’s opener, it’ll be his third consecutive season-opening victory, and his 104th Series victory overall, continuing his chase of Brett Hearn’s series-leading 141 feature wins.
Wight, meanwhile, will be one of the cars in attendance trying to prevent Williamson and Sheppard from tying his accomplishment. The Phoenix, N.Y., driver is a four-time Volusia winner, including three wins in 2020 en route to his third Big Gator. A win by “Lightning Larry” would be his 13th series win and first since 2022.
PA History
Alex Yankowski made history at last year’s DIRTcar Nationals, becoming the first driver from Pennsylvania to earn the Big Gator title. The Covington Township, Pa., driver used that momentum toward a second-place finish in the standings.
“Kid Rocket” also earned a feature win at Volusia last year, becoming the first “Keystone State” driver to earn a Super DIRTcar Series win at the track since Rick Laubach in 2016.
Yankowski can continue his drive toward history with a second Big Gator trophy this week. If he wins the week-long championship again, he’ll join Williamson, Sheppard, and Wight as multi-time Big Gator winners.
Freeze Warning
Wednesday night’s season opener at Volusia will mark the return of Stewart Friesen to Super DIRTcar Series competition for the first time since a crash in July sidelined him for the remainder of the 2025 season.
Like in past years, the Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, driver is not scheduled to compete every night, splitting time between Volusia and his NASCAR Craftsman Trucks Series duties at Daytona International Speedway.
Friesen is a 10-time Super DIRTcar Series winner at Volusia but hasn’t reached victory lane at the track since 2022. An 11th victory at the Barberville, Fla., track would be his 53rd series triumph.
Early Season Momentum
Along with a Big Gator trophy, the four nights at DIRTcar Nationals are a chance to grab momentum toward the remainder of the 2026 season.
While Sheppard and Yankowski stole headlines early in the week last year with wins, Peter Britten returned to the track’s Victory Lane for the first time since 2022, and Erick Rudolph earned his first Volusia win after 11 years of trying.
Britten, from Brisbane, Australia, added another win later in the season during SummerFAST, giving him his first multi-win Super DIRTcar Series season.
Rudolph, meanwhile, didn’t return to victory lane, but still had a consistent season by finishing fifth in the standings and passing more cars than any other Super DIRTcar Series driver throughout the year.
One driver to keep an eye on who didn’t win at Volusia last year is Alex Payne – the third-place finisher in the 2025 championship battle. The Hopewell, N.Y., driver finished second to Britten in Florida last year and used that early-season momentum to earn three victories by the end of the year.
All three drivers are searching for their first Big Gator trophy.
