WEST LEBANON, N.Y. — A night of high-speed thrills await the Super DIRTcar Series in New York’s Capital Region.
The Beasts of the Northeast return to Lebanon Valley Speedway on Thursday, June 19, for Mr. DIRT Track USA, the first of two stops at the track.
Drivers will battle in a 100-lap feature, paying $15,500-to-win. It’s also the second Super DIRT Week Qualifier of the season, meaning one driver will earn a guaranteed starting spot in the Billy Whittaker Cars 200 at Oswego Speedway in October.
This race will serve as the make-up for last year’s event, which was postponed after hot laps. Fans who kept their admission ticket can use it for this event.
Tight At The Top
Entering Thursday’s Mr. DIRT Track USA, Alex Yankowski holds a 24-point lead over defending series champion Mat Williamson.
Despite going winless in six points-paying events, the Covington Township, Pa., driver has been consistent, earning four runner-up finishes, including in each of the last two races. He’s also the only driver to finish in the top 10 of all six championship season events.
“Kid Rocket” has made three series starts at Lebanon Valley in his career, earning two top 10s. His best finish was a seventh in 2023.
Williamson, meanwhile, has momentum after finishing on the podium in five consecutive races last weekend. The St. Catharines, Ontario, driver earned a DIRTcar 358 Modified Series triumph at Airborne Park Speedway, along with victories at Utica-Rome Speedway and Devil’s Bowl Speedway. He also added runner-up finishes at Ransomville Speedway and Land of Legends Raceway.
“Money Mat” has made seven series starts at the “Valley of Speed,” with three top fives and four top 10s. His best finish was a second in 2021.
Erick Rudolph (46 points behind) and Alex Payne (49 points behind) enter Lebanon Valley third and fourth in the Series standings, separated by three points.
Rudolph comes in with more experience than Payne at Lebanon Valley, making five series starts. However, the Ransomville, N.Y., driver hasn’t raced at the half-mile track since 2021, the same year he earned his best Lebanon Valley finish (sixth). He enters Thursday’s race with top 10s in five of the six championship season events.
Payne, meanwhile, will make his first Series start at the track on Thursday. He’s coming into Mr. DIRT Track USA with four consecutive top 10s and top fives in three of the last four races.
A Super Chance to Strike
When it comes to full-time Super DIRTcar Series drivers, no one has been better at Lebanon Valley than 10-time series champion Matt Sheppard.
The Waterloo, N.Y., driver has four series victories and back-to-back top two finishes at the half-mile oval. In 33 starts, Sheppard has 13 top fives and 23 top 10s. He’s also finished in the top 10 in four of his last six series starts at the track.
If Sheppard wins on Thursday, he’ll join Brett Hearn as the only two drivers to earn 100 Super DIRTcar Series victories. He enters the race sixth in the series standings, 60 points behind Yankowski.
The Valley Bad Boys
While Sheppard has had recent success at Lebanon Valley in Super DIRTcar Series events, the road to a series win there goes through seven-time and defending track champion Andy Bachetti.
The Sheffield, Mass., driver has seven Super DIRTcar Series wins at his home track, including three of the last five. He enters Thursday with momentum after earning two Big Block feature wins at the track in the past month.
Joining Sheppard and Bachetti to win a series event at Lebanon Valley is L.J. Lombardo, who’s already reached victory lane this season at Albany-Saratoga Speedway. Lombardo, from Danbury, Conn., won the King of Spring in 2022, earning a guaranteed starting spot at Super DIRT Week.
In four series starts in 2025, Lombardo has a win, a top five, and two top 10s.
Other drivers to watch include Brett Haas, Kolby Schroder and Kyle Armstrong.
Haas finished second to Bachetti in the track’s points standings last year, earning five wins before coming up short of his first championship. Along with weekly success, the Pittsfield, Mass., driver has achieved Series success, earning a third-place finish in 2022 and a fifth-place finish in 2021.
Schroder, meanwhile, earned the opening night victory this season, and has two top fives in three starts this season. Like Haas, Schroder has also had series success. The Staatsburg, N.Y., driver has three Super DIRTcar Series top fives at Lebanon Valley, including a fourth in 2018.
Armstrong is Bachetti’s closest competitor in the track’s points standings, with two top fives in three races.
The New Milford, Conn., driver earned a series top five in 2022 when he finished fifth in the race won by Lombardo.
