MALTA, N.Y. — A battle in New York’s Capital Region awaits the Super DIRTcar Series, as the quest for the 2026 championship begins at Albany-Saratoga Speedway.
The 61st Season Opener on Friday, April 17, showcases the Beasts of the Northeast with a 61-lap Feature paying $6,100-to-win. It’s also the 2026 championship season opener, giving one driver the chance to strike first on the road to the World of Outlaws World Finals.
Joining the Super DIRTcar Series at the “Great Race Place” are the track’s DIRTcar Sportsman and DIRTcar Pro Stock divisions.
Three Straight?
With the Championship Season kicking off on Friday, it also begins Mat Williamson’s quest for a third straight title, and fourth overall.
The St. Catharines, Ontario, driver gained momentum earlier in the season, winning the Big Gator trophy at Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals for the third time in February, and aims to keep that going in the Buzz Chew Racing No. 88.
Williamson has found plenty of success at Albany-Saratoga in the past, sweeping both Super DIRTcar Series stops in 2024, and earning three consecutive DIRTcar 358 Modified Series podiums. He finished sixth and eighth in the Series’ two appearances at Albany-Saratoga last season.
A win by “Money Mat” on Friday will be his 39th series win, tying Bob McCreadie for seventh on the all-time wins list.
Massive Momentum
The last time the series battled at the “Great Race Place,” it was 10-time champion Matt Sheppard who stood in victory lane during Malta Massive Weekend.
The Savannah, N.Y., driver has two Series victories at Albany-Saratoga over the past four seasons and has finished in the top five in three of his last four starts at the track. Overall, he’s earned three wins, 12 top fives, and 13 top 10s.
A win by “Super Matt” will be his 104th series triumph, as he continues his chase of Brett Hearn at the top of the series all-time wins list (141).
Home Cooking
Friday’s stop at Albany-Saratoga Speedway marks the first venue the series visits in 2026, where several drivers race at their home track.
Defending track champion Mike Mahaney, Felix Roy, Peter Britten, Jack Lehner, and Justin Stone each call Albany-Saratoga home on Friday nights and aim to score a popular victory in front of their hometown fans.
Out of those five drivers, Mahaney has had the most success in Super DIRTcar Series competition, as two of his three wins have come at the “Great Race Place.” The Elizabethtown, N.Y., driver has won 16 features at the track, his last coming in September of last year.
Britten, another two-time track champion, is the only driver on this list with more wins at the track than Mahaney. The Brisbane, Australia competitor has 19 feature wins after he added one last August. The “Batman’s” best finish in a Super DIRTcar Series event at Albany-Saratoga is a fourth on two occasions.
Roy, last season’s 358 Modified track champion, earned his first career Big Block win at the track in June. Albany-Saratoga is also the site of the Napierville, Quebec driver’s best points-paying series finish, when he crossed the line second to Steward Friesen in 2023.
“Hollywood” matched that finish earlier this season at Volusia Speedway Park.
Like Roy, Stone also earned his first Big Block win at Albany-Saratoga last season, outdueling DIRTcar 358 Modified Series winner Brian Calabrese for the victory. The Middlebury, Vt., driver also finished third in the track’s standings. His best series finish at Albany-Saratoga is a 10th in this event last year.
The Super DIRTcar Series driver with the shortest drive to the track is Lehner, who resides in nearby Saratoga Springs, N.Y. He’s a three-time feature winner at the four-tenths-mile oval, reaching victory lane there most recently in 2024. The “Ginga Ninja” earned his best series finish at Albany-Saratoga in 2024 when he crossed the line ninth.
Upset Special
Along with a stout group of Super DIRTcar Series regulars who race at Albany-Saratoga Speedway every Friday, there’s a group of regional drivers aiming to pull an upset victory.
That includes last year’s event winner L.J. Lombardo, who passed Alex Yankowski to earn his second career Super DIRTcar Series win, and first at the “Great Race Place.” The Danbury, Conn., driver is expected to return on Friday, aiming to go back-to-back in April events at the track.
Former track champions Marc Johnson and Matt Delorenzo will also be aiming for the $6,100 prize on Friday, as they battle for their first series victory.
Johnson has already shown he can be a factor racing against the Super DIRTcar Series stars, finishing second to Mahaney in 2022. The Guilderland, N.Y., driver also beat Williamson to win last year’s DIRTcar 358 Modified Series event during Malta Massive Weekend last September. The “White Knight” is currently 10th on the track’s all-time wins list with 29 feature wins.
Delorenzo, meanwhile, sits eighth on the track’s all-time wins list, reaching Victory Lane on 31 occasions. The Cropseyville, N.Y., driver earned his best series finish twice at Albany-Saratoga, finishing second in 2015 and in 2023.
