LONG SAULT, Ontario — For the first time in 2026, the Super DIRTcar Series will battle on back-to-back nights with stops in Canada and the United States.
The Beasts of the Northeast kick off the two-night midweek swing at Cornwall Motor Speedway on July 7 for the O’Canada 75. Drivers will battle in a 75-lap feature paying $7,500-to-win.
Then, the series heads back to the United States for a trip to Mohawk International Raceway on July 8 for the Summer Shootout. Wednesday’s battle will be a 60-lap Feature paying $6,000-to-win.
Kid Rocket’s Return
After a fourth-place finish at Land of Legends Raceway last week, Alex Yankowski returns to a place he’s already found success in 2026, this time with the series points lead.
The Covington Township, Pa., driver won this season’s earlier stop at Cornwall in May, edging out Mat Williamson for the victory. He has a 14-point lead over the three-time defending series champion entering this week’s doubleheader.
Yankowski has made three starts at Cornwall, earning a win, two top fives, and two top 10s. He’s only made two starts in his career at Mohawk, finishing fourth in last year’s Summer Shootout.
Williamson, who finished second at Cornwall in May, has seven wins at the track in 39 starts. However, he’s searching for his first series victory at the quarter-mile bullring. At Mohawk, the St. Catharines, Ontario driver has three wins in 18 starts, along with seven top fives and nine top 10s.
A win by “Money Mat” this week will be his 40th series victory.
A Different Look
At this week’s stops at Cornwall and Mohawk, two drivers will have a different look when they unload their Big Blocks.
Tuesday’s race at Cornwall will be the first time we’ve seen Felix Roy drive the Paille Course Racing No. ONE car since the last stop at the track in May. It was a good Super DIRTcar Series debut for “Hollywood” in the iconic orange car, driving to a podium finish.
Roy, from Napierville, Quebec, has six wins at Cornwall along with 18 top fives and 24 top 10s in 32 starts. At Mohawk, Roy has a top five and six top 10s in eight starts.
Another driver who’ll have a different look is 10-time series champion Matt Sheppard, who will drive the Bob and Randy Slack-owned No. 3rs at both events.
Sheppard has found plenty of success at Cornwall in his career, with eight wins, 14 top fives and 22 top 10s in 25 starts. That includes series victories in 2014, 2017, 2018, and 2019.
The Savannah, N.Y., driver’s fourth-place finish at Cornwall in May kick-started a run of four consecutive Super DIRTcar Series top fives, vaulting him to third in points—42 points behind Yankowski.
A win at Cornwall this weekend would tie Sheppard with Brett Hearn for the most series wins at the track (5).
“Super Matt” has also been victorious at Mohawk, earning six wins, 15 top fives and 19 top 10s in 20 starts. Sheppard is a three-time series winner at the four-tenths-mile track, winning in 2010, 2013 and 2014.
Stew is Back
The last two times the Super DIRTcar Series stars battled against Stewart Friesen, it was the Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, driver who stood in victory lane at Lebanon Valley Speedway and Ransomville Speedway.
He also won last year’s Summer Shootout at Mohawk, taking the lead from Yankowski early in the race. In seven starts at Mohawk, Friesen has three wins, four top fives, and six top 10s.
Friesen has also found success at Cornwall, winning twice and earning three top fives and five top 10s. His lone series win at Cornwall came in 2016.
Canadian Flair
Tuesday night’s race at Cornwall begins a stretch of five consecutive races where several drivers from Canada are expected to join the Super DIRTcar Series field.
One of those drivers is former Super DIRTcar Series winner Michael Parent. The Granby, Quebec driver finished fifth during May’s stop at Cornwall and already knows what it takes to beat the Super DIRTcar Series starts. His lone series win came at Autodrome Drummond in 2024 when he won the first night of the King of the North.
While Parent hasn’t scored a win at either Cornwall or Mohawk, David Hebert has reached victory lane at both tracks on multiple occasions.
The St. Damase, Quebec, driver, known as the “Great Canadian Champion,” has 10 victories at Cornwall in 123 starts, including one earlier this season. He’s also earned two wins at Mohawk in 17 features.
