WEST LEBANON, N.Y. — A night of high-speed, high-banked thrills awaits the Super DIRTcar Series as it returns to New York’s Capital Region for the second time in 2026.
The Beasts of the Northeast will battle Lebanon Valley Speedway’s best, looking to be crowned Mr. DIRT Track USA on Tuesday, June 16.
Drivers will clash in a 75-lap feature paying $15,500-to-win and $1,000-to-start in the Series’ lone stop at the “Valley of Speed” this season.
Joining the Super DIRTcar Series are the track’s DIRTcar Sportsman and DIRTcar Pro Stock divisions.
Single Digits
Entering Mr. DIRT Track USA on Tuesday, three-time defending Series champion Mat Williamson leads Alex Yankowski by nine points in the Super DIRTcar Series standings. But after wins by Yankowski at Georgetown Speedway and Cornwall Motor Speedway, “Kid Rocket” has momentum.
Along with his two series wins, the Covington Township, Pa., driver added a victory in Lebanon Valley’s King of Spring event in May, his first victory at the track.
In six starts at the New York oval, Yankowski has two top fives and five top 10s. However, both of his top fives are in his last two starts.
Williamson, meanwhile, has yet to earn a Feature win at the “Valley of Speed,” but has narrowly missed out on a victory. The St. Catharines, Ontario, driver has five top fives and seven top 10s in 11 starts, which includes a runner-up finish in 2021.
A win by Williamson on Tuesday will be his 40th series win, breaking the tie with Bob McCreadie for seventh on the series all-time wins list.
Super Opportunity
Out of the active full-time drivers on the Super DIRTcar Series, no one has been better at Lebanon Valley than 10-time series champion Matt Sheppard.
The Savannah, N.Y., driver is the only current Super DIRTcar Series regular with a series win at the half-mile track, winning on four occasions. In 35 starts at Lebanon Valley, Sheppard has 16 top fives and 26 top 10s, including four consecutive podium finishes and top 10s in 11 of his last 13 starts.
A win by Sheppard at Lebanon Valley on Tuesday will be his 104th Series triumph.
Besting Bachetti
For the Super DIRTcar Series stars to reach victory lane at Lebanon Valley, they must go through the track’s best weekly competitors. That group is led by Andy Bachetti, who’s emerged as one of the top drivers in the track’s history.
The Sheffield, Mass., driver has 138 overall wins at the track, along with 355 top fives and 482 top 10s. Along with those accolades, he’s added eight Big Block track championships.
In Super DIRTcar Series competition, the “Wild Child” has reached victory lane on seven occasions at Lebanon Valley, including a win in three of the last four Mr. DIRT Track USAs. If he wins again on Tuesday, it’ll be his ninth series win, moving him to 26th on the all-time wins list.
Bachetti is one of two drivers to earn a Big Block feature win at Lebanon Valley this season, after his opening night triumph. He also scored a DIRTcar 358 Modified Series win there in April.
The Valley Bad Boys
Outside of Sheppard’s four wins, Stewart Friesen is the only non-track regular to win a series feature at Lebanon Valley since Billy Decker in 2009. That includes last season, when Kolby Schroder scored his series win.
Schroder returns on Tuesday, aiming to go back-to-back in Super DIRTcar Series races at Lebanon Valley, a feat only accomplished by Hearn, Bachetti, Kenny Tremont, and J.R. Heffner in the last 25 years. The Staatsburg, N.Y., driver has four top fives and five top 10s in series events and has added a top-five finish in one of the track’s two Big Block Modified features this season, so far.
Heffner, meanwhile, is one of five drivers who’ve finished in the top 10 in both of the track’s weekly features this season, joining Bachetti, Marc Johnson, Brett Haas, and Matt Pupello.
The veteran driver from Valatie, N.Y., has four Super DIRTcar Series wins at Lebanon Valley, but hasn’t reached victory lane since back-to-back Mr. DIRT Track USA triumphs in 2010 and 2011.
Along with Bachetti, Chris Curtis is the other driver who earned a Big Block win so far this season. The East Canaan, Conn., driver, who is also the track’s defending 358 Modified track champion, is searching for his first series win at the track, and eighth overall track victory.
Jack’s Momentum
One of the early-season storylines to watch on the Super DIRTcar Series has been the consistent start for Jack Lehner.
The Saratoga Springs, N.Y., driver is currently third in the standings, 33 points behind Williamson after earning a top five at Albany-Saratoga Speedway, and top 10s in all three points-paying events this season.
However, Lehner is searching for his first top 10 at the track since 2022, when he finished eighth in that year’s King of Spring. In eight series starts at Lebanon Valley, he has three top 10s.
