RANSOMVILLE, N.Y. — A night honoring Ransomville Speedway’s history brings the top Big Block Modified stars in the Northeast to Western New York.
The Super DIRTcar Series makes its lone visit to the oval on Tuesday, June 23, for the Ron Martin Memorial Summer Nationals, a 60-lap feature paying $6,000-to-win.
Before racing begins on Tuesday, longtime track owner and promoter Stan Friesen will become the second inductee into Ransomville’s Ring of Honor, which celebrates the individuals who made a significant impact in the speedway’s history.
TO THE TOP
After his third consecutive top-two Series finish at Lebanon Valley Speedway, Alex Yankowski has moved into the Series points lead for the first time in 2026.
The Covington Township, Pa., driver leads three-time and defending Series champion Mat Williamson by 13 points. However, he doesn’t have much experience at Ransomville. “Kid Rocket” has made one stop at the three-eighths-mile track in his career, finishing 22nd after a mechanical failure during last year’s Summer Nationals.
Yankowski has yet to finish outside the top 10, so far this year, though – the only Series driver with that stat.
HOME COOKING
Despite having his first Super DIRTcar Series finish outside the top 10 in more than a year, Williamson has a chance to bounce back on Tuesday at one of his home tracks.
Williamson is Ransomville’s DIRTcar 358 Modified point leader, earning four victories. He’s also finished in the top five in all six features at the track this season.
Overall, the St. Catharines, Ontario driver has 44 wins, 98 top-fives and 124 top 10s in 149 starts at the track. Three of those wins are Super DIRTcar Series triumphs, which happened in three of the last four years. He’ll be chasing his 40th career win with the series.
Joining Williamson in defending home turf on Tuesday is his brother-in-law, Gary Lindberg. The Ridgeway, Ontario driver is the only other competitor to reach victory lane in 358 Modified competition this season and finished second to Williamson in last year’s Summer Nationals.
Lindberg has 14 career wins at the “Big R,” along with 47 top fives and 62 top 10s in 71 starts.
SMOOTH SHOE
Joining Yankowski and Williamson in a podium points position after Lebanon Valley is Mike Mahaney, who’s reached the top three for the first time in 2026.
The Elizabethtown, NY driver has a top five and three top 10s in points-paying events this year and brings momentum into Ransomville. Along with his Big Block success, “Smooth Shoe” leads the DIRTcar 358 Modified Series points standings.
At the “Big R,” Mahaney has a top-five and four top-10s in eight starts, including a sixth-place finish in last year’s Series stop. A win by Mahaney at Ransomville would be his fourth career series victory, and first since 2023 at Autodrome Drummond.
CONSISTENCY
Following a 27th-place finish at Georgetown Speedway, 10-time series champion Matt Sheppard has delivered two consecutive top-five finishes.
He’s also climbed to fifth in the Series points standings, six points behind Jack Lehner for fourth, and 14 points behind Mahaney for third.
The Savannah, N.Y., driver has found success at Ransomville in the past, winning on two occasions in 2017 and 2021. He also drove from ninth to third in his last year’s Summer Nationals and finished second in 2024.
A win by Sheppard at the “Big R” would be his 104th series victory, and first of 2026.
FRIESEN EFFECT
On a night where his grandfather will be inducted into the track’s Ring of Honor, Stewart Friesen is aiming for back-to-back Super DIRTcar Series victories on Tuesday.
The Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario driver, who grew up at the track, is aiming for his third Super DIRTcar Series win at Ransomville, and 13th overall. Tuesday’s event will be his 50th Modified start at the track, where he’s added 35 top fives and 45 top 10s.
A win on Tuesday would be his 55th Super DIRTcar Series win, bringing him within two victories of Alan Johnson for fifth on the series all-time wins list.
