Column: Super DIRTcar Series Set To Finish Battle For The Fairgrounds At Orange County Wednesday
News Director 
Column By: MICHELINA FRISS / DIRTCAR – MIDDLETOWN, NY – The Super DIRTcar Series returns to action this week with a journey back to Orange County Fair Speedway to complete the postponed event from May.
They’ll head back to Middletown, NY on Wednesday, July 5, to complete three HYTORC of New York Last Chance Showdowns and the $7,500-to-win, Battle for the Fairgrounds Feature.
The first 18 spots in the Feature were secured on May 7 before the HYTORC of New York Last Chance Showdowns and Feature were postponed. Larry Wight will start on the pole with Matt Sheppard to his outside. (See the Feature and Last Chance Showdown line ups below).
If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision – either online or by downloading the DIRTVision App.
Here are the top storylines to follow:
TOP DOG: Nine-time and defending Series champion Matt Sheppard comes into the race with a four point advantage over second place Mat Williamson. He is also the current Orange County Fair Speedway Big Block Modified track points leader with two wins under his belt this season – eight points in front of fellow Series driver Anthony Perrego. The Waterloo, NY driver captured the win during last season’s Series visit and will look to repeat the feat this time around when he starts on the outside of the front row for the Feature.
BATTLING BACK: After a red-hot start to his season, Mat Williamson comes into Orange County Fair Speedway second in the points battle – four points behind Matt Sheppard – after an eighth-place finish at Albany-Saratoga Speedway.
The St. Catharines, ON driver will have his work cut out for him as he’ll battle for a spot in the night’s Feature when he lines up in the third HYTORC of New York Last Chance Showdown and improve on last season’s 14th-place finish.
HARD WORK PAYS OFF: 2021 Rookie of the Year Chris Hile has roared back into Series competition after taking a year off to rebuild his program. The Syracuse, NY native scored his first Series victory on June 13 at Albany-Saratoga Speedway, moving him into the top five in the points battle.
He’ll start eighth in Wednesday night’s Feature at Orange County Fair Speedway, looking to finish one spot better than his second place run during his last visit to the track in 2021.
CONSISTENCY: Heinke-Baldwin Racing driver Jimmy Phelps returns to Orange County Fair Speedway having built a steady start to the season. He currently sits third in points – 38 points behind leader Matt Sheppard – with finishes of 10th, second, fifth and 13th, respectively.
Phelps will start seventh in the Feature, looking to improve upon his 20th-place finish last year. He scored a Series win at the track in 2010 and won the Eastern States 100 in 2020.
Teammate Max McLaughlin will start on the pole of the second HYTORC of New York Last Chance Showdown at Orange County Fair Speedway.
READY TO GO: Britten will line up sixth during the Orange County Fair Speedway Feature, looking for his first Series win at the track. However, he’s not winless there. Britten won the Eastern States 100 last year.
He also scored a third-place finish in 2011, followed by three top-10 performances in the seasons following. With a solid performance, he could potentially crack the top three spots for the first time this season, as he comes into the race a mere five points behind third place Jimmy Phelps.
HOME TRACK ADVANTAGE: 2022 Rookie of the Year Anthony Perrego will start 17th for the rescheduled Feature at his home track, Orange County Fair Speedway. The Walden, NY driver scored a Big Block Modified win at the track in October and a second-place finish with the Series there last July. He currently sits second in track points behind Matt Sheppard.
Orange County Fair Speedway legend Brett Hearn will also be in attendance, set to start fourth in the Feature. The Hall of Famer has 15 Series wins at Orange County Fair Speedway – the last coming in 2014 – and more than 300 overall at the track.
With a 10th-place starting spot in the Battle for the Fairgrounds, 15-year-old Tanner Van Doren earned his most advantageous Series start yet. He’ll look to build upon that for a career-best finish and rebound from the DNF he suffered in his previous Series visit last July. He’s already found his way to Victory Lane at Orange County, having won the Eastern States 50 in 2021.
Weekly Orange County Fair Speedway competitor Dan Creeden, of Unadilla, NY – currently seventh in track points – is set to start fifth in the Battle for the Fairgrounds Feature. A top-10 finish would be his first with the Series.
