Column: Super DIRTcar Series’ Hall Of Fame 100 At Weedsport Offers Guaranteed Spot For Super DIRT Week
Column By: MIKE WARREN / SUPER DIRTCAR SERIES – WEEDSPORT, NY – For the second time in 2024, the Super DIRTcar Series will visit Weedsport Speedway. But this time, more than a winner’s purse is on the line.
The Hall of Fame 100 on Sunday, July 14, is a 100-lap Feature paying $ 10,000-to-win. It’s also the season’s second Super DIRT Week Qualifier, as one driver will earn a guaranteed spot in the Billy Whittaker Cars 200.
The DIRTcar Sportsman and the NY6A Micro Sprints will join the Super DIRTcar Series on the card.
Here’s a look at what to watch for at Weedsport Speedway:
Super DIRT Week Qualifier: The 2024 edition of the Hall of Fame 100 serves as the season’s second Super DIRT Week Qualifier.
Stewart Friesen punched his ticket into the Billy Whittaker Cars 200 by winning the Anthracite Assault at Big Diamond Speedway in June. If the Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON driver wins again on Sunday, the guaranteed spot goes to whoever finishes second.
Here’s a look at the remaining Super DIRT Week Qualifiers in 2024 after the Hall of Fame 100:
- Autodrome Drummond (July 23)
- Lebanon Valley Speedway (Aug. 31)
- Weedsport Speedway (Sept. 7)
- Albany-Saratoga Speedway (Sept. 21)
- Atomic Speedway (Sept. 27 and Sept. 28)
The Fight For 4: Since the beginning of 2023, no one has been better at Weedsport Speedway than Mat Williamson.
The current Series points leader has won the last three Super DIRTcar Series events at the track and added another victory last month in a DIRTcar Big Block Modified event.
Williamson enters the weekend with an 18-point lead over 10-time defending champion Matt Sheppard and is the only driver to finish on the podium in all six Super DIRTcar Series races in the 2024 championship season.
The St. Catharines, ON driver is aiming for his 27th career Super DIRTcar Series victory.
Bandit Momentum: While Williamson has been the most successful driver at Weedsport this season, Jimmy Phelps is building momentum.
The Baldwinsville, NY driver won at Thunder Mountain on Tuesday and added a DIRTcar 358 Modified Series victory on Sunday at Weedsport.
Phelps has finished on the podium in the last two Series events and is two points behind Anthony Perrego for third in the points standings.
He’s aiming for his 23rd Super DIRTcar Series victory and third Series win at Weedsport.
Weedsport Consistency: When the Series ran at Weedsport in May, Matt Sheppard finished 12th—his only finish outside the top 10 this season.
However, that’s Sheppard’s only finish outside the top five in his last seven Series starts at the track, and only the second time in that stretch he’s finished off the podium.
The Waterloo, NY driver is a 10-time Series winner at the 3/8-mile oval but hasn’t won since September 2021 during Cavalcade weekend.
Sheppard is four wins away from becoming the second driver in Series history to reach 100 victories.
A Chance to Rebound: Since finishing second in the Heroes Remembered 100 in May, Peter Britten has slipped to fifth in the Series standings, with only one top five in his last four starts.
However, the Aussie has been strong at Weedsport recently, finishing in the top five in two of the last three Series events at the track.
Alex Payne is another driver looking to rebound after an 18th-place finish at Thunder Mountain. The Hopewell, NY driver crossed the line fifth in the Heroes Remembered 100 in May but was light at the scales during post-race inspection.
Payne leads the Rookie of the Year standings by 93 points over Mike Trautschold.
