Column By: NICK GRAZIANO / SUPER DIRTCAR SERIES – MALTA, NY – Another massive weekend awaits the Super DIRTcar Series at Albany-Saratoga Speedway for the Malta Massive Weekend on Saturday, Sept. 21.
Along with presenting a $10,000 payday to the winner of the 100-lap race, the event also awards a guaranteed starting spot in the Billy Whittaker Cars 200 at Super DIRT Week 52 on Saturday, Oct. 12.
It’ll be the antepenultimate chance for a driver to secure one of the coveted locked-in spots.
The Super DIRTcar Series Big Block Modifieds last visited the 3/8-mile dirt track in June for the Don Davies Modifieds 76, which saw 2019 Series champion Mat Williamson pick up his first Series win at the track.
However, the Don Davies Modifieds 76 had a unique format that saw the top six cars invert after the halfway point. During the Malta Massive Weekend last year, using the regular Series format, Stewart Friesen won the race – his fourth Series win at the dirt track.
A few full-time Series drivers will try to leverage their homefield advantage during the weekend, such as Peter Britten, Jack Lehner and Mike Mahaney. All three are currently in the top five in track points with Britten in the lead, Lehner third and Mahaney fifth. Britten and Mahaney each have one win at the track this year, while Lehner has three.
Of the three, Mahaney is currently the only one with a Series win at the track. He scored back-to-back Series victories at Albany between 2021 and 2022 – the 2021 race being the Malta Massive Weekend event.
Marc Johnson, a former full-time Series competitor, is one of the top local drivers at the track, sitting second in track points with three Big Block victories and currently leads the points in the Small Block division.
The Malta Massive Weekend will also serve as a teaser for Super DIRT Week 52 as it will be the only time before “Racing’s Biggest Party” where fans can see all four premier DIRTcar series in one weekend. The DIRTcar 358 Modified Series and DIRTcar Sportsman Series will be on Friday, Sept. 20, while the Super DIRTcar Series and DIRTcar Pro Stock Series will be on Saturday, Sept. 21.