Column: Sheppard Leads Williamson By 31 As Super DIRTcar Series Rolls Into Albany-Saratoga
News Director 
Column By: MIKE WARREN / SUPER DIRTCAR SERIES – MALTA, NY – A final stop in New York’s Capital Region is on tap for the top Big Block Modified drivers in the Northeast.
The Super DIRTcar Series returns to Albany-Saratoga Speedway on Saturday, Sept. 21, for Malta Massive Weekend.
Drivers will battle in a 100-lap Feature paying $10,000-to-win. One driver will also earn a guaranteed starting spot in the Billy Whittaker Cars 200 at Oswego Speedway during Super DIRT Week 52.
Albany-Saratoga’s massive event caps off a weekend that serves as a Super DIRT Week preview, as all four DIRTcar Northeast Series are in action.
Here’s a look at what to watch for at Albany-Saratoga:
The Ultimate Battle: With seven races remaining in the 2024 season, Matt Sheppard and Mat Williamson are separated by 31 points entering Malta Massive Weekend.
Williamson won the most recent Series event at Can-Am Speedway and won the first visit to Albany-Saratoga Speedway in June. However, he’s been chasing Sheppard in the standings since a mechanical failure at Weedsport Speedway during the Hall of Fame 100 in July.
Sheppard won during Malta Massive Weekend in 2022 and has momentum after winning the Fonda 200 last weekend. Williamson earned a victory of his own, winning his first Gerald Haers Memorial at Land of Legends Raceway.
A win by Sheppard would be his 98th career Series win, while Williamson’s would be his 30th.
Enter The Batcave: Albany-Saratoga boasts a strong Friday night field, and five of them are Super DIRTcar Series regulars.
That group is led by 2024 track champion Peter Britten, who earned his second title on Labor Day Weekend. The Brisbane, QLD driver also scored a win at the track last Friday night as he aims for his first Malta Massive Weekend victory.
Jack Lehner chased Britten for the championship all season and had a successful year. The “Ginga Ninja” earned three victories and finished third in the standings at the end of the year.
Lehner finished 11th in the Series’ June visit.
Along with Britten and Lehner, Mike Mahaney, Justin Stone, and C.G. Morey called Albany-Saratoga their Friday night home this year.
Mahaney has the most success of the three, earning two Super DIRTcar Series victories at the track, including a Malta Massive Weekend win in 2021.
A Super Guarantee: It isn’t just a $10,000 prize on the line Saturday at Albany-Saratoga Speedway. Once 100 laps are complete, a fourth driver will be locked into the Billy Whittaker Cars 200 at Oswego Speedway during Super DIRT Week 52.
Stewart Friesen, Jimmy Phelps, and Matt Sheppard have already punched their tickets into “Racing’s Biggest Party.”
If one of those three drivers wins on Saturday, the guaranteed starting spot goes to the next highest finisher who isn’t already locked in.
Point Implications: While Sheppard and Williamson battle for the championship, six other positions could change throughout the top 10 this weekend.
After Tim Sears Jr. jumped to third at Can-Am, the Hastings, NY driver, Jimmy Phelps, and Anthony Perrego are separated by eight points. Sears (third) leads Phelps (fourth) by seven points entering the weekend, while Perrego (fifth) is only one point behind Phelps.
Perrego has been the most successful of those three drivers at the track, earning his first Super DIRTcar Series win at Albany-Saratoga during OktoberFAST in 2020.
Along with the battle for third, there’s also a three-way battle for seventh. Lehner (seventh) holds a four-point advantage over Darren Smith (eighth) entering this weekend, while Felix Roy (ninth) is two points behind Smith.
The 2023 Super DIRTcar Series Rookie of the Year earned his best Series finish during Malta Massive Weekend last season, crossing the line in second.
Malta Strong: Along with the Super DIRTcar Series regulars who call Albany-Saratoga home, the track boasts a strong group of regional talent aiming for the $10,000 prize.
Two-time track champion Marc Johnson comes into the weekend with momentum after winning two of the last three Features at the track.
He’s joined by 2023 track champion Demetrios Drellos, who scored his first career Super DIRTcar Series victory during Malta Massive Weekend in 2019. The Queensbury, NY, driver scored two wins at the track in 2024.
Matt Delorenzo, the 2022 Albany-Saratoga Speedway track champion, is another driver to watch this weekend. Despite going winless in Big Block Modified competition so far this year, he’s finished in the top 10 in his last three Series starts. That includes a runner-up finish to Chris Hile in the Summer Starter 71 in 2023.
- WHEN AND WHERE: Albany-Saratoga Speedway (4/10-Mile) in Malta, NY on Saturday, Sept. 21
- TRACK RECORD: Albany-Saratoga Speedway: 15.277 set by Jimmy Phelps on Sept. 24, 2022
UP NEXT: The Super DIRTcar Series roars into the Buckeye State with a two-night stop at Atomic Speedway in Chillicothe, OH on Sept. 27-28 for Rumble in the Hills. Friday’s Feature pays $10,000-to-win, while Saturday’s finale is $12,000-to-win.
Both races also offer a guaranteed starting spot in the Billy Whittaker 200 at Super DIRT Week 52.
