Column: Super DIRTcar Series Ready For Memorial Day Weekend Double At Weedsport & Thunder Mountain

Column By: MIKE WARREN / SUPER DIRTCAR SERIES – WEEDSPORT, NY – Memorial Day weekend is known as the “biggest weekend in motorsports.” And for the Super DIRTcar Series, it means the first doubleheader of 2025.

First, the Series makes its first of four stops at Weedsport Speedway this season on Sunday, May 25, for the Heroes Remembered 100. Drivers will battle in a 100-lap Feature paying $7,500 to win, ending a jam-packed day of racing action that includes the Monaco Grand Prix, Indianapolis 500, and Coca-Cola 600.

Then, the Beasts of the Northeast travel to Thunder Mountain Speedway for the second annual Natural 77, honoring Dale Planck, on Monday, May 26. A $7,700 prize is on the line in the 77-lap Feature.

Here are the key storylines to watch at Weedsport and Thunder Mountain:

Red Hot Money: No driver enters this weekend’s doubleheader with more momentum than defending Series champion Mat Williamson.

The St. Catharines, ON driver has won the last six races he’s entered, including two wins at Ransomville Speedway, two at Lernerville Speedway, and two at Land of Legends Raceway.

He’s also had more recent success than any other driver at Weedsport, winning three of the last four Heroes Remembered 100s and three of the previous four Super DIRTcar Series races at the track.

Williamson has made four starts at Thunder Mountain in his career, finishing on the podium three times. His best finish is second, twice – once in 2018 and last year’s Natural 77.

“Money Mat” is currently second in the Series standings, trailing Alex Yankowski by 11 points.

Yankowski, meanwhile, has finished second in both points-paying Series events in 2025. The Covington Township, PA driver has made one start at Weedsport, finishing 18th in the 2022 Heroes Remembered 100. He’s made two Modified starts at Thunder Mountain, earning a ninth as his best finish during last year’s Pinnacle of Power event.

Freeze Warning: The last time the Super DIRTcar Series battled at Weedsport, Stewart Friesen stood on “Victory Hill” as the Hall of Fame 100 winner in July.

The NASCAR Trucks Series star has finished on the podium in four of his last five Series starts at the 3/8-mile track, including a Heroes Remembered 100 triumph in 2022. He also finished fourth with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars at Weedsport last summer and added a Big Block win there last September.

Friesen has six Super DIRTcar Series wins at Weedsport, and 48 Series wins overall after winning the Power in the Pines at New Egypt Speedway in March.

Getting Back on Track: This weekend’s doubleheader is a chance for two veteran Super DIRTcar Series drivers to get back on track after an uncharacteristic start.

Matt Sheppard enters the weekend seventh in the Series standings after finishing 13th at New Egypt and seventh at Albany-Saratoga last month. Despite those two finishes, he returns to two places this weekend where he’s reached Victory Lane in the past.

The Waterloo, NY driver is a two-time track champion at Weedsport, earning 25 Feature wins, including eight Super DIRTcar Series triumphs. However, he’s searching for his first Series triumph at the track since 2023.

At Thunder Mountain, he has two victories in the track’s Lightning on the Mountain event in 2014 and 2021 and added a fourth in last year’s Natural 77, a race where he was contending for the lead.

This weekend is also a chance for Weedsport track promoter Jimmy Phelps to build momentum. In his last seven Series starts at “The Port,” the Baldwinsville, NY driver hasn’t finished outside the top 10. That includes a win in 2022 and two runner-up finishes – the latest in last year’s Hall of Fame 100. He also added a DIRTcar 358 Modified Series win in 2024.

The “Baldwinsville Bandit” is also the only Super DIRTcar Series winner in Thunder Mountain history, besting Williamson, Sheppard, and Tim Sears Jr. to earn the inaugural Natural 77 victory.

Feeling the Thunder: Monday’s Natural 77 at Thunder Mountain is a chance for two-time defending track champion Darren Smith to defend home turf at his Saturday night home.

The Binghamton, NY driver has two victories at the track this season and leads the points in both the track’s Open Modified and DIRTcar 358 Modified divisions.

He enters the weekend 13th in Series points after a 12th at New Egypt and 19th at Albany-Saratoga.

Tim Sears Jr. and Jack Lehner were two other drivers who found success in the Series’ debut at the Broome County facility.

Sears finished third in last year’s Natural 77, one of five podium finishes in 2024. The Hastings, NY driver has already earned a podium finish this season after finishing third at Albany-Saratoga. He enters the weekend fourth in points, 21 points behind Yankowski.

Lehner, meanwhile, scored one of his three top fives at Thunder Mountain last season. He’s aiming to better his first two finishes of the season after finishing 20th at New Egypt and 15th at Albany-Saratoga.

All three drivers are searching for their first career Series victory.