RPW Exclusive: Super DIRTcar Series Power Rankings Ahead Of July

Column By: STEPHEN DURHAM / RPW – DERRY, NH – We are at the end of June, another two races are in the books, with Mother Nature taking the third race of the Mr. Dirt USA 2024 makeup.

It was a wild time down in Pennsylvania for the Super DIRTcar Series. The first race at Big Diamond was more tranquil, with Ryan Godown getting his 2nd career Super DIRTcar Series win. Then things got interesting at Selinsgrove, where multiple championship contenders were involved in the “big one” on a restart.

Those involved in the big wreck at lap 12, were Matt Sheppard, Sears Jr, Perrego, Darren Smith, and others. Others took advantage of the big wreck, such as Phelps, Britten, Lehner, and Mahaney, all coming away with a top 5 or top 10 in the Selinsgrove race. Stewart Friesen was the victor at Selinsgrove, picking up another win on the Super DIRTcar Series in 2025.

On deck now, they head to Cornwall Motor Speedway, then to Mohawk, and onto Land of Legends later in the week. Who will heat up as we head into the heart of summer?

Here are the Super DIRTcar Series rankings as we head into July.

Alex Yankowski (Previous: 3):
It was a strong pair of showings for “The Kid Rocket”, picking up a pair of 2nd place finishes at both Big Diamond and Selinsgrove. He won his heat race at Big Diamond, and started 2nd, while at Selinsgrove, he avoided the “big one” after starting 11th, and coming home in 2nd. Yankowski continues to find himself leading the championship standings by 24 points. Yankowski has no Super DIRTcar Series starts at Cornwall or Mohawk, but has had starts at those tracks, but no top 5s or 10s. At Land of Legends, Yankowski came home 2nd behind Mat Williamson last August. Expect him to be a contender, and try to hold onto the championship lead into July.

Mat Williamson (Previous: 2):
It was another strong month for “Money Mat”, grabbing a pair of top 5s at Big Diamond and Selinsgrove. Williamson had a really strong month, but Yankowski had a pair of 2nd place finishes, which is hard to contend with. Williamson started 9th and finished 4th at Big Diamond, and started 10th at Selinsgrove, and came home 3rd. Williamson continues to trail Yankowski in the championship standings, but only trailing by 24 points. Williamson will look to close that gap, as the series heads to tracks he is quite familiar with. Williamson swept the season in the Super DIRTcar Series at Land of Legends Speedway. Williamson is also familiar with Cornwall and Mohawk. Williamson was the last winner at Mohawk with the Super DIRTcar Series back in 2019, and ran runner-up behind Tim Fuller in 2018. Williamson career wise has several wins at all three tracks, and will be a favorite to win at least one of them, if not multiple wins.

Matt Sheppard (Previous: 1):
It was a rough go for the 10 time Super DIRTcar Series champion, involved in the big one at Selinsgrove, ending his night early. Sheppard did come away with a top 5 at Big Diamond, coming home in 5th place. Sheppard won his heat races at both tracks. Heading into July, Sheppard currently sits 6th in the championship standings, 2 points behind 5th place of Mike Mahaney, and 60 points total back from Yankowski. Sheppard has won the Super DIRTcar Series at all three tracks in the past. He last won at Cornwall with the series in 2019, Land of Legends, his Saturday night home track, won in 2023 with the series, and won at Mohawk with the series back in 2014. Look for “Superman” to return to form in the coming weeks.

Erick Rudolph (Previous: 5):
Rudolph has cooled off slightly this past month, but still is showing signs of speed. Rudolph came away with a 6th place finish at Big Diamond, and came away with a 15th place finish at Selinsgrove. Rudolph though finds himself in the top 5 in the Super DIRTcar Series championship standings, and will look to continue that momentum. Rudolph has turned laps at all three tracks, with the most success at his Saturday night home at Land of Legends Raceway, and a win at Mohawk International Raceway.

Peter Britten (Previous: 7):
Britten could be paired together into a similar category as Rudlolph, cool, but a steady and strong pair of races down in Pennsylvania. He likely would have benefited if the race at Lebanon Valley did occur, where he used to be a Saturday night regular. Britten did come away with a heat race win at Selinsgrove, his 5th heat race win of the season. Britten will be looking forward to heading to his current Saturday night home, Land of Legends, where he has multiple wins, and won back in 2021 with the Super DIRTcar Series. Rudolph does have a couple of top 5 finishes with other races at Cornwall and Mohawk.

Anthony. Perrego (Previous: 4):
Big Diamond and Selinsgrove weren’t the most friendly to Perrego this past month. Perrego used a provisional at Big Diamond, starting 25th, and coming home 15th. Perrego was then involved in the “big one” at Selinsgrove, ending his night early. Perrego has been to Cornwall Speedway once last year on the Short Track Super Series, but didn’t have a strong run then. Perrego has been to Land of Legends and Mohawk in the past. Perrego had a top 5 and top 10 finish at Land of Legends last year.

Alex Payne (Previous: 9):
Alex Payne was a driver that was able to avoid the “big one” at Selinsgrove, and score a pair of top 5s between Big Diamond and Selinsgrove. Over the two races, Payne had the third best metric scoring, which is based on finishing position, change of positions, and if a driver won their heat race. Payne came home with a 3rd place finish at Big Diamond, and 4th place finish at Selinsgrove. Payne currently is 4th in the Super DIRTcar Series championship standings, 3 points behind Rudolph in 3rd place, and 49 points behind Yankowski. Payne is a Saturday Night regular at Land of Legends Raceway, and has won there in the past. Payne had a top 5 and top 10 in 2024 with the Super DIRTcar Series in 2024. Payne has not made any starts at Cornwall or Mohawk.

Mike Mahaney (Previous: 10):
Mahaney had a quiet, but a strong pair of finishes, coming home in 9th in both races. Mahaney currently finds himself 5th in the Super DIRTcar Series championship standings, with 58 points between him and championship leader Yankowski. Mahaney will look to continue his momentum in the coming weeks at all three tracks, where he has had top 5s and top 10s. In 2024, Mahaney had a top 10 finish at one the races with the Super DIRTcar Series. Mahaney was at Mohawk back in 2019, coming home in 11th place.

Jimmy. Phelps (Previous: 8):
It was two different stories for Jimmy Phelps, starting 28th at Big Diamond, but fought hard for an 18th place finish. The “Baldwinsville Bandit” then rebounded and came home with a top 5 finish at Selinsgrove, with a 5th place finish. Phelps currently sits 12th in the championship standings, 44 points behind Jack Lehner in 10th place. Phelps will look to build off his top 5 finish at tracks that he is familiar with and has won at. Phelps won at Cornwall with the Super DIRTcar Series back in 2009, and had a top 5 finish in 2019. Phelps also has a win on the Super DIRTcar Series at Mohawk International Raceway in 2011 and 2010. Land of Legends Raceway is also home for Phelps, a former Saturday night regular.

Tim Sears Jr (Previous: 6):
These past couple of races were tough for Tim Sear Jr, he made strong gains at Big Diamond, coming from 26th to finish 14th. At Selingrove, Sears Jr was collected in the “big one” ending his night early, resulting in a 25th place finish. Sears Jr now sits 14 points out of the top 10 behind Jack Lehner. Sears Jr has starts at Cornwall and Mohawk, but no top 5s or top 10s. At Land of Legends Raceway, Sears Jr had a top 10 in 2024 with the series.

On The Radar:
Jack Lehner: Lehner has gained momentum this past month, coming away with a pair of top 10 finishes. Selinsgrove, Lehner started 17th, had some damage associated with the big wreck, but came home with an 8th place finish. Lehner had the 4th best metric over the two races.

Weekly Regulars: In the coming races, it will be quite the battle between weekly regulars and the stars of the Super DIRTcar Series. Each track has their own set of weekly regulars that could make it difficult for the invading series regulars. At Cornwall, the young hot shoe of Jackson Gill, Carey Terrance, and Mario Clair, to name a few. At Mohawk International, Chris Raabe, Jordan McCreadie, Louis Jackson Jr, and more.

Then Land of Legends, many Super DIRTcar Series regulars call this track their weekly home. 5 of the top 10 drivers in the standings at Land of Legends Raceway are Super DIRTcar Series regulars, Williamson, Sheppard, Payne, Britten, and Rudolph.

That doesn’t mean anything though, because you can’t rule out Justin Haers, Tim Fuller and others that could show up at any of these tracks and win. Speaking of Tim Fuller, he won at Mohawk with the Super DIRTcar Series in 2018.

The Super Dirt Series visits Cornwall Motor Speedway in Ontario, Sunday June 29th, then heads to Mohawk International Raceway Monday, June 30th, then onto Land of Legends Raceway Thursday, July 3rd. Check back later in July after these races, for our next edition of power rankings for the Super DIRTcar Series.