RPW Exclusive: 2026 Pre-Season Questions Lebanon Valley Speedway Big Block Modifieds: Andy Bachetti

Column By: Stephen Durham / RPW – WEST LEBANON, NY – Each spring, there comes a time, where all race-fans, drivers, team owners, and track owners are just about ready for the first green flag of the season. With Lebanon Valley’s annual banquet this past weekend, what’s a better way then talking with the top 10 guys from the DIRTcar big block modified division.

It was another championship year for Andy Bachetti, picking up his 8th career DIRTcar big block modified championship at Lebanon Valley Speedway, his sixth consecutive championship at the ‘High Banks’. Bachetti with his four big block modified wins in 2025, has 72 career big block modified wins, ranked 4th all-time, 11 behind Tom Corellis, and then Brett Hearn 2nd at 105 wins, and Kenny Tremont Jr. with 142 wins leads all-time. Bachetti earned 11 top 5s and 12 top 10s out of the 14 features ran in 2025. Bachetti will look to keep his championship streak going in 2026, but knows it won’t come easy.

Here is the pre-season thoughts with the six-time defending big block modified champion, Andy Bachetti.

Q: How do you feel the 2025 Season was?

Andy Bachetti: “Pretty successful season overall. In the bigger races, we didn’t get a chance to show what we had. We ended up having to take a backup car that was only raced once for Mr. Dirt. Even for it being a backup car, it ran pretty pretty good, I would say overall. Overall though, for most of the year, I think everybody worked real hard and we had a pretty successful big block season.”

Q: What’s new for this upcoming season with your team?

Andy Bachetti: “We’re going to run our big block program out of my shop. Gary Waters, very well known over the years, he’s going to take care of my small block stuff. He’s going to maybe do a couple road shows with me. Maybe some short track stuff. So, that’s new for us this year, we do have a new 26 chassis in the stable too, so take that out and try, so other than that, everybody’s on board as usual.” 

Q: What are your team’s expectations for 2026?

Andy Bachetti: “Pretty much the same, you know, we just expect that. We just hope not to have part failures or anything like that this year and hopefully we can go out there and win the championships and honestly, we’re just trying to put everything together so that we’re 110%.”

Q: Thoughts on Fonda Speedway and Lebanon Valley working together in 2026?

Andy Bachetti: “ I think that’s a cool thing for sure to get other tracks involved and work together. You know Fonda is a unique place and if it’ll draw some attention and some car counts, it’ll be a neat thing.” 

Q: Thoughts on Lyle Devore and what he meant to the racing in the capital region?

Andy Bachetti: “Lyle was very well known. He was a special guy in racing. You know, he took care of Malta. He took care of Lebanon. He was definitely an icon to the sport and he’ll be greatly missed.” 

Q: What part of the 2026 season schedule are you most looking forward to?

Andy Bachetti: “These Short Track Super Series races coming to Lebanon. That should be pretty cool.  Mr. Dirt, obviously, and, you know, just just going out there and winning races this year.” 

Q: If you had to predict, who’d you think would be the 2026 champion?

Andy Bachetti: “At the end of the day, everybody’s stepping their game up and everybody’s working real hard to win that championship. If I had to predict it, I mean, I don’t really really put a prediction on it, but we’re definitely going to give it our all and see how it goes.” 

Lebanon Valley Speedway opens the gates for warm-ups April 4th, with opening night for the DIRTcar big block modifieds being April 25th.