RPW Exclusive: 600cc Modifieds Hustle the Highway Series Schedule Offers Variety of Events; Plenty of Fun for Everyone

Column By: JOE PHILLIPS / RPW – CANDOR, NY – The 2026 season opener for the “Hustle the Highway Series” for 600cc modifieds is rapidly approaching.

The season opener is set to take place at the Penn Can Speedway on April 19th, followed by a visit to the Brookfield Speedway on May 27th. A+E Auto and Cornelius and Sons Farms are the sponsors for both of these programs.

The series then travels to the Lime Rock Speedway on June 27th, sponsored by Reed Trucking.

August 1 sees the series return to the Afton Speedway, sponsored by Smith Productions.

Other series races include visits to both the Thunder Mountain Speedway and Penn Can Speedway.

All series races pay a minimum of $1000 dollars to win, with a few special races such as the “Monster Bash” weekend at Thunder Mountain Speedway are $2000 to win and $100 dollars to start.

This is serious money for what some may consider as a support class. Many DIRTcar Sportsman races are $800 or so to start. The 600cc modifieds are raising the bar, beating that purse by around $200. The 600cc modifieds can turn track times that are competitive with the bigger sportsman modifieds, but the main difference between the two is that the 600cc modifieds can run on regular gas that you would get from a gas station and not necessarily a racing specific fuel like a regular sportsman.

Yes, that is correct. The 600cc modifieds feature Suzuki 600cc engines that run on regular gasoline. Engines are very affordable and obtain, being a spec-type engine. With sensible rules in place, anyone can get into a 600cc modified and race.

The “Hustle the Highway Series” is the equivalent to the Super DIRTcar Series for the 600 modified division. The series is geared towards people on a budget, who want to travel and experience racing on a few different tracks throughout the area.

The 600cc modifieds also feature all of the components of the bigger cars. Shocks and springs, front end alignments, drive gear assemblies, etc. Just like the big cars, they all play a part in making the car perform to the best of its abilities. So, what is the final factor? The driver!

The division features a variety of drivers, which makes it very unique. Bentley Kashuba and Liam Zacharias are some of the youngest drivers in the area, whereas Series Director Doug Windhausen, James Randall, TJ Smith, and others could be classified as veterans. The 600 mods can both be a developmental class, or a fun class for drivers in their twilight years. It’s perfect for all types!

Another nice part about the 600 modifieds is the strong amount of support that follows the races. Parents, grandparents, wives and kids are at all of the races, cheering their favorite drivers on at every facility.

The drivers in the 600 Mods that are successful are the ones that can maneuver throughout the entire track and not just run the bottom.  Look at Thunder Mountain Speedway champion Tyler Talada. Young Tyler uses the whole track when making his way forward on a typical race night, which is a characteristic of a strong driver. From back to the front, Talada is always in the hunt!

The series would not be made possible without Doug Windhausen and his wife Meghan, who run the series. All of the scheduling, sponsors, and purses are executed by the WIndhausen family. At the track, the #8 Terrell sponsored modified hauler becomes the series office. Doug can be seen running throughout the pits on a race night doing a simple tech on each of the cars.

In fairness to the other drivers, Windhausen chooses to sit out the majority of the series races, with the exception of ones that are point events for Thunder Mountain which Windhausen participates at on a weekly basis.

Some of the other series sponsors include Reed Trucking, Spoonhower Logging, Schuyler Scapes, and Eagle Ridge Construction.

Saturday September 26th is the Sam Osborn Memorial Race which is $1000 to win show. That evening also features a $200 Dash for Cash for the drivers. The season wraps up at Thunder Mountain with the 3rd Annual “Monster Bash on the Mountain”. This is a Friday and Saturday event that draws strong fields of all types of cars. Many 600 modified drivers show up, hoping for a chance to end the season with a good pay day.

The 2026 iteration of the “Hustle the Highway Series” is shaping up to be the best ever. Strong purses will certainly bring out the drivers for the series, as they enter their 3rd year of competition. With Thunder Mountain, Afton, Penn Can and other facilities all running 600cc modifieds, there is a strong contingent of the Excel cars in Central New York. This also means that there is a large group of drivers hungry for the series title in 2026.

Stay tuned for that battle, and be sure to support your local racetracks in the meantime!