The road to Super DIRT Week 52 officially begins this week for the Super DIRTcar Series.
When the Series battles at Big Diamond Speedway in Pottsville, PA, on Tuesday, June 4, and Selinsgrove Speedway on Wednesday, June 5, the first two of nine guaranteed starting spots in the Billy Whittaker Cars 200 at Oswego Speedway are on the line.
The winner of each race will lock into Super DIRT Week, but if a driver who’s already won a Qualifier wins another, the guaranteed starting spot will go to the next driver in the race’s finishing order who isn’t locked in.
Each Super DIRT Week Qualifier also brings a significant payday, as each Feature pays $10,000 or more.
Here are the seven remaining Super DIRT Week qualifiers in 2024 after the Pennsylvania swing:
- Weedsport Speedway (July 14)
- Autodrome Drummond (July 23)
- Lebanon Valley Speedway (Aug. 31)
- Weedsport Speedway (Sept. 7)
- Albany-Saratoga Speedway (Sept. 21)
- Atomic Speedway (Sept. 27 and Sept. 28)
While the winner’s purse helps every race team, earning a guaranteed spot at Super DIRT Week is a chance to ease the pressure of Qualifying.
Full-time Series driver Mike Mahaney earned a guaranteed spot after winning the King of the North finale at Autodrome Drummond last August, allowing him to take a different approach to “Racing’s Biggest Party.” And with that, he finished third in the Billy Whittaker Cars 200 – his first top-five and top-10 finish in the race.
“We kind of focused more in practice on the Feature and not thinking about Qualifying,” Mahaney said. “We focused on having overall speed on the track and making sure the car was good on the long runs instead of making sure it Qualified well. I think that’s a huge deal. I like being locked in, and it definitely eases the week.”
NASCAR Trucks Series star Stewart Friesen, a five-time Billy Whittaker Cars 200 winner, said that a guaranteed spot is essential given the variables of Super DIRT Week.
“Part of the summer in Big Block Modified racing is the Qualifiers and the Series,” Friesen said. “We’re just trying to be a part of it and run as many big races as we can. If we get one or two, it’s cool, but with the weather and stuff that comes into play at Oswego, it’s always good to have that in your back pocket.”
Peter Britten enters this week’s Super DIRT Week Qualifiers as the Super DIRTcar Series points leader. And while the Brisbane, QLD driver said the guaranteed spots are excellent, he’s still focused on winning every Series race.
“Anytime you can guarantee yourself into a race, it’s always a good thing,” Britten said. “We’re not going to obsess over it necessarily because, obviously, you want to be good enough to make the show, and if you’re not good enough, you’re probably not going to do much in the race anyway.
“Obviously, things can go wrong, too. A couple of flat tires later, and you could be a DNQ, so it helps take the stress off, but I’m more interested in winning the money.”
Louden Reimert aims to make his first Super DIRT Week start in 2024 and has the chance to lock himself into the Billy Whittaker Cars 200 in front of home-state fans.
The Oley, PA driver said this is his best chance to earn a spot throughout the season.
“It’s neat to have the home track advantage for at least one race this season,” Reimert said. “The other races are over three hours away and not close to home at all. It’s cool seeing all the big dogs show up where I race every week.
“I’m feeling pretty confident (going into Big Diamond). We’ve made some changes we think will be right, and we’re going to give it our best shot.”
The Super DIRTcar Series heads to Pennsylvania with two guaranteed Billy Whittaker 200 starting spots available, starting at Big Diamond Speedway on Tuesday, June 4, for the Anthracite Assault. Then, the Keystone State swing continues Wednesday, June 5, at Selinsgrove Speedway for the Sand Hill 75. Both Features are 75 Laps, paying $10,000-to-win.
For tickets to Super DIRT Week 52 at Oswego Speedway Oct. 7-12, visit SuperDIRTWeek.com.
If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all of the Super DIRTcar Series action on DIRTVision, either online or with the DIRTVision app.
