By Joe Grabianowski
Qualifying at Oswego Speedway for the DIRTcar Sportsman Great Lakes 75 during Super DIRT Week is one of the toughest but most rewarding experiences a Sportsman driver can take on.
Whether it’s a veteran driver returning to Oswego for the ninth time or a rookie making their first attempt at the most prestigious Sportsman race of the year, race fans have a lot to watch for, especially in 2025, as competitors adapt to the all-new “Super 6” Qualifying format.
The Great Lakes 75 averages 90 entries each year, attracts the best DIRTcar Sportsman drivers in the country, and is often one of the most competitive races of the week at Oswego Speedway.
The new Qualifying format rolling out at Oswego this year is likely to have the biggest impact on the Sportsman division out of the four divisions in action during Super DIRT Week. This year, instead of lumping 100 drivers into one group and comparing their times on an ever-changing racetrack, DIRTcar officials will put them into three or four groups based on the number of entries in the draw.
DIRTcar Northeast Director, Dean Reynolds, led the charge for the change in Qualifying.
“After talking to some of the competitors, we wanted to make the Time Trials a little more favorable to all entries in each division,” Reynolds said. “The tradition was always to have one qualifying group and then have your top six locked in. But the track can have a tendency to slow down as you can have up to 100 cars qualifying.”
The top six (or eight) out of all the groups will compete in a final “Super Six” (or Eight) Qualifying session. Regardless of their new times, those drivers are locked into the top six (or eight) starting positions in the order of their final head-to-head “Super Six” qualifying times.
“We decided to do a mix of what we do on the Series and also keep the top six locked in tradition,” noted Reynolds. “We will do three (four if the car count exceeds 90) groups. With the cars in smaller groups, there’s less chance of the track to fall off and make it more even.”
Fans are often given a glimpse of future greatness as competitors cut their teeth in front of a huge crowd at “Racing’s Biggest Party.” For example, the top five of the 2021 Great Lakes 75 included three drivers making waves at the top echelons of DIRTcar Big Block and 358 Modified racing today. This year’s DIRTcar 358 Modified Series winner at Glen Ridge Motorsports Park, Brian Calabrese, finished third, 2023 Super DIRTcar Series Rookie of the Year contender Justin Stone, finished fourth, and two-time Super DIRTcar Series Feature winner Alex Payne finished fifth.
“The amount of cars they get is crazy,” Stone said. “It’s a really cool event. I didn’t know what to expect. It was my first time racing at Super DIRT Week. My dad took me to The Mile. It’s a lot to take in. It’s a big track. Your car has to be right off the trailer.”
He followed that up with some advice for the drivers competing in the Great Lakes 75 field:
“Maintain, conserve, but if it’s there, take it. It’s a long race, so don’t use up your stuff early.”
Jessica Power, from Kingston, ON, has hauled her No. 52 DIRTcar Sportsman down to Oswego Speedway nearly every year for Super DIRT Week.
“When Qualifying sets the tone for everything, it’s so stressful,” Power said. “I had a good couple of years, but before that was rough. We learned from it and improved over the last couple of years.”
In seven starts, Power has finished as high as fifth (2024) but has struggled as low as 21st back in 2018. She is always in the mix for the DIRTcar Sportsman Championship Series fight as well, doubling the importance of running strong at Super DIRT Week.
“Oswego is often the difference maker in the championship,” she added. “It’s unique. Nobody races there every week. It can often really separate drivers in the points race.”
Central Square, NY driver Tyler Corcoran is back at Super DIRT Week 53 in his silver No. 64. He’s made huge improvements over the years since his first entry at Oswego. In 2019, he finished 33rd, while last year he made his way to fourth. He’s put together two top-five runs in the Championship Series this year.
“Last year, after struggling in Hot Laps, we ended up timing in the top 10, which wasn’t too bad,” Corcoran said. “Hopefully, this year, the track crew gives us another great race track.”
Cameron Tuttle, from Wilson, NY, competes in his No. 35T DIRTcar Sportsman at Ransomville Speedway in the Hoosier Racing Tire Weekly Championship. His last two Super DIRT Week finishes were 13th in 2021 and 20th in 2022.
“You gotta make sure you are quick off the bat,” Tuttle said. “If you mess up your Qualifying, you are setting yourself up for a long week trying to get a spot. Especially with all the cars, it’s one of the most prestigious races for us, and being fast off the trailer is the most important part of it.”
“The new format helps for when the track starts to slow down. The guys who go out first or last can have a huge advantage. I think it will make a more level playing field, and it’ll be a lot better for us.”
Get your tickets today at SuperDIRTWeek.com or catch every lap live on DIRTVision.
Excerpt from 2025 Super DIRT Week Competitors Guide
- Time Trials will be split into groups, top 2 in each group will be locked into a separate time trial session. The
top six (6) (or eight) starting positions will be determined by this (six) 6 (or 8) car time trial session. The fastest
six (6) (or 8) cars will make up the first three (3) (or 4) rows (first six [ or 8 ]starting positions) ) in the Great
Lakes 75 (All ties in Time Trials will be broken by the second fastest lap)
- Number of Thursday Night Qualifiers and how many Qualify TBD by number of entries. Line-ups based on time
trials
- After Thursday Night Qualifiers Qualifier races there will be a Last Chance Showdown(s) on Saturday, October 11,
- In the event that the Last Chance Showdown(s) are forced to be cancelled, the remainder of 36-car field will
be established from heat race results
