Super DIRTcar Series Kicks Off 2026 at Volusia
Photo by Josh James Artwork
BARBERVILLE, Fla.—After a three-month hibernation, the Beasts of the Northeast will awaken for their annual trip to Florida.
The Super DIRTcar Series kicks off its 2026 season at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, FL, during Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals, Feb. 11-14.
Drivers will battle for four straight nights, starting with three 30-lap, $5,000-to-win Features on Wednesday-Friday, Feb. 11-13. Then, a Big Gator champion will be crowned on Saturday, Feb. 14, following a 50-lap, $7,500-to-win finale.
While the four nights in Florida won’t count toward the 2026 championship, competitors will accumulate points throughout the week to determine who becomes the 15th Big Block Big Gator champion.
Along with the Super DIRTcar Series, Super Late Models will be on the card during all four nights. The DIRTcar Late Models will be in action on Wednesday, Feb. 11, before the World of Outlaws Late Models Series presented by DIRTVision join the Big Blocks for the rest of the week.
BUY VOLUSIA TICKETS HERE
WATCH LIVE ON DIRTVISION
Here’s a look at the top storylines for DIRTcar Nationals:
Lightning Chasers: Both Mat Williamson and Matt Sheppard have a shot at history this week at Volusia. If either wins their third Big Gator trophy at DIRTcar Nationals, they’ll tie Larry Wight for the most all-time.
Williamson, the defending Series champion, missed out on that accomplishment by three points last year despite not reaching Victory Lane. The St. Catharines, ON driver has six wins at the “World’s Fastest Half Mile,” including victories in 2023 and 2024 when he won the week-long points championship.
A victory by “Money Mat” will be his 37th career Super DIRTcar Series win, breaking a tie with Tim Fuller for eighth on the Series all-time wins list.
Sheppard, who has the most Super DIRTcar Series wins at Volusia (11), is also searching for his third Big Gator after winning the first one in 2012 and another in 2016. The Savannah, NY driver, who’ll race with new colors in 2026, earned his 11th win with his triumph on the season’s opening night.
If he wins Wednesday’s opener, it’ll be his third consecutive season-opening victory, and his 104th Series victory overall, continuing his chase of Brett Hearn’s Series-leading 141 Feature wins.
Wight, meanwhile, will be one of the cars in attendance trying to prevent Williamson and Sheppard from tying his accomplishment. The Phoenix, NY driver is a four-time Volusia winner, including three wins in 2020 en route to his third Big Gator. A win by “Lightning Larry” would be his 13th Series win and first since 2022.
PA History: Alex Yankowski made history at last year’s DIRTcar Nationals, becoming the first driver from Pennsylvania to earn the Big Gator title. The Covington Township, PA driver used that momentum toward a second-place finish in the Series standings.
“Kid Rocket” also earned a Feature win at Volusia last year, becoming the first “Keystone State” driver to earn a Super DIRTcar Series win at the track since Rick Laubach in 2016.
Yankowski can continue his drive toward history with a second Big Gator trophy this week. If he wins the week-long championship again, he’ll join Williamson, Sheppard, and Wight as multi-time Big Gator winners.
Freeze Warning: Wednesday night’s season opener at Volusia will mark the return of Stewart Friesen to Super DIRTcar Series competition for the first time since a crash in July sidelined him for the remainder of the 2025 season. Like in past years, the Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON driver is not scheduled to compete every night, splitting time between Volusia and his NASCAR Craftsman Trucks Series duties at Daytona International Speedway.
Friesen is a 10-time Super DIRTcar Series winner at Volusia but hasn’t reached Victory Lane at the track since 2022. An 11th victory at the Barberville, FL, track would be his 53rd Series triumph.
Early Season Momentum: Along with a Big Gator trophy, the four nights at DIRTcar Nationals are a chance to grab momentum toward the remainder of the 2026 season.
While Sheppard and Yankowski stole headlines early in the week last year with wins, Peter Britten returned to the track’s Victory Lane for the first time since 2022, and Erick Rudolph earned his first Volusia win after 11 years of trying.
Britten, from Brisbane, QLD, added another win later in the season during SummerFAST, giving him his first multi-win Super DIRTcar Series season. Rudolph, meanwhile, didn’t return to Victory Lane, but still had a consistent season by finishing fifth in the season’s final standings and passing more cars than any other Super DIRTcar Series driver throughout the year.
One driver to keep an eye on who didn’t win at Volusia last year is Alex Payne – the third-place finisher in the 2025 championship battle. The Hopewell, NY driver finished second to Britten in Florida last year and used that early-season momentum to earn three victories by the end of the year.
All three drivers are searching for their first Big Gator trophy.
WHEN AND WHERE
Volusia Speedway Park (1/2-mile) in Barberville, FL, Feb. 11-14
TRACK RECORD
Volusia Speedway Park: 16.794 by Jamie Mills on Feb. 1, 2015
Big Gator Champions:
2025 – Alex Yankowski
2024 – Mat Williamson
2023- Mat Williamson
2022 – Jimmy Phelps
2021 – Max McLaughlin
2020 – Larry Wight
2019 – Larry Wight
2018 – Tim McCreadie
2017 – Brett Hearn
2016 – Matt Sheppard
2015 – Larry Wight
2014 – Stewart Friesen
2013 – Danny Johnson
2012 – Matt Sheppard
Prospective DIRTcar Nationals Entry List:
Car # Name Hometown
1 Billy Pauch Jr. Frenchtown, NJ
2 Jack Lehner Saratoga Springs, NY
3 Justin Haers Phelps, NY
4V Billy VanInwegen Port Jervis, NY
5C Ayden Cipriano Hermitage, PA
5H Amy Holland Fulton, NY
6 Matt Stangle Neshanic Station, NJ
8 Rich Scagliotta Boundbrook, NJ
8M Macey Adamik Leechburg, PA
9S Matt Sheppard Savannah, NY
10C Danny Creeden Wurtsboro, NY
11 Matt Caprara Clayton, NY
11T Jeff Taylor Chittenango, NY
12 Darren Smith Binghamton, NY
14 Brian Swarthout Beaver Dams, NY
15X Justin Stone Middlebury, VT
16 Louden Reimert Oley, PA
17 Marcus Dinkins Watkins Glen, NY
18$ Sean Beardsley Central Square, NY
18V Bobby Varin Johnstown, NY
20 Rick Laubach Quakertown, PA
21A Peter Britten Brisbane, QLD
21M Bob McGannon Garnerville, NY
22J Richard Murtaugh Fulton, NY
25 Erick Rudolph Ransomville, NY
28 Mike Trautschold Roscoe, NY
29 Garrett Krummert West Middlesex, PA
30 H.J. Bunting Milford, DE
32R Ronnie Davis III Memphis, NY
33 Eddie Strada Lake Ariel, PA
35 Chris Curtis E. Canaan, CT
44 Stewart Friesen Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON
48Too Dave Rauscher Waterloo, NY
58 Mike Gular Harleysville, PA
61L Donovan Lussier St. Denis-Sur-Richelieu, QC
66W Wallace Stacey Kahnawake, QC
70 Duane Howard Oley, PA
70A Alex Payne Hopewell, NY
84Y Alex Yankowski Covington Township, PA
88 Mat Williamson St. Catharines, ON
91 Felix Roy Napierville, QC
92 Andrew Buff Latham, NY
92S Dexter Stacey Kahnawake, QC
98H Jimmy Phelps Baldwinsville, NY
99L Larry Wight Phoenix, NY
118 Duane Howard Oley, PA
165 Rex King Jr. Bristolville, OH
444 Russell Morseman IV Addison, NY
Our Partners
.png)
