The Super DIRTcar Series Big Block Modifieds is a North American big block modified touring series currently promoted by World Racing Group. The series primarily races on dirt ovals in the

Northeastern United States The Northeastern United States (also referred to as the Northeast, the East Coast, or the American Northeast) is List of regions of the United States, census regions United States Census Bureau. Located on the East Coast of the United States, ...

and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

along with select dates in

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

and

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

. The cars feature

big block V8 A V8 engine is an eight-cylinder piston engine in which two banks of four cylinders share a common crankshaft and are arranged in a V configuration. Origins The first known V8 was the Antoinette, designed by Léon Levavasseur, and ...

engines (up to 467 c.i.) that develops over 750 hp and a center-steer style chassis that weighs at least 2,500 lb with driver included.

History

The series was founded in 1972 by Glenn Donnelly as a series of qualifier races for the inaugural Super Dirt Week at the New York State Fairgrounds Racetrack in

Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States. With a population of 148,620 and a Syracuse metropolitan area, metropolitan area of 662,057, it is the fifth-most populated city and 13 ...

. The series became a true points championship in 1974 that also awarded a points fund. Will Cagle won the first points championship in 1974 over two-time Super DIRT Week champion Buzzie Reutimann. The series and Super Dirt Week grew in popularity along with corporate title sponsors & television coverage throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Past series title sponsors include

Schaefer Beer Schaefer Beer is a brand of American beer first produced in New York City during 1842 by the F. & M. Schaefer Brewing Company.The Schaefer Beer Stor The company relocated to Brooklyn in the early 20th century. It went public in 1968 with a $1 ...

(1972–1975 and 1978), CRC Industries (1979–1985), Sun Country Cooler (1986),

U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company (formerly United States Tobacco Company) is an American company that manufactures smokeless tobacco products, notably dipping tobacco, as well as chewing tobacco, snus, and dry snuff. The company is a subsidiary o ...

(1987–1998) and

Advance Auto Parts Advance Auto Parts, Inc. is an American automotive aftermarket parts provider. Headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, it serves professional installer and do it yourself (DIY) customers. Company History In April 1932, Arthur Taubman purch ...

(1999–2008). The series briefly included asphalt races on the championship trail from 1988 to 1992 at tracks such as

Cayuga Cayuga often refers to: * Cayuga people, a native tribe to North America, part of the Iroquois Confederacy * Cayuga language, the language of the Cayuga Cayuga may also refer to: Places Canada *Cayuga, Ontario United States * Cayuga, Illinois ...

, Flemington,

Nazareth Nazareth is the largest Cities in Israel, city in the Northern District (Israel), Northern District of Israel. In its population was . Known as "the Arab capital of Israel", Nazareth serves as a cultural, political, religious, economic and ...

, Oswego, Sanair and Thompson. The series was acquired by World Racing Group (then Boundless Motorsports) in 2003. The crown jewel event of the series, Super Dirt Week had to changed venues for the first time in 2016 to a dirt-covered

Oswego Speedway The Oswego Speedway is a 5/8 mile race track in Oswego, New York. It was built in 1951 and was paved with asphalt since the 1952. The track has held dates on several national tours - the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, ASA National Tour, and USAC ...

Oswego, New York Oswego () is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Oswego County, New York, United States. The population was 16,921 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Oswego is situated at the mouth of the Oswego River (New York), Osw ...

following the demise & razing of the New York State Fairgrounds Racetrack.

Cars

Specifications

* Engine: Max cubic inches 467 * Fuel system: Carburetor only 4 barrel Holley 950-1050 cfm * Horsepower: range 650-800 hp * Compression ratio: 13–14.5 :1 * RPM: 7000-8300 * Speed: Approximately 160 mph at the Syracuse Mile * Powertrain: 2 speed trans 1 reverse plus quick change rear end. * Lubrication system: Belt driven dry sump (app 13qts.) * Fuel: VP Fuels racing gasoline only * Wheelbase: 106”- 110” * Thread width: 74” min. to 86” max. * Weight: 2500 lbs. min. with driver * Chassis: 1018, 1020 steel only * Suspension: Mostly coil spring (coil over) or Torison Bar, rear. Coil spring (coil over), front. * Ground clearance: App. 5” front 6” rear on frame heights. * Minimum ground clearance: 2½” * Tire brand:

Hoosier Racing Tire Hoosier Racing Tire is a subsidiary of Continental AG that primarily specialises in the production of tires for race competition use. Headquartered in Lakeville, Indiana, the company was founded in 1957. Hoosier employs nearly 500 people, and ha ...

* Right rear tire: Circumference 92½” * Wheels: Aluminum (bead lock) * Steering system: Power steering (worm and sector) * Brakes: 4 wheel hydraulic disc brakes (no power assist)

Events

The premiere event for the series is the Billy Whittaker Cars & Trux 200, a part of NAPA Auto Parts Super DIRT Week which is currently held at the

. The race features one of the biggest purses in dirt modified racing with the purse paying $50,000 to the winner. The race is currently broadcast b

(live video)
DIRTVision.com
(live radio) &

MavTV Racer Network (formerly known as MAVTV) is an American cable and satellite television channel owned by the motorsports media company Racer, which mainly airs programming focused around motorsports and programming for automotive enthusiasts. C ...

(delayed television). The race was originally held at the New York State Fairgrounds Mile in

Syracuse Syracuse most commonly refers to: * Syracuse, Sicily, Italy; in the province of Syracuse * Syracuse, New York, USA; in the Syracuse metropolitan area Syracuse may also refer to: Places * Syracuse railway station (disambiguation) Italy * Provi ...

until the track was razed in 2016. Previous broadcasters of Super DIRT Week include

CBS Sports Network CBS Sports Network (a.k.a. CBSSN) is an American digital cable and satellite television network owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global. When it launched in 2002 as the National College Sports Network (later College Sports ...

, Empire Sports Network,

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

SPEED In kinematics, the speed (commonly referred to as ''v'') of an object is the magnitude of the change of its position over time or the magnitude of the change of its position per unit of time; it is thus a non-negative scalar quantity. Intro ...

& TNN. Other major events currently on the Super DIRTcar Series schedule include DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park, Hall of Fame 100 at Weedsport Speedway, Mr. DIRT Track USA at Lebanon Valley Speedway and the

World of Outlaws World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series, originally known as the World of Outlaws (often abbreviated WoO) is an American national touring dirt track racing series. It is owned and operated by World Racing Group, and was rebranded when the World of O ...

World Finals at

Charlotte Motor Speedway Charlotte Motor Speedway (known as Lowe's Motor Speedway from 1999 to 2009 due to sponsorship reasons) is a quad-oval Oval track racing#Intermediate, intermediate speedway in Concord, North Carolina. It has hosted various major races since it ...

Champions

Mr. DIRTcar

Beginning with the 1976 season points earned in the Super DIRTcar Series were credited toward crowning an overall Mr. DIRT champion. Over the years, a variety of formulas have been used, and included bonus points for feature wins and/or seasonal standings at weekly home tracks. In 1998, the two titles were merged. Beginning in 2007 the Mr. DIRT series was rebranded to Mr. DIRTcar, and separate regional champions were also named. Since 2011 the overall title has been decided only on a driver's best 16 finishes at their weekly home track. In 2019 the contest garnered a title sponsor and was renamed the Hoosier Racing Tire Weekly Championship.

358-Modified Mr. DIRTcar

In 1983, the Mr. Dirt 320 Modified Championship trail was created. These small block modifieds emerged from NASCAR's Sportsman division, which had been revamped in 1968. Many Northeast race tracks continued to run the old class, and the new series allowed these racers from the

St. Lawrence Valley The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawren ...

to compete against their counterparts in the

Hudson Valley The Hudson Valley or Hudson River Valley comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The region stretches from the Capital District (New York), Capital District includi ...

and

Twin Tiers The Twin Tiers are the collective counties that lie on the New York–Pennsylvania border on either side of the 42nd parallel north. The region is predominantly rural and contains many small towns. Separately, the two halves of the Twin Tiers ...

regions of Pennsylvania and New York. In 1985 the 358 cubic inch engine was introduced to the class, and in 2006 DIRT MotorSports initiated a new "Regional Point System" for the 358-Modified, Sportsman and Pro Stock divisions. Each race run within a specified region was added into a driver's point standings for that region. A driver's top 12 finishes were then used to calculate the regional point standings and determine a regional Mr. DIRT champion. Later the weekly home track competition replaced the regional points in determining the overall Mr. DIRTcar title.

Champions by year

Records

*Most career wins: Brett Hearn (141) *Most DIRTcar titles: Matt Sheppard (10) *Most wins in a season: 10 (Brett Hearn 2002, Billy Decker 2008, Matt Sheppard 2016) *Consecutive wins: 5 (Alan Johnson: 1983) *Most seasons with at least 1 win: Brett Hearn (32) *Consecutive seasons with at least one win: Brett Hearn (22) *Different track wins: Danny Johnson (33) *Youngest winner: Alex Yankowski (17 years old)

References

External links

Official websiteSeries history at official website
{{Super DIRTcar Series tracks Stock car racing series in the United States Dirt track racing Dirt track racing in the United States