Hoosier Championship Highlights 2020 DIRTcar Racing Season in Northeast
2020 Hoosier Racing Tire Weekly Championship To Pay 80 Participating Drivers over $45,000
WEEDSPORT, NY – October 29, 2020 – In a year filled with uncertainty, there was one thing drivers could count on in 2020: the Hoosier Racing Tire Weekly Championship. As COVID-19 restrictions throttled motorsports in the Northeast, Hoosier Racing Tire and DIRTcar Northeast stepped up to add value to any DIRTcar sanctioned races in Ontario, CA, Quebec, CA, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and New York.
Fortunately for our fans and drivers, many of our dedicated DIRTcar sanctioned tracks found creative ways to make racing sustainable through back gate admissions for participants and live streaming.
The Hoosier Racing Tire Weekly Championship (formerly Mr. DIRTcar) is a unique, season-long, points race for Super DIRTcar Series Big Block Modifieds, DIRTcar 358 Modifieds, DIRTcar Sportsman Modifieds, and DIRTcar Pro Stocks. Each driver’s top 16 finishes throughout the year are calculated towards the championship. This year the payout was expanded all the way down to 20th in each division and totaling over $45,000.
With nine wins on the year, Stewart Friesen, who racked up the frequent flyer miles in 2020 with his Gander Mountain NASCAR Truck Series obligations on top of his Big Block Modified racing, knocked Matt Sheppard off the top for the championship. Friesen’s nine wins came at Orange County Fair Speedway, Albany-Saratoga Speedway, and Bridgeport Speedway where the Super DIRTcar Series took on the new ⅜ mile configuration. He will take over $5,000.
2019 Super DIRTcar Series champion Mat Williamson, from St. Catharines, ON, was lights out in 2020 with his DIRTcar 358 Modified. Williamson nailed down nine wins and 14 top fives, mostly in Canada, as Williamson struggled with the 358 during DIRTcar OktoberFAST tallying only a tenth and a fourteenth-place finish. But conquering Canada was enough and Williamson is champion for a $3,000 top prize.
Kevin Root, a name synonymous with excellence in DIRTcar Sportsman Modified competition, won the Hoosier Racing Tire Weekly Championship for Sportsman over Andrew Buff by a mere eight points. Once again Root was tough to be at Land of Legends Raceway. The Canandaigua, NY track also hosted the DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Series: Central Division finale, which Root also won. Over the season he picked up wins at Utica-Rome Speedway, Can-Am, and Weedsport Speedway’s only race of the year; the DIRTcar OktoberFAST finale. The Hoosier Weekly Championship was worth $1,000.
DIRTcar Pro Stock drivers battled hard on both sides of the US/Canada border however it was Luke Horning, winner at Albany-Saratoga Speedway, Glen Ridge Motorsports Park, and Utica-Rome Speedway. In the end, only 12 points separated Horning from rival Josh Coonradt, winner at Albany, Utica-Rome, and Airborne Speedway. Like Root, Horning will receive a $1,000 check for his championship.
With the health and safety of everyone in mind during the COVID-19 pandemic, officials decided canceling the banquets this year would be in the best interest of teams, drivers and staff. All posted awards for weekly racing for 2020 will be paid by mail on the previously scheduled banquet date. The DIRTcar Northeast awards will be paid on November 21, 2020.
Sources: Joe Grabianowski, Super DIRTcar Series PR
PHOTO: Jeff Ferguson