A NEW CHALLENGE: Super DIRT Week Champion Matt Janczuk Ready For Salute to the Troops 150 Debut
The Oneida, NY driver won the last two DIRTcar Sportsman Great Lakes 75 events at Oswego Speedway
OSWEGO, NY (August 15, 2025) – After winning back-to-back DIRTcar Sportsman Great Lakes 75’s at Super DIRT Week, Matt Janczuk will take on a new challenge this Fall.
The Oneida driver will return to “Racing’s Biggest Party” on Oct. 6-11, at Oswego Speedway. But this time, it’s behind the wheel of a DIRTcar 358 Modified.
“I’m just excited to get back to Oswego,” Janczuk said. “This is an awesome facility and a great atmosphere. We get around there great in a Sportsman, so I’m anxious to see how well we do with the 358.”
While an uphill climb awaits Janczuk, he already knows what it takes to win at the “Clay Palace. He said it comes down to one thing. Preparation.
“You look at the caliber of cars and the quality of cars and some of the history of drivers who’ve moved up, there’s just so much talent in all of the divisions,” Janczuk said. “(The Great Lakes 75) was one of the bucket list items on my racing career. I ran Syracuse in 2006, but I was a lot younger and nowhere near as prepared as I needed to be.
“But I knew what it would take to win Oswego. There was a little luck involved. But we were able to get into the (Super) six, which sets the stage for the rest of the week. We were doing whatever we needed to stay prepared and focused on winning that race.”
Along with his preparation will come an adjustment. While he’s used to running a crate engine around the 5/8-mile track, he’ll have more horsepower in the 358. However, Janczuk said his knowledge of the track should be helpful.
“I think adjusting to the 358 has been easier than the big Small Block stuff that we’ve been running,” Janczuk said. “I think the competition level is going to be a lot harder. But as far as driving the track, I don’t think it’s going to be that much different. Just a lot more competition for sure.”
Even with more competition, including drivers like Sheppard and defending winner Mat Williamson, Janczuk will take the same approach when he arrives at Oswego this fall.
“We’re going in trying to do the best we can and have the best prepared race cars that we can,” Janczuk said. “Same as we did with our Sportsman stuff, and it showed. The Sportsman division is competitive as well. And the 358 is just a lot of guys who race more times a week than I am right now.
“I just have so much going on in my life that I’m not putting the time into it that I really need to, to really excel as well as some of these other teams. But we’ve been steady all year. I can’t really complain.”
Janczuk and the DIRTcar 358 Modifieds will battle at Super DIRT Week 53 at Oswego Speedway Oct. 6-11, culminating in the Salute to the Troops 150 on Friday, Oct. 10.
If you can’t make it to a Super DIRT Week event, watch all the action live on DIRTVision, either online or with the DIRTVision app.
EVENT INFO: https://superdirtweek.com
TRACK INFO: https://www.oswegospeedway.com
FAN 101: https://about.dirtcar.com/
Super DIRT Week is brought to fans by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Billy Whittaker Cars and Trux, Chevrolet Performance and SIS Insurance. Other Super DIRT Week sponsors include: ARP (Automotive Racing Products), A-Verdi, Area Auto Racing News, ASI Race Wear, Bart Contracting Inc, Best Western Plus-Oswego, Beyea Custom Headers, Behrent’s Performance Warehouse, Bicknell Racing Products, C&S Companies, City of Oswego, Clarion Hotel – Oswego, Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, Dig Race Products, Empire Golf Cars, Fast Line Performance, Fast Shafts, Firebull, Fox Factory, Fratto Curbing, Gypsum Express, Hoosier Racing Tire, Integra Racing Shocks, Intercomp, iRacing, JAM Performance, Kirkey, MSD, Oswego County, Penske Shocks, Racing Electronics, SRI / SCAS, Swift Springs, Toyota, Tracey Road Equipment, Velocita, VP Racing Fuels, WELD Racing, Wieland and Winters. Special thanks to New York State.
The Super DIRTcar Series is brought to fans by many important sponsors and partners. Official partners include, DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Racing Electronics (Official Radio Supplier), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider), Toyota (Official Vehicle), and VP Racing (Official Racing Fuel). Also supported by : AMKUS, ARP (Automotive Racing Products), ASI Race Wear, Behrent’s Performance Warehouse, Bicknell Racing Products, Billy Whittaker Cars & Trux, Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, DIG Race, FIREBULL, Fox Factory, Intercomp, JAM Performance, MD3, Milton Hershey School, MSD, SRI / SCAS, Swift Springs, WELD Racing, Wieland (Exclusive Racing Aluminum).
Sources: Nick Graziano, Super DIRTcar Series PR