As the month of March begins to wind down, it’s finally time to get the local racing season started! Volusia Speedway Park will begin the 2022 season on March 26th with the 602 Late Models, 604 Late Models, DIRTcar UMP Modifieds, 3/4 Modifieds, Street Stocks and Thunder Stocks throughout the year. So to get you caught up on what you missed last year and what’s new this year, here is a rundown of everything you need to know before the first race.
Volusia on DIRTVision: For the first time in Volusia Speedway Park’s 54 year history, every race run at the track will be broadcasted live on DIRTVision. Volusia will be joining other iconic tracks such as Knoxville Raceway, Williams Grove Speedway & Millbridge Speedway as one of few premier dirt tracks across the country to have races streamed live from race to race. Whether you live locally, out of state, or across the pond in Australia, you can watch the racing from Volusia Speedway Park from anywhere, live on Saturday nights! Go to DIRTVision.com to see what options are best for you!
DIRTcar UMP Modifieds: If there was a definition for dominance in the 2021 UMP Modified division, it would show a picture of Garret Stewart. Almost every race last season saw him on the podium, or holding a trophy in his hand. Stewart has shown throughout the 51st DIRTcar Nationals that he hasn’t slowed down at all, and will look to show the same of what he showed last year.
602 Late Models: After a strong first half of the 2021 season that included 3 wins, last year’s track champion, Dustin Carter, will look to make it back to back championships with momentum on his side. However, 2020 track champion, Mikey Kopka, will be a great challenger to Carter after starting off 2021 with five podiums. Those being two wins and three second place finishes. The one key to winning this championship is consistency. Whoever makes it through the season without having many issues will have a great shot at winning the championship.
604 Late Models: Brandon Wells took home the championship last year after having a rough start with a DNF in the first race. With a trophy in hand and steering wheel in the other, you know he’ll be refreshed and ready for a second championship run.
3/4 Modifieds: Young Wade Olmsted showed that he’s got a lot of potential in his future when he won the 2021 championship, beating Timmy Hogan by a mere 21 points. This division is full of competition and drivers that have great potential to win the championship, and it could very well go down to the final race to determine who will be champion in 2022.
Street Stocks: Despite missing the first race of the season, Chris Lawrence pulled off the big comeback with six straight podiums and three wins to be able to win the championship. However, 3rd place in the standings, Bubba Christian, was a clear favorite to win the championship had he not missed 3 races throughout the season. It could be a dogfight between Lawrence and Christian for the 2022 championship.
Thunder Stocks: Even though Shaun Daugharty had a very slow start that included two DNF’s and one missed show, he fired on all fours when he needed to. A huge rebound that consisted of five wins and finishing in the top 3 at every race from the end of May until the season finale in November was what would earn him the track championship. It’ll be a storyline to see if Daugharty can bring more of the heat at the first race.