Apr 6, 2026 10:55 AM EDT
OUTLAW SPEEDWAY OPENS 2026 SEASON WITH LUCAS OIL NATIONALS
Alex Payne takes home winners share of the massive opening day purse winning 35 lap Modified Feature.
The two nights of action presented by Lowery Family Farms in Savona.
Story by Kenny Shupp Jr.
(Dundee, NY) For the first time in three years, Outlaw Speedway was able to get their season lid lifter into the record books, however like previous years Mother Nature tried with everything she had to put a damper into track owner, Tyler Siri’s plans including record rain fall in the week leading up to the April 3-4, 2026 kick-off.
“We had close to 7” of rain in Dundee this past week. 4” of that coming just on Wednesday alone when severe weather passed through. Fortunately, I have plenty of the right equipment to take care of the problem. I was not worried about the racing surface; however, the pit and grandstand parking was a challenge. We got things where they needed to be to get the show in the books.” That is according to 11th year Owner/Promoter, Tyler Siri.
Friday night, April 3 was earmarked for open practice and Front Row Dashes to set things up for Saturday’s Lucas Nationals where 5 of Outlaw Speedway’s regular classes were in action.
Front Row Dash Winners and runner-up finishers in each class secured a spot in Saturday’s program.
Friendly Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram Modified top two included Matt Sheppard and Jeff Daugherty.
Knapp and Schlappi 602 Crate Sportsman two were Brent Ayers and Tyler Peet.
Swarthout Recycling Street Stocks found CJ Guererri and Jimmy Grant claiming the top two positions.
Danny Kerrick and Jerry Lobdell took spots one and two locking them into Saturday’s Addison, Corning, Hornell, Wellsville NAPA Hobby Stock feature.
Finally in the MR Grafix 4 Cylinder Mini Stocks it was Nick Brown holding off Gavin Hall to claim the pole spot for Saturday’s Lucas Nationals.
Saturday afternoon turned out to be a beautiful day and after the early fog burned off fans and drivers were treated to sunny skies and mid-70’s temperatures.
Eighty-seven machines checked in for the first full day of race competition which included qualifying heats and feature events.
In Friendly Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram 35 lap Modified feature action Matt Sheppard and Jeffery Daugherty brought the field to the opening green with Daugherty getting the early jump and led the first twelve circuits as he was able to keep Sheppard at bay.
Alex Payne piloting one of Dundee, NY car owner, Tim Gibson’s potent machines is also a teammate to The Doctor of Modified Racing Danny Johnson at Outlaw Speedway, and the duo was making their way to the front from positions six and five respectfully.
It was a lap thirteen outside move by Payne around both Sheppard and Daugherty to take the lead had the capacity crowd on its feet and once out in front Payne was able to maintain a comfortable margin over Sheppard who had finally passed Daugherty for the second spot.
By the halfway mark, the top five included Payne, Sheppard, Johnson, Daugherty and 2025 Outlaw Speedway Modified Track Champion, Michael Maresca who drew poorly and started the thirty-five-lap grind in eleventh.
Mat Williamson was making an exceedingly rare appearance at Outlaw Speedway and for the veteran St. Catherines, Ontario driver he started ninth on the opening green and methodically made his way thru a stacked field and into the top five by the lap 25 mark. With the laps winding down and with Payne and Sheppard comfortably in front of the rest of the pack all eyes shifted to a spirited battle between Danny Johnson, Maresca and Williamson.
Williamson was able to dispose of Johnson in the closing laps and when the double checkered rags waved it was Payne picking up the big check for $4011.00 with Sheppard finishing in the runner-up slot. Williamson capped off a brilliant effort to round the podium in what was his best run at Outlaw.
“It just seems like whenever we come here with the Short Track Super Series I have problems. Last time it was a flat tire while in the top three, so it feels good getting out of here with a nice finish. It was our first outing since Florida in February, so we needed to shake off some rust.” That is according to third place finisher, Mat Williamson.
Doc Johnson had to settle for fourth after starting in that same position with Maresca rounding the top five finishers.
In companion Knapp and Schlappi Lumber Crate Sportsman thirty-lap feature action, former Lucas Nationals Sportsman winner, Brent Ayers and Tyler Peet led the charge of twenty-one competitors into turn one and unfortunately for the rest of the field, Tyler Peet did not forget how to get around Outlaw Speedway after last fall’s Crate Sportsman special runner-up finish to Payton Talbot as part of Dutch Hoag Memorial Weekend.
Peet, who is known as one of the top competitors in the northeast in 602 Crate Sportsman action really has these things figured out and with his second place finish to Ayers in the Friday night Dash his outside front row starting position made things easy for the Lake Ariel, Pa speedster as he cruised to the $2011 pay day.
For Brent Ayers, his second-place finish capped off a great weekend for the Dundee, NY local hometown favorite and it sets him up for what promises to be a great 2026 season at Outlaw after finishing eleventh in the 2025 Sportsman point battle.
Third place went to Rathbone, NY veteran Tim Guild with Josh Nobriga of Lindley advancing from fifth to finish fourth.
Collin Brown lined up twelfth on the opening grid, made some very nifty moves coming through traffic and wound up completing the top five finishers.
Swarthout Recycling Street Stocks made their way onto the Fast 4/10 of a mile Clay Oval for their twenty-lap feature with Geneva’s CJ Guererri and Jimmy Grant of Penn Yan bringing the field to the opening green. 2024 and 2025 Swarthout Recycling Street Stock Champions, Gene Sharpsteen of Chemung and Jasper’s Glenn Whritenour made up row two, so it was a who’s who list of feature winners and former Track Champions comprising the top two rows.
Grant was able to wrestle the lead away from Guererri and hold off twelve- time 2025 feature winner, Whritenour by over a full second in another real classic battle between the pair in route to the Lucas Nationals check for $1411.00,
Whritenour had to settle for second with Corning’s Brett Crawford completing the podium.
CJ Guererri drifted to fourth at the finish chased across the line by Joe Giardina of Beaver Dams, NY. who rounded out the top five.
By virtue of their first and second place finishes in Friday’s Front Row Dash Events, Daniel Kerrick and Jerry Lobdell Jr. would lead the charge of the field to green for the twenty-lap NAPA Hobby Stock feature go.
Kerrick was looking to back up his five-win season in 2024 with a Lucas Oil Nationals Trophy and $1011.00 check.
The fourteen different drivers that took the opening green represented numerous different speedways throughout the region, Kerrick found himself under a lot of pressure to hold off a stellar field of invaders.
However, the third Generation Stanley, NY driver was up to the task as he was able to hold off Jerry Lobdell Jr. of Freeville to claim the victory.
Dusty Baker of Bainbridge, NY made the long trek to Outlaw, lined up third on the opening start, ran a consistent race to complete the podium.
Fourth place went to multi time Outlaw Hobby Stock Champ, Mr. Smooth, Marc Minutolo of Newark with Jared Hill of Dundee competing the top five after starting in the seventh spot at the start of the twenty-lap feature.
Completing the opening day of action at the popular Yates County Speedway, the MR Grafix 4 Cylinder Mini Stocks took to the speedway for their twenty-lap A Main.
Nick Brown of Troupsburg and Gavin Hall from Dundee would set the pace in the early going with a slew of track regulars and invaders close behind. Craig Decamp of Beaver Dams began the feature inside row six but wasted little time slicing and dicing his way to the front of the field and once there he would never look back,
Decamp left with the Lucas Oil Nationals winner’s check for $1011.00 while former Woodhull Raceway Track Champion, Teddy Morseman came from sixth to claim the runner-up spot.
Completing the top three was Nate Powers of Pennellville.
A pair of former Mini Stock Champions rounded out the top five with Jayson Smart of Branchport finishing fourth while last year’s Track Champion Zach Daugherty of Elmira finished fifth.
Congratulations to all competitors,
Up next at Outlaw Speedway it will be the 1st Annual Dave Guererri Sr. Memorial Event with the format mirroring that of the Lucas Nationals with practice and Front Row Dashes for the Regular Fast 5 Divisions on Friday then Saturday it will be heat, consolation and feature events.
For more information including gate and start times along with ticket prices simply log on at www.Facebook.com/OutlawSpeedwayLLC/.
FRIENELY CHRYSLER, DODGE, JEEP, RAM, MODIFIEDS. 17 CARS
35 LAP FEATURE. 1) ALEX PAYNE 2) Matt Sheppard, 3) Mat Williamson,4) Danny Johnson, 5) Michael Maresca, 6) Jeffery Daugherty. 7) Pat Ward, 8) Stacy Jakson, 9) AJ Potrzebowski Jr., 10) John Michael Phillips, 11) Karl Comfort, 12) Rusty Smith, 13) Bobby Varin, 14) Tommy Collins, 15) Ray Bliss, 16) Ron Cartwright Jr. DNS. Tyler Siri.
KNAPP ANS SCHLAPPI LUMBER CRATE SPORTSMAN 21 CARS
30 LAP FEATURE. 1) TYLER PEET, 2) Brent Ayers, 3) Tim Guild, 4) Josh Nobriga,5) Collin Brown, 6) Cayden Lawson, 7) Blake Parsons, 8) Quintin Buchanan, 9) Dale Welty, 10) Scott Torbitt, 11) Colton Coots, 12) Nigel Pendyloski, 13) Chris Darling, 14) Neil Zielinski, 15) Josh Sokolic, 16) Dean Loughlin, 17) Belle Hogan, 18) James Friesen, 19) MJ Weber, 20) AJ Potrzebowski Sr., DNS. Donnie Lawson.
SWARTHOUT RECYCLING STREET STOCKS. 10 CARS
25 LAP FEATURE. 1) JIMMY GRANT, 2) Glenn Whritenour, 3) Brett Crawford, 4) CJ Guererri, 5) Joe Giardina, 6) Willy Easling, 7) Gene Sharpsteen, 8) Eli Mangiarelli, 9) Dylan Decker, 10) Trent Chamberlin.
ADDISON, CORNING, HORNELL, WELLSVILLE NAPA HOBBY STOCKS. 16 CARS.
20 LAP FEATURE. 1) Daniel Kerrick, 2) Jerry Lobdell, 3) Dusty Decker, 4) Marc Minutolo, 5) Jared Hill, 6) josh Towner, 7) Jesse Balance, 8) Nate Peckham, 9) Brighton Grant. 10) Harold Lobdell Jr., 11) TJ Matthews, 12) Eri Dorn, 13) Chaz Vanderwall, 14) Damon Decker. DNS Rich Sharpsteen, Jake Karlnoski.
MR GRAFIX 4 CYLINDER MINII STOCKS. 23 CARS.
20 LAP FEATURE. 1) CRAIG DECAMP, 2) Teddy Morseman, 3) Nate Powers, 4) Jayson Smart, 5) Zach Daugherty, 6) Austyn Diaz, 7) Courtney Thomas, 8) Logan Almekinder, 9) Gavin Hall, 10) Ralph Teeter, 11) Justin Wilson,12) Marvin Jenkins,13) Kyle Simmons, 14) Dodge Smith, 15) Timathy Hendrikx, 16) Eric Inman, 17) Ricky Vanzile, 18) 1x) Jacob Stone, 19) 4x Nick Brown, 20) Jessie Smith, 21) Tim Dunn, 22) Dakota Fuller. DNS Ryan Stone.
