DIRT: Coveted By Many, Mr. DIRT Championship Earned By A Select Few

By DIRT MotorSports PR

WEEDSPORT, N.Y. – On the track a driver's winning formula for the overall Mr. DIRT title is quite simple.

Step 1: Establish some weekly dominance at a hometrack, fill the summer with mid-week travel plans gaining success on the road, and then maintain a Modified durable enough to survive two months of non-stop, season-ending, extra-distance competition on the weekends.

But away from the track, attempt to figure out some unknown variables and instantly the equation becomes much more difficult.

Step 2: Log substantial hours of preparation, combine a high degree of determination and unquenchable level of self-motivation, and throw in a flexible bank account, loyal sponsor, garage full of spare parts and capable teammates, along with a sufficient amount of good fortune.

While a precise mixture of ingredients for this two-rung ladder may have grown rather complex over time, on paper the recipe for crowning the newest overall 2005 Hoosier Tire-Sunoco Race Fuels Mr. DIRT champion remains a matter of basic arithmetic.

Every driver qualified for an Advance Auto Parts Super DIRT Series event earns points toward the season-long big-block Modified championship, with those same points combined with the best-five feature finishes at a driver's home track to determine the overall champion. In the companion 358-Modified, Sportsman and Pro Stock divisions, bonus points are awarded to the top hometrack performers while actual points are offered during their own season-long Series championship events. Regional bonus points are also included for Sportsman and Pro Stock competitors only.

Those are the formats used today. However, when DIRT MotorSports™ was born in 1976 only two weekly tracks were sanctioned, unlike the 26 that are ready to fly the DIRT banner in '05. The highly coveted title distinction meant little to those that raced outside DIRT of Central New York tracks Cayuga County Fair Speedway in Weedsport and Rolling Wheels Raceway in Elbridge. Will Cagle captured the inaugural points crown when all that mattered was racing the most and beating up on weekly low-buck opponents. Cagle repeated the feat in 1978 and '79, garnering track championships at Cayuga County, Rolling Wheels and Canandaigua Speedway both years.

The 1980s arrived and so did a half-dozen new tracks, expanding the growing DIRT circuit as far east and west in the Empire State and north into Canada. Separate but equal Central New York and Eastern New York divisions were designated with special events at each track counting toward the overall Mr. DIRT title. A new points system was incorporated in 1981 to handle the influx of newly-sanctioned speedways as well as the greater number of drivers' now available to seek the prestigious Mr. DIRT points crown that was growing annually in stature.

Still another major change in the system of points accumulation took place in 1982 whereas only the total points accrued at a driver's best track were added to those earned at select in-season extra points events. The revision was designed to dismiss the advantage of those drivers who could race three times a week while more fairly award the top participants at every DIRT-member facility. While an informal double-points trail was first introduced in 1980, also new in '82 was what is now recognized today ---then officially known as CAM2--- as the Advance Auto Parts Super DIRT Series.

More variations to the points scheme came in 1983 as only the best 15 hometrack finishes plus a driver's highest seven CAM2 finishes were used to determine the Mr. DIRT champion. Furthermore, points could only be earned at DIRT member tracks from May through Labor Day. With the addition of numerous small-block tracks to the DIRT fold, Tony Corcoran was crowned the first-ever Mr. DIRT 320-Modified champion by season's end.

Total hometrack points were again redeemable in 1984 and the entire Modified and 320-Modified Championship Trails awarded points toward the respective Mr. DIRT titles. Clearly, the more DIRT events a racer supported the better his chances. To discourage track officials from favoring their regular drivers, only one regular-point feature event was allowed per night.

The current hometrack bonus points system was instituted in 1985. In theory, a track could run 20 events (minimum 7 required) or even 50 events, yet the speedway champion would still be allotted 1000 points. Actual points were also still collected in the post-season champ trail races for both of DIRT's top open-wheel divisions. This system prevailed through the 1988 race season, at which time the first-ever DIRT-sanctioned event on pavement was officially recorded.

In 1989 a unified 31-race Mr. DIRT Tour was proposed but later rejected due to individual track promoters' reluctance to lose weekly regulars on account of high-paying special events run elsewhere. However, the Super DIRT Series and the inaugural DIRT-Asphalt Challenge Series did become part of the Mr. DIRT Championship that year and offered bonus points toward the overall title.

While the pavement parade expired at the end of the 1992 season, the Super DIRT Series remained strong and played a significant role in the title hopes of every aspiring Mr. DIRT champion. In fact, as the new millennium was first ushered in, the Super DIRT Series expanded to include the old Mr. DIRT champ trail making it the focal point of the entire seventh-month season.

Just as the headline big-block Modified and 358-Modified teams chased championship points through the 80s, Mike Button was recognized as the inaugural Mr. DIRT Sportsman champion in 1990. The first-ever full-fender titlist was declared in 1995 with Steve Pesarek claiming the highest honor bestowed in the Pro Stock ranks.

Despite the means in which DIRT MotorSports™ has altered its ultimate point chases to fit the times, the list of drivers encompassing more than 70 championships has yet to produce a fluke. While the 1997 season ended in a virtual tie, leaving some to believe it still remains imperfect, DIRT staffers retained their smiles at the conclusion of DIRT's 29th season as 2004 Mr. DIRT Modified champion Gary Tomkins collected $67,000 in point fund awards in November ceremonies.

Again offering a lucrative first-place prize to highlight DIRT MotorSports™ 30th season, long-time followers can recall better than most the $3,000 check handed out to 'Wiley Will' when DIRT's Bicentennial Banquet closed out that first season 29 years earlier.

The DIRT MotorSports™ Advance Auto Parts Modified Series is brought to fans across the Northeast by several sponsors and partners, including series sponsors Dynomax Performance Exhaust, Hoosier Racing Tire, Sunoco Race Fuels and DART Machinery. Promotional Partners include AMB i.t., RACEceiver and Zippo Lighters and the contingency sponsors are Bicknell Racing Products, Bilstein Shocks, MSD Ignitions and Wrisco Industries.