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Revving Up for Thunder: Can-Am Speedway’s 51st Season Ignites with Action-Packed Weekend

The 51st season at the Can Am Speedway in Lafargeville New York is set to get underway with the annual Thunder On The Thousand Islands weekend, which features an action packed two days of racing.

Friday night the action kicks off with the DIRTcar 358 Modified Series opener, the first of 12 races on this year’s schedule. The series first made its appearance in 1983, when Northeast Modified Hall of Famer Dave Heaslip took the checkered flag, with Andy Romano, Lin Hough, Mal Lane and Chuck Kennison completing the top 5. The series lost both events last year due to bad weather. Tim Fuller is the most recent series winner back on September 8th of 2023, when he held off Dave Marcuccilli and reigning series champion Felix Roy, for a record 9th series win at the Nasty Track of the North. Scheduled to go on the card for the Friday night portion will be the Bob Johnson Auto Group DIRTcar Sportsman, plus the Panther Frameworx Crate Sprints and a practice session for the Super DIRTcar Series

Saturday the spotlight is all on the Super DIRTcar Series and defending series champion Mat Williamson. Money Mat claimed his first ever Can Am win taking the September R.D Hutchinson Memorial one year ago and will look for back-to-back series wins.

The series has a lengthy history at the speedway dating back to 1988 when the late Doug Hoffman picked up the win over Charlie Rudolph and Brett Hearn.

Hall of Famer Steve Paine leads all drivers with 4 series wins with Matt Sheppard earning 3 series wins and will look for a 4th on Saturday, as he pursues 100 series wins. Brett Hearn leads all drivers with 11 top 5 finishes and also leads everyone with 17 top 10s. Billy Decker remains the only driver to start all 25 series races since that first one in 1988.

Can Am regulars have done very well in the past against the Super DIRTcar Series regulars. Tim Fuller, the 4-time and defending Whitesboro Plow Shop DIRTcar 358 Modified track champion, made his series debut in 1993 finishing an impressive 4th. Fuller has a series win in 2007. Pat O’Brien upset the field in 1990 holding off Brett Hearn for the win, while his brother Danny O’Brien also claimed a win despite blowing a left rear tire, coming to the checkered flag in 1995.

Also, part of the night will see the opening round of the DIRTcar Sportsman North Regional Series. The most recent series event was a thriller, when Eric Nier and defending North Regional Champion Shane Pecore battled side by side in a close finish, with Nier claiming his first career series win, one week after scoring his first career win in the DIRTcar Sportsman ranks. Tyler Corcoran leads all drivers with four series while 6-time track champion and the winningest driver in the DIRTcar Sportsman ranks at Can Am Steve Hall, owning three wins. Saturday will be the first of three series races for the division with a Central/North Series race in July and a Championship tour race during the Showdown in September weekend.

Another major event on the schedule is the first of two Ron White Memorial events for the Sundance Leisure Thundercar division. The annual race was rained out last fall and the division will see a second Ron White Memorial event during the Showdown in September weekend. Veteran Thundercar pilot Jock Symonds won the most recent event in 2023.

Plenty will be happening during the weekend at Can Am off the race track this weekend. Thunder on the Thousand Islands weekend promises exciting events for racing fans and the community. On Friday, THRIVE will be the featured nonprofit, setting up a table to engage attendees. It’s also Can-Am Creativity Night, where fans are encouraged to show their racing excitement with creative signs. The winner will receive two tickets to a future race. On Saturday, DPAO will take the spotlight as the nonprofit of the evening. It’s School Spirit Night, celebrating the Lafargeville Lady Red Knights Basketball Team’s Class D State Title win. Fans are encouraged to wear red in support!

Plenty of racing action to begin the 51st season with two full days of racing April 11th and 12th. The track will be back on April 19th for a practice session, followed by the official 51st season opener for all five classes on April 26th.

For more updates on our upcoming weekend, head to our website at racecanam.com. Also give us a follow-on Facebook and be sure to follow us on My Race Pass all season long.

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