After a busy pair of races north of the border in Quebec, the Super DIRTcar Series awaits a return to Central New York for a rare Saturday night showdown on July 28 in the Hall of Fame 100 at Weedsport Speedway. The $10,000-to-win race is part of a big Hall of Fame weekend for the beautiful 3/8-mile track, which also hosts the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series on Sunday, July 29.

The Hall of Fame 100 is the fourth Super DIRT Week qualifier, which will lock one more driver into a guaranteed starting position for NAPA Auto Parts Super DIRT Week XLVII at Oswego Speedway from October 3-7, 2018. The 100-lap affair is a big one and Saturday’s race is certainly circled on Max McLaughlin’s calendar.

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Saturday, July 28 | 6:30 PM ET

The North Carolina teenager turned New York resident is inching closer to his first win with the premier Big-Block Modified series. After a second-place finish at Weedsport in May and a fourth-place run Tuesday night at Autodrome Drummond, McLaughlin has five top fives in 10 races so far this season and is knocking on the door of that first victory. His car owner, Al Heinke, also owns Weedsport Speedway, so to earn his first win on Saturday would be particularly special.

“That would mean the world,” McLaughlin said. “I want to win at Weedsport not just for Al, but for the whole organization. It would be an awesome thing to do and it would mean the world to us and to Al Heinke. He’s the reason I’m even in a race car at all. If we were able to get our first Super DIRTcar Series win at Weedsport Speedway, that would be incredible.”

McLaughlin is off to an impressive start to the campaign. The 18-year-old is currently second in the Super DIRTcar Series point standings in just his second full season on tour, thanks to a strong start. He believes his runner-up finish at Weedsport back on May 28, the first series race of the season, sparked his strong campaign.

A good look at @MaxMcLaughlin_’s @HBR_Motorsports 6H. pic.twitter.com/KxcX95fqa9

— Super DIRTcar Series (@SuperDIRTcar) July 24, 2018

“We’ve always struggled at Weedsport, but then we ran second to (Stewart) Friesen,” McLaughlin explained. “That was kind of when we were like ‘we have a good car’ and it was the turning point for us. We’re in contention to win everywhere we go and that’s all you can ask for.”

Since then, McLaughlin has been a factor in nearly every Super DIRTcar Series event and has only finished out of the top 10 in a single race. In July he found another gear as well. He earned weekly Big-Block wins at Land of Legends Raceway in Canandaigua, NY, on July 7 and at Brewerton Speedway on July 13.

“The last couple of weeks we’ve hit on some stuff and we’ve done a lot of things that I’ve liked and it allows me to drive the car how I want,” McLaughlin explained. “I really am happy with the way our cars are right now. We definitely have momentum on our side."

The transition to full-time Big-Block Modified racing for the driver of the Mohawk Northeast/Textron Off-Road No. 6h over the past three years has been nothing short of impressive. After spending the 2015 World Finals getting his feet wet, he joined the tour full-time in 2016 at just 16 years of age. Then he earned the 2017 Super DIRTcar Series Most Popular driver award and now McLaughlin says he feels comfortable racing against the series veterans.

“Seat time helps, especially in a series where guys have been racing for 40 years,” McLaughlin said. “Some of these guys have been racing these cars longer than I’ve been alive. It’s crazy. It’s a really tough class and it’s a tough car to drive, so they’ll teach you a lot as a driver.”

Aside from his father, Dirt Modified Hall of Famer “Magic Shoes” Mike McLaughlin, the driver dubbed “Mad Max” has had one of the best teacher’s he could ask for in veteran Super DIRTcar Series pilot Jimmy Phelps. Not only is McLaughlin off to a hot start, but so is Phelps, who got his first series win of the season at Brewerton in June. The two drivers, along with a dedicated crew, have worked together and found something that works consistently well for both drivers.

“We’ve definitely changed a lot over the winter, but as far as our cars, our chassis (Teo Pro Cars) stayed the same,” McLaughlin said. “We’ve kind of just gone back to basics. We just went back to our basic deal and went back to the setup book and looked at what we had success with in the past. We’ve definitely hit on something. Jimmy’s been awesome everywhere he’s gone, and lately, we’ve been right there with him.”

So, does McLaughlin think that, with recent momentum on his side, the first win is within his grasp this season?

“I do. We’ve had so many shots to win and we’ve been so good all year,” McLaughlin acknowledged. “To win these things, it seems like you have to be up front right at the start because everybody’s so close, the drivers are so good. It takes a night to put it all together to win and it’s not easy.”

Perhaps it will all come together in storybook fashion on Saturday night at Weedsport.