A new format loaded with chances for DIRTcar UMP Modified drivers to win during the 51st DIRTcar Nationals has been prepared – for 2022 only – to determine an overall points champion and Gator Championship victor.
The “All-Features Night” returns Thursday, but with a twist due to the first three nights of racing being rained out. There will be two rounds of Feature action – five Features in each round – this year lined up by Qualifying results (fastest to slowest). The first lap will line up the first round of Features and the second lap will line up the second round.
Points earned from Thursday’s Features will determine the qualifying order for Friday’s “Gator Qualifier.” The field will be split into Group A (odd points) and Group B (even points). The top-10 from the A and B Features will be locked into Saturday’s Gator Championship race. Following those Features, a round of five more Features will follow – lined up non-staggered from Qualifying. The second round is another chance to earn points toward the Big Gator title.
Saturday’s Gator Championship Feature will follow its normal format to set the field for the 30-lap main event, complete with Last Chance Showdowns and redraw for the top-10 Feature starters.
The overall Big Gator Champion will also still be based on Feature points only.
Complete format details are listed below. For the latest news, content and lap-by-lap updates from Volusia Speedway Park, be sure to follow DIRTcar Nationals on Twitter and check out DIRTcarNationals.com.
If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision.
Thursday, February 10, 2022 – ALL CARS WILL RUN TWO FEATURES
- The number of features will be based on total car count
- All cars will hot lap based on their pill draw
- All cars will qualify based on their pill draw – 2 laps (Green, White, Checkered)
- It will be overall qualifying (all cars will be qualifying against each other)
- Lap 1 of your qualifying time will line you up for the first set of features
- Lap 2 of your qualifying time will line you up for the second set of features
- Features will be lined up non-staggered based on qualifying fastest to slowest. We will run the features from slowest feature to fastest feature (5, 4, 3, 2, 1)
- All drivers will earn points for their qualifying effort
- 1st place will get 200 points, each position after that will drop by 1 point down to 1 point. (1st – 100, 2nd – 98, 3rd – 96, etc.)
- All drivers will earn feature event points (80, 75, 70, 65, 60, 55, 53, 51, 49, 47, 45, then down by 1.)
- All points from your efforts on Thursday will lineup your events for Friday.
Friday, February 11, 2022
- All cars will hot lap/qualify
- Qualifying groups will be sorted based on overall points from Thursday, with odd-placed positions being in Group A and even-placed positions being in Group B.
- All cars will qualify – 2 laps (Green, White, Checkered)
- You will qualify overall within your Group A or Group B
- Each Group will have 4 Heat Races, 2 Last Chance Showdowns and a Feature
- Heat Races will be lined up based on your fastest qualifying time.
- Heat Transfers will be announced at the driver’s meeting
- LCS Transfers will be announced at the driver’s meeting
- Top 10 from each feature will be locked into the Gator Championship
- The 2nd round of features will be lined up non-staggered based on qualifying, fastest to slowest. We will run the features from slowest feature to fastest feature (5, 4, 3, 2, 1). Lap 2 of your qualifying time will line you up for the second set of features.
Saturday, February 12, 2022
- Cars that are not locked in will run Last Chance Showdowns
- We will line up the LCS based on the 1st round of Feature finishes from Friday
- LCS Transfers will be announced at the driver’s meeting
- We will have provisionals
- Gator Championship will be 30 Laps
- Overall Gator Championship Points will be based on Feature points only