NEW EGYPT, N.J. — Alex Payne accomplished his Super DIRTcar Series goals in 2024, winning his first feature and earning rookie-of-the-year honors.
Now, he returns for his second full-time season, riding a wave of confidence and a desire to become the next series champion.
The Hopewell, N.Y., driver’s self-belief stems from his experience gained competing against drivers like defending series champion Mat Williamson, 10-time series champion Matt Sheppard, Peter Britten and Erick Rudolph on the tour and regularly at Land of Legends Raceway – where he finished fourth in track points last year.
“I think that we’re capable of competing against these guys,” Payne said. “And I think if I can be a little bit better, start up front, make the redraw every night, and get a couple of wins on the board, I don’t think it’s that big of a reach.
“It makes us want to work twice as hard at it.”
In February, Payne narrowly missed out on his second Super DIRTcar Series win during Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park. He finished second to Peter Britten after a close battle for the Gator trophy.
He added three more top 10s at the event and kept his consistent streak going at Port Royal Speedway last weekend with a fourth-place finish. Payne aims to continue the strong 2025 start when the Super DIRTcar Series kicks off its championship season on Saturday, March 29, at New Egypt Speedway.
“Last year, we ran sixth at New Egypt,” Payne said. “Hopefully, we can do better than that and have a solid weekend to start the year. Obviously, there’s some things you can’t control, but hopefully we’ve done a good enough job this winter to make sure everything is in the best shape possible.
“Hopefully, we come out of the box just as good as we did last year.”
While Payne is looking to build off his rookie season, there will be a slight change throughout the season. When you see Payne at the race track, Eldon, his dad, isn’t far behind. However, with Alex’s sister Kennedy starting to expand her racing career in the DIRTcar Sportsman division, Eldon won’t be with his son at every race.
Despite the change, it doesn’t faze the 19-year-old driver as he focuses on his next series goal.
“We work a lot on our program, and when we get to the racetrack, we just bounce a couple of ideas off each other,” Payne said. “I don’t think it’ll change a whole lot. I definitely think me, and my guys are capable of doing the same job either way. I think it’ll be just fine.”
