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Mike Warren
January 9th 2025: In 2024, four drivers began their first journey as Super DIRTcar Series competitors.
While Alex Payne earned Rookie of the Year honors, Mike Trautschold, Justin Stone, and Daniel Johnson also made strides in their first season.
Each faced struggles, including learning new tracks, managing travel, and making the right tire choices.
Learning to race on Hoosier tires was the most significant struggle for Trautschold in 2024, he said. Before his rookie season, he typically raced on American Racer Tires, forcing the Roscoe, NY driver to learn on the fly.
“I don’t race a lot on Hoosier tires,” Trautschold said. “I have a small notebook now, and we’re just going to build from there.”
Building a notebook is one way the three drivers will try to manage their struggles in their second season. However, Johnson has another plan he said will help him in 2025.
“I need to keep a good attitude,” Johnson said. “Work with what I got and keep a good attitude. And I think it’ll ultimately end in better results.”
Stone came the closest of the three drivers to earning his first Super DIRTcar Series victory last season. The Middlebury, VT driver led the first half of the opening night of King of the North at Autodrome Drummond before a flat tire ended his chance to win.
However, knowing he was close to reaching Victory Lane built his confidence for 2025.
“Being out front and leading is awesome,” Stone said. “That’s what you want to do. That’s what you try to do. I don’t know how big of a lead I had; I was just trying to keep it together. As soon as I felt that flat tire going down, I was pretty bummed.”
Johnson’s first season with the Super DIRTcar Series is a year he’ll always remember. As the son of three-time Series champion Danny Johnson, the Middlesex, NY driver had the chance to compete with his father at every race.
It’s something Johnson, who became a dad during Super DIRT Week 52, cherishes.
“That was one of the best parts about it,” Johnson said. “Being able to race alongside him after watching him for so many years was the coolest part.”
While they weren’t competing against each other, Stone also traveled with his dad, Todd, who raced Big Blocks weekly in New York and Vermont.
“I’m super fortunate for that,” Stone said. “I get to bounce stuff off him. We have two different driving styles, though, so some stuff works, and stuff doesn’t. We both make our mistakes, but it’s nice to have the support and experience with me.
“But there’s a lot of tracks he’d never been to either, so it was different for him, too.”
While it wasn’t a family member, Trautschold found help from Payne and Payne’s dad, Eldon.
“It was important to have somebody to bounce ideas off of,” Trautschold said. “Those guys run a whole lot more Hoosier races than me. With Eldon racing for as many years as he did, those guys are definitely very helpful to me. I learned some stuff on engines, and their friendship is a good friendship.
“It’s valuable to me because they’re good people and definitely informative to help me keep things going in the right direction.”
Whether it’s dealing with learning curves, building a notebook, or bouncing ideas off family and competitors, Johnson, Stone, and Trautschold will use their knowledge to build toward a successful 2025 Super DIRTcar Series season.
The Super DIRTcar Series will open 2025 at Volusia Speedway Park during Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals, Feb. 12-15. For tickets, visit DIRTcarNationals.com.
If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch every race live on DIRTVision – either at DIRTVision.com or by downloading the DIRTVision App.
