Anytime a driver reaches Victory Lane at Super DIRT Week, it’s a significant resume piece that defines their career.
But for defending DIRTcar Sportsman Great Lakes 75 champion Richard Murtaugh, from nearby Fulton, NY, a win at Oswego Speedway meant a little bit more.
“It means a lot to me because I live here,” Murtaugh said. “Every time I go out in public, I usually get recognized. The Super DIRT Week win really changed my whole career. It did quite a lot for me.”
Murtaugh took the lead early in last year’s race and drove away from the field throughout the first 50 laps. However, when the race reached the closing stages, he was challenged by Emmett Waldron and Cody Manitta. Murtaugh held them off to earn his first Super DIRT Week win, but not before some indecision during the race.
“I just didn’t know where to be,” Murtaugh said. “I was in my groove, and then we got that yellow, and my [dad] was telling me to get to the bottom. Then I had Emmett on my outside, so I didn’t know where to be on the bottom or top. I was stuck in the middle for a couple of laps, and then I got my composure, found what line I liked, and drove right back away.”
Murtaugh’s Great Lakes 75 victory was one of four wins he had during the DIRTcar Sportsman Series Championship season in 2025, more than any other driver. This year’s Sportsman Series title is another milestone he’d like to add to his resume.
However, the Sportsman Series title isn’t his main focus in 2026; it’s returning to Victory Lane at the “Clay Palace.”
The [DIRTcar Sportsman Series championship] is high up there, too,” Murtaugh said. “But Super DIRT Week will always mean more to me. We have a car dedicated to DIRT Week and big races that we only pull out for certain races. We just won $5,000 at Devil’s Bowl (Speedway) with it last week, and I’m feeling pretty confident.”
His confidence entering Super DIRT Week 54 could propel him toward a milestone that’s only been accomplished twice by DIRTcar Sportsman drivers at Oswego. A win this year would make him the third driver to win back-to-back Great Lakes 75s, joining Dave Marcuccilli and Matt Janczuk.
It’s a win that would shut down any critics over his victory at Oswego last October, Murtaugh said.
“It would solidify my name in the history books,” Murtaugh said. “A lot of people had a lot to say when I won it the first time, like I got lucky, or it was a fluke. So, if I go back-to-back, it’s really going to solidify my name in the books and mean quite a bit for me, my whole team, and everyone that was doing a lot of talking.”
Murtaugh aims for his second DIRTcar Sportsman Great Lakes 75 victory when the DIRTcar Sportsman Series Championship Season visits Oswego Speedway during Super DIRT Week 54, Oct. 5-10.
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The post Richard Murtaugh Reflects on Super DIRT Week Victory, Aims to Become Third Driver to Win Back-to-Back Great Lakes 75s appeared first on Super DIRT Week.