Car Owner’s Withdraw Leaves Alex Payne Looking For A Way To Continue All Out Dirt Mod Assault

Alex Payne headed into the racing season with momentum on his side and a packed schedule of dirt Modified races ahead — until one decision shifted everything. Fresh off a strong February showing in Florida, where he notched two runner-up finishes among five top-10 finishes, the 19-year-old driver learned his primary backers at Nardozzi Paving and Construction were pulling their support.

“I was shocked,” Payne said.

“We had a great season last year; I fully understand and respect the decision Mike and Jay Nardozzi have made. Their focus is on new business ventures to further strengthen their future, I cannot be more thankful for what they have done and provided for me over the last few years.”

The Hopewell, NY teenager proved his driving skills racing locally in upstate New York at Canandaigua’s Land of Legends Raceway and Dundee’s Outlaw Speedway. Thanks to Nardozzi’s support, Payne went on the road full-time last year with great success. He captured his first Super DIRTcar Series win, finished seventh in the point standings, and earned Rookie of the Year honors.

Racing locally, Payne won the Modified track championship on Friday nights at Outlaw and on Saturdays at Land of Legends, finished fourth in the standings behind only established veterans Mat Williamson, Peter Britten, and Matt Sheppard.

“We have raced on our own before, so we understand the challenges that lie ahead and are doing our best to prepare for them,” said Payne.

“But there’s no way we can do 70 to 80 races without some help. I’m not going to quit — that’s out of the question. I’m just not sure how I’m going to be able to race as often as I want to.”

To compete in the Super DIRTcar Series opener at N.J.’s New Egypt Speedway on April April 5th, Payne brought out his family-owned Modified and still finished 10th.

“We ran out of our shop last year, so we have mostly everything we need there. We put our car together for New Egypt and used our trailer to get there,” said Payne.

“We’re going to need some help — a sponsor, or I would entertain a series ride for the Super DIRTcar series races.”

Payne had also planned to extend his racing efforts this year by following select Short Track Super Series North and South races with Western PA car owner Todd English.

The team debuted during the Florida Sunshine Swing at All-Tech Raceway, earning a runner-up finish to Stewart Friesen. Payne also competed in the STSS South opener at PA’s Port Royal Speedway with his Billy the Kid big-block engine under the hood.

“Everything started out so good. It’s a shame this all came about just as the racing season is about to get busy, but we fully understand and respect the decision they’ve made. We will continue to push through this process and do our best to gear up for the 2025 season,” said Payne.

The weather-related cancellation of this past weekend’s SDS event at N.Y.’s Can-Am Speedway came as a bit of a relief for Payne, who signed a Platinum Membership committing to run the entire series. He promises he’ll be at the next series event this Friday at Albany-Saratoga Speedway. He’ll then have nearly a month, until May 13th, to be ready for the following event in Georgetown, DE.

“We would have been at Can-Am on Saturday, but the time off let me catch up at the shop,” said Payne, who has been busy building Bilstein shocks for other racers in the northeast.

Racing for a living, Payne has the time, knowledge, and manpower to build a winning Modified alongside his father, former driver Eldon Payne. They have the shop, the tools, and the crew — but now find themselves unexpectedly lacking the necessary resources.

“I’ll be racing — I’m just not sure how long I can keep going without securing some sponsorship to help push our program forward, we will adjust our schedule accordingly to fit our main focuses,” Payne said.

“We’ve got all the tools we need, just don’t have the resources. The word got out, and one car owner offered me a small-block engine, which I really appreciate. Hopefully some other opportunities will come along as well, I can’t thank all my fans and supporters enough for always supporting the No. 70a, we are proud of where we are and are excited for what’s in the future”