WEEDSPORT, N.Y.  Todd Root has made scattered starts with the Super DIRTcar Series since 2019, but this year he plans on being a familiar face.

When the weries returns to action at Can-Am Speedway on Saturday, April 12, Root will officially be the 20th full-time driver this season and the second MD3 Rookie of the Year contender.

I aint getting any younger, Root said. Equipment-wise, we have the best that weve ever had. New cars, new motors, and I just felt it was time to give it a shot.

Of Roots 12 starts with the Series, his best finish came during his Series debut at Weedsport Speedway in 2019 where he finished ninth. Hell get four opportunities to grab another top 10 at Weedsport in 2025 and a stop at his home track, Brewerton Speedway, during SummerFAST.

Weve had some pretty good runs with the Super DIRTcar Series at Weedsport before, Root said. I feel like you dont get much better than the Brewerton crowd on Friday nights. Theres a number of Super DIRTcar Series guys that run Brewerton weekly and trying to be able to run with them is our ultimate goal this year.

One of the challenges for Root will be venturing to new tracks for the first time. Its similar to Roots MD3 Rookie of the Year rival, Matt Stangle, who will debut at several Series stops this season. The battle with Stangle is something Root said hes looking forward to, and one he thinks will come down to the World of Outlaws World Finals in Charlotte.

I think Matts a really good driver, Root said. I think its a bit different for Matt being on Hoosiers and the [Super DIRTcar Series] side of things. I think hes going to adapt pretty quick and its going to be a pretty good shootout between the two of us. Its definitely huge for him not to make it to New Egypt. I was kind of bummed. I thought we had something good going in there, but that was a tough place to run my first Super DIRTcar Series race.

The next race for Root is the Thunder in the Thousand Islands when the Series visits Can-Am on Saturday, April 12. While hes raced the track before, itll be a new experience for Root, who will race his Big Block for the first time at the Nasty Track of the North.

Despite taking on something new this year, he has a season-long goal in mind, along with winning MD3 Rookie of the Year.

The ultimate goal would be top 15 in points, Root said. Youre running against the best of the best. You dont get much better than Matt Sheppard or Mat Williamson. So, if we can rip off a top five at a couple of these tracks, that would be like a win for our team.