GEORGETOWN, Del.  After finishing 10th in the 2024 Super DIRTcar Series standings, Mike Mahaney needed a better start to 2025.

The Elizabethtown, N.Y., driver made that happen with a fourth-place finish at Albany-Saratoga Speedway his first series top five since the season finale at The Dirt Track at Charlotte in 2023.

It was a good race, Mahaney said. Its huge momentum for us. At New Egypt, we qualified really well and fell back in the feature. But at Albany, it was a stout car count, and in qualifying, you really had to be on the ball. I had a great heat race and went forward in the feature, too. It was a great turnaround from New Egypt.

Mahaney ran in the top five throughout the 60-lap feature, narrowly missing out on a podium finish at his Friday night home track. However, a pivotal moment in the race may have cost him a chance at earning his third Series win at Albany-Saratoga.

When Neil Stratton spun to bring out the races only caution on Lap 30, Mahaney was in third, catching Alex Yankowski and eventual winner L.J. Lombardo in lapped traffic. That lined him up on the inside lane for the races only restart, which allowed Sears to drive back around him on the outside.

Momentum was on my side at that point, Mahaney said. The car just seemed like it was working really good on that long run. We just had a good car that was really versatile in traffic, too. The whole thing was kind of coming my way, and then the caution came out, and the restart on the bottom kind of hurt me. I think I needed to be on the outside. I guess I probably wouldve been better off if I never passed Sears.

One of the keys to success at Albany-Saratoga is qualifying well. In both Super DIRTcar Series championship races in 2025, hes earned a front-row starting spot in his heat, which hes gone on to win on both occasions.

The driver of the George Huttig-owned No. 35 attributed that to the teams attention to detail during the winter.

I think weve really put a lot of work in during the offseason to have our ducks in a row, Mahaney said. Our equipments really nice this year. I have to thank Lance Maxon and Jacob Powell for putting all the time in during the offseason. So, were very prepared.

With Albany-Saratogas event in the rear-view mirror, Mahaney is turning his attention to Georgetown Speedway, where the Super DIRTcar Series makes its next stop in May. Hes made 13 starts at the Delaware facility, earning four top fives, including two podium finishes.

But when he returns to Georgetown next month, its going to be different. Its the first race for many drivers at the track on Hoosier Racing Tires.

To me, itll be like going to a new track, Mahaney said. Most of us know the track, but the car just wont drive the same with that package. I think itll be a learning experience for everyone. I think itll be a wild card race and should be a lot of fun.