With the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series shifting its portion of Georgia-Florida Speedweeks to after Feb. 15’s Daytona 500 for the first time ever in 2026, the Hunt the Front Super Dirt Series is filling the Jan. 30-31 void its second running of the South Georgia Showdown at Needmore Speedway in Norman Park, Ga.

While purses for the two-day program have yet to be finalized, the series expects "a significant increase in payouts over the inaugural format," with Jan. 29 serving as a practice night at the 3/8-mile red-clay oval.

“Being part of Speedweeks is a big deal for our series,” Hunt the Front Super Dirt Series director Joshua Joiner said. “There’s so much tradition and energy surrounding that time of year in our sport, and for us to have a presence in it is something we’re proud of.”

The third-year Hunt the Front tour appeared on the Speedweeks schedule for the first time this past year on Jan. 27-28 with a non-points event at Needmore. Despite Monday’s $10,000-to-win program raining out, Joiner and his staff “were really pleased with how it went” as Hudson O’Neal won Tuesday’s program worth $10,000 over a 27-car field.

“Now with the Lucas Oil Series shifting later in the calendar, we saw an opportunity to expand into a weekend slot and build something even bigger,” Joiner said. “We’re also really excited to continue working with (Needmore owner and promoter) Chance Smith and his team at Needmore.

“We had a great show there this year, and we’re looking forward to growing that event and our partnership with them even more moving forward.”

Joiner added that last year's inaugural South Georgia Showdown saw a "record live-streaming audience" on Hunt the Front TV.

“We’re really excited to bring the South Georgia Showdown back for a second year and continue building on what we started in 2025,” Smith said in a series release. “Needmore Speedway has been growing every season, and being part of Speedweeks is another big step forward for us. We’re proud to be working with the Hunt the Front team again—they bring a lot of professionalism, energy, and reach to everything they do, and it means a lot to have their series as part of this event. We had a great show this year, and we’re looking forward to making it even bigger in 2026.”