Lalonde: Students Build It, He Drives It

Super DIRT Week / World Racing Group ^ | August 22, 2025 | Mike Warren

[WhiteHatBobby0701]

OSWEGO, N.Y. — When the DIRTcar Pro Stock Series returns to Super DIRT Week 53 at Oswego Speedway in October, it’ll be the end of an era for one of its competitors.

Veteran Pro Stock driver Marc Lalonde will retire from full-time competition at the end of the 2025 season, meaning this year’s DIRTcar Pro Stock I Love New York 50 will be his final chance to win at “Racing’s Biggest Party.”

And he’ll try to do so with his high school class.

Lalonde is an auto shop teacher at Plantagenet High School in Ontario, and, as a class project every year, his students help build the car and crew it.

“We built the first Street Stock car in 2005,” Lalonde said. “After that, we went into Pro Stock, and our car now is the third one. We built that in 2018. We did that at school. We do everything there, we weld, and do maintenance on the car, and everything.

“(The Kids) are really excited about working on the car. Maintenance, championships, and everything.”

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TOPICS: Education; Miscellaneous; Sports
KEYWORDS: dirtcar; motorracing; oswego

[WhiteHatBobby0701]

A teacher challenged his auto shop students to build a dirt car and maintain it, he races it.

He is retiring at the end of the year. This is one way to get kids into auto shop in school. Get kids to build a DIRT car and work it.

[Big Red Badger]

Midgets,Sprints and then Indycar!
.
Works for Me!

[paulcissa]

I loved auto shop. I was suspended several times for skipping English or social studies to loiter in the bays and see what was being wrenched.

It launched a career for me and I have nothing but fond memories. I'm a bit jealous I didn't have a teacher than did this with class-crewing the car. What a cool thing. The making of Motor-heads.

[shotgun]

Those were the days. Auto Shop, Auto Body, Welding Shop, Wood Shop, Drafting classes, Small engines.