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Matt Sheppard Collects $58,500 at Short Track Super Series ‘Night of Champions’

LEHIGH VALLEY, PA – An historic night.

With the Bear Creek Mountain Resort serving as a backdrop, the Bob Hilbert Sportswear Short Track Super Series (STSS) Fueled By Sunoco celebrated a successful 2019 season and honored its first Insinger Performance ‘Grand Champion’ in Matt Sheppard Saturday night.

Savannah,
N.Y.’s Sheppard received $58,500 in
point fund money for his unprecedented trifecta, winning the STSS Halmar
International North Region ($12,500), Velocita-USA South Region presented by
Design for Vision and Sunglass Central ($10,000) and the home-track American
Racer Cup ($11,000) racing on Friday nights at Outlaw Speedway in Dundee, N.Y.

Bruce Insinger of Sunoco Race Fuels distributor Insinger Performance in Dushore, Pa., pledged a $25,000 bonus should one driver sweep the trio of titles. Sheppard cashed in just two years into the program.

The $58,500
‘Grand Champion’ payday marked the most lucrative dirt Modified title in the
country.

“There were a
lot of moving parts to make this possible,� offered Sheppard, thanking primary
sponsor Hurlock Auto & Speed and representatives on hand from several
different states. “I told Bruce (Insinger), never challenge a racer, because we
will find a way.�

Sheppard
credited the notebook he built chasing the ‘Grand Champion’ honors the previous
season.

“We knew what
we needed to do,� Sheppard said. “But everything had to go our way and fall
into place to get it done.�

STSS
organizer Brett Deyo opened the evening with a review of the ’19 season. He
cited several impressive statistics from the season. A total of 291 drivers
attempted at least one STSS Modified event, with 232 drivers taking part in a
Crate 602 Sportsman STSS-sanctioned race. An all-time-high 299 drivers
registered for the American Racer Cup in its ninth year.

The STSS paid
out $505,273 in purse money during the season, in addition to $24,652 in cash
bonuses. The point fund totaled $77,000, the American Racer Cup another $51,450
and the Insinger Performance $25,000 cash bonus brought the annual payout to
$683,375.

In the Halmar
International North Region, consisting of eight events, Sheppard won on three
occasions: the opener at Orange County Fair Speedway in Middletown, N.Y., the
combination North-South ‘Anthracite Assault’ at Big Diamond Speedway in
Minersville, Pa., in June and the Short Track SuperNationals at Afton (N.Y.)
Motorsports Park in October.

Sheppard’s
six top-five finishes were enough to clinch the title by a margin of 42 points
aboard the Hurlock Auto & Speed No. 9s.

Andy Bachetti
of Sheffield, Mass., finished all eight North Region races inside the top-10
and picked up a win at Accord (N.Y.) Speedway. Bachetti finished runner-up in
the standings, worth $7,000.

Six top-10
finishes propelled Mike Gular to a third-place result with Terry Fasnacht’s No.
2A. Boyertown, Pa.’s Gular received $4,000. Despite missing an event due to his
NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series commitments, Stewart Friesen of
Sprakers, N.Y., utilized three victories (Outlaw Speedway, N.Y.’s Fonda
Speedway and the Orange County Fair Speedway finale) to place fourth in points,
taking home $3,000.

Mat
Williamson of St. Catharines, Ont., completed the top five driving the
Behrent’s Performance Warehouse-fielded No. 3. Williamson received $2,500.
Williamson recorded five top-10 finishes including a season-high third-place
finish on three occasions.

Finishing
sixth through 12th, respectively, were Anthony Perrego of
Middletown, N.Y., ($2,000) with a best finish of second in the North Region
finale; Craig Hanson of Johnstown, N.Y., ($1,750) with three top-10 finishes;
Danny Creeden of Wurtsboro, N.Y., ($1,650); Billy Decker of Sidney, N.Y., who
won his career-first STSS Modified event at Thunder Mountain Speedway in Center
Lisle, N.Y., in May; Mike Mahaney of King Ferry, N.Y., ($1,450); Billy Van Pelt
of Westfield, Pa., ($1,000); and J.R. Hurlburt of Otego, N.Y., ($1,000).

Eight events
comprised the ’19 STSS Velocita-USA South Region presented by Sunglass Central
and Design for Vision. Sheppard won twice – at Delaware International Speedway
in Delmar, Del., in April and Big Diamond in June – and posted seven finishes
inside the top-10.

He secured
the title by merely taking the green flag in the finale at Georgetown Speedway,
boasting a 107-point edge.

Three-time
series champion Ryan Watt of Boyertown, Pa., registered a runner-up result,
pocketing $5,000 for the Ron Roberts-fielded team. Watt racked up six finishes
inside the top-10.

Earning his
second-career STSS Modified victory at New Egypt (N.J.) Speedway in August,
David Van Horn Jr. of Harmony, N.J., placed third in points ($3,000) driving
for Fred Vahlsing. Jeff Strunk of Boyertown, Pa., finished fourth in the Glenn
Hyneman Keystone Racing No. 126 ($2,000) and Milford, Del.’s Jordan Watson, who
won the Mid-Atlantic Championship finale at Georgetown Speedway, placed fifth
($1,500).

Drivers
placing sixth through 12th were Mike Gular of Boyertown, Pa., who
chased the entire series schedule in ’19 ($1,400); Andy Bachetti of Sheffield,
Mass., another full-season follower ($1,300); Craig Von Dohren of Oley, Pa.,
($1,200); ‘Blast at the Beach’ winner Billy Pauch Jr. of Milford, N.J.,
($1,100); Brandon Grosso of Belle Mead, N.J., in his first season on the series
($1,050); Rick Laubach of Hellertown, Pa., ($1,000); and Danny Bouc of
Pipersville, Pa. ($1,000).

Tim Hartman
Jr. of Niskayuna, N.Y., made a decision to chase STSS Crate 602 Sportsman North
Region points in ’19. The choice paid off with four wins in five completed
events. Hartman started the season with a victory at Thunder Mountain and
followed with checkered flags at Fonda, Accord (N.Y.) Speedway and Afton.

Hartman took
the title by a massive margin of 175 points and received $1,500 for his efforts
for the Parillo Services No. 22 team.

The top-10
drivers shared in point-fund money. Bobby Flood, Blaine Klinger, Jim Housworth,
Travis Green, Daniel Morgiewicz, Jimmy Johnson, Tommy Collins, Dustin Jordan
and Kenny Hammond finished second through 10th, respectively.

The South Region
Crate 602 Sportsman title was decided in November at Georgetown. When a number
of contenders succumbed to misfortune, youthful Cole Stangle of Neshanic
Station, N.J., persevered and took the crown.

Stangle
earned two top-five finishes and four top-10s, ending the year with a 36-point
edge. Stangle received $1,500 for the title.

Jim
Housworth, Jimmy Johnson, Dylan Swinehart, Joe Toth, Sammy Martz Jr., Trent Van
Vorst, Ryan Macartney, Scott Hitchens and Samantha Muller trailed Stangle.

STSS
organizer Brett Deyo distributed a number of special awards during the ‘Night
of Champions’ ceremonies.

The WELD
Wheels Hard Luck Award recipients for the series were Danny Bouc (South Region)
and Billy Van Pelt (North Region). Both drivers received a free WELD wheel for
the “award no one wants to win.�

VAHLCO Wheels
presented the South Region overall Hard Charger. Passing a total of 61 cars during
the season, Sheppard was the recipient of four VAHLCO Elite Series wheels with
a cash value of $1,400.

For his
tireless work to revitalize Afton Motorsports Park, Ron Ford received the Short
Track Super Series Promoter of the Year. After a dismal ’18 season, Ford
resurfaced Afton and rebuilt the weekly car counts and crowds before hosting a
highly successful Short Track SuperNationals 12 in October.

Terry
Fasnacht, who fields the Conestoga Valley Custom Kitchens No. 2A driven by Mike
Gular, was named STSS Car Owner of the Year. Fasnacht’s support allowed Gular
to chase both the North and South Region championships for the second straight
year.

The
Dedication to the Series Award went to Andy Bachetti. Since winning the very
first STSS event in April 2014, Bachetti has made the haul from Sheffield,
Mass., to an astounding 73 of the 79 events run to date.

Mario Street,
who not only travels to STSS events to assist with tech and pit duties but also
puts in hours doing virtually any job at Georgetown Speedway, earned the
Contribution to the Series Award.

Several
product drawings took place during the night.

Receiving
custom Velocita-USA race suits, with a minimum value of $999, were Danny
Creeden (North Region) and Rick Laubach (South Region).

The Flach
Performance Products (FPP) radiator giveaway went to Craig Hanson via a drawing
of the top-12 Modified drivers.

The Henry’s
Exhaust drawing recipient was Billy Van Pelt for an exhaust system.

A number of door
prize giveaways and music from DJ Jammin’ Jimmy Payne rounded out the evening.

Attention now
turns to the inaugural ‘Sunshine Swing’ at All-Tech Raceway in Lake City, Fla.,
Feb. 5-8, 2020 with both the STSS Modifieds and STSS Crate 602 Sportsman in
competition.

To learn more about
the 2020 Short Track Super Series Fueled By Sunoco, visit www.shorttracksuperseries.com, e-mail bdmotorsportsmedia@gmail.com, check out ‘Short Track Super Series’
on Facebook or @ShortTrackSS on Twitter or Instagram.

The
Short Track Super Series is presented by American Racer/Lias Tire, Sunoco Race
Fuel, Insinger Performance, Bob Hilbert Sportswear, Halmar International,
Velocita-USA, Design for Vision/Sunglass Central, Rob Sherlock Roofing, ATL
Racing Fuel Cells, Behrent’s Performance Warehouse, Beyea Custom Headers,
Bicknell Racing Products, Dirt Track Digest, EIBACH Springs, Escape RV, Fast
Axle, Fox Racing Shocks, Henry’s Exhaust, Hig Fab, HyperCo, Kirkey Racing
Fabrication, Land Hoe Maintenance, K&N, MJK Home Maintenance, Precision
Hydraulic & Oil, QA1, Racing Optics, Superior Remodeling, Teo-Pro Car,
VAHLCO, Velocita, WELD Racing & Wilwood.

Short Track Super Series 2019 ‘Night
of Champions’ Additional Product Certificates

Behrent’s Performance Warehouse $200
Gift Cards (Halmar International North Region): Stewart Friesen (fourth) & Billy
Decker (ninth)

Behrent’s Performance Warehouse $200
Gift Cards (Velocita-USA South Region): Jeff Strunk (fourth) & Billy Pauch Jr. (ninth)

Top-Finishing Teo-Pro Car $500
Certificate (Halmar International North Region): Anthony Perrego (sixth)

Top-Finishing Teo-Pro Car $500
Certificate (Velocita-USA South Region): Jeff Strunk (fourth)

Top-Finishing Bicknell Racing Products
$500 Certificates - $1,000 Total (Halmar International North Region &
Velocita-USA South Region):
Matt Sheppard (champion)

Top-Finishing Hig Fab Chassis $500
Certificate (Halmar International North Region): Danny Creeden (eighth)

Velocita-USA Gift Certificates ($100
each): Tim Hartman
Jr.; Bobby Flood; Jimmy Johnson; Daniel Morgiewicz; Cole Stangle; Dylan
Swinehart; Samantha Muller; J.R. Hurlburt; Danny Bouc & Danny Creeden

Bob Hilbert Sportswear Certificates
($150 each): Matt
Sheppard (total of $300); Ryan Watt; David Van Horn Jr.; Andy Bachetti; Mike
Gular; Tim Hartman Jr. & Cole Stangle

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