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Right Place, Right Time for Richie Pratt Jr. in STSS Tri-County Racetrack Feature Win

Written By
Bobby Sweeney

BRASSTOWN,
NC - Richie
Pratt scored his first Bob Hilbert Sportswear Short Track Super Series (STSS)
Fueled By Sunoco win in dramatic fashion, taking the lead at halfway after the
top four drivers piled-up before then holding off a high-flying Alex Yankowski
for the Tri-County Racetrack trophy in the Hurlock Auto and Speed 'Return to
Racing' 50-lap feature.

“Last night
we were in the wrong place at the wrong time on the second lap, but tonight we
were in the right place,� Pratt said. “The top four all had problems and we
were there to capitalize on it."

Stewart
Friesen picked up where he left off Thursday night, leading the way at the
start of Friday’s 50-lap feature and leaving Richie Pratt and Tyler Dippel to
battle for second.

That battle
didn’t last as long as hoped, as Dippel went around on lap five. A big pileup
on the restart sent Larry Wight’s brand new Teo Pro Car flipping in its first
event, but Wight continued on track and Friesen continued to lead.

Billy Pauch Jr. and Matt Sheppard were on the move, with Pauch slotting into
second by lap 10 and Sheppard up to fourth before a lap 15 caution.

Friesen
continued to be blisteringly quick up top, setting the pace again on the
restart. Pauch, Sheppard, and Umbenhauer kept Friesen honest in traffic, but
traffic flipped the race on its heels at halfway.

On lap 24, Tyler Dippel ended up sideways in turn three, and the entire top
four of Friesen, Pauch, Sheppard, and Umbenhauer all ended up in it.

"Believe
it or not, when I was following Friesen, he taught me how to drive the track a
little better, and that helped when we got out front again," commented
Pratt. "We ran a good race, and I can’t believe we’re here.�

Pratt was now
the leader, with Danny Tyler, Danny Creeden, Erick Rudolph, and Alex Yankowski
the new-look top five.

While Tyler and Creeden fought tooth-and-nail for second, Pratt had none of it
and drove away. Yankowski, Modified sophomore, held close to the battle for
second, but Pratt’s lead continued to grow through lapped traffic.

By the time
Jessica Friesen broke and drew a caution on lap 39, Pratt was up by over a
straightaway.

Creeden was the big loser on the restart, dropping a couple spots on the green.
Yankowski was the big winner, slipping into third and then disposing of Tyler
for second on lap 42.

Pratt had
jumped out to a two-plus second lead on the initial green, but once in second,
Yankowski closed in. By lap 47, Yankowski was within a couple car-lengths, but
both drivers were wide open around the top.

Wight’s battered car finally gave out with three laps left after a respectable
drive back into the top ten, placing Yankowski right on Pratt’s tail. The pair
hung status-quo on the single file restart, but a crash involving Creeden,
Schilling, and Britten drew the yellow on the final circuit.

Despite an increasing amount of smoke from his car, Pratt was unfazed on the
restart, gapping Yankowski to score the $5,00 payday at Tri-County Racetrack.

Heavy
afternoon rains made an already fast track even faster, with times barely
slowing down throughout the night. The result was a tall physical toll on the
drivers and their equipment.

“I’m definitely out of shape, I’m whooped right now,� noted Pratt. “Under those
long green flag runs I was having a hard time keeping my head up. My shield was
fogging up and everything but we made it, I have to thank my crew because they
spent all night putting this thing back together after ending up on our side
last night. I was told I was smoking when I got out of the car, but nothing on
the gauges. We’ll take a look at that, and see if we have to switch to the
other car tomorrow.�

Yankowski is in his sophomore year of Modified racing, and somewhere near his
sophomore year of high school. The teenager demonstrated the patience of a
veteran in his march towards the front and a runner-up finish.

“Long runs we had a good car,� said Yankowski, “On the restarts I just wasn’t
in the right spots and that hurt us. We found a little bit of an issue after
last night, got it fixed, and we’re happy with the results. We were good the
whole race, we just needed to find a little bit of clean air. This track is
different, I’ve only been to Fulton once and this reminds me a little bit of it,
but this is really a whole new animal.�

Friesen led the first half of the event, but was caught up in a wreck with the
other frontrunners. Unlike last night, Friesen wasn’t able to reach the lead
after the incident, but still drove back to a podium.

“Sometimes that how it goes,� Friesen stated. “Modifieds on this bullring are
crazy. It was fun to come down here and check out a new part of the country and
get some racing in. We’re looking forward to heading to ‘the place your mama
warned you about,’ Cherokee, another new place. Our car is kind of in one
piece, we’ll be ready.�

Tyler ended
up finishing in fourth while Johnson captured his second top five of the week
by finishing in fifth.

Racing resumes tonight at Cherokee Speedway in Gaffney, S.C., with the
STSS Modifieds racing 40 laps for $4,000 to win plus STSS Crate 602 Sportsman running
35 laps for $1,500 to win and a V-8 Run What You Brung. Dirt Track Digest TV
will be live at 7 p.m.

The Short
Track Super Series “Return to Racing� is presented by Hurlock Auto & Speed
Supply, Mike’s Racing Heads, Competition Carburetion, St. Lawrence Radiology,
Evergreen Fuels Inc., K&B Auto, The Scumgang, Midstate Recycling, Manmiller
Electric and a host of special award, bonus and purse booster contributors.

To
learn more about the 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, Evergreen Fuels Inc., ATL
Racing Fuel Cells, Behrent’s Performance Warehouse, Beyea Custom Headers,
Bicknell Racing Products, Dirt Track Digest, EIBACH Springs, Fast Axle, 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.

HURLOCK AUTO & SPEED RACE SUMMARY
– TRI-COUNTY RACETRACK FRIDAY, MAY 22

Bob Hilbert Sportswear Short Track
Super Series Fueled By Sunoco Modified Feature Finish (50 laps): RICHIE
PRATT JR., Alex Yankowski, Stewart Friesen, Danny Tyler, Danny Johnson, Billy
Decker, Brett Tonkin, Erick Rudolph, J.R. Hurlburt, Allison Ricci, Peter
Britten, David Schilling, Dillon Groover, Danny Creeden, Larry Wight, Jeff
Strunk, Billy Pauch Jr., Jessica Friesen, Michael Maresca, Jared Umbenhauer,
Anthony Perrego, Matt Sheppard, Andy Bachetti, Tyler Dippel, Josh Delea, Alan
Johnson, H.J. Bunting, Tyler Siri, Danny Bouc.

Did Not Start: Billy Van
Pelt

Fan Bonus Money ($600 Total): Danny Creeden
(13th), Jeff Strunk (15th),
Jared Umbenhauer (19th), Anthony Perrego (20th),
Matt Sheppard (21st) & H.J. Bunting (27th) Bill Brown & Company Heat Hard Charger
($50): Tyler Siri (6th to 3rd)
Competition Carburetor Fastest Feature Lap ($50): Stewart
Friesen (13.004 seconds)Consistency Award By Jim & Missy Bowman
($150): Stewart Friesen (1st and 3rd)
Gary Simpson Contracting Top-5 Finishers Longest Tow ($120): Stewart
Friesen (929 miles)
Heat No. 1 Winner/Linda’s Speedway ($50): David Schilling
Heat No. 2 Winner/Insinger Performance ($50): Andy
Bachetti
Heat No. 3 Winner/Accord Speedway ($50): Billy Pauch Jr.
Heat No. 4 Winner/Lias Tire Company ($50): Erick Rudolph
Diversified Machine Inc. (DMI) Heat Winners ($100 Certificates): David
Schilling, Andy Bachetti, Billy Pauch Jr. & Erick Rudolph
KB’S Racing Photos Halfway Leader ($50): Richie Pratt Jr.
Matt Becker Last-Place Finisher ($100): Danny Bouc
Most Improved Driver Friday to Saturday from Jim & Missy Bowman ($100): Richie
Pratt Jr (22nd to 1st)
On-Track Automotive Ironman ($150): David Schilling (11th)
Pigskin Pros Most Vehicles Passed ($150): Danny Johnson (29th
to 5th)
Scumgang First On The Hook ($100): Jessica Friesen
Scumgang Hot Lap Hero ($169): Stewart Friesen (13.107
seconds)
Tyler White First Feature DNF ($150): Danny Bouc
Winner’s Circle Last Car On Last Lap ($100): David Schilling (11th)

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