6/8/2020
Short Track Super Series
Matt Sheppard $5,200 Richer After Potomac ‘Battle at Budd’s Creek’ Conquest
Written by Bobby Sweeney
BUDD’S CREEK, MD – Matt Sheppard got
off to a rocky start in 2020, but things are starting to turn around for the Savannah,
N.Y., driver.
On Sunday night,
Sheppard stormed to his second big win of the season taking the Bob Hilbert
Sportswear Short Track Super Series (STSS) Fueled By Sunoco ‘Battle at Budd's
Creek’ victory at Maryland’s Potomac Speedway.
“The
beginning of that was scary,� Sheppard said. “We’ve been to a few of these
bullrings recently, and these cars keep getting more exotic and harder to
drive, and cars are just all over the place."
Points
racing for the STSS Velocita-USA South Region presented by Design for Vision
and Sunglass Central resumed three months to the day after the opener on March
7 at Del.’s Georgetown Speedway. Both the STSS Modifieds and Crate 602
Sportsman were in action on the high-banked Potomac three-eighths-mile.
A very
healthy crowd took in the series debut at the speedway operated by the Hollidge
family.
Following
the Beyea Custom Headers redraw, Stewart Friesen led the field to the green in
the 50-lap feature, with Billy Pauch Jr. stalking him in the opening laps,
cautions, and restarts.
A lap-four
restart saw Pauch sneak by Friesen to take the lead, but never had time to put
any distance between himself and Friesen through the rash of yellows.
Behind the
top two, Larry Wight had climbed to third, while Sheppard – who started ninth –
recovered from a sketchy start to sit fourth by lap 10.
A rocket
restart sent Sheppard to second on lap 11, while Friesen was left to fend off
Wight. While Pauch got a good jump on the green, Sheppard quickly erased his
gap, diving low and taking the lead on lap 15.
"Even
though it was scary at the start, we were able to get up through there into the
top-four and really show off our good race car," stated Sheppard.
"We’ve been rolling good since Chatham (an unsanctioned event in Louisiana
at the end of May).�
Meanwhile,
Friesen regained his footing, sliding by Pauch for second with 19 circuits in.
Sheppard
held a steady two-second advantage over Friesen at halfway, but traffic was
awaiting the leaders on the fast third mile.
By lap 30,
Friesen cut the lead in half, but Sheppard worked a group of lapped cars to
perfection. Friesen got hung up, and Sheppard reinstated his original
advantage.
On lap 35,
David Van Horn broke and slowed for a caution, erasing both the traffic and
Sheppard’s lead.
In clean
air, Sheppard dropped the hammer and gapped Friesen by almost a straightaway in
short notice.
One final
yellow on lap 42 gave Friesen, Pauch Jr., and Wight a last swing at Sheppard,
but Sheppard aced the restart and pulled away.
While
Sheppard’s lead during the final laps was significantly slimmer than the prior
run, it was more than enough, as Sheppard was the first under the checkered
flag to score his first Short Track Super Series win of the season worth more
than $5,000.
Sheppard now
owns 10 career STSS victories, second on the all-time win list.
Friesen, of
Sprakers, N.Y., started pole and led the first trio of laps, having a see-saw
race that ended with a second place run.
“Billy
(Pauch) Jr. snookered me on that restart and got around me,� noted Friesen. “I
stayed with him and tried the same move he pulled on me but it got too dusty up
there. At the end of the day, Sheppard had us covered. This place was probably
most close to Chatham out of all the new tracks we ran, and he stomped us
there.�
New Jersey’s
Pauch Jr. kept up his speed from the Carolina swing, but this time had little
bad luck to hold him down, finishing tonight in third driving Rick Holsten’s
No. 96.
“I got Stew
up top on a restart, I figured he didn’t know that and I got a good run down
the hill,� stated Pauch. “These guys are just a little bit better in the black
than I am, I can hang in the brown but they got me by a little when it gets
dark. Those two have us covered right now, but we’ll keep digging.�
Mike Gular
ran a strong race finishing in fourth in the Terry Fasnacht No. 2A and Larry Wight
held on to round out the top-five in Gary Simpson’s No. 12K.
In the
accompanying Short Track Super Series 602 Sportsman feature, Tim Hartman Jr. of
Niskayuna, N.Y., took full advantage of his pole starting position.
Hartman took the lead after early after a brief battle with Scott
Hitchens. From there, Hartman survived numerous restarts in the rough and
tumble 25-lap feature. He was perfect throughout in his run to the $1,500
payday.
It was
Hartman’s second win of the season with the series, having topped the
non-points event at S.C.’s Cherokee Speedway on May 23.
Hitchens
stole the second from Jim Housworth in the closing laps and finished there while
Housworth locked down the third spot. James Hill crossed the line fourth
and Brad Roberts came from mid-pack to finish fifth.
Racing
resumes for the STSS on Tuesday, June 16 with the ‘Anthracite Assault’ at Big
Diamond Speedway in Minersville, Pa., featuring a combined North-South 50-lap
event for the STSS Modifieds and 25-lap South Region event for the STSS Crate
602 Sportsman ($1,500 to win).
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, 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.
BATTLE
AT BUDD’S CREEK RACE SUMMARY – POTOMAC SPEEDWAY SUNDAY, JUNE 7, 2020
Bob Hilbert Sportswear Short Track
Super Series Fueled By Sunoco Modified Velocita-USA South Region Event No. 3
Feature Finish (50 laps): MATT SHEPPARD, Stewart Friesen, Billy Pauch Jr.,
Mike Gular, Larry Wight, Alex Yankowski, Tyler Dippel, Ryan Watt, Jeff Strunk,
Jordan Watson, Craig Von Dohren, Brandon Grosso, Don Cogdill III, Clay Tatman,
Ryan Riddle, David Van Horn Jr., Bobby Watkins, Danny Bouc, Rick Laubach, Andy
Bachetti, Jimmy Horton.
Did Not Start: Richie Pratt
Jr.
Ad-Art Sign Company Heat Winners ($50
Each): Billy Pauch Jr.,
Matt Sheppard & Alex Yankowski
American Racer/Lias Tire Bonuses (FREE
Tire Certificate): Ryan Watt (eighth) & Don Cogdill III (13th)
Beyea Custom Headers Hard Charger ($100): Tyler Dippel (18th to
7th)
Beyea Custom Headers Redraw Bonus ($50): Brandon Grosso (redrew 12th)
Behrent’s Performance Warehouse Bonuses ($50 Gift Cards): Mike Gular (fourth) & Jeff Strunk (ninth)
Bill Brown & Company
Heat-Race Hard Charger ($50): Larry Wight (sixth to second)
Design for Vision/Sunglass Central Bonus (Ray-Ban Sunglasses): Matt
Sheppard
EIBACH Springs Bonus ($100 Certificate): Alex Yankowski(sixth)
Henry’s Exhaust Power Position
($50 Certificate): Craig Von Dohren
(11th)
Precision Hydraulic & Oil
Halfway Leader ($200): Matt Sheppard
Racing Optics Bonus (Tear-Off Sleeve): Billy Pauch Jr.(third)
Sunoco Race Fuels/Insinger
Performance Bonus ($50 Certificates): Stewart Friesen (second), Brandon Grosso (12th) & Jimmy
Horton (21st)
Wilwood Brakes Bonus ($75
Certificate): Tyler Dippel (seventh)
Bob Hilbert Sportswear Short Track
Super Series Fueled By Sunoco Crate 602 Sportsman South Region Event No. 3
Feature Finish (25 laps): TIM HARTMAN JR., Scott Hitchens, Jim Housworth,
James Hill, Brad Roberts, Samantha Muller, Adam White, Michael White, Tanner
Van Doren, Anthony Tramontana, Joe Toth, Erik McKinney, Tom Moore Jr., D.J.
Hunt, Bob Lineman Jr., Justin Grosso, John Stevenson, David Dickey, Nick Van
Winkle, Shawn McPhee, David Crossman, Zachary Merola, John Meyer, Jeff Coffey,
Ryan Conrad, Steve Lary, Greg Nailor Jr., Sean Metz, Paul Mancini, Tom
Princiotta.
American Racer/Lias Tire Bonus (FREE
Tire Certificate): Anthony
Tramontana (ninth)
Beyea Custom Headers Redraw Bonus ($25):
John Stevenson (12th)