11/12/2020
Short Track Super Series
Matt Sheppard Opens Cajun Swing™ with Wednesday Ark-La-Tex Speedway Victory
Written by Cody Manmiller
VIVIAN, LA - Matt Sheppard
capitalized on an early-race restart, launching from third to the lead to
capture the opening night victory of the historic Cajun Swing™ worth $4,000 at
Ark-La-Tex Speedway.
The triumph is Sheppard™s 13th overall
and second in as many races in Bob Hilbert Sportswear Short Track Super Series
Fueled By Sunoco competition, coming less than two weeks after his win at
Georgetown (Del.) Speedway as part of the Mid-Atlantic Championship Weekend.
œMan, it™s awesome to be down here in Louisiana,?
Sheppard announced in Victory Lane. œWhat a racetrack we had tonight and it™s
nice to start the week with a win.?
The Savannah, N.Y., resident redrew fourth after
running away with the night™s first heat but snatched the lead on just the
second lap after a pair of early cautions. With just one lap in, Sheppard was
shot out of a cannon from third and tiptoed around the bottom to take the lead
out of turn two. After securing the lead, œSuper Matt? went to the top shelf
and used the very outside of a racy track on Wednesday night to lead the
ensuing 39 laps.
œI had a better launch off turn four on the bottom,
but I definitely wanted to race up top,? Sheppard said of his decision to
choose the bottom immediately after cautions. œThis engine runs so good and the
car was so hooked up on the restarts, I wanted to restart on the bottom and
race up top.?
Despite a dominating effort, Sheppard did defend a
slew of charges from second-place finishing Mike Gular. From the eighth-starting
spot, Gular advanced to third by lap six and moved into the runner-up position
on the seventh circuit, using the bottom to pass Cajun Swing™ teammate Jeff
Strunk.
œI was really trying to make the bottom work,?
Gular explained. œThis is a good track down here, real racy, and I™m excited
for another night.?
Gular™s pass for second led to Strunk and Stewart Friesen waging war for the final podium position. Once Friesen cleared for third, Strunk, Jack Lehner and pole-sitting John Willman swapped spots before Lehner moved into fourth on lap 13.
Just after the midway point of the 40-lap feature
event, the top-three entered hectic lapped traffic as Gular and Friesen both closed
on Sheppard. On lap 27, Friesen, of Sprakers, N.Y., surged to the outside for
second, but Gular used lappers to his advantage and fended off his challenges
by sticking to the bottom.
œLapped traffic was definitely tough,? Gular said.
œJust racing with people you don™t know or aren™t familiar with is a different
challenge.?
Just two laps later, though, the caution flew again, this time for a left-rear flat on the Halmar International-sponsored No. 44, forcing Friesen pit side with just 11 laps to go.
Once more, Sheppard led Gular on the restart with
Strunk passing Lehner for third and Modified rookie Derrick McGrew Jr. rounding
out the top five. As the top three separated from the field, Lehner, McGrew Jr.
and Willman danced for position before McGrew Jr. slowed with just eight
circuits remaining.
On the ensuing restart, Lehner passed Willman back
for fourth and then, after changing a tire and coming from the back, Friesen
bolted back inside the top five. The recently-crowned STSS South Region
Champion, Friesen bashed the outside curb around Willman for fifth with just
six laps left, dispatched of Lehner while the flagman held up five fingers and
finally moved around Strunk for third on the final lap.
œWe had a really good car tonight,? Friesen said of
his third-place finish. œWe were really good on the longer runs but we just ran
out of laps at the end.
Strunk capped the night in fourth while Lehner
rounded out the top five. Finishing sixth through 10th were:
Willman; front row-starting Caleb Dillard, who spent the entirety of the night
bouncing around the top eight; Jeff Heotzler, Dave Rauscher, who rebounded
after going to the rear three times; and Greg Dillard.
Heat winners were Sheppard, Friesen and Lehner.
Neil Kemp won the accompanying 25-lap Factory Stock
main, earning $1,000 for his efforts, while Brandon Ball took the 20-lap Limited
Modified feature.
The Bob Hilbert Sportswear Short Track Super Series
Fueled by Sunoco is back at Ark-La-Tex Speedway on Thursday night for a 50-lap
feature paying $5,000 to the winner before moving to Chatham Speedway on Friday
and Saturday, culminating in a $20,000-to-win main event.
Thursday night™s event at Ark-La-Tex includes the STSS Modifieds, Crate Late Models, Pro Mods and Four Cylinders. Gates open at 4 p.m., with hot laps at 6 p.m. and racing at 7 p.m.
All events are broadcast LIVE on Dirt Track Digest
TV (www.dirttrackdigest.tv).
Ark-La-Tex Speedway is located at 13035 Boyter Lane
Vivian, LA 71082. To learn more, contact the speedway office at 318.375.3470 or
visit the website at www.arklatexspeedway.net.
Chatham Speedway is located at 14325 Highway 4
Chatham, LA 71226. The speedway website is www.chathamspeedway.com and promoter
Jerry Hobson can be reached by phone at 318.381.7972.
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, 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.
ARK-LA-TEX SPEEDWAY CAJUN SWING™ RACE SUMMARY ARK-LA-TEX SPEEDWAY NOVEMBER 11, 2020Bob Hilbert Sportswear Short Track Super Series Fueled By Sunoco Modified Cajun Swing Event No. 1 Feature Finish (40 laps): MATT SHEPPARD, Mike Gular, Stewart Friesen, Jeff Strunk, Jack Lehner, John Willman, Caleb Dillard, Jeff Heotzler, Dave Rauscher, Greg Dillard, Kory Keimig, Eric Williams, James Griffin, Glenn Stone Jr., Derrick McGrew Jr., Tommy Hall, Tommy Rascoe, Brother Fowlkes, Jimmy McCommas, Shane Hebert, Joe Roswell, David Forbis, Keith Badiali.
American Racer/Lias Tire Bonuses (FREE Tire
Certificate): John Willman (sixth) & Eric Williams (12th)
Behrent™s Performance Warehouse Bonuses ($50 Gift Cards): Jeff Strunk (fourth),
Dave Rauscher (ninth) & Caleb Dillard (Top Louisiana/Texas Driver)
Beyea Custom Headers Redraw Bonus ($50): Jeff Heotzler (redrew ninth)
Downstate Dirt & Deals Hard Charger ($50): Dave Rauscher (17th
to ninth)
EIBACH Springs Bonus ($100 Certificate): John Willman (sixth)
Wilwood Brakes Bonus ($75 Certificate): Caleb Dillard (seventh)
Factory Stock Feature Finish (25 laps): NEIL KEMP, Jeff Hammitt, Justin Whitehead, Mike Marysak, Brian Cook, Bo
Perry, Car No. 5G, Benji White, Alex Turner, Tracy Korp, Billy Taylor, Dean
Roscoe, Stephen Harris, Ricky Ingalls, Josh Daugherty, B.J. Cook, Mike Wells,
Jason Hood, Jeremy Laxton, Cody Myers.
Did Not Qualify: Nathan Deloe, David Dowler, Brett Arden, Bubba Jones, Richard Holt, Larry Laxton, Stoney DuBois, James Brown, Cody Wright.
Limited Modified Feature Finish (20 laps): BRANDON BALL, Justin Whitehead, Derick Grigsby, Aaron Roy, Wyatt Wilkerson,
Conner Williams, Coty Tupper, Dustin Durham, Boone Evans, Troy Keith, Rowdy
Brents, Kevin Peters, Barron Brents, Jesse Sharpley, Thomas Holt, Justin Witt,
Gary Lipscob, Johnny Kemp.