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Posted by: | CommentsContact: Mandee Pauch
DIRTcar Racing PR
mpauch@dirtcar.com
Danny Johnson is King of the Hill Picks up first series win of the season
By Mandee Pauch
WEEDSPORT, N.Y. - Sept. 17, 2016 - Danny Johnson picked up his first Super DIRTcar Series victory of the season in the Shakelton Auto and Truck Parts No. 27J and collected his 80th series win Saturday night at Weedsport Speedway. Johnson battled Tim Fuller early for the lead but sailed away to take the King of the Hill 100 and take home the $10,000 payday over Matt Sheppard and Fuller.
"We had a good race with Timmy Fuller. I love racing with Timmy, he's a good, clean racer," Johnson said. "We raced side-by-side and I was able to get ahead of him that lap there when I got to the bottom and was then able to pull away from him. I'd like to thank my car owner Chris Gennarelli, my engine builder as well as my boys for getting it ready and everyone who has helped us out."
Mat Williamson and Tim Kerr drew the front row in the Dig Safely redraw and brought the 31-car field to the initial green flag.
Kerr jumped out to an early lead over Fuller and Johnson. Just as Fuller and Johnson started to put pressure on Kerr for the top spot the first caution of the night came out on lap 11 due to a right rear flying off of sixth place starter Rob Bellinger's car.
Fuller took advantage of the lap 22 restart and took the lead from Kerr. Johnson then advanced into the second spot from Kerr and then snuck up to Fuller's rear bumper as he started to put pressure on Fuller.
Johnson took the lead over Fuller coming off of turn four on lap 28 but Fuller didn't give up as they battled side-by-side for several laps, swapping first and second.
Tenth starter Sheppard made his way into the top three by lap 33 and slowly gained ground on the leaders.
Six cars piled up going into turn one on lap 37 bringing out the second caution of the night. Brett Hearn and Ryan Phelps were two of the drivers involved that received extensive damage on their cars forcing them to go pit side.
Wight took advantage of the lap 45 restart as he took back the third spot from Sheppard. Wight drove by Fuller on the outside coming out of turn four for the second position the next lap by.
Johnson led his No. 27J small block modified to the halfway mark over Wight, Fuller, Sheppard and Peter Britten.
Fuller and Sheppard were knocking on Wight's doors as Sheppard took third from Fuller on lap 58.
Johnson caught the back of the field on lap 60 as he showed a straightaway over second place runner Wight.
Wight changed his lane and moved to the top in turns one and two allowing Sheppard to drive underneath and take over second on lap 63.
Sheppard soon found his way into lap traffic as he worked his way around the top of the track to gain ground on Johnson.
Wight fell off the pace allowing Fuller and Friesen to go by for the third and fourth spot.
Johnson edged his way through heavy lap traffic building a strong lead of 2.067 seconds over Sheppard.
After a hard wreck at Brewerton Speedway the night before Johnson made a strong comeback to capture his 80th Super DIRTcar Series victory and collect the $10,000 payday at Weedsport Speedway over Sheppard, Fuller, Friesen and Wight.
"I watched the 9s come up on the leader board into second. I didn't want to give him a chance so I went as fast as I could. I had no idea how much of a lead I had. All I knew was, whoever was in second, especially Matt, wanted to be first."
After a streak of four wins in a row Sheppard was disappointed with how the race turned out but was happy for Johnson and his team.
"We didn't draw a great number. It was kind of the same deal as last night and then worked our way through the front. We had a really good car but didn't have anything for Danny tonight. Hats off to Danny, he needed this win."
After a hard fought battle between him and Johnson for the lead early on, Fuller fell back a few spots but came back through late in the race to finish third.
"We were really good in the beginning then Danny lined up beside us with that small block and I think he was toying with us having a small block. We weren't that good. I would say around lap twenty or thirty he got us. I went back a few more spots then my car got good enough again towards the end of the race. I think the car was good enough to be second but not to beat Danny."
Race Notes: 40 modifieds attempted to qualify and 31 started the feature. Two cautions were brought out during the feature on lap 11 and lap 37. Johnson collected his 80th Super DIRTcar Series victory.
The Super DIRTcar Series will be making their first trip of the season to Fonda Speedway on Saturday, Sept. 24th.
Follow the series on Twitter @SuperDIRTcar, or click www.SuperDIRTcarSeries.com.
Super DIRTcar Series Statistical Report; Sept. 17, 2016; Weedsport Speedway, Weedsport, N.Y.
A-Main (100 Laps) - 1. 27j-Danny Johnson, 2. 9s-Matt Sheppard, 3. 19-Tim Fuller, 4. 44-Stewart Friesen, 5. L99-Larry Wight, 6. 91-Billy Decker, 7. m88-Mike Mahaney, 8. p42-Pat Ward, 9. 1-Justin Haers, 10. 8r-Rob Bellinger, 11. 6m-Mat Williamson, 12. X-Chad Phelps, 13. h98-Jimmy Phelps, 14. 43-Keith Flach, 15. 6H-Max McLaughlin, 16. w19-Justin Wright, 17. 33-Ryan Arbithnot, 18. 07-Tim Kerr, 19. 1J-Mike O'Brien, 20. 8-Rich Scagliotta, 21. 7-Michael Maresca,
22. 02-Roy Bresnahan, 23. h18-Peter Britten, 24. 35-Frank Cozze, 25. 3B-Chad Brachmann, 26. 20-Brett Hearn, 27. 99-Ryan Phelps, 28. 56-Vince Vitale, 29. 84-Gary Tomkins, 30. 88-Dave Allen, 31. c32-Alan Johnson
Non-Qualifiers Race (10 laps) - 1. 84-Gary Tomkins, 2. 25h-Bobby Herrington, 3. 16-Mike Bowman, 4. 28p-Eldon Payne, 5. 48t-Dave Rauscher, 6. 4-Tim Murphy, 7. 88a-Joe August Jr.
Last Chance Showdown 2 (8 laps) - 1. 20-Brett Hearn, 2 02-Roy Bresnahan, 3. 33-Ryan Arbithnot, 4. 56-Vince Vitale, 5. 7-Michael Maresca, 6. 84-Gary Tomkins, 7. 48t-Dave Rauscher, 8. 16-Mike Bowman, 9. 28p-Eldon Payne, 10. 88a-Joe August Jr.
Last Chance Showdown 1 (8 Laps) - 1. 91-Billy Decker, 2. X-Chad Phelps, 3. 6h-Max McLaughlin, 4. 1j-Mike O'Brien, 5. 88-Dave Allen, 6. 4-Tim Murphy, 7. 99b-Chuck Bower, 8. 25h-Bobby Herringon, 9. 34-Andrew Ferguson
Heat 4 (8 Laps) - 1. 99l-Larry Wight, 2. 27j-Danny Johnson, 3. 8-Rich Scagliotta, 4. 3b-Chad Brachmann, 5. 35-Frank Cozze, 6. 33-Ryan Arbithnot, 7. 02-Roy Bresnahan, 8. 84-Gary Tomkins, 9. 16-Mike Bowman, 10. 28p-Eldon Payne
Heat 3 (8 Laps) - 1. 19-Tim Fuller, 2. 07-Tim Kerr, 3. 19h-Peter Britten, 4. 98h-Jimmy Phelps, 5. 99-Ryan Phelps, 6. 20-Brett Hearn, 7. 56-Vince Vitale, 8. 7-Michael Maresca, 9. 48t-Dave Rauscher, 10. 88a-Joe August Jr.
Heat 2 (8 Laps) - 1. 43-Keith Flach, 2. 6-Mat Williamson, 3. 14j-Alan Johnson, 4. 88m-Mike Mahaney, 5. 44-Stewart Friesen, 6. X-Chad Phelps, 7. 6h-Max McLaughlin, 8. 99b-Chuck Bower, 9. 4-Tim Murphy, 10. 32c-Vic Coffey
Heat 1 (8 Laps) - 1. 9s-Matt Sheppard, 2. 8r-Rob Bellinger, 3. 19w-Justin Wright, 4. 42p-Pat Ward, 5. 1-Justin Haers, 6. 91-Billy Decker, 7. 1j-Mike O'Brien, 8. 34-Andrew Ferguson, 9. 25h-Bobby Herrington, 10. 88-Dave Allen
Group 4 Qualifier - 1. 99l-Larry Wight, 15.939; 2. 8-Rich Scagliotta, 16.160; 3. 3b-Chad Brachmann, 16.198; 4. 27j-Danny Johnson, 16.210; 5. 35-Frank Cozze, 16.258; 6. 16-Mike Bowman, 16.330; 7. 84-Gary Tomkins, 16.392; 8. 33-Ryan Arbithnot, 16.432; 9. 02-Roy Bresnahan, 16.710; 10. 28p-Eldon Payne, 16.916
Group 3 Qualifier - 1. 19-Tim Fuller, 15.920; 2. 07-Tim Kerr, 16.007; 3. 98h-Jimmy Phelps, 16.179; 4. 18h-Peter Britten, 16.183; 5. 99-Ryan Phelps, 16.257; 6. 56-Vinc Vitale, 16.370; 7. 20-Brett Hearn, 16.375; 8. 48t-Dave Rauscher, 16.411; 9. 7-Michael Maresca, 16.486; 10. 88a-Joe August, Jr., 16.862
Group 2 Qualifier - 1. 43-Keith Flach, 16.005; 2. 6m-Mat Williamson, 16.071; 3. 14j-Alan Johnson, 16.092; 4. 44-Stewart Friesen, 16.202; 5. 99b-Chuck Bower, 16.237; 6. 88m-Mike Mahaney, 16.386; 7. 6h-Max McLaughlin, 16.412; 8. X-Chad Phelps, 16.460
Group 1 Qualifier - 1. 9s-Matt Sheppard, 15.658; 2. 8r-Rob Bellinger, 15.742; 3. 19w-Jutin Wight, 15.880; 4. 42p-Pat Ward, 15.936; 5. 1-Justin Haers, 16.013; 6. 1J-Mike O'Brien, 16.055; 7. 91-Billy Decker, 16.070 ;8. 88-Dave Allen, 16.323; 9. 34-Andrew Ferguson, 16.352; 10. 25h-Bobby Herrington, 16.596
The Super DIRTcar Series and DIRTcar Racing in the Northeast is brought to fans by many important sponsors and partners, including: Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel), Chevy Performance Parts and NAPA Auto Parts; in addition to contingency sponsors, including: ASI Race Wear, Bicknell Racing Products, Bilstein Shocks, Cometic Gasket, Comp Cams, Edelbrock, Fox Shocks, Henry's Exhaust Systems, Intercomp, JE Pistons, JRI Shocks, KSE Racing Products, Mike's Racing Heads, Motorsports Safety Systems, MSD, Pole Position Raceway, Superflow Dynos and Wrisco Aluminum; along with manufacturer sponsors, including: Beyea Headers, Racing Electronics and TNT Rescue.
Sheppard Exercises The Demon
Posted by: | CommentsContact: Mandee Pauch
DIRTcar Racing PR
mpauch@dirtcar.com
Sheppard Exercises The Demon Wins tenth Super DIRTcar Series race of the year
BREWERTON, N.Y. - Sept. 16, 2016 - Super Matt Sheppard... is there anymore I need to say? He is the man to beat this year as he captured his fourth Super DIRTcar Series victory in a row and his tenth of the season Friday night at Brewerton Speedway for the Duel at the Demon Modified 100 lap main event.
The driver of the FX Caprara No. 9s Big Block Modified is no stranger to victory lane this year. Counting Volusia and Eldora, each, as one event, Sheppard so far has maintained a 45.45% win percentage. That is a percentage unheard of in motorsports.
Coming from the 12th starting position, Sheppard was thrilled with his victory. "The car was so good. I wasn't in a hurry. That's a lot of fun when we have a racecar that good. I can't say enough about it. It's been huge. We had that big wreck there back in August but the month of September has been good for us. We're seven for seven in the month of September. I can't say enough about this car and this team. We have such a potent combination."
The start of the Duel at the Demon 100 saw front row starters Ryan Bartlett and Stewart Friesen duke it out back and forth before the first caution of the night was brought out on lap five as Danny Johnson hit the wall hard coming out of turn four, bringing out the red flag. Danny climbed out of the car and was fine.
Billy Decker took advantage of the lap six restart as he went three wide going into turns one and two splitting the two and taking over the top spot.
Seventh place starter Tim Fuller was already knocking on Friesen's doors by lap nine for the second spot. Fuller slid Friesen in turns three and four and took over the second spot on lap 11.
Twelfth place starter and point's leader Sheppard was in the top five by lap 12.
Decker was working his way around the bottom as Fuller planted his car on the topside and drove by Decker for the lead on lap 15.
Larry Wight started challenging Decker on the outside as he captured second spot on lap 17.
Sheppard took over fourth spot on lap 18 from Friesen.
Fuller had five car lengths over second place runner Wight when he caught the back of the field on lap 22.
Sheppard started challenging Decker on the bottom as Decker slid up in turns three and four allowing Sheppard to sneak by on lap 24 for the third spot.
Wight was driving hard on the outside as he was battling through heavy lapped traffic allowing Sheppard to close the gap. Sheppard dove under Wight and took over the number two spot on lap 35.
Fuller was running the top side of the track as Sheppard was digging low gaining ground on Fuller. Fuller got stuck behind a lapped car as Sheppard flew by on lap 39 to take the lead and immediately started to pull away.
Sheppard led the field at the halfway mark by a straightaway over Fuller, Wight, Decker and Friesen.
Decker took advantage of the lap 75 restart as he shot to the outside of Wight and took over the second spot on lap 76.
Sheppard was in his own league as he pulled away while Wight, Friesen and Sears Jr. battled for the third spot. Sears Jr. made a late race charge, took third spot then stalked down Decker to take the second spot with one lap to go.
As Dave Farney threw the VP Racing Fuels double checkered flags, it was clear that Sheppard and his team are one lethal combination. "I told these guys after that wreck that we needed to bounce back 100%. Within a matter of three of four days we were 100%. We got back to Lebanon Valley and it showed since then we've been on a tear. I can't thank everyone enough."
Eighth place starter Tim Sears Jr. made a late race charge as he patiently waited for the right time to make his moves and finish in the runner up spot.
"As the race went on the car kept getting better and better. It kind of just fell into place. Billy, Larry and Friesen all started sliding around so I knew I was going to be pretty good I just kept saving. All of the hard work in the shop and stuff, that's where these good runs come from. The harder you work, the better the results."
Billy Decker led early but fell two spots short once the checkered flag fell behind Sheppard and Sears Jr.
"The Page Transportation wasn't bad we just weren't good enough. So we just need to grin and bear it and claw at it and salvage a finish. I wasn't working good anywhere really. I just tried to roll and keep it straight but I didn't do a good job at that."
Race Notes:
41 modifieds attempted to qualify and 30 started the feature. Matt Sheppard received the Pole Position Raceway fast time award in time trials with a 14.105. There was one red on lap 5 and two yellows on lap 60 and lap 75 during the feature.
The Super DIRTcar Series will be in action at Weedsport Speedway, Saturday, Sept. 17th.
Follow the series on Twitter @SuperDIRTcar, or click www.SuperDIRTcarSeries.com.
Super DIRTcar Series Statistical Report; Sept. 16, 2016; Brewerton Speedway, Brewerton, N.Y.
A-Main (100 Laps) - 1. 9s-Matt Sheppard, 2. 83x-Tim Sears Jr., 3. 91-Billy Decker, 4. 44-Stewart Friesen, 5. 99l-Larry Wight, 6. X-Chad Phelps, 7. 98h-Jimmy Phelps, 8. 19-Tim Fuller, 9. 20-Brett Hearn, 10. 42p-Pat Ward, 11. 8r-Rob Bellinger, 12. 18h-Peter Britten, 13. 76-Bobby Varin, 14. 70Michael Maresca, 15. 35-Frank Cozze, 16. 6h-Max McLaughlin, 17. 93-Ryan Bartlett, 18. 109-Billy Whittaker, 19. 8-Rich Scagliotta, 20. 3b-Chad Brachmann, 21. 63-Adam Roberts, 22. 33-Ryan Arbithnot, 23. 6m-Mat Williamons, 24. 43-Keith Flach, 25. 99b-Chuck Bower, 26. 32c-Vic Coffey, 27. 19w-Justin Wright, 28. 3-Justin Haers, 29. 88m-Mike Mahaney, 30. 27j-Danny Johnson
Last Chance Showdown 2 (8 laps) - 1. 35-Frank Cozze, 2. 19w-Justin Wright, 3. 43-Keith Flach, 4. 3b-Chad Brachmann, 5. 14j-Alan Johnson, 6. 99-Ryan Phelps, 7. 02-Roy Bresnahan, 8. 15-Brett Tonkin, 9. 88a-Joe August Jr., 10. 56-Vince Vitale
Last Chance Showdown 1 (8 Laps) - 1. 109-Billy Whittaker, 2. 99b-Chuck Bower, 3. 8r-Rob Bellinger, 4. 32c-Vic Coffey, 5. 16-Mike Bowman, 6. 34-Andrew Ferguson, 7. 07-Tim Kerr, 8. 83-Tom Seas Jr., 9. 27j-Danny Johnson, 10. 8-Rich Scagliotta
Heat 4 (8 Laps) - 1. 19-Tim Fuller, 2. 44-Stewart Friesen, 3. 63-Adam Roberts, 4. 76-Bobby Varin, 5. 33-Ryan Arbithnot, 6. 19w-Justin Wright, 7. 02-Roy Bresnahan, 8. 3b-Chad Brachmann, 9. 15-Brett Tonkin, 10. 56-Vince Vitale
Heat 3 (8 Laps) - 1. 18h-Peter Britten, 2. 93-Ryan Bartlett, 3. X-Chad Phelps, 4. 88-Mike Mahaney, 5. 7-Michael Maresca, 6. 35-Frank Cozze, 7. 43-Keith Flach, 8. 14j-Alan Johnson, 9. 88a-Joe August Jr., 10. 99-Ryan Phelps
Heat 2 (8 Laps) - 1. 9s-Matt Sheppard, 2. 91-Billy Decker, 3. 83x-Tim Sears Jr., 4. 42p-Pat Ward, 5. 98h-Jimmy Phelps, 6. 109-Billy Whittaker, 7. 8-Rich Scagliotta, 8. 34-Andrew Ferguson, 9. 83-Tom Sears Jr., 10. 5h-Chris Hile
Heat 1 (8 Laps) - 1. 6h-Max McLaughlin, 2. 6-Mat Williamson, 3. 99l-Larry Wight, 4. 20-Brett Hearn, 5. 3-Justin Haears, 6. 99b-Chuck Bower, 7. 16-Mike Bowman, 8. 8r-Rob Bellinger, 9. 27j-Danny Johnson, 10. 07-Tim Kerr, 11. 32c-Vic Coffey
Group 4 Qualifier - 1. 19-Tim Fuller, 14.310; 2. 44-Stewart Friesen, 14.321; 3. 63-Adam Roberts, 14.565; 4. 02-Roy Bresnahan, 14.46; 5. 19w-Justin Wright, 14.840; 6. 76-Bobby Varin, 14.871; 7. 3b-Chad Brachmann, 15.036; 8. 33-Ryan Arbithnot, 15.079; 9. 15-Brett Tonkin, 15.120; 10. 56-Vince Vitale, 15.158
Group 3 Qualifier - 1. 18h-Peter Britten, 14.533; 2. X-Chad Phelps, 14.589; 3. 93-Ryan Bartlett, 14.634; 4. 88m-Mike Mahaney, 14.771; 5. 43-Keith Flach, 14.822; 6. 7-Michael Maresca, 14.915; 7. 99-Ryan Phelps, 15.007; 8. 35-Frank Cozze, 15.186; 9. 88a-Joe August Jr., 15.317; 10. 14j-Alan Johnson, 15.381
Group 2 Qualifier - 1. 9s-Matt Sheppard, 14.105; 2. 91-Billy Decker, 14.336; 3. 83x-Tim Sears Jr., 14.396; 4. 98h-Jimmy Phelps, 14.480; 5. 42p-Pat Ward, 14.484; 6. 5h-Chris Hile, 14.619; 7. 109-Billy Whittaker, 14.739; 8. 8-Rich Scagliotta, 14.873; 9. 34-Andrew Ferguson, 14.983; 10. 62s-Tom Sears Jr., 15.009
Group 1 Qualifier - 1. 6h-Max McLaughlin, 14.319; 2. 6m-Mat Williamson, 14.486; 3. 20-Brett Hearn, 14.532; 4. 99b-Chuck Bower, 14.460; 5. 99l-Larry Wight, 14.715; 6. 3-Justin Haers, 14.720; 7. 8r-Rob Bellinger, 14.757; 8. 07-Tim Kerr, 14.887; 9. 16-Mike Bowman, 14.925; 10. 32c-Vic Coffey, 14.934; 11. 27j-Danny Johnson, 14.987
The Super DIRTcar Series and DIRTcar Racing in the Northeast is brought to fans by many important sponsors and partners, including: Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel), Chevy Performance Parts and NAPA Auto Parts; in addition to contingency sponsors, including: ASI Race Wear, Bicknell Racing Products, Bilstein Shocks, Cometic Gasket, Comp Cams, Edelbrock, Fox Shocks, Henry's Exhaust Systems, Intercomp, JE Pistons, JRI Shocks, KSE Racing Products, Mike's Racing Heads, Motorsports Safety Systems, MSD, Pole Position Raceway, Superflow Dynos and Wrisco Aluminum; along with manufacturer sponsors, including: Beyea Headers, Racing Electronics and TNT Rescue.
Super Matt is The Man To Beat
Posted by: | CommentsContact: Mandee Pauch
DIRTcar Racing PR
mpauch@dirtcar.com
Super Matt is The Man To Beat
Clinches first Le RPM Speedway victory
ST. MARCEL DE RICHELIEU, QUE. - Sept. 9, 2016 - Matt Sheppard is no stranger to victory lane as he captured his third Super DIRTcar Series win in a row and his ninth overall Friday night at Le RPM Speedway.
"This car has been so good lately. We just unloaded it and it's been fast all night. We set fast time, won the heat and drew a good starting spot for the feature. When you have a car that good it makes your life pretty easy," Sheppard said.
Keith Flach and Sheppard led the 30-car field to the green. It didn't take long for Sheppard to jump to an early lead as he pulled away from the field on the initial start.
It didn't take long for Sheppard to catch lapped traffic on the ΒΌ mile as he caught the back end of the field on lap nine as he showed a comfortable lead over Flach.
A lap 21 restart saw Flach drive around the outside of Sheppard to take the top spot back.
Heavy lapped traffic got in the way of Flach as Sheppard took advantage and retook the lead off the bottom on lap 37.
Third place runner Mike Mahaney was digging on the bottom trying to close the gap between him and Flach.
The second caution of the night was brought out on lap 46 due to a spinning Billy Decker in turns one and two.
Sheppard led the way at the halfway mark over Flach, Mahaney, Phelps and Bernard.
Phelps took advantage of the lap 53 restart as he drove by Mahaney and Flach to capture the runner up spot.
Sheppard was running the cushion as Phelps hugged the bottom line. Phelps was soon knocking on Shepard's doors by lap 57.
Tenth place starter Tim Fuller made his way into the top five by lap 60. Fuller slipped under Flach for the third spot on lap 65.
Fourteenth starter Steve Bernard found himself into the top five chasing down Fuller in the third spot by lap 73.
Phelps and Fuller were slowly closing in on Sheppard in heavy lapped traffic until the third caution flag of the night was thrown on lap 77 forcing the field to close back up once again.
Sheppard caught the back of the field on lap 86 as Phelps started closing in.
Just as Phelps was getting ready to make the move on Sheppard the fourth caution was brought out on lap 95 as Friesen and Danny Johnson tangled together in turns three and four while both were running in the top ten.
The five-lap shootout was a close battle between Sheppard and Phelps as Phelps gave all he could but it was Sheppard who came out on top at the finish line.
Friday night was the Super DIRTcar Series first ever visit to Le RPM and Sheppard's ninth series victory of the season in his FX Caprara No. 9s machine..
"I could see Phelps underneath me. I switched my lines up a little bit and tried to keep him back there," Sheppard said. "I think I picked a little too soft of a right rear tire which might have hurt me in the end. This car is so good it didn't really seem to matter. It's a lot of fun coming to these series races right now."
Sheppard was ecstatic with his first trip to Le RPM Speedway. "I thought it was a really racy track; beautifully prepared and smooth from top to bottom. It was a lot of fun and I look forward to coming back here."
Race Notes: 34 modifieds attempted to qualify and 30 started the feature. Larry Wight flipped in group time trials. Matt Sheppard received the Pole Position Raceway fast time with a 13.273. Four cautions were brought out during the 100-lapper on laps 15, 46, 77 and 95.
The Super DIRTcar Series will head to Autodrome Drummond Saturday, Sept. 10th then to Brewerton Speedway Friday, Sept. 16th then to Weedsport Speedway on Saturday, Sept. 17th.
Follow the series on Twitter @SuperDIRTcar, or click www.SuperDIRTcarSeries.com.
Super DIRTcar Series Statistical Report; Sept. 9, 2016; Le RPM Speedway, Que.
A-Main (100 Laps) - 1. 9s-Matt Shepard, 2. 98h-Jimmy Phelps, 3. 19-Tim Fuller, 4. 54-Steve Bernard, 5. 1-Chris Raabe, 6. 88m-Mike Mahaney, 7. 6h-Max McLaughlin, 8. 42p-Pat Ward, 9. 1*-Steve Bernier, 10. 63- Dominic Dufault, 11. 20-Brett Hearn, 12. 99l-Larry Wight, 13. 43-Keith Flach, 13. 66x-Carey Terrence, 15. 91-Billy Decker, 16. 1 - David Hebert, 17. 21-Yan Bussiere, 18. 44 - Stewart Friesen, 19. 7m-Michael Maresca, 20. 2-Patrick Beaumier, 21. 27j-Damy Johnson, 22. 43f-Sebastien Fournier, 23. 71- Pierre Hebert, 24. 25m-Maxime Viens, 25. 35 - Frank Cozze, 26. 18h-Peter Britten, 27. 22c-Mario Clair, 28. 96 - Jean-Francois Corrivea, 19. 39x-Alain Therrien, 30. 13-Kevin Hamel
Last Chance Showdown 2 (8 laps) - 1. 7m-Michael Maresca, 2. 66x-Carey Terrence, 3. 21-Yan Bussiere, 4. 39a-Alan Therrien, 5. 2-Patrick Beaumier, 6. 3-Claude Brouillard
Last Chance Showdown 1 (8 Laps) - 1. 99l-Larry Wight, 2. 71-Pierre Hebert, 3. 25m-Maxime Viens, 4. 13-Kevin Hamel, 5. 37-Paul St. Sauveur, 6. 39-Clement Therrien, 7. 39x-Alex Therrien
Heat 4 (8 Laps) - 1. 19-Tim Fuller, 2. 44-Stewart Friesen, 3. 6h-Max McLaughlin, 4. 63-Dominic Dufault, 5. 96-Jean-Francois Corriveau, 6. 21-Yan Bussiere, 7. 39a-Alan Therrien, 8. 3-Claude Brouillard
Heat 3 (8 Laps) - 1. 91-Billy Decker, 2. 18h-Peter Britten, 3. 01-Chris Raabe, 4. 21p-Pat Ward, 5. 22c-Mario Clair, 6. 7m-Michael Maresca, 7. 66x-Carey Terrence, 8. 20-Brett Hearn
Heat 2 (8 Laps) - 1. 88m-Mike Mahaney, 2. 1-David Hebert, 3. 98h-Jimmy Phelps, 4. 54-Steve Bernard, 5. 27j-Danny Johnson, 6. 39x-Alex Therrien, 7. 13-Kevin Hamel, 8. 39-Clement Therrien, 9. 2-Patrick Beaumier
Heat 1 (8 Laps) - 1. 9s-Matt Sheppard, 2. 43-Keith Flach, 3. 1*-Stever Bernier, 4. 35-Frank Cozze, 5. 43F-Sebastien Fournier, 6. 99l-Larry Wight, 7. 71-Pierre Hebert, 8. 25m-Maxime Viens, 9. 37-Paul St. Sauveur
Group 4 Qualifier - 1. 19-Tim Fuller, 13.337; 2. 44-Stewart Friesen, 13.539; 96-Jean-Francois Corriveau, 13.570; 4. 6h-Max McLaughin, 13.731; 5. 39a-Alan Therrien, 13.825; 6. 63-Dominic Dufault, 13.847; 7. 3-Claude Brouillard, 13.881; 8. 21-Yan Bussiere, 13.977
Group 3 Qualifier - 1. 91-Billy Decker, 13.310; 2. 18h-Peter Britten, 13.379; 3. 20-Brett Hearn, 13.463; 4. 01-Chris Raabe, 13.501; 5. 42p-Pat Ward, 13.647; 6. 22c-Mario Clair, 13.687; 7. 7m-Michael Maresca, 13.827; 8. 66x-Carey Terrence, 13.838
Group 2 Qualifier - 1. 98h-Jimmy Phelps, 13.495; 2. 88m-Mike Mahaney, 13.540; 3. 1-David Hebert, 13.731; 4. 2-Patrick Beaumier, 13.690; 5. 54-Steve Bernard, 13.784; 6. 39x-Alex Therrien, 13.827; 7. 27j-Danny Johnson, 13.829; 8. 39-Clement Therrien, 13.831; 9. 13-Kevin Hamel, 14.118
Group 1 Qualifier - 1. 9s-Matt Sheppard, 13.273; 2. 1*-Steve Bernier, 13.283; 3. 43-Keith Flach, 13.353; 4. 35-Frank Cozze, 13.564; 5. 43f-Sebestien Fournier, 13.711; 6. 25m-Maxime Viens, 13.792; 7. 71-Pierre Hebert, 13.910; 8. 37-Paul St. Sauveur, 14.099; 9. 99l-Larry Wight, NT
Sheppard Scores $17,500 Victory at Lebanon Valley
Posted by: | CommentsContact: Mandee Pauch
DIRTcar Racing PR
mpauch@dirtcar.com
Sheppard Scores $17,500 Victory at Lebanon Valley
Captures his first Mr. Dirt Track USA 100
WEST LEBANON, N.Y - Sept. 1, 2016 - Matt Sheppard made a late race charge by Kenny Tremont Jr. and set his No. 9s machine on cruise control at Lebanon Valley Speedway for the Super DIRTcar Series Big Block Modified Mr. Dirt Track USA 100.
After Sheppard took a wild ride at Canandaigua on Saturday totaling his car, his team was able to regroup in no time to take the checkers Thursday night and capture the $17,500 victory. "I can't thank enough people. Bicknell practically built this racecar in a day; the lettering guy lettered it the day we picked it up. Every one of the manufacturers stepped right out," Sheppard said. "This thing didn't miss a beat tonight. This is what championships are made of. It was a big turning point from Saturday to tonight. Our season could have gone down hill in a hurry but instead we're sitting here in victory lane at Lebanon Valley."
The Valley's regulars, Tremont Jr. and Keith Flach started the 32-car field to the initial green. Tremont jumped out early to a sizable lead.
Tremont caught the back of the field on lap 21. Tremont was no stranger to lap traffic as he worked his way through pulling away from Flach and Brett Hearn.
Hearn slowly worked his way on the bottom through lapped traffic and started knocking on the rear bumper of Flach patiently waiting to make his move for that second spot.
Tremont was slicing and dicing his way through lap traffic until the halfway mark when Flach and Hearn started closing in.
Tremont lead the way at the halfway mark over Flach, Hearn, Friesen and Matt Sheppard.
Hearn used the bottom groove and drove by Flach for the second spot then chased Tremont down as he started knocking on his doors on lap 52.
Just as things were heating up the second yellow flag of the night was brought out for a slow moving Jimmy Horton on lap 54.
Tremont was running the topside as Hearn patiently hugged the bottom of the track hoping to make ground on him.
Sheppard moved into the fourth spot over Friesen then drove under Flach and pulled away in third on lap 65.
Tremont, Hearn and Sheppard were in their own league as they pulled away from the field, catching lap traffic on lap 75.
Hearn then moved to the top to maneuver through lap traffic, opening the door for Sheppard to drive under him on lap 84 advancing Sheppard into the second spot.
Friesen passed Flach on the bottom coming out of turn four for the third spot on lap 85.
Sheppard was able to complete the pass as he dove to the bottom in turn three, slid to the top coming out of four, worked his way around a lapped car and took the lead on lap 89.
The third yellow of the night was brought out on lap 90 due to a slow moving fourth place runner Hearn with a right rear flat.
The final restart of the night saw the field restart single file as Sheppard set his car on cruise control as he pulled away with half a straightaway lead over Tremont. On that restart Friesen worked his way on the bottom for a couple of laps and was able to slide by Tremont for the second spot with just two laps to go. It was all Sheppard as he sailed his way to his first ever Mr. Dirt Track USA victory.
"The car was phenomenal on the long runs. It was a little tight on the short runs. I'd lose the nose a little while and lose a little bit of ground. It just seemed like I could just drive it in straight and rotate the bottom. This motor really pulled up off the corners. I just can't thank everyone enough," Sheppard said in victory lane. "Long time car owner, Jeff Bruneau, he's in the hospital right now. There's no bigger win he would have loved than this one right here. We're praying for him. I'm sure he would have loved this one."
Sixth place starter Friesen looked to make a repeat of last year but fell one spot short.
"It was good tonight. The Halmar team has worked really hard all season. We have great racecar's and a great engine. We just didn't make the right adjustments for the feature. We had a good long run car but the short runs we were getting beaten up pretty good. I'm proud of my guys to finish second to Sheppard. That's nothing really to complain about. We'll work a little bit harder and come back out again on Monday."
Lebanon Valley's regular Kenny Tremont Jr. led all but the final twelve laps of the feature rounding himself off with a third place finish.
"This is such a good team. They did a great job tonight. We just used the right rear tire up and towards the end there we were just hanging on. I'm really pleased with how the car went, maybe a little bit harder tire compound would have helped us."
Races Notes: 38 modifieds attempted to qualify. 32 cars started in the A-main. Only three cautions were brought out during the feature on lap 8, 54 and 90. Tremont lead 88 of 100 laps. Fast timer in time trials was Brett Hearn with a 19.236.
The Super DIRTcar Series will head to Weedsport Speedway next on Labor Day Monday, Sept. 5th in Weedsport, N.Y.
Follow the series on Twitter @SuperDIRTcar, or click www.SuperDIRTcarSeries.com.
Super DIRTcar Series Statistical Report; Sept. 1, 2016; Lebanon Valley; West Lebanon, N.Y.
A-Main (100 Laps) - 1. 9s-Matt Sheppard, 2. 44-Stewart Friesen, 3. 115-Kenny Tremont Jr., 4. 43-Keith Flach, 5. 74-J.H. Heffner, 6. 98-Eddier Marchall, 7. 60-Brian Berger, 8. 45-Wayne Jelley, 9. 91-Billy Decker, 10. 98h-Jimmy Phelps, 11. 20-Brett Hearn, 12. 17-Rob Pitcher, 13. 42w-Pat Ward, 14. 76-Bobby Varin, 15. 34-Steve Hough, 16. 99l-Larry Wight, 17. 27j-Chad Jeseo, 19. 55-Mike King, 20. 6h-Max McLaughlin, 21. 19-Tim Fuller, 22. 88m-Mike Mahaney, 23. 220-John Ferrier, 24. 34b-Andy Bachetti, 25. 18h-Peter Britten, 26. 43h-Jimmy Horton, 27. 42-Kyle Sheldon, 28. 88J-Olden Dwyer, 29. 17e-Elmo Reckner, 30. 55c-Mike Keeler, 31. 99-Kolby Schroeder, 32. 35-Frank Cozze
Last Chance Showdown 2 (8 laps) - 1. 55-Mike King, 2. 25j-Chad Jeseo, 3. 27j- Danny Johnson, 4. 6h-Max McLaughlin, 5. 55c-Mike Keeler, 6, 17j-Matt Janiak, 7. 16-Willie Auchmoody
Last Chance Showdown 1 (8 Laps) - 1. 35-Frank Cozze, 2. 91-Billy Decker, 3. 18h-Peter Britten, 4. 98h-Jimmy Phelps, 5. 220-John Ferrier
Heat 4 (8 Laps) - 1. 43-Keith Flach, 2. 9s-Matt Sheppard, 3. 115-Kenny Tremont Jr., 4. 45-Wayne Jelley, 5. 17-Rob Pitcher, 6. 25j-Rob Pitcher, 7. 6h-Max McLaughlin, 8. 55c-Mike Keeler, 9. 16-Willie Auchmoody, 10. 43k-Ken Aanonsen
Heat 3 (8 Laps) - 1. 44-Stewart Friesen, 2. 98-Eddie Marshall, 3. 34-Steve Hough, 4. 42w-Pat Ward, 5. 76-Bobby Varin, 6. 55-Mike King, 7. 27j-Danny Johnson, 8. 88j-Brett Haus, 9. 17j-Matt Janiak, 10. 11a-Kyle Armstrong
Heat 2 (8 Laps) - 1. 34-Andy Bachetti, 2. 19-Tim Fuller, 3. 43h-Jimmy Horton, 4. 19-Tim Fuller, 5. 88-Mike Mahaney, 6. 35-Frank Cozze, 7. 220-John Ferrier, 8. 7s-Michael Sabia, 9. 98h-Jimmy Phelps, 10. 42p-Matt Pupello
Heat 1 (8 Laps) - 1. 20-Brett Hearn, 2. 74-J.H. Heffner, 3. 99l-Larry Wight, 4. 42-Kyle Sheldon, 5. 17e-Elmo Reckner, 6. 1T-Tyler Dippel, 7. 18h-Peter Britten, 8. 99-Kolby Schroeder, 9. 91-Billy Decker
Group 4 Qualifier - 1. 43-Keith Flach, 19.570; 2. 115-Kenny Tremont, 19.728; 3. 9s-Matt Sheppard, 19.765; 4. 45-Wayne Jelley, 19.861; 5. 17-Rob Pitcher, 20.120; 6. 6h-Max McLaughlin, 20.195; 7. 55c-Mike Keeler, 20.234; 8. 16-Willie Auchmoody, 20.652; 9. 25J-Chad Jeseo, 20.142; 10. 43k-Ken Aanonsen, NT
Group 3 Qualifier - 1. 44-Stewart Friesen, 19.483; 2. 42w-Pat Ward, 19.846; 3. 34-Steve Hough, 19.917; 4. 11a-Kyle Armstrong, 19.953; 5. 76-Bobby Varin, 20.000; 6. 98-Eddie Marshall, 20.079; 7. 55-Mike King, 20.168; 8. 27j-Danny Johnson, 20.303; 9. 88j-Olden Dwyer, 20.356; 10. 17j-Matt Janiak, 20.668
Group 2 Qualifier - 1. 34b-Andy Bachetti, 19.559; 2. 19-Tim Fuller, 19.935; 3. 98h-Jimmy Phelps, 19.962; 4. 60-Brian Berger, 19.979; 5. 43h-Jimmy Horton, 20.026; 6. 88-Mike Mahaney, 20.201; 7. 220-John Ferrier, 20.209; 8. 7s-Michael Sabia, 20.466; 9. 35-Frank Cozze, 20.472
Group 1 Qualifier - 1. 20-Brett Hearn, 19.236; 2. 91-Billy Decker, 19.466; 3. 99l-Larry Wight, 19.738; 4. 74-JH Heffner, 19751; 5. 18h-Peter Britten, 19.792; 6. 17e-Elmo Reckner, 19.882; 7. 42-Kyle Sheldon, 20.089; 8. 1T-Tyler Dippel, 20.335; 9. 99-Kolby Schroeder, NT
Friesen Rebounds at Ransomville
Posted by: | CommentsContact: Mandee Pauch
Super DIRTcar Series PR
mpauch@dirtcar.com
Friesen Rebounds at Ransomville
Takes Home Summer Nationals Victory
RANSOMVILLE, N.Y. - Aug 2, 2016 - Stewart Friesen keeps it in the family once again as he captured the Super DIRTcar Series Summer Nationals at Ransomville Speedway Tuesday night for the second year in a row. Friesen's night started off on a bad note as he damaged his car in time trials and was forced to bring out his back-up car. That didn't stop Friesen and the Halmar team from rebounding to take home the victory.
"This is awesome. The Halmar team worked so hard tonight. This is Uncle Alex's race and always will be Uncle Alex's race and to get it again is so special," Friesen said in victory lane. "I'll tell you what, I wasn't sure of what to think of this track when I got here but it was super racy. It stayed slick and wide. The guys were doing a great job. I hope my old man is getting a break and enjoying a couple of beers tonight. This is for Stan and Alex!"
Peter Britten and Brett Hearn started the 30-car field to the initial green.
Britten jumped to an early lead as Hearn worked the topside to run him back down.
Hearn was working every lane possible to get past Britten. Hearn dove to the outside and was finally able to make the pass for the lead on lap nine.
It wasn't long until Hearn caught the back of the field.
As Britten was trying to chase Hearn back down through lapped traffic fifth place starter, Sheppard started knocking on Britten's doors.
Hearn and Britten were running right around the bottom as Sheppard was digging the top line.
There was a three car battle brewing for fifth spot between Wight, Billy Decker and Tim Fuller as they ran three wide for several laps until Wight slowed down due to a right rear flat bringing out the second caution of the night.
Friesen took advantage of the lap 44 restart as he charged to the outside and drove by Britten and Sheppard for the second spot.
Hearn led the way at the halfway mark over Friesen, Britten, Sheppard and Decker.
The third restart of the night was on lap 59. Hearn chose the inside line, putting Friesen on the outside.
Friesen drove his No. 44F machine as high as he could take it into turns one and two and took the lead from Hearn by the time they entered into turn three.
As Friesen took the lead from Hearn, Sheppard then snuck under Hearn to overtake second spot on lap 62.
Last place starter, Danny Johnson, who used one of his provisionals to start the main event broke into the top ten by lap 65.
Friesen had half a straightaway lead over Sheppard by the time he caught lapped traffic on lap 73.
The fourth and final restart of the night was on lap 83.
Hearn opened the door on the bottom giving Britten the advantage to sneak through to take third spot.
Sheppard was slowly closing in on Friesen as the laps wound down.
Friesen moved to the bottom as he caught lapped traffic on lap 95.
Sheppard was on Friesen's bumper as Friesen began to move all over the track through heavy lapped traffic to try and keep Sheppard from passing him. Sheppard worked to run down Friesen as Friesen had his hands full working his way through traffic.
Friesen had the advantage on the exit and held on to the top spot over Sheppard by just 0.347 seconds at the line. Following Sheppard was Britten, Brachmann and Hearn as the top five.
"Matt and that race team are unstoppable right now. They have a hot hand and a hot racecar. We were lucky to get him on that one restart but I'll take it anyway we can get it," Friesen said. "We're going to keep working on our stuff to get better and catch him. We made a couple points tonight at least."
For Sheppard, the second-place finish wasn't what he had hoped for. Sheppard believed he had the car to win.
"We had a really good car tonight. I think we were good enough to win this thing. Peter got down on the bottom of that restart, blocked me and jammed us all up. Stew was able to roll the outside and roll around all of us. I think that was the difference in the race right there," Sheppard said. "You could see if I ran high or low I could run all over him. Every time I came out with a little bit of a charge it seemed like we had a lapped car and I had to tuck back in line."
Britten rolled onto the front stretch in third after what has been an up and down season for his racing team.
"I've noticed this year we've been consistently fast. We've always had some speed at times and other times not. This year we've been pretty consistent," Britten said. "To come third to Friesen and Sheppard at this point in the year I'll take that definitely. Congrats to Stew. I'm sure it's a pretty special win for him. Thanks to everyone here at Ransomville. Hopefully we'll get it soon!"
Races Notes: 40 cars attempted to qualify and 30 cars started the main event. Danny Johnson hit the wall hard in warm-ups and was unable to fix the car in time. Johnson started the back end of the field in Kyle Coffey's car for the feature. Friesen also hit the wall hard in time trials forcing him to bring out his back-up car. Four cautions were brought out during the 100-lap main event.
The Super DIRTcar Series rolls to Weedsport, N.Y. as the series takes on Weedsport Speedway on Tuesday, Aug. 9.
Follow the series on Twitter @SuperDIRTcar, or click www.SuperDIRTcarSeries.com.
Super DIRTcar Series Statistical Report; Aug. 2, 2016; Ransomville Speedway; Ransomville, N.Y.
A-Main (100 Laps) - 1. 44-Stewart Friesen; 2. 9s-Matt Sheppard; 3. 18H-Peter Britten; 4. 3B-Chad Brachmann; 5. 20-Brett Hearn; 6. 23-Danny Johnson; 7.19-Tim Fuller; 8. 91-Billy Decker; 9. 32c-Vic Coffey; 10. 37s-Tommy Flannigan; 11. 42-Pete Bicknell; 12. 6m-Mat Williamson; 13. 25R-Erick Rudolph; 14. 99L-Larry Wight; 15. 42p-Pat Ward; 16. 35-Frank Cozze; 17. 8-Rich Scagliotta; 18. 98H-Jimmy Phelps; 19. 88m-Mike Mahaney; 20. 93-Gary Tomkins; 21. 20m-Jeff McGinnis; 22. 165-Rex King Jr.; 23. 26-Rick Richner; 24. 6H-Max McLaughlin; 25. 43-Keith Flach; 26. 38-Ryan Susice; 27. 7K-Scott Kerwin; 28. 11J-James Sweeting; 29. 3e-Eric Gabany; 30. 21-Kenny Wills III
Last Chance Showdown 2 (8 laps) - 1. 37s-Tommy Flannigan; 2. 43-Keith Flach; 3. 21-Kenny Wills III; 4. 111-Alan Wills; 5. 44v-Phil Vigneri; 6. 12j-Nick Joy; 7. 8-Rich Scagliotta; 8. 23-Kyle Coffey; 9. 27-Jim Zimmerman
Last Chance Showdown 1 (8 Laps) - 1. 42-Pete Bicknell; 2. 11J-James Sweeting; 3. 93-Gary Tomkins; 4. 3e-Eric Gabany; 5. 56-Steve Schumacher; 6. 41-Boyd MacTavish 7. 6h-Max McLaughlin; 8. 678-John Smith; 9. 14-Russ Zimmerman; 10. 7m-Michael Maresca
Dash For Cash (4 laps) - 1. 91-Billy Decker; 2. 9s-Matt Sheppard; 3. 32c-Vic Coffey; 4. 99L-Larry Wight; 5. 19-Tim Fuller
Heat 4 (8 Laps) - 1. 91-Billy Decker; 2. 98h-Jimmy Phelps; 3. 44-Stewart Friesen; 4. 165-Rex King Jr; 5. 7k-Scott Kerwin; 6. 37s-Tommy Flannigan; 7. 111-Kevin Wills; 8. 8-Rich Scagliotta; 9. 27-Jim Zimmerman
Heat 3 (8 Laps) - 1. Tim Fuller; 2. 32c-Vic Coffey; 3. 25r-Erick Rudolph; 4. 42p-Pat Ward; 5. 26-Rick Richner; 6. 43-Keith Flach; 7. 21-Kenny Wills III; 8. 44v-Phil Vigneri; 9. 23-Kyle Coffey; 10. 12j-Nick Joy
Heat 2 (8 Laps) - 1. 9s-Matt Sheppard; 2. 3B-Chad Brachmann; 3. 18h-Peter Britten; 4. Mat Williamson; 5. 35-frank Cozze; 6. 3e-Eric Gabany; 7. 11J-James Sweeting; 8. 56-Steve Schumacher; 9. 93-Gary Tomkins; 10. 7m-Michael Maresca
Heat 1 (8 Laps) - 1. 99L-Larry Wight; 2. 20-Brett Hearn; 3. 38-Ryan Susice; 4. 88-Mike Mahaney; 5. 20m-Jeff McGinnis; 6. 42-Pete Bicknell; 7. 41-Boyd MacTavish; 8. 6h-Max McLaughlin; 9. 678-John Smith; 10. 14-Russ Zimmerman
Group 4 Qualifier - 1. 98h-Jimmy Phelps, 17.244; 2. 91-Billy Decker, 17.254; 3. 7k-Scott Kerwin, 17.469; 4. 165-Rex King Jr, 17.525; 5. 8-Rich Scagliotta, 17.870; 6. 44-Stewart Friesen, 17.890; 7. 37s-Tommy Flannigan, 18.007; 8. 111-Kevin Wills, 18.438; 9. 27-Jim Zimmerman, NT; 10. 27j-Danny Johnson, NT
Group 3 Qualifier - 1. 19-Tim Fuller, 17.286; 2. 32c-Vic Coffey, 17.313; 3. 25r-Erick Rudolph, 17.549; 4. 42p-Pat Ward, 17.557; 5. 43-Keith Flach, 17.811; 6. 12j-Nick Joy, 17.873; 7. 21-Kenny Wills LLL, 17.928; 8. 44v-Phil Vigneri, 17.951; 9. 23-Kyle Coffey, 17.966; 10. 26-Rick Richner, 17.446
Group 2 Qualifier - 1. 9s-Matt Sheppard, 16.827; 2. 6m-Mat Williamson, 17.230; 3. 93-Gary Tomkins, 17.261; 4. 18h-Peter Britten, 17.349; 5. 3b-Chad Brachmann, 17.470; 6. 35-Frank Cozze, 17.579; 7. 3e-Eric Gabany, 17.610; 8. 7m-Michael Maresca; 9. 11j-James Sweeting, 17.944; 10. 56-Steve Schumacher, 18.219
Group 1 Qualifier - 1. 20-Brett Hearn, 16.782; 2. 99L-Larry Wight, 17.020; 3. 38-Ryan Susice, 17.098; 4. 88m-Mike Mahaney, 17.239; 5. 42-Pete Bicknell, 17.498; 6. 6m-Max McLaughlin, 17.561; 7. 20m-Jeff McGinnis, 17.591; 8. 41-Boyd MacTavish, 17.781; 9. 678-John Smith, 18.002; 10. 14-Russ Zimmerman, 18.639
The Super DIRTcar Series and DIRTcar Racing in the Northeast is brought to fans by many important sponsors and partners, including: Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel), Chevy Performance Parts and NAPA Auto Parts; in addition to contingency sponsors, including: ASI Race Wear, Bicknell Racing Products, Bilstein Shocks, Cometic Gasket, Comp Cams, Edelbrock, Fox Shocks, Henry's Exhaust Systems, Intercomp, JE Pistons, JRI Shocks, KSE Racing Products, Mike's Racing Heads, Motorsports Safety Systems, MSD, Pole Position Raceway, Superflow Dynos and Wrisco Aluminum; along with manufacturer sponsors, including: Beyea Headers, Racing Electronics and TNT Rescue.
Sheppard in His Own League at Merrittville Speedway
Posted by: | CommentsContact: Mandee Pauch
Super DIRTcar Series PR
mpauch@dirtcar.com
Sheppard in His Own League at Merrittville Speedway
Captures fourth Bob St. Amand Sr. Memorial title
THOROLD, ONT. - Aug 1, 2016 - 'Super' Matt Sheppard from Waterloo, N.Y. took an early lead and never looked back at Merrittville Speedway Monday night for the Bob St. Amand Sr. Memorial 100-lap Super DIRTcar Series feature event.
"It mean's so much what they do here. When you walk out of here you know you're going to have a pretty good night. They worked really hard with the lap sponsors and it doesn't go unappreciated," Sheppard said about the effort put into the nights Bob St. Amand Sr. Memorial.
Tim Fuller and Pat Ward took the 31-car field to the initial green.
An early battle began between Fuller and Sheppard for the top spot as they ran side-by-side for several laps.
Fuller held on to the middle groove as Sheppard ran up on the outside to take a run on
Fuller. Sheppard was able to takeover the top spot from Fuller on lap 18.
Sheppard soon caught heavy lapped traffic by lap 23.
On lap 25 Sheppard lead Fuller, Larry Wight, Brett Hearn and Pat Ward.
Seventh place starter, Brett Hearn was running high on the cushion and moved into third on lap 38.
Wight took advantaged of the lap 48 restart and dove to the outside of Hearn as he took over third spot.
Sheppard continued to show the way at the halfway mark over Fuller, Wight, Hearn and Chad Brachmann.
21st starter Pete Bicknell was a man on the move as he slipped into eighth position on lap 52.
Sheppard once again caught the back of the field on lap 58 as he began to battle his way through tight lapped traffic.
Chad Brachmann then took third from Wight on lap 59 and drove away to chase down Fuller.
Fuller tried to hold off Brachmann as Brachmann tiptoed around the bottom for several laps and was able to close in and take over second spot from Fuller on lap 75.
Fuller didn't give up too easily as they battled back-and-forth for that second spot.
The seventh restart on lap 79 saw Friesen charge into third place as he worked the outside groove to chase down Brachmann.
Sheppard carried the momentum and the bite around the outside of the track as Brachmann hugged down low hoping to make ground on Sheppard.
28th starter Mike Bowman made a late race charge as he snuck into fourth position by lap 81.
The final caution of the night was brought out on lap 94 causing Sheppard to form back in line, erasing his straightaway lead.
Sheppard once again brought the field back to the green with just six laps remaining.
Sheppard tucked down to the bottom to hold his position and slowly pulled away form second place runner, Brachmann.
As Sheppard pulled away from the field Bowman and Friesen battled back and forth for the third spot but it was Bowman who crossed the line to take third over Friesen.
Sheppard went on to capture his fourth Bob St. Amand Memorial title at Merrittville Speedway over Brachmann, Bowman, Friesen and Bicknell.
"The thing wouldn't turn. This thing was tight. We didn't free up enough and I kind of just found a groove where I could drive straight up all the way across the track and finally the thing would hook and turn left and away she'd go," Sheppard said in victory lane.
"Stew's been red hot too but it seems like the only way we can gain points on him is to win races and thank god we've been doing that and hopefully we can keep that going here," Sheppard said about the tight points battle between him and Friesen.
Chad Brachmann, one of Merrittville's local favorites was pleased with his podium finish against the Super DIRTcar Series boys.
"Matt was in a league of his own like every other race he's at," Brachmann said. "We were decent. I think I could have been a little bit better forward drive wise. To hang on up front and to finish second to Matt, that's a good accomplishment we did tonight."
28th starter Mike Bowman was in complete shock as he stood on the front straightaway celebrating his advancement all the way up to third position.
"The car was really good. I bent the steering wheel in the wreck early on. I'm really surprised to be standing up here. The guys put a heck of a lot of effort into tonight. We really needed this," Bowman said.
Race Notes: 37 modifieds attempted to qualify and 32 started the field. Tim Fuller set fastest time overall in time trials with a 15.763. Eight cautions were brought out during the 100-lap main event. Three of the top five finishers in the feature were Small-Block Modifieds.
The Super DIRTcar Series returns to action in Ransomville, N.Y. on Tuesday, Aug. 2 at Ransomville Speedway.
Follow the series on Twitter @SuperDIRTcar, or click www.SuperDIRTcarSeries.com.
Super DIRTcar Series Statistical Report; Aug. 1, 2016; Merrittville Speedway; Thorold, Ont.
A-Main (100 Laps) - 1. 9s-Matt Sheppard; 2. 3B-Chad Brachmann; 3. 71-Mike Bowman; 4. 44-Stewart Friesen; 5. 42-Pete Bicknell; 6. 19-Tim Fuller; 7. 3rs-Chris Steele; 8. 62-Erick Rudolph; 9. 28z-Gary Lindberg; 10. 20-Brett Hearn; 11. 6m-Mat Williamson; 12. 99L-Larry Wight; 13. 33-Mike Mahaney; 14. 91-Billy Decker; 15. 37s-Tommy Flannigan; 16. 98h-Jimmy Phelps; 17. 42p-Pat Wardl 18. 27j-Danny Johnson; 19. 19c-Ryan Susice; 20. 18h-Peter Britten; 21. 15j-Tim Jones; 22. 6h-Max McLaughlin; 23. 8-Rich Scagliotta; 24. 88-Shayne Pierce; 25. 96-Fred Carleton; 26. 43-Keith Flach; 27. 26-Rick Richner; 28. 7m-Michael Maresca; 29. 35-Frank Cozze; 30. 96c-Jean-Francois Corriveau; 31. 93-Gary Tomkins; 32. 08-Mark D'Ilario
Last Chance Showdown 2 (8 laps) - 1. 35-Frank Cozze; 2. Max McLaughlin; 3. 96-Fred Carleton; 4. 71-Mike Bowman; 5. 96c-Jean Francois Corriveau; 6. 28z-Gary Lindberg; 7. 165-Rex King Jr; 8. 38-Scott Wood
Last Chance Showdown 1 (8 Laps) - 1. 42-Pete Bicknell; 2. 43-Keith Flach; 3. 33-Mike Mahaney; 4. 8-Rich Scagliotta; 5. 28-Todd Gordon; 6. 41-Boyd MacTavish; 7. 7m-Michael Maresca; 8. 27j-Danny Johnson; 9. 108-Bill Bleich
Heat 4 (8 Laps) - 1. 9s-Matt Sheppard; 2. 44-Stewart Friesen; 3. 20-Brett Hearn; 4. 19c-Ryan Susice; 5. 88-Shayne Peirce; 6. 71-Mike Bowman; 7. 38-Scott Wood; 8. 35-Frank Cozze; 9. 28z-Gary Lindberg
Heat 3 (8 Laps) - 1. 3b-Chad Brachmann; 2. 6m-Mat Williamson; 3. 18h-Peter Britten; 4. 93-Gary Tomkins; 5. 15j-Tim Jones; 6. 6h-Max McLaughlin; 7. 96-Fred Carleton; 8. 165-Rex King Jr.; 9. 96c-Jean-Francois Corriveau
Heat 2 (8 Laps) - 1. 99L-Larry Wight; 2. 91-Billy Decker; 3. 08-Mark D'llario; 4. 3rs-Chris Steele; 5. 26-Rick Richner; 6. 43-Keith Flach; 7. 28-Todd Gordon; 8. 7m-Michael Maresca; 9. 41-Boyd MacTavish
Heat 1 (8 Laps) - 1. 19-Tim Fuller; 2. 42p-Pat Ward; 3. 98h-Jimmy Phelps; 4. 37s-Tommy Flannigan; 5. 62-Erick Rudolph; 6. 42-Pete Bicknell; 7. 33-Mike Mahaney; 8. 8-Rich Scagliotta; 9. 108-Bill Bleich; 10. 27j-Danny Johnson
Group 4 Qualifier - 1.9s-Matt Sheppard, 16.012; 2. 44-Stewart Friesen,16.069; 3. 20-Brett Hearn,16.096; 4. 38-Scott Wood,16.343; 5.19c-Ryan Susice, 16.356; 6. 88-Shayne Pierce,16.423; 7. 35-Frank Cozze, 16.482; 8. 28Z-Gary Lindberg, 16.491; 9. 71-Mike Bowman, 16.643
Group 3 Qualifier - 1. 3-Chad Brachman,15.996; 2. 6m-Mat Williamson, 16.008; 3. 93-Gary Tomkins, 16.243; 4.18H-Peter Britten, 16.262; 5. 6h-Max McLaughlin, 16.348; 6. 15J-Tim Jones,16.424; 7. 96-Fred Carlton, 16.525; 8. 165-Rex King Jr.,16.533; 9. 96c-J.F. Corriveau, 16.546
Group 2 Qualifier - 1. 99L-Larry Wight, 16.026; 2. 91D-Billy Decker, 16.149; 3. 08-Mark D'Ilario,16.225; 4. 3RS-Chris Steele,16.237; 5. 26-Rick Richner,16.242; 6. 7M-Mike Maresca, 16.251; 7. 28-Todd Gordon, 16.470; 8. 43-Keith Flach,16.561; 9. 41-Boyd MacTavish,16.714
Group 1 Qualifier - 1. 19-Tim Fuller, 15.763; 2. 42p-Pat Ward, 15.868; 3. 98h-Jimmy Phelps, 15.912; 4. 37s-Tommy Flannigan, 16.138; 5. 62-Eric Rudolph, 16.198; 6. 33-Mike Mahaney, 16234; 7. 42-Pete Bicknell, 16.241; 8. 8-Rich Scagliotta, 16.327; 9. 27j-Danny Johnson, 16.556; 10. 108-Bill Bleich, 16.625
The Super DIRTcar Series and DIRTcar Racing in the Northeast is brought to fans by many important sponsors and partners, including: Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel), Chevy Performance Parts and NAPA Auto Parts; in addition to contingency sponsors, including: ASI Race Wear, Bicknell Racing Products, Bilstein Shocks, Cometic Gasket, Comp Cams, Edelbrock, Fox Shocks, Henry's Exhaust Systems, Intercomp, JE Pistons, JRI Shocks, KSE Racing Products, Mike's Racing Heads, Motorsports Safety Systems, MSD, Pole Position Raceway, Superflow Dynos and Wrisco Aluminum; along with manufacturer sponsors, including: Beyea Headers, Racing Electronics and TNT Rescue.
Cozze Conquers Autodrome Drummond
Posted by: | CommentsContact: Mandee Pauch
Super DIRTcar Series PR
704-795-7223 | mpauch@dirtcar.com
Cozze Conquers Autodrome Drummond
Wins first Super DIRTcar Series feature since 2008
DRUMMONDVILLE, Q.C. - July 26, 2016 - It had been eight years since Frank Cozze had seen victory lane with the Super DIRTcar Series Big-Block Modifieds. Cozze proved on Tuesday night at Autodrome Drummond that he still has what it takes as he came from his 19th starting position to take home the win over Larry Wight and Mike Mahaney.
"When you're 60, any win anywhere feels good," Cozze said in victory lane. "I want to thank my car owner, all of my sponsors, and all of my guys. My guys have been faithful to me for many years. I'm glad they're here for this first one. My tire guy never misses a beat and I think that's why we've been pretty consistent this year. He's on the ball. So I want to thank all of those people who put their hard work into it. I'm glad to call them my team."
Billy Decker and Brett Hearn brought the 30-car field to the green. Once the green flag dropped, Hearn overtook Decker as Hearn pulled away to an early lead.
A restart on lap 21 saw Wight charging off of the bottom of turn two as he drove past Decker for the second spot.
Nineteenth starter Cozze was into the fourth position by lap 32 as he began to pressure third place runner, Stewart Friesen.
Hearn was running the outside lane as Wight patiently worked the bottom groove and reeled Hearn in to capture the lead on lap 35.
Wight caught the back of the field on lap 39 but was soon halted as the fifth caution of the night was brought out on lap 40.
On the restart, Friesen dove into turn two on lap 44 underneath Hearn and captured second spot.
At halfway Wight led Friesen, Hearn, Cozze, Decker, Tim Fuller, Peter Britten, Mahaney, Jimmy Phelps and Mario Clair as the top 10.
Cozze claimed second spot from Friesen on lap 53 then slowly dug at the bottom to gain ground on Wight as he pulled away from Friesen. Cozze threw it into turn three as hard as he could and was able to capture the lead coming out of turn four to then pull away from Wight on lap 64.
Wight was not giving up without a fight as tension built for that top spot. Cozze and Wight battled wheel-to-wheel for several laps.
Cozze again caught the back of the field on lap 73 as he had six car lengths over Wight. Using the top and bottom grooves to his advantage, Cozze sliced his way through lapped traffic.
The eighth restart of the night was on lap 80 as the crowd saw Cozze bring the field back to the green.
Cozze drove his No. 35 Adirondack Chevrolet Big-Block Modified to score his first Super DIRTcar Series victory since 2008.
Wight and Mahaney battled for second spot in lapped traffic but it was Wight who held on by inches for the second spot.
"We had a really good car," Wight said. "We fired early and were able to get the lead and not waste any time. I think Frank had a better car. He was able to get around us on the outside. Once he found the bottom it was hard to run him back down. This Bicknell car we just switched to this Friday hopefully can help us keep our momentum going."
Third-place finisher Mike Mahaney, who started in 11th, was ecstatic with his finish.
"We didn't have a very good redraw. To come up from 11th to third in a Series race feels good to me. This is our local big-block that we run every week. It's our first top three for me and it feels good." Mahaney said. "I want to thank everybody who helps me out. It's just me and my dad tonight, feels special to have that bond. To come up here just the two of us to Canada, it's special to me. I can't thank him enough."
Cozze's best finish at Autodrome Drummond came in 1995 when he finished in second place to Steve Payne.
"The last time I was here I was in a sprint car some years back but in the modified it's probably been since 2006 or 2007," Cozze said. "I think the last time we were here I got third, and was four pounds light at the scale.
"This track is about as challenging as you're going to get. I ran my butt off those 100 laps as best as I could. Tomorrow at Granby is a little bit different deal but I have a group of good guys and a good car. So hopefully we will be okay."
Race Notes: 41 cars attempted to qualify. Billy Decker set fastest time overall with a 16.600 picking up the Pole Position Raceway fast time award. After an incredible firework show the top 30 cars were brought out to the front of the grandstands and were introduced individually in front of a packed house. Sheppard who was the points leader going into the night qualified through the last chance showdown, started 22nd in the feature and finished eighth. There were eight cautions brought out during the 100-lap main event.
The Super DIRTcar Series returns to action in Quebec, Canada on Wednesday, July 27 at Autodrome Granby.
Follow the series on Twitter @SuperDIRTcar, or click www.SuperDIRTcarSeries.com.
Super DIRTcar Series Statistical Report; July 26, 2016; Autodrome Drummond; Drummondville, Q.C.
A-Main (100 Laps) - 1. 35-Frank Cozze; 2. 99L-Larry Wight; 3. 33-Mike Mahaney; 4. 44f-Stewart Friesen; 5. 35* Steve Bernier; 6. 18h-Peter Britten; 7. 91-Billy Decker; 8. 9s-Matt Sheppard; 9. 19-Tim Fuller; 10. 20-Brett Hearn; 11. 98h-Jimmy Phelps; 12. 7m-Michael Maresca; 13. 27j-Danny Johnson; 14. 22c-Mario Clair; 15. 44-Sebastien Gougeon; 16. 79-Maxime Plante; 17. 42p-Pat Ward; 18. 8-Rich Scagliotta; 19. 6h-Max McLaughlin; 20. 71-Pierre Hebert; 21. 1*-Francois Bernier; 22. 66x-Carey Terrence; 23. 96-Jean-Francois Corriveau; 24. 1M-Mathieu Desjardins; 25. 43-Keith Flach; 26. 1H-David Hebert; 27. 21-Yan Bussiere; 28. 73J-Mathieu Boisvert; 29. 3-Claude Brouillard; 30. 39-Clement Therrien
Last Chance Showdown 2 (8 laps) - 1. 9s-Matt Sheppard; 2. 21-Yan Bussiere; 3. 73J-Mathieu Boisvert ; 4. 8-Rich Scagliotta; 5. 79-Maxime Plante; 6. 23-Danny Bilodeau; 7. 2-Patrick Beaumier; 8. 39a-Alan Therrien; 9. 22J-Gino Clair; 10. 54-Steve Bernard
Last Chance Showdown 1 (8 Laps) - 1. 1H-David Hebert; 2. 22c-Mario Clair; 3. 1*-Francois Bernier; 4. 44-Sebastien Gougeon; 5. 71-Pierre Hebert; 6. 7-Patrice Demers; 7. 13-Kevin Hamel; 8. 81-Eric Landry; 9. 43F-Sebastien Fournier; 10. 35F-Frank Bellemare; 11. 99-Mikael Labreche
Heat 4 (8 Laps) - 1. 18h-Peter Britten; 2. 20-Brett Hearn; 3. 42p-Pat Ward; 4.-6h-Max McLaughlin' 5. 3-Claude Brouillard; 6. 23-Danny Bilodeau; 7. 73j-Mathieu Boisvert; 8. 79-Maxime Plante; 9. 8-Rich Scagliotta; 10. 54-Steve Bernard
Heat 3 (8 Laps) - 1. 25*-Steve Bernier; 2. 33-Mike Mahaney; 3. 66x-Carey Terrence; 4. 96-Jean-Francois Corriveau; 5. 35-Frank Cozze; 6. 9s-Matt Sheppard; 7. 21-Yan Bussiere; 8. 39a-Alan Therrien; 9. 22j-Gino Clair; 10. 2-Patrick Beaumier
Heat 2 (8 Laps) - 1. 99L-Larry Wight; 2. 43-Keith Fach, 3. 7M-Michael Maresca; 4. 1M-Mathieu Desjardins; 5. 27j-Danny Johnson; 6. 1h-David Hebert; 7. 1*-Francois Bernier; 8. 44-Sebestien Gougeon; 9. 81-Eric Landry; 10. 43f-Sebastian Fournier
Heat 1 (8 Laps) - 1. 19-Tim Fuller; 2. 91-Billy Decker; 3. 44f-Stewart Friesen; 4. 98h-Jimmy Phelps; 5. 39-Clement Therrien; 6. 22c-Mario Clair; 7. 71-Pieree Hebert; 8. 7-Patrice Demers; 9. 35-Frank Bellemare; 10. 13-Kevin Hamel; 11. 99-Mikael Labreche
Group 4 Qualifier - 1. 18h-Peter Britten, 17.118; 2. 20-Brett Hearn, 17.370; 3. 3-Claude Brouillard, 17.423; 4. 42p-Pat Ward, 17.658; 5. 54-Steve Bernard, 17.665; 6. 23-Danny Bilodeau, 17.556; 7. 8-Rich Scagliotta, 17.622; 8. 73j-Mathieu Boysvert, 17.970; 9. 79-Maxime Plante, 18.109; 10. 6h-Max McLaughlin, 22.161
Group 3 Qualifier - 1. 25*-Steve Bernier, 17.155; 2. 33-Mike Mahaney,17.183; 3. 66x-Carey Terrence, 17.272; 4. 96-Jean-Francois Corriveau,17.305; 5. 9s-Matt Sheppard, 17.329; 6. 35-Frank Cozze, 17.503; 7. 21-Yan Bussiere, 17.531; 8. 39a Alan Therrien, 17.635; 9. 22J-Gino Clair, 17.936; 10. 2-Patrick Beaumier,18.155
Group 2 Qualifier - 1. 99L-Larry Wight, 16.879; 2. 43- Keith Flach,17.081; 3.1*-Francois Bernier,17.307; 4. 1M-Mathieu Desjardins,17.381; 5.1H-David Hebert,17.554; 6. 7M-Michael Maresca, 17.580; 7. 27J-Danny Johnson, 17.624; 8. 43F-Sebastien Fournier, 17.625; 9. 43F-Eric Laundry, 18.140; 10. 43f-Sebastien Fournier, 17.625
Group 1 Qualifier - 1. 91-Billy Decker, 16.600; 2. 44-Stewart Friesen, 17.056; 3.19-Tim Fuller, 17.224; 4.98H-Jimmy Phelps,17.448; 5.39-Clement Therrien,17.456; 6. 22c-Mario Clair,17.487; 7. 71-Pierre Hebert, 17.755; 8. 7-Patrice Demers,17.976; 9. 13-Kevin Hamel,18.164; 10. 99-Mikael Labreche, 11. 35-Francois Bellemare , NT
The Super DIRTcar Series and DIRTcar Racing in the Northeast is brought to fans by many important sponsors and partners, including: Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel), Chevy Performance Parts and NAPA Auto Parts; in addition to contingency sponsors, including: ASI Race Wear, Bicknell Racing Products, Bilstein Shocks, Cometic Gasket, Comp Cams, Edelbrock, Fox Shocks, Henry's Exhaust Systems, Intercomp, JE Pistons, JRI Shocks, KSE Racing Products, Mike's Racing Heads, Motorsports Safety Systems, MSD, Pole Position Raceway, Superflow Dynos and Wrisco Aluminum; along with manufacturer sponsors, including: Beyea Headers, Racing Electronics and TNT Rescue.
