DUNDEE, N.Y. — After the bad luck bug struck Stewart Friesen at the Firecracker 50 at Fonda (N.Y.) Speedway, he was on the other end of the spectrum in Thursday’s Dave Machuga Memorial Outlaw Showdown, capitalizing on Matt Sheppard’s late-race misfortune for the win.
Sheppard pulled off under yellow with three laps to go with a flat right-rear tire, forfeiting the lead, and the win, to Friesen.
“You hate to win them like that, you want to race it out,” Friesen stated. “I’ve been on the other end of it though, we had it happen to us just last week the Firecracker.
“You’ll take wins however you can get them though.”
The win was Friesen’s 46th of his Bob Hilbert Sportswear Short Track Super Series Fueled By Sunoco victory, netting him a $7,078 dollar payday in honor of Dave Machuga’s No. 78.
The race wasn’t all about Sheppard’s flat tire, however, as the duo waged an all-time battle amongst each other, adding another chapter to their historic rivalry.
Sheppard raced to the early lead after firing from third following the Beyea Custom Headers Redraw, while Friesen started from fifth.
Friesen worked quickly, making his way into the runner-up spot just four laps into the affair and set his sights on Sheppard.
Sheppard appeared to have the superior racecar in the early going, with a lead of over two seconds and four lapped cars between himself and Friesen at the completion of lap 14.
Friesen, however, wasn’t willing to settle into the runner-up spot. While battles were happening further back, Friesen was marching his way closer to the rear bumper of Sheppard’s No. 9S.
The shrinking deficit became apparent on lap 20, and the lead changed hands on lap 23, moving Friesen into the top spot.
The lead was short-lived for Friesen, as the race’s first yellow flag came just one lap later, giving Sheppard the advantage of clean racetrack and a restart alongside Friesen.
The second half of the race became caution filled with multiple drivers succumbing to right rear flat tires.
“Every time we’d get going and I felt like I was coming back to him, the yellow would come… I was getting frustrated with those,” Friesen laughed.
The final yellow flag flew on lap 47, with just three laps to go, and was the one that changed the race. Just as it appeared the race was set to return to green flag action, Sheppard ducked off into the pit area for a right-rear tire going down.
Friesen took the lead and went unchallenged in the final three laps to pick up the victory.
Jack Lehner came from the 10th starting position to take the runner-up spot in his BDR Speed No. 02.
“It’s always a good day when you run second to (Stewart Friesen),” Lehner smiled. “The restarts fell our way, seemed like we were in the right lane a lot on the yellows.”
Ajay Potrzebowski II claimed his best career STSS finish, rounding out the podium in his family-owned No. 72.
“We went with a harder tire, and we were pretty horrible early,” Potrzebowski explained. “We got better though as the race went along and it definitely came to us.”
The finish:
Finish (50 laps): 1. 44-Stewart Friesen[5]; 2. 02-Jack Lehner[10]; 3. 72-Ajay Potrzebowski II[6]; 4. 18-Bobby Varin[9]; 5. 4P-Anthony Perrego[15]; 6. 3W-Mat Williamson[1]; 7. 27-Tanner Van Doren[22]; 8. 35M-Mike Mahaney[18]; 9. 5*-Tyler Siri[19]; 10. 47-Kreg Crooker[8]; 11. 28T-Michael Trautschold[2]; 12. 27J-Danny Johnson[12]; 13. 7MM-Michael Maresca[14]; 14. 70-Brady Fultz[13]; 15. 84Y-Alex Yankowski[4]; 16. 35B-Francois Bellemare[26]; 17. 9S-Matt Sheppard[3]; 18. 713-Tommy Collins[23]; 19. 70A-Alex Payne[11]; 20. 97-Bobby Hackel IV[7]; 21. X-Stacy Jackson[21]; 22. 82S-Will Shields[20]; 23. 2B-Ron Cartwright Jr[16]; 24. 58L-Jim LaRock[27]; 25. 23-Brandon Loucks[24]; 26. 222-Jeffery Daugherty[17]; 27. 01-Chris Raabe[25]