CONCORD, N.C. — The seventh annual World Short Track Championship saw more than 400 race cars, split among 10 divisions, produce three days of thrilling action.
On Saturday, the prestigious short-track event saw all 10 divisions crown 2022 champions at The Dirt Track at Charlotte.
Pro Stocks
Josh Coonradt earned his first career World Short Track Championship Pro Stock feature victory. Starting on the outside of the first row, the Fort Johnson, N.Y., resident went into a battle with Luke Horning within the first ten laps of the race. After Horning slipped by him on the bottom, he battled back to find clean air. After taking over the lead, he never relinquished it for the 25-lap matchup, staying ahead of his competition.
“Once I saw [Horning] on the bottom, I figured it was the fastest way around,” Coonradt said. “So, I dove to the bottom. The car felt better but after talking with Luke he just told me he was coming on the top. We got the race done and we finished on top.”
In the runner-up position, Horning still attempted to put pressure on the leader by taking different approaches to try to pass him.
“I was running the bottom because that’s how I got in the lead,” Horning said. “I pulled a slide job on him, and we were keeping the lead for a little while. Then he got a slide job on me and I just couldn’t keep the momentum with him. It opened up a big gap with no yellows. I think about half a straight-away. We closed it to about a quarter of a straight away.”
Pete Stefanski drove the second half of the contention error free, rounding out the podium with a third-place finish. Marc Lalonde finished fourth and Sheldon Martin finished fifth.
Sportsman
Kevin Ridley turned in a dominant performance, leading all 30 laps of the sportsman modified feature.
“It was getting a little scary because Rogers was on the inside of them and he’s really good here,” Ridley said. “He won last year. So I was a little concerned. But there was a good patch of moisture on the top all the way around. As long as I hit that, I could drive down off the corner and then clear them guys and get right back to the bottom.”
Starting on the pole, Mike Fowler was overpowered by Ridley on the initial start. Fowler ran strong for the first 20-laps, fending off charging competitors running not far behind.
One of the most significant reshuffles of positions came with five laps to go, when after charging his way from an 11th place starting position to fourth, Dave Conant passed first night Feature winner David Rogers and Fowler.
Rogers held his third-place position for the last five laps of the race, giving him a podium finish to go along with his first night feature victory.
Pro Late Model
After putting a soft right-rear tire on his Rocket Chassis, Trent Ivey stormed through the field to earn the Fox Factory Pro Late Model feature victory.
Dillon Brown grabbed the lead in the 30-lap feature, driving away from Ricky Greene and holding on for the first 18 laps.
Behind them, Ivey moved up from his eighth starting spot, working his way into a battle with Jamison McBride for third in the first five laps.
Once he cleared McBride on Lap 8, Ivey needed a Lap 12 restart to get by Greene.
From there, it only took a few more laps for him to power underneath defending race winner Brown, thundering by him on Lap 19 to take the lead.
Ivey went unchallenged for the final 11 laps, scoring his first Pro Late Model Feature win at the World Short Track Championship.
“I was caught between trying to save my soft right rear, which was a little different than anybody else,” Ivey said. “I was trying to blast to the front and hope everyone else went soft.
“The car was amazing, man, and it’s the first time I’ve ever driven this thing. I’m no stranger to Charlotte, but it’s been a while since I’ve won here.”
Brown finished second, with Ricky Greene third.
UMP Modified
He’s finished fourth, third, second, and even won the All-Star Invitational in 2017. But now, at long last, Taylor Cook is a World Short Track Champion.
Cook took the lead from a breaking Kyle Strickler in the early going and held-off a hungry Ethan Dotson behind him for the final 24 laps to secure the victory.
“It is a very big win, because all my family and friends are here,” Cook said. “My dad works full-time on a NASCAR Cup team, and he’ll be at Martinsville tomorrow. He doesn’t get to come to many races, so to have him here is awesome.”
Longhorn Chassis house car driver Ethan Dotson had been gassing it up on the outside lane and made the move on Haley to take second on lap 16. He immediately set his sights on Cook, who was well over a full second ahead and approaching lapped traffic.
Cook soon found himself with a large pack of slower traffic ahead of him and Dotson rapidly closing the gap behind him. With 11-to-go, the two made some light contact when Cook tried to get around Jason Altiers and met Dotson’s left-front as he attempted the pass for the lead to his outside.
The close-call seemed to be the wakeup call Cook needed to get going, as he sped away from the melee and pulled back out to a few car-lengths advantage on Dotson in the next few laps. Dotson also found his way around the lappers and made one last push for the lead in the final circuits but was unable to catch Cook in the end.
Dotson settled for second as Justin Haley came in behind him to grab the final podium spot in his World Short Track debut.
Street Stock
Devon Morgan claimed the street stock triumph.
Morgan’s path to the victory wasn’t easy, having to race his way froward from 11th in the 20-lap feature.
When the race commenced, he methodically sliced his way through the field, consisting of 26 cars overall.
Mirroring Morgan’s path was Patrick Lyon, who was also making a charge to the front from his 10th-place starting position. However, the Gastonia, N.C., driver found his way to the front a step quicker than Morgan.
By lap seven, he’d grab the lead by working the high side of the four-tenths-mile track and made his case that anybody that wanted to pass him would have to use the bottom of the track.
Morgan would be that challenger.
By the halfway point of the Feature, the two drivers had made it to the front two spots and used up all the room they could with their Street Stocks, utilizing every line. Lyon ran high – the line that got him the lead – while Morgan tried to master the bottom.
Morgan used the most he could of the bottom lane and kept getting his car in the right area to steal the lead and the win from Lyon.
Even though the two drivers were the ones that ramped up the excitement for the lead, David Duke, who started back in 17th, snuck past Lyon in the closing laps to finish second. Lyon had to settle for third.
602 Late Model
Gavin Cowan earned a significant milestone Saturday night before he’s old enough to drive a car on the road.
The 15-year-old passed Daniel Parker on lap 12 after battling for several laps to earn the Chevrolet Performance 602 Late Model victory.
Despite the booming pass for the win, Cowan said he wasn’t sure if he could pull it off.
“I don’t know, it was really crazy,” Cowan said. “I didn’t think I was going to be able to do it. But I was glad I had fun, and I want to thank all my sponsors and everything.
“It’s amazing. I never thought it’d come true.”
Parker settled for second, grabbing the runner-up spot for the second consecutive year. A.J. Belanger rounded out the podium after starting seventh.
Pro Modified
Ty Norder captured the Pro Modified feature.
“This is only my second-ever win,” Norder said. “At this stage, I busted my butt off on this car. We struggled all week, and we bounced-back to victory lane.”
Norder had inherited the lead after a bit of foul play in the final laps with the leaders in front of him. Ryan Ayers made the move for the lead on Eric Bentley on lap 12 and pulled out to a commanding advantage with a hungry Kevin Pangrazio rapidly closing in on him.
Pangrazio sailed around Ayers on the outside on lap 17 and suddenly looked to be the man to beat.
However, he and Ayers came together after a lap-19 restart, leaving Pangrazio stopped in turn two with Ayers sent to the tail for the contact.
Norder led the rest of the way to put his Longhorn Chassis in victory lane. Norder is an employee at Longhorn Chassis in China Grove, N.C.
One of his fellow employees finished right behind him in second – Michael Leach.
“I work at Longhorn and his dad owns Longhorn,” Norder said. “We sit there and talk crap to each other each day at work… at the end of the day, we’re brothers. On the race track, we’re gonna race each other hard and clean.”
Thunder Bomber
Rod Tucker won the inaugural SRI Performance Thunder Bomber feature.
“It feels awesome,” Tucker said. “Like I said, I haven’t won here since 2018, but the cream did rise tonight. We fought our way up here. Played the restarts into our favor. This thing was really good through the slick and that’s how we set it up to run.”
Mark Towell, who was also on a charge forward from eighth, followed Tucker’s line and passed Hunter Funderburke for second with eight laps to go. However, he didn’t have anything for Tucker. Benji Knight finished third.
Monster Mini Stock
Matt Gilbert started on the pole and won the 25-lap COMP Cams Monster Mini-Stocks main event.
“This win means everything,” Gilbert said. “It didn’t feel like I was that dominant (in the car)… I thought the field was all over me the whole race. I am so glad we were able to pull this off. Big thanks to all of my family, crew, team, and sponsors for all the support and trust in me to wheel this car.”
The top five consisted of Stacy Brock in second, Nick Broome in third, Kevin Cooper in fourth, and Dustin Bolin in fifth.
Hornets
For the second night in a row, the DIRTVision Hornets saw two veterans rise to the top and another first-time winner.
John Windham and Newman Presnell earned back-to-back features this weekend – having also won Friday night – and Dan Benson won his first World Short Track Championship Hornet title.
The paths to their victories became highlights of the weekend with each 15-lap feature producing eye-widening action.
Windham raced from 13th to win the opening feature, finishing 5.2 seconds ahead of Eddie McGrew who started 11th. Ricky Weaver finished third.
Meanwhile, Presnell romped from 11th in the field to win the second feature by 5.6 seconds over Wayne Taylor. C.J. LaVair completed the top five.
Dan Benson also romped through the field to win the nightcap, starting 14th and claiming the 25-lap event. Cale Deese finished second with Chris Harvell third.