AFTON, N.Y. — The Bob Hilbert Sportswear Short Track Super Series Fueled By Sunoco beat the weather Thursday night at Afton Motorsports Park and Matt Sheppard bested a season-high field of cars.
A storm bringing nearly five inches of rain in the 36 hours leading up to the ‘Afton Action 50’ and off-and-on showers throughout the race night did not deter the event’s completion.
Savannah, N.Y.’s Sheppard wired the field in the 50-lap event for the $5,050 top prize in Round No. 4 of the STSS Modified HYTORC of New York North Region. The victory – Sheppard’s 61st with the series – pressed him into the point lead entering next weekend’s ‘Lumberjack Swing’ through Quebec.
Moments before the STSS Modified feature hit the track, a short-but-significant shower soaked the fairgrounds venue, prompting an extended rain delay.
Through the help of Modified and Sportsman competitors, the track was reworked and the event went on.
Sheppard started from the pole and led the entire 50-lap distance. His romp to victory did not come without challenges.
Sheppard skillfully negotiated lapped traffic on the ultra-fast three-tenths-mile oval and fought off rival Stewart Friesen’s advances both under long green-flag runs and on restarts.
The race’s final yellow – just one lap shy of the finish – was ultimately prompted by Friesen, whose right-front tire detached from the Halmar No. 44 in turn two.
Sheppard nailed the one-lap shootout for his third STSS-sanctioned triumph at the Afton oval.
“We unloaded fast right out of the box, and we never messed with it all night,” Sheppard said. “It was just one of those nights (with the rain showers). It seemed like we did more track packing than we did racing.
“I’m just happy to get this show in and get out of here with a win.”
Alex Payne, who started fourth, chased Sheppard across the line in second.
Anthony Perregowheeled to the final podium position in Bob Hentschel’s No. 4. Alex Yankowski and Tommy Collins completed the top five.
Garrett Chillot broke through for his first STSS Sportsman victory in the 25-lap event.
The finish:
Feature (50 laps): 1. 9S-Matt Sheppard[1]; 2. 70A-Alex Payne[4]; 3. 4-Anthony Perrego[9]; 4. 84Y-Alex Yankowski[7]; 5. 1-Tommy Collins[5]; 6. 97-Cody Higbie[10]; 7. 23-Brandon Loucks[2]; 8. 27K-Brett Tonkin[12]; 9. 6H-JR Hurlburt[13]; 10. 280-Justin Holland[19]; 11. 15M-Daniel Morgiewicz Jr[21]; 12. 44-Stewart Friesen[3]; 13. 48-Danny Tyler[20]; 14. 17Z-Seth Zacharias[22]; 15. 1H-Travis Green[17]; 16. 82S-Will Shields[8]; 17. 1A-Brad Weaver[25]; 18. 11A-Brian Krummel[18]; 19. D9-Dennis Clapperton[6]; 20. 9K-Blaine Klinger[24]; 21. 77-Alan Barker[15]; 22. 20F-Scott Ferrier[16]; 23. 60-Jackson Gill[23]; 24. 80-Dominic Roselli[26]; 25. 38-Kevin Stevens[14]; 26. (DNS) 16X-Danny Creeden
