Sheppard
Cops Florida DCN Finale, Captures Big-Block Points Title
Matt Sheppard closed out
his visit to Volusia Speedway Park last February with a
pair of Top-3 feature finishes and some added confidence
for the 20-hour trip home.
That
was just the beginning for DIRTcar Northeast’s hottest
driver as Sheppard closed out the recent 39th Annual Florida
DIRTcar Nationals By University of Northwestern Ohio on
Saturday with a second straight victory and the coveted
Big-Block Modified points title over the best in the business.
“That
was a lot of fun, I think the fans really got their moneys
worth tonight,” remarked Sheppard, 27, who, over the
past two years, has finished no worse than his sixth-place
tally on Wednesday after chalking up 2nd, 3rd and 4th-place
runs to close out last winter’s haul south. “It
was just a tough battle out there, I think there were 4-5
guys that probably could’ve won that race. We just
made a couple good moves there in the middle, got ourselves
in the right position and were able to get out front.”
Once
moving ahead aboard the JB Motorsports no 9S Xtreme Lubricants/Bicknell
entry, the Waterloo, N.Y. speedster was far from alone however,
edging runner-up Dale Planck by less than a half-second
at the line, with Rick Laubach charging into third out of
the final corner to salvage third. Long-time race leader
Billy Pauch and 19th-place starter Billy Decker rounded
out the front-five ahead of Top-10 finishers Jamie Mills,
opening night winner Stewart Friesen, hard charger Bobby
Varin (started 27th), Danny Johnson and DCN rookie Chris
Higgins.
After
falling into 23rd and 16th on the starting grid the initial
two shows, Pauch was more than relieved to finish second
in his heat before re-drawing to file into the front row
alongside pole-sitter Rex King Jr. Billy ‘The Kid’
out-dragged the second-generation pilot from Ohio and set
the early pace ahead of 27 more open-wheel contenders.
Canadian
chauffeur Friesen had a right-rear tire go soft on lap four
to incur the first of a half-dozen yellow flags, with Sheppard
already cracking the top-five from his ninth-place start.
Veterans Jimmy Phelps and Alan Johnson suffered their own
flats to force early slowdowns, and at the halfway point
Pauch and New Jersey rival Brett Hearn led the pack followed
closely by fast-moving Decker, Sheppard, Mills and Planck.
While
Garden State stars Pauch and Hearn staged a lengthy battle
much of the first half, Sheppard gained ground in the second
stanza, slingshotting past Pauch as the leaders rounded
turn four to complete lap 39. Beginning the 50-lap finale
in the lucky 13th slot, Planck advanced into third position
with 10 to go and overtook Pauch for second just two laps
later.
After
22 straight green flag laps dicing around the racy Barberville
half-miler, three-time Western Pa./Ohio BRP Tour champ Rex
King Sr. slammed the front stretch wall exiting turn four
to force out another yellow flag from chief starter Dave
Farney. With five laps to go the field remained bunched,
and that’s the way it stayed as Tim Kerr (lap 48) and
Rob Bellinger (lap 49) performed back-to-back loops exiting
the third corner to keep the leaders reeling.
A
last-gasp effort by Planck in the RezX Racing no. 77x Twin
Leaf/Bicknell mount entering turn two startled Sheppard
on the lap 49 restart, yet ‘Super Matt’ dug in
deeper rounding turn four on the final circuit to register
win number five in his last seven Big-Block attempts worth
$5,000 and his first-ever DIRTcar Nationals Championship.
“I
really didn’t want to see those cautions at the end
because I had got a rhythm going, and they messed me up
a little bit,” noted Sheppard, who closed out the ’09
campaign up north with three straight Super DIRTcar Series
victories and has not missed a beat in the season-opening
non-point SDS shows down south. “The (DCN) title is
a big step up from what we normally do down here. We kind
of struggled in the past so to come out and win two out
of three and take the championship feels real good.”
While
Sheppard racked up two wins over the past four days, runner-up
Planck secured a pair of runner-up tallies to finish second
in the final point standings.
“This
car has been really good, can’t complain,” said
Planck, 39, a regular traveler to Florida most of the new
millennium, with his lone checkered flag taken in 2008.
“There’s only one spot better than second so we’re
pretty happy overall.”
“I
gave a good shot on that last restart, just wasn’t
strong enough. Thought maybe if I could get through (turns)
three and four, maybe I could give Matt a run. I think I
was better in one and two but he was way better down here
(pointing to turns 3&4).”
“We’ll
take it though, it’s a heck of a way to end the winter
nationals. Sure glad I came down, and I’m hoping to
be just as solid throughout the whole year on tour up north.
We’ll just have to take it race by race and see what
happens. So far what we’ve been doing, its in the direction
of the kind of success we’re looking for,” added
Planck, who looks to rebound from an 11th finish in the
2009 Hoosier Tire-VP Racing Fuels Mr. DIRTcar points chase.
As
the 2010 Florida DIRTcar Nationals By UNOH made its way
into the recordbook, teams packed up and headed home to
get ready for the start of DIRTcar Northeast's 35th season
at their home tracks. The first major event of the points
season is the Super DIRTcar Series Big-Block Modified opener
scheduled at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway on Saturday, March
27.
Destination
events already lined up on DIRTcar Racing Northeast’s
premier tour for the Big-Block Modifieds include the 2nd
Annual All-Star 100 Weekend, this year featuring three straight
days of racing at both Cayuga County Fair Speedway and Brewerton
Speedway, July 15-17. The ‘Great Canadian’ tour
in Quebec hits autodromes Drummond and Granby, July 19-20,
with Super DIRT Week XXXIX on the Syracuse Mile, Oct. 6-10,
and DIRTcar Fall Nationals at Brockville Ontario Speedway,
Oct. 16-17, two of the biggest autumn attractions.
The
2010 Super DIRTcar Series concludes competition for the
first time ever as a major part of the World Finals at The
Dirt Track @ Charlotte (NC), Nov. 4-6, joining the World
of Outlaws Sprint Cars and the World of Outlaws Late Models
as all three series wrap up their seasons with nationally
recognized championship-deciding point events.
Super
DIRTcar Series – Volusia Speedway Park, February 13,
2010
39th Annual Florida DIRTcar Nationals By UNOH Event #3
BIG-BLOCK MODIFIED FEATURE
FIN STR CAR# DRIVER/HOMETOWN
1 9 9s Matt Sheppard/Waterloo,NY ($5,000)
2 13 77x Dale Planck/Cortland,NY
3 6 7 Rick Laubach/Quakertown,PA
4 2 1p Billy Pauch/Frenchtown,NJ
5 19 91 Billy Decker/Unadilla,NY
6 14 30 Jamie Mills/Milford,DE
7 23 1f Stewart Friesen/Niagara-o-t-Lake,ONT
8 27 10 Bobby Varin/Sharon Springs,NY
9 7 49er Danny Johnson/Rochester,NY
10 18 19h Chris Higgins/Syracuse,NY
11 12 66w Alan Johnson/Middlesex,NY
12 24 99L Larry Wight/Phoenix,NY
13 5 98h Jimmy Phelps/Baldwinsville,NY
14 8 20 Brett Hearn/Sussex,NJ
15 21 0 Richie Pratt Jr./Woodbury Heights,NJ
16 11 22 Mario Clair/St-Edmond,QUE
17 25 1x Willy Decker/Vernon,NY
18 15 34 Andy Bachetti/Sheffield,MA
19 20 42p Pat Ward/Genoa,NY
20 17 8r Rob Bellinger/Dexter,NY
21 3 85j H.J. Bunting III/Milford,DE
22 16 56 Vince Vitale/Phoenix,NY
23 28 07 Tim Kerr/Picton,ONT
24 22 85 Dan Vauter/Forest City,PA
25 26 65 Rex King/Bristolville,OH
26 10 01 Brett Ballard/Pennsville,NJ
27 1 165 Rex King Jr./Bristolville,OH
28 4 14 Jimmy Horton/Neshanic Station,NJ
Sheppard
Scores 1st Florida Win At Volusia
Matt
Sheppard picked up where he left off on the 2009 Super DIRTcar
Series, authoring a late race charge to score his first
victory of the new decade in convincing fashion Thursday
night in the 39th Annual Florida DIRTcar Nationals By University
of Northwestern Ohio at Volusia Speedway Park.
The
winningest DIRTcar Big-Block Modified driver in the Northeast
last season also captured his first career feature win in
the Sunshine State, establishing the second-generation standout
from Waterloo, N.Y. as an early favorite to capture the
overall Hoosier Tire-VP Racing Fuels Mr. DIRTcar Championship
come autumn.
“It
seems I’ve finished in just about every position but
first here, so I finally accomplished that and now we can
go for number two tomorrow,” remarked a confident Sheppard,
27, winner of 20 Big-Block main events in ’09, and
already in prime position to carry the momentum back up
north. “I think we’ve got the car to get the job
done.”
“Tonight
I could really put it anywhere on the race track. It was
pretty good all night, especially at the end of the feature
when it counted most. I really felt comfortable out there
and that’s important at a place you only get to run
at once a year,” added Sheppard, after parking the
JB Motorsports no. 9s Xtreme Lubricants/Bicknell machine
in the winner’s circle to collect the $2,000 payoff.
Sheppard’s
dramatic ride to the front foiled a stellar effort put forth
by Delaware driver Jamie Mills, who was forced to settle
for runner-up laurels after starting 12th on the 26-car
grid and relinquishing the lead with just five to go. Sussex,
N.J. speedster Brett Hearn rebounded from a crash the previous
night to fall into third ahead of Jimmy Phelps, a fourth-place
finisher for a second straight show. Popular New Yorker
Danny Johnson steered the spec motor-powered Bicknell entry
to fifth-place in the 30-lap finale, which finished as light
rain continued to fall.
The
customary 4-wide parade lap that has become a trademark
of the World Racing Group carried over to green flag racing
as the mighty Mod Squad covered every inch of the ultra-fast
Barberville half-mile looking for the quickest way around.
Front row partners Billy Decker and Bobby Varin had trouble
making up their minds on the multi-groove surface as the
veteran racers swapped the lead twice high and low during
the first five circuits.
Billy
Pauch slowed between turns one and two to incur the only
caution of the race, a slowdown that was followed immediately
by the second red flag in two days. With fifth-place starter
Sheppard locked into a fierce battle up front, teammate
Jeff Brownell Jr. was mired mid-pack before providing Florida
fans with one of the most spectacular rollovers witnessed
during race weeks.
The
highlight film clip began with Brownell’s no. 29 car
digging in deep down low entering turn three on the lap
eight restart. His Xtreme Lubricants/Bicknell machine turned
sideways, and once the right front wheel got its grip in
the tacky clay, proceeded to flip end-over-end no less than
six times before landing on the no. 0 South Jersey Overhead
Door mount of New Jersey invader Richie Pratt Jr.
No
injuries were reported yet before the race could resume,
the night was over for seven of the 10 cars involved in
the wild melee, with Jimmy Horton the lone driver to need
direct assistance as Dick Biever’s no 14 Alpha Distribution
Solutions-McKeansburg Hotel/TEO entry sat motionless on
its roof between turns three and four.
The
remaining 19 cars refired 15 minutes later and in less than
10 more, Sheppard was standing in the winner’s circle
and joined by Mills and Hearn on the frontstretch podium.
Mills
had blasted from third to first on lap nine, overtaking
both Decker and Hearn rim-riding aboard his I.G.Burton Car
Dealership-ReMax Realtor-L&W Ins./Bicknell as the trio
rounded turn four. Hearn wrestled away second from Decker
by lap 15 and the next time around the no. 91 car suddenly
exited the track high in turn four before limping down the
back stretch access road; a maneuver that cleared the path
for Sheppard to inherit third.
‘Super
Matt’ pulled alongside Hearn on lap 20 and a half-dozen
circuits later ducked under Mills to forge the final lead
change as 17 cars remained trackside. The margin of victory
ballooned to a full straightaway just four laps later while
Hearn crept right up to Mills bumper as the final checkered
flag waved.
“When
the race started out I was okay but not any faster than
any of the other guys, and the leaders were getting away,”
noted Sheppard, after notching his 55th career DIRTcar Big-Block
victory some 1,500 miles from home. “I was about the
same speed as the guys in front of me, don’t really
know if we got better or they got slower the longer the
race went on. But man, at the end of the race that car was
on rails.”
“We
finished last season so strong, to come down here and get
one under our belt right away, it seems we’re picking
up right where we left off. And any night you can get by
Brett you’re having a good night. So tonight was definitely
a good one,” added Sheppard, after improving five positions
from the night before to emerge as the Florida mini-series
points leader through two of four scheduled events.
A
three-time VSP race winner, including a 30-lap triumph last
winter, Mills regrouped after finishing 18th the night before
on the heels of one of the most thrilling performances of
the week.
“I
didn’t want to think about last night, just erase it
from my memory,” commented Mills, 39, who suddenly
slid off the track high in turn four on Wednesday before
retiring pitside for the remainder. “I think it was
more brain fade than anything else.”
“But
its good that the fastest car won out here tonight, I’ve
been in that position a couple times before. Matt had the
best car so I’m happy to finish second the way he ran
all night. He was the one we had to beat and just came up
a little short,” Mills said.
After
bending his primary Madsen Motorsports no. 20 Wentworth
Custom Homes-Benjamin Moore Paints/TEO in a wild front stretch
incident the night before, Hearn was back in form finishing
third after qualifying for his 50th consecutive Florida
feature since DIRTcar Racing returned to the Route 40 oval
in 1998.
“There
was a lot of clay flying at the end and it was getting tough
to see, but I had a lot more fun than yesterday,” remarked
Hearn, 51, a winner of 19 features during DIRTcar Nationals
competition dating back to 1993. “We had to park the
primary car after yesterday but fortunately we brought down
two cars that were both prepared. It just shows what kind
of team we have, coming back with different car and not
missing a beat.”
Mirroring
the formula put in place the day before, four qualifying
heats were used to break down the 42-car field, with a pair
of consolation events and two provisional starting spots
provided to make up the 26-car starting field. John Stangle,
Hearn, Phelps and Randy Chrysler scored heat race wins while
Brownell and Jimmy Horton won last chance consolation round
qualifiers to help determine the feature grid.
Sheppard
leads the ground-pounding NE Modifieds back to Volusia for
two more days of Big-Block action, closing out Friday with
a traditional 30-lap feature before concluding with the
fourth and final round on Saturday, February 13 as a $5,000-to-win
50-lap championship event will decide the 2010 DIRTcar Nationals
points championship.
Through
two races, Sheppard tops the point standings with 106 markers
while Phelps (100) is right in the shadows just six back.
Friesen and Varin are deadlocked with 98 points apiece while
Dale Planck (92) stands fifth with two events remaining.
Super
DIRTcar Series – Volusia Speedway Park, February 11,
2010
39th Annual Florida DIRTcar Nationals By UNOH Event #2
BIG-BLOCK MODIFIED FEATURE
FIN STR CAR# DRIVER/HOMETOWN
1 5 9s Matt Sheppard/Waterloo,NY ($2,000)
2 12 30 Jamie Mills/Milford,DE
3 7 20 Brett Hearn/Sussex,NJ
4 3 98h Jimmy Phelps/Baldwinsville,NY
5 4 49er Danny Johnson/Rochester,NY
6 1 10 Bobby Varin/Sharon Springs,NY
7 19 34 Andy Bachetti/Sheffield,MA
8 11 66w Alan Johnson/Middlesex,NY
9 23 1x Willy Decker/Vernon,NY
10 20 1f Stewart Friesen/Niagara-o-t-Lake,ONT
11 10 77x Dale Planck/Cortland,NY
12 9 8r Rob Bellinger/Dexter,NY
13 15 56 Vince Vitale/Phoenix,NY
14 17 22 Mario Clair/St-Edmond,QUE
15 18 07 Tim Kerr/Picton,ONT
16 27 19h Chris Higgins/Syracuse,NY
17 16 1p Billy Pauch/Frenchtown,NJ
18 2 91 Billy Decker/Unadilla,NY
19 6 6 John Stangle/Neshanic Station,NJ
20 14 0 Richie Pratt Jr./Woodbury Heights,NJ
21 21 29 Jeff Brownell Jr./Waterloo,NY
22 13 8 Rich Scagliotta/Bound Brook,NJ
23 22 14 Jimmy Horton/Neshanic Station,NJ
24 25 65 Rex King/Bristolville,OH
25 24 7 Rick Laubach/Quakertown,PA
26 8 42p Pat Ward/Genoa,NY
DNS 26 33 Ray Swinehart/Bechtelsville,PA
