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Written by Chris Moore
CORNWALL, ONTARIO – Back-to-back.
Matt Sheppard led 74 of the 75-lap ‘Rumble by the Seaway,’ the inaugural Bob Hilbert Sportswear Short Track Super Series (STSS) Fueled By Sunoco event at Cornwall Motor Speedway.
It wasn’t as easy as it seemed for Sheppard however, as the lone lap he didn’t lead, was lap 69 with Stewart Friesen making a bid for the $10,205 victory for much of the latter half of the race.
The sweep of Cornwall Motor Speedway and Tuesday’s victory at Mohawk International Raceway in Akwesasne, N.Y., moved Sheppard to within 21 points of Friesen for the River Valley Builders North Region title fight.
Sheppard now also leads the Ollie’s Overall Championship by 39 markers over Mat Williamson.
“Lapped traffic is always so hairy at this place,” Sheppard explained in Bicknell Racing Products Victory Lane. “Sometimes you just get stuck behind guys that are two and three-wide and you just have nowhere to go.”
Sheppard navigated the lap traffic and held off the hard charging Friesen, now matching his counterpart with 46 career STSS wins, tied for the most all-time.
“We were definitely fading, I felt,” Sheppard proclaimed. “These tires just go through so many heat cycles, sometimes you feel good and then you feel like something is wrong.
“Fortunately, we had enough to hang on in the end.”
Sheppard started on the outside of the front row following the Beyea Custom Headers Redraw, alongside Yamaska, Quebec, Canada’s Kevin Hamel.
The Savannah, N.Y., resident launched to the early lead while Friesen, starting sixth, was slowly picking his way to the front.
Friesen’s charge moved him into fourth on lap six, then onto the podium on lap 12, before moving by Hamel for the runner-up spot on lap 22.
The Sprakers, N.Y., resident turned his attention to Sheppard for the top spot, as the duo navigated heavy lap traffic with the lead seemingly growing and shrinking with each passing lap.
Suddenly, as the leaders completed lap 43, Friesen had cut Sheppard’s advantage to under half-a-second and had no lap cars between himself and Sheppard.
The battle was again on, resuming from Tuesday’s epic conclusion.
Friesen got close enough to show a nose underneath Sheppard, but never seriously threatened a pass before the race’s first yellow flag fell on lap 56.
A handful of caution flags plagued the next couple laps before another exciting finish occurred between the two stars.
The pair once again caught the tail of the field, and this time, Friesen pounced.
Sheppard swung wide off the second corner, and Friesen dove to the inside and beat his counterpart into the third turn and snatched the lead away with six laps remaining.
On the ensuing lap, it was Sheppard who got the big run off turn two and drove it into turn three hard.
The pair made slight contact, and Sheppard ran off with the lead he would never relinquish.
“I definitely felt him up there,” Sheppard stated. “I got such a run off turn two and went into three and there was no stopping myself from sliding up.
“I was ready for him to give it back, but the lap car on the bottom kind of served as a rolling pick for me.”
Sheppard led the final five laps for the victory, and his second consecutive $10,000-plus payday.
Friesen would settle for the runner-up spot.
“We got back to him in traffic and traded the lead and it got pretty racy,” Friesen stated. “Just a fun little racetrack and it’s been fun to be up here for a couple days.”
Saint Damase, Quebec, Canada’s David Hebert completed the podium after starting ninth.
“It was a great night for me, I love this series,” Hebert exclaimed. “Racing with Matt (Sheppard) and Stewart (Friesen) is a lot of fun and I’m very happy.”
Watertown, N.Y.’s Tim Fuller charged from the 17th starting position to come home fourth and Saint Catherines, Ontario, Canada’s Mat Williamson completed the top five aboard the Behrent’s Performance Warehouse No. 3.
Finishing sixth through 10th, respectively, were Elizabethtown, N.Y.’s Mike Mahaney piloting the George Huttig owned No. 35; Hamel who ran in the top three for the opening 55 laps; Cornwall, Ontario, Canada’s Ryan Stabler who impressed at his home track; Cornwall, Ontario, Canada’s Brianna Ladouceur who rebounded after not qualifying at Mohawk; and Napierville, Quebec, Canada’s Felix Roy after starting 18th.
Heats were won by Stabler, Sheppard, Friesen, and Ladouceur. Consolations were claimed by Cedric Gauvreau and Johnathon Ferguson.
Thirty-nine STSS big-block/small-block Modifieds signed in for competition in the inaugural ‘Rumble by the Seaway.’
The STSS now heads South to Georgetown Speedway on Tuesday, August 27 for the 10th annual ‘Blast at the Beach.’ The STSS Modifieds go for 35 laps and a $6,000 top prize in Round No. 7 of the NJ Quality Drywall South Region and Round No. 16 of the Ollie’s Overall Championship. The STSS Crate 602 Sportsman are also on the docket, going for 25 laps and a $2,000 payday in Round No. 6 of the Belmont’s Garage South Region.
To learn more about the Short Track Super Series Fueled By Sunoco, visit www.shorttracksuperseries.com, e-mail bdmotorsportsmedia@gmail.com, check out ‘Short Track Super Series’ on Facebook, @ShortTrack_SS on Twitter or @ShortTrackSS on Instagram.
The Short Track Super Series is presented by Bob Hilbert Sportswear, FloRacing, American Racer, Lias Tire, Sunoco Race Fuels, BDR Speed, NJ Quality Drywall, River Valley Builders, Ollie’s, Penske Racing Shocks, Saint Lawrence Radiology, Capitol Custom Trailers & Coaches, Bicknell Racing Products, Behrent’s Performance Warehouse, Madsen Overhead Doors, Belmont’s Garage, Wegner Automotive, DIG Race Products, ATL, Dirt Draft, Swagger Factory Apparel, F.X. Caprara Car Companies, Algonkin Motel LLC, Beyea Custom Headers, Design for Vision, Sunglass Central, Dirt Track Digest TV, DKM Fabrication, EIBACH, Fastline Performance, Flach Performance Products, Henry’s Headers & Exhaust Systems, JK Signworks, JLR Technologies, Dave Prime Jr. MAC Tools, Schultz Racing Fuel Cells, Superior Remodeling, TV 12 Racing Products, VAHLCO Wheels & Wilwood Disc Brakes.
‘RUMBLE ON THE SEAWAY’ RESULTS SUMMARY – CORNWALL MOTOR SPEEDWAY WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2024
Bob Hilbert Sportswear Short Track Super Series Fueled By Sunoco River Valley Builders North Region Round No. 9 Feature Finish (75 laps): 1. 9S-MATT SHEPPARD[2]; 2. 44-Stewart Friesen[6]; 3. ONE-David Hebert[9]; 4. 19-Tim Fuller[17]; 5. 3W-Mat Williamson[5]; 6. 35M-Mike Mahaney[12]; 7. 13-Kevin Hamel[1]; 8. 77E-Ryan Stabler[7]; 9. 15B-Brianna Ladouceur[3]; 10. 61-Felix Roy[18]; 11. 66K-Kyle Dingwall[14]; 12. 66X-Carey Terrance[8]; 13. 47S-Corey Wheeler[4]; 14. 35B-Francois Bellemare[16]; 15. R70-Ryan Arbuthnot[20]; 16. 02-Jack Lehner[26]; 17. 35T-Thomas Cook[11]; 18. 84Y-Alex Yankowski[28]; 19. 124-Mario Clair[23]; 20. 22C-Cederic Gauvreau[21]; 21. 35R-William Racine[15]; 22. 18JR-Louie Jackson Jr[27]; 23. 28T-Michael Trautschold[24]; 24. 4P-Anthony Perrego[25]; 25. 44J-Johnathon Ferguson[22]; 26. 23J-Joey Ladouceur[19]; 27. 17D-Tristan Draper[10]; 28. 60-Jackson Gill[13]
Did Not Qualify: M16-Gage Morin; 22G-Gorden Clair; 47-Simon Perreault; 17M-Gavin MacFarlane; 40-Sandy MacFarlane; 151KB-Brian McDonald; 18D-Kalen Draper; 08-Chris Ferguson; 88-Lee Ladouceur; 41-Samuel Charland; 15M-Daniel Morgiewicz Jr
American Racer/Lias Tire Bonuses (FREE Tire Certificate): Kevin Hamel (seventh) & Corey Wheeler (13th)
ATL Fuel Cell ‘Hot Lap Hero’ ($100): Simon Perreault(13.196)
Behrent’s Performance Warehouse Bonuses ($50 Gift Cards): Tim Fuller (fourth) & Brianna Ladouceur (ninth)
Beyea Custom Headers Redraw Bonus ($50): Mike Mahaney (Redrew 12th)
Eibach Springs Bonus ($100 Certificate): Mike Mahaney (sixth)
Elite Welder Training & Testing Halfway Leader Bonus ($150): Matt Sheppard
Henry’s Exhaust Power Position ($50 Certificate): Kyle Dingwall (11th)
PEM Engineering Bonus (Quick Change Gears): David Hebert (third)
Penske Racing Shocks Bonuses: Matt Sheppard (first – $150 certificate); Stewart Friesen (second – $75 certificate); David Hebert (third – $50 certificate); Tim Fuller (fourth – $25 certificate)
Schultz Racing Fuel Cells Bonus ($100 Certificate): Felix Roy (10th)
Wilwood Brakes ‘Lucky 7’ Bonus ($100 Certificate): Kevin Hamel(seventh)
