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Written by Chris Moore
GEORGETOWN, DE – One Super Lap.
On the final lap of the Millman’s NAPA ‘Blast at the Beach’ at Georgetown Speedway, Matt Sheppard stole the show – and the $6,000 top prize – driving around Billy Pauch Jr. and claiming his 47th career STSS triumph.
The milestone win makes Sheppard the all-time winningest driver in the history of the Bob Hilbert Sportswear Short Track Super Series (STSS) Fueled By Sunoco, one ahead of Stewart Friesen.
Pauch Jr. led the opening 33 laps of the race, before Sheppard found just enough momentum on the outside groove to sweep around the ‘Kid’s Kid’ and win the race by half-a-car-length.
“The bottom was absolutely where you needed to be,” Sheppard explained in Bicknell Racing Products Victory Lane. “Probably just not the one lap after a restart.
“We had the long yellow and everybody’s tires cooled down,” he continued. “It was the perfect storm for me to give it a shot on the outside and I had nothing to lose.”
The win was Sheppard’s sixth Ollie’s Overall Championship win of the season and his second on the NJ Quality Drywall South Region.
Following the Beyea Custom Headers Redraw, Covington Township, Pa.’s Alex Yankowski and Frenchtown, N.J.’s Pauch Jr. occupied the front row with Sheppard coming from the eighth starting spot.
Pauch Jr. quickly launched off the outside of the front row and grabbed the early advantage, leaving Yankowski to fend off Schnecksville, Pa.’s Tanner Van Doren for the runner-up spot.
Sheppard was marching his way forward rapidly. The Savannah, N.Y., driver was up to fifth when the field completed the fourth circuit and moved into fourth just two laps later.
Sheppard rode in the fourth position until the race’s first caution flag flew on lap 13, setting up a restart Sheppard would take advantage of.
‘Super Matt’ moved into second on the restart and began to chase Pauch Jr.
Sheppard began tracking down Pauch Jr. when Sheppard moved to the bottom in turns one and two, while Pauch Jr. stuck with the top lane.
At one point, Sheppard moved underneath Pauch Jr. down the back straightaway and the two made contact battling for the lead.
“I thought when I found the bottom of one and two before him, I thought it was going to be my only chance,” Sheppard explained. “We made pretty heavy contact on the backstretch, and it took everything I had to not wreck us both going into three.”
After the contact, Pauch Jr. switched to the bottom and appeared home free for the victory.
However, multiple yellow flags in the final laps gave Sheppard an opportunity to gameplan a maneuver good enough to take the lead away.
Sheppard did just that, moving to the outside groove and just enough to overtake Pauch Jr. on the final two laps for another instant classic victory.
Pauch Jr. settled for second.
“He just out snookered me there,” Pauch Jr. explained. “I thought we had the car to beat but you can look at the record books, he’s the best in the business.
“He beat me to the Royal Farms gas station, and he beat me on the track today,” he said with a laugh.
Yankowski rounded out the podium in the Millman’s NAPA Auto Parts No. 84y.
“We unloaded with good speed, we just didn’t have the fastest car tonight,” Yankowski stated. “Still really proud of our whole team and the effort we put in.”
Elizabethtown, N.Y.’s Mike Mahaney brought his George Huttig-owned No. 35 home fourth and Saint Catharines, Ontario, Canada’s Mat Williamson rounded out the top five in the Behrent’s Performance Warehouse No. 3.
Finishing sixth through 10th, respectively, were Sprakers, N.Y.’s Stewart Friesen, who charged forward late in Halmar No. 44; Milford, Del.’s Jordan Watson aboard his family-owned No. 1J; Pipersville, Pa.’s Danny Bouc aboard the Craig and Leslie Pondish No. 6; Roscoe, N.Y.’s Michael Trautschold in his self-owned No. 28 machine; and Neshanic Station, N.J.’s Ryan Krachun in the Danny Sommeling-owned No. 51.
Twenty-seven STSS big-block/small-block Modifieds signed in for competition in the 11th annual ‘Blast at the Beach.’
Heat winners were Williamson, Mahaney, and Bouc. The consolation was won by Ryan Watt.
Boyertown, Pa.’s Logan Watt continued his winning ways on the STSS Crate 602 Sportsman side of things with his fourth Belmont’s Garage South Region triumph of the season, worth $2,000.
Watt raced from the fifth starting position for the victory. Watt picked up two spots on the initial start before moving to the outside groove to drive around the pair in front of him and take home the victory.
His closest competitor on the South Region standings, Ethan Bill, came home second with Dylan Madsen, James Hill, and Joe Toth rounded out the top five.
The STSS now heads North to Utica-Rome Speedway this Sunday, September 1 for the ‘New Yorker.’ The STSS Modifieds go for 50 laps and a $10,000 top prize in Round No. 10 of the River Valley Builders North Region and Round No. 17 of the Ollie’s Overall Championship.
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.
MILLMAN’S NAPA ‘BLAST AT THE BEACH’ RESULTS SUMMARY – GEORGETOWN SPEEDWAY TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2024
‘Blast at the Beach’ Bob Hilbert Sportswear Short Track Super Series Fueled By Sunoco NJ Quality Drywall South Region Round No. 7 Feature Finish (35 laps): 1. 9S-Matt Sheppard[8]; 2. 1P-Billy Pauch Jr[2]; 3. 84Y-Alex Yankowski[1]; 4. 35M-Mike Mahaney[3]; 5. 3W-Mat Williamson[9]; 6. 44-Stewart Friesen[12]; 7. 1J-Jordan Watson[5]; 8. 6B-Danny Bouc[7]; 9. 28T-Michael Trautschold[6]; 10. 51-Ryan Krachun[13]; 11. 31-Ryan Riddle[16]; 12. 14W-Ryan Watt[19]; 13. 32-Brandon Grosso[23]; 14. 11-Danny Hieber[21]; 15. 26-Ryan Godown[14]; 16. 24W-Sean Weiss[18]; 17. 74W-John Willman[10]; 18. 28-Tom Solderich[27]; 19. 27-Tanner Van Doren[4]; 20. 30W-HJ Bunting[20]; 21. 6S-Matt Stangle[11]; 22. 65-Austin Hubbard[15]; 23. 4P-Anthony Perrego[17]; 24. 7M-Paul Mancini[24]; 25. 8MOD-Norman Short Jr[26]; 26. 7-Rick Laubach[22]; 27. X1-Ken Eckert[25]
American Racer/Lias Tire Bonuses (FREE Tire Certificate): Ryan Krachun (10th) & Brandon Grosso (13th)
ATL Fuel Cell ‘Hot Lap Hero ($100): Anthony Perrego (18.833 seconds)
Behrent’s Performance Warehouse Bonuses ($50 Gift Cards): Mike Mahaney (fourth) & Michael Trautschold (ninth)
Beyea Custom Headers Redraw Bonus ($50): Stewart Friesen (Redrew 12th)
Bill Brown & Company Overall Heat Race Hard Charger ($50): Stewart Friesen
Design for Vision/Sunglass Central Bonus (Oakley Sunglasses): Matt Sheppard (Winner)
EIBACH Springs Bonus ($100 Certificate): Stewart Friesen (sixth)
Elite Welder Training Halfway Leader ($150): Billy Pauch Jr.
Henry’s Exhaust Bonus ($50 Certificate): Ryan Riddle (11th)
PEM Engineering & Manufacturing Bonus (Quick Change Gears): Alex Yankowski (third)
Penske Racing Shocks Bonuses: Matt Sheppard (first – $150 certificate); Billy Pauch Jr. (second – $75 certificate); Alex Yankowski (third – $50 certificate); Mike Mahaney (fourth – $25 certificate)
Schultz Racing Fuel Cells Bonus ($100 Certificate): Ryan Krachun (10th)
Wilwood Brakes ‘Lucky 7’ Bonus ($100 Certificate): Jordan Watson (fifth)
Bob Hilbert Sportswear Short Track Super Series Fueled By Sunoco Crate 602 Sportsman Belmont’s Garage South Region Round No. 5 Feature Finish (25 laps): 1. 4M-Logan Watt[5]; 2. 14B-Ethan Bill[4]; 3. 89-Dylan Madsen[6]; 4. 69-James Hill[1]; 5. 9J-Joe Toth[8]; 6. 73-Paulie Hartwig III[3]; 7. 20-Ryan Simmons[11]; 8. 257-Thomas Sherby[10]; 9. 02-Greg Humlhanz[9]; 10. 13-Tyler James[19]; 11. 29G-Addison Meitzler[15]; 12. 43-Michael White[20]; 13. 1*-Zac Weller[16]; 14. 17T-Kris Thompson[17]; 15. 15-Scott Hitchens[12]; 16. 41-Nick Van Wickle[2]; 17. 7J-Jarod Millman[25]; 18. 37-Chris Martinez[23]; 19. 51-Matt Peck[13]; 20. 12-George Schweigart[26]; 21. 18-Jeff Marker[21]; 22. (DNF) 10-Adam White[7]; 23. (DNF) 05-Sean Metz[18]; 24. (DNF) 94-Jacob King[27]; 25. (DNF) 59K-Dakota Kohler[22]; 26. (DNF) 21-Greg Reed[14]; 27. (DNF) 59-Colin Cox[24]
Did Not Qualify: 7T-Tim Millman; 3-Jeremy Banos; 13D-Evan Dennis; 30T-Robert Tete
American Racer/Lias Tire Bonus (FREE Tire Certificate): Ryan Simmons (seventh)
Belmont’s Garage Hard Charger Award ($100): Tyler James (19th to 10th)
Beyea Custom Headers Redraw Bonus ($25): Scott Hitchens (Redrew 12th)
Fastline Performance Bonuses ($100 Certificates): Ethan Bill (second) & Michael White (12th)
Fastline Performance ‘Hot Lap Hero ($50): Logan Watt (19.919 seconds)
Henry’s Exhaust Bonus ($50 Certificate): Addison Meitzler (11th)
Delaware Super Truck Feature Finish (12 laps): 1. 68S-Robert Smith[10]; 2. 89-Thomas Jackson[12]; 3. 84-TJ Williams[13]; 4. 68-Tony Guinta[6]; 5. 34-Scott Trice[15]; 6. 29-Cameron Benson[4]; 7. 00-Mackenzie Williams[3]; 8. 4-Carl Walker[5]; 9. 51-DJ Dewey[8]; 10. 7-Tyrell Burkett[14]; 11. 3-Matthew Smith[16]; 12. 27-Michelle Collins[7]; 13. 71Q-Tim Quay[9]; 14. 23-Troy Hopkins[2]; 15. 327-Chase Carter[1]; 16. 94-LJ Walbert[11]
Delmarva Charger Feature Finish (12 laps): 1. 37-Josh Dahling[3]; 2. X-Geoff Carey[6]; 3. 72-Derek Swafford[4]; 4. 67-Ron Falkner[1]; 5. (DNF) 92-Robbie Strain[5]; 6. (DNF) 2A-Jay Lowman[2]
