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AFTON, NY – Like father, like son.
Cody Higbie joined his father Jerry on the Bob Hilbert Sportswear Short Track Super Series (STSS) Fueled By Sunoco Modified win list Saturday afternoon at Afton Motorsports Park.
The Newburgh, N.Y., driver won the HYTORC of New York North Region Short Track SuperNationals 16 in dominant fashion.
Higbie put together a perfect weekend at the “Working Man’s Race” starting on Friday when he locked into the redraw with fast time in the first practice session. He was the ATL Fuel Cells Hot Lap Hero on Saturday and led all 50 laps of the main event, negotiating lapped traffic and surviving a slew of restarts.
Higbie earned $4,700 for his efforts: $4,000 from the posted purse, $500 as the Dale and Sue Smith Halfway Leader, $100 as the top New York State Stock Car Association (NYSSCA) member across the line and $100 for his ATL Fuel Cells Hot Lap Hero Award.
Cody and Jerry Higbie became the first father and son duo to win Short Track Super Series Modified events in the 12-year history of the tour. Jerry’s STSS victory took place at N.Y.’s Accord Speedway on July 3, 2018.
Event organizer Brett Deyo and Afton Motorsports Park promoter Ron Ford moved the Saturday start time up by two-and-a-half hours due to the forecast, a decision that paid off when rain moved over the facility prior to 7 p.m.
Higbie launched off the outside pole and immediately checked out on the field. By lap seven, the family-owned No. 97 reached lapped traffic.
The first 20 laps of the event ran caution free before track champion Danny Creeden slowed with a flat tire.
Billy Pauch Jr. advanced from fourth to second on the lap-20 restart with a three-wide move and began his pursuit of Higbie.
Again, Higbie had built a lead of more than five seconds before a slew of cautions from laps 37-40 put Pauch Jr. back in contention.
Higbie turned back Pauch Jr.’s challenges each time and drove on to his first STSS victory, becoming the 45th different winner in series history and 15th driver to top the Short Track SuperNationals in 16 editions.
“I had a great car last night and all today,” Higbie said. “It was just a dream to drive. We picked the right tire and that was the key today.
“I got a little nervous on that restart. I saw Billy (Pauch Jr.) next to me.”
Higbie credited his car for allowing him to maneuver through traffic.
“The car was so maneuverable,” he said. “It seemed like I could put it anywhere, it was so stuck.”
Frenchtown, N.J.’s Pauch Jr. finished second in the Breitenstein Motorsports No. 14 spec small-block. It was his third runner-up finish in the event, joining 2021 at Afton and 2010 at the now-closed Five Mile Point Speedway in Kirkwood, N.Y.
“I had a shot at him, but Cody drove a really good race,” Pauch Jr. said. “He picked the right tire. I think I went too soft and was hanging on longer runs there.
“I swear I’ve run second in this race a bunch of times. One year we’ll get it.”
Kirkwood, N.Y.’s Ken Titus drove a steady race to complete the podium, his best career series finish.
“I started on the pole, that helped. I know the track, that helped. But this feels great,” Titus said.
Seth Zacharias of Vestal, N.Y., drove from seventh to fourth and Tyler Johnston of Napanoch, N.Y., completed the front five.
Finishing sixth through 10th, respectively, were 12th-starter Alan Barker of Norwich, N.Y., Brandon Loucks of Bainbridge, N.Y., up from 20th; Dennis Clapperton of Oxford, N.Y.; 15th-starter Doug Polhamus of Windsor, N.Y.; and Middletown, N.Y.’s Creeden, recovering from a flat-tire and restart tangle.
A field of 42 STSS Modifieds signed in for competition.
Heat winners were Pauch, Titus, Danny Bouc and Scott Ferrier. Bobby Hackel and Loucks split the B-Mains.
Higbie’s lap of 15.015 seconds earned the Hot Lap Hero honors from ATL Fuel Cells.
The pit area was again packed: the 42 STSS Modifieds were joined by 26 Factory Stocks, 18 Limited Sportsman and 30 Mohawk Valley Vintage Dirt Modifieds.
The Short Track Super Series returns to action Oct. 17-18 at Md.’s Hagerstown Speedway with ‘Octoberfest 150’ featuring the Fall Clash Super Late Models and Spec 358-Modifieds on Friday (Oct. 17) and STSS NJ Quality Drywall South Region Modifieds and Belmont’s Garage South Region Sportsman on Saturday (Oct. 18).
A complete weekend schedule and pricing is on the series website at: https://www.shorttracksuperseries.com/downloads/get.aspx?i=1143903
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 or @ShortTrackSS on (X) or 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, HYTORC of New York, 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, Flach Performance Products, Henry’s Headers & Exhaust Systems, JK Signworks, JLR Technologies, Dave Prime Jr. MAC Tools, MD3, PEM Engineering, Schultz Racing Fuel Cells, SRI Performance, Superior Remodeling, Swift Springs, The Exotic Brand, Troyer Race Cars, TV 12 Racing Products, VAHLCO Wheels & Wilwood Disc Brakes.
‘SHORT TRACK SUPERNATIONALS 16’ NIGHT No. 2 RESULTS SUMMARY – AFTON MOTORSPORTS PARK OCTOBER 11, 2025
Bob Hilbert Sportswear Short Track Super Series Fueled By Sunoco Modified HYTORC of New York North Region Feature Finish (50 laps): 1. 97C-Cody Higbie[2]; 2. 14-Billy Pauch Jr[3]; 3. 9-Ken Titus[1]; 4. 17Z-Seth Zacharias[7]; 5. 5-Tyler Johnston[5]; 6. 77-Alan Barker[12]; 7. 23-Brandon Loucks[20]; 8. D9-Dennis Clapperton[9]; 9. KP1-Doug Polhamus[15]; 10. 16X-Danny Creeden[10]; 11. 22-Danny Tyler[13]; 12. 6H-JR Hurlburt[22]; 13. 219-Derek Cornish[16]; 14. 93X-Craig Mitchell[18]; 15. 280-Justin Holland[23]; 16. 14Z-BRAD SZULEWSKI[14]; 17. 7-RYAN STORTINI[27]; 18. 33-Tyler Yeagle[26]; 19. 97B-Bobby Hackel IV[19]; 20. 15M-Daniel Morgiewicz Jr[11]; 21. 27B-Robert Bublak[8]; 22. 2-Brian Mady[21]; 23. 1G-Darwin Greene[24]; 24. 357-Marty Kelly III[17]; 25. 71-Jimmy Zacharias[25]; 26. (DQ) 20F-Scott Ferrier[4]; 27. (DQ) 6B-Danny Bouc[6]
Did Not Qualify: 99-Craig Whitmoyer; 21G-Aiden Grover; 9T-Todd Titus; 08-Rich Talada; 1GJR-Darwin Greene Jr.; 44T-Brandon Daley; 27J-Jared Miller; 23JR-John Michael Phillps; 29J-Chris Ostrowsky; 225-Derrick Shaffer; 48-Rich Powell; 82T-Jerry Tonti; 77X-Nick Mady; 81-Justin Lovejoy; 9K-Blaine Klinger.
American Racer/Lias Tire Bonuses (FREE Tire Certificate): Brandon Loucks(seventh) & J.R. Hurlburt (12th)
ATL Fuel Cell Hot Lap Hero ($100): Cody Higbie(15.015 seconds)
Beyea Custom Headers Redraw Bonus ($50): Danny Creeden(Redrew 10th)
Dale & Sue Smith Halfway Leader Bonus ($500): Cody Higbie
Henry’s Exhaust Power Position ($50 Certificate): Danny Tyler (11th)
MD3 Most Laps Led ($100 Certificate): Cody Higbie(50 laps)
NYSSCA Top Member Bonus ($100): Cody Higbie
PEM Engineering Bonus (FREE Gear Set): Ken Titus(third)
Wilwood Brakes ‘Lucky 7’ Bonus ($100 Certificate): Brandon Loucks(seventh)
