Sheppard Dominates Stirling Lubricants/Champion Oil Mod Special at Weedsport
WEEDSPORT, NY (June 10, 2019) – Another gorgeous race day and filled grandstand welcomed competitors in the Stirling Lubricants/Champion Racing Oil Modified Series at Weedsport Speedway on Sunday, June 9 as part of the All-Star Showcase presented by A-Verdi Storage Containers.
A stout field of 28 Modified competitors filed through the pit gates on Sunday, with Waterloo, NY standout Matt Sheppard reigning supreme at the conclusion of the night’s 35-lap, $3,000 to win special.
Sheppard started 8th in the night’s feature-go and snagged the top spot from early race leader, Matt Farnham, on lap 17 to run away with his 15th win of the season and his 21st career triumph at Weedsport Speedway.
“We had a really good racecar tonight, but we are two weeks too late,” laughed Sheppard on Weedsport Speedway’s Victory Hill. “We missed it big time at the Super DIRTcar Series race here two weeks ago, but this is a big step in the right direction. I was biding my time there and when we got the lead the car just kept getting better and better. This was only 35-laps so that’s a good sign for the 100-lap show coming up here in July.”
Farnham, who started on the pole position by virtue of the re-draw, came home with a fine second place finish ahead of Chris Hile, Jimmy Phelps and Kyle Coffey in the front five positions.
Alan Johnson, Larry Wight, Mat Williamson, Pat Ward, and Danny Johnson rounded out the top ten.
Wight took home the evening’s $500 bonus for the highest finishing 358-Modified in the running order.
Farnham and Hile brought the field to green on Sunday with the yellow lights flashing on at the conclusion of lap one for Chad Phelps. Phelps lost the left rear wheel on his X machine out of turn four, which slowed the field temporarily.
On the restart, Farnham raced to the lead ahead of the Hile No. 5H, with Phelps sliding into the third spot in the No. 98H.
Another caution on lap 6 for Kyle Demetro tightened the field one more time and gave Sheppard an opportunity to snare a few spots on the restart. Sheppard did just that, darting into the fourth position, setting up a wild four car battle for the lead over the course of the next several laps.
With Farnham leading, Hile and Phelps proceeded to trade the runner-up position for multiple laps with Sheppard sitting tight, looking for a way by.
That chance eventually came on lap 15 as the No. 9S was able to roll under both Hile and Phelps for second and quickly reeled in Farnham from there.
Just two laps later, Sheppard found the extreme low side of the speedway out of turn four to roll underneath Farnham and take the lead, a lead he would never again relinquish on his way to the victory.
Three qualifying heat races helped to set the field earlier in the night with Phelps, Coffey and Erick Rudolph earning wins.
Weedsport Speedway’s next event is Thunder on the Erie featuring the USAC National Sprint Car Series and the third round of the Stirling Lubricants/Champion Racing Oil Modified Series.
Pit gates will open on June 16 at 4 p.m. with grandstand gates swinging open at 5 p.m. Racing action is slated to take place at 7 p.m.
Reserved seating is set at $32 with FREE Fan Pit Pass Upgrades available through June 12.
General admission seating for adults is $28, with kids 11-17 $12. Kids 10 and under are FREE.
DIRTcar Member pit admission is $32, non-member pit admission is $36.
Reserved camping is available for $30 with general camping marked at $24. Camping in The Great Outdoors RV Campgrounds now includes a host of amenities including all-new shower and restroom facilities.
Tickets for the June 16 Thunder on the Erie special are available online at www.weedsportspeedway.com.
For a full 2019 schedule and Weedsport Speedway information be sure to visit online at www.weedsportspeedway.com. Fans can also FOLLOW on Twitter @WeedsportSpdwy and LIKE on Facebook at www.facebook.com/weedsportspeedway.
Interested in seeing your company listed in our press releases? Be sure to call the Weedsport Speedway office at (315) 834-3067 for sponsorship and advertising information.
About Weedsport Speedway: Officially opened for the first time on July 24, 1955 – the Weedsport Speedway 3/8 mile dirt oval has produced a legendary list of drivers and champions including Will Cagle, Danny Johnson, Bob McCreadie, Alan Johnson, Jack Johnson, and Dave Lape to name a few. In 2018, Weedsport introduced the all-new Weedsport Kartway, just outside of the Speedway’s main pit area, to begin to foster the next generation of racers, crew members and race fans. Together, Weedsport Speedway and Kartway are excited to bring fans and followers a schedule of 15 racing events in 2019, hosting everything from Karts and Sprint Cars, to Late Models and Modifieds, Pro Stocks and Micro Sprints, even Flat Track Motorcycles. Couple the racing with state-of-the-art camping and track amenities, unmatched on-site television production capabilities, plus the ability for large scale concert productions and Weedsport is one of the marquee entertainment venues in the country.
Weedsport Speedway
Weedsport, NY
All-Star Showcase
Sunday, June 9
QUICK RESULTS:
Stirling Lubricants/Champion Racing Oil Modified Series
Feature (35-laps): 1. 9S – MATT SHEPPARD, 2. 7F – Matt Farnham, 3. 5H – Chris Hile, 4. 98H – Jimmy Phelps, 5. 23 – Kyle Coffey, 6. 14J – Alan Johnson, 7. 99L – Larry Wight, 8. 88 – Mat Williamson, 9. 42P – Pat Ward, 10. 83 – Danny Johnson, 11. 83X – Tim Sears Jr., 12. 25R – Erick Rudolph, 13. 91 – Billy Decker, 14. 21A – Peter Britten, 15. M1 – Dave Marcuccilli, 16. 15 – Todd Root, 17. 2 – Jack Lehner, 18. 36 – Ben Bushaw, 19. 9X – Tyler Trump, 20. 11J – James Sweeting, 21. 3J – DJ Forbes, 22. 32 – Ronnie Davis III, 23. 34 – Andrew Ferguson, 24. 82J – Joe Shields, 25. 15D – Kyle Demetro, 26. 82S – Roy Shields, 27. 30 – Gary Tomkins, 28. X – Chad Phelps
$500 358-Modified Bonus Winner: 99L – Larry Wight
Heat Winners: Phelps, Coffey, Rudolph
Sources: WeedsportSpeedway.com