By Mark Kane
For Capital Region Independent Media
Well, race fans, it is that time of year again. The race season will soon be here in the Capital District. Race teams are busy working on getting their cars assembled and working harder to get those much-needed sponsors for the upcoming season.
Welcome back to Chasin’ Racin’. The 2023 race season was a tough one as well as very limited, but we are back and looking forward to a full season of great racing here in the Capital District as well as Chasin’ Racin’ on the road.
PORT ROYAL SPEEDWAY
My Christmas morning came early as this kid-at-heart (not body) race fan made the beautiful ride through Pennsylvania to the Historic Port Royal Speedway for the postponed race from 2023: the Speed Showcase Weekend.
When you mention Port Royal to any race fan, the first thing they think about is Sprint cars, 410 Sprint Cars, not Modifieds. This is holy ground here in Sprint Car country and the list of champions is a who’s who in the Sprint Car world. With drivers like Keith Kauffman (129 wins), Lance Dewease, Todd Schaffer, Lynn Paxton, Smokey Snelbaker, Dick “Toby” Tobias and the list goes on, who have picked up wins and championships. The half-mile, wide, smooth and fast track itself is something special with the red clay and a track crew that put in countless hours and laps, giving the weekly fans a superior racing surface. Weekly the track runs 410 Sprints, Late Models, and Limited Late Models along with some great weekly and mid-week specials.
Wow, what a field had assembled in the pits as well as the infield with over 170 Short Track Super Series (STSS) Modifieds, Crate 602 Modifieds, and Pro Stocks (Brett Deyo must have been smiling from ear to ear). Along with the number of cars it was a highly competitive field in all the classes, with plenty of talent. With $50,000 on the line for 75 laps for the 65 Mighty Modifieds, yes that’s what I said, $50,000, the best to turn left were in the pits and some would be heading home before the big dance.
The 602 Crates with over 80 cars in the pits had plenty of their own talent, with some great racing throughout the weekend. The full fender Pro Stocks had 16 cars in the pits with most coming from the Capital District and Canadian tracks and showed why they are so popular at their home tracks.
Springtime racing kept the track crew and the race teams busy with ever-changing track conditions. Anytime there was a break they were quick to get on the track to keep the best surface under the drivers and side-by-side racing for the fans. There was plenty of rain in the area Thursday and Friday morning, which made for a heavy race track Friday night.
On Saturday it was bright sunny skies and wind… hmm, who wants to be a crew chief now? With $50,000 on the line there were 36 of the baddest dirt-throwing Modified drivers on the East Coast ready to rumble. Ready to rumble a re-worked racing surface just before the 75-lap STSS Modified feature. Oh yeah, it is definitely Christmas morning for this fan.
QUALIFYING NIGHT
Friday night was qualifying night with plenty of action-packed heat racing on a track that was developing a mind of its own.
The STSS Modified 15-lap heats taking four found Ryan Wyatt (18.836) picking up the ATL Fuel Cell Hot Lap Hero $100 bonus and $500 Dirt Track Digest TV Qualifier Winner Bonus for heat one. Picking up the three other spots were Jeff Strunk (2x Gular car), and two young guns — Alex Payne 70A, and Dalton Slack 3RS — both going to the show.
Heat 2 found RJ, Ronnie Johnson, having a great heat race picking up the $500 bonus win and later drew the pole for the Speed Showcase. Also picking up spots were Jessica Friesen with her tin work on hubby Stewart Friesen’s Chassis (she called the A team) as Stew was running his truck. Billy Pauch Jr. in his own #1 with a great run from 11th to third and the $50 Hard Charger Bonus from Bill Brown and company, with the 6B of Danny Bouc making his way into the feature.
Heat 3 found the 26 car and Ryan Godown tough, picking up the $500 heat bonus with Mike Gular 2G, Jimmy Phelps 98H, and Louden Reimert 58 making to it to fourth.
Heat 4 found another stacked field with Mike Mahaney 35 holding off Super Matt Sheppard 9s as Mad Max McLaughlin in the Hansell’s 357 ride, and Erick Rudolph in fourth.
The fifth and final Modified heat saw 3W Mat Williamson getting the $500 bonus with Danny Creeden 16x, Mat Stangle, and the 7MM of Mike Maresca working their way into the starting field for the Speed Showcase $50,000-to-win 75-lap feature.
In the 12-lap 602 Sportsman, David Rogers, Jax Yohn, Howie Finch, Brian Krummel, Logan Watt and Travis Hill won the very competitive heats that produced plenty of action as everyone was looking for the $4,000-to-win paycheck on Saturday. Picking up qualifying wins in the 2 Pro Stock heats were Luke Horning and Denis Gauvreau setting up their feature for $1,200.
FINAL DAY OF RACING
On Saturday it was blue skies and plenty of sun on the track with the wind on and off, but there they were, the track crew right there keeping the track under control as they had the night before, but this was all totally different. The final day of the Speed Showcase found plenty of racing action as consi events for those who had not qualified Friday night in the STSS Modifieds and 602 Crates.
Then it was feature time and the anticipation of just who would walk away with the $50,000 paycheck with the talent filled field was in the air.
The Crate 602, 50-lap feature was a barn burner with some good hard side-by-side racing action going 2 and 3 wide with a scary red flag in the middle of the fast back stretch with all drivers walking away, with right rear tires becoming a factor.
With six laps to go on a restart, Logan Watt was second at the flag stand with newer tires. Sticking his nose to the bottom of turn 1, contact was made as leader Joe Toth slid up with Watt the new leader out of turn 2 and was able to withstand one more caution with 2 to go and cruised to his second straight STSS 602 Crate Sports win after winning down at Georgetown Speedway. Following Watt to the line was Joe Toth, Kyle Smith, Steve Davis from 25th with Sean Imbeault from 21st rounded out the top 5.
One driver who put on a charge not once but twice was Payton Talbot after the NASCAR and Fonda Speedway champion now in the Belmont 14 on the STSS tour charged from 33rd to 4th before getting contact from behind and spun, bringing out the yellow and started back in the rear and then drove back to 11th at the checkers. Capital District drivers Chris Jakubiak, who brought out the last caution while racing hard inside the top 5, and Brian Calabrese, who was also having a good run going when they lost RR tires.
PRO STOCKS
The Pro Stock event found Capital District racer Rich Crane pick up the $1,200-to-win feature in an action-packed contest that had the top 5 drivers taken out between turns 3 and 4. Following Crane to the line was Bruno Cyr, Jay Fitzgerald, Fonda Speedway all time Pro Stock winner Kenny Gates and Devon Comenga rounded out the top 5.
It was decided to rework the complete racing surface from top to bottom to make it the best race possible. I would have to think any race fan will agree with their decision and the drivers did. Now it came down to tire choice and how fast the track takes rubber.
SPEED SHOWCASE
The starting field had assembled 36 of the best in the Northeast Modified racing at the Port Royal Speedway for the Speed Showcase and all that was on the line. The Green was out with RJ, Ronnie Johnson leading with Mahaney 35M, Godown 26, Watt 14W, and Jeff Strunk 2x the top 5. Quickly Johnson opened up and just as fast it seemed like Johnson had caught lapped traffic. Working lap traffic, Mahaney pulled to Johnson’s rear bumper as Ryan Godown was closing in on the two leaders.
In heavy traffic it was Godown making the move to grab the lead with Johnson and Mahaney in the top 3. A pair of cautions for debris found some drivers to the pits making changes. The cautions kept the racing tight and allowed the 9s of Matt Sheppard to work his way into the top 5 and was closing on the leaders as Godown continued to lead.
The second debris caution found the 357 of McLaughlin pit side returning to the rear for the restart, which changed the complexion of the race. With the green out Godown was in the lead, but there was a potent 9s of Matt Sheppard on the move going from fourth at the flag stand to become the new leader out of turn 2 as Jeff Strunk 2x worked his way to third.
Lap 25 found Sheppard 9s, Godown 26, Strunk 2x, Williamson 3w, and Johnson 2RJ in the top 5, with 70a of Alex Payne racing hard for the spot. Up front Sheppard started to close in on lap traffic as the battle between Godown and Strunk heated up. Working lap traffic with perfection, Sheppard increased his lead as some hard racing for second with contact between Strunk and Godown as Strunk lost the spot, with Williamson taking advantage, putting Strunk back another spot.
On the move was veteran Billy Decker, who started 24th and had worked his way into the top 10. It was all Sheppard on the lead, each caution he was perfect on restarts, lap after lap he hit his marks while saving his tires.
There was some great racing just outside the top 5 with Jack Lehner 2L, who started 22, 91 of Decker and Alex Yankowski, who started 23, when Mike Gular running seventh slowed, ending his day. Again Sheppard was back in the front as Matt Williamson moved to third. Starting to make his presence felt, Marc Johnson started to show a car change was a perfect call, working his way from the 33rd starting spot to just outside the top 10.
The lap 48 caution was out for 7MM Mike Maresca with a blown right rear after a charge from 20th as Decker was still on the charge, as was the19 of fellow veteran Timmy Fuller who started 26th on the starting grid. Back to green and the 9s again pulled away as the caution was once again out this time for 2nd place runner Ryan Godown who went off on the hook with all tires up. Back to green and Decker not letting Sheppard get away as top 5 was Sheppard, Decker, Williamson, Strunk and Payne with great nerf bar to nerf bar racing just outside the top 5 with Fuller, Lehner, Reimert and Marc Johnson.
The fine ride for RJ, Ronnie Johnson ended with a right rear flat. The 2RJ would return only to pull in for good a few laps later after a great weekend behind the wheel of the 2RJ.
Back to green and Sheppard and Decker continued to be the leaders as Fuller was now in the top 5 and the battle outside the top 5 was the best race on the track. As the laps clicked away teams continued with right rear tires going down and Sheppard was able to hold his lead as Decker was only able to get to his door, which was as close as he could get. The great run for Anthony Perrago from 31st into the top 10 and for Alex Payne 70A would end as the young gun had run a great race with some crafty veterans and was near the top 5 all day only to lose the right rear.
One last yellow would fly to bring the cars back to Sheppard’s rear deck. Once back to green Decker gave it one last shot, but once again Super Matt Sheppard and his 9s machine would be the class of the field, picking up the $50,000-to-win Speed Showcase along with the $15,000 STSS Ollie’s Elite Series Modified Championship for 2023.
Following Sheppard to the line was Billy Decker, who started 24th, Louden Reimert, who started 18th, Tim Fuller 26th starter, and 7th-place starter Matt Williamson rounded out the top 5 with Jack Lehner from 22nd, Marc Johnson the $500 BDR Hard Charger award from 33rd to 7th and another Capital District runner, Alex Yankowski 23rdd starter, Max McLaughlin who was in and out of the pits and Anthony Perrago 31st starter rounded out the top 10.
STSS MODIFIEDS
The STSS Modified feature was outstanding even with the changing track conditions and cautions. The drivers that drove from the back put on a great drive for the fans, working their way to the front using the reworked surface to perfection.
Why were they starting so deep? It was the quality of the field for the Friday night qualifying heats filled with feature winners and track champions that had assembled in the pits. Each 15-lap heat was like a mini feature.
Right now Matt Sheppard has shown in the early season he is going to be tough to beat again in ‘24 no matter where or when he pulls into the pits, his record stands for itself.
Well folks, I am sure you are all looking forward to a great 2024 race season. I know I am. Please remember to support everyone that sponsors the best racing on dirt in the Northeast.
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