Jul 12, 2024 11:00 PM EDT
2ND ANNUAL DAVE MACHUGA MEMORIAL. OUTLAW SPEEDWAY. THURSDAY NIGHT THUNDER. JULY 11, 2024
STEWART FRIESEN TAKES ADVANTGE OF MATT SHEPPARDS LATE RACE FLAT TIRE TO CLAIM THE OUTLAW SPEEDWAY SHORT TRACK SUPER SERIES DAVE MACHUGA MEMORIAL.
Carter Crooker takes Crate Sportsman; Shane Wolfe wins Empire Street Stock’s and Jayson Smart takes Mini Stock’s.
Race Report by Kenny Shupp Jr.
(Dundee, NY) For the first forty-seven laps of the scheduled 50 lap Short Track Super Series at the Outlaw Speedway it was a good old fashioned slug fest between two of the sports titans as Matt Sheppard and Stewart Friesen went toe to toe with Friesen coming out victorious as Sheppard cut a right rear tire while leading with victory in sight.
Dubbed as the 2nd Annual Dave Machuga Memorial, it was the second and final Thursday Night Thunder event of the 2024 season at the famed Yates County speedway and it also marked the seventh trip the Brett Deyo lead Short Track Super Series had made its way to Outlaw.
By the luck of the re-draw, St. Catherines, Ontario speedster, Mat Williamson and Roscoe, NY’s Michael Trautschold would bring the twenty-seven car field to the opening green with Williamson leading the opening lap before Matt Sheppard would assume control from his inside row two starting spot and bringing inside row three starter, Stewart Friesen along with him.
Sheppard would then set a torrid pace with Friesen in tow, and it was clear from the onset that Sheppard set up to run the cushion with Friesen clued to the very bottom. Lap after lap the pair would throw hay makers at each other with Friesen briefly taking over the top spot from lap twenty-two through twenty-seven.
The first of five caution flags waved on lap twenty-four for Dr. Danny Johnson who slowed with a flat right rear tire.
At the lap twenty-five halfway mark it was Friesen showing the way over Sheppard, Bobby Hackel, two-time 2024 Outlaw Speedway feature winner Bobby Varin who had come from ninth on the opening grid with Williamson drifting to fifth.
On lap twenty-eight Sheppard would make a power move around the outside of Friesen to retake the point as the lead duo was now into heavy lap traffic.
Two more caution flags would slow the pace on laps thirty-five and thirty-seven for the slowed machines of Bobby Hackel and Tanner VanDoren and by this point in the event Sheppard had moved to the bottom of turns three and four all the while tip toeing the very top of one and two and try as he might, Friesen could only get within a couple car lengths of Sheppard.
The fourth yellow flag would fly on lap forty-four as Alex Payne experienced problems and exited the track at the top of turn three and headed pit side.
On the restart it was the same scenario with Friesen glued to the bottom and Sheppard holding court by less than a second as the two opened up a four-car advantage over three-time Outlaw 2024 Modified feature winner, Ajay Potrzebowski Jr, who had joined the party after starting the half century grind in position six and looked poised to challenge the leaders.
The final caution waved on lap forty-seven for Alex Yankowski who suffered a flat right rear tire ending a sure top five run and it was at that point Matt Sheppard made the hard right hand turn and headed pit side, he too with a leaking right rear thus ending the drama between his potent 9s machine and the 44 of Friesen.
With the shake-up in the top five, Jack Lehner of Saratoga Springs now found himself in the runner-up spot after methodically working his way through the field from his outside row five starting position.
However, the Ginga Ninja piloting the BDR entry had nothing for the Big Freeze and that is how they would finish with Friesen leading the final three circuits in route to his third STSS win at Outlaw Speedway backing up his 2018 and 2019 victories at the famed Yates County oval.
For Lehner it capped off a brilliant run for a guy that had never seen the Outlaw Speedway prior to this event.
Potrzebowski would hold on to third rounding the podium finishers as the third generation Elmira native continues his impressive 2024 season.
Bobby Varin, piloting one of three Tyler Siri owned cars on this night that made it into the A Main would hold on for fourth after racing with the lead pack most of the event, but perhaps the drive of the night may have come from Anthony Perrego.
Perrego of Walden, NY always seems to run well when he competes at Outlaw and this night was no different as he began the feature buried inside row six, used the caution flags to his advantage to round out the top five advancing ten spots.
Six through tenth went to Mat Williamson, Tanner Van Doren who recovered nicely after pitting on lap thirty- seven, Mike Mahaney who advanced from the eighteenth starting position, Tyler Siri, who like Perrego and Mahaney moved up ten spots while Rookie Modified competitor, Kreg Crooker continues to impress in his upstart team as he completed the top ten finishers.
The win netted Friesen a nice paycheck of $7078.78 in memory of the late Dave Machuga whose car number was 78.
Much to the delight of the patrician Dundee, NY crowd, local favorite, Brady Fultz received an extra $100 for setting quick time.
Included in the 2nd Annual Dave Machuga Memorial was the Mike Welch promoted Empire Street Stock Touring Series which saw twenty-five of the classy looking machines take to the Fast 4/10 of a Mile clay oval for their thirty-lap feature.
A pair of Outlaw Speedway regulars in Gene Sharpsteen and CJ Guererri would bring the field to green with Sharpsteen grabbing the lead, but it would not be a walk in the park as he was tormented early on by Jimmy Grant and Guererri as the trio paced the field.
Unfortunately for not only the top three, but all the remainder of the field Shane Wolfe was back at the controls of the George Miller owned 77 machine and it was this combination that won the 2023 Outlaw Speedway Street Stock Track Championship in convincing style.
Wolfe would begin the thirty- lap go in spot eleven and methodically worked his way to the front and with only two caution flags to help his cause he would have to do it the old fashioned way by just getting up on the wheel and that he did and by lap twenty Wolfe cleared Sharpsteen to take the lead which he would never relinquish.
For the remaining ten laps Wolfe would hold court at the top of the field in route to his second trip to victory lane at Outlaw in 2024 after winning on opening night.
Sharpsteen would continue his incredible 2024 season with another podium finish claiming second with Land of Legends regular and series organizer, Mike Welch taking home third place money after starting fourth.
Multi time Outlaw Speedway Street Stock Track Champion, Glenn Whritenour began the event in fifth and was unable to mount any challenge to the top group as he had to settle for fourth with last week’s feature winner, Joe Giardina rounding the top five.
For Wolfe, the win was worth a cool $1778.78.
The 602 Crate Sportsman $2078 to win feature sponsored by Sunrise Insulation and the Knapp and Schlappi Lumber Company were on the Dave Machuga Memorial card as twenty-eight cars turned out prompting track owner, Tyler Siri to start all machines in their twenty-five-lap feature.
Veteran Addison, NY competitor, Donnie Lawson along with current second place point challenger, Daryl Krebs would bring the loaded field to green with Krebs getting the jump and leading the event until the first caution flag that would fly on lap nine for the slowing machine of Donnie Lawson.
On the restart Krebs would continue to lead with pressure coming from Brent Ayers who had moved from fifth to take over the runner-up spot with seventh place starter Carter Crooker now running third.
Crooker, who was running the very top of the speedway would clear Ayers for second and moved in to challenge Krebs for the lead on lap fourteen and would make the pass for the lead with just nine laps remaining and from there cruise to his third win of the 2024 campaign.
A late race rally by Behr Groover found him challenging Krebs for second, but his effort would come up just shy as they would finish second and third, respectively.
Ayers would hold on for fourth with last week’s feature winner, Chris Fisher completing the top five.
The 4 Cylinder Winners Circle Deli Mini Stocks would round out the night of racing as sixteen cars would make the call for the divisions twenty lap feature.
2023 Track Champion, Brian Corky Grant would lead the charge early on, but his quest to win his first feature event of the season would end with mechanical issues on lap two.
That would put Jason Smart into the top spot which he would never relinquish through a barrage of yellow flag slowdowns.
For Smart it was win two on the season backing up his June 14 victory, however he had to hold off some relentless pressure over the closing laps from Michael Morton who had to settle for second place.
After getting drop kicked and turned around early in the feature in turn two, former Track Champion, Mike Stone would recover nicely to round out the podium spots.
Fourth and fifth went to Gavin Hall and Lee Fritz.
Congratulations to all competitors.
Up next at Outlaw Speedway on Friday, July 19, it will be $5 Fan Appreciation Night with a special Christmas in July Bicycle Give Away. Santa Clause will also make an appearance as part of the Super 5 Show.
SHORT TRACK SUPER SERIES FOR MODIFIEDS. (41 cars) 50 lap feature.
Heats. Matt Sheppard, Alex Yankowski, Michael Trautschold, Danny Johnson.
Consi’s. Stacy Jackson, Tyler Van Doren.
50 lap feature. STEWART FRIESEN, 2 Jack Lehner, 3 Ajay Potrzebowski Jr.,4 Bobby Varin,5 Anthony Perrego, 6 Mat Williamson, 7 Tanner Van Doren, 8 Mike Mahaney, 9 Tyler Siri,10 Kreg Crooker, 11 Michael Trautschold,12 Danny Johnson, 13 Michael Maresca,14 Brady Fultz,15 Alex Yankowski, 16 Francois Bellemare,17 Matt Sheppard, 18 Tommy Collins Jr.,19 Alex Payne, 20 Bobby Hackel, 21 Stacy Jackson, 22 Will Shields, 23 Ron Cartwright Jr., 24 Jim LaRock, 25 Brandon Loucks, 26 Jeff Daugherty, 27 Chris Raabe.
DNQ. Chris Ostrowsky, Leslie McCann, Billy Paine, Darryl Mitchell, Steve Paine, Tommy Paine, Daniel Morgiewicz Jr., Adam Coots, John Michael Phillips, Alan Johnson, Jake Dgien, Scott Boudinot, Aiden Grover, Eric Williams.
EMPIRE STREET STOCK’S. (25 cars). 30 lap feature.
SHANE WOLFE (2), Gene Sharpsteen, Mike Welch, Glenn Whritenour, Joe Giardina, Brett Crawford, Jimmy Grant, Damon Decker, Trent Chamberlin, Damian Long, Eddie Sites, Carl Cleveland, John Burritt, Justin Neff, Jim Buck, Jesse Tuthill, Bradley Morseman, CJ Guererri, Zach Teed, Jered Hill, Gary Joslyn, Willy Easling, Like Boom, Sparky Hills. DNS. Chris Woodard.
602 CRATE SPORTSMAN. (28 cars). 25 lap feature.
CARTER CROOKER (3), Daryl Krebs, Behr Grover, Brent Ayers, Chris Fisher, Kenny Peoples Jr., EJ Gallup, Justice Mayo, Karl Comfort, Frank Guererri Jr., Blake Parsons, Ben Feldman, Brandon Grover, Johnathan Carpenter, Brett Buono, Andrew Clark, Doug Kline, Greg Crooker, Scott Torbitt, George Schweigart, Evan Nugent, Bryan Rhodes, Tim Guild, Jordan Millard, Donnie Lawson, Dale Welty. DNS. AJ Lloyd, Justin Schenck.
4 CYLINDER MINI STOCKS. (16 cars). 20 lap feature.
JAYSON SMART (2), Michael Morton, Mike Stone, Gavin Hall, Lee Fritz, Aaron Robinson, Kenneth Evans, Mike Ayers, Connor Erick, Jeff Moore, Jimmy Granger, Chris Davis, Brady Richardson, Jake Clancey, Corky Grant, Ricky Vanzile.
