The 4th Turn

~ by Tom Boggie

Matt Sheppard is cursed, no doubt about it.

He’s raced at Albany-Saratoga Speedway three times this year, has had the fastest car all three times, and is 0-for-3.

It all started on opening night, when Tim McCreadie charged past Sheppard coming out of the fourth turn on the final lap to win the $7,500-to-win “Bring It” modified feature.

Then, Sheppard looked like he had the win wrapped up in Brett Hearn’s Big Show 10, until the lapped car of Willy Decker took him out on the closing laps of the race.

Then there was Wednesday night’s Short Track Super Series “Stampede At ‘Toga”.

Sheppard easily won his heat race, but came up light on the scales and was disqualified. That put him at the tail end of one of the consis, and he failed to qualify, which put him into the B main.

He won that race and opted to start 27^th in the 50-lap feature. And did “Super Matt” live up to his nickname. With five laps left, he had made his way into the top three and stuck the nose of the Sweeteners Plus 92S between eventual winner Marc Johnson, who was running the bottom, and Ronnie Johnson, who was on top.

Marc Johnson got the win and the $6,000, easily making this the biggest win of his career, while Ronnie Johnson held off Sheppard by .004 seconds.

Now, back to the DQ.

When many of the drivers tried to scale their cars early in the night, the scales weren’t functioning properly. Sheppard was one of those drivers.

But, according to SSTS officials, the scales were working properly after hot laps, and many drivers then went across the scales.

But not Sheppard. The first time he went across the scales was after his heat race. He came up light and was disqualified.

If not for the disqualification, Sheppard would have in the redraw, started no worse than 10^th, and Marc Johnson probably wouldn’t have had the biggest victory of his career.

So if not for the Albany-Saratoga curse, Sheppard would have earned $23,500. Instead, he’s got a second, a 12th and a third.

THE REST OF THE STORY

Here’s more from The Stampede.

I liked one of Marc Johnson’s comments after the race. “These guys (drivers at Albany-Saratoga Speedway) are the best of the best. I’m just a little guy trying to keep two cars going.”

Ronnie Johnson and Frank Cozze put on an incredible show even before Marc Johnson and Sheppard got involved. “It was fun racing Frank,” Johnson said. “I haven’t had many chances to race against him like that. I didn’t want to give him a slide job because I’ve got too much respect for him.”

Longtime Malta fans will remember Cozze winning the “CVRA vs. The World” feature in 2003 and walking off with $8.000. The top five that night consisted of Cozze, Dave Camara, Alan Johnson, Jack Cottrell and Billy Pauch Sr.

Tom Hartman Jr. did double duty Wednesday night, driving Jimmy Becker’s small block and his own 602 sportsman. Hartman Jr. had a qualifying spot locked up in one of the Stampede consys, but the belts blew off the motor on the last lap and he failed to qualify. But he came back to win the 25-lap sportsman feature. He said after the win that the car he drove Wednesday night was his Glen Ridge car, because he didn’t want to take a chance with his Albany-Saratoga car as he continues to battle for the sportsman title at Malta.

Hartman was quick to thank car owner Mike Parillo. “Mike puts good equipment under me,” he said.

Danny Varin debuted a new car Wednesday. The sheet metal was all black and there wasn’t a decal or any graphics at all, not even a number. He finished 13^th.

I don’t know about anyone else, but I enjoyed seeing some different drivers, guys like Duane Howard, Rick Laubach and Jimmy Horton, for a change. And the sail panels added a nice touch.

I guess Brett Hearn is a better promoter than Brett Deyo. Deyo offered a $2,500 bonus if his SSTS race Wednesday night drew more than 55 cars, the number Hearn had for Big Show 10. But the Stampede only drew 48 cars.

DON’T POKE THE BEAR

I usually don’t comment on things I see on social media, but this one is just too good to pass up.

On Wednesday, there was a post on Fonda Speedway’s Facebook page that read (I’m going verbatim here, with no editing) “sportsman don’t get run over in the stampede tonight. We are offering 2 grand to win tonight and 200 to take the green with heat races and a consi. Be the show not just an add on.”

I can’t see how this kind of post is going to do anyone any good.

Fonda had advertised a 50-lap 358 race paying $2,000 to win Wednesday night, but when only 10 small blocks showed up (according to Mylaps, 10 went out in warmups and only nine raced in the feature), promoter Pete Demitraszek reduced the feature to 25 laps, paying $1,000 to win. Bobby Varin got the win, and he and car owners Alton and Carole Palmer then donated their winnings to Allison Ricci’s Miles of Hope Breast Cancer Find.

Fonda also ran the Adirondack Leather- sponsored 50-lap Grand Daddy for 602s Wednesday, with Adam McAuliffe getting the win. Chad Edwards was second in race sponsor Tom Spencer’s car, and Brian Calabrese was third.

NEW ROLL FOR TOWNS

I ran into former sportsman champion David Towns in the pits at Albany-Saratoga Speedway Friday. Towns has been working with sportsman driver Nick Scavia (Towns and Scavia’s father hunt together) at Fonda Speedway for the last couple of years and this year, has Scavia battling for the championship.

Going into Saturday’s “Night of Features,” which end the points season, Scavia, who has three wins this year, trails Edwards by seven points.

Towns would love to help Scavia win his first championship, but win or lose, Towns said he’s done after this year.

“I told them that after August 18, I’m done,” Towns said. “You know how competitive I am. I don’t do anything to finish second. It (his role with Scavia) went from him calling me a couple times a week with questions from me thinking about the car fulltime. I don’t want to make that kind of commitment again.”

I asked Towns if he ever thought about getting back behind the wheel.

“If I came back, I would try a 305 sprint car,” he said. “That would be a challenge. I’ve had other offers to drive, but I really don’t have the interest.”

AROUND THE TRACKS

Prior to his big win at Albany-Saratoga on Wednesday night, Marc Johnson also picked up the first win of his career on Sunday at Utica-Rome.

Tony Stewart’s All-Star Circuit of Champions traveling sprint car show will be in New York this weekend. The schedule, barring rain, has Stewart and his gang racing at Utica-Rome tonight, Orange County Speedway in Middletown Saturday and Lebanon Valley Speedway on Sunday. The Valley card also includes small-block modifieds.

Because of a threat of rain, Albany-Saratoga Speedway has again moved its “Nostalgia Night.” It’s now set for Aug. 24.

Bobby Hackel IV made Sunday’s trip to Devil’s Bowl for the Sprint Cars of New England show pay off, as he finished first and fourth in the Twin 20s. He won the first feature with a last-lap pass.

Connor Cleveland, who’s battling for the sportsman championship at Albany-Saratoga, won Sunday’s Sportsman Shootout Series race at Weedsport, earning $1,000. He started on the outside of the front row and held off Zach Sobotka after a late restart.