Aug 1, 2020 11:28 AM EDT

SUPER MATT SHEPPARD TIMES TWO, GLEN WHRITENOUR ONCE AT OUTLAW SPEEDWAY AS BOUNTY’S ROLL ON

Wayne Ellison in Hobby Stocks and Jeremy Bunn in 4 Cylinders feature win totals continue to mount.  Sobotka, Shields and Lamphere also find victory lane.

Story by Kenny Shupp Jr.  PR Director.

(Dundee, NY) For the third consecutive Friday night, the Outlaw Speedway was able to get the entire Super 7 Show plus a make-up feature into the record books once again with spectacular weather on their side.

The Friendly Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram Modifieds make-up feature from a July 10 rain out was the first feature event to be staged and with all eyes in the pit area and those watching on Dirt Track Digest TV Matt Sheppard was mired back in his customary mid-pack starting spot.  With the fast 4/10 of a mile living up to its name, Brady Fultz maintained the top spot right from the drop of the opening green flag.  Super Matt wasted little time in moving thru traffic and just as he was about to challenge Fultz for the lead, he suffered a flat right rear tire bringing out the caution flag.  After a quick trip to the hot pit area Sheppard started at the rear and with a flawless Fultz maintaining his first-place position and in clean air the $1,500 Bounty to upend Matt Sheppard looked like a sure thing.  However, when Super Matt gets heat in his right rear tire no lead is insurmountable as he drove thru the field like a hot knife thru butter and with just a handful of laps to go in the thirty lap feature was already up to third spot and closing fast on both Fultz and the second place running machine of Kyle Coffey.  On lap twenty-seven Sheppard disposed of Coffey and the next lap was able to get around Fultz and go on to his fifth feature win of the season.  A disappointed Fultz was able to hold on for second as he had a right rear tire going down at the finish as Coffey would complete the top three podium finishers.  AJ Slideways, Alan Johnson came home fourth at the finish as Justin Wright rounded out the top five.  By virtue of his win the $1,500 Bounty that was put up by Outlaw Speedway for anyone that could topple Sheppard would roll over to the regular night feature event.

Second verse, same as the first as in the nightcap, Super Matt was able to take full advantage of a rare up- front starting position due to a pair of DNF spots over the past two nights of racing.  Lining up in the second row Sheppard dogged then race leader Eldon Payne for the first six laps before blasting by and from there cruised to feature win number six on the season and with it extends the Matt Sheppard Modified Bounty to next Friday, August 7.  In addition to a great payday for Sheppard it was also a very good points night in his quest to back up his 2019 Track Championship at Outlaw.  Once out in the lead all eyes were then on second on back as there was action a plenty with such names as The Doctor, Danny Johnson, Hurricane Steve Paine, Eric Rudolph and Matt Williamson, making his first trip to Outlaw Speedway in 2020 were all moving thru the field and looking to track down Super Matt and claim the Bounty Bonus.  Only three cautions would slow the thirty-lap event with those coming on laps six, eleven and sixteen and on each restart, Sheppard would hammer the gas and drive away from the competition.  As the double checkered flags waved Sheppard had a full eight second lead over the second place finishing Kyle Coffey who capped off a great night and like Coffey, Doctor Danny Johnson continues his impressive run of top five finishing positions at the track by coming across the line for third.  Eric Rudolph again looked strong with a solid fourth at the finish as Jim LaRock rounded the top five.  Williamson who was buried deep in the starting lineup put on a steady drive and with few cautions to help his cause wound up sixth and it is unclear weather he will return to Outlaw Speedway anytime soon as once he returns to his home country of Canada he will go under a fourteen day quarantine due to the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Friendly Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram Modified heat wins went to Justin Wright, Matt Sheppard and Eldon Payne.

In the Sunrise Insulation American Racer Tire Crate Sportsman feature front row starters Lance Irwin and Bryan Rhodes brought the twenty-one-car field to the opening green flag. 2019 Outlaw Speedway Hoosier Tire Track Champion Will Shields lined up outside row two and wasted little time getting to the point and once there went on to his first feature win of the year on American Racer Tires.  Shields, like several others does double duty each and every week on both tire compounds nailed the set up to perfection and cruised to the win as a host of heavy hitters in the class chased him across the line including second and fourth place finishers and former Track Champions, Karl Comfort and Chris Fisher.  Zach Sobotka continues his impressive season as he was sandwiched in between Comfort and Fisher and finished third.  Alex Payne once again put on a steady drive to claim fifth.  With the win Shields now becomes the sixth different driver to find victory lane thus far in 2020 in the Sunrise Insulation American Racer sponsored division.  

Early evening heat wins were picked-up by Shields, Rhodes and Fisher.  

In the companion Hoosier Tire Crate Sportsman Division another impressive full twenty-four car field was again on hand to compete in their twenty-five-lap feature event.  With Jordan Bacon not firing on the starting grid he relinquished his outside front row starting spot as second generation and Rookie of the Year contender, Tommy Paine brought the field to the opening green flag.  Lance Irwin would lead the first six laps before being overhauled by veteran driver, Stacy Jackson who would control the pace.  With only three yellow flags to slow the event, Jackson looked flawless until lap sixteen when Zach Sobotka would take control just before the third and final caution flag on lap seventeen.  Having to withstand one final challenge from Jackson and Tommy Collins, Sobotka was able to hold on for his third trip to victory lane on Hoosier Tires in 2020 as he was chased across the line by Collins, Zach George, Jackson with Tommy Paine running in the lead group throughout the entire event finishing fifth.  

Hoosier Tire heat wins went to Collins, AJ Lloyd and Bacon.  

Like Matt Sheppard before him, Glen Whritenour also had a Bounty placed on his head for any driver that could knock off the 2017/2018 Stan’s No Tubes Street Stock Track Champion.  Coming into the event GW had won the previous three feature events and had four wins total on the season thus the track Bounty of an additional $250 to anyone that could take down the potent #15 machine.  Opening night feature winner, Quinn Sutherland along with young gun, Aaron Miller brought the fourteen-car field to Raymond Kennerup’s opening green flag.  Sutherland would take the early lead and looked poised to upend the Glen Whritenour stranglehold on the division as he would lead until lap eleven when he would fall prey to the high flying Whritenour.  From there GW would have to hold on thru two yellow flag slow downs on laps fourteen and sixteen and keep a very persistent Quinn Sutherland at bay to claim the win.  At the completion of the twenty-lap affair, Whritenour won by less than a second over Sutherland as Bob Buono had his best finish of the season in finishing third.  Invader Damian Long looked strong throughout the entire distance and wound up fourth at the end as he was chased across the line by one-time 2020 feature winner, Jake Karlnoski who rounded the top five.  After a post- race tech inspection, the Quinn Sutherland machine was found in violation thus wiping out his great second place run as he was relegated to a DQ.  With Whritenour’s win the Bounty will continue to next Friday for any driver that can take down GW while he is still racing on the lead lap.

Stan’s No Tubes heat wins were pick-ed up by Miller and Whritenour.  

A season high fifteen IMCA Modifieds were on hand for their twenty-lap feature with a field of several invaders including feature winner Keith Lamphere making a rare appearance at the Yates County facility and coming away with the victory.  Track regulars, Rich Karlnoski and Kevin Smith brought the field to the opening green flag with Lamphere lining up ninth on the starting grid.  Steadily working his way thru traffic, Lamphere was able to get to the front and onto his first trip to victory lane in 2020.  Last weeks feature winner, Shawn Bruce dogged Lamphere to the checkered flag but came up just short at the finish and had to settle for second.  Like Lamphere, Jake Maynard was also making a rare appearance and made the trip worthwhile as he claimed the third and final podium finishing spot.  2018 IMCA Modified Track Champion, Rodney Morgan was fourth at the line as he was followed by Trey Palmer who completed the top five.

IMCA Modified heat wins went to Dick in the Dirt Karlnoski and Keith Lamphere.

In the companion IMCA Hobby Stock Division the largest field of the year was on hand as some nineteen machines took the opening green flag.  Throughout the entire 2020 season, Wayne Ellison has been the man to beat with two time and defending Track Champ, Marc Minutolo the only driver to take down Ellison and on two occasions he (Ellison) was out with mechanical issues.  In typical Hobby Stock fashion the action was fast and furious with plenty of side by side action, but in the end and for the fifth time this year Wayne Ellison was just too hard to handle and picked up the victory as he was followed across the line by class top runners in Casey Wagner, Bruce Kinner, Jamie Eldredge Jr. and Jason Clugstone who finished in positions second thru fifth.

IMCA Hobby Stock heat winners were Wagner and Brian Austin.

For all practical purposes, Jeremy Bunn and Bob Doolittle have used the 4 Cylinder Division as their own personal sand box with Scott Lehman Jr. and Ray Hyer the only other two drivers to visit victory lane thus far. Doolittle looked poised to pick up win number four on the season, but exited the speedway late in the event thus handing the lead and the win to, you guessed it Jeremy Bunn who would go on to claim win number four on the year.  Lee Fritz and lady competitor, Desi Force would lead the seventeen-car field to the opening green flag with both Doolittle and Bunn starting in the fifth row.  It would not take long for both Doolittle and Bunn to get to the top two positions, but all eyes were on last row starter and last week’s feature winner, Ray Hyer.  The veteran driver was mowing the field down and with Doolittle out was setting his sights on race leader Bunn, but time ran out and Hyer had to settle for second at the double checkered flags.  Lehman Jr. put on another steady drive to claim third at the end of the twenty-lap event as he was followed by Derrick Evans and Scott Lehman Sr.  

4 Cylinder qualifying heats went to Lehman Jr. and Doolittle.

In the Winner’s Circle Deli Bandit Youth Division Ethan Decker was again victorious in the classes feature only event.

Congratulations to all competitors.

Over 130 cars once again funneled thru the Outlaw Speedway back gate and as mentioned earlier the Outlaw Speedway Track Bounty Money on both Matt Sheppard and Glen Whritenour will continue for another week.  

Friday, August 7, 2020 will again feature a Super 7 Show and as per NYS regulations NO FANS will be allowed into the grandstand seating area.  However, pit entry is allowable and for those who can not attend online viewing is available once again by going to www.dirttrackdigest.tv.  

For continual updates leading up to the August 7 event including any changes in NYS guidelines pertaining to fan entry click on at www.Facebook.com/OutlawSpeedwayLLC/.

All other information including a complete updated list of the 2020-point standings can be found by logging on at www.outlawspeedwayllc.com. 

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