Sheppard & Warner Victorious Thursday Night At Canandaigua
Story By: PAUL SZMAL / CANANDAIGUA MOTORSPORTS PARK – CANANDAIGUA, NY – Even though skies were cloudy all day, rain never materialized before race time at Canandaigua Motorsports Park and the sun broke through during hot laps as “The Land Of Legends” hosted the Modifieds and the GRIT Sportsman Series “Battle Of Ontario” along with night 2 of the Empire Super Sprint Speedweek.
The 40-lap Modified featue began with Erick Rudolph and Matt Sheppard battling for the top spot, with Rudolph settling into second on lap 2 as Sheppard pulled away. Justin Haers and Alan Johnson were able to move into third and fourth as Sheppard hit traffic at lap 10. Sheppard extended his lead in traffic as Haers tried to use the traffic to catch Rudolph.
Further behind them, Johnson and Steve Paine were fighting for spots in the top five. Tim McCreadie and Rob Bellinger raced side by side for several laps as the race progessed, but it seemed as though nothing was going to stop Sheppard.
The only yellow flag of the feature flew on lap 35 when Steve Paine’s car slowed in turn two, which bunched the field. On the restart, Sheppard motored away as Haers and Johnson fought for third. At the finish, Sheppard had his fourth Modified win of the season at CMP, with Rudolph, Haers, Johnson, and Gil Tegg Jr. completing the top five.
Modified heats were won by Tim McCreadie, Gil Tegg, and Matt Sheppard.
Tyler Thompson and Rocky Warner brought the GRIT Sportsman Series field to the green flag for the 30-lap “Battle Of Ontario”, and Warner took the early lead. Kyle Inman moved past Tyler Thompson and moved to second as Warner started to distance himself from the field. At the one third mark of the feature distance, Warner was leading by half a straightaway over Inman as Matt Guererri moved into third. A few laps later, Kevin Ridley caught Kevin Root and the two began to dice over the fourth and fifth spots.
As the race moved through its second half, Warner continued to extend the lead and began working his way through lapped traffic as the battle between Root and Ridley caught Matt Guererri, making it a 3-way battle for position. As lap 25 passed, David Marcuccilli also got into the mix with Root, Ridley, and Guerreri as they battled through traffic.
At the checkers, Warner had a commanding lead and took the win in the first round of the 911 Restoration Wild West Division of the GRIT Sportsman Series. Inman and Guererri were followed by Root and Marcuccilli, who slid past Ridley for fifth spot on the final lap.
GRIT Sportsman Series heat races were won by Kevin Root, David Marcuccilli, and Rocky Warner.
This Saturday night is Billy Campbell Night at Canandaigua Motorsports Park. The Modifieds, Sportsman, 305 Sprints, and Street Stocks will be joined by a Youth Demo Derby. Racing starts at 7pm. For more information visit the web site at www.canandaiguamotorsportspark.com
RACE SUMMARY-PABST BLUE RIBBON/NORTHEAST RACING PRODUCTS TRADE SHOW NIGHT-
CANANDAIGUA MOTORSPORTS PARK-JUNE 29, 2017
MODIFIED FEATURE-MATT SHEPPARD, Erick Rudolph, Justin Haers, Alan Johnson, Gil Tegg Jr, Tim McCreadie, Rob Bellinger, Mat Williamson, Kyle Coffey, Mike O’Brien, Justin Wright, Eldon Payne, Randy Chrysler, Derrick Podsiadlo, Lance Dusett, Dave Rauscher, James Meier, Rick Richner, Shannon Whaley, Steve Paine, Gary Tomkins, Ray Bliss, Kody Graham.
GRIT SPORTSMAN SERIES “BATTLE OF ONTARIO” FEATURE-ROCKY WARNER, Kyle Inman, Matt Guererri, Kevin Root, Dave Marcuccilli, Kevin Ridley, Nick Guererri, Tyler Thompson, Paul Guererri, Kane Bristol, Anthony Kimble, Karl Comfort, Ricky Newton, Tim Baker, Austyn Fugle, Cedric Gavureau, Doug Smith, Eric Williams, Patrick LaPage, Danny Weisner, Stacy Jackson.
