Five Enter Georgetown’s Mid-Atlantic Championship With Short Track Super Series South Title Hopes
Story By: BRETT DEYO / SHORT TRACK SUPER SERIES – GEORGETOWN, DE – The ‘neutral’ ground of Delaware’s Georgetown Speedway will decide a 2017 Bob Hilbert Sportswear Short Track Super Series (STSS) champion.
The eight-race STSS Velocita-USA South region title – and the $10,000 that accompanies it – comes down to 40 laps around the Sussex County half-mile track on Saturday, October 28 as part of the two-day Mid-Atlantic Championship Weekend.
Following his ‘Dirty Jersey 5’ conquest at Bridgeport (N.J.) Speedway on Sept. 30, Boyertown, Pa., driver Ryan Watt has accrued 587 points and leads Duane Howard of Oley, Pa., by 52 markers. Howard and the Norm Hansell operation have 535 points on the board.
Neshanic Station, N.J., driver Jimmy Horton sits third (529), followed by Ryan Godown of Ringoes, N.J., with 524 and David Van Horn Jr. of Harmony, N.J., with 513.
As the final leg of the STSS South Region chase, increased Championship Points will be offered for the Mid-Atlantic Championship Weekend. The winner receives 150 points and last-place offers 60 points, meaning there is a potential 90-point swing.
The top-five drivers, as a result, have a chance at the title entering Georgetown.
Should Howard – the most recent STSS victor at Georgetown – win the race, Watt will need to finish 12th.
If Horton – who opened the Georgetown season with a triumph in March – takes the checkered first, Watt must finish 13th.
A Godown win requires a 15th-place finish for Watt, while Watt must cross the line 18th to take the title if Van Horn wins.
Watt is a past STSS South Region champion, taking the title in 2015.
The top-12 drivers in the STSS South Region standings will share in point fund cash. Currently sixth through 12th, are Billy Pauch Sr. of Frenchtown, N.J. (491); Jordan Watson of Milford, Del. (467); Stewart Friesen of Sprakers, N.Y. (457); Rick Laubach of Hellertown, Pa. (447); Craig Von Dohren of Oley, Pa. (438); Brett Kressley of Orefield, Pa. (429) and Billy Pauch Jr. of Milford, N.J. (417).
At Georgetown, the STSS Modified finale is part of a huge two days of racing during the Mid-Atlantic Championship. On the docket are STSS Modifieds, Super Late Models, small-block Modifieds, Mid-Atlantic Sprints, RUSH Late Models, Southern Delaware Vintage Stock Cars, Little Lincolns, Delmarva Chargers and Delaware Super Trucks.
STSS Modifieds run heat races Friday night and return for consolations and a 40-lap feature on Saturday.
A complete weekend breakdown has been posted to the Georgetown Speedway website: http://www.thegeorgetownspeedway.com/?page_id=881
Rules for all classes are also available at the following link: http://www.thegeorgetownspeedway.com/?page_id=906
Registration is open for the STSS Modifieds, Super Late Models, small-block Modifieds, RUSH Crate Late Models and Crate 602 Sportsman. Forms have been posted on the Georgetown Speedway website.
The Quality Inn & Suites just north of the speedway on Route 113 in Georgetown has set aside a block of rooms for Friday and Saturday nights at a discounted rate of $108. To reserve a room, call 302.854.9400 and mention you are attending Georgetown Speedway.
