RPW Column: Anthony Perrego, Matt Sheppard Pace Orange County’s Big Block Point Race

RPW Column By: MIKE TRAVERSE / RPW – MIDDLETOWN, NY – With the season getting a late start due to the restrictions in New York State, four point races have been completed in the OCFS United Rentals Big Block division.

Even with only a few races going off so far, there is already a separation developing at the top of the point standings as Anthony Perrego and Matt Sheppard have started to put a cushion between themselves and the rest of the field.

With 2 feature wins, Perrego sits at the top of the standings with 394 points. Sheppard, with top 5 finishes in all 4 races, trails Perrego by only 10 points. Sheppard has been in the top 5 for all 6 Modified features at OCFS in 2020 with a win in the 2nd Twin 50 race on July 11th.

Billy VanInwegen is third with 343. Billy V has been consistent this season with 3 top 5’s in the 4 point paces. Mike Mahaney has been looking good at OCFS, taking a 2nd place finish on June 27th and sits 4th in the points at 336. Tyler Dippel in the Bill Pascual #3 is 5th at 326 points. The rest of the top 10 are Michael Storms 6th, Tommy Meier 7th, Craig Mitchell 8th, Matt Hitchcock 9th and Jimmy Horton 10th.

Stewart Friesen and Dillon Steuer have been the other Big Block winners at OCFS this season. In the most recent event, the non-points Twin 50’s, Friesen and Sheppard came away with the wins.

Perrego was the winner in the lone H.O. Penn Small Block Modified feature this season. Dippel, Storms, Allison Ricci and Gary Edwards Jr. are all within 8 points going into the July 18th racing.

With 3 events complete in the OCFS Sportsman division, Dominic Roselli Jr. has a slim 2 point lead over Joe Bonetti, 271 to 269. Roselli Jr. has been very fast so far this year with a feature win and placing 5th and 9th in the other races. Bonetti has had very consistent finishes with all three races all finishes in the top 6.

OCFS newcomer Tanner VanDoren is 3rd in the points, trailing Roselli by only 9. Kevin Stevens and Bobby Flood round out the top 5. Sammy Martz Jr. is 6th, Tyler Corcoran 7th, opening night feature winner Jared laBagh 8th, Jake Bedell 9th and Joe Conklin 10th.

Besides Roselli Jr. and LaBagh, Grant Hilfiger is the other winner this season in the OCFS Sportsman. Hilfiger, the defending champion sits 13th in the standings, trailing Roselli by 88. But with the amount of racing still scheduled this season, he can’t be counted out of the championship race.

Bob Sleight Jr. and Wayne Taylor have been the winners in the OCFS Street Stock division so far in 2020. Sleight Jr. has a slim 2 point lead over Taylor and Walt Henry with Rob Taylor and Charlie Donald all within 8 points of the top.

With the rain out occurring on July 11th, OCFS has scheduled all four divisions for competition this coming Saturday, July 18th. Big Blocks, Small Blocks, Sportsman and Street Stocks will all be in action. The grandstands and bleachers remain closed to spectators, but the drive in section will be open. And if you have never had the chance to watch a racing event from the infield, OCFS offers that opportunity with infield drive in spots available.