Stewart Friesen Officially Named Short Track Super Series North Region Champion For ’20

Story By: BRETT DEYO / SHORT TRACK SUPER SERIES – SUSQUEHANNA, PA – In an unexpected ending to an unprecedented season, the Bob Hilbert Sportswear Short Track Super Series (STSS) Fueled By Sunoco Halmar International Modified North Region concluded its point battle Saturday night at Penn Can Speedway.

A scheduled 10-event Halmar International North Region was curtailed by COVID-19 regulations that did not allow fans to attend auto racing events in New York State.

The North-South combination ‘Anthracite Assault’ event at Pa.’s Big Diamond Speedway started the North Region on June 16. A second event was run, with fans, on Independence Day weekend at Fonda (N.Y.) Speedway July 5.

With New York regulations tightening for speedway promoters, the STSS North Region was placed on pause for the summer.

Enter Penn Can Speedway. The Folk family, promoters of the rejuvenated facility on the Keystone State side of the Pennsylvania-New York border, came to agreement with STSS director Brett Deyo to sanction the ‘King of the Can’ as the series’ championship event.

A pro-rated (33-percent) point fund of $12,885 was pledged to the top-12 finishers in the North Region standings to reward drivers for their support of the three-race series.

After 55 laps around the Penn Can oval, the title came down to a margin of just two points.

Stewart Friesen’s pass of Andy Bachetti with a pair of laps remaining in the ‘King of the Can’ main event pushed him to his second career STSS North Region championship. The Sprakers, N.Y., driver edged Mike Gular, who entered the event as the point leader, by a pair of markers (290-288).

Friesen will receive $4,000 for the championship.

Boyertown, Pa.’s Gular, a top-10 finisher in each of the three North Region races run, was tallied in second and earns $2,300. By virtue of his runner-up finish at Penn Can, three-time champion Andy Bachetti of Sheffield, Mass., placed third with 273 points ($1,325).

Tyler Dippel of Wallkill, N.Y., a first-year STSS follower, was fourth with 265 points ($1,000) and Matt Sheppard of Savannah, N.Y., the ’19 champion, placed fifth with 251 points ($825).

Finishing sixth through 12th, respectively, were Billy Pauch Jr. of Milford, N.J. (250 points, $660); Larry Wight of Phoenix, N.Y. (232 points, $580); Craig Hanson of Johnstown, N.Y. (222 points, $545); Danny Creeden of Wurtsboro, N.Y. (220 points, $510); David Schilling of East Greenbush, N.Y. (176 points, $480) and a tie between Billy Decker of Sidney, N.Y., and Nick Rochinski of Dickson City, Pa. (165 points, $330 each).

The STSS North Region averaged a very healthy 49.67 cars per event.

The Penn Can ‘King of the Can’ brought the ’20 STSS Modified Halmar International Modified North Region to its conclusion. Next up is the season’s most lucrative Modified race – the ‘Speed Showcase 200’ at Pa.’s Port Royal Speedway headlined by a $53,000-to-win, 200-lap main event for the Velocita-USA South Region presented by Design for Vision and Sunglass Central October 15-17.