RPW Column: “SuperMatt” Gets Another On The Hard Clay; Sheppard Wins Nostalgia Night At OCFS

Column By: MIKE TRAVERSE / RPW – MIDDLETOWN, NY – As many of the legends of the Hard Clay were looking on, a driver, who is already legendary with his accomplishments at many dirt tracks in the northeastern United States, continued to build his ever growing legacy at the House of Power in Middletown, NY on Saturday night.

With the backdrop of the return of the Nostalgia Night festivities, Matt Sheppard took the 30 lap United Rentals DIRTcar Big Block Modified feature over a fast closing Jimmy Horton and Mat Williamson.

Williamson and Billy VanInwegen led the field to the green with Williamson taking the early lead. Sheppard was moving up quickly from his 8th starting spot with McGannon slipping past Billy V for 2nd on lap 3. Sheppard was up to 5th by the 3rd lap and passed Anthony Perrego for 4th on lap 4. The caution was out after 6 laps were completed and on the restart, Sheppard worked his way to 2nd and started his pursuit of Williamson.

With Williamson still in control, caution was out again after 10 laps were completed. With Williamson inside and Sheppard on the outside for the restart, it was Super Matt taking the lead with a good run in the high groove. At halfway, it was Sheppard over Williamson, McGannon, VanInwegen and Perrego. Just after the crossed flags, action slowed with the yellow as Donnie Wilson had a flat in turn one.

Sheppard was in command on the restart and was in control until caution waved again on lap 19. Horton, who started 20th, was making his presence felt in the top 5, taking 4th position on lap 20. As the final 1/3 of the feature wound down, there was little position changes until caution waved with one to go, giving Williamson one more shot at Sheppard. But Sheppard was up to the task, again jumping out to the lead with Horton moving past McGannon for 3rd and he worked his way past Williamson for 2nd. At the finish, it was Sheppard over Horton by 6/10 of a second with Williamson 3rd, McGannon 4th and VanInwegen 5th. Billy Decker, Tyler Boniface, Tommy Meier, Tyler Jashembowski and Matt Hitchcock rounded out the top 10 finishing order.

“Mat gave me the top on that restart and I said. ‘Aw, the heck with it.’ I got up towards the front on the bottom, but once I restarted on the top, I just decided to stay there,” Sheppard said in Victory Lane. “We really weren’t great last time out here, it took a long time to get going and we went with a little different approach and this car was fast right out of the box.”

Sheppard became the first repeat winner in the Big Blocks this season and the win is his 9th of his career at OCFS. He has really been a familiar sight in the OCFS Victory Lane since he grabbed his first OCFS win in early 2019.

Earlier heat race wins were taken by Bobby Hentschel, Decker and Perrego.

In the Arkel Motors Sportsman division, it was Joe Bonetti driving into Victory Lane for his first feature win after a last lap pass of Jamie Yannone.

It was Yannone and Pat Mann on the front row for the feature and it was Yannone, moving out to the lead over Daniel Morgiewicz Jr. and Lem Atkins. The race had a good run of green flag racing and there was no change at the top 3 positions as at halfway, it was Yannone leading Morgiewicz Jr, Atkins, Jake Bedell and Bonetti, up to 5th from 13th.

While Yannone had pulled out to an impressive lead, Bedell passed Atkins for 3rd on lap 11 and Jake took 2nd from Morgiewicz Jr on lap 13. Bonetti had moved up to 3rd when the first caution of the feature waved after 16 laps were completed. Pat Mann got a push back to the pits and Sportsman points leader, Jeff Hulseapple pitted with a flat tire.

Yannone maintained the lead on the restart as Bonetti moved into 2nd and Gary Edwards Jr took 3rd. On the final lap, Bonetti got a run on the inside of Yanonne and made the pass to take the win by 6/10 of a second. Yanonne was 2nd, Edwards Jr 3rd, Jared LaBagh 4th and Joey Bruning 5th. Bedell, Morgiewicz Jr, Atkins, Ryan Neiger and John Bockhorm completed the top 10 running order.

“I’ve been a bridesmaid so many times that it’s great to finally make it into Victory Lane,” said a jubilant Bonetti, “It’s happened so many times to me here, leading, leading, leading and heartbreak. It sure does feel good to win one. We’ll see where this win leads us to the end of the year. I can’t thank my guys and my sponsors enough.”

In heat race action, it was Bruning, Bonetti, Bobby Flood and Yanonne coming away with the wins. Cody Higbie won the consolation.

The night’s action was marred by two flips in during the heats. Dylan Smith had a turn 3-4 flip in the 2nd heat. Smith was uninjured. In the 2nd Big Block heat, Brandon Walters, making his first ever appearance at OCFS, flipped it out of the speedway near the pit gate. It was reported that Walters was uninjured. Some of the track lighting wires were damaged in the crash. The speedway used the repair time to have the extra long Nostalgia Night intermission while the repairs were being made.

Next up on the OCFS schedule will see the United Rentals DIRTcar Big Block Modifieds in their Revenge 50 event this Thursday. Next Saturday, regular racing takes a break as the speedway will present the Rapid Tire Spring Smashtacular. The events will include a Demolition Derby and an Enduro and all kinds of other stunts and maybe an explosion or two.