Column By: MARTY CZEKALA / RPW – CANANDAIGUA, NY – Matt Sheppard dominated by leading all 60 laps at Land of Legends to claim back-to-back Super DIRTCar Series wins and take the inaugural SummerFAST Championship.
The win was his fifth of the Series to extend his points lead to 95.
“It feels good. We knew this was going to be a pivotal week in the Series chase,” Sheppard told RPW. “Never dreamed of coming out of it with two wins and a third. Really good week for us, myself. Kind of special, close to home, coming to Canandaigua. Used to race Brewerton weekly. Just a really special week for us.”
Sheppard would redraw from the pole and maintain a consistent pace, having a lead of up to three seconds by the time he took the checkers.
“It drove really good. When you start on the pole, it’s a tough game sometimes. It was comfortable, the track had some grip, had a lot of different grooves, felt like the Canandaigua I know,” Sheppard explained.
Adam Pierson finished in second, recording his best finish in the Super DIRTCar Series, beating out his fifth-place finish at Big Diamond.
“It feels pretty awesome,” an excited Pierson said. “To run with these guys, get second to Matt Sheppard. To me, it’s a win, but he’s the best of the best. This one is for Adam Gage [car owner]. I couldn’t do it without him. He’s the one that took the leap on me a couple of years ago. Top five is tough to do in this class.”
Pierson started outside the front row for the second straight race.
One of the more emotional stories of the night belonged to Kyle Coffey, finishing in fifth, also his best Super DIRTCar finish. Coffey switched his number from 23c to 39 in the team’s first race since losing their patriarch owner Carl Myers earlier in the week.
“Carl meant everything. He was there from the very beginning. Helped raise me. Basically, my first boss. I worked for him for ten years through summers until I finished college. Took me to Florida on fishing trips, and we got to stay with him every time we went down for the DIRTCar Nationals. He’s really gonna be missed,” Kyle said to RPW.
It was one of the best nights for Coffey as he was one of the quickest in hot laps and recorded the fastest time in time trials. Coffey had some momentum after last Saturday’s run at Land of Legends. The driver was leading with six laps left before getting passed by Justin Haers for the win.
“It felt awesome that we unloaded that fast. We’ve been that way the last couple of weeks here. Usually first or second. It’s hard to be that fast and continue to have that speed throughout the night with this kind of conditions that we had,” Coffey commented.
39 Modifieds checked in tonight.
Next week for the Super DIRTCar Series is Wednesday’s Summer Nationals at Ransomville Speedway. As for Land of Legends, next Saturday, they crown a Modified champion as it’s Big Block Championship Night.
Head to the RSN Trackside Facebook Page for more interviews with Sheppard, Pierson, and Coffey.