Story By: JORDAN DELUCIA / DIRTCAR – CONCORD, NC – David Rogers kicked off the seventh annual World Short Track Championship with another VP Racing Fuels DIRTcar Sportsman Modified victory Thursday night at The Dirt Track at Charlotte.
The southern trip for the New York native still saw him face off against several of his DIRTcar Northeast Series regulars, such as Andrew Buff and Mike Fowler, for the victory.
Rogers started eighth on the grid but quickly made his way through the field, finding his way to fourth in the opening lap.
Andrew Buff held the lead until Rogers passed him on Lap 9. He battled to stay within striking distance of Rogers, but it was the LaFargeville, NY native’s night to shine, steadily pulling away from the pack.
“The car was good,” Rogers said. “We were a little bit tight. Every restart and on the initial start it felt tight, but once I got some heat in the tires I was really good. The car freed up and I could turn. Man, this thing was incredible.”
Rogers is no stranger to the event, winning the second Sportsman Modified Feature last year.
“I won the big one last year,” Rogers said. “So, to come back and do this, it’s incredible. We just gotta take the next one.”
Waterloo, NY driver Kevin Ridley wanted a piece of the action as well, steadily charging forward from a 10th place starting position. With a consistent pace, he made his way to fifth by the halfway point of the race and eventually worked his by by Ayden Cipriano on Lap 18 to secure a podium finish.
Cipriano finished fourth and Dylan Madsen finished fifth.
UP NEXT: The DIRTcar Northeast Sportsman Modifieds will return Friday night for eight-lap Heat Races and 10-lap Last Chance Showdowns before Saturday’s 30-lap Feature.
RESULTS: Championship Feature – 20 laps
1. 44-David Rogers[8]; 2. 92-Andrew Buff[2]; 3. 20X-Kevin Ridley[10]; 4. 5C-Ayden Cipriano[5]; 5. 89-Dylan Madsen[7]; 6. 01-Zachary Buff[16]; 7. 26-Derrick McGrew[18]; 8. 410-Mike Fowler[19]; 9. 78-Michael Wright[12]; 10. 52-Jessica Power[4]; 11. 99-Jordan Millard[15]; 12. 18-Blayden Arquette[3]; 13. 7X-Chuck Miller[17]; 14. 1R-Ricky Thompson[21]; 15. 49-Chris Jakubiak[13]; 16. 29-Tanner Forbes[9]; 17. 44C-Dave Conant[11]; 18. 73G-Gordon Hermanson Jr[6]; 19. 23-Cole Perry[20]; 20. 23C-Tommy D’Angelo[14]; 21. 47-Walter Cook[1]