Story By: CHRIS MOORE / SHORT TRACK SUPER SERIES – PORT ROYAL, PA – Elite title fight. When the 75-lap ‘Speed Showcase’ ends for the Bob Hilbert Sportswear Short Track Super Series (STSS) Fueled By Sunoco, the $15,000 Ollie’s ‘Elite’ Series Champion will be crowned.
The full weekend of racing takes place Thurs.-Sat. Oct. 12-14, culminating in Saturday’s 75-lap, $50,000-to-win main event for the STSS big-block/small-block Modifieds.
The fourth leg of the Ollie’s ‘Elite’ Series represents the final one, with the previous three being contested at Orange County Fair Speedway in Middletown, N.Y., Utica-Rome Speedway in Vernon, N.Y., and N.Y.’s Fonda Speedway.
The Ollie’s ‘Elite Series’ opening round was scheduled to take place at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway in March but was nixed due to rain.
With three races in the books, Savannah, N.Y.’s Matt Sheppard leads the standings looking for his second consecutive ‘Elite’ Series Championship.
Sheppard holds a 58-point advantage – on the strength of two ‘Elite’ victories – over St. Catherines, Ontario, Canada’s Mat Williamson.
Unadilla, N.Y.’s Billy Decker sits third in points, 98 markers off Sheppard’s pace.
Guilderland, N.Y.’s Marc Johnson (103 points behind) and Sheffield, Mass., resident Andy Bachetti (109 points behind) round out the top five.
The 75-lap, $50,000-to-win main event on Saturday (Oct. 14) also serves as Round No. 6 of the Rent Equip/Party Central South Region $15,000 title pursuit.
Round No. 5 of the South Region takes place to open the weekend (Oct. 12) as part of Behrent’s Performance Warehouse Preliminary Night.
The STSS big-block/small-block Modifieds go for 40 laps and $5,500 winner’s share as preclude to the $50,000 prize at the end of the weekend.
Sheppard also heads the South Region class heading into the weekend, by just 23 points over Frenchtown, N.J.’s Billy Pauch Jr. King Ferry, N.Y.’s Mike Mahaney rounds out the top three, 84 markers behind Sheppard.
Ringoes, N.J.’s Ryan Godown (88 points behind) and Boyertown, Pa.’s Mike Gular (93 points behind) round out the top five.
The STSS Crate 602 Sportsman will also be on hand for a 50-lap, $4,000-to-win main event, their biggest paying race of the 2023 campaign.
Recently crowned Precision Hydraulic & Oil North Region Champion Joe Toth sits atop the Belmont’s Garage South Region standings as well, looking for his third consecutive South Region Championship.
Toth holds a 57-point advantage over Spencertown, N.Y.’s Dylan Madsen – who won the most recent race at Georgetown (Del.) Speedway in late August.
Fleetwood, Pa.’s Kyle Smith, Cream Ridge, N.J.’s Ryan Simmons, and Kutztown, Pa.’s Dakota Kohler round out the top five.