As rain washed away most of the dirt racing events scheduled for the weekend, the Short Track Super Series went above and beyond to open up the Northeast Dirt Modified season on Sunday. It was not pretty by any means, but you have to give credit to the track and series’ crew for putting in the work to hold the race. The weather was everything you don’t want when trying to prep a dirt track. The area got a ton of rain, and in order to secure the track, crew members packed it tight on Saturday.
Unfortunately, Sunday brought a lot of wind and a short amount of time to prep the track. They were unable to cut the track open and get some moisture in there, resulting in a very dusty modified feature. But that is to be expected with most daytime races, and despite the unfavorable conditions, the STSS opener was completed.
The modified feature saw nearly half the field cut tires at some point in the race. Brandon Grosso looked to have the race under control, but a series of cautions and a rough track surface regrouped the field multiple times. Grosso would ultimately suffer a flat tire late in the race, handing the lead over to eventual winner Stewart Friesen.
Once the tires starting going down, I knew Friesen would be the one to outlast most of the competition. His veteran presence behind the wheel has shown us time and time again that he is one of the best at managing his tires.
Mike Maresca would finish the race in second, followed by Mike Gular, Ryan Godown and Mat Williamson. Track conditions did not warrant much passing, but Godown cut a tire early and was able to work his way back through the field. Matt Sheppard, Mike Mahaney, Grosso, Billy Pauch Jr and Jordan Watson
were among others who cut tires.
Full Results
STSS Modifieds – Feature (Results): 1-Friesen.Stewart 2-Maresca.Michael 3-Gular.Mike 4-Godown.Ryan 5-Williamson.Mat 6-Perrego.Anthony 7-Howard.Duane 8-Krachun.Ryan 9-Sheppard.Matt 10-Strunk.Jeff 11-Friesen.Jessica 12-Watt.Ryan 13-Grosso.Brandon 14-Trautschold.Michael 15-Dippel.Tyler 16-Laubach.Rick 17-Watson.Jordan 18-Hackel.Bobby(IV) 19-Mahaney.Mike 20-Curtis.Chris 21-Bouc.Danny 22-Creeden.Dan 23-Hubbard.Austin 24-Wright.Carson 25-Pauch.Billy(Jr) 26-Hieber.Danny 27-Stangle.Matt
Looking Ahead to Port Royal
The 2023 postponed Speed Showcase at Port Royal is the next event on the modified schedule. A field of roughly 50 cars will be in attendance, fighting for the $50,000 top prize. It is a rare opportunity to see some of the best modified drivers in county in one place very early into the season.
You can expect to see the usual suspects in Matt Sheppard, Mat Williamson, Larry Wight, Billy Pauch Jr, Ryan Watt, Mike Mahaney, Anthony Perrego and many more.
Qualifying will take place on Friday, March 15, with the B Mains and feature taking place on March 16. The weather is looking iffy, but if there is one thing we know about Brett Deyo and the STSS crew, they will do all they can to get the show in.
If you can’t be there in person, you can catch all of the STSS and Port Royal action all season long on FloRacing.
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