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Matt Sheppard Collects $27,500 from Short Track Super Series Night of Champions

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY – Putting an exclamation point on 2025 – and looking to the season ahead.

The Bob Hilbert Sportswear Short Track Super Series (STSS) Fueled By Sunoco wrapped up its ’25 season in style Saturday night with a classy ‘Night of Champions’ Awards Banquet at the Holiday Inn Saratoga Springs.

STSS founder Brett Deyo addressed the crowd and noted that a total of $98,850 was to be awarded during the Awards Banquet.

Deyo hit on some impressive numbers from the ’25 campaign.

The Short Track Super Series season drew 719 unique entries in Modified competition, and 542 Sportsman drivers took part in series events.

The STSS Modifieds averaged 36.68 entries per event, and the STSS Sportsman drew 36.13 entries per event.

Total FloRacing content consumption (STSS & N.Y.’s Fonda Speedway for the 2025 season) total 44,293,639 minutes with 778,686 unique viewers

Deyo looked ahead to the ’26 campaign with three new tracks joining the series: Pa’s Bedford Speedway, N.Y.’s Lebanon Valley Speedway and Del.’s Middleford Speedway.

Series announcer Jeff Ahlum served as master of ceremonies following dinner.

Matt Sheppard led the evening with $27,500 collected for championships in the HYTORC of New York North Region and NJ Quality Drywall South Region.

The Savannah, N.Y., driver now boasts 13 total championships with the series through its North, South, Overall and Elite programs, all accomplished since ’19.

Sheppard secured the HYTORC of New York North Region $15,000 title with victories at Outlaw Speedway in Dundee, N.Y., on July 10, Afton (N.Y.) Motorsports Park July 16, Quebec’s Autodrome Granby July 22, Fonda Speedway in the prestigious Fonda 200 on Sept. 13 and the Montgomery County Open at the venerable Fonda Fairgrounds facility Sept. 27 and Orange County Fair Speedway in Middletown, N.Y., Oct. 23.

Sheppard won the North Region crown for the fifth consecutive year and sixth time overall.

Jack Lehner of Saratoga Springs, N.Y., earned a series best second-place result in the standings with the BDR-Madsen Overhead Doors No. 02. Lehner picked up a pair of runner-up finishes including the Fonda 200 for the second year in a row. Lehner received $7,500.

Quebec’s David Hebert and Team ONE placed third in their final season together ($5,000). Ontario driver Chris Raabe placed fourth overall and posted his first win on the series with a Labor Day weekend triumph at Afton. He earned $4,000.

Goshen, N.Y.’s Daniel Morgiewicz Jr. and his family owned team placed fifth in points worth $3,000.

Placing sixth through 12th, respectively, were Mat Williamson of Saint Catharines, Ont., a three-time North Region winner in ’25 (Devil’s Bowl in Vermont, N.Y.’s Can-Am and Mohawk International), earning $2,500 in point money; Stewart Friesen of Sprakers, N.Y., a winner at Le RPM in Quebec and Fonda in July ($2,000); Alex Yankowski of Covington Township, Pa. ($1,750); first-year series traveler Robert Bublak of Ballston Spa, N.Y. ($1,650); Anthony Perrego of Middletown, N.Y., driving for Bob Hentschel ($1,550); Quebec’s Felix Roy ($1,450) and Bobby Hackel IV of East Greenbush, N.Y. ($1,250).

Sheppard pocketed $12,500 for the NJ Quality Drywall South Region title, his fourth in the South Region.

Sheppard wrapped up his South Region crown in the return of the Modifieds to Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway in October, joining a last-lap victory at Action Track USA in Kutztown, Pa., in May.

Alex Payne of Canandaigua, N.Y., finished the runner-up in the standings worth $7,500 in his debut campaign in the South Region. Alex Yankowski of Covington Township, Pa., completed the podium driving for Delaware car owners Tim and Debbie Millman ($5,000).

Driving for Vinnie Salerno, Anthony Perrego of Middletown, N.Y., placed fourth ($4,000) and Ryan Godown of Ringoes, N.J., completed the front five ($3,000).

Completing the top 12 were ‘Speed Showcase’ winner at Pa.’s Port Royal Speedway Dillon Steuer of Bohemia, N.Y. ($2,500); Billy Pauch Jr. of Frenchtown, N.J. ($2,000); Matt Stangle of Neshanic Station, N.J. ($1,750); Pipersville, Pa.’s Danny Bouc ($1,650); Modified upstart Logan Watt of Boyertown, Pa. ($1,550); Brandon Grosso of Belle Mead, N.J. ($1,450); and Paul Mancini of New Gretna, N.J. ($1,250).

Despite a weather challenged South Region with only four events completed, the series distributed the $44,150 point fund in its entirety.

Tyler Peet of Lake Ariel, Pa., put his name in the record books with the STSS Sportsman Madsen Overhead Doors Inc. North Region title worth $1,500.

Peet won at his home track of Fonda Speedway in July, earned a checkered flag at Mohawk International Raceway in Akwesasne, N.Y., on Aug. 5 and Fonda again to close out the month of September.

Peet also picked up a post-points-season Sunoco checkered flag at Afton Motorsports Park during Short Track SuperNationals weekend in October.

A winner at Afton in July, Blaine Klinger of Walton, N.Y., finished second in the standings, followed by rookie Garrett Chillot of Springbrook, Pa., Dylan Madsen of Spencertown, N.Y., and David Hackett of Baldwinsville, N.Y.

Michael Ballestero of Saratoga Springs, N.Y., finished sixth, followed by Dale Welty of Montour Falls, N.Y., Joe Toth of Upper Makefield, Pa., Joshua Jock of Hogansburg, N.Y., and Tanner Warner of Gloversville, N.Y.

Laurel, Del.’s James Hill – like Peet – was a first time Short Track Super Series champion in the STSS Sportsman Belmont’s Garage South Region. Hill placed inside the top five in each of the series events he entered.

Joe Toth of Upper Makefield, Pa., the winner at Hagerstown in October, finished runner-up in the standings, followed by Steve Davis of Cream Ridge, N.J., Jesse Hirthler of Boyertown, Pa., and Stephen Kemery of Sicklerville, N.J. Kemery opened the season with a $4,000 victory at Port Royal in March.

Finishing sixth through 10th, respectively, were Ethan Bill of Pilesgrove Township, N.J., Travis Hill of Elmer, N.J., Mike Butler of Bedminster, N.J., Ryan Simmons of Cream Ridge, N.J., and Dylan Madsen of Spencertown, N.Y.

The Morgiewicz family and driver Daniel Morgiewicz received a Dedication to the Short Track Super Series Award for their perseverance in the series despite a variety of misfortunes and poor luck.

Anthony and Deanna Knighten of HYTORC of New York presented Kevin Bates from the Alex Yankowski team with the Crew Chief of the Year Award worth $500 and a manual clicker torque wrench.

Matt Sheppard received a $500 MD3 certificate for leading the most laps during the season.

Attention now turns to on-track action for the series with a busy March including events at Port Royal Speedway March 13-14, N.J.’s Bridgeport Motorsports Park March 22 and Bedford Speedway March 29.

To learn more about the Short Track Super Series Fueled By Sunoco, visit www.shorttracksuperseries.com, e-mail bdmotorsportsmedia@gmail.com, check out ‘Short Track Super Series’ on Facebook or @ShortTrackSS on (X) or Instagram.

The Short Track Super Series is presented by Bob Hilbert Sportswear, FloRacing, American Racer, Lias Tire, Sunoco Race Fuels, BDR Feed, NJ Quality Drywall, HYTORC of New York, Ollie’s, Penske Racing Shocks, Saint Lawrence Radiology, Capitol Custom Trailers & Coaches, Bicknell Racing Products, Behrent’s Performance Warehouse, Madsen Overhead Doors, Belmont’s Garage, Wegner Automotive, DIG Race Products, ATL, Dirt Draft, Swagger Factory Apparel, F.X. Caprara Car Companies, Algonkin Motel LLC, Beyea Custom Headers, Design for Vision, Sunglass Central, Dirt Track Digest TV, DKM Fabrication, EIBACH, Flach Performance Products, Henry’s Headers & Exhaust Systems, JK Signworks, JLR Technologies, Dave Prime Jr. MAC Tools, MD3, PEM Engineering, Schultz Racing Fuel Cells, SRI Performance, Swift Springs, The Exotic Brand, Troyer Dirt Cars, TV 12 Racing Products, VAHLCO Wheels & Wilwood Disc Brakes.

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