OCALA, Fla. – For the 27th time in his career, Stewart Friesen registered a Bob Hilbert Sportswear Short Track Super Series (STSS) Fueled by Sunoco Modified victory on Friday night at Bubba Raceway Park.
This win, worth more than $6,000, was his first at Bubba Raceway Park and his third in the Sunshine State with the series.
Friesen and Erick Rudolph once again battled for the checkered on night No. 2 of the Taylor & Messick Co. Sunshine Swing. This time, the rolls reversed, as it was Friesen besting Rudolph for the win.
Cale Ross and Brett Haas led the field to green for the 40-lap main event. However, it was Billy Pauch Jr. that grabbed the lead off the first two turns of the race.
It didn’t take long for Rudolph to march from his seventh starting spot to second, and then made a move underneath Pauch on lap seven. Friesen wasn’t far by behind, as he worked to second a couple laps later.
The race then began to hit a stage of yellow fever, as Friesen and Rudolph continued to change the lead several times in the short runs. While the two slugged it out up front, David Schilling was hanging tough in the third spot, waiting for an opportunity to pounce.
Billy Decker was the driver on the move, as he had come from 18th to fighting with Schilling for the third spot.
Friesen took the lead for good on lap 28, beating Rudolph to the line right before a yellow came out, giving Friesen the advantage on the ensuing restarts for the remainder of the race.
After 40 laps around the three-eighths-mile track, it was Friesen taking the win, with Mike Maresca sneaking into the second spot in the late stages of the race. Erick Rudolph held on for third, with Max McLaughlin grabbing his second fourth-place finish of the week, and Decker rounded out the top-five in his Jeremy Smith Racing entry.
Tanner Van Doren won his second Short Track Super Series Crate 602 Sportsman feature Friday. Brian Calabrese, who led in the early going, left the bottom groove open one time, and Van Doren made the move to pick up the victory in the 30-lap event worth more than $2,300.
Addison Bowman got to second, but Van Doren quickly put two lap cars between himself and Bowman to secure the victory. Bowman held on for second, with Kyle Smith rounding out the podium. Payton Talbot came home fourth with Calabrese rounding out the top-five finishers.
Friday night’s Sunshine Swing opener was broadcast live on SPEED SPORT TV affiliate Dirt Track Digest TV. Saturday’s event can be seen on the streaming network as well.
The finish:
Feature (40 laps): Stewart Friesen, Michael Maresca, Erick Rudolph, Max McLaughlin, Billy Decker, Matt Sheppard, David Schilling, Mike Gular, Anthony Perrego, Matt Stangle, Cale Ross, J.R. Heffner, Danny Bouc, Danny Creeden, H.J.Bunting, Mike Mahaney, Jordan Siri, Brett Haas, Billy Pauch Jr., Kyle Weiss, Tyler Dippel, Jeremy Smith, Rusty Smith, Brandon Hightower, Jimmy Horton, Danny Hieber, Joseph Watson, Tyler Siri.