WEST HAVEN, Vt. — In an event that appeared primed for another upset, Stewart Friesen emerged victorious on Sunday night with another Bob Hilbert Sportswear Short Track Super Series Fueled By Sunoco triumph.
Friesen charted his path toward the front from the 15th starting position, taking the lead away on a lap-31 restart and never relinquished it for the $10,250 ‘Slate Valley 50’ victory at Vermont’s Devil’s Bowl Speedway.
The win in Round No. 4 of the River Valley Builders North Region extends Friesen’s record as the all-time winningest STSS driver, with career win No. 38. Friesen also claimed an extra $250 as the BDR Speed Hard Charger of the race.
“I thought being out of the redraw was going to be the kiss of death,” proclaimed an ecstatic Friesen in Bicknell Racing Products Victory Lane. “We just little by little picked our way forward and some guys had some bad luck, and we didn’t.
“J.R. (Hurlburt) ran a great race and he was fast all night,” said Friesen of his late race competition. “I was just able to get to the top… he gave me just enough room.”
With Friesen going from the 15th starting position, Peter Britten and Marc Johnson occupied the front row following the Beyea Custom Headers Redraw.
While Johnson would quickly retire from the race due to a mechanical failure, Britten would set the pace with J.R. Hurlburt in tow.
Cautions plagued the early part of the race, including a broken driveshaft on the North Region points leader Mat Williamson on the eighth circuit, ending his night prematurely.
Six laps later, Britten would suffer misfortune as well, with suspension damage sending him to pits and forfeiting the lead to Hurlburt.
When racing resumed with still 36 laps to go, Hurlburt led Steve Bernier, Matt Sheppard, Adam Pierson, and a hard charging Ajay Potrzebowski II.
On the restart, Sheppard quickly worked his way to the runner-up spot, while Potrzebowski followed him through into the final podium position.
Sheppard would pressure Hurlburt for the next 10 laps, including two restarts, before the pair made contact racing down the home straightaway. The contact between them caused a flat right-front tire for Sheppard’s No. 9s.
Sheppard would restart at the tail of the lead, allowing two drivers looking for their first career STSS victory to occupy the front with less than half the race remaining.
The battle between the two was short lived however, as Potrzebowski got a flat left-rear tire just two laps after the restart, forcing him to restart at the tail, as did Sheppard.
With Potrzebowski, and Anthony Perrego falling out of the top five under the same yellow, Hurlburt led the way, but Friesen had suddenly risen into the fourth spot.
Friesen seized his opportunity to go for the win. The Sprakers, N.Y., native quickly worked to second, setting himself up for his chance on the lap-31 restart.
Friesen took top spot away and never looked back for his $10,000 victory, one he and the crew would be sure to celebrate later.
“It’s awesome to win on Father’s Day, me and my Dad (Jamie) haven’t gotten to race together in a long time,” smiled Friesen. “To the guys in Carolina with the truck team, we probably won’t make the 7 a.m. Zoom meeting… we’re gonna celebrate this one tonight.”
Hurlburt brought Jamie and Denise Page’s Algonkin Motel No. 6H home with its best-ever STSS finish in the runner-up spot.
“It’s a tough bunch of guys that race with the STSS,” exclaimed Hurlburt. “I’m happy to be in the redraw… I’m real happy to be standing here on the frontstretch.”
Bernier rounded out the podium for his best STSS finish as well.
“It was a tacky track tonight,” spoke the French Canadian in his second language. “It was tough with the W-16 engine down the straightaways.”
Sheppard rebounded from the flat tire for a fourth-place finish, regaining the North Region point lead following Williamson’s misfortune.
Potrzebowski, like Sheppard, rebounded from his flat tire as well to round out the top five, an impressive night from the teenage racer.
Feature Finish (50 Laps)
STEWART FRIESEN, J.R. Hurlburt, Steve Bernier, Matt Sheppard, Ajay Potrzebowski, Demetrios Drellos, Erick Rudolph, Tanner Siemons, Francois Bernier, Dillon Steuer, Peter Britten, Adam Pierson, Brian Calabrese, Corey Cormier, Chris Curtis, Mike Mahaney, Bobby Hackel, Andy Bachetti, Anthony Perrego, Mat Williamson, Tim Fuller, Shawn McPhee, Marc Johnson, Dave Camara, Neil Stratton, David Schilling