PORT ROYAL, Pa. – Once he completed the most impressive performance of Speed Showcase 200 qualifying night at Port Royal Speedway, Matt Sheppard propped his smartphone on a toolbox and streamed the remainder of Friday’s on-track events.
“We don’t have anything like it where we race,” the New York native said of the half-mile clay oval, implying the need to gain familiarity with the track’s attitude.
Nonetheless, Sheppard powered to the 20-lap qualifier one win from ninth, something to expect from the nation’s second-winningest modified driver.
“It’s been a good season,” Sheppard, a 25-time winner this year, added. “It’s been a … you know … I want to say good to very good. It hasn’t been phenomenal. But it’s been a really solid season.”
The 39-year-old has practically wrapped up his eighth Super DIRTcar Series crown and is in the midst of another sterling season. What Sheppard sees, however, is a glaring void.
“We can win a bunch of championships and a bunch of races this year, but the difference between a good season and great season is winning one of these Crown Jewels,” Sheppard said.
Sheppard, as for the 11 others apart of the 12-driver redraw, won’t know the starting lineup for tonight’s 200-lap, $50,000-to-win Short Track Super Series event until closer to race time.
Judging Friday, it won’t matter where Sheppard starts, or what’s thrown at him in the beginning stages of the emerging big block modified Crown Jewel.
While his prolific counterpart, Stewart Friesen, started outside of Sheppard in row five of qualifier one and struggled to move through the field, Sheppard sped to the front.
On the start, Sheppard forced it four-wide off turn two and surged from ninth to sixth. A lap later, he made his way to fourth. He took the lead for good by lap 11.
“My car was good enough that, when everybody was bottled up, I could get down on the bottom and middle and make a little ground up, or at least not lose any to the guys up top,” Sheppard said.
“It seemed like the longer race went, the better we got,” Sheppard said.
Like everywhere he goes, Sheppard has taken to Port Royal well. He owns one win — last year’s Speed Showcase 200 preliminary feature — and three top five finishes in five starts at the speedway.
Of Sheppard’s 25 wins this year, eight are with the Super DIRTcar Series and Short Track Super Series.
He recently secured the Short Track Super Series North Region title and, if he can make up 24 points on Mike Mahaney, the South Region title is at stake as well.
Sheppard, though, eyes one specific one thing.
“Winning this race,” he said.