BLOOMSBURG, Pa. – For the second time in his career, Jeff Strunk won a Bob Hilbert Sportswear Short Track Super Series fueled by Sunoco event at a new race track.
Strunk’s only previous series triumph came more than three years ago on April 29, 2018 at Bridgeport (N.J.) Speedway’s, which was then a three-eighths mile dirt oval. That was the first and only event on Bridgeport’s inner oval.
This time, Strunk tamed round five of the of the Hurlock Auto & Speed North Region at the three-eighths mile at Bloomsburg Fair Raceway in the rain shortened Battle at Bloomsburg.
The win pocketed Strunk $5,475 for his efforts, and bragging rights as the first-ever Modified winner at Bloomsburg after 29 of the race’s scheduled 50 laps.
Only three times in the 112-race history of the Short Track Super Series has a Modified event been shortened by rain, with Bloomsburg joining June 19, 2019 at Outlaw Speedway in Dundee, N.Y., and May 29, 2016 at Thunder Mountain Speedway in Center Lisle, N.Y.
Strunk started on the outside of the front row, with North Region co-point leader Anthony Perrego occupying the pole starting position.
Strunk used the outside lane to drive off turn two at the start and beat Perrego into the third turn, claiming the early lead.
Strunk set the pace, while King Ferry, N.Y.’s Mike Mahaney and Savannah, N.Y.’s Matt Sheppard worked into the top-five in the early going. Sheffield, Mass., star Andy Bachetti ran third in pursuit of the lead pair.
On lap 11, the leaders had officially caught the tail end of the field. Strunk’s scant lead shrank even more as Perrego dove underneath the Zubi’s Racing No. 88z multiple times, as Strunk tried to make the top work to get around the traffic.
While the two battled, Bachetti quickly made-up ground, preparing to challenge the top two. However, coming to complete lap 14, Jared Umbenhauer appeared to slow off the fourth turn, and was tagged by Strunk, bringing out the race’s first yellow.
On the restart, Bachetti used the inside line to his advantage, jumping underneath Perrego and stealing second away. A few short laps later, Perrego retook the second position back and set his sights on Strunk.
On lap 21, Strunk was back in slower traffic. This time, the Bechtelsville, Pa., native had some breathing room between himself and second place, and he carved his way through multiple cars.
On lap 29, rain began to fall on the backstretch, prompting series officials to throw the yellow flag.
The rain intensified, soaking the track and forcing the checkered flag to be thrown handing Strunk and his Pennsylvania-legal spec small-block-powered ride the victory.
Perrego finished runner-up, reclaiming the North Region point lead in the Brian Smith-owned No. 44. Mahaney rebounded from a tough night at Fonda (N.Y.) Speedway on July 4, finishing third in his George Huttig-owned No. 35.
The other North Region co-point leader entering the night, Sheppard grabbed the fourth position in the Hurlock Auto & Speed No. 9s. and Ryan Krachun rounded out the top-five in his family-owned No. 29.
The finish:
Jeff Strunk,
Anthony Perrego, Mike Mahaney, Matt Sheppard, Ryan Krachun, Frank Cozze, Billy Pauch Jr., Andy Bachetti, Billy Osmun, Max McLaughlin, Danny Bouc, Mat Williamson, Stewart Friesen, Billy Decker, Cale Ross, David Schilling, Tanner Van Doren, Kyle Weiss, Erick Rudolph, Mike Gular, Tyler Dippel, Billy Van Pelt, Brian Malcolm, J.R. Hurlburt, Mike Trautschold, Jared Umbenhauer, Bobby Hackel.