1. Which Superman is Driver of the Year?
He’ll never catch Jonathan Davenport in terms of winnings (there’s no Eldora Million for modifieds), but Matt Sheppard is having a 2022 that’ll never be forgotten among the ranks of the big-block modifieds. Saturday night saw Sheppard break the 40-win threshold with a $50,000 triumph in Port Royal’s Speed Showcase, besting Stewart Friesen with a last-lap pass.
🏁 Matt Sheppard conquers the Speed Palace passing Stewart Friesen on the final lap for $50,000! @ShortTrackSS | @PortRoyalSpdway
📺 https://t.co/0ksdXx5lCo pic.twitter.com/9GMk1g3khI
— FloRacing (@FloRacing) October 16, 2022
It was one thing to see Nick Hoffman win 40-plus races in his UMP-style modified last season, but this isn’t the Hell Tour. And while Sheppard’s campaign is one that has forever favored veterans thanks in part to being contested in the same region on the same slate of tracks year after year, the No. 9 has proven all but untouchable in crown jewel races in 2022.
It’s a common theme across dirt racing (except in super late models) in 2022 that regional powerhouses have been giving national touring stars a run for their money. And honestly, seeing Sheppard’s run of form heading into the depths of autumn has me wondering whether this Northeast stalwart is on the same page as Davenport.
2. Chris Ferguson statement why tours need pressure
Rewind back to earlier this summer and this year’s Show-Me 100 winner Chris Ferguson was front and center of the biggest controversy of the Ultimate Super Late Model Series season, having been disqualified over tire compounds run in the USA 100 at Virginia Motor Speedway.
The issue resurfaced this weekend with Ferguson, racing for the first time since the World 100 at Eldora last month, announcing via Facebook that his race team would no longer be racing in Ultimate-sanctioned events as a result of the fallout from that fiasco.
As I wrote back in August, it seems like the two parties to this mess talked past each other, leading to a disaster that never should have happened. But I will concede that if Ferguson’s statement regarding the series seeking to “settle” with his race team is true, I’m concerned about what role the Ultimate sanction played in turning one of their premier races into a controversy and leading a national late model tour to swear off their races for good.
Why bring this up? Because, as we covered in last week’s article about Brad…
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