8/2/2025
Utica-Rome Speedway
SHEPPARD SCORES WIN NUMBER SIX OF 2025 AT UTICA-ROME
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - UTICA-ROME SPEEDWAY - August 1st, 2025
SHEPPARD SCORES WIN NUMBER SIX OF 2025 AT UTICA-ROME
VERNON, NY...Big Frog 104 presented Friday night's racing on First Responders Night at Utica-Rome Speedway, with first repsponders, police, and nurses admitted for free. The Mohawk Valley Vintage Dirt Modified Racing Series joined the card.
In the 3 Bastards Brewing Modified feature, Randy Shantel took the lead for the first lap before Matt Janczuk slid past to take the top spot. Rocky Warner closed in on Shantel looking for second as Matt Sheppard started coming through the pack from his eleventh starting spot. Sheppard battled with Alex Yankowski and Willy Decker as Warner took second on lap 6. Sheppard took third from Decker on lap 11 as Warner closed in on Janczuk. Sheppard took second from Warner on lap 16 and then grabbed the lead from Janczuk three laps later in traffic. As Sheppard pulled away, Warner slid past Janczuk to take second on lap 23. Yankowski also made a move to get by Yankowski in the late going. Sheppard pulled away to take his sixth win of the year over Warner, Yankowski, Decker, and Janczuk.
3 Bastards Brewing Modified heats were won by Rocky Warner and Matt Janczuk.
The Taylor's Trailers Crate 602 Sportsman feature began with Matt Richardson getting the lead as Josh Amodio took second. They battled for the lead as Seth Martin snagged the third spot from Paul Carey. After several laps of side by side racing, Amodio took the lead on lap 9 as Payton Talbot, the point leader, began to move forward, charging past Martin for third on lap 14. A caution for a three car spin on lap 15 bunched the field, and on the restart Talbot took the lead from Amodio and Tyler Peet moved into third. Peet took second one lap later and the chase was on, but Talbot could not be caught as he went on to another win with Peet in second. Carson Rothwell made a late race charge to take third, followed by Amodio and Mike Richmond.
Taylor's Trailers Crate 602 Sportsman heats were won by Brett Mortensen, Tyler Peet, and Connor Prokop.
In the Next Generation Graphix Pro Stock feature, Toby Cooper took the early lead from Ed Kotary with the pack racing two and three wide behind them. AJ Walters boke out of the pack from his sixth starting spot to move into second on lap 3. Shane Playford made it a three way battle till Walters split the two to take the lead on lap 7. A yellow for Gus Gould's stopped car set up a lap 13 restart, with the top three battling hard as Devon Camengea and Jim Normoyle raced for fourth till Camengea slipped over the bank in turn one, losing several spots. Playford slid off turn four on lap 17, setting up a three lap shootout between Walters, Brett Belden, Luke Horning, and Normoyle. At the finish, Walters grabbed the win, with Belden barely holding off Horning for second. Normoyle was fourth and Camengea recovered for fifth.
Next Generation Graphix Pro Stock heats were won by Slater Baker and George Cushman.
The Fastline Performance Limited Sportsman event started with Nicholas Jenkins leading Lance Hill with Chuck Lowe jumping into third. Hill made the move to take the lead and pulled away from Lowe, who had moved into second, and Jayden Wust. Wust battled Lowe for several laps, finally moving past him on lap 11, but by then, Hill was way out in front. The leaders encountered traffic in the final five laps, which allowed Wust to close in on Hill, making a winning move on turn two of the final lap to go on to the victory. Hill, Lowe, Jenkins, and Ernie Staelens finished out the top five.
Fastline Performance Limited Sportsman heats were won by Ayden Goodier and Nicholas Jenkins.
In the JB's Sewer and Septic 4 Cylinder division, Jacob Kimball was the winner and top finishing DOHC car, with Wayne Russell Jr. taking the SOHC win with a second place finish. Hank Wedgren, Hank Wedgren Jr, and Jeff Connolly rounded out the top five.
Mohawk Valley Vintage Dirt Modified Series features were won by Mike Wheeler (Vintage Antiques), John Roese (Late Model), Joe Rando (Mystique), Andy Graves (Modified), and Jipp Ortiz (Sportsman).
The next event at Utica-Rome Speedway will be on Friday, August 8th when Fastline Performance presents Driver Autograph Night, with a regular racing card on tap. Racing begins at 7:00 p.m. For more information, visit www.uticaromespeedway.com .
RACE SUMMARY-BIG FROG 104 FIRST RESPONDERS NIGHT-UTICA-ROME SPEEDWAY-AUGUST 1ST, 2025
3 BASTARDS BREWING MODIFIEDS-MATT SHEPPARD, Rocky Warner, Alex Yankowski, Willy Decker, Matt Janczuk, Randy Shantel, Justin Wright, Willy Decker Jr, Ron Holmes, Jason Reome, Aaron Jacobs, AJ Miller, Tim Mayne, Johnny Holmes, Jim Walsh, Addison Bowman.
TAYLOR'S TRAILERS CRATE 602 SPORTSMAN-PAYTON TALBOT, Tyler Peet, Carson Rothwell, Josh Amodio, Seth Martin, Mike Richmond, Zack Welch, Ed Lukas, David Hackett, Matt Richardson, Josh Coonradt, Connor Prokop, Blake Sapriacone, Nick Zielinski, Brett Mortensen, Randy Ryan, Garret Chillot, Tim Falter, Stephen Denton, Jim Ryan, Andrew MadFadden, Eymarah Bowman, Paul Carey, Eric Jensen, Sullivan Dickey, Brodie Davis, AJ Albreada, Hayden Coons.
NEXT GENERATION GRAPHIX PRO STOCKS-AJ WALTERS, Brett Belden, Luke Horning, Jim Normoyle, Devon Camengea, George Cushman, Slater Baker, Justin IKnight, Mike Kazlauskas, Toby Cooper, Ryan Denton, Hunter Keith, Mike Keith, Ed Kotary, Gus Gould, Ray Richer, Shane Playford.
FASTLINE PERFORMANCE LIMITED SPORTSMAN-JAYDEN WUST, Lance Hill, Chuck Lowe, Nicholas Jenkins, Ernie Staelens, John Baker, Matt Bukovan, Aaron Page, Ayden Goodier, Mike Evans, Doug Rohr, Brad Poppleton, Kyle Coley, Joe Hilts.
JB'S SEWER AND SEPTIC 4 CYLINDERS (unofficial)-JACOB KIMBALL (DOHC winner), Wayne Russell Jr (SOHC winner), Hank Wedgren, Hank Wedgren Jr, Jeff Connolly.
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