Hometown: Waterloo, N.Y.
Born: July 12, 1982
Team: Brownell Racing
Entry: No. 9s Advanced Lubrication Specialties-BPG/Chad Sinon Motorsports/Bicknell
Owner: Jeff Brownell
2007 Season Review: In his fifth full season campaigning a Big-Block Modified, this second-generation upstart responded with a career high eight feature wins including one Advance Auto Parts Series all coming at New Egypt (NJ) Speedway where he locked up his first career BB points championship. A handful of front-five and 18 top-10 finishes carried him to seventh-place in the final overall Hoosier Tire Mr. DIRTcar Modified Championship, adding a pair of Integra Shocks fast qualifying times in the process. ‘Super Matt’ also scored five heat wins and led three Series races for 97 laps behind the wheel of the Ross Motorsports no. 44s Adam Ross Cut Stone-Currier Plastics-Magee Transport/Bicknell ride.
2007 Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series Stats
| Points |
Diff |
Money |
Wins |
Top 5 |
Top 10 |
Starts |
| 2,881 |
-612 |
$29,810 |
1 |
5 |
18 |
31 |
Advance Auto Parts Series History: Despite garnering his first-ever Advance Series victory at Autodrome Drummond in July of 2004, Sheppard officially put his name on the Modified map the following year with a thrilling last turn-last lap pass of open-wheel veteran Jimmy Horton in his lone Advance Auto Parts Series triumph of the season at New Egypt. Partnership with the Albany, New York-based Ross Motorsports operation helped him figure into the top-10 of the overall Mr. DIRTcar Big-Block point standings four straight years with car owner Randy Ross ultimately recognized at the 2007 DIRTcar NE Banquet with a special Achievement Award presentation.
|
DIRTcar NorthEast |
Advance Auto Parts |
Hoosier Tire |
| Year |
Circuit Wins |
Series Wins |
Mr. DIRTcar Points |
| 2007 |
8 |
1 |
7th |
| 2006 |
7 |
1 |
8th |
| 2005 |
7 |
1 |
5th |
| 2004 |
5 |
1 |
6th |
| 2003 |
1 |
-- |
16th |
| Totals: |
28 |
4 |
|
DIRTcar Racing Record: One of the fastest rising stars on the DIRTcar Racing circuit, Sheppard has already established himself as a threat in DIRTcar NorthEast's premier open-wheel touring division. The 2000 Mr. DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Champion won DIRTcar 358-Modified Rookie of the Year honors in '01 with a Small-Block points title earned at Fulton, captured the DIRTcar Small-Block season championship at Utica-Rome in 2002 en route to securing a runner-up finish in the overall Mr. DIRTcar 358 points race and was named DIRTcar Modified Rookie of the Year in '03. Sheppard landed a ride in Ross Motorsports’ top-flight entry in 2004 and rewarded owner Randy Ross with his first career Advance Series win at Drummond, returning to victory lane one time each year through 2007. He has posted 28 Big-Block wins, 13 Small-Block victories and 28 in DIRTcar Sportsman competition since his DIRTcar debut in 1999.
Fun Facts: Sheppard and defending Super Bowl Champion New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin share in common the same hometown of Waterloo, New York and a collegiate experience at the Rochester (NY) Institute of Technology, with each taking full advantage of a career opportunity that came their way in 2004 --- Coughlin’s latest hiring by the Giants’ front office as well as Sheppard’s inaugural season behind the wheel of owner Randy Ross’ high-profile Big-Block entry. ‘Super Matt’ earned his Mechanical Engineering Technology degree from RIT in 2006.