SHAWN SHINGLEDECKER: ON THE VERGE OF E MOD STARDOM
by Brian Spaid

July 9, 2004 

   It took a little while, but he finally made it.

   After almost five years behind the wheel of an E Mod, Shawn Shingledecker captured his first career feature win at Sharon Speedway on June 26.

   How long would it take to win his second? How about one week later when the Franklin driving ace defeated perennial E Mod winner Alan Dellinger on July 3 at the Hartford, Ohio, dirt track.

   “It feels real good,” said Shingledecker. “It’s a lot more fun this year compared to last season when we really struggled.”

   In 2000, Shingledecker jumped into auto racing with both feet entering the E Mod division at Tri-City Speedway. It was the first full season of racing for the open wheel class at the Venango County half-mile oval, and Shingledecker ran well. He finished ninth in the final points and was named rookie of the year.

   “That first year, we didn’t know what we were doing,” commented Shingledecker. “We bought a Larkin three-link car and we had no knowledge about car setups at all. We learned as we raced.”

   The following season, Shingledecker and his team purchased a Lazer chassis based on the advice of Linesville brothers Ron and Todd Roncaglione. Although the car was suitable, it was overwhelmed by Bob Pierce’s E Mod chassis, which rose to fame in the IMCA Modified class in the Midwest. Todd Roncaglione won the 2001 Tri-City championship in his Lazer chassis. However, Brent Rhebergen won 11 features with Bruce and Kathy Steadman’s Pierce chassis. The next two seasons were dominated by Rhebergen, who won an additional 21 features and two track titles in 2002 and 2003.

   Meanwhile, Shingledecker rose in stature. He gained confidence and earned the respect of his fellow competitors. Despite being outgunned in his Lazer chassis, in 2001, Shingledecker finished sixth in Tri-City’s points without a single top five finish. He rose to third on the point chart in 2002 with four top five finishes, including a career-best third place finish on May 26. He also finished ninth in points at Sharon.

   Then, in 2003, his racing career took a downhill turn. He struggled all season with chassis and engine problems.

   “There would be eight top Pierce chassis running well every week, and we were just frying tires trying to keep up with them.”

   Shingledecker, 30, looked to an old philosophy as his dreadful season ended. If you can’t beat them, join them. And soon thereafter, the bridge construction supervisor was the proud new owner of a 2004 Pierce chassis.

   “It’s a huge difference. The car has a lot more bite, and it just all-around drives better. It’s night and day compared to my old car. Pierce’s cars are run all over and he has a lot of knowledge from racers across the country. He pulls that together to make his chassis better then anyone else. All you really need to do is make some fine adjustments during each race night.”

   With brand new confidence, Shingledecker is now in his best season. He is currently third in points at Sharon and fourth at Tri-City. Although he fought some carburetor problems for a few weeks in his red and black Pierce No. 54S, he overcame that obstacle to earn those first two wins.

   “I didn’t know what to think after the first win. Bootie Petsko was right behind me. Some guys like Bootie run such high gears at Sharon, that I could hear his engine screaming behind me. We had about 13 restarts in that race, and I held on for the win.”

   Last weekend, Shingledecker beat Sharon’s best E Mod man in Dellinger, who is nicknamed Jim Dandy Jr.

   “I never know it was Alan behind me. I think if I knew that I would have been more nervous. I’ve learned not to get excited and overdrive the car.”

   Shingledecker believes a win at Tri-City is only a matter of time.

   “Tri-City’s a tough track because you need a lot of horsepower there. Brent and the Steadmans are the team to beat. A lot of us have finally caught up to Brent and everyone out there can beat everyone else. Now that our engine problems are straightened out, we can win one at Tri-City.”

   Overall, Shingledecker is satisfied with his team’s progress in 2004. In an effort to spend more time with his family, which includes his wife, Stacy, and their children, Skyler and Shane, he cut his racing effort back to two nights a week after trying to run at Raceway 7 in Conneuat, Ohio, on Fridays in past seasons. He’s more focused on his racing program as a result.

   “I couldn’t be happier.  We learn something new every race. We’re running well now, and I’d like to gain more experience before I ever tried to move up into other classes of racing.”

   That is bad news for his fellow racers. There seems no doubt that Shingledecker is on the verge of becoming a multi-time winner and track champion in the E Mods.

   And the time frame should be a lot shorter than five years.

   Shingledecker's sponsors include Shingledecker's Welding, Lucky Hills Golf Course, Main Auto Parts, Franklin Service & Supply of Franklin; Barr's Insurance, Shook's Tasty Treats and Oil Region Astronomical Society of Oil City; Anderson Equipment of Shippenville; Madera Equipment and Zabor Telecommunications of Erie; and National City Bank of Pennsylvania.