2017 Stadium Super Trucks Series

The 2017 Speed Energy Stadium Super Trucks Series was the fifth season of the Stadium Super Trucks series. Paul Morris won his first series championship with a one-point advantage over Matthew Brabham.

Drivers

No.	Driver	Races
1	Sheldon Creed	1–5, 8–14
2	Travis Milburn	1–3
	Ryan Villopoto	21–22
3	Aaron Bambach	11–12, 19–20
5	Casey Mears	21–22
7	Robby Gordon	1–10, 13–22
	Davey Hamilton Jr.	11
10	Greg Adler	21–22
12	Shaun Richardson	8–10
13	Beau Robinson	8–10
18	Apdaly Lopez	21–22
25	Arie Luyendyk Jr.	4–7, 13–14, 18, 21–22
33	Todd Romano	18
44	Adam Andretti	21–22
45	Craig Dontas	1–3, 8–10, 15–17
47	Jeff Hoffman	1–3
50		12
50:1		4–7, 11, 13–22
	Travis Milburn	8–10
51	Átila Abreu	11–12
52	Davey Hamilton Jr.	6–7
55	Gavin Harlien	All
57	Bill Hynes	All
67	Paul Morris	1–20
	Jerett Brooks	21–22
75	Erik Davis	1–3, 6–7, 11–14, 21–22
	Davey Hamilton Jr.	4–5, 18
	Jake Kostecki	8–10
77	Li Ya Tao	18
78	Sara Price	21–22
83	Matthew Brabham	All
87	Toby Price	1–3
98	P. J. Jones	4–6, 13–14
119	Arie Luyendyk Jr.	11–12
213	Steve Kendall	19–20
257	Myles Cheek	6–7
410	Greg Gartner	1–3, 8–10, 15–17
441	Troy Diede	6–7
Sources:[a]

Schedule

Round	Track	Location	Date	Supporting
1	Adelaide Street Circuit	Adelaide, Australia	March 3–5	Clipsal 500 Adelaide
2	Streets of St. Petersburg	St. Petersburg, Florida	March 11–12	Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
3	Streets of Long Beach	Long Beach, California	April 8–9	Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach
4	Barbagallo Raceway	Perth, Australia	May 5–7	Perth SuperSprint
5	The Raceway on Belle Isle	Detroit, Michigan	June 3–4	Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix
6	Texas Motor Speedway	Fort Worth, Texas	June 10	Rainguard Water Sealers 600
7	Hidden Valley Raceway	Darwin, Australia	June 16–18	Darwin Triple Crown
8	Beijing National Stadium	Beijing, China	July 29	Monster Jam
9	Watkins Glen International	Watkins Glen, New York	September 2–3	Grand Prix at The Glen
10	Lake Elsinore Diamond	Lake Elsinore, California	December 15	Race & Rock SST World Championship
11			December 16

Season summary

For the third consecutive year, the new SST season began at Adelaide Street Circuit to support the Supercars Championship's Clipsal 500 Adelaide. Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series driver Jeff Hoffman made his series debut, while Gavin Harlien ran his first race since 2015.^[23][24] In Race 1, V8 Ute Racing Series racer Craig Dontas, who helped SST establish a following in Australia, started in the second row and quickly took the lead.^[25] Although Paul Morris and Matthew Brabham passed Dontas on the final lap, Harlien wrecked after making contact with Erik Davis and flipped, causing the race to be red flagged and Dontas to be declared the race winner.^[24][26] Sheldon Creed beat Toby Price to win Race 2.^[27] The final race began with Dontas flipping, leading to a red flag that shortened the race from eight to five laps. Hoffman led the race until Morris passed him and went on to win; Hoffman was eventually involved in a battle with his Royal Purple teammate Harlien, ending when Harlien hit the wall and triggered a wreck that involved Davis, Price, and Travis Milburn.^[28]

The trucks' first American race took place with the IndyCar Series' Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Sprint car racing driver Davey Hamilton Jr. joined the series for his maiden SST start, driving the No. 75 Always Evolving truck owned by Davis.^[29] Although Brabham led much of Race 1, power steering issues and a late spin knocked him out of the win;^[30] instead, Robby Gordon and Creed fought for the victory, with the former holding the latter off to win his first race at St. Petersburg since 2014.^[31] Brabham rebounded by winning Race 2, the first non-American SST winner at the track.^[30]

In January, the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach and the series formed a multi-year agreement to continue racing at the street course.^[32] Brabham took the weekend victory as he won Race 1 and finished second in Race 2;^[33] Gordon won the latter. Myles Cheek, who raced in the series' Super Trophy Kart division in 2013, made his series debut at Long Beach as he finished seventh and eighth, including spinning in Race 2.^[34][35]

Returning to Australia in May, SST's races at Barbagallo Raceway in conjunction with the Perth SuperSprint was their first at a closed circuit.^[36] Jake Kostecki ran his first SST weekend in the No. 75, but contact on a ramp with Milburn in Race 1 caused him to roll through the grass;^[37] Harlien attempted to dodge Kostecki's truck but stalled his vehicle, eliminating him from the race.^[38] Creed avoided the wreck and eventually won the round.^[37] Kostecki missed the rest of the weekend due to the damage. Gordon won Race 2, while Creed beat Gordon to the finish in Race 3 by .023 seconds, one of the closest finishes in series history.^[39]

Creed's success continued as he swept the two Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix races.^[40] Gordon missed the weekend as he was competing in the Baja 500, with Hamilton serving as the interim No. 7 driver. Stock Car Brasil driver Átila Abreu also made his SST debut at Detroit, driving the No. 51 with sponsorship from his SCB team Shell Oil Company and Monster Energy.^[41]

A week after Detroit, the series followed IndyCar to Texas Motor Speedway for the Rainguard Water Sealers 600, where SST raced on a dirt track featuring elements of the infield, pit road, and the frontstretch. As further promotion for the trucks, TMS' turn two held an off-road expo called the "Off-Road Ruckus", which allowed visitors to drive their off-road vehicles along an obstacle course and observe exhibits.^[42] P. J. Jones and Creed won the two races, but Harlien claimed the overall weekend victory with third- and second-place finishes.^{[43][44][13][14]}

The trucks' next trip to Australia, the Hidden Valley Raceway in Darwin as part of the Darwin Triple Crown, was their first points racing at the track;^[45] in 2016, Morris, Price, and Brad Gallard participated in an SST demonstration at Hidden Valley.^[46][47] Morris won Races 1 and 3 in close battles with Gordon, but Race 2 saw him hit the tire barrier in a chicane and roll over; Brabham won the round.^[46] After the weekend, Gordon took a stadium truck to a nightclub in the city, where he performed donuts. He was eventually charged with and pleaded guilty to traffic and anti-hooning violations, leading to a fine, though he defended his actions as he had received prior approval from security guards.^[48] The Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS) revoked Gordon's competition visa for future events, barring him from racing in the country and jeopardizing the series' future.^[49] An apology and $10,000 donation to the Australian Road Safety Foundation in October led to the ban being lifted.^[50]

In July, SST joined Monster Jam for a round at the Beijing National Stadium, their first trip to Asia since a demo in Mongolia in 2016 and their inaugural Asian points race.^[51] Among the ten SST drivers was newcomer Li Ya Tao.^[52] Racing on a dirt oval, Hamilton led the most laps and won the race, but was disqualified as he had not taken the Joker Lap; instead, Brabham was declared the winner.^[51][18]

The following month, the series was a part of IndyCar's Grand Prix at The Glen at Watkins Glen International.^[53] Officially known as the UFD at The Glen,^[54] it was SST's first race in the northeastern United States and first on an American permanent road course.^[55] Gordon and Brabham won the weekend's two races.^[56]

To close 2017, SST organized the inaugural Race & Rock World Championship at the Lake Elsinore Diamond baseball park.^[57] Among those in the field were X Games Austin 2014 gold medalist Apdaly Lopez, female off-road racer Sara Price, NASCAR's Casey Mears, Trans-Am Series veteran Adam Andretti, and four-time AMA Motocross champion Ryan Villopoto.^[58] Morris skipped the weekend as he was tending to a rib injury, so he tasked Jerett Brooks with driving his No. 67 truck.^[59] Both races were determined by two heats each, with Lopez and Creed winning on Friday; Mears, Davis, Andretti, and Greg Adler failed to qualify for the Friday feature. Lopez went on to win Race 1. Saturday featured heat wins by Creed and Brooks. The two dominated the second half of Race 2, with Brooks' runner-up finish and Brabham's eighth securing the championship for Morris by one point.^[59][60]

Results and standings

Race results

Round	Race	Event	Fastest qualifier	Pole position	Most laps led	Winning driver	Ref
1	1	Adelaide	Matthew Brabham	Bill Hynes	Craig Dontas	Craig Dontas	[1]
	2			Robby Gordon	—	Sheldon Creed	[2]
	3			Bill Hynes		Paul Morris	[3]
2	4	St. Petersburg	Robby Gordon	Jeff Hoffman	Robby Gordon	Robby Gordon	[4]
	5			Matthew Brabham	Matthew Brabham	Matthew Brabham	[5]
3	6	Long Beach	Matthew Brabham	Bill Hynes	Paul Morris	Matthew Brabham	[6]
	7			Troy Diede	Robby Gordon	Robby Gordon	[7]
4	8	Perth	Matthew Brabham	Beau Robinson	Bill Hynes	Sheldon Creed	[8]
	9			Gavin Harlien	Gavin Harlien	Robby Gordon	[9]
	10			Beau Robinson	Bill Hynes	Sheldon Creed	[10]
5	11	Detroit	Gavin Harlien	Davey Hamilton Jr.	Sheldon Creed	Sheldon Creed	[11]
	12			Átila Abreu	Sheldon Creed	Sheldon Creed	[12]
6	13	Texas	Paul Morris	Erik Davis	P. J. Jones	P. J. Jones	[13]
	14			Erik Davis	Sheldon Creed	Sheldon Creed	[14]
7	15	Darwin	Robby Gordon	Bill Hynes	Robby Gordon	Paul Morris	[15]
	16			Bill Hynes	Matthew Brabham	Matthew Brabham	[16]
	17			Bill Hynes	Paul Morris	Paul Morris	[17]
8	18	Beijing	Paul Morris	Bill Hynes	Bill Hynes[b]	Matthew Brabham	[18]
9	19	Watkins Glen	Paul Morris	Shaun Richardson	Robby Gordon	Robby Gordon	[19]
	20			Steve Kendall	Matthew Brabham	Matthew Brabham	[20]
10	H1	Lake Elsinore	Greg Adler	Casey Mears	—	Apdaly Lopez	[21]
	H2			Ryan Villopoto		Sheldon Creed
	21			Arie Luyendyk Jr.	Apdaly Lopez	Apdaly Lopez
11	H1		Gavin Harlien	Burt Jenner	Apdaly Lopez	Sheldon Creed	[22]
	H2			Sara Price	Adam Andretti
	22			Robby Gordon	Sheldon Creed	Sheldon Creed

Drivers' championship

Rank Driver ADE STP LBH PER DET TEX HID BEI GLN ELS Points H1 H2 F1 H1 H2 F2 1 Paul Morris 2 4 1 3 7 2* 4 3 4 9 4 4 4 9 1 7 1* 5 2 3 Rpl‡ Rpl‡ Rpl‡ Rpl‡ 546 2 Matthew Brabham 3 12 2 9 1* 1 2 10 3 4 3 2 5 3 3 1* 3 1 3 1* 4 5 7 8 545 3 Robby Gordon 12 3 4 1* 3 4 1* 4 1 2 2 4 2* 3 2 2 1* 2 2 3 3 3 530 4 Gavin Harlien 8 7 7 10 6 3 3 11 2* 3 2 3 3 2 4 2 3 4 4 6 8 4 2 7 459 5 Sheldon Creed 7 1 5 2 2 1 5 1 1* 1* 9 1* 1 2 1 1* 411 6 Jeff Hoffman 10 9 3 7 8 5 5 Rpl† Rpl† Rpl† 6 9 6 5 5 5 4 3 6 4 3 12 5 4 325 7 Bill Hynes 11 10 11 8 9 10 10 6* 11 5* 9 7 8 10 8 8 7 8* 7 10 5 11 6 DNQ 279 8 Arie Luyendyk Jr. 5 4 6 6 10 6 7 8 7 2 7 6 9 183 9 Erik Davis 9 8 8 11 9 8 5 10 7 7 DNQ 8 DNQ 147 10 Greg Gartner 6 6 6 5 7 6 6 6 8 139 11 Craig Dontas 1* 11 12 7 8 11 7 5 5 133 12 Travis Milburn 5 5 9 2† 6† 8† 102 13 P. J. Jones 4 5 9 1* 6 99 14 Davey Hamilton Jr. 6 10 8 7 7 12[b] 76 15 Toby Price 4 2 10 66 16 Aaron Bambach 5 10 5 5 61 17 Shaun Richardson 8 9 10 9 8 61 18 Apdaly Lopez 1 1* 3 11 59 19 Beau Robinson 9 10 7 37 20 Ryan Villopoto 6 10 5 10 35 21 Adam Andretti 6 DNQ 1 12 34 22 Casey Mears 7 DNQ 4 5 29 23 Myles Cheek 7 8 27 24 Greg Adler 8 DNQ 4 6 26 25 Sara Price 4 9 7 DNQ 25 26 Burt Jenner 5 6 8 DNQ 25 27 Átila Abreu 11 8 23 28 Steve Kendall 10 9 23 29 Troy Diede 12 DNS 19 30 Todd Romano 6 15 31 Li Ya Tao 9 12 32 Jake Kostecki 12 DNS DNS 9 Jerett Brooks 3‡ 8‡ 2‡ 2‡ Source:[61]

Legend Color Result Gold Winner Silver 2nd place Bronze 3rd place Green 4th–5th place (Top 5) Light Blue 6th–10th place (Top 10) Dark Blue Finished (Outside Top 10) Purple Did not finish (DNF) Red Did not qualify (DNQ) Brown Withdrew (Wth) Black Disqualified (DSQ) White Did not start (DNS) Race cancelled or abandoned (C) Blank Did not participate (DNP) Driver replacement (Rpl) Race not held (NH) Not competing In-Line Notation Bold Pole position Italics Ran fastest race lap * Led most race laps miscellaneous notation

Driver replacements

Notes

References

This page was last edited on 8 July 2023, at 05:12