Muenster, TX (5/22/2018) – Hess Motorsports’ Shawn Hess scored his third podium in a row during the John Penton GNCC at Sunday Creek Raceway in Millfield, OH. Hess is driving a Yamaha YXZ 1000R in the UXC2 Pro class.

Just before the race, the track was inundated with rain. Taking the muddy conditions in stride, Hess got the holeshot in his row and then hooked up with Kyle Hart and they went 1-2 to the front. Though he challenged Hart, at the end, he finished second, marking his best result this season.

“It was a brutal race,” said Hess. “The course was quite muddy due to a downpour right before our race. We had to pick smart lines and avoid the lapped traffic. I sure tried to get past Kyle, but didn’t have enough at the end. We had a pretty clean race the whole day.”

Hess relied on his Maxxis tires with Tire Balls and his Elka Suspension to get him through the changing conditions. The track went from super slick to tacky as the race progressed and the Maxxis Tires gave him predictable grip throughout.

“With the mud, traction was key,” said Hess. “We were running the Maxxis Big Horn 2.0s, and they worked perfectly. The Elka suspension was working great, and I couldn’t have asked for a better setup. Even when the track got rutted out, the Elka shocks pushed right through. The Yamaha is tough as nails and our results speak for themselves.”

With his third podium came a jump in the title chase. Hess now sits third in the championship, just one point out of second. Though he missed the opening round, he still has a legitimate shot at the title when the series returns from the summer break.

“Before this race, I told myself I wanted to push for the win or at least finish second,” said Hess. “We just fell short of the win and I was happy with the second. We want to get a good finish in the last two rounds. We jumped up quite a bit in points and we’ll finish strong no matter what. I just wish we didn’t have to wait so long for the next round.”

Hess’ father, Glenn, finished fourth in the Masters UTV class equaling his best finish of the season, ahead of Austin Sides, who finished sixth and Matt Horton, who finished eighth. Hess Motorsports driver Patrick Shamblin finished a season best seventh in the UXC3 Pro-Am class.

“My father was running third, but had some issues on the final lap and finished fourth,” said Hess. “Patrick had one of his best finishes all year. He’s getting his car dialed in and was really excited about his best run all year. Everything is starting to work out for everybody.”

Hess Motorsports will return to GNCC UTV competition at Powerline Park in St. Clairsville, OH October 13-24.