By Race Chapman

All eyes will be on Matt Sheppard and Billy Decker as the Super DIRTcar Series heads to the Textron Off Road World Finals this week for three nights of racing at The Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, NC. 

A mere 30 points separates the top two contenders, and any mistake or mechanical failure could spell disaster for the championship dreams of either Sheppard or Decker. And Sheppard is no stranger to adversity in 2017.

Sheppard began with what could be fairly described as a horrendous start to the season, winning only one of the first 13 rounds. This included a two-race suspension he served in July after an on-track wrestling match with competitor Larry Wight.

Then, about halfway through the grueling season, Sheppard came on strong. After winning 10 of the 14 races held from July 25 until Oct. 8, Sheppard rose from the ninth position up to the top spot in the standings and amassed a respectable 46-point lead over Decker. 

This scenario has become rather expected for Sheppard, who has won five of the last seven series championships.

But Decker used the lapped traffic to his advantage in the series' penultimate round at Brockville Speedway in Brockville, Canada, on Oct. 13, and regained some much-needed momentum of his own. With Decker finishing on the top step of the podium and Sheppard relegated to the bottom step behind Jimmy Phelps, Decker was able to regain 16 crucial points on the series favorite.

However, Sheppard has even more ambitious hopes beyond simply wrapping up the title. If he can pilot the JB Motorsports No. 9s car to the finish line first in both races in Concord, he can beat the record for the most wins in a single season. The previous record-holder? Sheppard himself, one year ago with 12 wins. He currently has 11 wins, which means he'd need two wins in the finals to break his own record.

Certainly, though, his focus will be on the championship and finishing ahead of Decker each time the A-Mains wrap up. There are more than enough points available for Decker to upset Sheppard in the last round, so there will be no time to relax for either racer until the final checkers have waved at The Dirt Track.

Racing begins on Thursday, Nov. 2, with heat races taking place for most of the night. On Friday, Nov. 3, the Super DIRTcar 40-lap Race 1 Feature will be held, and Decker will have his first shot at Sheppard. Most likely, Decker will need to win both races to have a shot at displacing the dominant reigning champion.

On Saturday, Nov. 3, the 40-lap Race 2 Feature will go down, and Decker and Sheppard will battle one last time in the 2017 season. Will Decker be capable of knocking Sheppard out of the top spot, or will he just be looking to spoil his record attempt?

Either way, the competition is going to be fierce on The Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway.