Winnners Jimmy Mars	Start of Summernationals feature

Jimmy Mars, Brian Shirley, Darren Miller, Ryan Dauber, Steve Sheppard Jr, Billy Moyer, Eric Smith, Derek Chandler, Ryan Unzicker, Will Vaught, Wes Steidinger, Dennis Erb Jr, Jeb Friedman, Jeep VanWormer, Jordan Bland, Joe Harlan, Randy Korte, Jason Feger, Scott Bull, Kevin Weaver, Brian Birkhofer

Mars Masters Fairbury’s Summer National

Fairbury, IL. (07/05/08) 48 drivers from 8 states gathered at the Fairbury American Legion Speedway Saturday night as the track played host to the 16^th stop of the UMP summer national tour.

  Summer national point leader Dennis Erb Jr. set overall fast time at a 13.415. 5 heat races were run. Heat race #1 was won by Steve Sheppard Jr. over Ryan Unzicker and Dennis Erb Jr. the 2^nd heat was won by Jordon Bland over Ryan Dauber and Eric Smith. The 3^rd was won by Darren Miller over Randy Korte and Jason Feger. Heat race #4 was taken by Jimmy Mars over Derek Chandler and Daren Friedman. The last heat race was won by Brian Shirley over Will Vaught and Brian Birkhofer. Two C mains with the top 3 from each driver moving onto a B main. The first was won by Mark Burgtof over Justin Shaw and Jason McBride. The second was won by Don O Neal over Jim Felker Jr. and Rocky Griffin. Pole sitter Brian Shirley paced the field at the start of the 50 lap main event as Jimmy Mars quickly moved around Steve Sheppard Jr. Mars immediately pressured Shirley for the front spot. A caution fell on the track as last years Prairie Dirt Classic winner Brian Birkhofer stalled on the track. Just as Mars had taken the lead on lap 5 caution again came out for Jordon Bland’s spin out in turn 1. Shirley was placed back to the front for the restart. Mars hounded Shirley, trying the top and bottom of the track. Finally on lap 11 Mars moved to the inside of the speedway to take the lead. Mars began to stretch his lead over the field as Shirley had to contend with Darren Miller. A caution came out on the 27^th lap for Wes Steidinger’s flat tire gave the drivers another shot at Mars. It proved to be no help as following the caution; Mars checked out and built a straight away lead over Shirley and Miller. Mars went uncontested the remainder of the race to pick up $10,000 and his first summmernational win on this years tour. Mars said after the race, “I had a feeling the track’s surface was taking rubber, so I tried to get to the front as quick as I could.” For Mars it was his 4^th $10,000 win at Fairbury in the last 4 years. Shirley, Miller, Ryan Dauber, Steve Sheppard Jr., Billy Moyer, Eric Smith, Derek Chandler, Ryan Unzicker, and Will Vaught completed the top 10 finishers.

  The 20 lap UMP modified race started with Jim Farris leading the 1^st lap before last years track champion Dave Porth motored by. After a caution on lap 3, McKay Wenger moved to 2^nd position and set sail on Porth. Wenger running the high side of the speedway made a valiant attempt to take the lead from Porth, but Wenger bobbled several times and Porth was able to open up a lead. A jubilant Porth picked up his 2^nd win of the year at Fairbury.Porth and his crew had to work overtime for the win. The frame broke during hot laps and during his heat he suffered a broken axel. Wenger, Farris, Gary Cook Jr., Tim Hancock, Jeb Friedman, Jay Ledford, Tommy Duncan, Dennis Wilson, and Jeff Curl rounded out the top 10.

  In the 15 lap UMP sportsman feature, pole sitter Joel Funk took the lead at the start of the race followed by Andrew Funk and Jason Unzicker. A hard charging Gary Turpin soon joined in and took over 2^nd spot with 10 to go. As J. Funk led the race, Turpin could not shake off Unzicker. A caution flag with4 laps to go gave the drivers another opportunity at J. Funk. As Joel Funk led the rest of the way, Turpin battled with Unzicker as the 2 drivers entered turn 3 Unzicker climbed the wall and lost several positions in the final run down. Defending track champion Joel Funk got his 4^th win of the year. Turpin, Rick Thomas, Andrew Funk, Dustin Mounce, Unzicker, Loren Haberkorn, Paul Graf, John Barnard, and Shawn Diggs completed the top 10.

NOTES: the largest crowed of the season gathered at the speedway. Wes Steidinger (11^th) and Daren Friedman (13^th) the last two late model track champions were to of the local drivers to finish the race. Friday night at Farmer City Derek Chandler blew his motor. The team made quick repairs following the Farmer City race and picked up a respectable 8^th. Also at Farmer City, Daren Friedman picked up the win in the late model event. At Lincoln Speedway on Sunday Joel Funk again took the win. Pontiac driver T.D. Burger, a regular at Lincoln currently sits 10^th in the track’s UMP modified class. Next week at Fairbury, is the annual running of the Curt Piercy Memorial 40 lap sportsman race, sponsored by the Pit Stop Cafe

UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals Night 16: Mars Continues Mastery Of Fairbury American Legion Speedway 

FAIRBURY, IL – July 5, 2008 – By Kellen Burns/DIRTcar Racing P.R. –   

When the UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals tour visits Fairbury American Legion Speedway, Jimmy Mars is at the top of his game. 

The 36-year-old driver from Menomonie, Wis., showed his mastery of the quarter-mile oval once again on Saturday night, racing to victory in the track’s 50-lap Summer Nationals event for the third time in the last four years. 

A winner of Fairbury’s Summer Nationals A-Main in 2005 and 2006, this year’s tour date turned out to be no different for Mars.  

Mars, who started third, drove by Steve Sheppard Jr. of New Berlin, Ill., for second early in the feature. He then set his sights on Chatham, Ill.’s Brian Shirley, the race’s polesitter. 

Mars and Shirley waged a great battle for the top spot, with Mars trying low and high to get around. Mars finally found something in the middle groove of turns three and four and overtook Shirley on lap five, but a caution flag for a slowing Jordan Bland of Campbellsville, Ky., negated the move. 

Mars instantly applied pressure to Shirley again on the restart. Shirley repelled the bids until lap 11, when Mars drove his No. 28 to the inside of Shirley and gained command for good. 

“I had a feeling (the track surface) was going to rubber, so I was trying to get to the front to get the lead as soon as I could,” said Mars. “It worked out – twice!”  

Mars was in control for the remainder of the distance, building as much as a full straightaway lead before lapped traffic slowed him. A caution flag on lap 27 gave him clear track and he had no trouble during the race’s second half. 

Mars attributed the dominant run in part to how well his machine responded to race conditions.   

“The car was excellent, it was flawless,” said Mars, who made his first visit to the Summer Nationals RacingJunk.com Victory Lane in his second tour appearance of 2008. “I could run on the inside of (Shirley) and the outside of him.  It was a good race.” 

Mars, who earned $10,000 for his seventh career Summer Nationals triumph, was followed to the finish line by Shirley. The driver known as ‘Squirrel’ held off a charging Darren Miller of Milledgeville, Ill., to place second. 

After starting from the pole, however, Shirley wasn’t happy with a bridesmaid finish. 

“It was a tough one to swallow because you don’t want to lose,” said Shirley. “All and all, it wasn’t a bad night.” 

Shirley was strong on the low side of the track early in the event, but he couldn’t find a groove to stay out front of Mars in the end. 

“He had a better car,” Shirley said of Mars. “I tried to momentum his line and just couldn’t do it. We’ll take it and we’ll move on.” 

The runner-up finish did move Shirley into the UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals points lead after 16 events. He unofficially grabbed a four-point edge over defending champion Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill., who lost five positions on the final lap due to engine woes and finished 12^th. 

Miller, who started fifth, made some moves early but found it difficult to move around late in the race. He settled for third.   

“It just rubbered up – a one-lane deal,” said Miller. “I about had Shirley (for second). I got clear up beside him. I would have had to go into one and bang pretty bad (to complete the pass). I’m not really into doing that when it’s rubbered up like that.”   

Miller knew, however, that Mars was certainly the class of the field. 

“We weren’t near as good as Jim was,” said Miller. 

Ryan Dauber of Tonica, Ill., scored an ’08 Summer Nationals-best finish of fourth, while Sheppard completed the top five. 

Forty-eight cars entered the event, which saw Erb set fast time in the group qualifying session with a lap of 13.41 seconds. 

Heat winners were Shirley, Sheppard, Mars, Miller and Bland. Mark Burgtorf of Quincy, Ill., and Don O'Neal of Martinsville, Ind., captured the C-Mains, and Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., topped the B-Main. 

The UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals continues on Sunday night (July 6) with a $6,000-to-win event at Quad City Raceway in East Moline, Ill. 

For more information on the Summer Nationals, visit www.dirtcar.com. 

UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals Feature Finish (40 laps): 

1. Jimmy Mars

2. Brian Shirley

3. Darren Miller

4. Ryan Dauber

5. Steve Sheppard Jr.

6. Billy Moyer

7. Eric Smith

8. Derek Chandler

9. Ryan Unzicker

10. Will Vaught

11. Wes Steidinger

12. Dennis Erb Jr.

13. Daren Friedman

14. Jeep VanWormer

15. Jordan Bland

16. Joe Harlan

17. Randy Korte

18. Jason Feger

19. Scott Bull

20. Kevin Weaver

21. Brian Birkhofer 

B-Main Finish: Billy Moyer, Wes Steidinger, Joe Harlan, Jeep Van Wormer, Jesse Stovall, Kevin Weaver, Tim Lance, Scott Bull, Jimmy Dehm, Mark Burgtorf, Don O'Neal, Jason McBride, Jim Felker Jr., Justin Shaw, Rocky Griffin, Mike Provenzano

Fri Jul 4 - Tri-City Speedway, Pontoon Beach, IL $10,000 to win(2007 winner Don O'Neal)618-931-7386
top 5....Billy Moyer, Dennis Erb Jr, Wes Steidinger, Wendell Wallace, Darren Miller....51 cars

 (1) Billy Moyer, (2) Dennis Erb Jr., (3) Wes Steidinger, (4) Wendell Wallace, (5) Darren Miller, (6) Jeep Van Wormer, (7) Kevin Weaver, (8) Brian Shirley, (9) Ryan Unzicker, (10) Randy Korte, (11) Steve Sheppard Jr., (12) Jesse Stovall, (13) Rodney Melvin, (14) Billy Laycock, (15) Jason McBride, (16) Will Vaught, (17) Jason Feger, (18) Jordan Bland, (19) Brent Kreke, (20) Mark Voigt, (21) Brian Birkhofer, (22) Don O'Neal, (23) Billy Faust.
Fast qualifier (among 51 cars): Moyer, 14.144 seconds (track record).

Heat race winners: Moyer, Erb, Steidinger, Shirley, Van Wormer.

C-Main winners: Kyle Steffens, Faust.

B-Main winners: Unzicker.

Provisional starters: Korte, Sheppard, Faust, Weaver, Voigt.

UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals Night 15: Moyer Sets New Track Record On Way To Tri-City Speedway Victory

PONTOON BEACH, IL – July 4, 2008 – By Kellen Burns/DIRTcar Racing P.R. -  

Records are meant to be broken. 

But when it comes to Billy Moyer, he doesn’t just break records, he shatters them. 

Moyer smashed the one-lap Super Late Model standard for the three-eighths-mile Tri-City Speedway in qualifying on Friday night, then backed it up by pulling off an memorable outside pass to win the 40-lap UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals A-Main. 

The Batesville, Ark., legend’s lap of 14.144 seconds during the 51-car group time-trial session reduced the existing track record of 14.526 seconds that had been held by Wes Steidinger of Fairbury, Ill.  

Things certainly didn’t go all Moyer’s way throughout the night, though. While he dominated the first heat from start-to-finish to emerge victorious, his Victory Circle M1 Chassis suffered a broken rearend as he crossed the finish line. 

But that didn’t phase the six-time UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals champion or his trustworthy crew. 

“We were prepared to fix whatever happened to the car,” said Moyer. “These guys, they knew what to do.” 

Moyer, 50, and crew made the necessary repairs and he lined up fifth in the A-Main. He then set out to prove he was the class of the field.   

After the fifth of the race’s seven caution flags flew on lap 13, Moyer dared to try the high side of the track and moved around Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill., and leader Steidinger to take command. Another caution flag for a spin by Jason Feger of Bloomington, Ill., negated the move, however, relegating Moyer back to third.   

Moyer slid by Erb for second on the ensuing restart and went to work on Steidinger. With his No. 21 perched on the cushion, Moyer drove by Steidinger and a lapped car on lap 21 to assume command for good. 

“The track has some slick spots and some rough spots there in the beginning,” said Moyer, who earned $10,000 for his second Summer Nationals RacingJunk.com Victory Lane visit of 2008 and his alltime tour-best 64^th career win. “I just let the car work where it needed to. I just kind of waited for the right time to make the move.” 

Erb, the defending Summer Nationals champion and current points leader, settled for a runner-up finish. 

“We went a little hard on tires and it took awhile for me to get going,” said Erb. “Once we had a good long green run we were running good.” 

Erb took some positives from the night as he padded his Summer Nationals points lead over Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., who finished eighth, heading into the final week of tour competition. He doesn’t want to leave anything to chance, though. 

“It’s so hard the way the points are,” said Erb. “The biggest thing is just to keep finishing good and running up in the front. Hopefully it will work out.” 

Steidinger finished third after leading early in the main event. Like Erb, he felt as if tires were the biggest factor in the outcome of the race.  

“I had soft tires on and I’m pretty sure (Moyer and Erb) were on harder tires,” said Steidinger. “I tried to save my tires there on the bottom, but it got to a point where I was struggling too bad down there in three and four so I tried to move up and change my line to get better.” 

The optimistic young hotshoe, whose hometrack, Fairbury (Ill.) American Legion Speedway, is the next stop on tour, kept climbing the proverbial ladder with another strong finish. 

“We’ll take third,” said Steidinger. “That’s not too bad with the kind of guys who showed up tonight.” 

Wendell Wallace of Batesville, Ark., finished fourth from the ninth starting spot and Darren Miller of Milledgeville, Ill., placed fifth. 

The 51-car field for the event was the largest of the 2008 Summer Nationals. 

Heat winners were Moyer, Erb, Steidinger, Shirley and Jeep VanWormer of Pinconning, Mich. Kyle Steffens of St. Charles, Mo., and Billy Faust of Lebanon, Ill., captured the C-Mains, and Ryan Unzicker of El Paso, Ill., topped the B-Main. 

The Summer Nationals continues on Saturday night (July 5) with a $10,000-to-win event at Fairbury American Legion Speedway. 

For more info on the UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals, visit www.dirtcar.com. 

UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals Feature Finish (40 laps): 

1. Billy Moyer

2. Dennis Erb Jr.

3. Wes Steidinger

4. Wendell Wallace

5. Darren Miller

6. Jeep VanWormer

7. Kevin Weaver

8. Brian Shirley

9. Ryan Unzicker

10. Randy Korte

11. Steve Sheppard Jr.

12. Jesse Stovall

13. Rodney Melvin

14. Billy Laycock

15. Jason McBride

16. Will Vaught

17. Jason Feger

18. Jordan Bland

19. Brent Kreke

20. Mark Voigt

21. Brian Birkhofer

22. Don O'Neal

23. Billy Faust 

First C-Main Finish: Kyle Steffens, Tim Lance, Brian Wolfmeier, Steve Unterbrink, Dick Taylor, Bruce Unterbrink, Matt Weidner, Mike Schulte, Steve Sheppard Jr. 

Second C-Main Finish: Billy Faust, Bryan Collins, Kevin Weaver, Jeff Beyers, John Seets, Craig Smith, Mike Hammerle, Don Cisco III, Brandon Sheppard, Dan Jacober, Rick Rhodes 

B-Main Finish: Ryan Unzicker, Billy Laycock, Jason Feger, Mark Voigt, Tim Lance, Mark Oller, Kevin Weaver, Mark Burgtorf, Claude Walker, Cory Daugherty, Michael Kloos, Billy Faust, Kyle Steffens (DNS) Randy Korte 

Unofficial UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals Points Standings (after 15 events) 

1. Dennis Erb Jr. 1,176

2. Brian Shirley 1,149

3. Wes Steidinger 1,031

4. Jeep Van Wormer 995

5. Will Vaught 947

6. Randy Korte 916

7. Steve Sheppard Jr. 861

8. Jason Feger 669

9. Darren Miller 655

10. Kevin Weaver 628

Thurs Jul 3 - Mighty Macon Speedway, Macon, IL $6,000 to win 100 laps(2007 winner Wes Steidinger-no points)217-764-3000
top 5....Rained Out ....To be run Sat Aug 16....
 

Heavy Rains Force Postponement Of Thursday’s Herald & Review 100 At Macon Speedway; Raindate Changed For UMP DIRT Summer Nationals Event At Morgan County Speedway 

Morgan County/Macon Doubleheader Now Set For Aug. 15 & 16 

MACON, IL – July 3, 2008 – Heavy rain overnight and into the morning inundated the famed Macon Speedway, forcing the postponement of Thursday night’s UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals Herald & Review 100. 

It marks the second year in a row that the high-banked, one-fifth-mile track’s marquee extra-distance event has been rescheduled by rain. 

The $6,000-to-win Herald & Review 100 will now be run on Sat., Aug. 16, setting up a big weekend doubleheader of rescheduled Summer Nationals dates in Illinois. 

UMP DIRTcar director Sam Driggers said that Morgan County Speedway in Jacksonville, Ill., which had its Summer Nationals show washed out midway through time trials on Wednesday night, has rescheduled its $6,000-to-win program for Fri., Aug. 15. Morgan County Speedway officials initially agreed to a raindate of Mon., July 7, but it was later determined that racing can not take place that evening due to preparations for the Morgan County Fair that begins on July 9. 

Macon Speedway is the fourth track that has rescheduled its 2008 UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals event due to rain. A fifth event, on June 21 at I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo., was canceled and not rescheduled due to flood waters that covered the track’s access road. 

The Morgan County/Macon swing on Aug. 15-16 will be classified as non-point UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals events because they fall after the series finale on July 12 at Oakshade Raceway in Wauseon, Ohio. But with each $6,000-to-win race sure to attract a large car count, they will figure prominently in the UMP DIRTcar Super Late Model national points battle that begins to hits its homestretch in August. 

The Summer Nationals continues on Friday night (July 4) with a $10,000-to-win event at Tri-City Speedway in Pontoon Beach, Ill. 

For more info on the UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals, visit www.dirtcar.com.

Wed Jul 2 - Morgan County Speedway, Jacksonville, IL $6,000 to win(2007 winner Kevin Weaver)217-243-5896
top 5....Rained Out ....To be run Fri Aug 15....35 cars

Wednesday’s UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals Stop At Morgan County Speedway Postponed By Rain

JACKSONVILLE, IL – July 2, 2008 – Unrelenting rain forced the postponement of Wednesday night’s UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals event at Morgan County Speedway. 

The 40-lap, $6,000-to-win show has been rescheduled for Mon., July 7 – a scheduled off-day on the Summer Nationals slate
EDITORS NOTE....JULY 7 DATE IS NOW FRI AUG 15!!! 

Two light showers – one that delayed the start of hot laps, and another midway through the Super Late Model time trials – slowed the program but weren’t enough to stop it. Officials finally had to throw in the towel, however, when the rain intensified around 8:40 p.m. as the surface of the high-banked, quarter-mile oval was being run in. Strong thunderstorms moved into the area shortly thereafter. 

Thirty-five Super Late Models were signed in for Wednesday night’s competition. Just over half the field had completed a time-trial lap in the group qualifying session before the rain stopped the action, with Jeep VanWormer of Pinconning, Mich., the fastest on the clock at 11.655 seconds. 

It was the third rainout of the 2008 UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals, joining postponements on June 13 at Brownstown (Ind.) Speedway and June 28 at StormPay.com Clarksville (Tenn.) Speedway. A fourth event, on June 21 at I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo., was canceled and not rescheduled due to flood waters that covered the track’s access road. 

The Summer Nationals continues on Thursday night (July 3) at the one-fifth-mile Macon (Ill.) Speedway with the $6,000-to-win Herald & Review 100.

Tues Jul 1 - Peoria Speedway, Peoria, IL $6,000 to win(2007 winner Dennis Erb Jr) (extra Peoria website)309-673-3342
top 5....Jeep VanWormer, Kevin Weaver, Wes Steidinger, Brian Shirley, Dennis Erb Jr ........40 cars

fast time Wes Steidinger

Heat 1
Dennis Erb Jr., Wes Steidinger, Jason Feger, Steve Sheppard Jr., Cory Daugherty, Kyle Steffens, Steve Lance Jr., Rick O'Brien, Bryant Dickinson, Dawn Mennel.

Heat 3
Kevin Weaver, Jesse Stovall, Don O'Neal, Jordan Bland, Will Vaught, Donny Walden, Shane Allen, Mike Mullvain, Gerry Reeder Jr

Mon Jun 30 - off

Sun Jun 29 - Lincoln Speedway, Lincoln, IL $6,000 to win(2007 winner Don O'Neal)217-737-7134
top 5.... Brian Shirley, Wes Steidinger, Dennis Erb Jr, Ryan Unzicker, Randy Korte ........46 cars

By: Racenut
www.midwestdirttrackfacts.com

Brian Shirley wins rain-shortened UMP DIRTCar Summernationals at Lincoln Speedway!

With curfew looming, and rain falling for the second time this evening, Brian Shirley recorded the rain-shortened 40 lap feature win, worth $6,000! At the drop of the green flag, Don O'Neal jumped to the early start, but the start was delayed, as Derek Chandler flipped his ride in turn one, emerging from the car unhurt, Chandler waved at the crowd. On the restart, O'Neal again jumped to an early lead, and opened up a sizable lead over Eric Smith, Brian Shirley, Dennis Erb Jr and Wes Steidinger. As the halfway flags waved, a yellow came out for debris on the track, and on the restart, O'Neal pulled off, handing the lead to Brian Shirley, only to be challenged and passed by Eric Smith. One lap later, Smith pulled out with a flat, handing the lead back to Shirley, and at the same time Jeep VanWormer pulled off the frontstretch, turned around and came back on the track as the yellow was once again waving. The rains started, and eventually the checkered flag waved. Brian Shirley won, with Wes Steidinger second, followed by Dennis Erb Jr, Ryan Unzicker and Randy Korte.

Earlier, fast time was set by Jeep VanWormer, there were 46 cars present.

Heat races went to Don O'Neal over Dennis Erb Jr, Steve Sheppard over Derek Chandler, Eric Smith over Michael Kloos, Matt Taylor over Wes Steidinger and Brian Shirley over Jesse Stovall, Shirley only led about the last two feet of this race.

The rains came just as the first C main started....45 minute delay. The first C main went to Brandon Sheppard over Ted Loomis, the second C main went to Darren Friedman over Jason McBride. The B main went to Randy Korte in a real barn-burner exciting race over Jayme Zidar, Tim Lance and Rodney Melvin.

Final rundown
3S Brian Shirley
J1 Wes Steidinger
28 Dennis Erb Jr
24 Ryan Unzicker
00 Randy Korte
3L Matt Taylor
25 Steve Lance Jr
5s Steve Sheppard Jr
1 Will Vaught
55 Jeep VanWormer
z9 Jayme Zidar
DNF
9 Eric Smith
71 Don O'Neal
H16 Mike Hammerle
B12 Kevin Weaver
B1 Nick Bauman
48 Tim Lance
1W Donny Walden
6K Michael Kloos
00 Jesse Stovall
35 Derek Chandler

Thanks to Rocky Ragusa for the photos....

Still pictures of the Lincoln Summernationals by Racenut
 

UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals Night 13: Shirley Captures Rain-Shortened Event At Lincoln Speedway 

LINCOLN, IL – June 29, 2008 – Brian Shirley turned his luck around on Sunday night, taking advantage of other drivers’ misfortune to win the rain-shortened UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals A-Main at Lincoln Speedway. 

After a blown tire during heat action two nights earlier at Lawrenceburg (Ind.) Speedway set him down a road that cost him the Summer Nationals points lead, Shirley had everything go his way at the quarter-mile fairgrounds oval. He inherited the lead on two occasions from drivers who retired with mechanical trouble and was in front when rain arrived and forced officials to declare the race official with 26 of a scheduled 40 laps completed. 

Shirley, 27, of Chatham, Ill., recorded his second win of the 2008 Summer Nationals, joining Darren Miller of Milledgeville, Ill., and defending champion Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill., as repeat tour winners. It was his fourth career triumph on the grueling month-long Super Late Model series. 

The race’s fourth starter, Shirley found himself in front of the field for the first time with his Ed Petroff-owned No. 3s when race-long pacesetter Don O’Neal of Martinsville, Ind., dropped out with mechanical woes on lap 21. Eric Smith of Bloomington, Ill., overtook Shirley to assume command on the lap-21 restart, but he paced only two circuits before also pulling off with mechanical trouble. 

Smith’s departure left Shirley in the lead on lap 24. He was still there on lap 26 when rain intensified during a caution flag for Jeep VanWormer of Pinconning, Mich., prompting an early checkered flag and handing Shirley a $6,000 prize. 

Wes Steidinger of Fairbury, Ill., advanced from the ninth starting spot to finish second. Erb maintained a slim points lead over Shirley by placing third, with Ryan Unzicker of El Paso, Ill., scoring a Summer Nationals-best finish of fourth and 16^th-starter Randy Korte of Highland, Ill., taking fifth. 

Four caution flags slowed the event, with the most serious incident for a lap-two rollover by Derek Chandler of Pontiac, Ill. He wasn’t injured. 

VanWormer was the fastest qualifier among the 46 cars on hand, turning a lap of 13.712 seconds. 

Heat winners were Smith, O’Neal, Matt Taylor of Springfield, Ill., Shirley and VanWormer. The twin C-Mains were topped by Brandon Sheppard of New Berlin, Ill., and Daren Friedman of Forrest, Ill., and Korte captured the B-Main. 

The UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals has a scheduled off day on Monday (June 30) before returning to action with Round 14 on Tuesday night (July 1) at Peoria (Ill.) Speedway. 

UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals Feature Finish (rain-shortened to 26 of 40 laps): 

1. Brian Shirley

2. Wes Steidinger

3. Dennis Erb Jr.

4. Ryan Unzicker

5. Randy Korte

6. Matt Taylor

7. Steve Lance Jr.

8. Steve Sheppard Jr.

9. Will Vaught

10. Jeep Van Wormer

11. Jayme Zidar

12. Eric Smith

13. Don O'Neal

14. Mike Hammerle

15. Kevin Weaver

16. Nick Bauman

17. Tim Lance

18. Donny Walden

19. Michael Kloos

20. Jesse Stovall

21. Derek Chandler 

First C-Main Finish: Brandon Sheppard, Ted Loomis, Russ Adams, Travis Wallbaum, Nick Bauman, Steve Sheppard Jr., Scott Bull. Scratched: Brent Kreke, Jordan Bland, Roben Huffman, Butch Smith 

Second C-Main Finish: Daren Friedman, Jason McBride, Mike Hammerle, Jeremy Conaway, Matt Beadles, Dennis Vandermeersch, Kelly Kovski, Nick Macklin, Nick Vandenbergh 

B-Main Finish: Randy Korte, Jayme Zidar, Tim Lance, Rodney Melvin, Daren Friedman, Brandon Sheppard, Brandon McCormick, Cory Daugherty, Rick Standridge, Jimmy Dehm, Mike Hammerle, Brandon Thirlby, Kyle Logue (DNS) Ted Loomis

Sat Jun 28 - Clarksville Speedway, Clarksville, TN $10,000 to win (2007 winner Jeep VanWormer)931-645-2523
top 5....Postponed to July 19....No Points

UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals event at Clarksville postponed until July 19 

CLARKSVILLE, TN (June 28, 2008)—Officials with the StormPay.com Clarksville (TN) Speedway and the UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals Tour have agreed to postpone the $10,000 to win originally scheduled for June 28 to its new date of Saturday July 19 due to precipitation coming in later today. 

Officials were concerned of the travel time from last night’s UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals event at Lawrenceburg (IN) Speedway to Sunday Night’s UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals event at Lincoln (IL) Speedway and with a 70% chance of precipitation for today, officials have decided to pull the plug until July 19^th. 

More information will be released in an upcoming press release later next week. 

For further information on the StormPay.com Clarksville Speedway, please call (931) 645-2523 or www.clarksvillespeedway.com . Further information on the UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals Tour events can be obtained by logging on to www.dirtcar.com .

UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals Event At Clarksville Speedway Postponed Until July 19 

CLARKSVILLE, TN - June 28, 2008 – Officials with the StormPay.com Clarksville Speedway and the UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals tour decided in the morning to postpone Saturday night’s $10,000-to-win series event due to expected precipitation later in the day. 

The track’s Summer Nationals event will now be run on Sat., July 19. 

With a 70 percent chance of precipitation in the Clarksville area on Saturday, officials were concerned about the travel time for teams running Friday night’s UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals event at Lawrenceburg (Ind.) Speedway, Clarksville and Sunday night’s tour event at Lincoln (Ill.) Speedway. As a result, they decided to pull the plug on the event until July 19. 

The Summer Nationals resumes with a $6,000-to-win event on Sunday night (June 29) at Don Hammer’s Lincoln Speedway. 

Defending Summer Nationals champion Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill., leads the tour points standings entering Lincoln’s action. 

For more information on the UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals, visit www.dirtcar.com. 

UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals Points Standings (after 12 events): 

1. Dennis Erb Jr. 927

2. Brian Shirley 909

3. Wes Steidinger 772

4. Jeep VanWormer 769

5. Will Vaught 761

6. Randy Korte 727

7. Steve Sheppard Jr. 676

8. Darren Miller 580

9. Jason Feger 557

10. Dewayne Kiefer 500

11. Billy Moyer 479

12. Kevin Claycomb 462

13. Jordan Bland 455

14. Terry English 435

15. Kevin Weaver 415

Fri Jun 27 - Lawrenceburg Speedway, Lawrenceburg, IN $10,000 to win(2007 winner Jeep VanWormer)812-539-4700
top 5....Dennis Erb Jr, Randy Korte, Steve Sheppard Jr, Wayne Chinn, Steve Casebolt Jr ........36 cars

Dennis Erb Jr, Randy Korte, Steve Sheppard Jr, Wayne Chinn, Steve Casebolt Jr, Jeep VanWormer, Brian Shirley, Scott James, Brad Neat, Wes Steidinger, Ryan Dauber, Will Vaught, Jordan Bland, Jesse James Lay, Jason McBride, Tim Lance Jr, Darren Miller, Matt Miller, Josh Williams, Justin Rattliff, Duke Whiseant

UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals Night 12: Erb Regains Points Lead With Victory At Rebuilt Lawrenceburg Speedway 

LAWRENCEBURG, IN – June 27, 2008 – Dennis Erb Jr. is back on top and eyeing a second straight UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals title. 

The tour’s defending champion was flawless on Friday night at the redesigned Lawrenceburg Speedway, leading from flag-to-flag to capture the 40-lap A-Main. 

Erb, 36, of Carpentersville, Ill., pocketed $10,000 for his second Summer Nationals victory of 2008 and the ninth of his career. He joined Darren Miller of Milledgeville, Ill., as the only repeat winners through 12 events on the highly competitive tour. 

The triumph propelled Erb into the Summer Nationals points lead over Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., who fell from the catbird’s seat after experiencing a tough night. Shirley blew a right-rear tire in his heat race and used a provisional to start the A-Main, which he finished in the seventh spot after surviving a lap-21 restart tangle. 

Erb, who started second in his Rayburn No. 28, captured the first Super Late Model event held on the reconfigured Lawrenceburg track. Formerly a quarter-mile oval, the showplace facility was rebuilt during the off-season to a high-banked, three-eighths-mile layout complete with a concrete outside wall. 

Erb wasn’t seriously challenged after the departure of Darren Miller, who made several bids for the lead before retiring on lap 21. The driver known as the ‘One Man Band’ crossed the finish line several car lengths ahead of Highland, Ill.’s Randy Korte, who reached second place from the eighth starting spot on lap 30 and finished in the runner-up slot. 

Steve Sheppard Jr. of New Berlin, Ill., finished third, followed by Wayne Chinn of Bradford, Ohio, and Steve Casebolt of Richmond, Ind. 

Miller was the fastest qualifier among 36 entrants in the group time-trial session, turning a lap of 13.65 seconds. 

Heat winners were Wes Steidinger of Fairbury, Ill., Erb, Sheppard and Miller. The C-Main was captured by Shawn Negangard of Osgood, Ind., and the B-Main was claimed by Josh Williams of Cleves, Ohio. 

The tour is scheduled to continue on Saturday night (June 28) at StormPay.com Speedway in Clarksville, Tenn., but UMP DIRTcar director Sam Driggers said the potential for storms will lead series and track officials to evaluate the weather situation on Saturday morning. 

For more information on the UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals, visit www.dirtcar.com. 

UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals Feature Finish (40 laps): 

1. Dennis Erb Jr.

2. Randy Korte

3. Steve Sheppard Jr.

4. Wayne Chinn

5. Steve Casebolt

6. Jeep Van Wormer

7. Brian Shirley

8. Scott James

9. Brad Neat

10. Wes Steidinger

11. Ryan Dauber

12. Will Vaught

13. Jordan Bland

14. Jesse Lay

15. Jason McBride

16. Tim Lance

17. Darren Miller

18. Matt Miller

19. Josh Williams

20. Justin Rattliff

21. Duke Whiseant 

C-Main Finish: Shawn Negangard, Rick Corbin, David Spille, Derek Fisher, Ryan Unzicker, Jeff Alsip (DNS) Brian Shirley, Troy Cruse, Bob Lanter, Brian Gray, Jerry Rice, Sean Thomas 

B-Main Finish: Josh Williams, Scott James, Tim Lance, Matt Miller, Ryan Dauber, Justin Rattliff, Jordan Bland, Jesse Lay, Robby Hensley, Shawn Negangard, Don O'Neal, Greg Johnson, David Spille, Derek Fisher, Rick Corbin, Bill Sheets

Thurs Jun 26 - Paducah International Raceway, Paducah, KY $6,000 to win(2007 winner Billy Moyer)270-898-7469
top 5....Kevin Claycomb, Dennis Erb Jr, Duke Whiseant, Brian Shirley, Jeff Walston ........35 cars

from www.dirtondirt.com
(1) Kevin Claycomb, (2) Dennis Erb Jr. (3), Duke Whiseant, (4) Brian Shirley, (5) Jeff Walston, (6) Kevin Weaver, (7) Wes Steidinger, (8) John Tindal, (9) Dylan Thompson, (10) Jordan Bland, (11) Tim Brown, (12) Jeep Van Wormer, (13) Billy James, (14) Darren Miller, (15) Tim Lance, (16) Steve Sheppard Jr., (17) Randy Korte, (18) Will Vaught, (19) Dewayne Kiefer, (20) Jason Feger, (21) Terry English

UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals Night 11: Claycomb Captures First Tour Victory Since 2000 At Paducah International Raceway 

PADUCAH, KY – June 26, 2008 – By Kellen Burns/DIRTcar Racing P.R. – 

Kevin Claycomb had certainly experienced his shares of frustrating runs on the 2008 UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals tour. 

On Thursday night, however, the driver from Vincennes, Ind., got the monkey off his back, racing to victory in the 40-lap Summer Nationals A-Main at the super-fast Paducah International Raceway. 

Back behind the wheel this season after ending a four-year retirement, Claycomb became the 10^th driver in 11 Summer Nationals events to reach RacingJunk.com Victory Lane. The 1991 UMP DIRTcar Super Late Model national champion recorded his fourth career Summer Nationals win and first since 2000, also at Paducah. 

Claycomb earned a win in the first heat race and used that to position himself in the fourth starting spot for the feature. 

Previous event winners Darren Miller of Milledgeville, Ill., and Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill., led early while Claycomb stalked them from third place. Miller, who ceded the lead to Erb on lap 10, lost second to Claycomb on the 12^th circuit and then slowed on lap 13 with a blown right-rear tire to bring out the event’s third and final caution flag. 

On the restart Claycomb climbed the high banks of PIR and powered around Erb to assume command on lap 14. He drove away over the remaining distance in his Scott Clippinger Racing machine, beating Erb to the finish line by a full straightaway margin. 

The veteran driver definitely was relieved to capture his first win on this year’s tour. 

“It feels really good,” said Claycomb, who retired after shutting down his family-operated team in 2004. “We thought we had one at Mt. Vernon last week but went too soft on tires.” 

The same gamble that lead to his demise last week paid dividends this time around. “We gambled again tonight and it paid off,” he said. 

Erb once again showed the patience and consistency that won him both the UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals and UMP DIRTcar Super Late Model national points titles in 2007. He used the low line, which proved to be quickest in the early laps, to get to the front, but found his groove fading late. 

“It’s not really my style to skate around up there (at the top),” said Erb. “We kind of jumped up there and held our own, brought home second again. 

“He was pretty good up there,” Erb said of Claycomb’s high-side style. “I felt O.K. up there, but I just passed the guy for the lead on the bottom so I stayed with that.” 

Duke Whiseant of Texarkana, Ark., started 11th in his yellow No. A1  and climbed all the way to a third-place finish. 

“We hit on something right before the feature and the car was really good,” said Whiseant. “I just wish we would have had some more laps.” 

Brian Shirley of Chatam, Ill., unofficially maintained a slim points lead over Erb with a fourth-place finish, and Jeff Walston of Paducah, Ky., placed fifth. 

Thirty-five dirt Late Models were on hand, with Wes Steidinger of Fairbury, Ill., setting the overall quick time in the group qualifying session with a lap of 15.553 seconds. 

Heat winners were Claycomb, Miller, Randy Korte of Highland, Ill., and Erb. Randy Sellars of Mayfield, Ky., topped the C-Main and Jeep VanWormer of Pinconning, Mich., won the B-Main. 

Summer Nationals rookie Will Vaught of Crane, Mo., was involved in a spectacular accident on the third lap of the B-Main that left his car heavily damaged. The young driver flipped exiting turn two and gingerly climbed from his mangled machine. 

Vaught, who entered the night ranked third in the points standings, suffered an apparent broken thumb and complained of sore ribs. But he used a provisional starting spot and took one lap behind the wheel of Mike Hammerle’s car. 

The UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals moves to Lawrenceburg (Ind.) Speedway on Friday night (June 27). The event will bring the tour to the completely rebuilt and enlarged track, which is now a high-banked, three-eighths-mile oval. 

For more information on the UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals, visit www.dirtcar.com. 

UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals Feature Finish (40 laps): 

1. Kevin Claycomb

2. Dennis Erb Jr.

3. Duke Whiseant

4. Brian Shirley

5. Jeff Walston

6. Kevin Weaver

7. Wes Steidinger

8. John Tindal

9. Dylan Thompson

10. Jordan Bland

11. Tim Brown

12. Jeep Van Wormer

13. Billy James

14. Darren Miller

15. Tim Lance

16. Steve Sheppard Jr.

17. Randy Korte

18. Will Vaught

19. Dewayne Kiefer

20. Jason Feger

21. Terry English 

C Main Finish: 1. Randy Sellars, 2. Jason Riggs, 3. Todd Hall, 4. Jason McBride, 5. Rusty Griffaw, 6. Chris Shelton, 7. Brandon Chappell, 8. Mike Hammerle, 9. Wes Steidinger 

B Main Finish: 1. Jeep Van Wormer, 2. Jeff Walston, 3. Kevin Weaver, 4. Billy James, 5. Tim Brown, 6. Tim Lance, 7. Jarryd Holshouser, 8. Randy Sellars, 9. Brent Kreke, 10. Tanner English, 11. Jason Riggs, 12. Todd Hall, 13. Jason McBride, 14. Will Vaught. Scratched: John Tindal, Justin Rattliff

Wed Jun 25 - Lake Ozark Speedway, Lake Of the Ozarks, MO $6,000 to win (new track 2007 rain)800-617-9077  
top 5.....Billy Moyer, Dennis Erb, Darren Miller, Brian Shirley, Randy Korte  ........31 cars

Lake Ozark Speedway
Eldon, MO
June 25, 2008

By: Racenut
www.midwestdirttrackfacts.com

 Billy Moyer proves why smooth is the way to win at Lake Ozark Speedway Summernational show!

 Stop number ten on the 2008 UMP DirtCar Summernationals show was held Wednesday night, June 25. With thirtyone late models on hand, defending Summernationals champion Dennis Erb Jr turned in fast time at 14.995 seconds. The Ed Franko managed, Kevin and Tammy Gundaker owned third mile track was meticulously manicured for the special $6,000 to win late model show. The first heat went to Mark Burgtorf over current series point leader Brian Shirley. The second heat went to Dennis Erb Jr over Steve Sheppard Jr and Jeep VanWormer. The third heat went to Billy Moyer over Terry English and Darren Miller. Heat number four went to Wes Steidinger over Randy Korte. The semi feature went to Denny Woodworth. In the semi, Tim Lance put on a show coming from eleventh to second, only to get taken to the wall on the last lap to spoil a great run, finishing fourth.

Come feature time, Mark Burgtorf took the early lead from his third starting spot behind Erb Jr and Steidinger. Erb Jr got around him only to get passed by Billy Moyer a few laps, and a couple of yellow flags later. Billy Moyer went on to lead the remainder of the feature, followed by Erb Jr, Darren Miller, Brian Shirley, Randy Korte, Ryan Unzicker, Wes Steidinger and  Denny Woodworth. As in the semi, one lone driver made a lot of movement on the top side, fourteenth place starter Don O'Neal. O'Neal worked his way into second place, bouncing off the walls and avoiding the cautions, until a lap thirty six caution that he brought out by slamming the turn four wall. O'Neal was unhurt, but the car was done for the evening.
The late models might have been the headliner, but the highlight of the evening was the run made by the youngster from suburban Chicago, Mike Spatola in his modified. After some heat race problems, Spatola started eleventh in the twelve car semi feature and won it, quite literally at the checkered flag. (Thanks to transponders) Spatola then started sixteenth in the modified feature and made an immediate jump to the high side and started picking off cars one at a time. Spatola would eventually finish second to the defending track champion Danny Crane, who finally won his first feature of 2008. Great show put on by these guys!!!

The street stock feature went to Eric Gustin.

There were a total of 81 cars in the pits in three classes. The late models were the last to run, and all racing action was complete at 11:05 pm

Every track needs one of these!!!! Transponders and a 20 position scoreboard....absolutely wonderful!!!
Special thanks go out to Ed Franko for the hospitality and the beautiful speedway!!!

UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals Night 10: Moyer Bags First Victory Of ’08 Tour At Lake Ozark Speedway 

ELDON, MO – June 25, 2008 – By Kellen Burns/DIRTcar Racing P.R. –  

One night after the low groove did him in at the historic Sedalia (Mo.) State Fair Speedway, veteran Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., was determined to not bare witness to a repeat performance. 

A six-time UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals champion, Moyer didn’t let another race slip through his fingers. He emerged victorious for the first time on the 2008 tour with a win in Wednesday night’s 40-lap A-Main at Lake Ozark Speedway. 

Moyer, 50, made a strong jump from the fourth starting spot and maneuvered around defending UMP Summer Nationals champion Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill., for the lead on lap five. He never looked back as he powered his Victory Circle M1 Chassis into RacingJunk.com Victory Lane for his alltime series-leading 63^rd time.  

The dirt Late Model legend, who’s affectionately known to many as ‘Mr. Smooth,’ displayed the style he’s known for during his drive to the $6,000 checkered flag. 

“It was a long time coming this year it seemed,” the driver of the familiar No. 21 said of his initial triumph on this season’s grueling trail. “We’ve had some good runs, but just been a little off. We keep learning on this car and I made some adjustments. 

“More so than blaming it on the tires like I did last night, I think the car was just a little off.” 

Moyer was followed across the finish line by Erb, who started from the pole position and set the pace until relinquishing the catbird’s seat to Moyer on the fifth circuit. 

“Yeah, if I wouldn’t have slipped up there and he wouldn’t have got around me, I think I would have been alright,” remarked Erb. 

One of the night’s biggest movers was Darren Miller of Milledgeville, Ill., who started 11th and quietly made his was to a third-place finish. The tour’s only ’08 repeat winner attributed his advance to the factor that has produced his recent success. 

“Patience,” said Miller. “The bottom was definitely better for me, but then towards the end of the race I moved towards the middle. It was pretty good on restarts because we could pack it down under caution.” 

Miller uncertain of whether or not he could have outdueled Moyer if given the chance.   

“I felt pretty good out there,” said Miller. “I could make up ground on entry, but they were better on exit. He would have definitely been hard to get by.” 

Summer Nationals points leader Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., finished fourth and Randy Korte of Highland, Ill., placed fifth. 

The feature event was slowed by four cautions, the last of which came on lap 36 for former UMP Summer Nationals champion Don O’Neal of Martinsville, Ind. He used a thin cushion to climb from the 14th starting spot to second before making contact with the turn-four wall. 

Thirty-one cars entered the event, with Erb’s lap of 14.995 seconds the fastest of the group qualifying session. 

Heat winners were Mark Burgtorf of Quincy, Ill., Erb, Moyer and Wes Steidinger of Fairbury, Ill., and the B-Main was captured by Denny Woodworth of Mendon, Ill. 

The UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals moves to Paducah (Ky.) International Raceway on Thursday night (June 26). 

For more information on the UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals, visit www.dirtcar.com. 

UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals Feature Finish (40 laps): 

1. Billy Moyer

2. Dennis Erb Jr.

3. Darren Miller

4. Brian Shirley

5. Randy Korte

6. Ryan Unzicker

7. Wes Steidinger

8. Denny Woodworth

9. J.D. Hubert

10. Mike Hammerle

11. Andrew McCay

12. Duane Kiefer

13. Don O’Neal

14. Terry English

15. Rusy Dukes

16. Jordan Bland

17. Mark Burgtorf

18. Steve Sheppard Jr.

19. Will Vaught

20. Jeep VanWormer

21. Craig Smith 

B-Main Finish: Denny Woodworth, Rusty Dukes, Jordan Bland, Tim Lance, Jason McBride, Chris Smyser, Billy Moyer Jr., Reid Millard, Donnie Gemes, Steve Beach, Chris Fetter, Craig Smith. Scratched: Tim Manville, Trace Westling, Eric Turner 

UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals Points Standings (after 10 events): 

1. Brian Shirley 770

2. Dennis Erb Jr. 751

3. Will Vaught 658

4. Wes Steidinger 651

5. Jeep VanWormer 649

6. Randy Korte 592

7. Steve Sheppard Jr. 545

8. Jason Feger 511

9. Billy Moyer 479

10. Darren Miller 478

11. Dewayne Keifer 453

12. Terry English 390

13. Kevin Claycomb 372

14. Kevin Weaver 372

15. Jordan Bland 344

Tues Jun 24 - Sedalia State Fair, Sedalia, MO $6,000 to win(last visit July 19, 1992 winner Billy Moyer)660-221-0275
top 5....Brian Shirley, Billy Moyer, Don O'Neal, Dennis Erb Jr, Jeep VanWormer ........27 cars....30 laps

UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals Night 9: Shirley Passes Moyer On Final Lap At Sedalia For First Win Of ’08 Tour 

SEDALIA, MO – June 24, 2008 – By Kellen Burns/DIRTcar Racing P.R. –  

Brian Shirley sure does know how to make things exciting for the fans.  

The 27-year-old driver from Chatham, Ill., pulled off a dramatic victory on Tuesday night, passing Billy Moyer for the lead on the final circuit to win the 30-lap UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals A-Main at Sedalia State Fair Speedway. 

“It was a really exciting night,” said Shirley, who registered his first victory of the 2008 Summer Nationals in the tour’s ninth event. “The last five laps I just hit my marks perfect.” 

Competing in the first Summer Nationals event at the big, fast Sedalia half-mile oval since 1992, Shirley proved patience was a virtue after starting third. He rode for 29 laps on the bottom before making a last-lap pass of six-time Summer Nationals champion Moyer, pulling alongside the legend from Batesville, Ark., through turns one and two and then surging ahead on the backstretch. 

Shirley was very happy to finally break into RacingJunk.com Victory Lane – and gave credit to the “the people that help me,” including car owner Ed Petroff and his sponsors. 

Shirley padded his Summer Nationals points lead with the $6,000 success. He unofficially leads defending champion Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill., who finished fourth on Tuesday night, by 29 points. 

Moyer led laps 1-29 after starting second but settled for runner-up money. 

“I think it was more tires just going away than anything,” said Moyer, who chose softer tires for the main event than Shirley. “The top was better down in (turns) one and two and I think the bottom was probably better in three and four, but I think we just had the wrong tires on.” 

Former UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals Champion Don O’Neal of Martinsville, Ind., registered a third-place finish. 

“It was way too free into the corner,” O’Neal said of his machine. “I was lucky to hang on to third, that’s how bad I felt. But that’s a start with the way we’ve been the past two nights, not making the shows.” 

Erb and the polesitting Jeep VanWormer of Pinconning, Mich., completed the top five. 

With 27 cars on hand, VanWormer turned the overall fastest lap of 19.742 seconds in time trials. 

Heat winners were VanWormer, Moyer and Shirley, and Will Vaught of Crane, Mo., topped the B-Main. 

For more information on the UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals, visit www.dirtcar.com. 

UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals Feature Finish (30 laps): 

1. Brian Shirley

2. Billy Moyer

3. Don O'Neal

4. Dennis Erb Jr.

5. Jeep Van Wormer

6. Randy Korte

7. Steve Sheppard Jr.

8. Darren Miller

9. Jeremy Payne

10. Wes Steidinger

11. Will Vaught

12. Terry English

13. Eric Turner

14. Dewayne Kiefer

15. Jason McBride

16. Terry Phillips

17. Rusty Dukes

18. J.D. Hubert

19. Jason Feger

20. Jordan Bland

21. Ryan Unzicker

22. Larry Clawson 

B-Main Finish: Will Vaught, Eric Turner, Terry Phillip, Rusty Dukes, Ryan Unzicker, Chris Smyser, Tim Lance, Billy Moyer Jr., Andrew McKay, Reid Millard, Jason McBride (DNS) Miller

Mon Jun 23 - off

Sun Jun 22 - Vermilion County Speedway, Danville, IL $6,000 to win(2007 winner Don O'Neal)217-443-6588
top 5....Jeep VanWormer, Brian Shirley, Will Vaught, Dennis Erb Jr, Scott Bull  ........43 cars

thanks to www.dirtondirt.com
(1) Jeep Van Wormer
(2) Brian Shirley
(3) Will Vaught
(4) Dennis Erb Jr
(5) Scott Bull
(6) Randy Korte
(7) Kevin Claycomb
(8) Terry Casey
(9) Ryan Dauber
(10) Wes Steidinger
(11) Joe Harlan
(12) Steve Sheppard Jr
(13) Terry English
(14) Jason Feger
(15) Patrick Sheltra
(16) Frank Heckenast Jr.
(17) Kevin Weaver
(18) Ryan Unzicker
(19) Mike Petersak
(20) Dewayne Kiefer
(21) Donny Walden

Start of feature	Four wide salute	Victory Lane....Jeep VanWormer

Photos by Lu, click on photo to enlarge

UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals Night 8: VanWormer Outruns Points Leader Shirley For Victory At Vermilion County Speedway 

DANVILLE, IL – June 22, 2008 – Jeep VanWormer of Pinconning, Mich., broke through for his first victory of the 2008 UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals, capturing Sunday night’s 40-lap tour A-Main at Vermilion County Speedway. 

VanWormer, a 33-year-old who is chasing the Summer Nationals points crown for the fourth consecutive season, passed Scott Bull of Fairbury, Ill., for the lead on a lap-seven restart and never looked back. He picked up a $6,000 check in RacingJunk.com Victory Lane. 

Summer Nationals points leader Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., advanced from the eighth starting spot to second by lap 16 and was able to quickly run down VanWormer’s familiar spider-webbed No. 55. But the 27-year-old Shirley was unable to overtake VanWormer, who made all the right moves through late-race lapped traffic to preserve his seventh career Summer Nationals triumph. 

Shirley settled for second place in the Petroff Towing mount. Summer Nationals rookie Will Vaught of Crane, Mo., enjoyed another strong outing with a third-place finish, while defending tour champion Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill., placed fourth and Bull took fifth after leading the race’s early circuits. 

With 43 cars signed in for the eighth stop of the 2008 Summer Nationals, Erb was the overall fastest qualifier in the group time-trial session with a lap of 13.634 seconds. 

Heat winners were Randy Korte of Highland, Ill., Bull, Erb and VanWormer. The C-Main was captured by Derek Fisher of Columbus, Ind., and Brandon Sheppard of New Berlin, Ill., and Ryan Dauber of Tonica, Ill., topped the B-Main. 

The UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals takes a scheduled night off on Monday (June 23) before returning to action on Tuesday night (June 24) at Sedalia (Mo.) State Fair Speedway. 

For more information on the UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals, visit www.dirtcar.com. 

UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals A-Main Finish (40 laps): 

1. Jeep Van Wormer,

2. Brian Shirley

3. Will Vaught

4. Dennis Erb Jr.

5. Scott Bull

6. Randy Korte

7. Kevin Claycomb

8. Terry Casey

9. Ryan Dauber

10. Wes Steidinger

11. Joe Harlan

12. Steve Sheppard Jr.

13. Terry English

14. Jason Feger

15. Patrick Sheltra

16. Frank Heckenast Jr.

17. Kevin Weaver

18. Ryan Unzicker

19. Mike Petersak

20. Dewayne Kiefer

21. Donny Walden 

B-Main Finish: Ryan Dauber, Donny Walden, Terry English, Ryan Unzicker, Patrick Sheltra, Frank Heckneast Jr., Don O'Neal, Mike Mataragas, Derek Fisher, Tim Lance, Kevin Weaver, Dan Walden, Mike Petersak, Brandon Sheppard, B.J. McCammon, Justin Shaw 

First C-Main Finish: Derek Fisher, Tim Lance, Richie Hedrick, Jason McBride, Jammie Wilson, Toby Hallett, Aaron Ricketts, Sam Epling 

Second C-Main Finish: Brandon Sheppard, Mike Petersak, Jordan Bland, Brian Diveley, Jimmy Dehm, Jim Moon, Dewayne Kiefer 

UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals Points Standings (after 8 events): 

1. Brian Shirley 616

2. Dennis Erb Jr. 602

3. Will Vaught 567

4. Jeep VanWormer 544

5. Wes Steidinger 542

6. Jason Feger 474

7. Randy Korte 468

8. Steve Sheppard Jr. 445

9. Kevin Claycomb 372

10. Dewayne Keifer 358

11. Kevin Weaver 350

12. Darren Miller 348

13. Billy Moyer 315

14. Terry English 295

15. Rodney Melvin 259
 

---

Sat Jun 21 - i55 Raceway, Pevely, MO $10,000 to win(2007 winner Mike Marlar)636-479-3219
....FLOODED OUT

---

Fri Jun 20 - Farmer City Raceway, Farmer City, IL $10,000 to win(2007 winner Brady Smith)309-928-9110
top 5....Darren Miller, Jimmy Mars, Brian Shirley, Billy Moyer, Brian Birkhofer ........50 cars

Farmer City Raceway

Farmer City, IL

June 20, 2008

Darren Miller becomes first repeat winner on 2008 Summernationals tour, and wins his first ever Farmer City Raceway feature event, worth $10,000!!!

Story by Dan Stewart

www.midwestdirttrackfacts.com

Farmer City Raceway played host to the 2008 version of the UMP DIRTcar Summernationals. This was the twentieth year for Farmer City to host the Summernationals tour, and no other track has held more of the tour races. As one of the lucky few, I personally have been to all twenty of these shows. With fifty late models signed in, the current track record holder Billy Moyer turned in fast time of the evening at 12.846 seconds, about nine tenths of a second off his record set in April of this year. There were five heats with the top three finishers from each heat advancing to the feature. All five heats were a bit of a runaway by the winner, but there was some absolutely great racing going on behind them for second through fifth in each race. The first heat went to Moyer, but the show of the evening was Dennis Erb Jr starting ninth and powerhousing his way to third in the first three laps. Jimmy Mars would finish second, but had Erb Jr beside him most of the race. The second heat went to Brian Birkhofer, with Steve Sheppard Jr holding off Eric Smith for second. The third heat had Darren Miller doing a bit of a runaway with Wes Steidinger and Kyle Logue battling it out for second and third. The third heat went to Brian Shirley by a long way over Scott Bull, who narrowly held off Jeep VanWormer. The fifth and final heat went to Randy Korte, with Brian Diveley side by side at the finish line holding off Jordan Bland. There were two C mains, with the to two advancing to the B main. The first C main went to Patrick Sheltra over Chris Simpson and Dewayne Kiefer. The second C main went to Ryan Unzicker over Rocky Griffin, who ran most of the distance next to Derek Chandler.

The semi feature, B main, was a very good race, with Kevin Weaver outrunning Matt Taylor and Ryan Dauber. These three would advance to the feature. Finishing fourth was Darren Friedman, followed Don O'Neal, Frank Heckenast Jr, Mike Mataragas, Ryan Unzicker and Terry English.

The feature event started out with Randy Korte on the pole next to Darren Miller, the result of a blind draw by the heat winners. The second row had Brian Shirley and Billy Moyer, with the third row being Brian Birkhofer and Jimmy Mars. Needless to say, there was a lot of talent in the starting line up. Thirteen of the twenty one starters had previously visited victory lane at this historic old fairgrounds track. Randy Korte led the first four laps, side by side with Darren Miller. Miller worked his way in front and stayed there to collect the checkers.

Forty Lap, $10,000 to win feature....official results(starting position)

32D Darren Miller(2)
28M Jimmy Mars(6)
3S Brian Shirley(3)
21 Billy Moyer(4)
15B Brian Birkhofer(5)
00 Randy Korte(1)
J1 Wes Steidinger(8)
83 Scott Bull(9)
28E Dennis Erb Jr(11)
55 Jeep VanWormer(14)
5S Steve Sheppard Jr(7)
11D Brian Diveley(10)
B12 Kevin Weaver(16)
9 Eric Smith(12)
7L Kyle Logue(13)
25 Jason Feger(20)
39 laps
12Jordan Bland(15)
1 Will Vaught(19)
DNF
89 Darren Friedman(21)
64 Ryan Dauber(18)
3L Matt Taylor(17)

Time Trials
Fast Time
Group 1....Billy Moyer Jr 12.846
Group 2....Brian Birkhofer 13.102
Group 3....Donny Walden 13.041
Group 4....Brian Shirley 13.171
Group 5....Jordan Bland 13.632

Heat #...top 3 advance to Feature
Billy Moyer, Jimmy Mars, Dennis Erb Jr, Ryan Dauber, Tim Lance, Mike Mataragas, Nick Vandenburg, Ryan Unzicker, Travis Wallbaum, Cody Watters
Heat #2
Brian Birkhofer, Steve Sheppard Jr, Eric Smith, Kevin Weaver, Matt Taylor, Will Vaught, George Scheffler, Jimmy Felker Jr, Russ Adams, Toby Hallett
Heat #3
Darren Miller, Wes Steidinger, Kyle Logue, Terry English, Brady Smith, Donny Walden, Patrick Sheltra, Aaron Ricketts, Joe Harlan, Rich Bell
Heat #4
Brian Shirley, Scott Bull, Jeep VanWormer, Darren Friedman, Jason Feger, Jason McBride, Rocky Griffin, Dewayne Kiefer, Roger Brickler, Butch Smith
Heat #5
Randy Korte, Brian Diveley, Jordan Bland, Frank Heckenast Jr, Don O'Neal, Scott Schmitt, Chad Simpson, Derek Chandler, Jimmy Dehm, Brandon Sheppard
C main #1....top 2 advance to B main
Patrick Sheltra, Chris Simpson, Dewayne Kiefer, Joe Harlan, Jimmy Dehm, Jimmy Felker Jr, Nick Vanderburg
C main # 2....
Ryan Unzicker, Rocky Griffin, Derek Chandler, George Sheffler, Aaron Ricketts

Provisionals went to Will Vaught, Jason Feger and Darren Friedman.

Those not making the feature included former winners Don O'Neal and Brady Smith and this year's Higland Speedway winner Terry English

The modified class had 32 cars on hand with Jeff Leka picking up yet another feature win over Denny Schwartz, followed by Gary Cook Jr, Jeb Friedman, Lance Dehm, Chad Osterhoff, Danny Schwartz, Cory Schwengel, and Jay Ledford.

Modified heats went to Jeff Leka, Rob Fuqua, Jeb Friedman and Jay Ledford. The semi feature went to Jeff Curl over Danny Schwartz.

The Street Stocks were also in action with 18 cars present. Jim Quinn and Terry Miller won the heat races. Terry Miller held off Jim Quinn for the feature win over Jeremy Nichols, Steve Maisel and Chris Tackett.

The racing program was complete at 10:45 pm with a total of 100 cars on hand.

Thanks to Erik Grigsby for the following photo links for the Farmer City Summernationals.....
Late Models - http://egphotos.smugmug.com/gallery/5219269_bMzot#316894271_6QNBv
Modifieds and Street Stocks - http://egphotos.smugmug.com/Farmer%20City%20Raceway/540953

Thanks to Rocky Ragusa for the photo album below....click on pics to enlarge

Summernational winner Darren Miller	modified winner Jeff Leka with race fan of the year Cody Griffin	street stock action 9 Terry Miller 82 Jim Quinn battle for 1st	street stock winner Terry Miller

UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals Night 7: Darren Miller Becomes First Repeat Winner With Dominant Run At Farmer City Raceway 

FARMER CITY, IL – June 20, 2008 – By Kellen Burns/DIRTcar Racing P.R. - 

Ask Darren Miller if twice is just as nice, and he’ll respond with an emphatic, “Yes – actually, it’s better.” 

The 31-year-old from Milledgeville, Ill., became the first repeat winner of the 2008 UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals on Friday night, rolling to a convincing victory in the 40-lap A-Main at Farmer City Raceway. 

Coming off his first-ever Summer Nationals triumph the previous night at I-57/I-64 Raceway in Mt. Vernon, Ill., Miller used a top-five qualifying effort and a dominant heat-race victory to propel himself onto the outside pole starting slot for Farmer City’s annual event. He then moved by polesitter Randy Korte of Highland, Ill., for the lead on the fourth lap and never looked back en route to a $10,000 win. 

Miller seemed to have luck on his side throughout the night once again. 

“Everything has gone right,” Miller said after visiting RacingJunk.com Victory Lane on back-to-back nights. “Codey (Miller’s son) drew the front row (start) for me both nights, so I got out front and could drive where I wanted to. It felt really good even in traffic.” 

One of the event’s biggest movers was Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, Wis., who started sixth in the A-Main and was the first driver to try the bottom groove and make it work. He managed to pull close to Miller on a few occasions after reaching second place, but he had to settle for runner-up money. 

“The track narrowed up,” said Mars. “Unless Darren screwed up, I wasn’t going to try and drive through him.” 

When it was said and done, Mars found positives in his second-place finish. 

“I came from sixth and passed some good cars,” he said, “so I’m not disappointed with that at all.” 

Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., started and finished third for another strong showing on the Summer Nationals tour. 

“With the circumstances, you had a few laps there to make a few moves,” said Shirley. “Darren had the best starting spot and he was good enough to hold it.” 

Shirley remains optimistic for his Petroff Towing No. 3s team, which is still searching for its first victory of the 2008 Summer Nationals. 

“We were close, just no cigars yet,” said Shirley. “It was a good rebound from last night (an 11^th-place finish that knocked him from the points lead).” 

Shirley unofficially regained the Summer Nationals points lead by four points over defending champion Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill., who finished ninth. 

Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., finished fourth after being overtaken late in the distance by Shirley, and Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa, started and finished fifth. 

Fifty UMP DIRTcar Super Late Models entered the pit gate to tackle the high-banked, quarter-mile oval.
Moyer was the overall fastest qualifier in the group time-trial session, rounding the track in 12.846 seconds. 

Heat races were captured by Moyer, Birkhofer, Miller, Shirley and Korte, while Patrick Sheltra of Indiantown, Fla., and Ryan Unzicker of El Paso, Ill., scored C-Main wins and Kevin Weaver of Gibson City, Ill., topped the B-Main. 

The UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals is off on Saturday (June 21) because the scheduled event at I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo., was canceled earlier in the week due to the floods that have blocked the track’s access road. 

The tour returns to action on Sunday night (June 22) with a $6,000-to-win event at Vermilion County Speedway in Danville, Ill. 

Be sure and stay tuned to www.umpracing.com for all the latest news and results from the 20th edition of the UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals. 

UMP DIRT car Summer Nationals Feature Finish (40 laps): 

1. Darren Miller

2. Jimmy Mars

3. Brian Shirley

4. Billy Moyer

5. Brian Birkhofer

6. Randy Korte

7. Wes Steidinger

8. Scott Bull

9. Dennis Erb Jr.

10. Jeep Van Wormer

11. Steve Sheppard Jr.

12. Brian Diveley

13. Kevin Weaver

14. Eric Smith

15. Kyle Logue

16. Jason Feger

17. Jordan Bland

18. Will Vaught

19. Daren Friedman

20. Ryan Dauber

21. Matt Taylor 

First C-Main Finish: Patrick Sheltra, Chris Simpson, Dewayne Kiefer, Joe Harlan, Jimmy Dehm, Jim Felker Jr., Nick Vandenbergh, Travis Wallbaum, Toby Hallett 

Second C-Main Finish: Ryan Unzicker, Rocky Griffin, Derek Chandler, George Scheffler, Aaron Ricketts, Roger Brickler, Rich Bell, Brandon Sheppard, Russ Adams

B-Main Finish: Kevin Weaver, Matt Taylor, Ryan Dauber, Daren Friedman, Don O'Neal, Frank Heckenast Jr., Mike Mataragas, Terry English, Ryan Unzicker, Tim Lance, Jason McBride, Donny Walden, Chris Simpson

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Thurs Jun 19 - I-57/I-64 Raceway, Mt. Vernon, IL$6,000 to win(2007 winner Randy Korte)618-246-9330
top 5.... Darren Miller, Dennis Erb Jr, Randy Korte, Kevin Claycomb, Rodney Melvin........37 cars

Darren Miller, Dennis Erb Jr, Randy Korte, Kevin Claycomb, Rodney Melvin, Jason Feger, Kevin Cole, Steve Sheppard Jr, Wes Steidinger, Terry English, Brian Shirley, Patrick Sheltra, Frankie Martin, Kevin Weaver, Will Vaught, Ryan Unzicker, Jordan Bland, Brian Diveley, Mike Hammerle, Rick Salter, Jeep VanWormer

UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals Night 6: Darren Miller Provides Another ‘Thrill’ Show At I-57/I-64 Raceway 

MT. VERNON, IL – June 19, 2008 – By Kellen Burns/DIRTcar PR –  

The UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals experienced a thrill show for the second night in a row – only this time it was ‘The Thriller’ Darren Miller claimed the 40-lap A-Main at I-57/I-64 Raceway. 

One night after young Will ‘The Thrill’ Vaught registered a career-first Summer Nationals victory, Miller pulled the same trick. Miller’s first-ever triumph on the grueling tour was worth $6,000. 

Miller, 31, of Milledgeville, Ill., started the main event from the pole, but that didn’t mean he had it easy. Second-starter Kevin Claycomb of Vincennes, Ind., claimed the lead on the first circuit and Miller was relegated to third a few laps later when a charging Randy Korte of Highland, Ill., used the high lane to reach second after starting eighth. 

Korte was in the process of passing Claycomb for the lead on lap eight when a caution flag flew for the slowing Jeep VanWormer of Pinconning, Mich., allowing Claycomb to restart at the front of the field. 

Miller, meanwhile, was a model of patience and consistency. He moved to the middle groove to get by Korte after a lap-12 restart and quickly catch Claycomb, commencing a battle for the top spot.  

“We had a good race car down in the middle of the racetrack,” said Miller. 

Miller took the lead by inches on lap 17, but Claycomb reclaimed it for laps 18-19.  Finally, on lap 20, Miller’s perseverance paid off as he drove low around Claycomb to assume command for good. 

“I just kept working it and kept getting better and better,” Miller said after his first visit to RacingJunk.com Victory Lane on the Summer Nationals tour. “Finally we got it done.” 

Defending Summer Nationals champion Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill., had a strong effort yet again, starting fourth and claiming a second-place finish behind Miller. Erb saw Miller making his move on the low side of the track and used the same line to get past Claycomb and Korte in the final laps.  

“Darren was really good down there,” said Erb, who moved by 11^th-place finisher Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., to grab the Summer Nationals points lead (458-441). “I was following right there with him. The top kind of went away, the bottom and middle came in, and that was it.” 

Korte, the 2006 UMP DIRTcar Super Late Model national champion settled for a third-place finish after his early bid for the lead was negated by a caution flag. 

“I think I should have got down early,” Korte said of his groove choice, “and I think the caution killed me too.” 

Thirty-seven UMP DIRTcar Super Late Models participated in the group time-trial session on the high-banked, quarter-mile oval, with Kevin Cole of Christopher, Ill., turning the overall fastest lap (13.88 seconds). 

Heat winners were VanWormer, who brought out the A-Main’s two caution flags with flat tires (he was black-flagged after the second for the event’s two-caution rule), Claycomb, Erb and Miller. The C-Main was captured by Rick Salter of Albers, Ill., and the B-Main went to Wes Steidinger of Fairbury, Ill. 

Provisional starting positions for the feature were awarded to previous night’s winner Will Vaught, current UMP DIRTcar Super Late Model national points leader Mike Hammerle of St. Charles, Mo., and Salter. 

The UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals continues on Friday night (June 20) with a $10,000-to-win event at Farmer City (Ill.) Raceway. 

Be sure and stay tuned to www.umpracing.com for all the latest news and results from the 20th edition of the UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals. 

UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals Feature Finish (40 laps): 

1. Darren Miller

2. Dennis Erb Jr.

3. Randy Korte

4. Kevin Claycomb

5. Rodney Melvin

6. Jason Feger

7. Kevin Cole

8. Steve Sheppard Jr.

9. Wes Steidinger

10. Terry English

11. Brian Shirley

12. Patrick Sheltra

13. Frankie Martin

14. Kevin Weaver

15. Will Vaught

16. Ryan Unzicker

17. Jordan Bland

18. Brian Diveley

19. Mike Hammerle

20. Rick Salter

21. Jeep Van Wormer 

B-Main Finish: Wes Steidinger, Jason Feger, Jordan Bland, Ryan Unzicker, Patrick Sheltra, Brian Diveley, Danny Jolly, Mark Voigt, George Scheffler, Tim Lance, Dewayne Kiefer, Rick Salter, Brandon Sheppard, Jason McBride, Jason Riggs, Michael Kloos 

B-Main Finish: Rick Salter, Dewayne Kiefer, Jason McBride, Jason Riggs, Bobby Dauderman, Mike Hammerle, Jeremy Sneed, Steve Karnes, Ryan Dauber. Scratched: Will Vaught, Steven Unterbrink 

UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals Points Standings (after 6 events): 

1. Dennis Erb Jr. 458

2. Brian Shirley 441

3. Will Vaught 429

4. Wes Steidinger 412

5. Jeep VanWormer 387

6. Jason Feger 360

7. Randy Korte 328

8. Steve Sheppard Jr. 326

9. Kevin Claycomb 304

10. DeWayne Keifer 297

11. Rodney Melvin 259

12. Kevin Cole 258

13. Darren Miller 253

14. Kevin Weaver 238

15. Billy Moyer 235

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Wed Jun 18 - Belle-Clair Speedway, Belleville, IL $6,000 to win(new track)618-233-0052.... I would like to know who won at
Belle-Clair the Friday night before the Eldora World 100 in 1985...the Friday after Labor Day....please email me at [email protected]
top 5.... ....Will Vaught, Brent Kreke, Wes Steidinger, Michael Kloos, Brian Shirley........41 cars

Fast time....Brian Diveley

1st heat
Jason Feger, Michael Kloos, Brian Diveley
2nd heat
Brent Kreke, Wes Steidinger, Randy Korte
3rd heat
Will Vaught, Ed Dixon, Mark Faust
4th heat
Rodney Melvin, Brian Shirley, Jeep VanWormer

Semi feature top 6 advance
Darren Miller, Dennis Erb Jr, Mike Hammerle, Tim Lance, Rick Standridge, Dave Thornton

Winner Will Vaught, Brent Kreke, Wes Steidinger, Michael Kloos, Brian Shirley, Jason Feger, Randy Korte, Dennis Erb Jr, Ed Dixon, Jeep VanWormer, Mark Faust, Rick Standridge, Steve Sheppard Jr, Brian Diveley

 

UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals Night 5: Tour Rookie Will Vaught Scores First Career Win At Belle-Clair Speedway 

BELLEVILLE, IL – June 18, 2008 – By Kellen Burns/DIRTcar Racing PR – 

They call him ‘The Thrill’ – and Will Vaught certainly lived up to his nickname on Wednesday night as the UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals made its inaugural visit to Belle-Clair Speedway. 

Vaught used his second starting position to his advantage in the 40-lap A-Main, jumping out ahead of polesitter Brent Kreke on the opening circuit and then quickly moving down low to protect his line en route to a flag-to-flag victory. 

“It feels good,” Vaught said of visiting RacingJunk.com Victory Lane for the first time in Summer Nationals competition. “We’ve worked our butts off the last few nights on this car. I think we’re applying what we’re learning every night.” 

After scoring a career-high payday of $6,000 and having momentum swing his way, the 21-year-old driver from Crane, Mo., is definitely anxious to continue his first attempt at the grueling UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals tour. 

“Oh yeah, we’re going to do the whole thing – unless something freaky happens,” said Vaught, whose career-first tour triumph came in the fifth race of this year’s scheduled 26-event series. He has been a standout on the O’Reilly MARS DIRTcar Series in recent years. 

O’Fallon, Ill.’s Kreke, who runs locally at Belle-Clair from time-to-time, used his knowledge of the tight, one-fifth-mile mile oval to record a Summer Nationals career-best finish of second. He also timed fourth-quick overall in time trials and stole a heat win from Summer Nationals regular Wes Steidinger of Fairbury, Ill., who settled for third in the feature. 

“It’s like second nature after you race here all the time,” said Kreke, who was the middle car of the lead trio that finished the race nose-to-tail. 

Steidinger looked strong throughout the night, but found it hard to pass as the racing progressed and the track started to take rubber. 

“That’s just the way it goes,” said Stedinger, who continues to make a strong run at the UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals points crown. “Summer Nationals bullrings – got to love them.” 

Michael Kloos of Trenton, Ill., and Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., completed the top five. 

Shirley remained as the Summer Nationals points leader with his fifth-place run. He unofficially leads the standings over Vaught (385-377), followed by defending champion Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill. (372), Steidinger (352) and Jeep Van Wormer of Pinconning, Mich. (341). 

The A-Main was slowed by only two caution flags. 

Among the night’s qualifiers was current UMP DIRTcar Super Late Model national points leader Mike Hammerle of St. Charles, Mo. The Belle-Clair points leader finished 17^th. 

Notable non-qualifiers included Terry English of Benton, Ky., who was coming off a win the previous night at Highland (Ill.) Speedway, and Summer Nationals veteran Kevin Weaver of Gibson City, Ill. 

With 41 cars on hand, Brian Diveley of Springfield, Ill., recorded the overall fastest lap of the group time-trial session, rounding the tight track in 12.781 seconds. 

Heat winners were Kreke, Vaught, Jason Feger of Bloomington, Ill., and Rodney Melvin of Benton, Ill. The C-Main was captured by Patrick Sheltra of Indiantown, Fla., and the B-Main went to Darren Miller of Chadwick, Ill. 

The UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals continues on Thursday night (June 19) at I-57/I-64 Raceway in Mt. Vernon, Ill. 

UMP DIRTcar officials announced on Wednesday night that the Summer Nationals event scheduled for this Saturday night (June 21) at I-55 Raceway in Pevelly, Mo., has been canceled because the access road leading to the track is flooded as a result of the heavy Midwestern rains north of the track. 

Be sure and stay tuned to www.umpracing.com for all the latest news and results from the 20th edition of the UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals. 

UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals Feature Finish (40 laps): 

1. Will Vaught

2. Brent Kreke

3. Wes Steidinger

4. Michael Kloos

5. Brian Shirley

6. Jason Feger

7. Randy Korte

8. Dennis Erb Jr.

9. Ed Dixon

10. Jeep Van Wormer

11. Mark Faust

12. Rick Standridge

13. Steve Sheppard Jr.

14. Brian Diveley

15. Dave Thornton

16. Dewayne Kiefer

17. Mike Hammerle

18. Mike Schulte

19. Darren Miller

20. Rodney Melvin

21. Tim Lance 

C-Main Finish: Patrick Sheltra, Brian Heizer, Mark Voigt, Mike Schulte, Kevin Cole, Clay Baumann, Dewayne Kiefer, Matt Santel, Dave Thornton, George Scheffler, Casey Schaefer, Jason Bohnenstehl 

B-Main Finish: Darren Miller, Dennis Erb Jr., Rick Standridge, Mike Hammerle, Tim Lance, Dave Thornton, Kevin Weaver, Jim Gibson, Rusty Schlenk, Mark Voigt, Terry English, Brian Heizer, Mike Schulte, Patrick Sheltra, Ryan Unzicker, Jordan Bland

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Tues Jun 17 - Highland Speedway, Highland, IL $6,000 to win(2007 winner Dennis Erb, Jr)618-654-6656
top 5....Terry English, Randy Korte, Will Vaught, Jeep VanWormer, Brian Shirley ........47 cars 

UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals Night 4: Terry English Takes Top Honors At Highland Speedway 

HIGHLAND, IL – June 17, 2008 – By Kellen Burns/DIRTcar P.R. - He may not be Irish, but Terry English definitely had luck on his side Tuesday night. 

The driver from Benton, Ky., drew the pole position for the 30-lap UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals A-Main at Highland Speedway and took advantage of it, securing the lead on lap 12 and marching on to victory. 

English repelled pressure from 2006 UMP DIRTcar Super Late Model national champion Randy Korte of Highland, Ill., and Summer Nationals rookie Will Vaught of Crane, Mo., to pocket the $6,000 top prize. The trio ran nose-to-tail for most of the feature and finished in that order. 

Jeep VanWormer of Pinconning, Mich., placed fourth and Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., was fifth. 

“I just wanted to make sure I stayed on the bottom and didn’t slip up,” said English, who drove the Scott Riggs-owned No. 81E. “I knew that was where to be.” 

English, who borrowed the Riggs machine for Summer Nationals duty after his own car was sidelined by engine trouble in the tour’s opener, registered his fifth career Summer Nationals victory. It was his first on the tour since July 10, 2004, at Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway. 

Hometown driver Korte continued his strong return to UMP DIRTcar competition by leading the first 11 laps before English used the low line to move in front. Korte, who was sidelined in early February by a back injury suffered in a Florida Speedweeks accident, is finding the seat of a dirt Late Model more to his liking than fielding a car. 

“Oh yeah, it feels awesome,” the driver known as King Kong said about being back behind the wheel. 

Korte may have done things different in Tuesday night’s A-Main if he had it to do over. 

“I probably should have got to the bottom when I was in front of Terry,” said Korte. “But I actually thought the top would get better sooner or later and it never did.” 

Vaught fought to advance from the fifth starting spot to finish third. The optimistic young hotshoe thought he had even more for the veterans of the ‘Hell Tour.’  

“I thought I had the car to beat before (the surface) rubbered,” said Vaught. “If it wouldn’t have rubbered up, I think we could have won that race.” 

Vaught overcame a lackluster qualifying effort and his involvement in a first-heat tangle with a spinning car in turn four to make his way through the preliminary field and finish second. 

Forty-seven cars attempted qualifying laps at the semi-banked, quarter-mile oval. Tim Lance of Brimfield, Ill., was the overall fastest qualifier in the group time-trial sessions with a lap of 13.675 seconds. 

Heat winners were English, VanWormer, Korte and Rodney Melvin of Benton, Ill. Dual C-Mains were won by Mike Schulte and John Beck, while the B-Main was taken by Mark Faust. 

Shirley took over the UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals points lead through four events over defending champ Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill., who finished eighth. 

The UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals heads to the one-fifth-mile Belle-Clair Speedway in Belleville, Ill., on Wednesday night (June 18). 

Be sure and stay tuned to www.umpracing.com for all the latest news and results from the 20th edition of the UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals. 

UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals Feature Finish (40 laps): 

1. Terry English

2. Randy Korte

3. Will Vaught

4. Jeep VanWormer

5. Brian Shirley

6. Billy Faust

7. Kevin Cole

8. Dennis Erb Jr.

9. Rodney Melvin

10. Tim Manville

11. Dewayne Kiefer

12. Wes Steidinger

13. Steve Sheppard Jr.

14. Tim Lance

15. Rick Salter

16. Ryan Unzicker

17. Michael Kloos

18. Mark Voigt

19. Jason Feger

20. Kevin Claycomb

21. Mark Faust 

C-Main No. 1 Finish: 1. Mike Schulte, 2. Jordan Bland, 3. Chad Zobrist, 4. Jason McBride, 5. Dan Jacober, 6. Rusty Schlenk, 7. Frankie Martin, 8. Bobby Duaderman, 9. Dewayne Kiefer. Scratched: Patrick Sheltra 

C-Main No. 2 Finish: 1. John Beck, 2. Ryan Driemeyer, 3. Mike Hammerle, 4. Dave Thornton, 5. Jason Riggs, 6. Brent Helmkamp, 7. George Scheffler, 8. Matt Santel, 9. Michael Jacober, 10. Brandon Sheppard. Scratched: Brant Kehrer 

B-Main Finish: 1. Mark Faust, 2. Brian Shirley, 3. Dennis Erb Jr., 4. Tim Manville, 5. Ryan Unzicker, 6. Wes Steidinger, 7. Jason Bohnenstiehl, 8. Ryan Driemeyer, 9. Steve Sheppard Jr., 10. Kevin Weaver, 11. Paul Bailey, 12. Jordan Bland, 13. Dick Taylor, 14. Mike Schulte, 15. John Beck, 16. Rick Salter

---

Mon Jun 16 - off

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Sun Jun 15 - Tri-State Speedway, Haubstadt, IN $6,000 to win(2007 winner Randy Korte)812-768-5995
top 5....Dennis Erb Jr., Randy Korte, Brian Shirley, Billy Moyer, Don O'Neal, ........39 cars

(1) Dennis Erb Jr.
(2) Randy Korte,
(3) Brian Shirley,
(4) Billy Moyer,
(5) Don O'Neal,
(6) Jeep Van Wormer,
(7) Wes Steidinger,
(8) Kevin Claycomb,
(9) Rodney Melvin,
(10) Michael Kloos,
(11) Will Vaught,
(12) Jason Feger,
(13) Kevin Weaver,
(14) Patrick Sheltra,
(15) Derek Fisher,
(16) Dewayne Keifer,
(17) Jordan Bland,
(18) Billy Faust,
(19) Chad Zobrist,
(20) Kevin Cole,
(21) Steve Sheppard Jr.

Fast qualifier (among 39 cars): Jeep VanWormer, 12.842 seconds.
Heat race winners: Billy Moyer, Randy Korte, Don O'Neal, Michael Kloos.

B-Main winner: Brian Shirley.

C-Main winner: Will Vaught.

UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals Night 3: Erb Passes Korte On Final Lap For Victory At Tri-State Speedway 

HAUBSTADT, IN – June 15, 2008 – Dennis Erb Jr. pulled off a dramatic last-lap pass of Randy Korte to capture Sunday night’s 40-lap UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals A-Main at Tri-State Speedway. 

Erb, 36, of Carpentersville, Ill., earned $6,000 for his first victory of the 2008 Summer Nationals. He’s the defending champion of the grueling, month-long tour for Super Late Models. 

Highland, Ill.’s Korte, who returned to the cockpit one week ago after being sidelined since suffering a back injury in a February accident during Florida Speedweeks, nearly emerged triumphant in Tri-State’s Summer Nationals show for the second consecutive season. He started second and led all but three laps of the feature. 

After losing the top spot to the ninth-starting Erb for laps 33-34, Korte regained command and appeared primed for a return to Victory Lane. But he lost momentum while lapping Patrick Sheltra of Indiantown, Fla., in turn two on the final lap, allowing Erb to sneak underneath and assume command in his Rayburn No. 28e. 

Korte had to settle for second place in his familiar No. 00. Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., advanced from the 13^th starting spot to place third in Ed Petroff’s No. 3s, with six-time Summer Nationals champ Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., taking fourth after starting from the pole position and 2004 Summer Nationals titlist Don O’Neal of Martinsville, Ind., placing fifth. 

Erb’s victory was the eighth of his career in Summer Nationals action. It also moved him into the tour’s points lead after three events. 

The event was slowed by only a single caution flag. 

Thirty-nine cars were signed in for the night’s competition. 

Jeep VanWormer of Pinconning, Mich., was the fastest overall qualifier in the group time-trial session, recording a lap of 12.842 seconds. 

Heat winners were Moyer, Korte, O’Neal and Michael Kloos of Trenton, Ill. Will Vaught of Crane, Mo., captured the C-Main and Shirley topped the B-Main. 

Following a scheduled off-night on Monday (June 16), the Summer Nationals returns to action on Tuesday night (June 17) at Highland (Ill.) Speedway. 

For more information on UMP DIRTcar Racing, visit www.dirtcar.com. 

UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals A-Main Finish (40 laps): 

1. Dennis Erb Jr.

2. Randy Korte

3. Brian Shirley

4. Billy Moyer

5. Don O’Neal

6. Jeep VanWormer

7. Wes Steidinger

8. Kevin Claycomb

9. Rodney Melvin

10. Michael Kloos

11. Will Vaught

12. Jason Feger

13. Kevin Weaver

14. Patrick Sheltra

15. Derek Fisher

16. Dewayne Keifer

17. Jordan Bland

18. Billy Faust

19. Chad Zobrist

20. Kevin Cole

21. Steve Sheppard Jr. 

B-Main Finish: Brian Shirley, Jason Feger, Derek Fisher, Rodney Melvin, Wes Steidinger, Will Vaught, Dan Jacober, Chad Zobrist, Ryan Unzicker, Terry English, Brandon Sheppard, Kerry Mathew, Tim Lance, Steve Karnes, Brant Fehrer, B.J. McCammon 

C-Main Finish: Will Vaught, Terry English, B.J. McCammon, Tim Lance, Jarryd Holshouser, Kevin Cole, Jason McBride, Steven Ashby, Jim Moon, Mike Hammerle, Rocky Hodges. Scratched: Matt Weidner, Brian Dively, Caleb Ashby, Kevin Weaver 

Unofficial UMP DIRT Summer Nationals Points Standings (after 3 events): 

1. Dennis Erb Jr. 240

2. (tie) Billy Moyer 235

2. (tie) Brian Shirley 235

4. Wes Steidinger 208

5. Jeep VanWormer 199

6. Will Vaught 197

7. Kevin Claycomb 177

8. Dewayne Keifer 172

9. Jason Feger 172

10. Kevin Weaver 165

11. Steve Sheppard Jr. 148

12. Don O’Neal 130

13. Jordan Bland 125

14. Kevin Cole 116

15. Darren Miller 110

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Sat Jun 14 - Kamp Motor Speedway, Boswell, IN $10,000 to win(2007 winner Dennis Erb, Jr)765-869-5212
top 5....Wes Steidinger, Mike Mataragas, Brian Birkhofer, Billy Moyer, Dennis Erb Jr ........36 cars

Feature finish

Late Model Feature
1. Wes Steidinger J1
2. Mike Mataragas 1M
3. Brian Birkhofer 15B
4. Billy Moyer 21
5. Dennis Erb 28
6. Brian Shirley 3S
7. Eric Smith 9
8. Jordan Bland 12
9. Jeep VanWormer 55
10. Jason Feger 25
11. Don O’Neal 71
12. Darren Miller 32D
13. Dewayne Kiefer 13
14. Steve Barnett 89
15. Dan Walden 25
16. Kevin Weaver B12
17. Kevin Claycomb 16C
18. Tim Lance 75
19. Will Vaught 1V
20. Tim McCreadie 39
21. Steve Sheppard Jr. 5S
22. Ryan Dauber 64

Late Model B Main
1. Darren Miller 32D
2. Brian Shirley 3S
3. Tim McCreadie 39
4. Kevin Claycomb 16C
5. Don O’Neal 71
6. Tim Lance 75
7. Kevin Weaver B12
8. Brent Kreke 13S
9. Ryan Unzicker 24
10. Jason McBride 77
11. Dan Walden 25
12. Duke Whiseant A1
13. Joe Janowski 6J
14. Jason Feger 25
15. Mike Petersak JP7
16. Kerry Mathew 14

Late Model C Main
1. Duke Whiseant A1
2. Jason McBride 77
3. Don O’Neal 71
4. Dan Walden 25
5. Brandon Sheppard B5
6. Guy Volk V77
7. Ted Loomis 23
8. Cory Rolfe 22R
9. Dick Potts 92
10. Steve Sheppard Jr. 5S
11. Shawn Toczek 55

Heat 1 finish top 3 transfer


1. Wes Steidinger
2. George Bland
3. Ryan Dauber
4. Jason Feger
5. Kevin Claycomb

Heat 2

1. Eric Smith
2. Dennis Erb Jr
3. Dewayne Keifer
4. Darren Miller
5. Tim Lance

Heat 3
1. Mike Mataragas
2. Steve Barnett
3. Will Vaught
4. Brian Shirley
5. Mike Petersak


Heat 4
1. Billy Moyer
2. Jeep VanWormer
3. Brian Birkhofer
4. Tim McCreadie
5. Brent Kreke

UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals Night 2: Steidinger Comes Of Age With $10,000 Victory At Kamp Motor Speedway 

BOSWELL, IN – June 14, 2008 – Wes Steidinger is coming of age. 

The rising 25-year-old star from Fairbury, Ill., scored the richest win of his career on Saturday night, earning $10,000 for capturing the 40-lap UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals A-Main at Kamp Motor Speedway. 

After stamping himself as a pre-race favorite with a dominating heat-race victory, Steidinger started from the pole position and out-raced Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., for the lead at the initial green flag. He set the pace from flag-to-flag, holding off Mike Mataragas of Dekalb, Ill., over the final circuits to emerge triumphant in his family-owned No. J1. 

Steidinger, who last year finished second in the UMP DIRTcar Super Late Model national points standings and third in the Summer Nationals chase, registered his second career win on the grueling month-long tour. His first checkered flag came in the 2007 series finale – the non-point Herald & Review 100 at Macon (Ill.) Speedway. 

A Summer Nationals regular for the second time in his young career, Steidinger came back strong after engine problems sidelined him in the tour’s Thursday-night opener at Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway. 

Mataragas challenged Steidinger several times in the closing laps but settled for runner-up money. It was the best Summer Nationals finish of his career. 

Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa, finished third by a scant margin over Moyer, and defending Summer Nationals champion Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill., ran a steady race to place fifth. 

Just two caution flags slowed the A-Main, including an 18^th-lap tangle that began when 2006 World of Outlaws Late Model Series champion Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., was sent spinning in turn three. Will Vaught of Crane, Mo., Kevin Claycomb of Vincennes, Ind., and Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., were swept up in the mess. 

The event drew a 36-car field to the western Indiana facility. 

Dewayne Keifer of St. Genevieve, Mo., was the fastest qualifier in the group time-trial session, circling the oval in 14.223 seconds. 

Heat winners were Steidinger, Eric Smith of Bloomington, Ill., Mataragas and Moyer. Duke Whiseant of Texarkana, Ark., topped the C-Main and Darren Miller of Chadwick, Ill., won the B-Main. 

Moyer leads the unofficial UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals points standings through two events by five points over Shirley (156-151). Erb is third (-10), followed by Vaught (-18) and Jeep VanWormer of Pinconning, Mich. (-26). 

The UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals continues on Sunday night (June 15) at Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, Ind. 

For more information on UMP DIRTcar Racing, visit www.dirtcar.com. 

UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals Feature Finish (40 laps): 

1. Wes Steidinger

2. Mike Mataragas

3. Brian Birkhofer

4. Billy Moyer

5. Dennis Erb Jr.

6. Brian Shirley

7. Eric Smith

8. Jordan Bland

9. Jeep VanWormer

10. Jason Feger

11. Don O’Neal

12. Darren Miller

13. Dewayne Keifer

14. Steve Barnett

15. Dan Walden

16. Kevin Weaver

17. Kevin Claycomb

18. Tim Lance

19. Will Vaught

20. Tim McCreadie

21. Steve Sheppard Jr. 

B-Main Finish: Darren Miller, Brian Shirley, Tim McCreadie, Kevin Claycomb, Don O'Neal, Tim Lance, Kevin Weaver, Brent Kreke, Ryan Unzicker, Jason McBride, Dan Walden, Duke Whiseant, Joe Janowski, Jason Feger, Kerry Mathew 

C-Main Finish: Duke Whiseant, Jason McBride, Don O'Neal, Dan Walden, Brandon Sheppard, Guy Volk, Ted Loomis, Cory Rolfe, Dick Potts, Shawn Toczek, Steve Sheppard Jr. (DNS) Brian Dively

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Fri Jun 13 - Brownstown Speedway, Brownstown, IN $10,000 to win(last visit Fri Jul 13, 2001 winner Billy Moyer)812-358-5332
top 5.... Rained Out........To be run Friday June 11

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Thu Jun 12 - Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway,Calvert City,KY $7,500 to win(last visit Jul 8, 2005 winner Jimmy Owens)815-469-3619
top 5.... Brad Neat, Will Vaught, Brian Shirley, Billy Moyer, Dennis Erb Jr........40 cars....30 laps

UMP DIRTcar Racing Summernationals Night  1: Neat Registers First Career Tour Win In Opener At Kentucky Lake 

CALVERT CITY, KY – June 12, 2008 – Bluegrass State standout Brad Neat came out on top of a duel with Jason Feger to triumph Thursday night as the UMP DIRTcar Racing Summer Nationals kicked off its 20^th anniversary season at Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway. 

Neat, of Dunnville, Ky., swapped the lead with Bloomington, Ill.’s Feger several times before gaining command for good on lap 26 of the 30-lap event. A yellow flag flew one circuit later to set up a final shootout, but Feger pitted with a flat left-rear tire during the caution period to eliminate him for contention. 

While Summer Nationals rookie Will Vaught of Crane, Mo., offered a challenge on the restart, Neat maintained control over the remaining circuits to pocket a $7,500 prize for his first career Summer Nationals victory. 

Neat started from the pole position alongside Feger and the two drivers battled hard in search of career-first Summer Nationals wins. They swapped the lead four ties – Neat paced laps 1-5, 24 and 26-30, while Feger ran in front for laps 6-23 and 25. 

Vaught, a young talent from the O’Reilly MARS DIRTcar Series, watched the tussle up front before taking a shot at victory following Feger’s misfortune. But Vaught couldn’t pull off a pass of Neat and settled for runner-up money after starting ninth. 

Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., finished third driving the Gerstner Plumbing No. 6k normally driven by Michael Kloos, followed by six-time Summer Nationals champion Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., and defending tour titlist Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill. 

With 40 cars on hand, Darren Miller of Chadwick, Ill., was the overall fast timer of the group qualifying session with a lap of 14.862 seconds. He was running fourth in the A-Main when he slowed on lap 27 with a flat right-front tire. 

Heat winners were Jeep VanWormer of Pinconning, Mich., Neat, Wes Steidinger of Fairbury, Ill., and Feger. Moyer won the B-Main and John Gill of Mitchell, Ind., captured the C-Main. 

UMP DIRTcar Racing Summer Nationals Feature Finish (30 laps): 

1. Brad Neat

2. Will Vaught

3. Brian Shirley

4. Billy Moyer

5. Dennis Erb Jr.

6. Jeep VanWormer

7. Jeff Walston

8. Kevin Cole

9. Dewayne Keifer

10. Kevin Claycomb

11. John Gill

12. Billy James

13. Randy Sellars

14. Kevin Weaver

15. Jason Feger

16. Darren Miller

17. Terry English

18. Steve Sheppard Jr.

19. Ryan Dauber

20. Jason Riggs

21. Wes Steidinger 

B-Main Finish: Billy Moyer, Steve Sheppard Jr., Dennis Erb Jr., Kevin Weaver, Billy James, Jason Riggs, John Gill, Brian Dively, Tim Lance, Jason McBride, Kevin Cole, Dylan Thompson, Brandon Sheppard, Tim Brown, Tanner English 

C-Main Finish: John Gill, Kevin Cole, Dylan Thompson, Brandon Sheppard, Brandon Chappell, Mike Hammerle, Fred Perry, Jordan Bland (DQ)  Duke Whiseant 

Scratched: Tyler Boggs, Rodney Melvin, Danny Jolly, John Tindal, Jarryd Holshouser, Ryan Unzicker

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payouts for 2008:
$6,000 to win shows
1. $6,000
2. 3,000
3. 1,500
4. 1,200
5. 1,100
6. 800
7. 700
8. 600
9. 550
10. 500
11-21 500

$10,000 to win shows

1. $10,000
2. 5,000
3. 2,500
4. 1,500
5. 1,200
6. 1,100
7. 1,000
8. 800
9. 600
10. 500
11-21. 500

Points Champion gets $25,000