Feger Racing: February 2009

My Dad, Ron Griffin loved the Hawkeye Racing News, he read it all of the time. Jason and Austin's Grandpa Griffin would have loved getting to read about his grandsons in the Hawkeye. Thanks much to the Hawkeye and writer, Kyle Ealy.

January 23, 2009 edition of the Hawkeye Racing News.
Kyle Ealy's Headline was:
The season that 'could've been' has Jason Feger looking forward to 2009 campaign.

BLOOMINGTON, Ill.
2008 was a season of ups and downs for Jason Feger.Feger started the season on a high note, with feature wins and top-10’s in April and May. In June and parts of July, Jason hit a wall with motor issues during the Summer Nationals in what you could say was hell on the “Hell Tour”. In late July, things started coming around again for Feger and he seemed to be back to his winning ways. In August and early September more disappointing finishes. As the season came to a close, Feger got back on track and finished strong with several big wins against some of the best Late Model competition around.

“We ended up third in the UMP National points and second in the Northern All Stars, so we were pretty satisfied,” Jason remarked. “If it hadn’t been for some flat tires, while we were leading some races and the motor problems we experienced at mid-season during the Summer Nationals, who knows. But this was our best season by far, so all in all, I’m pretty happy with it.”“The year before (2007) we were really fast towards the end, so heading into this season we were really positive and looking forward to the season beginning,” Feger said looking back. We started off this season really hot, things were going good and we won a few big races.”

A couple of feature wins at Jason’s hometown track, Kamp Motor Speedway, including a Northern All Stars victory seemed to give Feger momentum heading into the Summer Nationals. When the Summer Nationals arrived, though, Feger and his team hit a brick wall.“At the first race at Kentucky Lake we won our heat race and pretty much led the whole feature until the last four laps when we had a tire go down.” For Feger and his team, that spelled the beginning of the end for his Summer Nationals. “I don’t know what happened after that. We got a little off track and never could regroup. We would run real well in heat races but come feature time, we always seemed to struggle. With the Summer Nationals you’re gone everyday and you don’t have the opportunity to take the car home, pull the car into the garage and do some brain storming. During Summer Nationals you’re either going really good or really bad. Unfortunately for us, it was the latter.”

Feger decided it was best to go home and regroup. He caught up with the tour at Oakshade on June 21. “We found a few things and corrected them,” he remarked. “We had a real good run there, got into a scuffle with another guy, broke a left front shock and still finished eighth after running third.” More problems arose for Feger a couple of nights later when he blew a motor at Sedalia on June 24. From there it was back to Bloomington once again.The next few nights were nothing but frustration as Jason struggled with his motor time and time again and made repeated trips back home. “I ended up borrowing a motor from Bob Pierce and we headed to Peoria to finish out the tour. “It took me a little while to get adjusted to the new motor but after that, everything just took off for us,” Feger explained.

With a healthy motor and car troubles seemingly behind him, Feger steamrolled the competition in a couple of Monster Midwest Series events taking $2,000-to-win feature victories at Spoon River on July 23 and again on the following night at LaSalle Speedway on July 24. A couple of Summer National make-up dates at Morgan County Speedway in Jacksonville and Macon (Ill.) Speedway (the Herald & Review 100) proved that Jason seemed to be back on track with a couple of strong third-place finishes.Starting out the fall schedule, Jason headed to the “World 100” in Eldora, where he had to qualify through a talented B main field to make the A main. Jason finished fourth in the B to make the starting field. Starting 27th in the big show, Feger finished the grueling 100 lapper ending up in 18th place.In mid-September Feger scored an impressive win at Paducah Int’l. Raceway in the “Wayne Coakley Memorial” in what proved to be a thrilling finish with Feger passing Brad Neat on the last lap to score the $5,000 victory.

Luck was finally on our side for that race. That car may have been the worse car I’ve had there, but as they say better to be lucky than good! Looking back, we probably should’ve won two or three other races we competed in at Paducah last season,” Feger mentioned. “We were leading the race one night and got a flat and still finished second to (Ken) Schrader driving on the rim. In the MARS race we were leading that and had another tire go down. I love that track, it really fits my driving style well.”

As the momentum kept going, Feger accomplished a life-long dream by winning the “Kamp 50” at his hometown track of Kamp (Ind.) Motor Speedway to round out the month of September. “It seems like at your home track you usually struggle a lot. I don’t know if it’s the pressure or what. We’ve won a couple of $2,000 Northern All Stars races there before but when a big event like the “Kamp 50” or a national race like the World of Outlaws it always seemed like things wouldn’t come together.” That night things came together for the “Highside Hustler” as he came from his fifth starting position to check out a stellar field of Late Models.

For the 2009 season Feger’s goals won’t change much from the previous seasons. “I’m not one to chase points. A lot of guys will chase the points but I’ve discovered when I try and do that I do nothing but wear out my equipment. I’d rather save it for the big shows,” he commented. “The way the UMP points works if you do well during the Summer Nationals and some of the big shows you’re probably going to be towards the front of the national points. Last year we really tried to be more focused on being more prepared going to the track rather than racing quite as many nights, which I feel really helped a lot.“We’re going into this season with that same mindset. I’m going to try and be more prepared, which we’re already set up better this season with a new car and a solid back up, which is the car we ran last year. Our motor program is much better this year than year’s past, which we think will be a big plus.

We’re just that much better prepared this season for the big races. If you prepare yourself for the big shows and run well when they come around, in the end, you’ll be there when the points come around, too. If we can run great come Summer Nationals time and string together some top-five’s and top-10’s and show some consistency, we’ll be near the top for points.”Feger also mentioned that the upcoming Monster Midwest Tour promoted by Don Hammer will be another great opportunity to score points in the always competitive UMP Late Model division. “Instead of a week long event like it’s been in the past, he has a 20 to 25 race schedule that starts in May and runs through October. Most of the races are within a two to three hour jaunt for Feger. “He has a points fund together and contingencies for the series, which really helps. Most of the shows will be $2,000 to win and that’ll bring in guys like Erb, Hedrick, Steidinger, Weaver and the Shepherds. The competition will definitely be there.”

For the future, Jason wants to run on the national level someday. “I’d love to run on the World of Outlaws tour someday. The competition there is the toughest around and that’s where you want to prove yourself. I’d like to be like a (Brian) Birkhofer or a (Scott) Bloomquist and freelance. They go where the big money is and run the tracks they want. I’d love to have that opportunity someday. That’s all my crew and I would like to do, is be out on the road full-time.“With our financial situation, we can’t do that right now. I know that I can run with those guys, but when I make that commitment I want to be prepared. When and if I run in those series I want to be in it for the long haul and know that I have a shot at doing it,” he said. “I don’t want to be running the series and then stop because we ran out of money or we don’t have the proper equipment to continue. I want to see the whole thing through.”

For now, Feger feels fortunate to be in the position he’s in. We’re able to race on a lot of quality tracks right here in the Midwest, compete in some big shows and race against some stout competition.”Jason couldn’t race without support from his sponsors and crew. His crew consists of Austin Feger, Devin Shickel, Mike Posio and Josh Otto.Feger’s sponsors include: Bob Pierce Race Cars, Advanced Racing Suspension, Campbell Construction, Mulligans, ABS, LaBamba, SVC Construction, Crutcher Mfg., BSB Mfg., Richardson Racing Products, Budda Racecars, BRT Racing Products, Stealth Racing Carbs, Sweet Mfg., Out-Pace, Weld Racing, All Star Performance, Wilwood Disc Brakes, Bell Racing, PRC Performance Rod and Customs, HyperCo, The V-Batter, KDK, Boitnott Lawn care, Bob’s Taxidermy, Triple T, Strong Concrete, Bairds, Hill Lawn care, and Showtime Signs.

Again, Thanks to the Hawkeye Racing News and Kyle Ealy

Hawkeye Racing News Features Feger

Go JEEP!!!