How about it!!!! The guys did it, they won a tough Summernational feature at Tri-City Speedway in Granite City, IL. Top national competitors were in the field and Jason lead from green to checkers.
Dirt On Dirt's article is far better than anything I could say, the article was written by Todd Turner.
Want to learn more about the Hell Tour?
Visit www.dirtondirt.com
www.umpracing.com
www.midwestdirtrackfacts.com
www.thehelltour.com
So -- back to the article:
Feger's Tri-City victory the perfect gift for Mom
GRANITE CITY, Ill. (June 24) — During hot laps on ninth leg of the UMP DIRTcar Summernationals at Tri-City Speedway, Jason Feger taped a huge birthday card over his car's No. 25: "Happy 50th Birthday Mom!"
But what's a card without a birthday present? Feger provided a special gift, too, dramatically leading all 40 laps at the 3/8-mile oval and welcoming Tracy Feger to victory lane to celebrate his first-ever victory on the month-long tour.
Before anyone was blowing out any candles on a birthday cake, though, the 31-year-old Feger had plenty of work to do. Starting on the pole one night after blowing an engine at Charleston (Ill.) Speedway, Feger turned to his last functioning powerplant and mashed the gas to grab the lead while running the thin cushion ringing the track.
The driver known as the Highside Hustler fought off challenges from fellow front-row starter Scott James of Lawrenceburg, Ind., (who spun in turn four on the 13th lap) and last year's Tri-City Summernationals winner Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., through the first 25 laps of the race.
But Feger's stiffest challenges came Randy Korte of Highland, Ill., who ran an admittedly unorthodox line — "making the turns straightaways and making the straightaways turns," he said — by diving into turns one and three low on the wide racetrack while drifting up to gain ground, racing his way from his ninth starting spot up to second following a restart with 15 laps remaining.
A final caution for debris with less than 10 laps remaining set up a showdown with Feger, whose high side wasn't quite as reliable as before, and Korte, who aimed to cut across the corners and take the lead. Several times in the closing laps Korte nosed ahead in turns two and four, but he never had quite enough to get in front for good.
"The top was definitely going away there toward the end, and I knew it," Feger said. "I just knew, after running that many laps at that pace on the top side, I'd never be able to get it slowed down enough to get to the bottom, so I figured 'I'm going just have to stay up there and make it work until there's nothing left — or until I get passed.' Thankfully it was 40 laps, because I don't know if I'd been able to hold him off much longer."
"Randy's, he's a really good racer. ... We might rub a little here and there, but we're pretty good friends off the track, and you know you're going to get a hard race with him. He's not going to give you anything. He did a really good job. He could've tried to throw a dirty slide job or squeeze me into the wall, and he didn't do any of that. He ran a really good race."
Korte pushed Feger to the limit before settling for a second-place finish that unofficially moved him into a tie for the series points lead.
"All I could do was hope that Jason would screw up just once. He didn't screw up enough," Korte said. "When the top side is like that, Jason is probably the best in the business. I've never seen anybody get around the high side like he does.
"As long as we keep having finishes like this, I'm happy."
Moyer, the fast qualifier among 34 entrants, tried high and low to keep up with Feger but settled for third while two-time and reigning series champion lost ground early from his seventh starting spot but rallied back to finish fourth. Tenth-starting Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa, who earned $10,000 at Tri-City's Lucas Oil Series-sanctioned FedEx 50 on Memorial Day weekend, started 10th and raced up to fourth before losing that spot to Erb in the final laps. Kevin Weaver of Gibson City, Ill., who entered the race leading the series points, started sixth but faded to finish 10th and unofficially dropped into a tight for the lead with Korte with Erb just three points back.
The feature was slowed by five cautions, none for serious incidents. Shannon Babb pulled in to change a shredded tire on the third lap (then later retired his smoking No. 18 to the infield) and Mark Voigt had a lap-nine flat. The lap-13 spin of James brought out the third caution, and the two cautions in the second half of the race were for a slowing Steve Casebolt and debris in turn one.
Feger, who earned $7,500 for an early-season victory at Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway and then $7,650 for a World of Outlaws Late Model Series victory at Charter Raceway Park in Beaver Dam, Wis., was glad to finally win on a tour he's run regularly in recent years.
"I tell you what, we started off the year really hot, and we've been in a big slump here lately. We just haven't been able to get things going our way. We've had some motor problems and just haven't been able to catch a break," Feger said, crediting Birkhofer with helping to point him in the right direction with some changes on his Pierce Race Car. "My crew man, they've been working their tails off this whole Summernationals. This is a really tough deal and we've been at each other a little bit here and there because we've been struggling and it's been hot. ... this will definitely help us out and help us get down the road."
Feature: (1) Jason Feger, (2) Randy Korte, (3) Billy Moyer, (4) Dennis Erb Jr., (5) Brian Birkhofer, (6) Brian Shirley, (7) Steve Sheppard Jr., (8) Billy Laycock, (9) Mark Voigt, (10) Kevin Weaver, (11) Brandon Sheppard, (12) Ryan Unzicker, (13) Chad Zobrist, (14) Rodney Melvin, (15) Duane Chamberlain, (16) Steve Casebolt, (17) Scott James, (18) Shannon Babb, (19) Will Vaught, (20) Brent Kreke, (21) Terry Casey. Fast qualifier (among 34 cars): Moyer, 15.177 seconds. Heat race winners: Feger, James, Melvin, Moyer. Consolation winner: Babb. Provisional starters: Casey, S. Sheppard, Zobrist.
BY THE WAY -- HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!! Thanks to Julie, Kristi, Teresa, JoAnn and Sheri for helping me celebrate!
Summernationals are in full swing!!
The infamous Hell Tour is in full swing across the Midwest. Personally, I love it!!! The only part I hate is missing a few races due to my day job :) Ok, once in a while I do hate the races if the tracks become one lane, rubber upped, bottom dweller tracks with NO passing.
But that hasn't really happened yet -- so, I better knock on some wood or something really fast.
This isn't in chronological order, but here's what's been going on.
Last night -- Tri-State Speedway -- Great Racing!!!! Jason was fifth, started seventh. He was racing with Korte and Melvin for the second when something broke with the shock -- they told me but I already forgot what it was. Jeep won.
Great Track -- well worth the trip, going again last year.
Kamp -- Team Feger had to be the favorite there, but what a night!!!! Could have written a book about everything that went on. Long story short -- before I got there around 5:00, there was a massive down pour. The track crew tried working the track in but it didn't work. A mod went out to pack and than so did Jason. Soon all kinds of cars were packing. What I didn't know was all hell was breaking loose in the pits. Some drivers didn't want to run. That's their choice. But I've seen a few of those same drivers run on BAHA tracks for $2k.
To the main event. Jason started like eleventh, had moved up to seventh within 10 laps. So, we thought -- good and than all of a sudden he almost stopped on the front shoot. From than on, he didn't run as well and eventually pulled in.
The tranny was slipping, so he was trying to drive one handed and hold it in gear -- that doesn't work too well. Plus, on top of that he was concerned with the motor, a valve spring broke. Luckily, Matt Rhyne was on hand to take a look.
More bad news. Since you're reading this on the Feger blog, you gotta understand that I have a biased opinion about things that negatively impact the guys ;)--- UMP decided to modify the rules which really STINKS cause the drivers that didn't run get to give up a 10 point night. If you ran at Kamp, you also give up your one night of points. Your worse night, but chances are you are going to have to give up a 40 or 50 point night, not a 10 point night.
Love the new rule or hate the new rule -- don't really know yet -- we'll see at the end of series. If the guys miss a full night, guess I'll LOVE it. If they lose the SN points to one of the drivers who didn't run at Boswell by say 40 points, and Jason had to give up a 45 point night, I will really HATE it.
But hey, the guys did what was right, they argued to the death that they should race. They stood by their home track and the people who have been loyal to them. Grandpa would have been very proud of them.
So who won? Eric Smith!
What else --- Clarksville UGH!!!! I stayed home and caught info on www.4m.net and www.dirtondirt.com. Jason was starting outside front row of his heat, so I was extremely happy. Lap one, Jason was on the outside, moving to pass Weaver, Weaver drifted up, making contact with Jason's car. Jason went sideways, a car went over the nose of Jason's car and landed on top of Ryan Unzickers car. Some where in the midst of all the chaos, Wendall Wallace (a great driver) hurt has hand. Don't know if he broke his hand, wrist or exactly what. Good news -- Ryan and Jason were ok. Bad news it was pretty much carnage on cars. All kinds of things were messed up on poor Night Train's chassis. So Jason and Ryan both took provisionals to get in.
Kankakee -- Exciting night of racing. I'll have to try to remember everything. I'm SO VERY GLAD the night went well for K3. Races were very good. Love that track.
Where does that leave us -- tied for fourth or fifth in points with seven nights in and twenty to go.
But that hasn't really happened yet -- so, I better knock on some wood or something really fast.
This isn't in chronological order, but here's what's been going on.
Last night -- Tri-State Speedway -- Great Racing!!!! Jason was fifth, started seventh. He was racing with Korte and Melvin for the second when something broke with the shock -- they told me but I already forgot what it was. Jeep won.
Great Track -- well worth the trip, going again last year.
Kamp -- Team Feger had to be the favorite there, but what a night!!!! Could have written a book about everything that went on. Long story short -- before I got there around 5:00, there was a massive down pour. The track crew tried working the track in but it didn't work. A mod went out to pack and than so did Jason. Soon all kinds of cars were packing. What I didn't know was all hell was breaking loose in the pits. Some drivers didn't want to run. That's their choice. But I've seen a few of those same drivers run on BAHA tracks for $2k.
To the main event. Jason started like eleventh, had moved up to seventh within 10 laps. So, we thought -- good and than all of a sudden he almost stopped on the front shoot. From than on, he didn't run as well and eventually pulled in.
The tranny was slipping, so he was trying to drive one handed and hold it in gear -- that doesn't work too well. Plus, on top of that he was concerned with the motor, a valve spring broke. Luckily, Matt Rhyne was on hand to take a look.
More bad news. Since you're reading this on the Feger blog, you gotta understand that I have a biased opinion about things that negatively impact the guys ;)--- UMP decided to modify the rules which really STINKS cause the drivers that didn't run get to give up a 10 point night. If you ran at Kamp, you also give up your one night of points. Your worse night, but chances are you are going to have to give up a 40 or 50 point night, not a 10 point night.
Love the new rule or hate the new rule -- don't really know yet -- we'll see at the end of series. If the guys miss a full night, guess I'll LOVE it. If they lose the SN points to one of the drivers who didn't run at Boswell by say 40 points, and Jason had to give up a 45 point night, I will really HATE it.
But hey, the guys did what was right, they argued to the death that they should race. They stood by their home track and the people who have been loyal to them. Grandpa would have been very proud of them.
So who won? Eric Smith!
What else --- Clarksville UGH!!!! I stayed home and caught info on www.4m.net and www.dirtondirt.com. Jason was starting outside front row of his heat, so I was extremely happy. Lap one, Jason was on the outside, moving to pass Weaver, Weaver drifted up, making contact with Jason's car. Jason went sideways, a car went over the nose of Jason's car and landed on top of Ryan Unzickers car. Some where in the midst of all the chaos, Wendall Wallace (a great driver) hurt has hand. Don't know if he broke his hand, wrist or exactly what. Good news -- Ryan and Jason were ok. Bad news it was pretty much carnage on cars. All kinds of things were messed up on poor Night Train's chassis. So Jason and Ryan both took provisionals to get in.
Kankakee -- Exciting night of racing. I'll have to try to remember everything. I'm SO VERY GLAD the night went well for K3. Races were very good. Love that track.
Where does that leave us -- tied for fourth or fifth in points with seven nights in and twenty to go.
Feger Wins Heat at the Dream, Eldora Speedway
Geeeez, I haven't posted in such a long time. So very sorry. We've been SLAMMED.
So what's been going on -- all kinds of stuff -- so where to start --
THE DREAM AT ELDORA SPEEDWAY.
Jason qualified pretty darn good 21st out of 116 cars. Putting him on the pole of a loaded third heat. Outside Jason was his good friend Jeep Van Wormer. Three bad starts forced a single file restart. On that restart -- Jason was on a string around the top of the track. Jason thought Jeep was right on his tail due to the fact he usually would have been. Unfortunately, Jason couldn't see Austin signaling him due to the glare of the sun off the rigs in the infield.
In the feature Jason started fourth -- AWESOME!!!! There really was a chance for him to have a top 5 or 10, he was running a very solid 5th around lap 30 he started to fade. Come to find out, the right rear was losing pressure. That meant the stagger would be all messed up on the car. DARN IT!! But as they say, that's racing.
Here's the video from the heat race thanks to ABON!! Thanks so much ABON!!! aka Tony.
So what's been going on -- all kinds of stuff -- so where to start --
THE DREAM AT ELDORA SPEEDWAY.
Jason qualified pretty darn good 21st out of 116 cars. Putting him on the pole of a loaded third heat. Outside Jason was his good friend Jeep Van Wormer. Three bad starts forced a single file restart. On that restart -- Jason was on a string around the top of the track. Jason thought Jeep was right on his tail due to the fact he usually would have been. Unfortunately, Jason couldn't see Austin signaling him due to the glare of the sun off the rigs in the infield.
In the feature Jason started fourth -- AWESOME!!!! There really was a chance for him to have a top 5 or 10, he was running a very solid 5th around lap 30 he started to fade. Come to find out, the right rear was losing pressure. That meant the stagger would be all messed up on the car. DARN IT!! But as they say, that's racing.
Here's the video from the heat race thanks to ABON!! Thanks so much ABON!!! aka Tony.
WHAT A NIGHT!!!
Here's more from World of Outlaws Late Models website, written by Kevin Kovac
http://www.worldofoutlaws.com/LateModel/News/2009/May/052509_LM_TriStNotes.aspx
WHAT A NIGHT: It appeared that UMP DIRTcar star Jason Feger’s planned weekend of WoO LMS action might be done when he experienced terminal engine woes as he took the checkered flag in a heat-race transfer spot on Friday at U.S. 36 Raceway.“This is the first time we ran this car and motor this year and the motor broke,” said a dejected Feger, who headed home to Bloomington, Ill., after taking the A-Main green flag in Jason Frankel’s machine for start money. “We have the car we’ve run all year back in the shop, but it has a thousand laps on it so I don’t know if it can do two more (WoO LMS) shows.”
Alas, Feger, 30, decided to press on with his battle-tested equipment. He was in the parking lot of 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Iowa, when Saturday night’s program there was called off due to rain, and he made the tow to Charter on Sunday.Feger certainly made the correct choice. Using the tired-but-still-strong Pro Power engine that he bought several years ago for $10,000 from fellow racer Ryan Dauber, Feger set fast time and came off the outside pole to lead the 40-lap A-Main from flag-to-flag for his first career WoO LMS triumph.
While the win was undoubtedly the biggest of his dirt Late Model career, Feger was also proud of the fact that he gave chassis builder Bob Pierce his first victory in WoO LMS competition.“Bob Pierce has really helped me a bunch and now I think we’ve finally turned the corner with these cars,” said Feger. “It feels great to get Bob a World of Outlaws win, but I would’ve been just as excited if Stevie Sheppard (Jr.) was the first one to win (a WoO LMS event) with one of these cars. Stevie is one of my teammates, one of my sponsors and a real good friend, and he had a real good run Friday (at U.S. 36) with his (Pierce) car. I was jumping up-and-down on the sidelines rooting for him (until engines problems knocked Sheppard from contention).
”Feger hopes that his huge win will turn some heads and help fuel his desire to become a fulltime dirt Late Model driver in the future. His goal is to someday follow the WoO LMS.“I think a lot of the World of Outlaws guys have respect for me,” said Feger. “I’m friends with most of them. We get along good, and they know I can race with them because we’ve done it before.“I’d love to run with the World of Outlaws someday, but right now our program isn’t at that level. I have real good equipment, but I don’t have enough of it to get out and do it fulltime far from home.“Maybe some people who were here tonight that hadn’t seen me race might want to do something,” he continued. “But if nothing else comes from this win, it’s more money to keep funding this deal myself.”
DOWN IN THE DUMPS: UMP DIRTcar stalwart Steve Sheppard Jr. and his 16-year-old son Brandon had a busy weekend of WoO LMS racing planned, but it ended abruptly when a promising night at U.S. 36 Raceway went horribly wrong.The elder Sheppard saw what was shaping up to be the best WoO LMS performance of his career go south on lap 39. After leading laps 1-20 of the 50-lap A-Main and then moving back in to challenge eventual winner Steve Francis for the lead following a lap-33 caution flag, the New Berlin, Ill., driver pulled off with a burnt piston during a caution period.
With Brandon Sheppard already having dropped out of the B-Main due to engine trouble, Steve Sheppard was disconsolate in the pit area as his team loaded up. He said that Friday’s troubles left him with five broken motors, so he had no choice but to abandon his hopes of following the three-race swing.Sheppard could only wonder what might have been after flirting with WoO LMS glory.“I don’t know if I would’ve been able to get back by Francis, but I was gonna give ‘em all I had, I guarantee you that,” said Sheppard. “I think I had a shot, but we’ll never know now.”
http://www.worldofoutlaws.com/LateModel/News/2009/May/052509_LM_TriStNotes.aspx
WHAT A NIGHT: It appeared that UMP DIRTcar star Jason Feger’s planned weekend of WoO LMS action might be done when he experienced terminal engine woes as he took the checkered flag in a heat-race transfer spot on Friday at U.S. 36 Raceway.“This is the first time we ran this car and motor this year and the motor broke,” said a dejected Feger, who headed home to Bloomington, Ill., after taking the A-Main green flag in Jason Frankel’s machine for start money. “We have the car we’ve run all year back in the shop, but it has a thousand laps on it so I don’t know if it can do two more (WoO LMS) shows.”
Alas, Feger, 30, decided to press on with his battle-tested equipment. He was in the parking lot of 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Iowa, when Saturday night’s program there was called off due to rain, and he made the tow to Charter on Sunday.Feger certainly made the correct choice. Using the tired-but-still-strong Pro Power engine that he bought several years ago for $10,000 from fellow racer Ryan Dauber, Feger set fast time and came off the outside pole to lead the 40-lap A-Main from flag-to-flag for his first career WoO LMS triumph.
While the win was undoubtedly the biggest of his dirt Late Model career, Feger was also proud of the fact that he gave chassis builder Bob Pierce his first victory in WoO LMS competition.“Bob Pierce has really helped me a bunch and now I think we’ve finally turned the corner with these cars,” said Feger. “It feels great to get Bob a World of Outlaws win, but I would’ve been just as excited if Stevie Sheppard (Jr.) was the first one to win (a WoO LMS event) with one of these cars. Stevie is one of my teammates, one of my sponsors and a real good friend, and he had a real good run Friday (at U.S. 36) with his (Pierce) car. I was jumping up-and-down on the sidelines rooting for him (until engines problems knocked Sheppard from contention).
”Feger hopes that his huge win will turn some heads and help fuel his desire to become a fulltime dirt Late Model driver in the future. His goal is to someday follow the WoO LMS.“I think a lot of the World of Outlaws guys have respect for me,” said Feger. “I’m friends with most of them. We get along good, and they know I can race with them because we’ve done it before.“I’d love to run with the World of Outlaws someday, but right now our program isn’t at that level. I have real good equipment, but I don’t have enough of it to get out and do it fulltime far from home.“Maybe some people who were here tonight that hadn’t seen me race might want to do something,” he continued. “But if nothing else comes from this win, it’s more money to keep funding this deal myself.”
DOWN IN THE DUMPS: UMP DIRTcar stalwart Steve Sheppard Jr. and his 16-year-old son Brandon had a busy weekend of WoO LMS racing planned, but it ended abruptly when a promising night at U.S. 36 Raceway went horribly wrong.The elder Sheppard saw what was shaping up to be the best WoO LMS performance of his career go south on lap 39. After leading laps 1-20 of the 50-lap A-Main and then moving back in to challenge eventual winner Steve Francis for the lead following a lap-33 caution flag, the New Berlin, Ill., driver pulled off with a burnt piston during a caution period.
With Brandon Sheppard already having dropped out of the B-Main due to engine trouble, Steve Sheppard was disconsolate in the pit area as his team loaded up. He said that Friday’s troubles left him with five broken motors, so he had no choice but to abandon his hopes of following the three-race swing.Sheppard could only wonder what might have been after flirting with WoO LMS glory.“I don’t know if I would’ve been able to get back by Francis, but I was gonna give ‘em all I had, I guarantee you that,” said Sheppard. “I think I had a shot, but we’ll never know now.”
Jason Feger Hustles Around High Side For First Career World of Outlaws Late Model Series
From World of Outlaws website: http://www.worldofoutlaws.com/latemodel/news/2009/may/052409_lm_rrcharter.aspx
Victory At Charter Raceway ParkPosted Monday, May 25, 2009
Beaver Dam, WI — By Kevin Kovac, WoO LMS P.R. DirectorJason Feger lived up to his nickname on Sunday night at Charter Raceway Park.Tossing his car around the extreme top of the one-third-mile oval, the ‘Highside Hustler’ led the 40-lap Tri-State Late Model Challenge A-Main from flag-to-flag to record his first career victory on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series.Feger, 30, of Bloomington, Ill., outgunned polesitter Matt Miller of Waterville, Ohio, for the lead at the initial green flag and never looked back.
The personable UMP DIRTcar Racing star turned back some challenges from Miller and survived a lap-34 caution flag to pocket a career-best race payoff of $7,650.“I knew the outside would be good, but I didn’t know how good and for how long,” said Feger, who started second in his family-owned Bob Pierce Chassis car. “I knew I had to try running it, though, so I just told the guys, ‘We’re gonna hang on as long as we can hang on up there.’ “Luckily it stayed good enough up top for the whole race and the bottom wasn’t quite quick enough. It all worked out in our favor.”
Miller settled for a career-high WoO LMS finish of second in Larry Moring’s MasterSbilt machine. He couldn’t stay with Feger after the race’s lone restart on lap 34, finishing 1.318 seconds behind.Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis., battled forward from the fifth starting spot to finish third in his Bloomquist Team Zero Chassis, falling short of a victory in front of his homestate fans.
Terry Casey of New London, Wis., placed fourth in his Rayburn mount and Rick Eckert of York, Pa., completed the top five in Raye Vest’s Bloomquist Team Zero Chassis.Feger, whose previous best WoO LMS finish was a fourth on Sept. 13, 2008, at I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo., was ecstatic when he reached Victory Lane on the speedway’s homestretch.
He high-fived and hugged his crew, which is led by Feger’s brother Austin (the Integra Shocks ‘Wrench of the Race’ Award winner), and acknowledged a loud cheer from the crowd.
“We’ve been thinking about winning one of these World of Outlaws races for a long time,” said Feger, who entered Sunday’s UMP DIRTcar co-sanctioned event ranked second in the organization’s national points standings.
“We love racing with the World of Outlaws and we’ve come close a few times, but I didn’t know if (a victory) was gonna happen – especially at a track we’ve never seen.“But maybe racing at this place for the first time was to our advantage. We didn’t know anything about it, so in this situation all you gotta do is get out there and race.
That’s what we did – and after we qualified good (recording fast time), that kinda set the tone for the whole night.”Feger’s triumph – a checkered flag he called “the biggest win of my career” – came after he experienced a dismal outing in Friday night’s Tri-State Late Model Challenge opener at U.S. 36 Raceway in Osborn, Mo.
He suffered a broken motor at the end of his heat race, forcing him to take the green flag in another car and then drive back to his shop in central Illinois to retrieve his backup car for the remainder of the weekend’s action.
Miller, who made his first WoO LMS start of the 2009 season, never found the opportunity to overtake Feger that he hoped would materialize.“After I couldn’t slide up and get ahead of (Feger) at the start, I tried to bide my time behind him,” said Miller. “I know that he’s pretty aggressive running the top – and if you attack that cushion, you can get in trouble.
I wanted to be in position to take advantage of any bobble he might make, but I didn’t stay close enough to him. When we got to (lapped) traffic it seemed like he’d clear a car and then I’d get hung up, and that just cost me too much ground.”Brady Smith, meanwhile, dearly wanted to win for the dozens of family members and friends he had watching his only WoO LMS appearance of the season in Wisconsin, but the 31-year-old struggled to advance with the outside line the preferred way around the track. He gained control of third place on lap 14, but he found himself nearly a straightaway behind Miller and didn’t pull within striking distance of the second-place runner until just before Grand Forks, N.D.’s Dustin Hapka spun in turn two to bring out the lap-34 caution flag.
“We had a really good car,” said Smith, who registered his second consecutive top-five finish on the WoO LMS. “But it was tough to pass because the top was dominant. We made some moves to go forward, but we couldn’t get up there to challenge (Feger) and that was disappointing.”Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., finished sixth after running as high as third. Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., moved up three spots to place seventh, followed by 13th-starter Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga.,WoO LMS points leader Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., and Vic Coffey of Caledonia, N.Y., who recorded his first top-10 finish of the season.Defending tour champion Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., who switched to his backup car after his primary mount developed a minor engine problem during time trials, finished 11th.
A 32-car field was signed in for the program, which was run under clear and cool conditions. It was the first WoO LMS event at Charter since May 12, 2007.Feger registered his first career WoO LMS fast-time award, topping the Ohlins Shocks Time Trials with a lap of 14.535 seconds. He pocketed a $50 bonus for his effort.Heat winners were Miller, Brady Smith, Eckert and Fuller. The B-Main was captured by Nick Anvelink of Navarino, Wis.
The WoO LMS now heads east for a three-race swing that visits Delaware International Speedway in Delmar, Del., on Thurs., May 28; Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway on Sat., May 30; and Tyler County Speedway in Middlebourne, W.Va., on Sun., May 31.For more information on the WoO LMS, visit http://www.worldofoutlaws.com/.
Results of WoO Late Model Series at Charter Raceway Park
(Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):
1. (2) Jason Feger/40 $7,650
2. (1) Matt Miller/40 $3,000
3. (5) Brady Smith/40 $2,550
4. (3) Terry Casey/40 $1,700
5. (7) Rick Eckert/40 $2,000
6. (4) Tim Fuller/40 $1,800
7. (12) Steve Francis/40 $1,800
8. (13) Shane Clanton/40 $1,600
9. (14) Josh Richards/40 $1,500
10. (10) Vic Coffey/40 $1,450
Victory At Charter Raceway ParkPosted Monday, May 25, 2009
Beaver Dam, WI — By Kevin Kovac, WoO LMS P.R. DirectorJason Feger lived up to his nickname on Sunday night at Charter Raceway Park.Tossing his car around the extreme top of the one-third-mile oval, the ‘Highside Hustler’ led the 40-lap Tri-State Late Model Challenge A-Main from flag-to-flag to record his first career victory on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series.Feger, 30, of Bloomington, Ill., outgunned polesitter Matt Miller of Waterville, Ohio, for the lead at the initial green flag and never looked back.
The personable UMP DIRTcar Racing star turned back some challenges from Miller and survived a lap-34 caution flag to pocket a career-best race payoff of $7,650.“I knew the outside would be good, but I didn’t know how good and for how long,” said Feger, who started second in his family-owned Bob Pierce Chassis car. “I knew I had to try running it, though, so I just told the guys, ‘We’re gonna hang on as long as we can hang on up there.’ “Luckily it stayed good enough up top for the whole race and the bottom wasn’t quite quick enough. It all worked out in our favor.”
Miller settled for a career-high WoO LMS finish of second in Larry Moring’s MasterSbilt machine. He couldn’t stay with Feger after the race’s lone restart on lap 34, finishing 1.318 seconds behind.Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis., battled forward from the fifth starting spot to finish third in his Bloomquist Team Zero Chassis, falling short of a victory in front of his homestate fans.
Terry Casey of New London, Wis., placed fourth in his Rayburn mount and Rick Eckert of York, Pa., completed the top five in Raye Vest’s Bloomquist Team Zero Chassis.Feger, whose previous best WoO LMS finish was a fourth on Sept. 13, 2008, at I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo., was ecstatic when he reached Victory Lane on the speedway’s homestretch.
He high-fived and hugged his crew, which is led by Feger’s brother Austin (the Integra Shocks ‘Wrench of the Race’ Award winner), and acknowledged a loud cheer from the crowd.
“We’ve been thinking about winning one of these World of Outlaws races for a long time,” said Feger, who entered Sunday’s UMP DIRTcar co-sanctioned event ranked second in the organization’s national points standings.
“We love racing with the World of Outlaws and we’ve come close a few times, but I didn’t know if (a victory) was gonna happen – especially at a track we’ve never seen.“But maybe racing at this place for the first time was to our advantage. We didn’t know anything about it, so in this situation all you gotta do is get out there and race.
That’s what we did – and after we qualified good (recording fast time), that kinda set the tone for the whole night.”Feger’s triumph – a checkered flag he called “the biggest win of my career” – came after he experienced a dismal outing in Friday night’s Tri-State Late Model Challenge opener at U.S. 36 Raceway in Osborn, Mo.
He suffered a broken motor at the end of his heat race, forcing him to take the green flag in another car and then drive back to his shop in central Illinois to retrieve his backup car for the remainder of the weekend’s action.
Miller, who made his first WoO LMS start of the 2009 season, never found the opportunity to overtake Feger that he hoped would materialize.“After I couldn’t slide up and get ahead of (Feger) at the start, I tried to bide my time behind him,” said Miller. “I know that he’s pretty aggressive running the top – and if you attack that cushion, you can get in trouble.
I wanted to be in position to take advantage of any bobble he might make, but I didn’t stay close enough to him. When we got to (lapped) traffic it seemed like he’d clear a car and then I’d get hung up, and that just cost me too much ground.”Brady Smith, meanwhile, dearly wanted to win for the dozens of family members and friends he had watching his only WoO LMS appearance of the season in Wisconsin, but the 31-year-old struggled to advance with the outside line the preferred way around the track. He gained control of third place on lap 14, but he found himself nearly a straightaway behind Miller and didn’t pull within striking distance of the second-place runner until just before Grand Forks, N.D.’s Dustin Hapka spun in turn two to bring out the lap-34 caution flag.
“We had a really good car,” said Smith, who registered his second consecutive top-five finish on the WoO LMS. “But it was tough to pass because the top was dominant. We made some moves to go forward, but we couldn’t get up there to challenge (Feger) and that was disappointing.”Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., finished sixth after running as high as third. Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., moved up three spots to place seventh, followed by 13th-starter Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga.,WoO LMS points leader Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., and Vic Coffey of Caledonia, N.Y., who recorded his first top-10 finish of the season.Defending tour champion Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., who switched to his backup car after his primary mount developed a minor engine problem during time trials, finished 11th.
A 32-car field was signed in for the program, which was run under clear and cool conditions. It was the first WoO LMS event at Charter since May 12, 2007.Feger registered his first career WoO LMS fast-time award, topping the Ohlins Shocks Time Trials with a lap of 14.535 seconds. He pocketed a $50 bonus for his effort.Heat winners were Miller, Brady Smith, Eckert and Fuller. The B-Main was captured by Nick Anvelink of Navarino, Wis.
The WoO LMS now heads east for a three-race swing that visits Delaware International Speedway in Delmar, Del., on Thurs., May 28; Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway on Sat., May 30; and Tyler County Speedway in Middlebourne, W.Va., on Sun., May 31.For more information on the WoO LMS, visit http://www.worldofoutlaws.com/.
Results of WoO Late Model Series at Charter Raceway Park
(Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):
1. (2) Jason Feger/40 $7,650
2. (1) Matt Miller/40 $3,000
3. (5) Brady Smith/40 $2,550
4. (3) Terry Casey/40 $1,700
5. (7) Rick Eckert/40 $2,000
6. (4) Tim Fuller/40 $1,800
7. (12) Steve Francis/40 $1,800
8. (13) Shane Clanton/40 $1,600
9. (14) Josh Richards/40 $1,500
10. (10) Vic Coffey/40 $1,450
Tough week, Paducah and Kamp
Last week we were all looking forward to getting down to an awesome track -- Paducah Kentucky! The rain won out on Thursday, but Friday the Lucas Oil boys were in town. The Feger team headed to Paducah, but ended up fighting a broken axle on the trailer. Got the trailer fixed and headed to Paducah.
Feger won his heat and finished eigth in the feature.
The following night, team Feger won at Boswell, Indiana as the Lucas Oil race in LaSalle, Illinois was rained out.
So, during the week, Jason tracked down a place in Indiana to build trailer axles, he made the eleven plus hour round trip while Austin picked up the motor from Mulvain for Split Lip.
The guys worked late into the night to get everything done and headed for Osborn, Missouri for the first night of the WOO Tri-State Challenge.
Hot laps went good, running fifth in the heat and WHAM, the motor blew on the last lap. Less than 30 laps on it, darn it!
For the feature Jason borrowed a car (sorry, I don't know who) to get his start money. The highlight of the night was how well Shep ran, he lead the feature for nearly 20 laps before the Kentucky Colonel got him in lapped traffic, unfortunately, Shep also blew during the feature. A WOO win escaped the Pierce team.
The guys made the nearly six hour trip home to pick up Night Train with the little motor. Next part of the week-end WOO series was Burlington, Iowa. The guys got to the track and waited before buying pit passes. Grandma, Holly and I were half way to the track when Jason called and said it was a rain out. DARN it!
Jason considered making the nearly 4 hour trek to Fairbury, but opted against it.
Everyone came home. Yesterday morning, the guys headed North for the final leg of the WOO Challenge. Charter Raceway in Beaver Dam Wisconsin.
GLAD they did -- first WOO WIN!!!!
Feger won his heat and finished eigth in the feature.
The following night, team Feger won at Boswell, Indiana as the Lucas Oil race in LaSalle, Illinois was rained out.
So, during the week, Jason tracked down a place in Indiana to build trailer axles, he made the eleven plus hour round trip while Austin picked up the motor from Mulvain for Split Lip.
The guys worked late into the night to get everything done and headed for Osborn, Missouri for the first night of the WOO Tri-State Challenge.
Hot laps went good, running fifth in the heat and WHAM, the motor blew on the last lap. Less than 30 laps on it, darn it!
For the feature Jason borrowed a car (sorry, I don't know who) to get his start money. The highlight of the night was how well Shep ran, he lead the feature for nearly 20 laps before the Kentucky Colonel got him in lapped traffic, unfortunately, Shep also blew during the feature. A WOO win escaped the Pierce team.
The guys made the nearly six hour trip home to pick up Night Train with the little motor. Next part of the week-end WOO series was Burlington, Iowa. The guys got to the track and waited before buying pit passes. Grandma, Holly and I were half way to the track when Jason called and said it was a rain out. DARN it!
Jason considered making the nearly 4 hour trek to Fairbury, but opted against it.
Everyone came home. Yesterday morning, the guys headed North for the final leg of the WOO Challenge. Charter Raceway in Beaver Dam Wisconsin.
GLAD they did -- first WOO WIN!!!!
Purkey Outduals Feger, grabs WDRL victory
From World Dirt Racing League website:
By Rusty Daufeldt, WORLD Dirt Racing League
East Moline, Ill. (May 11, 2009) -- The WORLD Dirt Racing League was up for round 2 of its 2009 season here Sunday at Quad City Raceway, and racing fans who made the journey to the tight, high banks of QCR were treated to some of the best door-to-door action seen so far this season.
Thirty-one WDRL cars and drivers were on hand to take their shot at the $5,000 top prize as Chad Simpson in his no. 25 car sought to extend his early season point lead.
Four ultra-competitive heat races started the evening with the top finishers coming from the rear of the field in each event.
The eight-car pole dash was Quad City Raceway's version of Talladega with the top positions two by two from start to finish.
The 40-lap main event went flag to flag with intense racing throughout the entire field. Al Purkey of Coffeyville, Kan., darted into the early lead with WDRL Rookie of the Year contender Chad Mahder in tow.
Simpson raced hard with Mahder, eventually getting by him. But then came the thriller of the night in the form of the "Highside Hustler," Jason Feger of Bloomington, Ill.
Overtaking both Mahder and Simpson, Feger rode the rail on the top side of the speedway with his site set on the front-running Purkey. Feger had Purkey passed on three different occasions but Purkey was able to battle back into the lead each time.
Intense lapping traffic, three wide most of the time, played a huge roll in the outcome of the race as each driver darted high and low to pass lapped cars everywhere on the race track.
Just before the halfway point, Feger showed his nose to Purkey down the back straightaway, with Simpson running a strong third at the time. All three drivers were on the same straightaway for almost the entire second half of the race. But each time Feger would complete a pass, Purkey was right there to take it back.
Feger took one last look to the inside of Purkey on the last lap, made a move to the bottom that did not work and had to settle for second place as Purkey took the checkered flag.
It was the first WORLD Dirt Racing League win for Purkey, who has committed to running the entire WDRL schedule
"I was racing (Feger) hard, I knew he was there and we got together there on the front stretch, but that's quarter-mile racing," Purkey said in a post-race interview referring to some contact on the tight race track. "I think he would have done the same thing. It's just good hard racing. I'm sure there's no hard feelings."
Simpson turned in another strong performance, finishing third in the final rundown and still on the same straightaway as the leaders. Dennis Erb was able to negotiate lapped traffic to post a strong fourth-place finish while rookie Chad Mahder was able to hold on to fifth.
RACE REPORT
QUAD CITY RACEWAY
EAST MOLINE, ILL.
SUNDAY, MAY 10, 2009
First Qualifying Heat Race: 1. Dave Eckrich, 2. Andrew McKay, 3. Al Purkey.
Second Qualifying Heat Race: 1. Chris Simpson, 2. Gordie Seegert, 3. Mike Murphy.
Third Qualifying Heat Race: 1. Chad Mahder, 2. Chad Simpson, 3. Dennis Erb.
Fourth Qualifying Heat Race: 1. Jason Feger, 2. Denny Eckrich, 3. Curt Martin.
Consolation Race : 1. Frank Heckenast Jr., 2. Rich Bell, 3. Tim Isenberg, 4. Eric Pember, 5. Jeremy Grady, 6. Jason Utter, 7. Richie Hedrix, 8. Bill Koons, 9. Mike Cothron, 10. Matt Furman, 11. Robb Moss, 12. Steve Lance.
Iowa-Illinois Taylor Insulation Pole Dash: 1. Al Purkey, 2. Chad Mahder, 3. Chad Simpson, 4. Jason Feger, 5. Chris Simpson, 6. Dave Eckrich, 7. Dennis Erb, 8. Gordie Seegert.
40 Lap Feature: 1, Al Purkey 2. Jason Feger, 3. Chad Simpson, 4. Dennis Erb, 5. Chad Mahder, 6. Denny Eckrich, 7. Dave Eckrich, 8. Gordie Seegert, 9. John Kaanta, 10. Chris Simpson, 11. Ted Looms, 12. Curt Martin, 13. Andrew McKay, 14. Tim Lance, 15. Frank Heckenast Jr., 16. Tim Isenberg, 17. Rob Tonal, 18. Mike Murphy, 19. Eric Pember, 20. Jeremey Grady, 21. Brian Harris, 22. Rich Bell, 23. Jamie Zodiac, 24. Rob Moss.
By Rusty Daufeldt, WORLD Dirt Racing League
East Moline, Ill. (May 11, 2009) -- The WORLD Dirt Racing League was up for round 2 of its 2009 season here Sunday at Quad City Raceway, and racing fans who made the journey to the tight, high banks of QCR were treated to some of the best door-to-door action seen so far this season.
Thirty-one WDRL cars and drivers were on hand to take their shot at the $5,000 top prize as Chad Simpson in his no. 25 car sought to extend his early season point lead.
Four ultra-competitive heat races started the evening with the top finishers coming from the rear of the field in each event.
The eight-car pole dash was Quad City Raceway's version of Talladega with the top positions two by two from start to finish.
The 40-lap main event went flag to flag with intense racing throughout the entire field. Al Purkey of Coffeyville, Kan., darted into the early lead with WDRL Rookie of the Year contender Chad Mahder in tow.
Simpson raced hard with Mahder, eventually getting by him. But then came the thriller of the night in the form of the "Highside Hustler," Jason Feger of Bloomington, Ill.
Overtaking both Mahder and Simpson, Feger rode the rail on the top side of the speedway with his site set on the front-running Purkey. Feger had Purkey passed on three different occasions but Purkey was able to battle back into the lead each time.
Intense lapping traffic, three wide most of the time, played a huge roll in the outcome of the race as each driver darted high and low to pass lapped cars everywhere on the race track.
Just before the halfway point, Feger showed his nose to Purkey down the back straightaway, with Simpson running a strong third at the time. All three drivers were on the same straightaway for almost the entire second half of the race. But each time Feger would complete a pass, Purkey was right there to take it back.
Feger took one last look to the inside of Purkey on the last lap, made a move to the bottom that did not work and had to settle for second place as Purkey took the checkered flag.
It was the first WORLD Dirt Racing League win for Purkey, who has committed to running the entire WDRL schedule
"I was racing (Feger) hard, I knew he was there and we got together there on the front stretch, but that's quarter-mile racing," Purkey said in a post-race interview referring to some contact on the tight race track. "I think he would have done the same thing. It's just good hard racing. I'm sure there's no hard feelings."
Simpson turned in another strong performance, finishing third in the final rundown and still on the same straightaway as the leaders. Dennis Erb was able to negotiate lapped traffic to post a strong fourth-place finish while rookie Chad Mahder was able to hold on to fifth.
RACE REPORT
QUAD CITY RACEWAY
EAST MOLINE, ILL.
SUNDAY, MAY 10, 2009
First Qualifying Heat Race: 1. Dave Eckrich, 2. Andrew McKay, 3. Al Purkey.
Second Qualifying Heat Race: 1. Chris Simpson, 2. Gordie Seegert, 3. Mike Murphy.
Third Qualifying Heat Race: 1. Chad Mahder, 2. Chad Simpson, 3. Dennis Erb.
Fourth Qualifying Heat Race: 1. Jason Feger, 2. Denny Eckrich, 3. Curt Martin.
Consolation Race : 1. Frank Heckenast Jr., 2. Rich Bell, 3. Tim Isenberg, 4. Eric Pember, 5. Jeremy Grady, 6. Jason Utter, 7. Richie Hedrix, 8. Bill Koons, 9. Mike Cothron, 10. Matt Furman, 11. Robb Moss, 12. Steve Lance.
Iowa-Illinois Taylor Insulation Pole Dash: 1. Al Purkey, 2. Chad Mahder, 3. Chad Simpson, 4. Jason Feger, 5. Chris Simpson, 6. Dave Eckrich, 7. Dennis Erb, 8. Gordie Seegert.
40 Lap Feature: 1, Al Purkey 2. Jason Feger, 3. Chad Simpson, 4. Dennis Erb, 5. Chad Mahder, 6. Denny Eckrich, 7. Dave Eckrich, 8. Gordie Seegert, 9. John Kaanta, 10. Chris Simpson, 11. Ted Looms, 12. Curt Martin, 13. Andrew McKay, 14. Tim Lance, 15. Frank Heckenast Jr., 16. Tim Isenberg, 17. Rob Tonal, 18. Mike Murphy, 19. Eric Pember, 20. Jeremey Grady, 21. Brian Harris, 22. Rich Bell, 23. Jamie Zodiac, 24. Rob Moss.
Feger wins Kamp
Last Friday and Saturday was the time to hit both of our home tracks. Darn rain won out at FC. But, Saturday we made it over to Kamp. Guess what -- we didn't take the tshirt trailer, so I got to watch the races. YEAH!!!
Tammie and Phil were already there when we got to the track. Phil had polish sausage, so Gma couldn't resist.
Twenty-six late models were on hand.
Timing, Jason qualified 5th. In his heat, things looked bad, he faded and finished fourth.
I'm sitting watching races and realized my Mom, Gma hadn't came back from the bathroom. Darn woman, Holly and I loose her all the time! I go look for her and have an Ah-ha moment.
Realized she was watching Kasey Kahne, her other favorite driver race in the Bossingham motor home :)
Late model feature time. Jason started pretty far back, like eighth, but at least that was better than starting 16th! I was pretty nervous, that's a lot of cars to pass in a short feature. Jason darted in and out of traffic extremely quickly and took the lead on lap five, he was on fire. As Brettman would say, he drove it like he stole it.
Tammie and Phil were already there when we got to the track. Phil had polish sausage, so Gma couldn't resist.
Twenty-six late models were on hand.
Timing, Jason qualified 5th. In his heat, things looked bad, he faded and finished fourth.
I'm sitting watching races and realized my Mom, Gma hadn't came back from the bathroom. Darn woman, Holly and I loose her all the time! I go look for her and have an Ah-ha moment.
Realized she was watching Kasey Kahne, her other favorite driver race in the Bossingham motor home :)
Late model feature time. Jason started pretty far back, like eighth, but at least that was better than starting 16th! I was pretty nervous, that's a lot of cars to pass in a short feature. Jason darted in and out of traffic extremely quickly and took the lead on lap five, he was on fire. As Brettman would say, he drove it like he stole it.
Shepps Speedway in Alexander, IL
Sampson & I headed off to Sheps Speedway last Sunday for the first time. Steve, his Dad, Miss and everyone did a great job on the track. It's pretty small and tight, but it was very racey. From a fans point of view -- you are right there on the track. Be sure to go check it out.
The races -- Jason finished fifth that night. Weaver won, Jeep, than Shep or someone else was fourth. I don't remember. Jeep and Weaver had a tought fight going for first.
Jason started a bit back and moved up pretty well.
We'll be back again -- pretty soon for the Tri-Track Challenge.
The races -- Jason finished fifth that night. Weaver won, Jeep, than Shep or someone else was fourth. I don't remember. Jeep and Weaver had a tought fight going for first.
Jason started a bit back and moved up pretty well.
We'll be back again -- pretty soon for the Tri-Track Challenge.
Feger Takes Nourie Memorial at Fairbury American Legion Speedway
Jason Feger won his heat and drew a fourth place starting spot for the Nourie Memorial Northern All Stars race at Fairbury American Legion Speedway on May 2, 2009. Thirty-six late models were on hand for the event.
After a week of rain, the speedway's track crew worked hard but couldn't get all of the ruts removed. No track would have held up with all the moisture from the previous week.
Feger started second row outside, infront of him on the pole of row one was Dennis Erb Jr. with Kevin Cole on the outside. Inside of the second row Gwas another Pierce car, Brandon Sheppard of New Berlin.
The late models flew across the rough track, at several points you could see all four tires off the track. On lap 18 Jason put a move on Erb in number three turn and slid underneath of him taking the lead. Erb would get close several times, but Feger found the smoother way around the track taking the forty lap feature. Grandpa would have been smiling ear to ear, I sure was.
It was Jason's first win at the historic speedway. Team Feger's crew was also rewarded for their hard work, with a big check and trophy to the crew chief Austin Feger. Thanks to Aftershock for the crew honors.
Brett, Kim and Kristi were besides themselves to have Jason pick up the win at their home track of Fairbury. They were most definately smiling ear to ear, their night was made and they celebrated till dawn.
Plus, a GIGANTIC KUDOS to the track and everyone involved in the Memorial event, they did an awesome job honoring their friend.
After a week of rain, the speedway's track crew worked hard but couldn't get all of the ruts removed. No track would have held up with all the moisture from the previous week.
Feger started second row outside, infront of him on the pole of row one was Dennis Erb Jr. with Kevin Cole on the outside. Inside of the second row Gwas another Pierce car, Brandon Sheppard of New Berlin.
The late models flew across the rough track, at several points you could see all four tires off the track. On lap 18 Jason put a move on Erb in number three turn and slid underneath of him taking the lead. Erb would get close several times, but Feger found the smoother way around the track taking the forty lap feature. Grandpa would have been smiling ear to ear, I sure was.
It was Jason's first win at the historic speedway. Team Feger's crew was also rewarded for their hard work, with a big check and trophy to the crew chief Austin Feger. Thanks to Aftershock for the crew honors.
Brett, Kim and Kristi were besides themselves to have Jason pick up the win at their home track of Fairbury. They were most definately smiling ear to ear, their night was made and they celebrated till dawn.
Plus, a GIGANTIC KUDOS to the track and everyone involved in the Memorial event, they did an awesome job honoring their friend.
New Track Record set at Lincoln Speedway by Feger
Jason Feger broke his old track record at Lincoln Speedway the second night out of the Monster Midwest Series. Feger won his heat and would start sixth in the feature.
Steve Sheppard of New Berlin jumped to the early lead. Feger battled his way to the front and took the lead with 22 laps to go. Three laps to go, Feger hit very congested lapped traffic, Shep was able to get by on the top.
CONGRATS to Steve Sheppard, Jr on the well-deserved win!!!
Next up was to be Paducah, unfortunately they are rained out. So the guys headed to Farley, Iowa.
Steve Sheppard of New Berlin jumped to the early lead. Feger battled his way to the front and took the lead with 22 laps to go. Three laps to go, Feger hit very congested lapped traffic, Shep was able to get by on the top.
CONGRATS to Steve Sheppard, Jr on the well-deserved win!!!
Next up was to be Paducah, unfortunately they are rained out. So the guys headed to Farley, Iowa.
Feger Wins Monster Midwest at Kamp!
Jason Feger put on a show at one of our favorite tracks, Kamp Motor Speedway in Boswell, Indiana.
The Kamp team fought the wind and broken pump to get the show in.
Feger had a right rear flat in the heat, causing him to exit the track by lap two. YIKES!! That meant he was going to start last in the B-Main.
Feger won the B-Main and started 16th in the 30 lap main event. Eric Smith took the early lead with Frank Heckenast, Jr battling him for second. Lap by lap, Jason picked off the field. With 6 or 7 laps left, Feger took the lead and didn't look back. How very exciting.
Jason was exhausted and glad the race was 30 laps.
I'll work on getting a few photos posted.
The Kamp team fought the wind and broken pump to get the show in.
Feger had a right rear flat in the heat, causing him to exit the track by lap two. YIKES!! That meant he was going to start last in the B-Main.
Feger won the B-Main and started 16th in the 30 lap main event. Eric Smith took the early lead with Frank Heckenast, Jr battling him for second. Lap by lap, Jason picked off the field. With 6 or 7 laps left, Feger took the lead and didn't look back. How very exciting.
Jason was exhausted and glad the race was 30 laps.
I'll work on getting a few photos posted.
Tri-City Frostbuster 50
YIKES!!! Last Friday, April 17 did not go well at Tri-City Speedway's "Frostbuster 50" in Granite City, Illinois near St. Louis. Weather was great, 45 or 48 late models at the track, stands were full. Miss Sheppard, Dixie (my dog) and I were in the Feger-Shep souvenir trailer most of the night. Miss and I were taking turns watching the heats. When Steve and Brandon raced, she watched the heats. When Jason was out, I watched. Jason finished fifth in his heat, which meant he'd have to go through the semi. Darn it :(
Dixie was not happy at all, but for a complete different reason. My poor dog wanted nothing to do with the dirt that was slingin' up and hitting her as we sat on the bottom row of the stands.
Jason won the semi by a pretty good margin. He looked very good, like he'd be able to move forward in the feature. YEAH!!!!
Feature time, my plan was to cover up Dixie with a blanket on the bottom of the stands so if the dirt hit, she wouldn't mind as much. Typically she will sit still through a very long race. A shout of thanks is needed to the guy in the stands who helped me cover Dixie up before the feature.
Feger started 16th, with Birky and Vaught on the pole. Behind the front row were Don Oneal, Scott James and several other very good drivers. Jason started picking off drivers in the rear one by one. He looked good, potentially a top five car.
Lap 12 -- Jason was up to eigth, battling Brad Neat for seventh. WHAM, Dixie gets hit by a big dirt clod, so we had to move, she wasn't about to stay put for the entire feature. We move to the aisle between the stands all the while watching the feature. KABOOM, within two laps Jason SLAMS into the front stretch wall, nose first exactly where we were sitting. Fence poles tumble down, the garbage can went flying and Dixie and I went running to see if Jason was ok. Poor Night Train didn't so look good. Jason was trying to back up, he had NO idea that the right rear axle was broken. I was just glad he was ok.
The guy who helped me cover up Dixie was saying that dog acts like she know him. So, I'm like, heck yes she does! That's her car and her boy! Dixie pulls me over to the fence, smelling in the air. I don't know if she could hear Jason talking to the officials or what.
So, back to the race. Tri-City threw the red flag. Poor Night Train and Jason were hooked up by the wrecker and dragged off to the pits looking very pathetic. The back hoe came out, officials had to replace three fence posts with new ones. Nearly 30 minutes everything was ready to go racing and Dixie and I went back to the souvenir trailer.
Birky won, so congrats to the Birkhoffer-Mars teams.
Birky won, so congrats to the Birkhoffer-Mars teams.
Budha, Dixie and I left the track around midnight to make the trek home. The guys came home a couple of hours later, maybe around 4:30 - 5:00 in the morning. Saturday was supposed to be Kamp. Unfortunately, all the guys were in the shop working on the car all day and most of the evening.
Sunday was supposed to be Quad Cities for the UMP/WDRL challenge, but the weather won that race.
Next on the schedule: "The Opening Extravaganza" at Kankakee on Friday, Kamp Motor Speedway on Saturday and Lincoln Speedway on Sunday. A triple header, all events part of the Monster Midwest Series.
See ya there!
Motor is BACK and IN THE CAR!!!
WOO HOO!!! I hear the car running!! How sweet is that!!
We'll be racing all week-end. Thanks to Mulvain Motorsports.
We'll be racing all week-end. Thanks to Mulvain Motorsports.
Motor Problems
UGH!!! Darn it!!! The motor needs some work done to it. It only had like 7 nights on it!!
I'm not sure exactly what is wrong, I think it has something to do with the cam. Might sound crazy -- but typically I never really ask, sort of hoping for the no news is good news thing to happen. Plus, when it comes to motors if it is bad, it is quite depressing and everyone that comes and goes at this house gets in a major racing funk.
So, hopefully the guys will be able to get the motor back from Mike Mullvain on Thursday or early Friday morning to get it back in the car before Tri-City so we can have a full week-end of racing.
If not, I'm not 100% sure what will happen, perhaps they will borrow Bob's motor.
So, keep your fingers crossed :) that Mullvain was able to get the parts and get that motor together.
I'll try to update when I know more.
I'm not sure exactly what is wrong, I think it has something to do with the cam. Might sound crazy -- but typically I never really ask, sort of hoping for the no news is good news thing to happen. Plus, when it comes to motors if it is bad, it is quite depressing and everyone that comes and goes at this house gets in a major racing funk.
So, hopefully the guys will be able to get the motor back from Mike Mullvain on Thursday or early Friday morning to get it back in the car before Tri-City so we can have a full week-end of racing.
If not, I'm not 100% sure what will happen, perhaps they will borrow Bob's motor.
So, keep your fingers crossed :) that Mullvain was able to get the parts and get that motor together.
I'll try to update when I know more.
KAMP Northern All Stars
55 late models were on hand for opening night at Kamp Motorspeedway in Boswell, IN. Lots of fans were in the stands too, braving an extremely cold night. When we left the track, the tempature according to my car was 34 degrees.
Qualifing: FEGER FAST TIME in his group and overall.
Heat: Feger won his heat.
Feature: The drivers who won the heats drew numbers to determine feature starting positions. Jason was starting third behind Darrin Friedman and Dennis Erb on the outside.
Feger got off to a really horrible start, shuffled back to fifth.
Erb got out to an early lead and Loomis was right on his tail. Ted was able to get pass Erb on the low side while Jason battled his way back to third. After a yellow, Dennis nudged Ted to get him out of position and take back the lead.
Feger passed Loomis on the highside and was reeling in Dennis when another yellow came out. Jason put a very slick move on Dennis down low and took out the lead, only to relinquish it back for a yellow that came out for Unzicker.
Feger and Erb continued to battle. Jason nearly had Erb when another yellow came out. The two were pretty far out in front and DARN IT!!!!! Feger pulled into the infield. Grandma swears Jason would have had Dennis, but I'm not 100%. Erb was pretty darn fast, so we would have had second for sure.
Ted finished second, but was light on the scales. Sometimes, he just can't get a break. So that put Friedman in second who ran a very good race. Weaver also had a good race, coming from the rear of the field to the top ten, only to have to pull out after an altercation with another car. Richie looked strong early but faded. He had a fast run earlier in the night and won his heat.
So -- what happened. To quote the Brettman -- they had a twenty-five lap battery in a thirty lap race. The darn battery quit. The race sure seemed like 50 or 60 laps with the yellows, but what can you do.
Next week -- the car will be in full charge :)
Thanks to Kamps and track for a fun night of racing, sure they had to work hard to get it in after all the rain last week.
Qualifing: FEGER FAST TIME in his group and overall.
Heat: Feger won his heat.
Feature: The drivers who won the heats drew numbers to determine feature starting positions. Jason was starting third behind Darrin Friedman and Dennis Erb on the outside.
Feger got off to a really horrible start, shuffled back to fifth.
Erb got out to an early lead and Loomis was right on his tail. Ted was able to get pass Erb on the low side while Jason battled his way back to third. After a yellow, Dennis nudged Ted to get him out of position and take back the lead.
Feger passed Loomis on the highside and was reeling in Dennis when another yellow came out. Jason put a very slick move on Dennis down low and took out the lead, only to relinquish it back for a yellow that came out for Unzicker.
Feger and Erb continued to battle. Jason nearly had Erb when another yellow came out. The two were pretty far out in front and DARN IT!!!!! Feger pulled into the infield. Grandma swears Jason would have had Dennis, but I'm not 100%. Erb was pretty darn fast, so we would have had second for sure.
Ted finished second, but was light on the scales. Sometimes, he just can't get a break. So that put Friedman in second who ran a very good race. Weaver also had a good race, coming from the rear of the field to the top ten, only to have to pull out after an altercation with another car. Richie looked strong early but faded. He had a fast run earlier in the night and won his heat.
So -- what happened. To quote the Brettman -- they had a twenty-five lap battery in a thirty lap race. The darn battery quit. The race sure seemed like 50 or 60 laps with the yellows, but what can you do.
Next week -- the car will be in full charge :)
Thanks to Kamps and track for a fun night of racing, sure they had to work hard to get it in after all the rain last week.
Rising star Feger battles WoO stars at home track
This is an article that was on www.Dirtondirt.com before the Illini.
Michael Rigsby and others do a great job on Dirtondirt.com -- it is well worth the subscription to get to see videos and results from other tracks so quickly.
Other places for results and info:
www.4m.net
www.midwestdirtrackfacts.com brought to you by the one and only Racenut :)
So -- back to the article:
Rising star Feger battles WoO stars at home track.
written by Kevin Kovac from the World of Outlaw Series:
Michael Rigsby and others do a great job on Dirtondirt.com -- it is well worth the subscription to get to see videos and results from other tracks so quickly.
Other places for results and info:
www.4m.net
www.midwestdirtrackfacts.com brought to you by the one and only Racenut :)
So -- back to the article:
Rising star Feger battles WoO stars at home track.
written by Kevin Kovac from the World of Outlaw Series:
What would a victory in this weekend's second annual Illini 100 at Farmer City Raceway mean to rising central Illinois star Jason Feger? Well, the first thing that popped into the Bloomington, Ill., driver's mind when asked that question was purely financial. The blockbuster World of Outlaws Late Model Series event, after all, pays $20,000 to win from a total purse of $100,000.
“It means I'd be able to buy a new motor,” quipped Feger, who has carved out a growing regional reputation campaigning family-owned Dirt Late Model equipment without big-money backing.
Dig a little deeper with the personable Feger, however, and out bursts the true significance of a triumph in his home state's richest Dirt Late Model event, which kicks off with time trials and qualifying heats on Friday, April 3, and concludes with consolation races, a non-qualifiers' race and the Illini 100 on Saturday, April 4.
“It would be just crazy to win it,” Feger said. “There's gonna be so many great cars and drivers there, and I'm going to have a lot of family and friends there watching. Feger shirts should be everywhere, so winning the biggest race of my career in front of everybody I know would be an unbelievable feeling.”
An outgoing 30-year-old known for his cool race car graphics (his schemes feature tumbling dice), cutting-edge hipness (Feger and younger brother Austin wore colorful Mohawk hairdos to UMP DIRTcar Summernationals events last year) and hard-charging driving style (he's called the Highside Hustler), Feger would be the center of a huge postrace celebration if he could pull off a win.
“There probably wouldn't be enough beer in Farmer City for the party we'd have,” Feger said with a laugh. “I think we might just stay in the pits for a few days.”
Feger's familiarity with the quarter-mile Farmer City oval is certainly his ace in the hole, but it's not the only reason plenty of observers are looking at him as a serious contender for glory in the Illini 100. He enters the weekend riding plenty of momentum, thanks to the strong finish he had to his career year in 2008 and a career-high $7,500 victory last month in a UMP DIRTcar-sanctioned event at Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway in Calvert City, Ky.
The 2008 season ended with Feger's ledger showing 13 feature wins at seven different tracks, including two victories at Farmer City. He finished third in the UMP weekly points, placed second in the Northern Allstars Late Model Series points race and registered a WoO career-high finish of fourth in September at I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo. — a body of work that made him an easy choice for the 2008 UMP Most Improved Driver Award.
“Things started clicking real good last year,” said Feger, who launched his Dirt Late Model career in 2001 after spending four years in the Sportsman division. “I've changed chassis brands quite a few times in the past few years, but last year we really got settled into Pierce cars and found a nice baseline setup that's worked for us.”
Feger knows that he'll have to be on top of his game this weekend if he expects to turn back a cross-section of the country's dirt racers.
“I always feel like I have something to prove being a low-budget guy,” said Feger, who works at his family's Absolute Apparel business but hopes to someday go racing full-time and chase the WoO. “I know I can run with (the sport's national stars), but I have to have the same focus as those guys. These (WoO) guys run every lap like it's their last — they're always searching for new lines around the track and changing how they drive if their car starts to not feel right.
“And all these guys know how to be patient in a 100-lap race. That's one of the things I'm still learning.”
Last year Feger didn't even get a chance to strut his stuff in the inaugural Illini 100. He failed to qualify after a flat tire knocked him out of a transfer spot in his heat and he came up two positions short in a consolation race, though he did win the 25-lap non-qualifiers' race following last year's Illini 100.
“It was really depressing to miss last year's (Illini 100),” said Feger. “We were running right behind (2007 WoO champion Steve) Francis when we got the flat in the heat, and Francis went out and finished third in the feature. And our lap times in the non-qualifiers' race were about the same as (Billy) Moyer and (Shannon) Babb (the winner and runner-up, respectively, in the dramatic race).
“I know our car was fast enough last year, but whether I could've done it for 100 laps, I don't know. Hopefully this year we'll be there at the end.”
Illini 100
We were at Farmer City last Friday and Sat for the second Illini 100. Track was FAST during qualifing. Jason went out late, unfortunately Jesse sent him out while Ryan U. was still out on the track. Jason spun on what he thought was his first lap, but it wasn't really cause Ryan was still timing. So Jason only took one more lap. Confused, we sort of was too. Anyway, Jason qualified 20th out of 55 cars, not great, but not horrible.
Heat recap from Dirtondirt.com: Outside front-row starter Brian Brian Birkhofer fought off a late charger from polesitter Steve Francis to win the 10-lapper. Birkhofer was slowed by lapped traffic heading for the white flag when Francis grabbed the lead. But Birkhofer answered the move, going back ahead before the frontrunners entered turn two. Fourth-starting Jason Feger got the third and final transfer spot in the caution-free prelim. Finish: Brian Birkhofer, Steve Francis, Jason Feger, Brandon Sheppard, Russ King, Kevin Weaver, Ted Loomis, Adam Mefford, Cory Daugherty.
Main Event:
Feature Clanton won, only two yellows. Feger started 14th and moved up to 8th. Track was fast up high, but hard to pass on.
Heat recap from Dirtondirt.com: Outside front-row starter Brian Brian Birkhofer fought off a late charger from polesitter Steve Francis to win the 10-lapper. Birkhofer was slowed by lapped traffic heading for the white flag when Francis grabbed the lead. But Birkhofer answered the move, going back ahead before the frontrunners entered turn two. Fourth-starting Jason Feger got the third and final transfer spot in the caution-free prelim. Finish: Brian Birkhofer, Steve Francis, Jason Feger, Brandon Sheppard, Russ King, Kevin Weaver, Ted Loomis, Adam Mefford, Cory Daugherty.
Main Event:
Feature Clanton won, only two yellows. Feger started 14th and moved up to 8th. Track was fast up high, but hard to pass on.
The Souvenir Trailer Arrives
Life has become even more chaotic. Shep got a souvenir trailer -- so it's at our house. Worked on a wrap nearly three weeks ago and Aaron's been busy, so it hasn't been output. If you see Aaron, give him some grief for me.
John at Showtime is also outputting some more graphics for Night Train, so eventually the poor car will have roof numbers.
Getting more cool merchandise for the trailer. Also completed new shirt designs, have those in stock now. Images are on the website. We also have beer steins, lighters, coffee cups and more stuff. Gotta work on getting some hats and skullie caps.
Hmmmmmm -- what else is coming?? New postcards, has a kool photo Greg took at Btown with Jason slinging dirt. He took the photo from the stands and it is tight. Also, getting some new tats for the kids. These will have a skull and Feger25.
Looks like I'll be the one in the souvenir trailer most the time -- so stop by and say hi.
As an fyi -- it will be closed for ALL FEATURE events -- cause I'm watching the races :)
Like always, we are soooo very grateful for all the support from people in the stands. I'm so very serious in saying, every cent Jason gets goes back into racing. So THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
John at Showtime is also outputting some more graphics for Night Train, so eventually the poor car will have roof numbers.
Getting more cool merchandise for the trailer. Also completed new shirt designs, have those in stock now. Images are on the website. We also have beer steins, lighters, coffee cups and more stuff. Gotta work on getting some hats and skullie caps.
Hmmmmmm -- what else is coming?? New postcards, has a kool photo Greg took at Btown with Jason slinging dirt. He took the photo from the stands and it is tight. Also, getting some new tats for the kids. These will have a skull and Feger25.
Looks like I'll be the one in the souvenir trailer most the time -- so stop by and say hi.
As an fyi -- it will be closed for ALL FEATURE events -- cause I'm watching the races :)
Like always, we are soooo very grateful for all the support from people in the stands. I'm so very serious in saying, every cent Jason gets goes back into racing. So THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
Catching up on Result Posts
OK -- I've been slacking posting -- but that's cause I've been pretty darn busy working on tee designs. So, this is my attempt to catch up on posts.
What's Been Going On
The Icebreaker Brownstown
It was FREEEEZING, I swear it took two hours for me to get warm on the way home. But, back to racing. Man, is Brownstown a flat track compared to what I'm used too. A guy infront of me was telling me they added banking.
The people in the stands were really cool that I talked to. Typically, I love qualifing, but that track was SLOW and qualifing was PAINFUL. It was like you wanted to push the cars around the track. Since it was my first trip, I don't know if that's usually what goes on.
The racing -- in the feature for part of it the front runners tight, excellent racing with Clanton, Owens and Bloomer all duking it out for the lead during the first 15 - 20 laps.
Jason had qualified 5th in his group of 30 cars. Finished third in his heat, started 17th and finished 13th. He was right on the rear of Jeep and Bill. Most of the racing was down on the bottom.
During the night, got to warm up and have a beer in Tami and Phil Bossingham's new motorhome. They had the big Feger banner in the front window. So that was fun.
What's Been Going On
The Icebreaker Brownstown
It was FREEEEZING, I swear it took two hours for me to get warm on the way home. But, back to racing. Man, is Brownstown a flat track compared to what I'm used too. A guy infront of me was telling me they added banking.
The people in the stands were really cool that I talked to. Typically, I love qualifing, but that track was SLOW and qualifing was PAINFUL. It was like you wanted to push the cars around the track. Since it was my first trip, I don't know if that's usually what goes on.
The racing -- in the feature for part of it the front runners tight, excellent racing with Clanton, Owens and Bloomer all duking it out for the lead during the first 15 - 20 laps.
Jason had qualified 5th in his group of 30 cars. Finished third in his heat, started 17th and finished 13th. He was right on the rear of Jeep and Bill. Most of the racing was down on the bottom.
During the night, got to warm up and have a beer in Tami and Phil Bossingham's new motorhome. They had the big Feger banner in the front window. So that was fun.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)