Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway
Neat overcomes Feger, wins $7,500 at KLMS
By Todd Turner
DirtonDirt.com chief writer
Jason Feger (25) dives under Brad Neat (41) in turn one. (erikgrigsbyphotos.com)
CALVERT CITY, Ky. (June 12) — In a battle of drivers looking for their first UMP DIRTcar Summernationals victory, polesitter Brad Neat of Dunnville, Ky., won the 2008 series opener at Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway following a stirring late-race duel with fellow front-row starter Jason Feger. Feger led most of the way but was denied a chance to regain the lead from Neat with three laps remaining when he had a left-rear tire go flat under caution. | Postrace notebook | Slideshow
Neat, whose recent big-event attempts have ended with disappointing wrecks, earned $7,500 for the 30-lap victory. Will Vaught of Crane, Mo., rallied from ninth to finish second while Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., and reigning Summernationals champion Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill., rounded out the top five.
While the first-year series entrant Vaught made an impressive rally in the low groove, it was a two-car race most of the way. Neat jumped out to the early lead before a high-running Feger slipped past on the sixth lap. From there, Feger built a comfortable lead before a lap-12 caution reset the field with Neat, Jeep Van Wormer, Vaught and Darren Miller in pursuit.
Feger again pulled out to a half-straightaway lead, kicking up rooster tails of dirt while flirting with the outside wall for several laps. By lap 20, though, Neat began to reel in the leader and cut the margin to just a few lengths. Feger got too high in turn four on lap 23, allowing Neat to slip past exiting turn four, but Feger roared down the frontstretch and underneath Neat into turn one to regain the point with a daring slide job.
Neat stayed close as Feger stuck with his high groove, and Neat again worked underneath Feger to lead lap 26. A lap-27 caution set up a three-lap shootout, but Feger wasn't around for any dramatics as he pulled up lame in turn three with a flat, knocking him from contention. He pitted to change tires to returned to the track behind the pack and called it a night.
On the final restart, Vaught gave Neat all he had in trying to win the race into turn one, but Neat edged away for the victory at the 3/8-mile oval.
Van Wormer faded to finish sixth in a car with a damaged rear spoiler and Miller, the night's fast qualifier, was running a distant fourth on the 27th lap when he slowed and pulled to the pits with a flat right-front tire.
The 30-lapper was slowed by two cautions, none for serious incidents. A lap-12 caution appeared when Terry English rolled to a stop in turn four and the lap-27 yellow appeared for Miller. Wes Steidinger was running sixth when he pulled to the infield with a smoking car on the sixth lap.
Feature notes
The event was the sixth Summernationals race at the Calvert City track, which offered multigrooved racing on a slick surface most of the night. ... The 26-race series continues with a scheduled Friday night event at Brownstown (Ind.) Speedway. Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., won the last Summernationals visit at the quarter-mile southern Indiana oval in 2001. ... Former Late Model driver Randle Sweeney won the modified feature with a last-lap pass when Steve Arpin appeared to slow with engine problems.
Feature: (1) Brad Neat, (2) Will Vaught, (3) Brian Shirley, (4) Billy Moyer, (5) Dennis Erb Jr., (6) Jeep Van Wormer, (7) Jeff Walston, (8) Kevin Cole, (9) Dewayne Kiefer, (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. Fast qualifier (among 40 cars): Miller, 14.862 seconds. Heat race winners: Neat, Feger, Van Wormer, Steidinger. B-Main winner: Moyer. C-Main winner: John Gill. Provisional starters: Dauber, Cole, Gill.
B-Main
Polesitter Billy Moyer led all the way for a victory, outrunning fellow front-row starter Steve Sheppard Jr. finishing far back in third was Dennis Erb Jr. with Kevin Weaver and Billy James rounding out the top five. Jason Riggs took the sixth and final transfer spot ahead of C-Main winner John Gill. The 30-lap Summernationals feature will follow the modified feature.
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
Polesitter John Gill won a side-by-side duel with fifth-starting Kevin Cole for the victory. Cole went ahead on the third lap, but Gill fought back even with the leader and went back ahead for good on the seventh lap. Dylan Thompson and tail-starting Duke Whiseant finished far behind in finishing third and fourth. Whiseant gave up the final transfer spot when he was light at the scales, moving Brandon Sheppard into a transfer spot. Jordan Bland pulled off the track on the second lap with heavy smoke flowing from his car. Sheppard and Fred Perry got together in turn two on the third lap.
Finish: John Gill, Kevin Cole, Dylan Thompson, Brandon Sheppard, Brandon Chappell, Mike Hammerle, Fred Perry, Jordan Bland. Disqualified: Duke Whiseant. Scratched: Tyler Boggs, Rodney Melvin, Danny Jolly, John Tindal, Jarryd Holshouser, Ryan Unzicker.
Fourth heat
Showing his new mohawk haircut didn't cause any aerodynamic problems, Jason Feger led all the way from outside the front row for a prelim victory. He took the checkered flag a straightaway ahead of runner-up Kevin Claycomb, who was far ahead of polesitter Randy Sellars. Reigning Summernationals champion Dennis Erb Jr. was further back in fourth, just ahead of Jason McBride. A lap-four caution appeared when Ryan Unzicker slide into the outside wall between turns one and two; the car didn't appear heavily damaged but he was towed off the track.
Finish: Jason Feger, Kevin Claycomb, Randy Sellars, Dennis Erb Jr., Jason McBride, Tanner English, Dylan Thompson, Rodney Melvin, Ryan Unzicker.
Third heat
Repelling Brian Shirley's lap-five slide job, Wes Steidinger easily won the 10-lapper. Shirley, making a start in an unfamiliar car, charged up to challenge Steidinger midway through the race. But after Steidinger drove back past him on the backstretch to regain the lead, Shirley fell back and ended up slapping the turn-four wall, damaging his car's rear spoiler. Shirley was far enough ahead to comfortably maintain the second spot while home-track driver Terry English edged past Kevin Weaver late for the third and final transfer spot. Weaver was fourth and Jason Riggs fifth. Polesitter Duke Whiseant appeared to have handling problems and faded badly before pulling to the infield on the third lap.
Finish: Wes Steidinger, Brian Shirley, Terry English, Kevin Weaver, Jason Riggs, Tim Brown, Fred Perry, Mike Hammerle, Jordan Bland, Duke Whiseant.
Second heat
Rallying in the low groove, fifth-starting Brad Neat took the point from race-long leader Dewayne Kiefer heading for the white flag and completed his 10-lap victory in a race slowed by two cautions. Neat worked the low groove throughout the race, patiently working toward the front en route to victory. Kiefer finished second while seventh-starting Jeff Walston overtook polesitter Steve Sheppard Jr. on the final lap for the third and final transfer spot. Sheppard was fourth and Brian Dively fifth. Jarryd Holshouser spun in turn four on the second lap to bring out the first caution; he pulled to the infield with a flat right-front tire. Daniel Jolly drew a lap-seven caution when he got up into the turn-four wall, but his car didn't appear seriously damaged. Despite an early afternoon shower, the track has slicked off with drivers struggling for traction exiting the turns.
Finish: Brad Neat, Dewayne Kiefer, Jeff Walston, Steve Sheppard Jr., Brian Dively, Ryan Dauber, Tyler Boggs, Brandon Chappell, Daniel Jolly, Jarry Holshouser.
First heat
Starting outside the front row, Jeep Van Wormer built a comfortable lead through the 10-lap race, then held off a last-ditch charge from polesitter Darren Miller. Will Vaught finished a distant third for the third and final transfer spot in the caution-free event. Billy Moyer got fourth after Kevin Cole, who ran fourth most of the way, got up into the frontstretch wall heading for the checkered flag. Billy James, driving the Willie Sellars-owned No. 33 car, was fifth. John Tindal started eighth and dropped out midway through the race.
Results: Jeep Van Wormer, Darren Miller, Will Vaught, Billy Moyer, Billy James, Tim Lance, John Gill, Kevin Cole, Brandon Sheppard, John Tindal.
Qualifying
Darren Miller of Milledgeville, Ill., was the overall fast qualifier on opening night of the UMP DIRTcar Summernationals at Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway. He'll be among polesitters in the night's four heat races along with Steve Sheppard Jr. of New Berlin, Ill., Duke Whiseant of Texarkana, Ark., and Randy Sellars of Mayfield, Ky. The event drew 40 cars.
The top three finishers from each each race will transfer to the feature lineup. Finishers 4-6 will advance to the B-Main and finishers 7-10 will advance to the C-Main. Four cars from the C-Main will transfer to the B-Main, and six cars will transfer from the B-Main to the feature event.
Pre-race notes
Dennis Erb Jr. enters the event as the reigning Summernationals champion. ... Brian Shirley is driving the Gerstner Plumbing-sponsored No. 6k normally driven by Michael Kloos. .... Ryan Dauber missed his spot in the qualifying order and lost his qualifying time. ... Fred Perry scratched from qualifying. ... Driver Jason Feger and crew arrived with Summernationals haircuts. They were all sporting mohawk-style hairdos. ... A new race format has been instituted for Summernationals events with 33 cars are more. For the first time, drivers will run a C-Main and B-Main instead of traditional consolation races. The idea is to provide more money to drivers who fail to make the feature. For instance, six drivers transfer from the B-Main to the feature event, and the seventh-place finisher in the B-Main collects $400, eighth $350 and ninth $300. Formerly drivers missing the feature event earned no more than $100. ... The feature pays at least $500 to every starter. ... Two drivers under 16 years of age, second-generation drivers Tanner English (14) and Brandon Sheppard (15), are in action. Sheppard plans on following the entire 26-race tour with his father Steve. ... Kevin Claycomb's Scott Clippinger Racing team scrambled to head to KLMS just one day after getting a new hauler and trailer combination from 5150 Race Trailers in Tennessee. ... Four-time UMP weekly champion Rodney Melvin of Logan, Ill., was a late arrival and qualified in a No. 59 car. ... A crowd that filled just the top few rows of the grandstands during time trials doubled by the time heat races began.
