State Fair Speedway

Shirley slips past Moyer for last-lap UMP victory

June 24, 2008, 7:48 pm

By Todd Turner

DirtonDirt.com chief writer

Brian Shirley prepares for the feature. (Chris Bork)

SEDALIA, Mo. (June 24) — Although Brian Shirley led the point standings on the UMP DIRTcar Summernationals after eight races, he'd yet to visit victory lane on the 26-race tour. The 27-year-old driver from Chatham, Ill., remedied that at State Fair Speedway with a dramatic last-lap victory over Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., on the historic half-mile oval.

Restarting behind the leading Moyer in a two-lap shootout after the last of five cautions, Shirley moved alongside Moyer as the frontrunners took the white flag, crossing under the flagstand a half-length behind the No. 21. The low-running Shirley got enough bite in turns one and two to maintain his side-by-side status, then he edged ahead down the backstretch. Shirley guaranteed the victory exiting turn four heading for the checkered flag as he slid in front of Moyer and completed his $6,000 payday in the tour's ninth event.

Moyer, winner of the only previous Summernationals race at Sedalia in 1992, finished second in a race that was a two-car duel the whole way. Former series champion Don O'Neal of Martinsville, Ind., couldn't keep up with the leaders but held the third spot virtually the whole way for his best tour finish after several sub-par outings. Reigning series champion Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill., was fourth and Jeep Van Wormer, the night's fast qualifier who was running fifth when a flat tire sent him pitside on lap 18, rallied back into the top five at the finish.

Moyer started outside the front row and beat the polesitting Van Wormer into the first turn. Shirley disposed of Van Wormer on the second lap and took up his chase of Moyer, who was out to a half-straightaway lead after five laps and looking to lap slower cars by the ninth circuit. Shirley closed the gap amid traffic and took a stab at the lead exiting turn four on the 15th lap, but Moyer turned up the wick and was back to a half-straightaway ahead when the lap-18 caution flew for Van Wormer. By then, the frontrunners were nearly a half-track ahead of O'Neal and everyone else.

Shirley stayed within striking distance the rest of the way, pulling as close as three lengths on the 25th lap before Moyer scooted back away. With just three laps remaining, Shirley got past Moyer on the backstretch and was still leading into turn one, but Moyer squeezed back ahead exiting turn two, barely avoiding J.D. Hubert's slower car as a caution appeared for fifth-running Terry Phillips' flat left-front tire, resetting the field on lap 27 with Moyer still out front. A final lap-29 caution for a spinning Rusty Dukes set up the two-lap shootout that gave Shirley the victory.

The feature was slowed by five cautions, none for serious incidents. J.D. Hubert and Ryan Unzicker spun together in turn two on the third lap, and Van Wormer slowed with his on lap 18. Terry English, running seventh, slowed on the 21st lap and pulled to the pits. Phillips, who charged from 18th up to fifth, slowed with his flat on lap 28 and Dukes spun one lap later.

Feature notes

Unofficially, Brian Shirley has 698 points to lead Dennis Erb Jr. (669), Will Vaught (614), Jeep Van Wormer (606) and Wes Steidinger (591). ... Jason Feger, sixth in the points entering the race, was making high-side progress at Sedalia but pulled in with engine problems that may take him off the series. Steve Sheppard Jr. offered Feger a car for Wednesday's event at Lake Ozark Speedway in Eldon, Mo., but Feger was undecided about accepting the offer. ... Terry English slowed on the 21st lap thinking he had a flat tire. The crew discovered that a lift-bar spring had come off and sent him back out. ... Jason McBride was 15th in his first feature start in nine series events. ... Sheppard started 11th and finished seventh. ... Besides winning the 1992 Summernationals stop at Sedalia, Moyer has several other victories at the fairgrounds oval, including on the now-closed mile track. ... Darren Miller, who hurt an engine in his No. 32D when he broke an oil pump belt in a heat race, started Billy Moyer Jr.'s No. 21jr Victory Circle M1 Chassis and nearly broke into the top five late in the race before settling for eighth.

UMP @ Sedalia: (1) Brian Shirley, (2) Billy Moyer, (3) Don O'Neal, (4) Dennis Erb Jr., (5) Jeep Van Wormer, (6) Randy Korte, (7) Steve Sheppard Jr., (8) Darren Miller, (9) Jeremy Payne, (10) Wes Steidinger, (11) Will Vaught, (12) Terry English, (13) Eric Turner, (14) Dewayne Kiefer, (15) Jason McBride, (16) Terry Phillips, (17) Rusty Dukes, (18) J.D. Hubert, (19) Jason Feger, (20) Jordan Bland, (21) Ryan Unzicker, (22) Larry Clawson. Fast qualifier (among 27 cars): Van Wormer, 19.742 seconds. Heat race winners: Van Wormer, Moyer, Shirley. Consolation winner: Vaught. Provisional starters: Miller, Unzicker, Dukes, McBride.

Consolation

Fourth-starting Will Vaught overtook polesitter Eric Turner with an outside pass on the 11th lap and edged away to win the 12-lap consolation, earning a transfer spot in the feature event. Turner held on for second while tail-starting Terry Phillips rallied to finish third for the final transfer spot. Outside front-row starter Rusty Dukes was fourth in the caution-free event.

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

Third heat

Blitzing the field from his pole position, Brian Shirley ran off and hid in the third heat, cruising to victory by more than a full straightaway. Fellow front-row starter Randy Korte fell back to third behind fourth-starting Dewayne Kiefer in the early laps, but after a tight mid-race duel, Korte regained the spot and pulled away to finish a distant second. Kiefer, Jeremy Payne and Larry Clawson got the other three transfer spots in the caution-free event.

Finish: Brian Shirley, Randy Korte, Dewayne Kiefer, Jeremy Payne, Larry Clawson, Billy Moyer Jr., Tim Lance, Andrew McKay, Chris Smyser.

Second heat

Billy Moyer, winner of the previous Summernationals event at Sedalia in 1992, got the jump on polesitter Dennis Erb Jr. and cruised to an easy victory. In a two-lap shootout to the checkers after a caution, Moyer won by more than a half-straightaway over Erb. Third-starting Wes Steidinger finished in the same position while Steve Sheppard Jr. rallied from eighth to finish fourth. J.D. Hubert got the fifth and final transfer spot. Fourth-starting Darren Miller ran third most of the way — though nearly getting sideways trying to overtake Erb at the top of the frontstretch midway through the race — but slowed to a stop in turn four before taking the white flag. Miller said later he broke an oil pump belt and likely damaged the engine. Terry Phillips slowed early after packing his right-front wheel full of mud and pulled to the pits.

Finish: Billy Moyer, Dennis Erb Jr., Wes Steidinger, Steve Sheppard Jr., J.D. Hubert, Rusty Dukes, Jason McBride, Darren Miller, Terry Phillips.

First heat

Fast qualifier and polesitter Jeep Van Wormer outran fellow front-row starter Don O'Neal by four lengths to win the first eight-lap heat on Sedalia's half-mile oval. Van Wormer jumped out comfortably early, but O'Neal stuck with him, especially following a lap-five caution. Terry English, Jason Feger and Jordan Bland got the final three transfer spots while Eric Turner will start on the pole of the consolation race. The race's only caution was for Reid Millard's turn-four spin.

Finish: Jeep Van Wormer, Don O'Neal, Terry English, Jason Feger, Jordan Bland, Eric Turner, Will Vaught, Ryan Unzicker, Reid Millard.

Qualifying

Jeep Van Wormer of Pinconning, Mich., was fastest among 27 qualifiers at State Fair Speedway for the ninth leg of the 25-race UMP DIRTcar Summernationals. Van Wormer turned a lap of 19.742 seconds on the half-mile oval during a time trial session halted by problems with the electronic clock.

Van Wormer will start on the pole of the first heat race. Other heat race polesitters will be the top two drivers in Summernationals points, Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., and Dennis Erb Jr., of Carpentersville, Ill. Just over half the qualifiers were timed used an electronic clock, but after the clock failed to record times for several cars, officials initially elected to scrap qualifying altogether and start according to the pill draw for the qualifying groups. But after huddling with series director Sam Driggers, drivers OK'd completing the time trials by using a handheld stopwatch.

The top five finishers from each of three heat races will transfer to the night's $6,000-to-win feature event with the rest of the drivers going to a consolation race. The top three finishers from the consolation race will transfer to the feature with three provisionals filling the 21-car field.