What won the race: Taking the lead from Ryan Unicker on the 10th lap, second-starting Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., paced the final 25 circuits and cruised to victory on Friday's opening night of the Illinois State Championship on the MARS Racing Series. He earned $3,000.

Quotable: “There a couple of times I ran into the the back of (Ryan Unzicker) to let him know we were there,” Shirley said. “Finally, luckily I got a good enough run and was (up) to him, but he still decided to slide up into us. Luckily it didn’t take us out and it wasn’t no big deal. It’s just hard racing and hopefully if the roles are reversed, he’s not mad about it."

Key notes: The victory is the 20th of Shirley's career on the MARS tour, giving him sole possession of sixth on the series' all-time win list. ... After sweeping all three MARS stops at Peoria last year, Friday's triumph marks Shirley's fourth consecutive feature win at Peoria and positions him for his second consecutive sweep of the Illinois State Championship, if he can top Saturday's $5,000-to-win finale. ... Jason Feger of Bloomington, Ill., finished in the runner-up position, 1.992 seconds behind Shirley. ... After leading the first nine laps, polesitter Ryan Unzicker of El Paso, Ill., settled for third. ... Peoria's weekly DIRTcar-sanctioned Super Late Model point leader, Brayton Wallace of Peoria Heights, Ill., finished 12th. ... Friday's feature, which was pushed back a week to avoid conflicts with other events, was slowed by only one incident and lasted 10 minutes, with five competitors completing all 35 laps.

On the move: Rich Bell of Sheffield, Ill., started eighth and finished fourth.

Winner's sponsors: Shirley’s Bob Cullen Racing Rocket Chassis is powered by an Andy Durham Racing Engine and sponsored by Thomason Express, Hoker Trucking, J&J Ventures Gaming, Kid’s Castle Learning Center, KBC Graphics, Cheap Cars, Bass Livestock Nutrition, Allgaier Motorsports and Integra Shocks.

Points chase: Entering the weekend: 1. Brian Shirley (496); 2. Jason Feger (455); 3. Tanner English (405); 4. Ryan Unzicker (389); 5. Dennis Erb Jr. (238).

Current weather: Clear, 82°F

Car count: 14

Fast qualifier: Mike Chasteen Jr.

Time: 12.145 seconds

Polesitter: Ryan Unzicker

Heat race winners: Ryan Unzicker, Brian Shirley

Next series race: August 21, Peoria Speedway (Peoria, IL) $5,000