Dirt on Dirt - Winger tops Troutman in dramatic Benton thriller

June 29

Benton Speedway,

Benton, MO

Sanction: DIRTcar Summer Nationals - $5,000

Information provided by: Series and staff reports (last updated June 30, 8:49 am)

Winger tops Troutman in dramatic Benton thriller

Ashton Winger
Drake Troutman
Billy Moyer Jr.
Rodney Melvin
Jason Feger
Billy Moyer
Tyler Clem
Morgan Bagley
Bob Gardner
Austin Rettig
Dylan Thompson
Kye Blight
Mark Voigt
Thomas Hunziker
Clay Stuckey
Rusty Griffaw
Brent Vosbergen
Tyler Stevens
David Payne
Doug Tye
Mick Quin
Robby Moore

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Winner Ashton Winger gets a fist bump from his dad, Gary Winger.

What won the race: Sliding past leader Drake Troutman to grab the lead for good on lap 35, eighth-starting Ashton Winger of Hampton, Ga., led the rest of the way to win Thursday’s DIRTcar Summer Nationals main event at Benton Speedway. The frontrunners traded sliders for three laps before Winger forged ahead to lead the final six laps for his second straight Hell Tour win and a $5,000 payday. Seventh-starting Troutman led laps 10-34, building a 9.8-second lead before a caution, in settling for second.

Quotable: “There on that restart with about 12 or 18 (laps) to go, I felt like I could actually keep pace with Drake as long as I kept my car straight around the top,” Winger said. “He was driving really hard and I know I went a little different than everybody on tire I think. It just stuck. He had me up on the wheel there. I can’t say enough about him, you know, we went back and forth there. I kinda squeezed him pretty hard over there in (turn) four and I tried to let him back going."

Key notes: Troutman, who had more than a half-track lead over Stevens for several laps, finished 1.366 seconds behind Winger, who won his third Summer Nationals race of the season and ninth of his career, breaking a tie with Bill Frye of Greenbrier, Ark., for 19th on the tour’s all-time win list. … Cautions waved for a Doug Tye spin; debris on lap 23; and a slowing Tyler Stevens on lap 27, who gave up the fourth spot. … Seven of the 22 starters completed 40 laps. … Benton County got a second chance to host the DIRTcar Summer Nationals after series director Sam Driggers dropped the event's sanctioning at last year's event because of poor track conditions. … Benton’s previous Summer Nationals race came in 1997 when Randy Sellars of Mayfield, Ky., won at what was then called Missouri International Racepark.

On the move: Tyler Clem of St. Petersburg, Fla., started 17th and finished seventh.

Winner's sponsors: Winger’s Jeff Mathews Motorsports Rocket Chassis is powered by an Andy Durham Racing Engine and carries sponsorship from Johnny Doan Plumbing, RV Select Inc., Keyser Manufacturing, Integra Shocks, Angry Elephant Tattoo and Piercing, FK Rod Ends, Super K Express, Hoosier Tire, Simpson Race Products, Collins Signs, DirtCarLift.com, VP Race Fuels, Boswell Oil and WrapTeck.

Points chase: After Benton (overall): 1. Jason Feger (800); 2. Ashton Winger (767); 3. Bob Gardner (607); 4. Frank Heckenast Jr. (582); 5. Kye Blight (542). After Benton (Week 3): 1. Ashton Winger (217); 2. Billy Moyer Jr. (185); T3. Morgan Bagley (173); T3. Drake Troutman (173); 5. Tyler Clem (142).

Current weather: Clear, 88°F

Car count: 22

Fast qualifier: Tyler Stevens

Time: 14.991 seconds

Polesitter: Jason Feger

Heat race winners: Jason Feger, Tyler Stevens, Billy Moyer Jr.

Next series race: June 30, Paducah International Raceway (Paducah, KY) $10,000

Editor's note: Results and race details are unofficial.

From staff reports

BENTON, Mo. (June 29) — Updates and results from Thursday’s 13th round of the DIRTcar Summer Nationals at Benton Speedway, highlighted by a $5,000-to-win feature for Super Late Models (results unofficial):

Feature

Sliding past leader Drake Troutman to grab the lead on lap 35, eighth-starting Ashton Winger of Hampton, Ga., led the rest of the way to win Thursday’s DIRTcar Summer Nationals main event at Benton Speedway. The frontrunners traded sliders for three laps before Winger forged ahead to lead the final six laps for his second straight Hell Tour win and a $5,000 payday. The seventh-starting Troutman, of Hyndman, Pa., led laps 10-34 and had a 9.8-second lead erased by a caution before settling for second.

Second-starting Billy Moyer Jr. of Batesville, Ark., led the first nine laps before getting caught behind two lapped cars, allowing Troutman to roll by on the outside. Moyer dropped back to sixth before rallying back to finish third. Rodney Melvin of Benton, Ill., a seven-time Summer Nationals winner, finished fourth after starting sixth — his best finish on the tour this season — and polesitter Jason Feger of Bloomington, Ill., completed the top five. The race was slowed by three cautions, with yellows on lap 23 and 28 allowing Winger, who knocked more than half of his rear spoiler off while battling with Troutman, to catch the leader.

Feature lineup

(40 laps)
Row 1: Jason Feger, Billy Moyer Jr.
Row 2: Tyler Stevens, Bob Gardner
Row 3: Billy Moyer, Rodney Melvin
Row 4: Drake Troutman, Ashton Winger
Row 5: Clay Stuckey, Mark Voigt
Row 6: Kye Blight, Morgan Bagley
Row 7: Thomas Hunziker, Austin Rettig
Row 8: Rusty Griffaw, Mick Quin
Row 9: Tyler Clem, Dylan Thompson
Row 10: Robby Moore, Brent Vosbergen
Row 11: David Payne, Doug Tye

Heat race results

(Eight laps; all transfer)

First heat: Jason Feger, Bob Gardner, Drake Troutman, Mark Voigt, Thomas Hunziker, Mick Quin, Robby Moore, Doug Tye.

Second heat: Tyler Stevens, Billy Moyer, Ashton Winger, Kye Blight, Austin Rettig, Tyler Clem, Brent Vosberben.

Third heat: Billy Moyer Jr., Rodney Melvin, Clay Stuckey, Morgan Bagley, Rusty Griffaw, Dylan Thompson, David Payne.

Time trials

Driver (car no.), hometown, time (unofficial)
First group
Bob Gardner (4G), Washington, Ill., 15.015
Jason Feger (25), Bloomington, Ill., 15.034
Drake Troutman (7T), Hyndman, Pa., 15.307
Robby Moore (66), Broseley, Mo., 15.343
Mark Voigt (30), Marine, Ill., 15.460
Doug Tye (4D), Troy, Ill., 15.620
Thomas Hunziker (38), Bend, Ore., 15.665
Mick Quin (23NZ), Waimarama, New Zealand, 16.066
Second group
Tyler Stevens (2), Searcy, Ark., 14.991
Billy Moyer (21), Batesville, Ark., 15.236
Ashton Winger (12), Hampton, Ga., 15.309
Kye Blight (31aus), Bunbury, Western Australia, 15.326
Tyler Clem (58), St. Petersburg, Fla., 15.509
Austin Rettig (94), Sikeston, Mo., 15.526
Brent Vosbergen (AUS1), Perth, Western Australia, 18.012
Third group
Billy Moyer Jr. (21jr), Batesville, Ark., 15.195
Rodney Melvin (27m), Benton, Ill., 15.330
Clay Stuckey (15), Shreveport, La., 15.428
Rusty Griffaw (16), Festus, Mo., 15.577
Morgan Bagley (14m), Longview, Texas, 15.579
Dylan Thompson (99), Paducah, Ky., 15.772
David Payne (7P), Cabot, Ark., 15.947

Thursday’s schedule

(All times local)

5:30 p.m. - Drivers’ meeting
6 p.m. - On-track activity
- Super Late Model hot laps
- Modified hot laps/time trials
- Super Late Model time trials
- B-mod hot laps
- Street stock hot laps
Opening ceremonies
- Super Late Model heat races (8 laps)
- Modified heat races (8 laps)
- B-mod heat races
- Street stock heat races
- Super Late Model C-Main (8 laps; if necessary)
- Modified consolation (8 laps; if necessary)
- Super Late Model consolation (10 laps; if necessary)
Feature races
- Super Late Models (40 laps)
- Modifieds (20 lap)
- B-mods
- Street stocks