Monday, July 11, 2016

Pierce Continues to Roll on DIRTcar Summer Nationals Tour With Win at Quincy Raceways

Quincy, IL (Sunday, July 10, 2016) - When it comes to Sunday and the scheduled visit by the DIRTcar Summer Nationals at the Quincy Raceways in Quincy, Illinois that usually means mother nature will intervene. And that was no different again this year, as just about 45 minutes before the scheduled hot laps was suppose to start a brief shower moved over the track. But Ken Dobson and his crew didn't throw in the towel right away. Just after the rains moved out the track crew went to work on getting the track in shape, with the start time only being an hour late.

After all the qualifying events were completed, the UMP DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals 25 lap feature would take to the track first. Ray Bollinger and Kenny Wallace would lead the field to the green flag, with Bollinger grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Wallace and Ray Walsh. Wallace then tried to work past Bollinger for the lead over the next 10 laps, but Bollinger was able to hold him off each lap. That was until coming off turn 4 to complete lap 11, Wallace was able to slip under Bollinger to take over the top spot. One lap later, lap 12, Wallace started lapping cars. A lap car would be the disaster for Wallace, as he tried to get under one going into turn 1 on lap 14 and the two would make contact. Which resulted in Wallace coming to a stop in turn 2 with a broke right front to end his night and bringing out the one and only caution of the race. On the restart Bollinger would inherit the lead, with Michael Long, who started 6th, and Walsh glued to his back bumper. Long tried the low line in turns 1 & 2 and the high side in turns 3 & 4 to get past Bollinger. But Bollinger would hold him off over the final 10 laps to score his third win of the season on the series. Long was 2nd, Walsh was 3rd, Shawn Deering was 4th, with Donovan Lodge rounding out the top 5.
Kewanee, Illinois' Ray Bollinger won his third UMP DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals feature of the season on Sunday, July 10th at the Quincy Raceways in Quincy, IL.

Tyler Erb and Bobby Pierce made up the front row for the 40 lap UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Model feature, with Pierce grabbing the lead on lap 1 over Ryan Unzicker and Erb. While Pierce worked the bottom of the track, Erb went to the top to work around Unzicker for the runner up spot on lap 2 and then went to work on Pierce for the lead. Erb was able to get up beside Pierce a few times, when the first caution appeared on lap 13 to slow the action up front. Bo Brockway would spin in turn 1, after contact with a lapped car, to bring out the yellow. On the restart Pierce jumped back out front, with Erb and Michael Kloos close behind. With Pierce setting the pace out front, Erb, Kloos and Unzicker battled two and even three wide at times for the runner up spot. The action was slowed for the second and final time on lap 20, as Gordy Gundaker slowed in turn 4 with troubles to bring out the yellow. Pierce once again grabbed the lead on the restart, with Kloos and Erb continuing their battle for the runner up spot. Even with Pierce entering lapped traffic on lap 31 there was no catching him, as he pulled away over the final 20 laps to score his 10th win in 19 starts on the tour. Erb won the battle for 2nd, Kloos was 3rd, Unzicker was 4th, with Dustin Griffin finishing 5th after starting in 7th.
Bobby Pierce of Oakwood, Illinois claimed his 10th win in 19 starts on the UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Model Tour at the Quincy Raceways in Quincy, IL on Sunday, July 10th.

The final feature to take to the track on the night was the 18 lap IMCA SportMods, with Spencer Coats and Michael Goodwin on the front row. But it was third place starter Justin Ebbing who jumped out into the lead on lap 1 over Goodwin and Austen Becerra. Just after the completion of lap 1 Glen Wiley would spin in turn 1 to bring out the caution. On the restart Coats spun down the front stretch to bring the yellow light back on. A third attempt of a restart resulted in another caution, as Brandon Lennox spun in turn 4 and collected Todd Reed and Justin Bartz to bring back out the yellow. Ebbing would grab the lead on the following restart, with Goodwin working to hold off Becerra for second. With another lap scored complete Levi Long, Austin Howes, who took the back row challenge and was battling for 5th, and Nathan Bringer collided in turn 2 to bring out the caution. On the restart Ebbing moved back out front, with Becerra over taking Goodwin for second. Becerra tried to work the top side of the track to take the lead away from Ebbing over the next 5 laps. When another caution appeared on lap 7, as Coats spun in turn 4 to bring out the yellow. Ebbing again moved out into the lead on the restart, with Becerra trying to hold off Lennox, who started 12th and recovered from the spin on lap 1, in the battle for the runner up spot. While Ebbing set the pace out front, Lennox would try the high line to get by Becerra, and when he had no luck he would switch to the low line with 5 laps to go. The battle for second would allow Ebbing to go on to pick up his first career SportMod feature. Becerra won the battle for 2nd, Lennox was 3rd, Patrick Phillips came from 9th to finish 4th, with Bringer, who started 10th, recovering from his involvement in the lap 2 caution to come back up to finish 5th.
Justin Ebbing of Quincy, Illinois picked up his first career IMCA SportMod feature on Sunday, July 10th at the Quincy Raceways in Quincy, IL.

Notes from Quincy: Sunday night was the first night that racing action was held at the Quincy Raceways since several area racers and crew members helped take some banking out of the corners and then added some fresh clay to the entire racing surface. The track would hold up nicely throughout the night, with the bottom being the preferred line most of the night. But knowing the crew at Quincy they will continue to work on the track to get several grooves of racing for the drivers to use......Kevin Blackburn started the Modified feature in 14th and passed 5 cars to come home in 9th....Russ Coultas came from 18th to finish 13th....Kenny Wallace's run into a lapped car while leading resulted in a 16th place finish for him....Joey Gower took the spoiler off his back up SportMod and raced it with the Modifieds. He would make a few laps in the feature and pulled off to finish 17th......Jason Feger lived up to his nickname, "The Highside Hustler", as he used the top of the track to pass 10 cars from his 16th place starting spot to finish 6th....Mark Burgtorf started 14th and finished 9th....Bo Brockway, who started 17th, recovered from his spin on lap 13 to come back up to finish 12th......Todd Reed recovered from his involvement in the lap 1 caution to finish 7th in the SportMod feature....Wesley Mayfield passed 9 cars from his 17th place starting spot to come home in 8th....Kenneth Bringer started 18th and finished 10th....Glen Wiley started 15th and recovered from his spin on lap 1 to come back up to finish 11th.

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