Davenport, Arnold, Harrison & Hawkins Win on Quadruple Features Night at Fairbury American Legion Speedway
Eighth annual Summit Modified Nationals wraps up Saturday, July 28 with a $5,000 payday & Series title on the line
FAIRBURY, IL — July 27, 2018 — The Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals have had some time off since their last race back on July 14 at Oakshade Raceway (OH). With a well-deserved 13-day break complete after competing in 23 events during the months of June and July, the cars and stars of the DIRTcar Modified world were back in action as part of the 29th annual Prairie Dirt Classic presented by Bank of Pontiac at Fairbury American Legion Speedway (FALS). Friday, July 27 was “Quadruple Feature Night” as four Features set the field for Saturday’s headliner paying $5,000 to win. Tait Davenport, Chris Arnold, Mike Harrison and Jacob Hawkins walked away with the victories.
A whopping 61 teams on the property were split into four Qualifier Features based on qualifying times with the top four finishers in each race transferring to the 40-lap main event on Saturday, July 28 and the top two going to the redraw on Saturday for their starting positions in first four rows of the main event. The four Features were also the 16-19th races in Summit Modifieds history at Fairbury, the most all-time in the eight-year history of the tour with the milestone 20th event scheduled for the following night.
In the Summit Racing Equipment Qualifier Feature #1, Tait Davenport and Steve Stevenson led the field to the green flag, with Davenport showing the way early in the race. The Benton, KY driver made no mistake the entire event and scored his second straight Friday PDC Quad Feature win in two years. Derek Losh finished second to earn a spot in the Redraw, while Lucas Lee and David Shain completed the transfer positions. Former two-time Track Champion Jeff Ledford completed the top five.
Allen Weisser and Chris Arnold started on the front row of the Wehr’s Machine & Racing Qualifier Feature #2, with Arnold edging by Weisser heading into the first corner to take the early lead. Arnold, who made the trip from Matoaca, VA, started his weekend off right by leading all 20 laps to win his first career Summit Modified Nationals Feature. Weisser finished second to grab the second Redraw spot, while current FALS points leader, McKay Wenger, and 2017 Gateway Dirt Nationals winner, Ray Bollinger, also transferred into the main event. Steven Brooks finished on the outside looking into a transfer spot and rounding out the top five.
Danny Schwartz and five-time and defending Series Champion Mike Harrison led the field to the start of the Allgaier Racing Shocks Qualifier Feature #3. Harrison, the six-time and defending DIRTcar Modified National Champion, grabbed the point from the get-go, and the Highland, IL standout collected his 43rd career Summit Modified Nationals Feature win and seventh of the 2018 racing season. Schwartz was second and got the second Redraw position, while Mark Lamont and Kyle Strickler were the remaining transfer cars. Current Summit Modified Nationals points leader Mike McKinney finished fifth and will have to come through one of the Last Chance Races on Saturday.
The final race of the night for the DIRTcar Modifieds was the Deke Trucking Qualifier Feature #4 with Jacob Hawkins and Matt Cooper in the front row. Hawkins shot out to the lead as soon as the green flag came out, and the Fairmont, WV driver, who won the DIRTcar Modifieds portion of the Eldora Dirt Derby at Eldora Speedway (OH) just nine days ago, led all 20 laps to score his first career Summit Modified Nationals Feature victory. Logan Moody was second and earned the final Redraw position. Dan Rork and 2012 Series Champion Kenny Wallace were the final transfer cars. Wallace and fifth place finisher Brent Weaver collided coming out of turn four for the checkered flag with Wallace coming out on top and Weaver settling for fifth.
Coming into the weekend, McKinney led Harrison by just four points in the chase for the 2018 Summit Modified Nationals Championship. After Friday night’s action, McKinney and Harrison are tied for the points lead, and Harrison, the all-time career wins leader in the eight-year history of the Summit Modified Nationals, must win on Saturday to clinch a sixth title. If he does not win the Feature, McKinney will clinch his first career Summit Modified Nationals title.
Saturday, July 28 will conclude the 2018 racing season for the Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals, beginning with the Redraw for the top two finishers from the Qualifier Features the previous night. Three Last Chance Showdowns will then take the top two out of each and lock them into the Feature. Four Summit Modified Nationals Provisionals will complete the 26-car field. Then the 20th-ever Summit Modified Nationals Feature at Fairbury American Legion Speedway, the 40-lap, $5,000-to-win main event, will crown the 2018 Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals Champion after 28 events in 2018.
RESULTS
Summit Racing Equipment Qualifying Flight-A: 1. 18T-Tait Davenport, 13.885; 2. 25W-Allen Weisser, 13.922; 3. 1-Steve Stevenson, 14.081; 4. 99W-Chris Arnold, 14.086; 5. 21-Derek Losh, 14.121; 6. 42-Mckay Wenger, 14.126; 7. 53s-Bobby Stremme, 14.13; 8. 5-Steven Brooks, 14.133; 9. 8K-Levi Kissinger, 14.15; 10. 77-Ray Bollinger, 14.157; 11. 18L-Jeffery Ledford, 14.177; 12. 72A-Austin Lynn, 14.219; 13. 12L-Lucas Lee, 14.234; 14. 21A-Nick Allen, 14.25; 15. 7L-Jay Ledford, 14.302; 16. 15-Chris Smith, 14.428; 17. 87-David Shain, 14.452; 18. 14-Michael Thayer, 14.472; 19. 1s-Brian Shaw, 14.503; 20. 10-Shawn Scripter, 14.507; 21. 31-Mark Anderson, 14.552; 22. 4L-Mike Learman, 14.553; 23. 28-Kevin Morrow, 14.56; 24. 27T-Michael Turner, 14.618; 25. 12-Jeff Curl, 14.649; 26. 61-Logan Rogers, 14.778; 27. 45-Kyle Hammer, 14.838; 28. 84-Stan Beadles, 15.045; 29. 1JR-Floyd Jordan, 15.191; 30. A1X-Phil Dixon, 15.211; DNS. 74J-Jeff Sanford, NT
Summit Racing Equipment Qualifying Flight-B: 1. 21d-Danny Schwartz, 14.105; 2. 13H-Jacob Hawkins, 14.141; 3. 24H-Mike Harrison, 14.15; 4. 18c-Matt Cooper, 14.264; 5. 7m-Mark Lamont, 14.352; 6. 25-Tyler Nicely, 14.381; 7. 32-Donovan Lodge, 14.436; 8. 36-Kenny Wallace, 14.475; 9. 19-Kyle Strickler, 14.478; 10. 3L-Jeff Leka, 14.489; 11. 96m-Mike McKinney, 14.497; 12. 162-Logan Moody, 14.504; 13. 1w-Bob Pohlman, 14.521; 14. 24B-Brent Weaver, 14.624; 15. 72-Brian Lynn, 14.682; 16. 7R-Dan Rork, 14.71; 17. 3-Mike Brooks, 14.781; 18. 35-Jason Hastings, 14.836; 19. 28m-Frank Marshall, 14.84; 20. K67-Ian Keller, 14.917; 21. 59-Chevy Miller, 14.944; 22. 22-Wade Wenthe, 14.948; 23. 69Jr-Jimmy Farris, 14.951; 24. 0.02-Nick Clubb, 14.997; 25. 5X-Alan Stipp, 15.183; 26. 13-Kevin DeYoung, 15.204; 27. 21X-Troy Dodson, 15.248; 28. 27-Beau DeYoung, 15.562; 29. 13S-Terry Starks, 16.232; 30. 18J-Scott James, NT
Summit Racing Equipment Qualifier Feature #1 – Flight (A) (20 Laps) – Top 4 Transfer: 1. 18T-Tait Davenport [1]; 2. 21-Derek Losh [3]; 3. 12L-Lucas Lee [7]; 4. 87-David Shain [9]; 5. 7L-Jay Ledford [8]; 6. 31-Mark Anderson [11]; 7. 1-Steve Stevenson [2]; 8. 1s-Brian Shaw [10]; 9. 45-Kyle Hammer [14]; 10. 8K-Levi Kissinger [5]; 11. 12-Jeff Curl [13]; 12. 28-Kevin Morrow [12]; 13. 18L-Jeffery Ledford [6]; 14. 1JR-Floyd Jordan [15]; 15. 53s-Bobby Stremme [4]; 16. 74J-Jeff Sanford [16]
Wehr’s Machine & Racing & Qualifier Feature #2 – Flight (A) (20 Laps) – Top 4 Transfer: 1. 99W-Chris Arnold [2]; 2. 25W-Allen Weisser [1]; 3. 42-Mckay Wenger [3]; 4. 77-Ray Bollinger [5]; 5. 5-Steven Brooks [4]; 6. 15-Chris Smith [8]; 7. 72A-Austin Lynn [6]; 8. 14-Michael Thayer [9]; 9. 21A-Nick All
en [7]; 10. 27T-Michael Turner [12]; 11. 10-Shawn Scripter [10]; 12. 4L-Mike Learman [11]; 13. 61-Logan Rogers [13]; 14. 84-Stan Beadles [14]; 15. A1X-Phil Dixon [15]
Allgaier Racing Shocks Qualifier Feature #3 – Flight (B) (20 Laps) – Top 4 Transfer: 1. 24H-Mike Harrison [2]; 2. 21d-Danny Schwartz [1]; 3. 7m-Mark Lamont [3]; 4. 19-Kyle Strickler [5]; 5. 96m-Mike McKinney [6]; 6. 32-Donovan Lodge [4]; 7. 1w-Bob Pohlman [7]; 8. 72-Brian Lynn [8]; 9. 3-Mike Brooks [9]; 10. 28m-Frank Marshall [10]; 11. 69Jr-Jimmy Farris [12]; 12. 59-Chevy Miller [11]; 13. 5X-Alan Stipp [13]; 14. 21X-Troy Dodson [14]; 15. 13S-Terry Starks [15]
Deke Trucking Qualifier Feature #4 – Flight (B) (20 Laps) – Top 4 Transfer: 1. 13H-Jacob Hawkins [1]; 2. 162-Logan Moody [6]; 3. 7R-Dan Rork [8]; 4. 36-Kenny Wallace [4]; 5. 24B-Brent Weaver [7]; 6. 3L-Jeff Leka [5]; 7. 35-Jason Hastings [9]; 8. 13-Kevin DeYoung [13]; 9. K67-Ian Keller [10]; 10. 27-Beau DeYoung [14]; 11. 18c-Matt Cooper [2]; 12. 18J-Scott James [15]; 13. 0.02-Nick Clubb [12]; 14. 25-Tyler Nicely [3]; 15. 22-Wade Wenthe [11]