Unzicker Rebounds for Clarksville Summer Nationals Win
Points leader Bobby Pierce has rare bad luck
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – June 28, 2016 – Ryan Unzicker has been charging through Summer Nationals but has not had the finishes he would have hoped. That changed Tuesday night at Clarksville Speedway as he was able to claim his first DIRTcar Summer Nationals victory of the season.
Unzicker started on the front row with current points leader and reigning Summer Nationals champion Bobby Pierce to his outside. Pierce fell back to sixth early and then got tangled in a crash – he ultimately finished 18th.
Unzicker jumped to the early lead with Tanner English taking second. The two battled throughout the feature as Terry English, father of Tanner English moved into third. Unzicker nearly had his night ended as he tangled with a lapped car, but he was able to keep running.
The win is English’s first Summer Nationals victory since 2013.
“We started off slow with the Summer Nationals but we’re coming along now,” Unzicker said.
“I’m just a real good (low-groove) racer and I’ve been coming down (to Clarksville) for many years for the Toilet Bowl and the Summer Nationals, and I’ve just got my own little setup here,” said Unzicker, who won Toilet Bowl event at the track over the winter. “It played in my favor a little bit with the rain (staying) on the bottom, but our car’s been running good here for four or five nights in a row.”
The DIRTcar Summer Nationals returns to action tonight at Belle Clair Speedway in Belleville, Ill.
Follow the Summer Nationals and Summit Modified Nationals on Twitter at Twitter.com/SummerNationals or on Facebook at Facebook.com/SummerNationals. Stay up-to-date with the latest news from the series throughout the lead up and the summer on the series’ websites at TheHellTour.com and ModifiedNationals.com.
DIRTcar Summer Nationals Statistical Report; Clarksville Speedway; Clarksville, Tenn.
A-Main: 1. Ryan Unzicker (El Paso, IL), 2. Tanner English (Benton, KY), 3. Terry English (Benton, KY), 4. Bob Gardner (East Peoria, IL), 5. Gordy Gundaker (St Charles, MO), 6. Caleb Ashby (Cunningham, TN), 7. Kyle Beard (Trumann, AR), 8. Brent Larson (Lake Elmo, MN), 9. Wendell Wallace (Batesville, AR), 10. Richard Frost (Clarksville, TN), 11. Ross Camponova (Clarksdale, MS), 12. Larry Greer (Bowling Green, Ky), 13. Daniel Hopper (Peru, IL), 14. Austin Rettig (Sikeston, MO), 15. Mark Voigt (Marine, IL), 16. Levi Ashby (Cumberland Furnance, TN), 17. Jacob Minon (Adams, TN), 18. Bobby Pierce (Oakwood, IL), 19. Jason Feger (Bloomington, IL), 20. Jeffrey Bailey (Calvert City, KY), 21. Mitchell Lingauer (Clarksville, TN), 22. Jim Moon (New Florence, MO), 23. Timothy Culp (Sheridan, AR). Hard Charger: Ross Campnova.
2016 DIRTcar Summer Nationals Schedule
| Date | Day | Track | Winners |
| Northern Kickoff | |||
| June 15 | Wednesday | Brownstown Speedway | Rain/Cancelled |
| June 16 | Thursday | Kankakee Co. Speedway | Bobby Pierce |
| June 17 | Friday | Cedar Lake Speedway | Billy Moyer |
| June 18 | Saturday | Cedar Lake Speedway | Billy Moyer (2) |
| June 19 | Sunday | Wilmot Speedway | Bobby Pierce (2) |
| Heartland Tour | |||
| June 20 | Monday | OFF | |
| June 21 | Tuesday | Jacksonville Speedway | Bobby Pierce (3) |
| June 22 | Wednesday | Farley Speedway | Rain/Cancelled |
| June 23 | Thursday | Spoon River Speedway | Dennis Erb Jr. |
| June 24 | Friday | Tri-City Speedway | Bobby Pierce (4) |
| June 25 | Saturday | Fairbury Speedway | Brandon Sheppard |
| June 26 | Sunday | Tri-State Speedway | Bobby Pierce (5) |
| Southern Tour | |||
| June 27 | Monday | OFF | |
| June 28 | Tuesday | Clarksville Speedway | Ryan Unzicker |
| June 29 | Wednesday | Belle Clair Speedway | |
| June 30 | Thursday | Springfield Raceway | |
| July 1 | Friday | Fayette Co. Speedway | |
| July 2 | Saturday | Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 | |
| July 3 | Sunday | Lincoln Speedway | |
| Independence Week | |||
| July 4 | Monday | LaSalle Speedway | |
| July 5 | Tuesday | Daugherty Speedway | |
| July 6 | Wednesday | Peoria Speedway | |
| July 7 | Thursday | Macon Speedway | |
| July 8 | Friday | Farmer City Speedway | |
| July 9 | Saturday | Highland Speedway | |
| July 10 | Sunday | Quincy Raceways | |
| Champions Week | |||
| July 11 | Monday | OFF | |
| July 12 | Tuesday | Plymouth Speedway | |
| July 13 | Wednesday | Shadyhill Speedway | |
| July 14 | Thursday | Merritt Speedway | |
| July 15 | Friday | Oakshade Raceway | |
| July 16 | Saturday | Oakshade Raceway |
The DIRTcar Summer Nationals “Hell Tour” is brought to fans across the country by many important partners including: Arizona Sport Shirts (Official Apparel Company), Hoosier Racing Tires (Official Racing Tires), Racing Electronics (Official Communication), VP Racing Fuel (Official Racing Fuel); in addition to these fine Contingency Partners: Beyea Headers, Comp Cams, Edelbrock, Fox Shocks, JE Pistons, MSD, Impact Race Products, Quartermaster, Superflow Dynos, Summit Racing Equipment and Wrisco Aluminum; Promotional Partners include: Chevy Performance Parts, Indiana Decal, Intercomp and Petroff Towing.
