Chris Simpson Dominates Hell Tour’s Return to West Liberty
Winning is always big, but winning in your home state means even more.
That’s exactly what Chris Simpson accomplished Tuesday night at West Liberty Raceway, leading all 30 laps of the main event in DIRTcar Summer Nationals’ return to the historic 1/2-mile oval after more than 30 years away.
“To come to Iowa and set fast time, win your heat, and I don’t think I had to pass a car all night — can’t beat that,” he said. “This is the place we grew up at. So, it’s cool to come here and show the guys that run the series what we got here.”
The first Hell Tour Feature since 1995 at West Liberty began with Chris Simpson sideways on the front stretch after contact with outside polesitter Dallon Murty. However, Chris Simpson was able to save it and went on to lead Lap 1.
Murty then dived low into Turn 1 on the second lap, pulling ahead of Oxford, IA-driver’s No. 32, but Chris Simpson found the momentum on the top side to regain the lead down the backstretch.
A Lap 6 restart saw older brother Chad Simpson running second and making a bid for the lead as the field entered turn one. But his sibling was strong on the top side, driving around Chad Simpson’s attempted slidejob to once again maintain control of the lead.
Chris Simpson wasn’t done playing defense, however. When Murty made the pass on Chad Simpson on Lap 20, he rapidly began reeling-in the leader. Within one lap, Murty was right on Chris Simpson’s rear bumper and took a look to the inside of the No. 32 off Turn 2, but Chris Simpson held onto the lead with a solid drive down the backstretch.
“[Murty] kept blocking what I wanted to do off of two. I’ve watched Brian Birkhofer race here for years and he would run in on that top and then cut down and run off the bottom, just to make your straightaways as long as possible,” Chris Simpson said. “[Murty] kept shooting in on me and then I would kind of have to walk the car off of two. So, when I finally got clear of him and could go up there and turn and cut down, I feel that’s what got me the big lead.”
The caution flag flew one final time on Lap 22 for a slowing Mark Voigt, putting Murty on Chris Simpson’s tail for the restart. The green flag dropped, and Chris Simpson pulled away, leading the field back around to the checkered flag unchallenged to collect the fifth DIRTcar Summer Nationals Feature win of his career.
Murty was able to hold on for second, Chad Simpson was third, Cade Dillard fourth, and Dylan Thornton rounded out the top five.
UP NEXT
The DIRTcar Summer Nationals 40th anniversary celebration continues with a visit to Davenport Speedway in Davenport, IA, on Wednesday, June 17. Tickets for the event will be sold at the track on race day.
How can you watch the DIRTcar Summer Nationals? Every race is live on DIRTVision.
FEATURE RESULTS
Feature (30 Laps): 1. 32S-Chris Simpson[1]; 2. 13-Dallon Murty[2]; 3. 25S-Chad Simpson[3]; 4. 97-Cade Dillard[9]; 5. 38T-Dylan Thornton[4]; 6. 21-Billy Moyer Sr[6]; 7. 25-Jason Feger[11]; 8. 43-Derrick Stewart[7]; 9. 99JR-Frank Heckenast Jr[14]; 10. 96-Tanner English[21]; 11. 50K-Kayden Clatt[15]; 12. 09-Michael Leach[5]; 13. 74-Mitch McGrath[19]; 14. 15-Clay Stuckey[18]; 15. 75-Daniel Adam[8]; 16. 87-Jake Rainey[13]; 17. 15C-Curt Schroeder[23]; 18. 05-Tyler Leach[20]; 19. 33-Nick Marolf[12]; 20. 17SR-Brody Smith[10]; 21. 30-Mark Voigt[22]; 22. 8-Matthew Larson[24]; 23. 22B-Jonathan Brauns[16]; 24. 31M-Tyler Millwood[17]
