MACON, IL (June 27, 2024) – Jason Feger summed up Thursday’s DIRTcar Summer Nationals main event the best.
“It’s Macon,” he said. “Nothing surprises me here. I’ve seen so many crazy races here over the years and to me that’s what makes this special.”
Feger, the 46-year-old former champion of the Hell Tour from Bloomington, IL, garnered his second career victory in the prestigious Herald & Review 100 at Macon Speedway, taking the lead in the closing stages of the 100-lap main event and holding on to claim the $7,500 grand prize and his 28th career Summer Nationals victory.
Though Feger had conquered the 1/5-mile oval once before in the famed event (2022), this trip to Victory Lane may have been his most difficult. Starting fifth on the grid, Feger fell back to seventh early in the race before climbing his way up to fourth using the low side of the track by the halfway point. He then continued to dig down low and made it up to third as the race crossed the 3/4-mark.
Heading into the final 1/4 of the race, leader Tyler Clem – who had led 71 of the first 76 laps – caught Tyler Erb at the tail of the field and was looking for room to get by and put Erb a lap down coming out of Turn 2.
With limited space around Macon’s narrow confines, Clem got stuck behind Erb with nowhere to go as they drove into Turn 3. When Erb stuck to his line on the bottom, Clem got into the back of Erb which resulted in a four-car pileup that also collected second-place Ashton Winger and third-place Jason Feger, sending all three to the end of the lead-lap line.
“I was behind them lap cars and [Erb] was in front of me, and he was just going so slow that I was even slower than him trying to follow him, and it stalled the motor out just around the bottom there,” Clem said. “When it stalled, Winger was right there and Feger and all them guys were right there with nowhere to go.”
Looking back, Clem said no one was at fault for the accident and it was just an unfortunate situation.
“If anything, [Erb] was doing the right thing staying at the bottom,” Clem said. “This place is so small you’re going to get stacked up quickly. It’s just unfortunate that it took place then and I probably had the worst end of the deal.
“It’s nobody’s fault in particular. It’s just racing. Got to following [Erb] there and just stalled the motor out trying to put around and not miss the bottom.”
On the restart, Texas racer Morgan Bagley inherited the lead with Clem back to sixth, Winger to eighth and Feger to fifth. Despite moving back in the running order, Feger was determined to push toward the front.
Using every inch of the high-banked oval, Feger worked his way back up to third by a caution on Lap 82. On the restart, Feger took the runner-up spot from Dillon McCowan and then set his sights on Bagley.
As he continued to use the momentum of the high side, Feger zoomed past Bagley at the start/finish line on Lap 86 and led the rest of the way unchallenged for his second Summer Nationals win of 2024.
“Growing up an hour down the road, this had always been a special race,” Feger said. “I’ve looked forward to this race my whole life every year as a kid. It was can’t-miss. This definitely holds a special place for me. I love getting to come here to race. I love getting to win here.”
UP NEXT
The DIRTcar Summer Nationals next head for Farmer City Raceway on Friday, June 28, racing alongside the DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals.
Tickets will be on sale at the gate or catch all the action on DIRTVision.
ABBREVIATED RESULTS (view results here)
Feature (100 Laps): 1. 25F-Jason Feger[5]; 2. 58-Tyler Clem[2]; 3. 12-Ashton Winger[8]; 4. T6-Tommy Sheppard Jr[15]; 5. 1-Tyler Erb[3]; 6. 15-Clayton Stuckey[16]; 7. 8-Dillon McCowan[1]; 8. 14M-Morgan Bagley[6]; 9. 75-Daniel Adam[10]; 10. 10-Garrett Smith[9]; 11. 30-Mark Voigt[4]; 12. 14-Braden Johnson[20]; 13. 28-Carson Brown[13]; 14. 27-Greg Kimmons[17]; 15. 16-Rusty Griffaw[22]; 16. 17-Todd Rehg[19]; 17. 25E-Dakota Ewing[11]; 18. 24-Ryan Unzicker[7]; 19. 7P-David Payne[18]; 20. 32M-Cody Maguire[14]; 21. 38J-Jake Little[12]; 22. 4D-Doug Tye[23]; 23. 38-Thomas Hunziker[21]
Mike McKinney Wins Summit Modifieds at Macon for Second-Straight Year
For the second year in-a-row, Mike McKinney led all 25 laps of the DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals Feature at Macon Speedway.
McKinney, 31, of Plainfield, IL, set himself up by earning Quick Time honors in Qualifying, winning his Heat Race and redrawing the pole for the Feature. He won the dash into Turn 1 at the drop of the green flag and led the rest of the way, fending off early challenges from Zeke McKenzie before driving away at the end and finishing almost two seconds ahead.
“It was a tricky race,” McKinney said. “You just don’t have a ton of laps here so it’s hard to know where to be when you’re out there leading. You just don’t have anybody to judge off of.”
After winning the first Hell Tour race of the season at Peoria Speedway, McKinney had logged only one top-five finish in series competition before Thursday night’s win at Macon, but the UMP Modified national points leader now looks to be back on track.
“We’ve struggled here the last couple of weeks,” McKinney said. “Feels good to come in tonight and get some confidence back. We take this racing deal day by day.”
UP NEXT
The Summit Modifieds continue Week 3 action with a visit to Farmer City Raceway in Farmer City, IL, on Friday, June 28, racing alongside the DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Models.
Tickets for this event will be on sale at the gate. If you can’t be there, stream every lap live on DIRTVision.
ABBREVIATED RESULTS (view full results)
Feature (25 Laps): 1. 96M-Mike McKinney[1]; 2. 24-Zeke McKenzie[2]; 3. 777-Trevor Neville[14]; 4. 77-Ray Bollinger[3]; 5. 8K-Levi Kissinger[4]; 6. 14-Dalton Lane[7]; 7. 37L-Michael Ledford[5]; 8. 97-Mitch Thomas[9]; 9. Z24-Zach Taylor[10]; 10. 74M-Manix Furqueron[13]; 11. 1-Nash Hilmes[18]; 12. 54-Zachary Hawk[17]; 13. D98-Danny Smith[21]; 14. 24M-Matt Milner[16]; 15. 11D-Brian Diveley[12]; 16. 71-Jeff Graham[20]; 17. 25-Greg Belyea[15]; 18. 0-Travis Kohler[11]; 19. 7S-Phil Skinner[22]; 20. J24-Jeremy Nichols[6]; 21. 99-Tim Luttrell[8]; 22. 28S-Joe Strawkas[19]
Photo credit – Tyler Carr