(July 13, 2024) Wauseon, OH – The DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Models race at Oakshade Raceway has become a special event for Ashton Winger. The 24-year-old from Hampton, GA, has now won the Birthday Race three times in his three appearances, including his latest triumph where he led all 40 laps.
A Perfect Fit for Winger
Winger attributes his success at Oakshade Raceway to the track’s unique characteristics. “I really don’t know, it just fits,” Winger said. “You can get away with driving pretty hard and typically I feel better in the slick. I like where you gotta drive really crazy lines. Once that bottom gets blown off a little bit you can actually keep your momentum in that middle to top and straightaways are so wide it holds moisture better than a lot of places.”
A Sentimental Victory
This race held special meaning for Winger, as it coincided with the birthday of his late grandfather, who passed away ten years ago. During the final caution of the race, Winger thought about his grandfather to stay calm. “When he passed, I was so young I probably didn’t pay attention to him as much as I should have,” Winger reflected. “When we did spend time together, we were always talking about racing, and it was around the time I started racing when he passed. Looking back on it, it’s just one of those things where you wish you had more time. I was definitely thinking about it with eight laps to go and was trying to do something to keep myself calm.”
Leading from the Front
After winning his Heat Race and drawing the pole position, Winger took an early lead, building over a second gap by Lap 5. He maintained his lead throughout the race, even after a final caution on Lap 32. With Tyler Erb, a ten-time Hell Tour winner this season, lined up behind him, Winger executed a flawless restart and finished over two seconds ahead of Erb.
“I felt as long as I didn’t do anything stupid, I felt like we had a shot,” Winger said about the last restart. “I’m just glad we were able to execute the way we know we’re capable of.”
Looking Ahead
As the series moves into the final race of Week 5 at Wayne County Speedway, Winger is third in points, trailing leader Tyler Erb by 39 points. Dillon McCowan, still seeking his first Series win of the season, sits 25 points behind Erb in second place.
Feature Results
Feature (40 Laps):
- Ashton Winger [1]
- Tyler Erb [3]
- Devin Shiels [6]
- Jake Rendel [12]
- Trey Mills [14]
- Wil Herrington [10]
- Ryan Missler [2]
- Casey Noonan [11]
- Steve Kester [15]
- Colin Shipley [8]
- Clayton Stuckey [17]
- Thomas Hunziker [13]
- Dillon McCowan [7]
- Rusty Schlenk [4]
- Jackson Hise [9]
- Carter Schlenk [5]
- Joe Smith [22]
- Rusty Smith [23]
- Bob Mayer [24]
- Daniel Wallace [20]
- Carter Murday [21]
- Jacob Stuhr [18]
- Brad Eitniear [16]
- Drew Smith [19]
