(June 29, 2024) Highland, IL – Jason Feger added another chapter to his storied career with a significant win at Highland Speedway on Saturday night. The triumph marked his 29th career DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Model Feature victory, surpassing Scott Bloomquist for sixth place on the Hell Tour’s all-time wins list.
“Growing up, I never dreamed of winning one Summer Nationals race,” Feger said. “To be able to break any record with Scott being one of the best ever, it’s really cool. I definitely looked up to the way he raced. It definitely makes it a little more special on top of a really great night.”
The Race Unfolds
Starting on the outside pole of the 40-lap Feature, Feger initially fell behind polesitter Chad Zobrist. However, he stayed within striking distance, never letting Zobrist get more than a car length ahead. On Lap 14, Feger made his move. Running the low line, he pulled even with Zobrist coming out of Turn 2, edged ahead down the backstretch, and completed the pass coming out of Turn 4.
“I was just being really patient down there,” Feger said. “I just kept waiting and putting a little pressure on him. He was overdriving a little on entry and pushed out and I got it timed good. Got him squared up, got a pull off the corner, and got underneath him.”
Dominating the Field
Once in the lead, Feger started to build a considerable gap between himself and the rest of the field. Even as he navigated through lap traffic, he used every lane of the 1/4-mile oval to maintain and extend his lead.
“I felt like I could run top, bottom, or middle, so I felt really confident in lap traffic,” Feger said. “The more you can get between you and the next guy, the more of a buffer or safe zone you have, so I felt very confident in that.”
Final Challenge
A caution on Lap 37 forced Feger to restart with 2022 World of Outlaws Rookie of the Year Tanner English and Week 1 points champion Tyler Erb right behind him. Despite the pressure, Feger got a great jump on the restart and crossed the finish line a second ahead of runner-up English for his third win of the season.
“I definitely didn’t want to see [the caution],” Feger admitted. “Just try not to overdrive the corner, make sure you come off the bottom, and then maybe swing a little wide to the wall so if somebody is trying to run that top they couldn’t get a run on it.”
Championship Battle
With this victory, Feger now leads the Week 3 points standings, eight points ahead of Erb, who finished third. Heading into Sunday’s race at Red Hill Raceway, Feger needs to finish ahead of Erb or stay within a spot of him to clinch the Week 3 points championship.
Looking Ahead
The DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Models will crown the Week 3 champion at Red Hill Raceway in Sumner, IL, on Sunday, June 30. Tickets will be available at the gate. The pit gate opens at 3 p.m. (CT) and the grandstands open at 5 p.m. If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch every lap live on DIRTVision.
Feature (40 Laps):
- Jason Feger [2]
- Tanner English [4]
- Tyler Erb [7]
- Chad Zobrist [1]
- Rodney Melvin [6]
- Mike Harrison [10]
- Jordan Bauer [5]
- Matt Bailey [13]
- Tyler Clem [12]
- Kye Blight [8]
- Michael Kloos [17]
- Dillon McCowan [19]
- Daniel Adam [14]
- Clayton Stuckey [15]
- Carson Brown [9]
- Mark Voigt [22]
- Ashton Winger [11]
- Josh Heuiser [18]
- Shannon Kuhn [16]
- Jordan Suhre [21]
- Morgan Bagley [20]
- Daryn Klein [3]
