BOSWELL, Indiana – – Wes Steidinger is coming of age.
The rising 25-year-old star from Fairbury, Ill., scored the richest win of his career on Saturday night, earning $10,000 for capturing the 40-lap UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals A-Main at Kamp Motor Speedway.
After stamping himself as a pre-race favorite with a dominating heat-race victory, Steidinger started from the pole position and out-raced Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., for the lead at the initial green flag. He set the pace from flag-to-flag, holding off Mike Mataragas of Dekalb, Ill., over the final circuits to emerge triumphant in his family-owned No. J1.
Steidinger, who last year finished second in the UMP DIRTcar Super Late Model national points standings and third in the Summer Nationals chase, registered his second career win on the grueling month-long tour. His first checkered flag came in the 2007 series finale – the non-point Herald & Review 100 at Macon (Ill.) Speedway.
A Summer Nationals regular for the second time in his young career, Steidinger came back strong after engine problems sidelined him in the tour’s Thursday-night opener at Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway.
Mataragas challenged Steidinger several times in the closing laps but settled for runner-up money. It was the best Summer Nationals finish of his career.
Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa, finished third by a scant margin over Moyer, and defending Summer Nationals champion Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill., ran a steady race to place fifth.
Just two caution flags slowed the A-Main, including an 18th-lap tangle that began when 2006 World of Outlaws Late Model Series champion Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., was sent spinning in turn three. Will Vaught of Crane, Mo., Kevin Claycomb of Vincennes, Ind., and Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., were swept up in the mess.
The event drew a 36-car field to the western Indiana facility.
Dewayne Keifer of St. Genevieve, Mo., was the fastest qualifier in the group time-trial session, circling the oval in 14.223 seconds.
Heat winners were Steidinger, Eric Smith of Bloomington, Ill., Mataragas and Moyer. Duke Whiseant of Texarkana, Ark., topped the C-Main and Darren Miller of Chadwick, Ill., won the B-Main.
Moyer leads the unofficial UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals points standings through two events by five points over Shirley (156-151). Erb is third (-10), followed by Vaught (-18) and Jeep VanWormer of Pinconning, Mich. (-26).
The UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals continues on Sunday night (June 15) at Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, Ind.
For more information on UMP DIRTcar Racing, visit www.dirtcar.com.
2008 UMP DIRTcar Racing Summernationals Schedule (Date/Day/Track/Location/To Win/Winner – Car Count):
June 12 – Thurs. - Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway/Calvert City, KY - $7,500 (Brad Neat - 40)
June 13 – Fri. - Brownstown (IN) Speedway - $10,000 (Rain – postponed to July 11)
June 14 – Sat. - Kamp Motor Speedway/Boswell, IN - $10,000 (Wes Steidinger - 36)
June 15 – Sun. – Tri-State Speedway/Haubstadt, IN - $6,000
June 16 – Mon - OFF
June 17 – Tues. – Highland Speedway/Highland, IL - $6,000
June 18 – Wed. – Belle Clair Speedway/Belleville, IL - $6,000
June 19 – Thurs. – Jefferson Co. Speedway/Mt. Vernon, IL - $6,000
June 20 – Fri. – Farmer City Raceway/Farmer City, IL - $10,000
June 21 – Sat. – I-55 Raceway/Pevely, MO - $10,000
June 22 – Sun. – Vermilion Co. Speedway/Danville, IL - $6,000
June 23 – Mon. - OFF
June 24 – Tue. – Sedalia State Fair Speedway/Sedalia, MO - $6,000
June 25 – Wed. – Lake Ozark Speedway/Eldon, MO - $6,000
June 26 – Thurs. – Paducah Int’l Raceway/Paducah, KY - $6,000
June 27 – Fri. – Lawrenceburg Speedway/Lawrenceburg, IN - $10,000
June 28 – Sat. – Clarksville Speedway/Clarksville, TN - $10,000
June 29 – Sun. – Lincoln Speedway/Lincoln, IL - $6,000
June 30 – Mon. - OFF
July 1 – Tue. – Peoria Speedway/Peoria, IL - $6,000
July 2 – Wed. – Morgan Co. Speedway/Jacksonville, IL - $6,000
July 3 – Thurs. – Macon Speedway/Macon, IL - $6,000
July 4 – Fri. – Tri-City Speedway/Pontoon Beach, IL - $10,000
July 5 – Sat. – Fairbury American Legion Speedway/Fairbury, IL -$10,000
July 6 – Sun. – Quad City Raceway/East Moline, IL - $6,000
July 7 – Mon. - OFF
July 8 – Tue. – Quincy (IL) Speedway - $6,000
July 9 – Wed. – Spoon River Speedway/Canton, IL - $6,000
July 10 – Thurs. – La Salle Speedway/La Salle, IL - $6,000
July 11 – Fri. – Brownstown (IN) Speedway - $10,000 (Rescheduled date)
July 12 – Sat. – Oakshade Raceway/Wauseon, OH - $10,000
