Shannon Babb
Zeke McKenzie
Zane Reitz
McKenzie Scores $2,000 Summit Modified Nationals Win; Reitz Goes Flag-to-Flag in Stock Car Feature
Results | Points | Story & Pictures by Rocky Ragusa
As part of the 40th anniversary of the DIRTcar Summer Nationals, Big Daddy Scrap presented Fairbury Speedway’s 38th Hell Tour event. Shannon Babb (Late Model), Zeke McKenzie (Modified), and Zane Reitz (Stock Car) emerged victorious.
With 41 Late Models on the grounds, time trials were broken into two groups. Co-track point leader McKay Wenger turned in a time of 12.643 to lead Group A. Group B was led by Shannon Babb with a time of 12.561.
Wenger, Brian Shirley, Babb, and Tanner English won their heat races. Two last chance showdowns saw Kevin Weaver and Jordan Bauer come out on top.
An enthusiastic crowd saw Babb and English race side by side for the lead during the first six laps of the 50-lap, $10,000-to-win event. Babb was able to establish himself as the race leader on lap 10 as English nipped at his heels.
On a restart following a lap 26 yellow flag, Babb bobbled on the cushion in turn two and allowed English to pull to his inside. Babb held his ground and, as he exited turns three and four, reclaimed the lead. Cautions on laps 30, 32, and 35 kept English from finding any momentum. Babb was able to lead the final 15 laps and record his 104th career Summer Nationals win and fifth at Fairbury.
English turned in a fine performance but had to settle for second. Chris Simpson, a 2022 Fairbury Summer Nationals winner, was third. Starting 22nd on the grid, Ryan Unzicker rallied for fourth. Jason Feger, Daniel Adam, Wenger, Frank Heckenast Jr., Clay Stuckey, and Michael Leach completed the top ten.
A field of 37 Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals participants rolled into the pit area for their 30-lap, $2,000-to-win race. Group A was led by Nick Allen’s time of 13.976, and hometown favorite Lyndon Whitfill’s time of 13.746 led Group B.
Four heat races saw Zeke McKenzie, Damian Kiefer, Ray Bollinger, and Tyler Spalding take the wins. Allen and Austin Friedman were the two last chance showdown winners.
McKenzie, running the bottom of the track, led the first three laps of the race before Bollinger, running the top, briefly took over. Both drivers swapped the lead back and forth before the caution came out on lap 13. On the restart, Mike Harrison joined the hunt and led lap 24 before McKenzie went back to the bottom for the lead. McKenzie went on to earn his second career Summit Modified Nationals win and second career victory at Fairbury.
Harrison took second, with Curt Spalding, Bollinger, Whitfill, Mike McKinney, Landen Miller, Carson Friedman, Michael Long, and Trent Young rounding out the top ten.
Seventeen Stock Cars vied for the top prize in their 15-lap, $750-to-win feature. Track point leader Zane Reitz turned in a time of 14.740 to earn quick time honors. Two heat races saw Reitz and Joe Brown take the wins.
Reitz took the lead at the start and never looked back, going flag to flag for his first Fairbury win of the year and third of his career at the speedway. Nick Clubb followed closely in second, with Joe Brown in third. Kyle Anderson, Jesse Simmons, Jace Gall, Liam Davis, Matt Hammond, Peyton Oswald, and Rick Thomas rounded out the top ten.