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Billy Moyer flashed his vintage UMP DIRTcar Racing Summernationals form again on Thursday night, holding off a relentless Jeep VanWormer to win the tour’s 40-lap A-Main at Paducah International Raceway.
It was the Batesville, Ark. , star’s second consecutive Summernationals triumph and pumped his alltime series record win total to 62. The six-time Summernationals champion registered back-to-back victories on the grueling series for the first time since 2001, when he won on June 30 at I-55 Raceway in Pevely , Mo. , and July 1 at the one-mile DuQuoin ( Ill. ) State Fairgrounds.
Moyer, 49, rolled off the pole position to lead the entire distance in his Banner Valley Hauling No. 21, but Pinconning , Mich. ’s VanWormer made life difficult for him every step of the way.
Thrilling fans with the wall-rubbing, sparks-flying style he famously demonstrated during last year’s UMP-sanctioned World 100 at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg , Ohio , VanWormer furiously challenged Moyer around the high-banked, one-third-mile oval. He nosed ahead of Moyer on at least two occasions, including down the backstretch on the final lap, but couldn’t complete the pass and never officially led a lap.
In a race slowed by only a single caution flag (lap 35), Moyer pocketed the $6,000 top prize by a few car lengths over VanWormer.
The runner-up finish was the best of the 2007 Summernationals for VanWormer, who placed second in last year’s tour point standings. He sits seventh in the current rankings after 12 of 27 events.
Randy Korte of Highland , Ill. , finished third, followed by Don O’Neal of Martinsville , Ind. , who won Summernationals events at Paducah in 2003 and 2004, and 13th-starter Jeff Taylor of Texarkana , Ark.
Mike Marlar of Winfield , Tenn. , held on to the Summernationals points lead despite experiencing his worst night of the ’07 series. A blown motor sidelined his Stephens Motorsports No. 34 during heat action, so he used a provisional spot to start the A-Main in Jordan Bland’s backup car and was credited with a 22nd-place finish.
Thirty-four dirt Late Models entered the mid-week program at the Kentucky track co-owned by Bob Sargent, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Tony Stewart. The UMP DIRTcar Racing Summernationals has visited the facility every year since 1996.
Heat winners were O’Neal, Steve Sheppard Jr. of New Berlin , Ill. , VanWormer and Moyer, and the B-Mains were captured by Taylor and A.J. Diemel of Navarino , Wis.
UMP DIRTcar Racing Summernationals A-Main Finish (40 laps):
1. Billy Moyer
2. Jeep VanWormer
3. Randy Korte
4. Don O’Neal
5. Jeff Taylor
6. Steve Shephard
7. Terry English
8. Joe Morris
9. Dennis Erb Jr.
10. Terry Casey
11. Wes Steidinger
12. Jason Feger
13. Kevin Weaver
14. Jordan Bland
15. Jack Sullivan
16. Eddie Kirchoff
17. Randy Sellars
18. Kevin Cole
19. A.J. Diemel
20. Michael Steele
21. Rodney Melvin
22. Mike Marler
DNQ: Todd Hall, Rusty Griffaw, Jason Riggs, William Simmons, Darrell Brown, Chris Shelton, Joe Mike III, Marshall Austin, Dylan Thompson, Jarryd Holhouser, Michael England, Jason McBride |
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