With the eighth annual Emil and Dale Reutimann Memorial race just one week away, the stars of the DIRTcar UMP Modifieds were in the house to shake down their cars and try to find any edge to increase their chance of taking home the win next weekend.
The night started off with a 602 Late Model feature that saw Devin Walker following up a heat race win by over half a track, with a feature win that looked very similar at times. He was challenged by multiple feature race winner Donnie Chappell on a few restarts, but on the longer runs Walker slipped away, eventually taking the checkers first. Chappell went on to finish second, and after a heated battle that took place over multiple laps Travis Staats edged out Dustin Carter for third.
The second class out was the ¾ Modifieds. With a championship on the line, the drivers took the track for their last race of the season. Lawton and Korbin Minchew took turns leading the early laps, but on lap seven veteran racer Patrick Varieka took the lead. A battle for the lead between Varieka, Timmy Hogan, and Wade Olmsted involved lapped traffic, drawing a caution and setting up a two-lap shootout for the win. Varieka held off the challenging Hogan to grab the win, and Olmsted came home third and clinched his first championship in only his third season of racing.
The race the fans had been waiting for was up next as the DIRTcar UMP Modifieds took the track. Kenny Wallace started outside of the front row after his heat race win, with other heat race winners Seth Geary and David Reutimann on the second row. Treb Jacoby made the trip from Missouri and started on the pole, but Wallace and Reutimann jumped out front early. They caught the rear of the 26-car field quickly setting up a maze to navigate, but Reutimann kept Wallace right in his sights. Geary ran strong until a mechanical issue took him out with four to go, leaving Jacoby and Garrett Stewart to race for third. Wallace went on to win with Reutimann second and Stewart giving the fans just a small preview of what is in store for them next Friday and Saturday night!
The Street Stock feature saw veteran drivers leading the field to green with Tuck Trentham on the pole and Chris Lawrance on the outside. Another long-time contender, Jimmy Wagner got in on the action early, but it was Trentham’s night to shine as he drove his number 54 machine to victory, leading every lap. Wagner finished second, and Thomas Hill came home in third.
The final feature of the night was the Thunder Stocks. Shaun Daughtary got to the front quickly and gave a repeat performance of his heat race win taking the checkers in feature as well. Charlie Staats finished second and Sean Babcock finished third.
Next weekend is the big one: the eighth annual Emil and Dale Reutimann Memorial. Practice starts Thursday night, with racing Friday and Saturday night. You won’t want to miss this one as all of the stars of the DIRTcar UMP Modifieds will be there!
