FEGERS STEALS LAST LAP WDRL VICTORY AT EAGLE RACEWAY
Minnesota driver outruns points leader Brian Harris for $5,000 win
By Tom Lathen
WORLD Dirt Racing League

EAGLE, NE (June 8) - Justin Fegers roared off the banking out of turn four on the final circuit Friday night to steal an exciting last-lap victory over Brian Harris in the Jack Daniels 50, a WORLD Dirt Racing League PolyDome Late Model Series sanctioned event here at Eagle Raceway.

The 27-year old Mound, Minnesota driver, who had led for 23 circuits before relinquishing the advantage to Harris on lap 42, delighted the crowd with his last-lap heroics, and pocketed the top prize of $5,000, while securing his second PolyDome Late Model Series victory of the season.

“I definitely got some help from that lapped traffic,” commented Fegers in AMSOIL Victory Lane. “I had a little trouble getting past some of the lapped cars earlier in the race and when I saw Brian come up on them on that last lap, I thought there was still a shot.”

Added the winner, “I tried knocking the right front off the car once I got by, scraping on that front stretch wall. I told my crew, if I had a chance, I was going to ‘cowboy-up’ on the last corner and I did ‘er.”

Fegers, who started on the inside second row, ran in the number-four position the first trip in front of the grandstands, as pole-setter Eric Pember raced to the early advantage, with outside front row starter Chris Simpson and current series points leader Brian Harris in hot pursuit.

With Pember screaming off the banking at the front of the field, Fegers was able to dispatch of Harris to roll into third on lap two, and as the lead cars scrambled through slower traffic, roared past Simpson a dozen laps later to wheel into second.

The 2005 WDRL Rookie-of-the-Year powered off the bottom out of turn four and raced virtually side-by-side with Pember as lap 18 was scored, and as the two race leaders made their way out of turn two on the following circuit, stormed off the banking to grab the advantage.

After securing the point on lap 19, the new front-runner got tangled up in lapped traffic over the next few circuits, before threading-the-needle between the slower cars of Rob Moss and Brian Kenkel on lap 24 to finally reach open race track.

“Those lapped cars are racing for position, too, so you don’t always expect them to move over for you,” said Fegers of the congested traffic.

“Somehow I made it between those guys, but I know there’s a big dent in my left door.”

The race was slowed by a caution flag a couple of laps later when Simpson slowed to a stop in turn two with power steering problems, and when racing resumed, Fegers again darted to the advantage, with Pember and fellow Wisconsin driver John Kaanta battling door-to-door for second.

The third generation dirt track racer held what appeared to be a comfortable advantage with 15 laps to go, before Harris was able to make his way past Pember to move into second on lap 37.

Running the top-side of the wide, third-mile race track, Harris, of Davenport, Iowa, immediately began to carve into Fegers’ lead, and by lap 40, the pair were running nose-to-tail through traffic and in front of the appreciative grandstands. On lap 42, Harris surprised the race leader, powering off the bottom out of turn two to grab the lead and over the next half dozen circuits, began to place some distance between himself and the now second-place running Fegers.

With the white flag in the air, the Twin Cities area driver was still a handful of car lengths behind the front-running Harris, but as the duo negotiated traffic down the back straightaway and into turn three, Fegers drove hard into the corner and with the crowd on its feet, blasted off the cushion out of turn four to outrun Harris at to the line by a matter of a few feet to steal the last lap, last turn victory.

“We’ve won a lot of features, but I’ve never won one on the last turn of the last lap,” noted the winner. “This win is definitely right up there with any race I’ve ever won.”

“The track conditions obviously weren’t ideal tonight and it was plenty rough in places,” he added. “But that’s what dirt racing is all about. If you want a smooth race track, you go run asphalt.”

Eric Pember finished a close third, his best-ever WDRL finish, with Coffeyville, Kansas driver Al Purkey outdistancing John Kaanta for fourth. Brothers Dave and Denny Eckrich finished sixth and seventh respectively, with Kyle Berck grabbing eighth, just ahead of Delbert Smith and Andrew McKay.

RACE REPORT:

Group Qualifying: 1. Justin Fegers; Mound, MN (14.212), 2. Andrew McKay; Edina, MN (14.528), 3. Kyle Berck; Marquette, NE (14.609), 4. Denny Eckrich; Tiffin, IA (14.648), 5. Al Purkey; Coffeyville, KS (14.732), 6. Bill Leighton Jr.; Omaha, NE (14.753), 7. Dave Eckrich; Cosgrove, IA (14.786), 8. Brian Harris; Davenport, IA (14.786), 9. Jeremy Payne; Springfield, MO (14.863), 10. Eric Pember; Pittsville, WI (14.896), 11. Joe Kosiski; Omaha, NE (14.950), 12. Corey Zeitner; Bellevue, NE (14.983), 13. Junior Coover; Norfolk, NE (15.005), 14. Johnny Sathoff; Beatrice, NE (15.015), 15. Chris Simpson; Oxford, IA (15.016), 16. Ben Schaller; Norfolk, NE (15.025), 17. Greg Larson; Plattsmouth, NE (15.056), 18. John Kaanta; Elk Mound, WI (15.063), 19. Mike Danburg; Council Bluffs, IA (15.111), 20. Rob Moss; Iowa City, IA (15.251), 21. Jason Keeshan; Grand Island, NE (15.259), 22. Delbert Smith; Wichita, KS (15.301), 23. Brian Kenkel; Elkhorn, NE (15.341), 24. Mike Collins; Council Bluffs, IA (15.396), 25. Jeremy Smith; David City, NE (15.661), 26. Tim Isenberg; Marshfield, WI (15.689), 27. Scott Daly; Elkhorn, NE (15.751), 28. Al Humphrey; Giltner, NE (15.916), 29. Robbie Anderson; Blair, NE (16.031), 30. Troy Daly; Omaha, NE (16.242), 31. Clint Benson; Papillion, NE (16.271), 32. Andrew Kosiski; Omaha, NE (16.439), 33. Larry Clawson; North Kansas City, MO (16.971), 34. Billy Koons; Omaha, NE (17.007).

First PolyDome Qualifier: 1. Harris (65.75), 2. Moss (55.5), 3. Denny Eckrich (56.5), 4. Schaller (48.5), 5. Zeitner (45.0), 6. Clawson (48.25), 7. Keeshan (38.0), 8. Anderson (34.5), 9. Jeremy Smith (31.0).

Second PolyDome Qualifier: 1. Simpson (61.25), 2. Dave Eckrich (60.0), 3. Joe Kosiski (52.0), 4. Berck (50.75), 5. Delbert Smith (47.25), 6. Isenberg (43.75), 7. Troy Daly (40.25), 8. Koons (36.75), 9. Danburg (31.0).

Third PolyDome Qualifier; 1. Pember (63.5), 2. Kaanta (55.5), 3. McKay (56.5), 4. Leighton, Jr. (48.5), 5. Scott Daly (49.5), 6. Kenkel (41.5), 7. Benson (40.25), 8. Saathoff (34.5).

Fourth PolyDome Qualifier: 1. Fegers (68.0), 2. Larson (55.5), 3. Purkey (54.25), 4. Coover (48.5), 5. Payne (45.0), 6. Humphrey (43.75), 7. Collins (38.0), 8. Andrew Kosiski (34.5).

KSE Racing Products Consolation: 1. Delbert Smith, 2. Isenberg, 3. Clawson, 4. Kenkel, 5. Keeshan, 6. Collins, 7. Koons, 8. Anderson, 9. Jeremy Smith, 10. Danberg, 11. Benson, 12. Andrew Kosiski, 13. Zeitner, 14. Troy Daly.

Iowa-Illinois Taylor Insulation Pole Dash: 1. Pember, 2. Simpson, 3. Fegers, 4. Harris, 5. McKay, 6. Dave Eckrich, 7. Denny Eckrich, 8. Larson.

Jack Daniels 50: 1. Fegers, 2. Harris, 3. Pember, 4. Purkey, 5. Kaanta, 6. Dave Eckrich, 7. Denny Eckrich, 8. Berck, 9. Delbert Smith, 10. McKay, 11. Payne, 12. Moss, 13. Daly, 14. Isenberg, 15. Isenberg, 16. Kenkel, 17. Koons, 18. Simpson, 19. Keeshan, 20. Larson, 21. Clawson, 22. Coover, 23. Leighton, Jr., 24. Joe Kosiski.

INFORMATION OF INTEREST:

Entrants: 34
Lap Leaders: Pember (1-18), Fegers (19-41), Harris (42-49), Fegers (50)
Time of Race: 17:56.494
Margin of Victory: 0.286
Caution Flags: 1 (Lap 26)
Red Flags: none
Rookie-of-the-Race: Kaanta
Hard Luck Driver: Simpson
Series Provisionals: Koons

CONTINGENCY AWARD WINNERS:
Iowa-Illinois Taylor Insulation: Pember, Simpson, Fegers
QA1 Motorsports: Fegers
BSB Manufacturing: Fegers
AMSOIL: Fegers
KSE Racing Products: Delbert Smith
The Brake Man: Harris
Champ Pans: Pember
Performance Bodies: Kaanta
V-Performance Batteries: Dave Eckrich
Fast Shafts: Denny Eckrich
Hooker Harness: Delbert Smiyh
Weld Wheels: McKay
Chase Race Decals: Simpson