Curl Captures His First Win of 2013 Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals at Kankakee County Speedway

KANKAKEE, Ill. — July 12, 2013 — Jeff Curl passed race-long leader Nick Allen with six laps remaining and then held on to the checkered flag to secure his first win of the 2013 Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals season at Kankakee County Speedway.

Curl, of Forrest, Ill., started sixth and found the early-going a challenge to find room to make a pass, leaving him stuck outside the top five. A restart near the midway point gave him the opportunity he needed and with the field bunched up he moved to the outside line. Not many drivers chose to get off of the bottom of the track, giving Curl enough room to pass and catch Allen, who had dominated the entire race from his pole-position.

Allen, seeing Curl cutting into his lead, moved up to the high side to try and hold off Curl, but Curl was too strong as he got to the corner of Allen’s car and slipped by him going into turn three with six laps remaining. Curl then held off Kenny Wallace en route to scoring the $1,000 checkered flag, his first of the six-week long tour.

Curl becomes the 18th different winner in 21 races heading into the final week of the tour. Only Mike Harrison (3) and Devin Gilpin (2) have won more than once.

“I found something in the middle of (turn) one and two, and got alongside of Nick Allen, and I knew if I couldn’t get him in one and two then I would finish second to him,” said Curl, who won this same event last year. “To go by guys like (Mike) Harrison, Nick Allen and Kenny Wallace we’ve just worked really hard to get to this point and I can’t think all the guys enough.”

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Kenny Wallace, Nick Allen, Steven Brooks Dave Porth rounded out the top five.

Heat race winners included Kenny Wallace, Mike Harrison and Nick Allen.

The DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals continues Sunday night at Vermillion County Speedway located in Danville, Illinois.

DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals Statistical Report; Kankakee (Ill.) County Speedway; July 12, 2013

A-Main (25-laps): 1. Jeff Curl ($1,000), 2. Kenny Wallace, 3. Nick Allen, 4. Steven Brooks, 5. Dave Porth, 6. James Farris Sr., 7. Mike McKinney, 8. Mike Harrison, 9. Chad Osterhoff, 10. Todd Sherman, 11. Devin Wright, 12. Shawn Scripter, 13. Kevin Hastings, 14. Jason Hastings, 15. Richie Dawson, 16. Ray Bollinger, 17. Jason Klopp, 18. Thomas Pasek, 19. Andrew Funk, 20. Travis Kohler, 21. Dane Tilstra, 22. AJ Dixon, 23. Rusty Griffaw, 24. Shannon Mudro, 25. Joe Gillespie.

Category: Series, Summit Modified Nationals