I have had a love, hate relationship with the UMP Summer Nationals over the past several years and that was reaffirmed Wednesday night as the 2018 edition of the "Hell Tour" kicked off at the Peoria Speedway. I love the concept, racing five or six nights a week for a full month traveling track to track around the Midwest featuring the UMP Late Models and UMP Modifieds. I hate the format, two laps of group qualifying in both divisions and then start the fast guys in front.
I have been going to the Peoria Speedway off and on for the past thirty plus years and I have seen some phenomenal racing there. It seems that it usually came when the track was prepared wet so that as the night went on a heavy cushion was steadily pushed up the track so that by feature time it would be right up against the wall. That way a driver could take the risk and still pound the cushion knowing that the slightest error could find their right rear hard into the wall, they could hug the bottom feathering the throttle to make the short way around work, or they could ride the middle letting the car drive through the corner before stomping the throttle once again at the precise moment to be fast on the exit of turns two and four. Heck, with the track this wide a random slide job was an option as well making for some very exciting racing. I love it when a short track is prepared like that. Apparently the drivers of today hate it when it is prepared like that because every Summer Nationals race that I have been to over the past decade was not even close to that.
When I arrived Wednesday night qualifying had been completed for the 32 Modifieds and they were just at the halfway mark of qualifying for the 38 Late Models. I loved the car counts, but hated what qualifying 70 race cars would do to the track. It was already hard slick, taking rubber and when one of the Late Models tried a different groove than everybody else there was no cushion to be found in turn one as a plume of dust rose up when the car went up high.
After qualifying and again before the features water was put down from top to bottom which not only kept the dust at a minimum (I loved that!), but it did produce a second line for a least a few laps before everybody settled into the same groove once again (hate).
Mike Harrison and Zeke McKenzie would bring the Modifieds to green for their 25-lap feature with Harrison driving to the front and opening up a sizable margin. Lapped traffic presented a challenge for the leader, but the multi-time UMP National Champion handled it fine and cruised to victory in the non-stop event. Tyler Nicely was able to get by McKenzie late in traffic to take second, Mike McKinney finished fourth and Mike Chasteen Jr. was fifth. Give credit to the Kentucky driver Nicely who started sixth and finished second.
The Late Models would run forty laps and this one was essentially decided on the first trip around the quarter-mile when outside front row starter Billy Drake drove away from pole-sitter Jason Feger. This one did have some cautions to deal with that kept Drake out of traffic for the entire race, but even if it had come down to that late in the event everybody was using the same line so you can bet the veteran would have had the patience to just ride it out. For some it might be considered an upset for Billy Drake to win the tour's opener, but he was dominant all night setting quick time in his group and the veteran just might have had more laps around this joint than anybody else in the field with the possible exception of Todd Bennett. I loved it that Billy Drake took the win!
Feger was second, Brian Shirley was third, Billy Moyer Jr. was fourth and Michigan's Brandon Thirlby was fifth. Young Ruben Mireles debuted as the new announcer for this year's Summer Nationals and I had to appreciate his enthusiasm. After the first caution on lap three he excitedly pointed out that Brian Shirley had quickly moved to third (a check back to my notebook showed that he had started fourth) and following a mid-race caution he hyped the progress of Billy Moyer who was now running eighth and looking to continue his drive to the front. Mr. Smooth had started ninth.
Hey, that is more of an indictment of the race itself rather than the announcer from New Mexico who did a nice job of keeping the crowd informed and as he gets the proper pronunciation of names and hometowns that he had no way of already being familiar with he is going to be a good one.
So my love, hate relationship with the Summer Nationals continues and decisions will need to be made as I look at the schedule going forward and consider my options. I love that I have the opportunity to attend more knowing that there is always a chance for a good night of racing, and I would hate it if it ever went away!
I am looking forward to Friday night when the Sprint Invaders get the opportunity to race at the widest track in the Midwest, the Scotland County Speedway in Memphis, Missouri. I have a concert to go to on Saturday night, then on Sunday I am planning a road trip to a track that I have not been to in the past fourteen years. Where? Well you'll just have to come back to Back Stretch and find out!
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