Moyer Jr. Capitalizes on Troutman’s Flat Tire to Win at Moberly
Feger posts third runner-up in six races, Blight nails best career finish in third
MOBERLY, MO (June 20, 2023) – A fast car, a growing lead, and the final laps closing in. Drake Troutman was only moments away from his first career DIRTcar Summer Nationals victory Tuesday night at Moberly Motorsports Park. And then, pop.
The right-rear tire on Troutman’s Wheeler Fleet Solutions, Jay Dickens/Longhorn #7 had blown while entering Turn 3, dramatically slowing him through Turn 4 before the caution was thrown. He pulled behind the wall and into the pit area, and just like that, the 18-year-old Pennsylvanian’s run was over in a matter of seconds.
Outside polesitter Billy Moyer Jr. had been stalking him a handful of car lengths behind, waiting for his opportunity to strike and take the lead back. He inherited the lead under the yellow, fended off a hard-charging Jason Feger, Morgan Bagley and Kye Blight in the closing laps and brought the field back around to the checkers to win his 11th career Hell Tour Feature in the opening race of Week 2.
“Eleven Summer Nationals wins – that’s pretty cool,” Moyer Jr. said. “I’ve been around this a long time and watched a lot of guys who ran a lot of Summer Nationals races and never won more than three or four. So, it’s pretty cool to win 11.”
Back in the pits, Troutman stood by his car, knowing it was fast, despite the bitter outcome.
“That was an upsetting deal, for sure,” he said.
On the other side, Moyer Jr. celebrated his $5,000 victory and recalled the moment when he saw Troutman’s right-rear issue, knowing he was about to be the leader for the final restart.
“My first thought was, ‘Alright, now don’t let anybody behind you get you,’” Moyer Jr. said. “We had a little luck, so we’ll take it.”
Moyer’s run to the checkers started with a run out front for the first 16 circuits of the 30-lap event. Troutman trailed him by only a half-second on average every lap, waiting for Moyer to make a mistake and capitalize.
The two leaders broke away from the pack and soon dipped into lapped traffic, where the gap tightened the most. Troutman ramped-up the banking in Turn 1 with a great burst of speed on Lap 17 and drove right around Moyer Jr. on the top side, sealing the pass down the backstretch.
“We were just kinda riding around there, and if the right opportunity came, we were going to take it,” Troutman said. “[Moyer Jr.] ended up moving down that one trip for the lapper and it just opened up the door for me.”
Though he had just lost the lead, Moyer Jr. had already devised a plan to put himself in a spot to regain it.
“Once [Troutman] got by me, I knew I had a [big gap] on third place – I was just halfway cruising,” Moyer Jr. said. “I was trying to get [Troutman], but I was thinking at that point, it was gonna be hard to pass him. So now, I was trying to make my tires last. And we did, luckily.”
Once he did, there was no stopping Moyer Jr, who cruised to the Week 2 Summer Nationals victory in his first start of the season.
UP NEXT
The DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Models head to the famed Iowa 1/4-mile of Davenport Speedway in Davenport, IA, for a Wednesday night show on June 21. Tickets will available at the gate; streaming is available at DIRTVision.com.
ABBREVIATED RESULTS (view full results)
Feature (30 Laps): 1. 21J-Billy Moyer Jr[2]; 2. 25-Jason Feger[7]; 3. 31AUS-Kye Blight[4]; 4. 42-Chad Finley[9]; 5. 99JR-Frank Heckenast Jr[8]; 6. 15-Clayton Stuckey[6]; 7. 58-Tyler Clem[12]; 8. 4G-Bob Gardner[16]; 9. 22H-Daniel Hilsabeck[17]; 10. 42H-Johnathan Huston[14]; 11. 14X-David Melloway[21]; 12. 50K-Kayden Clatt[13]; 13. 38-Thomas Hunziker[22]; 14. 14M-Morgan Bagley[1]; 15. 7-Drake Troutman[5]; 16. 22R-Will Roland[11]; 17. 21-Billy Moyer Sr[10]; 18. 5-Austin Vincent[15]; 19. 101-Forrest Trent[18]; 20. 30-Mark Voigt[20]; 21. 4D-Doug Tye[19]; 22. 12-Ashton Winger[3]
Beccera Wins First Career Summit Modified Feature at Moberly
Austen Beccera collected his first career DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals Feature win Tuesday at Moberly Motorsports Park, surrounded by his family and friends.
Beccera, of Carthage, IL, took the lead on Lap 2 of the Feature and never looked back, denying runner-up Chris Spalding’s early challenge for the lead and running away to bag the $1,500 check. He noted the tough frontrunners he faced in the event and took pride in the triumph over his fellow Illinois/Missouri rivals.
“Michael [Long] is here, Dave [Wietholder] is really fast, [Chris] Spalding has been running pretty good back at our local track – it’s good to have some decent cars here,” Beccera said. “It feels pretty good to get a win.”
UP NEXT
The Summit Modifieds take Wednesday off before returning to action Thursday, June 22 at Spoon River Speedway in Lewistown, IL. Tickets will available at the gate; streaming is available at DIRTVision.com.
ABBREVIATED RESULTS (view full results)
Feature (15 Laps): 1. 22-Austen Becerra[2]; 2. 00S-Chris Spalding[3]; 3. 28-Preston Dawson[5]; 4. 9-Charles Baker[6]; 5. 05-Dave Wietholder[7]; 6. 29-Jace Gay[4]; 7. 18L-Michael Long[1]
DIRTcar Summer Nationals is brought to fans by many important sponsors and partners, including: Chevy Performance (Official Vehicle), DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), Racing Electronics (Official Radio Supplier), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider), VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race. Contingency sponsors include: ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Beyea Custom Headers, CASE No.1 Engine Oil, COMP Cams, Fox Factory, MSD, Quarter Master, Summit Racing Equipment, and Wieland Metal Services (Exclusive Racing Aluminum). Along with manufacturer sponsors, including: FIREBULL, and Intercomp
Summit Modified Nationals is brought to fans by many important sponsors and partners, including : Summit Racing Equipment, Chevy Performance (Official Vehicle), DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Racing Electronics (Official Radio Supplier), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider), VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel), Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race. Contingency sponsors include: ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Bassett Racing Wheel, Bell Helmets, Beyea Custom Headers, CASE No.1 Engine Oil, COMP Cams, Fast Shafts, Fox Factory, Jerovetz Motorsports Shock Service, KSE Racing Products, Lifeline, MSD, Mulit FireX, Schoenfeld Headers, Swift Springs, Velocita USA, Wehrs Machine and Racing Products, Wieland Metal Services (Exclusive Racing Aluminum),and Xceldyne. Along with manufacturer sponsors, including: FIREBULL, Intercomp, and Simpson Performance Products.
Sources: Jordan DeLucia, DIRTcar Racing PR
Photo credit – Jimmy Dearing