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MARS Modified Championship Powered by Summit Racing Equipment Set for Blockbuster Weekend: MARS Late Models on Tap for Friday and Saturday

MARS Modified Championship Powered by Summit Racing Equipment Set for Blockbuster Weekend: MARS Late Model Championship Powered by FK Rod Ends on Tap for Friday and Saturday

FAIRBURY, IL (August 29, 2023) The most lucrative weekend in MARS Modified Championship Powered by Summit Racing Equipment history is on the horizon. While points battles continue, regional and national competitors will be making the trip to the Prairie State with the objective of cashing in on the big checks up for grabs. While Friday at Farmer City Raceway will be the standard MARS Modified show of a $2,000-to-win main event, Saturday at Fairbury Speedway and Sunday at Spoon River Speedway will be paying a whopping $5,000-to-win each night. Michael Long (Farmer City), Kyle Strickler (Fairbury Speedway), and Tyler Nicely (Spoon River Speedway) took home the three events last season.

Not to be overshadowed by the Modifieds, the MARS Late Model Championship Powered by FK Rod Ends will be back in action on Friday at Farmer City and Saturday at Fairbury. On May 26 at Farmer City Raceway, Billy Moyer was victorious in MARS Late Model competition with McKay Wenger and Bob Gardner rounding out the podium over a 32-car field. This will mark the third MARS Late Model event of the season at Fairbury Speedway with Shannon Babb and Jason Feger splitting the pair of events. Only 6 events remain for the MARS Late Model Championship Powered by FK Rod Ends with 14 complete prior to this weekend of action.

Michael Long of Fowler, Illinois is the current MARS Modified Championship Powered by Summit Racing Equipment point leader heading into the huge triple-header weekend. Trailing Long by a mere 4 points is the Utica, Kentucky native Josh Harris. Tyler Nicely has slid to third in season standings after missing the most recent weekend of events, with Mike Chasteen Jr and Kyle Steffens rounding out the top 5. Long, Harris, and Nicely all 3 had at least 1 finish on the podium in these events last season, which leads one to believe that they are poised for success in this year’s trio of events as well.

Championship points standings for the MARS Late Model Championship Powered by FK Rod Ends have taken shape after the St. Louis area double-header with Jason Feger now leading by a 69-point gap. After a disappointing weekend the last time in competition, Ryan Unzicker will be looking for a rebound as he currently sits second in season standings. Mike Harrison, Bob Gardner, and Blaze Burwell round out the current top 5 as all have distanced themselves from one-another. Anything can happen at this point of the season though, and after the September 16 event at Fairbury Speedway, the championship standings will be reconfigured with each driver’s 2 worst finishes of the tour being dropped.

Friday, September 1 – Farmer City Raceway – Farmer City, IL – MARS Late Model Championship Powered by FK Rod Ends / MARS Modified Championship Powered by Summit Racing Equipment

Farmer City Raceway, located in the small town of Farmer City, Illinois, will close out the 2023 season with a bang as the MARS Championship Tours roll into town on Friday night. Last weekend marked the final night of points for the speedway as Kevin Weaver picked up his 9th track championship in the DIRTcar Late Model division while Michael Ledford took home track championship honors in the DIRTcar UMP Modified division for the 4th year in a row. A multitude of competitors that have not yet made the trip to Farmer City Raceway this season, are planning to start off their holiday weekend this Friday night at the speedway. The MARS Modified stop on May 26 boasted a field of 38 competitors, which is the 5th best car count of the season for the tour. As commitments roll in, we look to match or even break that number this Friday night.

An added bonus for MARS Modified Championship Powered by Summit Racing Equipment drivers on Friday night will be the Fast Phil Richardson Hard Charger Award. The driver that passes the most competitors in the feature event will receive an extra $500+. This will be in addition to the MD3 Hard Charger Award that is given out at each MARS Modified event in 2023.

Divisions scheduled for action on Friday night at Farmer City include $5,000-to-win MARS Late Model Championship Powered by FK Rod Ends, $2,000-to-win MARS Modified Championship Powered by Summit Racing Equipment, DIRTcar Pro Late Models, and DIRTcar Stock Cars. Pit gates and general admission gates will open at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. The driver’s meeting is set for 6:00 p.m. with hot laps hitting the speedway at 6:30 p.m. General admission tickets for the event will be $25 with kids ages 12 and under being admitted for free. Pit passes will be available for purchase for $40 for adults, $20 for kids ages 5-12, with children ages 4 and under being admitted for free.

Saturday, September 2 – Fairbury Speedway – Fairbury, IL – MARS Late Model Championship Powered by FK Rod Ends / MARS Modified Championship Powered by Summit Racing Equipment

As the FALS Cup weekly racing schedule has come to a close, it’s time for special event season to kick into high gear for Fairbury Speedway. On Saturday night, the MARS Late Models and MARS Modifieds will both be making their way for a pair of $5,000-to-win shows. The competition has been fierce when the tours roll into Fairbury, car counts have been some of the best on both tours, and this weekend appears to be no different. $5,000 will mark the highest paying event on the MARS Modified Championship Powered by Summit Racing Equipment schedule for 2023 and will only be matched on the following night at Spoon River.

Joining the MARS Late Model Championship Powered by FK Rod Ends and the MARS Modified Championship Powered by Summit Racing Equipment with their $5,000-to-win shows will be the DIRTcar Pro Late Model division also paying a whopping $5,000-to-win feature event. Pit gates and general admission gates will both open at noon on Saturday. The driver’s meeting will take place at 5:00 p.m. sharp with hot laps hitting the speedway at 5:30 p.m. Pricing for general admission tickets will be $25 with kids ages 12 and under being admitted for free. Pit passes will be $40 with kids ages 12 and under being admitted into the pit area for $15.

Sunday, September 3 – Spoon River Speedway – Lewistown, IL – MARS Modified Championship Powered by Summit Racing Equipment

Rounding out the holiday weekend of racing for the MARS Modified Championship Powered by Summit Racing Equipment will be the 33rd Annual Plowboy Nationals. $5,000 will be on the line as competitors go for 50-laps to see who the king of the high banks at the end of the evening is. Many of the who’s who of DIRTcar UMP Modified racing have won this event in previous year, but with only 2-3 of the previous winners looking to be in attendance this Sunday, the door is wide-open for someone new to add their name to the history books. At the MARS Modified event on May 28 it was Owensboro, Kentucky competitor Cole Falloway taking home is first career series victory. Falloway has seen success in other big money shows in 2023 and is certainly one of the favorites going into Sunday’s event.

Not only will Sunday hold the $5,000-to-win MARS Modified Championship Powered by Summit Racing Equipment event, but $1,000-to-win DIRTcar Pro Late Models, $600-to-win HART Limited Modified Series, and $250 to win DIRTcar Hornets will also all be in action. Pit gates will be open at 2:00 p.m. with general admission gates scheduled to open at 4:00 p.m. The driver’s meeting will take place at 5:30 p.m. with hot laps hitting the speedway at 6:00 p.m. General admission tickets for Sunday’s event will be $25 with children ages 10 and under being admitted for free. Pit passes will be available for $45.

Plowboy Nationals Past Winners

1991 – Scott May
1992 – Randy Mahring
1993 – Jim Hibser
1994 – Scott May
1995 – Jim Hibser
1996 – Bryan Clendenen
1997 – Billy Tuckwell
1998 – Randy Mahring
1999 – Jeff Leka
2000 – Gary Cook Jr
2001 – Gary Cook Jr
2002 – Jim Hibser
2003 – Gary Cook Jr
2004 – Chad Kinder
2005 – Gary Cook Jr
2006 – Jim Hibser
2007 – Butch Weisser
2008 – Kevin Weaver
2009 – Allen Weisser
2010 – Mike Spatola
2011 – Brian Harris
2012 – Matt Mevert
2013 – Jeff Curl
2014 – Jacob Poel
2015 – Chad Kinder
2016 – Kenny Wallace
2017 – David Stremme
2018 – Mike Chasteen Jr
2019 – Nick Hoffman
2020 – Nick Hoffman
2021 – Nick Hoffman
2022 - Tyler Nicely

MARS Late Model Championship Powered by FK Rod Ends Tire Rule for each night:

LF: Hoosier NLMT2/LM20/NLMT3/LM30
RF: Hoosier NLMT2/LM20/NLMT3/LM30
LR: Hoosier NLMT2/LM20/NLMT3/LM30
RR: Hoosier NLMT3/LM30/NLMT4/LM40

Grooving and Siping will be permitted. We will mark tires at the scales after qualifying. You must run these 4 tires for the remainder of the night. You will be allowed 1 new tire for the feature only. If you have a flat in Qualifying, Heat Race, or B-Main, you must replace with a used tire of the same compound.

MARS Late Model Championship Powered by FK Rod Ends Feature purse each night: 1) $5,000 2) $2,500 3) $2,000 4) $1,600 5) $1,400 6) $1,200 7) $1,000 8) $800 9) $700 10) $600 11) $500 12) $500 13) $500 14) $500 15) $500 16) $500 17) $500 18) $500 19) $500 20) $500 21) $500 22) $500. Non-Transfer Tow Money (Friday $90) (Saturday $90)

MARS Modified Championship Powered by Summit Racing Equipment Feature purse for Friday: 1) $2,000 2) $1,500 3) $1,200 4) $1,000 5) $800 6) $600 7) $500 8) $400 9) $300 10) $275 11) $250 12) $250 13) $250 14) $250 15) $250 16) $250 17) $250 18) $250 19) $250 20) $250 21) $250 22) $250. Non-Transfer Tow Money – (Friday $65)

MARS Modified Championship Powered by Summit Racing Equipment Feature purse for Saturday & Sunday: 1) $5,000 2) $2,500 3) $1,500 4) $1,200 5) $1,000 6) $900 7) $800 8) $700 9) $600 10) $500 11) $400 12) $400 13) $400 14) $400 15) $400 16) $400 17) $400 18) $400 19) $400 20) $400 21) $400 22) $400. Non-Transfer Tow Money (Saturday $65) (Sunday $70)

2023 MARS Late Model Championship Powered by FK Rod Ends Point Standings

1. Jason Feger – Bloomington, IL - 856 points
2. Ryan Unzicker – El Paso, IL - 787 points
3. Mike Harrison – Highland, IL - 696 points
4. Bob Gardner – Washington, IL - 659 points
5. Blaze Burwell – Mt. Vernon, IL - 564 points
6. Justin White – Stevensville, MI - 478 points
7. Jake Little – Springfield, IL - 465 points
8. Tommy Sheppard Jr – New Berlin, IL - 461 points
9. Mark Voigt – Marine, IL - 418 points
10. Rich Dawson – Lowell, IN - 396 points
11. Kye Blight – Bunbury, Western Australia - 392 points
12. Kyle Hammer – Clinton, IL - 386 points
13. Drake Troutman – Hyndman, PA - 343 points
14. Doug Tye – Troy, IL - 335 points
15. Frank Heckenast Jr – Frankfort, IL - 308 points

Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Year Point Standings

1. Mike Harrison – 696 points
2. Blaze Burwell – 564 points
3. Justin White – 478 points
4. Jake Little – 465 points
5. Kye Blight – 392 points
6. Doug Tye – 335 points

MARS Modified Championship Powered by Summit Racing Equipment Point Standings

1. Michael Long – Fowler, IL - 684 points
2. Josh Harris – Utica, KY - 680 points
3. Tyler Nicely – Owensboro, KY - 625 points
4. Mike Chasteen Jr – Peoria, IL - 535 points
5. Kyle Steffens – St. Charles, MO - 469 points
6. Zeke McKenzie – Claypool, IN - 445 points
7. Charlie Mefford – Belton, KY - 441 points
8. Trevor Neville – Mackinaw, IL - 399 points
9. Blake Bailey – Bunker Hill, IL - 385 points
10. Allen Weisser – Peoria, IL - 343 points
11. Rick Frasure – Lawrenceville, IL - 337 points
12. Dillon Nusbaum – Warsaw, IL - 326 points
13. Mike McKinney – Plainfield, IL - 311 points
14. Brian Shaw – Robinson, IL - 285 points
15. Logan Veloz – Colona, IL - 254 points

Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Year Points Standings

1. Charlie Mefford – 441 points
2. Blake Bailey – 385 points
3. Rick Frasure – 337 points

2023 MARS Late Model Championship Powered by FK Rod Ends Statistics

Illinois State Rifle Association Heat Race #1 Winners

Tyler Erb – 2
McKay Wenger – 1
Brandon Sheppard – 1
Kevin Weaver – 1
Dillon McCowan – 1
Payton Freeman – 1
Jason Feger – 1
Billy Moyer Jr – 1
Drake Troutman – 1
Frank Heckenast Jr – 1
Spencer Diercks – 1
Gordy Gundaker – 1

Pontiac RV Heat Race #2 Winners

Ryan Unzicker – 4
Mike Harrison – 4
Drake Troutman – 3
Jason Feger – 1
Kevin Weaver – 1

FK Rod Ends 1st Place Finisher

Jason Feger – 4
Ryan Unzicker – 2
Tyler Erb – 1
Shannon Babb – 1
Brandon Sheppard – 1
Billy Moyer – 1
Gordy Gundaker – 1
Drake Troutman – 1
Tony Jackson Jr – 1

Out-Pace Racing Products 3rd Place Finisher

Tommy Sheppard Jr – 2
Mike Harrison – 2
Shannon Babb – 1
Brian Shirley – 1
Drake Troutman – 1
Logan Nickerson – 1
Bob Gardner – 1
Rich Bell – 1
Jason Feger – 1
Jeff Larson – 1
Gordy Gundaker – 1

FK Rod Ends 5th Place Finisher

Jason Feger – 3
Ryan Unzicker – 2
Kyle Hammer – 1
Rodney Melvin – 1
Rich Dawson – 1
Mike Harrison – 1
Payton Freeman – 1
Bob Gardner – 1
Drake Troutman – 1
Justin Kay – 1

Fairbury Fastener 7th Place Finisher

Billy Moyer Jr – 2
Blaze Burwell – 2
Tanner English – 1
Frank Heckenast Jr – 1
Billy Moyer – 1
Dillon McCowan – 1
Justin Reed – 1
Jason Feger – 1
Bob Gardner – 1
Clayton Stuckey – 1
Kye Blight – 1

Budda by Bert Transmission 9th Place Finisher

Bob Gardner – 2
Drake Troutman – 1
Taylor Scheffler – 1
Tommy Sheppard Jr – 1
Mike Spatola – 1
Josh Boller – 1
Trevor Gundaker – 1
Jake Little – 1
Joseph Hughs – 1
Blaze Burwell – 1
Matt Furman – 1
Ryan Unzicker – 1

Hooker Harness 11th Place Finisher

Kye Blight – 2
Blaze Burwell – 2
Daryn Klein – 1
Logan Nickerson – 1
Frank Heckenast Jr – 1
Bob Gardner – 1
Mike Harrison – 1
Drake Troutman – 1
Trevor Gundaker – 1
Justin Duty – 1
Kyle Hammer – 1

Keyser Manufacturing 13th Place Finisher

Rich Dawson – 1
Mike Spatola – 1
Logan Nickerson – 1
Bob Gardner – 1
Kyle Hammer – 1
Justin White – 1
Blaze Burwell – 1
Frank Heckenast Jr – 1
Jake Little – 1
Mark Voigt – 1
Austin Howes – 1
Jake Rainey – 1
Billy Laycock – 1

Fast Shafts 15th Place Finisher

Bob Gardner – 1
Jake Little – 1
Mark Voigt – 1
Justin White – 1
Jason Feger – 1
Austin Howes – 1
Roben Huffman – 1
Mike Mataragas – 1
Kye Blight – 1
Rich Dawson – 1
Dylan Thompson – 1
Brandon Queen – 1
Rusty Griffaw – 1

MD3 Hard Charger Award Winners

Rodney Melvin – 2
Tommy Sheppard Jr – 2
Jason Feger – 1
Taylor Scheffler – 1
Kyle Hammer – 1
Blaze Burwell – 1
Billy Moyer – 1
Joseph Hughs – 1
Bob Gardner – 1
Justin Kay – 1
Justin White – 1

Wilwood Brakes Hard Luck Award Winners

Kyle Hammer – 2
Mark Voigt – 2
Matt Bailey – 1
Kevin Weaver – 1
Brandon Tibaldi – 1
Chase Osterhoff – 1
Trevor Gundaker – 1
Jordan Bauer – 1
Tucker Finch – 1
Bob Gardner – 1
Dylan Thompson – 1

Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Race Winners

Mike Harrison – 5
Tommy Sheppard Jr – 4
Blaze Burwell – 2
Logan Nickerson – 1
Rich Dawson – 1

2023 MARS Modified Championship Powered by Summit Racing Equipment Statistics

Multi Fire X Fast Time Award Winners

Josh Harris – 3
Tyler Nicely – 2
John Clippinger – 1
Kyle Steffens – 1
Jared Thomas – 1
Trevor Neville – 1
Brian Shaw – 1
Kenny Wallace – 1
Zeke McKenzie – 1

Willy’s Carb & Dyno Heat Race #1 Winners

Kyle Steffens – 2
Josh Harris – 2
Zeke McKenzie – 2
Charlie Mefford – 1
John Clippinger – 1
Tyler Nicely – 1
Michael Long – 1
Austen Becerra – 1
Kenny Wallace – 1

Summit Racing Equipment 1st Place Finisher

Tyler Nicely – 3
Michael Long – 3
Kyle Steffens – 2
Mike McKinney – 1
Cole Falloway – 1
Josh Harris – 1
Treb Jacoby – 1

Fast Shafts 3rd place Finisher

Josh Harris – 2
Tyler Nicely – 2
Trevor Neville – 1
Kyle Steffens – 1
Derek Losh – 1
Dillon Nusbaum – 1
Mike McKinney – 1
Kenny Wallace – 1
Michael Long – 1
Ray Bollinger – 1

Out-Pace Racing Products 5th Place Finisher

Mike Chasteen Jr – 2
Josh Harris – 2
Zeke McKenzie – 1
Allen Weisser – 1
Dillon Nusbaum – 1
Trevor Neville – 1
Brandon Roberts – 1
Rick Conoyer – 1
Timmy Hill – 1
Dean Hoffman – 1

Keyser Manufacturing 7th Place Finisher

Zeke McKenzie – 2
Charlie Mefford – 2
John Clippinger – 1
Allen Weisser – 1
Rick Conoyer – 1
Caden McWhorter – 1
Kyle Steffens – 1
Danny Ems – 1
Mike Chasteen Jr – 1
Zeb Moake – 1

Hooker Harness 11th Place Finisher

Mike McKinney – 1
Cole Falloway – 1
Josh Lemke – 1
Justin Jones – 1
Jacob Rexing – 1
Josh Harris – 1
Steven Brooks – 1
Mike Brooks – 1
Jim Black – 1
Shawn Deering – 1
Owen Steinkoenig – 1
Willy Myers – 1

MD3 Hard Charger Award Winners

Michael Long – 1
Caden McWhorter – 1
Justin Jones – 1
Will Krup – 1
Logan Veloz – 1
Dave Baldwin – 1
Mike Chasteen Jr – 1
Danny Schwartz – 1
Danny Ems – 1
Trevor Neville – 1
Rick Salter – 1
Joe Mercurio – 1

Wilwood Brakes Hard Luck Award Winners

Blake Bailey – 2
Cole Falloway – 1
Trevor Neville – 1
Zeke McKenzie – 1
Logan Mounce – 1
Allen Weisser – 1
Josh Allen – 1
Kyle Steffens – 1
Frankie Wellman – 1
Ray Bollinger – 1
Josh Harris – 1

Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Race Winners

Charlie Mefford – 8
Blake Bailey – 2
Caden McWhorter – 1
Logan Veloz – 1

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH FOR:

o POWER IN NUMBERS: Labor Day weekend always brings some of the largest Modified car counts of the season to the state of Illinois. At this point of the season, the highest MARS Modified car count stands at 48 when the series visited the Charleston Speedway. All signs point to being able to break past that mark this weekend with big money on the line. Last year had an average of 37 cars per night on these 3 events.

o HITTING THE ROAD: Many of the nation’s best Modified drivers are planning to make the trip to the Land of Lincoln for this weekend’s events. Expect drivers from California, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and possibly more throughout the course of the weekend.

o STEADY GAINS: As more laps are logged, the more comfortable Australian racer Kye Blight is getting behind the wheel of his Paul Stubber owned Rocket XR1. Blight has sat fast time at the last 2 MARS Late Model events and has 3 top 5 finishes in his last 4 starts on the series. After missing the first weekend of competition due to still being in Australia, Blight has climbed to 11th in series standings and 5th in Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Year standings.

o STILL ON TOP: The competition has been fierce for the MARS Late Model Championship point lead, but Bloomington, IL driver Jason Feger has begun to pull away. Feger now holds a 69-point lead over Ryan Unzicker and has captured 12 top 10 finishes in 14 starts on the tour.

o CONSISTENCEY OF A CHAMPION: No one in the past 2 months has been as consistent against big-time competition than Michael Long. In his last 10 starts overall, Long has finished podium in 8 of those events including 3 victories.

If you are unable to make it to the track, you can catch EVERY MARS Late Model Championship Powered by FK Rod Ends event in 2023 live at floracing.com.

For more information about the MARS Dirt Series, please contact Jonathan Clayton at 731-467- 1316, visit the tour’s webpage at marsracingseries.com, or visit @MARSDirtRacing on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

MARS Late Model Championship Powered by FK Rod Ends and MARS Modified Championship Powered by Summit Racing Equipment would like to thank the following sponsors and marketing partners for their support of the 2023 racing season: FK Rod Ends, Summit Racing Equipment, Elliott’s Custom Trailers & Carts, Flo Racing, Racing Electronics, Hoosier Racing Tire, Sunoco Race Fuels, Illinois State Rifle Association, Pontiac RV, Allstar Performance, O’Reilly Auto Parts, DIRTcar Racing, Driscoll Motors, Woods Basement Systems, MD3, Josh James Artwork, MWD Signs & Graphix, Fairbury Fastener & Supply, King’s Graphix, Dirt Draft, Digital Copy Systems, Whelen, Multi Fire X, Budda Bert Transmission, Dyer’s Top Rods, Fast Shafts, Wilwood Brakes, Wehrs Machine & Racing Products, Out-Pace Racing Products, Keyser Manufacturing, Varsitee Screenprinting, Willy’s Carb & Dyno, Mackinaw Valley Powder Coating, Trackside Racewear, and Hooker Harness.

MARS Championship Upcoming Events

o September 1, 2023 – Farmer City Raceway – Farmer City, IL - $5,000 to win MARS Late Model Championship Powered by FK Rod Ends & $2,000 to win MARS Modified Championship Powered by Summit Racing Equipment

o September 2, 2023 – Fairbury Speedway – Fairbury, IL - $5,000 to win MARS Late Model Championship Powered by FK Rod Ends & $5,000 to win MARS Modified Championship Powered by Summit Racing Equipment

o September 3, 2023 – Spoon River Speedway – Lewistown, IL – 33rd Annual Plowboy Nationals - $5,000 to win MARS Modified Championship Powered by Summit Racing Equipment

o September 14, 2023 – Brownstown Bullring – Brownstown, IL – Brownstown 100 - $10,000 to win MARS Late Model Championship Powered by FK Rod Ends

o September 15, 2023 – Fairbury Speedway – Fairbury, IL - $5,000 to win MARS Late Model Championship Powered by FK Rod Ends

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