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Shirley Dominates Atomic Speedway for Third Win of 2014 DIRTcar Summer Nationals Season

Brian Shirley - Jim Denhamer photo
Brian Shirley - Jim Denhamer photo

Brian Shirley – Jim Denhamer photo

By Jordan Morris

CHILLICOTHE, Ohio. — July 16, 2014 — 2012 DIRTcar Summer Nationals champion Brian Shirley survived an over-heating engine en route to dominating all 40-laps and claiming the $5,000 checkered flag Wednesday night at Atomic Speedway.

Shirley started the feature event in the third position behind front-row starters Duane Chamberlain and Delmas Conley. On the races opening lap, Shirley quickly made his way to the lead by rocketing around both drivers before either had a chance to lead a single lap.

Conley fell back through the field, eventually settling for an 18th place finish. Chamberlain stayed glued to the leader’s back-bumper for the first handful of laps, as he challenged Shirley for the top spot on several occasions. Shirley had trouble pulling away from Chamberlain in the early laps of the race, but by lap 18 the leader began to inch further from the field after finding a faster line higher up the track.

Shirley had the car to beat, eventually building a lead of over two-seconds on second-place, but in the final stages of the event his car began to overheat. The leader suffered a punctured hole in his radiator, turning his car into a ticking bomb waiting to explode. Shirley continued on, never surrendering the lead during the duration of the event, and surviving an overheating engine to claim his third victory of the 2014 DIRTcar Summer Nationals season at Atomic Speedway.

“It’s nice to still have a shot at the championship, but we’re not worrying about the points deal,” said Shirley, who last won at Clayhill Motorsports Park on June 26. “We just came out here to try to win races and make as much money as we can – so we’re just gonna try to win the rest of the races and let the points fall where they fall.”

If the battle atop the championship standings wasn’t close enough before the race, it has since gotten closer. Points-leader Shannon Babb started the feature in the eighth position, six spots better than Ryan Unzicker who trailed Babb in the standings by 41-points heading into the night.

On lap 29, Babb managed to climb to the fifth position and was slowly working his way to the front of the field when his car suddenly slowed on the front stretch. Babb was forced to retire following mechanical issues, giving Unzicker the opportunity to gain ground on the points-leader. Unzicker took advantage, finishing the night in the seventh position, and cutting Babb’s points lead to 26-points.

After capturing the win on Wednesday night, Brian Shirley now sits third in the championship standings only 45-markers behind Babb for the top spot and 19 behind Unzicker for second. The championship battle now becomes a three driver fight with three races remaining.

(Click here for news and information on the DIRTcar Summer Nationals.)

RJ Conley, Doug Drown and Jeep Van Wormer rounded out the top five.

Heat race winners were Chamberlain, Delmas Conley and Shirley.

With only three races remaining in the 2014 DIRTcar Summer Nationals season, the tour joins the DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals on Thursday night at Brushcreek Motorsports Complex in Peebles, Ohio.

DIRTcar Summer Nationals Statistical Report; Atomic Speedway; Chillicothe, Ohio; July 16, 2014; A-Main (40-laps): 1. 81-Brian Shirley ($5,000), 2. 20C-Duane Chamberlain, 3. 71C-RJ Conley, 4. 20-Doug Drown, 5. 55-Jeep Van Wormer, 6. 99M-Devin Moran, 7. 24-Ryan Unzicker, 8. B5-Brandon Sheppard, 9. 81JR-Jason Riggs, 10. 21M-Jason Montgomery, 11. 5M-Ryan Markham, 12. 51-Jamie Oldfield, 13. 96-Tanner English, 14. 77K-Steve Kester, 15. 25L-Steve Lance Jr, 16. 19-Chad Smith, 17. 18-Shannon Babb, 18. 71-Delmas Conley, 19. 29K-Garrett Krummert, 20. 9F-Mark Frazier, 21. 71R-Rod Conley, 22. 33-Kevin Wagner.

2014 DIRTcar Summer Nationals Schedule

Date Day Track Location Win
June 11 Wed Brownstown Speedway Brownstown, Ind. RAIN
June 12 Thur Kankakee Co. Speedway Kankakee, Ill. Billy Moyer
June 13 Fri Cedar Lake Speedway Somerset, Wis. Rick Eckert
June 14 Sat Cedar Lake Speedway Somerset, Wis. RAIN
June 15 Sun Wilmot Raceway Wilmot, Wis. Rick Eckert(2)
June 16 Mon Off
June 17 Tue Farley Speedway Farley, Iowa Shannon Babb
June 18 Wed Spoon River Speedway Canton, Ill. Jason Feger
June 19 Thur Quincy Raceways Quincy, Ill. RAIN
June 20 Fri Tri-City Speedway Pontoon Beach, Ill. Billy Moyer(2)
June 21 Sat Fairbury Speedway Fairbury, Ill. RAIN
June 22 Sun I-96 Speedway Ionia, Mich. Brian Shirley
June 23 Mon Peoria Speedway Peoria, Ill. Brandon Sheppard
June 24 Tue Off
June 25 Wed Clarksville Speedway Clarksville, Tenn. Shannon Babb(2)
June 26 Thur Clayhill Motorsports Atwood, Tenn. Brian Shirley (2)
June 27 Fri Paducah Int. Raceway Paducah, Ky. RAIN
June 28 Sat Federated Auto Parts Raceway Pevely, Mo. Brian Birkhofer
June 29 Sun Lincoln Speedway Lincoln, Ill. Brady Smith
June 30 Mon Off
July 1 Tue Belle Clair Speedway Belleville, Ill. Bobby Pierce
July 2 Wed Jacksonville Speedway Jacksonville, Ill. Jason Feger(2)
July 3 Thur LaSalle Speedway LaSalle, Ill. Brian Birkhofer(2)
July 4 Fri Fayette Co. Speedway Brownstown, Ill. Brandon Sheppard(2)
July 5 Sat Highland Speedway Highland, Ill. Tyler Reddick
July 6 Sun Tri-State Speedway Haubstadt, Ind. Billy Moyer(3)
July 7 Mon Off
July 8 Tue Florence Speedway Union, Ky. Jason Jameson
July 9 Wed Terre Haute Action Track Terre Haute, Ind. Billy Moyer(4)
July 10 Thur Macon Speedway Macon, Ill. Shannon Babb(3)
July 11 Fri Farmer City Raceway Farmer City, Ill. Billy Moyer(5)
July 12 Sat 34 Raceway Burlington, Iowa Billy Moyer (6)
July 13 Sun Vermilion Co. Speedway Danville, Ill. Shannon Babb(4)
July 14 Mon Off
July 15 Tue TBA
July 16 Wed Atomic Speedway Chillicothe, Ohio Brian Shirley (3)
July 17 Thur Brushcreek Motorsports Complex Peebles, Ohio $5,000
July 18 Fri Attica Raceway Park Attica, Ohio $5,000
July 19 Sat Oakshade Raceway Wauseon, Ohio $10,000

The DIRTcar Summer Nationals “Hell Tour” is brought to fans across the country by many important partners including: Arizona Sport Shirts (Official Apparel Company), Hoosier Racing Tires (Official Racing Tires), Racing Electronics (Official Communication), Velocita (Official Uniform), VP Racing Fuel (Official Racing Fuel); in addition to these fine Contingency Partners: Beyea Headers, Cometic Gasket, Comp Cams, Dominator Race Products, Edelbrock, Fox Shocks, JE Pistons, JRI Shocks, Mobil 1, MSD, Quartermaster, Superflow Dynos, Summit Racing Equipment and Wrisco Aluminum; Promotional Partners include: Chevy Performance Parts, Indiana Decal, Intercomp and Petroff Towing. 

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