BULLRING KING: Bergeron Defends 305 Sprint Car Throne at Chili Bowl

DIRTcar eSports Tour points leader Alex Bergeron extended his lead in the standings last Wednesday night with a NOS Energy Drink 305 Sprint Car victory at the Tulsa Expo Square Chili Bowl. The three-time iRacing World Champion won the last Tour race at the Chili Bowl in Season 2, and successfully defended it with an early pass for the lead on Dylan Yeager to score his third victory of Season 4.

ABBREVIATED RESULTS (view full results)

NOS Energy Drink Feature (30 laps) 1. 12-Alex Bergeron [2]; 2. 48-Dylan Yeager [1]; 3. 00-Kendal Tucker [3]; 4. 127-Blake Matjoulis [6]; 5. 74-Adam Elby [9]; 6. 41-Logan Rumsey [5]; 7. 33-Evan Seay [12]; 8. 23-Ethan Toedter [15]; 9. 09-Tanner Tomasi [8]; 10. 15-Boddie Parker3 [11]; 11. 18-Ryan Pendleton [14]; 12. 26-Sean Stevens [10]; 13. 331-Dustin Hall [20]; 14. 19-Seth Smyser [17]; 15. 74-Loic Bernier [13]; 16. 51-Dalton Wicker [19]; 17. 49-David Heileman [7]; 18. 46-Jonathan Nause [18]; 19. 85-Tyler Schell [4]; 20. 6-Brennan Meadows [16]

12/22/21 – 305 Sprint Cars at Chili Bowl

NOS Energy Drink Feature (30 laps) 1. 12-Alex Bergeron [2]; 2. 48-Dylan Yeager [1]; 3. 00-Kendal Tucker [3]; 4. 127-Blake Matjoulis [6]; 5. 41-Logan Rumsey [5]; 6. 33-Evan Seay [12]; 7. 23-Ethan Toedter [15]; 8. 74-Adam Elby [9]; 9. 09-Tanner Tomasi [8]; 10. 15-Boddie Parker [11]; 11. 18-Ryan Pendleton [14]; 12. 26-Sean Stevens [10]; 13. 331-Dustin Hall [20]; 14. 19-Seth Smyser [17]; 15. 74-Loic Bernier [13]; 16. 51-Dalton Wicker [19]; 17. 49-David Heileman [7]; 18. 46-Jonathan Nause [18]; 19. 85-Tyler Schell [4]; 20. 6-Brennan Meadows [16]

Qualifying (2 laps) 1. 48-Dylan Yeager [9.795]; 2. 12-Alex Bergeron [9.882]; 3. 00-Kendal Tucker [9.906]; 4. 85-Tyler Schell [9.928]; 5. 41-Logan Rumsey [9.929]; 6. 127-Blake Matjoulis [9.946]; 7. 49-David Heileman [9.964]; 8. 09-Tanner Tomasi [9.976]; 9. 74-Adam Elby [9.983]; 10. 26-Sean Stevens [10.06]; 11. 15-Boddie Parker [10.079]; 12. 6-Brennan Meadows [10.084]; 13. 19-Seth Smyser [10.098]; 14. 150-Jp Scheiderer [10.108]; 15. 331-Dustin Hall [10.134]; 16. 23-Ethan Toedter [10.135]; 17. 74-Loic Bernier [10.143]; 18. 96-Gunnar Swanchara [10.196]; 19. 29-Billy Richardson [10.31]; 20. 18-Ryan Pendleton [10.324]; 21. 33-Evan Seay [10.371]; 22. 46-Jonathan Nause [10.397]; 23. 51-Dalton Wicker [10.463]; 24. 069-Brian Smith37 [10.678]; 25. 772-Russell Thorpe [10.801]; 26. 9-Matthew Schelk [10.831]; 27. 44-Brock Lawson [10.848]

Heat 1 (10 laps, top-4 transfer) 1. 48-Dylan Yeager [1]; 2. 85-Tyler Schell [2]; 3. 49-David Heileman [3]; 4. 26-Sean Stevens [4]; 5. 23-Ethan Toedter [6]; 6. 19-Seth Smyser [5]; 7. 46-Jonathan Nause [8]; 8. 772-Russell Thorpe [9]; 9. 29-Billy Richardson [7]

Heat 2 (10 laps, top-4 transfer) 1. 12-Alex Bergeron [1]; 2. 41-Logan Rumsey [2]; 3. 09-Tanner Tomasi [3]; 4. 15-Boddie Parker [4]; 5. 74-Loic Bernier [6]; 6. 18-Ryan Pendleton [7]; 7. 9-Matthew Schelk [9]; 8. 150-Jp Scheiderer [5]; 9. 51-Dalton Wicker [8]

Heat 3 (10 laps, top-4 transfer) 1. 00-Kendal Tucker [1]; 2. 127-Blake Matjoulis [2]; 3. 74-Adam Elby [3]; 4. 33-Evan Seay [7]; 5. 331-Dustin Hall [5]; 6. 96-Gunnar Swanchara [6]; 7. 069-Brian Smith37 [8]; 8. 44-Brock Lawson [9]; 9. 6-Brennan Meadows [4]

B-Main (14 laps, top-8 transfer) 1. 74-Loic Bernier [2]; 2. 18-Ryan Pendleton [5]; 3. 23-Ethan Toedter [1]; 4. 6-Brennan Meadows [15]; 5. 19-Seth Smyser [4]; 6. 46-Jonathan Nause [7]; 7. 51-Dalton Wicker [14]; 8. 331-Dustin Hall [3]; 9. 29-Billy Richardson [13]; 10. 772-Russell Thorpe [10]; 11. 9-Matthew Schelk [8]; 12. 96-Gunnar Swanchara [6]

ZERO TO HERO: Bergeron Qualifies Last, Mounts Comeback to Win Night Before the 500

Seay finishes second, keeps 1-point gap to Bergeron

The current DIRTcar eSports Tour points leader showed exactly why he sits atop the standings last Wednesday night.

Reigning iRacing Sprint Car World Champion Alex Bergeron climbed all the way from 11th on the starting grid to the lead in the first 14 laps of the first-ever 360 Non-Wing Sprint Car race in DIRTcar eSports and held on for his second career victory in the Epperson Painting Night Before the 500 pres. by Wheeler Motorsports Consulting.

“These are things you can add to your stats,” Bergeron said of the special event’s prestige. “The event being as big as it is, the Fake 500 at Indianapolis [Motor Speedway]… we’re not a part of that but will definitely be watching.”

The race, which drew a total of 49 entries in the preliminary event held before Elbows Up Sim Sport’s marquee Fake 500 event on asphalt, endured several caution flags in the 40-lap affair. Bergeron used those to his advantage, getting great restarts and using the very bottom lane around the Kokomo Speedway to dig for the lead in the early going.

On lap 13, he finally got his chance. Leader Dylan Yeager overshot the bottom lane into Turns 3-4 and Bergeron was there to pounce. He crossed the line in second by less than a hundredth of a second but was able to take the lead away for good the next time around.

“I just had to wait for the right chance,” Bergeron said. “We took it when [Yeager] made a mistake.”

From there on out, it was all Bergeron. Yeager gave it a valiant effort in the closing laps to catch the three-time iRacing world champion, nearly getting underneath him with six laps left, but clipped an infield tire, dashing his chances for victory.

Yeager brought it home in second, followed by Californian Adam Elby, making his first Tour start of Season 4, Hayden Cardwell and Gregory Lamey.

UP NEXT

The wings go back on the 360 Sprint Cars for this Wednesday night’s (Dec. 15) event at Williams Grove Speedway. Catch all the action live on DIRTVision.

ABBREVIATED RESULTS (view full results)

Night Before the 500 Feature (40 Laps) 1. 12-Alex Bergeron [11]; 2. 48-Dylan Yeager [3]; 3. 74-Adam Elby [6]; 4. 07-Hayden Cardwell [19]; 5. 99-Gregory Lamey [1]; 6. 85-Tyler Schell [14]; 7. 41-Logan Rumsey [5]; 8. 331-Dustin Hall [13]; 9. 06-Rylan Gray [12]; 10. 33-Evan Seay [7]; 11. 49-David Heileman [16]; 12. 70-Zach Jaynes [9]; 13. 5-Rusty Kruger [20]; 14. 69-Shae Paulo [10]; 15. 13-Aiden Bierlein [18]; 16. 18-Austen Semmelmann [23]; 17. 80-Vinnie Sansone [15]; 18. 085-Hank Silver [21]; 19. 63-Jake Froemke [17]; 20. 05-Casey Miller [24]; 21. 127-Blake Matjoulis [4]; 22. 19-Mike Augustine [22]; 23. 90-Trevor Royer [8]; DQ. 09-Tanner Tomasi [2]

12/8/21 – 360 Non-Wing Sprint Cars at Kokomo Speedway

Night Before the 500 Feature (40 Laps) 1. 12-Alex Bergeron [11]; 2. 48-Dylan Yeager [3]; 3. 74-Adam Elby [6]; 4. 07-Hayden Cardwell [19]; 5. 99-Gregory Lamey [1]; 6. 85-Tyler Schell [14]; 7. 41-Logan Rumsey [5]; 8. 331-Dustin Hall [13]; 9. 06-Rylan Gray [12]; 10. 33-Evan Seay [7]; 11. 49-David Heileman [16]; 12. 70-Zach Jaynes [9]; 13. 5-Rusty Kruger [20]; 14. 69-Shae Paulo [10]; 15. 13-Aiden Bierlein [18]; 16. 18-Austen Semmelmann [23]; 17. 80-Vinnie Sansone [15]; 18. 085-Hank Silver [21]; 19. 63-Jake Froemke [17]; 20. 05-Casey Miller [24]; 21. 127-Blake Matjoulis [4]; 22. 19-Mike Augustine [22]; 23. 90-Trevor Royer [8]; DQ. 09-Tanner Tomasi [2]

Qualifying (2 laps) 1. 99-Gregory Lamey [11.735]; 2. 09-Tanner Tomasi [11.774]; 3. 48-Dylan Yeager [11.822]; 4. 127-Blake Matjoulis [11.828]; 5. 41-Logan Rumsey [11.831]; 6. 49-David Heileman [11.846]; 7. 33-Evan Seay [11.873]; 8. 90-Trevor Royer [11.882]; 9. 85-Tyler Schell [11.883]; 10. 69-Shae Paulo [11.895]; 11. 74-Adam Elby [11.899]; 12. 63-Jake Froemke [11.939]; 13. 331-Dustin Hall [11.95]; 14. 70-Zach Jaynes [11.957]; 15. 18-Austen Semmelmann [11.984]; 16. 7-Craig Silby [12.015]; 17. 06-Rylan Gray [12.038]; 18. 13-Aiden Bierlein [12.06]; 19. 07-Hayden Cardwell [12.067]; 20. 80-Vinnie Sansone [12.07]; 21. 19-Mike Augustine [12.122]; 22. 66-Shilo Boyce [12.132]; 23. 085-Hank Silver [12.147]; 24. 035-Tommy Brandon [12.18]; 25. 5-Rusty Kruger [12.187]; 26. 710-Wade Fields [12.201]; 27. 27-Anthony DeBaro [12.205]; 28. 14-Jake Erickson [12.219]; 29. 013-Bryce Barrus [12.233]; 30. 71-Josh Gerlach [12.257]; 31. 29-Billy Richardson [12.27]; 32. 05-Casey Miller [12.343]; 33. 72-Jeffrey Steward [12.391]; 34. 74-Loic Bernier [12.473]; 35. 21-Nicholas Kohan [12.477]; 36. 30-Stevin Goldner [12.544]; 37. 98-Austin Blair [12.551]; 38. 46-Jonathan Nause [12.709]; 39. 96-Gunnar Swanchara [12.745]; 40. 007-Kris Gibeau [12.777]; 41. 12-Alex Bergeron [13.22]; 42. 38-Ryan Carlisi [NT]

Heat 1 (10 laps, top-4 transfer) 1. 99-Gregory Lamey [1]; 2. 74-Adam Elby [3]; 3. 12-Alex Bergeron [9]; 4. 49-David Heileman [2]; 5. 7-Craig Silby [4]; 6. 710-Wade Fields [6]; 7. 30-Stevin Goldner [8]; 8. 19-Mike Augustine [5]; 9. 29-Billy Richardson [7]

Heat 2 (10 laps, top-4 transfer) 1. 09-Tanner Tomasi [1]; 2. 33-Evan Seay [2]; 3. 06-Rylan Gray [4]; 4. 63-Jake Froemke [3]; 5. 66-Shilo Boyce [5]; 6. 98-Austin Blair [8]; 7. 05-Casey Miller [7]; 8. 27-Anthony DeBaro [6]; 9. 38-Ryan Carlisi [9]

Heat 3 (10 laps, top-4 transfer) 1. 48-Dylan Yeager [1]; 2. 90-Trevor Royer [2]; 3. 331-Dustin Hall [3]; 4. 13-Aiden Bierlein [4]; 5. 085-Hank Silver [5]; 6. 14-Jake Erickson [6]; 7. 46-Jonathan Nause [8]; 8. 72-Jeffrey Steward [7]

Heat 4 (10 laps, top-4 transfer) 1. 127-Blake Matjoulis [1]; 2. 70-Zach Jaynes [3]; 3. 85-Tyler Schell [2]; 4. 07-Hayden Cardwell [4]; 5. 035-Tommy Brandon [5]; 6. 013-Bryce Barrus [6]; 7. 96-Gunnar Swanchara [8]; 8. 74-Loic Bernier [7]

Heat 5 (10 laps, top-4 transfer) 1. 41-Logan Rumsey [1]; 2. 69-Shae Paulo [2]; 3. 80-Vinnie Sansone [4]; 4. 5-Rusty Kruger [5]; 5. 18-Austen Semmelmann [3]; 6. 71-Josh Gerlach [6]; 7. 21-Nicholas Kohan [7]; 8. 007-Kris Gibeau [8]

B-Main 1 (14 laps, top-2 transfer) 1. 085-Hank Silver [2]; 2. 18-Austen Semmelmann [3]; 3. 7-Craig Silby [1]; 4. 98-Austin Blair [4]; 5. 29-Billy Richardson [11]; 6. 46-Jonathan Nause [7]; 7. 30-Stevin Goldner [6]; 8. 013-Bryce Barrus [5]; 9. 74-Loic Bernier [10]; 10. 21-Nicholas Kohan [8]; 11. 27-Anthony DeBaro [9]

B-Main 2 (14 laps, top-2 transfer) 1. 19-Mike Augustine [8]; 2. 05-Casey Miller [6]; 3. 66-Shilo Boyce [1]; 4. 96-Gunnar Swanchara [7]; 5. 71-Josh Gerlach [5]; 6. 14-Jake Erickson [4]; 7. 72-Jeffrey Steward [9]; 8. 710-Wade Fields [3]; 9. 035-Tommy Brandon [2]; 10. 007-Kris Gibeau [10]; 11. 38-Ryan Carlisi [11]

TOP GUNS: Bergeron and Jackson win DIRTcar eSports season openers

Alex Bergeron and Tyler Jackson are not unaccustomed to parking their digital dirt cars in virtual Victory Lanes across the iRacing simulator-verse. Bergeron won the 50-lap Bicknell Racing Products Big Block Modified Feature at Weedsport Speedway while the defending DIRTcar eSports Chevrolet Performance Street Stock champion Tyler Jackson picked up where he left off last season by winning at Volusia Speedway Park. 

DIRTcar eSports Bicknell Racing Products Big Block Modifieds

Alex Bergeron’s name is synonymous with success in iRacing. He’s won everything including the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car iRacing Series and even dabbles in other disciplines like Rallycross on iRacing as well. Despite all of that versatility and success, Bergeron has yet to put it all together and win a DIRTcar eSports championship.

His quest for a first Tour title started off strong Wednesday night, when Bergeron found the fast way around Weedsport Speedway in a Bicknell Racing Products Big Block Modified, leading flag-to-flag to pick up the win.

Bergeron led the entire race but not without real-life drivers Nick Cooper and Bryce Bailey shadowing his every move. Cooper was ready for any slight mistake or bobble by Bergeron. 

Over the course of the 50-lap Feature, the surface of Weedsport Speedway changed and so did the racing line. Cooper made up ground running the bottom in Turns 1 and 2 but lost ground in Turns 3-4 as Bergeron was able to keep a lot of speed and momentum around the top. Bergeron rode that wave all the way across the finish line. 

Bergeron crossed the line first with Nick Cooper and Bryce Bailey filling out the podium. 

“I am kind of mad at myself,” DIRTcar Sportsman Modified driver Nick Cooper said. “I hit the wall pretty hard halfway through that. I broke the suspension a little bit nevertheless I finished second to Bergeron and I’ll take it.”

If not for one mistake, it could have been another story for Cooper and Bergeron. 

Feature (40 Laps) 1. 12-Alex Bergeron [1]; 2. 35-Nick Cooper [2]; 3. 002-Bryce Bailey [10]; 4. 33-Evan Seay [5]; 5. 48-Dylan Yeager [3]; 6. 22-Mason Hannagan [6]; 7. 096-Gunnar Swanchara [4]; 8. 41-Logan Rumsey [13]; 9. 2-Dylan Houser [9]; 10. 14-Payton Talbot [8]; 11. 21-Quinn Wallis [12]; 12. 09-Tanner Tomasi [17]; 13. 8-Austin Hunter [21]; 14. 029-Leo McGurrin [20]; 15. 331-Dustin Hall [23]; 16. 9-Brad Almond 11]; 17. 74-Loic Bernier [7]; 18. 29-Richie Yost [15]; 19. 51-Clayton Tilley [18]; 20. 85-Tyler Schell [16]; 21. 4-Brandon Stuhler [22]; 22. 72-AJay Potrzebowski [19]; 23. 00-Kendal Tucker [14]

DIRTcar eSports Chevrolet Performance Street Stocks 

Six Heat Races of Chevrolet Performance Street Stocks assembled at the virtual Volusia Speedway Park in an effort to make the first DIRTcar eSports Street Stock race of season four.

Qualifying is always important with the talent at the front of DIRTcar eSports events. Feature winner Tyler Jackson had to be at the top of his game all night. 

“That was an interesting night,” Jackson said. “I qualified third, which is great because I didn’t think I’d qualify that well. In the Heat I was just missing something. Sage was catching me and he threw a slider. He didn’t quite clear me but luckily he missed me off enough that I was able to keep the hammer down on the bottom. We were able to find a new lane that no one else had.”

In the Feature, star iRacers Zane Yost and Carl Kilgore battled for the lead early but with 20 laps to go Kilgore was sent spinning into the infield off of Turn 4 resulting in a massive pile up. 

“In the Feature there, Carl got sideways and by the time I realized and checked up I think four or five guys got me,” Tyler Jackson said of the melee. “My right front was so bent in it handled so bad I think it made it good.

Yost brought the field back to green with Tyler Jackson close behind looking to strike on the bottom. Jackson dove under Yost with 15 laps remaining, sliding under him only to give the position back on the over-under. 

Jackson continued working on Yost and finally completed the pass only to be turned completely sideways down the backstretch. Jackson somehow hung on for the lead. 

The defending eSports champ survived one final restart to hang on for the Feature win.

Chevy Performance Feature (20 Laps) 1. 822-Tyler Jackson [3]; 2. 21-Charles Barnes [4]; 3. 29-Richie Yost [5]; 4. 93-Zane Yost [1]; 5. 1-Alex Breuer [8]; 6. 26-Sage Luther [9]; 7. 57-Jim Reavis [10]; 8. 28-Bailey Hipp [11]; 9. 002-Clifford Bellomy [14]; 10. 83-Brian Taft [15]; 11. 60-Kyle Householder [16]; 12. 17-Brett Rowles [22]; 13. 30-Stevin Goldner [19]; 14. 5-Isaac Salas [21]; 15. 021-Carl Kilgore [2]; 16. 70-Davin Cardwell [12]; 17. 717-Bobby Rafferty [13]; 18. 48-Kyle Vaughn [17]; 19. 999-Tim Taylor [24]; 20. 97-Butch Baker [20]; 21. 69-Keith Hackney [6]; 22. 46-Jonathan Nause [18]; 23. 045-Kyle Jared [7]; 24. 68-Ronald Pyles [23]

NEXT UP: DIRTcar eSports season four, race two, is next Wednesday, November 17. The Tour visits Fairbury in the UMP Modifieds while the Chevrolet Performance Street Stocks pick up the fight at Lanier. Join the fun by signing up now on iRacing or watch the racing live every Wednesday night on DIRTvision presented by Drydene. 

11/10/21 – Big Block Modifieds at Weedsport Speedway

Feature (40 Laps) 1. 12-Alex Bergeron [1]; 2. 35-Nick Cooper [2]; 3. 002-Bryce Bailey [10]; 4. 33-Evan Seay [5]; 5. 48-Dylan Yeager [3]; 6. 22-Mason Hannagan [6]; 7. 096-Gunnar Swanchara [4]; 8. 41-Logan Rumsey [13]; 9. 2-Dylan Houser [9]; 10. 14-Payton Talbot [8]; 11. 21-Quinn Wallis [12]; 12. 09-Tanner Tomasi [17]; 13. 8-Austin Hunter [21]; 14. 029-Leo McGurrin [20]; 15. 331-Dustin Hall [23]; 16. 9-Brad Almond 11]; 17. 74-Loic Bernier [7]; 18. 29-Richie Yost [15]; 19. 51-Clayton Tilley [18]; 20. 85-Tyler Schell [16]; 21. 4-Brandon Stuhler [22]; 22. 72-AJay Potrzebowski [19]; 23. 00-Kendal Tucker [14]

Qual (2 Laps) 1. 12-Alex Bergeron [15.126];2. 35-Nick Cooper [15.155];3. 48-Dylan Yeager [15.159];4. 096-Gunnar Swanchara [15.167];5. 33-Evan Seay [15.168];6. 22-Mason Hannagan [15.171];7. 74-Loic Bernier [15.171];8. 14-Payton Talbot [15.185];9. 127-Blake Matjoulis [15.192];10. 002-Bryce Bailey [15.194];11. 9-Brad Almond [15.215];12. 21-Quinn Wallis [15.22];13. 41-Logan Rumsey [15.22];14. 1-Jesse Enterkin [15.222];15. 29-Richie Yost [15.226];16. 029-Leo McGurrin [15.232];17. 91-David Cologgi [15.238];18. 69-Keith Hackney [15.239];19. 2-Dylan Houser [15.241];20. 51-Clayton Tilley [15.242];21. 7-James Batzer [15.245];22. 55-Vicente Salas [15.247];23. 85-Tyler Schell [15.259];24. 09-Tanner Tomasi [15.264];25. 8-Austin Hunter [15.267];26. 42-Parker Retzlaff [15.268];27. 101-Brent Evans [15.271];28. 085-Hank Silver [15.271];29. 00-Kendal Tucker [15.272];30. 290-Tyler Moffett [15.293];31. 115-Boddie Parker [15.303];32. 4-Brandon Stuhler [15.31];33. 510-Bradley Steinruck [15.316];34. 3-RJ Smykla [15.321];35. 89-Eric Tupper [15.358];36. 72-AJay Potrzebowski [15.365];37. 331-Dustin Hall [15.366];38. 13-Matt Remick [15.391];39. 30-Stevin Goldner [15.395];40. 072-Joe Grabianowski [15.395];41. 04-CJ LaVair [15.418];42. 71-Claude Fournier [15.461];43. 46-Jonathan Nause [15.507];44. 29-Billy Richardson [15.51];45. 96-Matt Hancock [15.543];46. 963-David Reip [15.63];47. 20-Allen Burgan [15.635];48. 73-Scott Reid [15.67];49. 77-Blaise Baker [NT]

Heat 1 (10 Laps, top-3 transfer) 1. 12-Alex Bergeron [1]; 2. 22-Mason Hannagan [2]; 3. 9-Brad Almond [3]; 4. 029-Leo McGurrin [4]; 5. 72-AJay Potrzebowski [8]; 6. 42-Parker Retzlaff [6]; 7. 115-Boddie Parker [7]; 8. 7-James Batzer [5]; 9. 963-David Reip [10]; 10. 04-CJ LaVair [9]

Heat 2 (10 Laps, top-3 transfer) 1. 35-Nick Cooper [1]; 2. 74-Loic Bernier [2]; 3. 21-Quinn Wallis [3]; 4. 91-David Cologgi [4]; 5. 4-Brandon Stuhler [7]; 6. 331-Dustin Hall [8]; 7. 101-Brent Evans [6]; 8. 20-Allen Burgan [10]; 9. 71-Claude Fournier [9]; 10. 55-Vicente Salas [5]

Heat 3 (10 Laps, top-3 transfer) 1. 48-Dylan Yeager [1]; 2. 14-Payton Talbot [2]; 3. 41-Logan Rumsey [3]; 4. 85-Tyler Schell [5]; 5. 13-Matt Remick [8]; 6. 510-Bradley Steinruck [7]; 7. 085-Hank Silver [6]; 8. 46-Jonathan Nause [9]; 9. 69-Keith Hackney [4]; 10. 73-Scott Reid [10]

Heat 4 (10 Laps, top-3 transfer) 1. 096-Gunnar Swanchara [1]; 2. 2-Dylan Houser [4]; 3. 00-Kendal Tucker [6]; 4. 09-Tanner Tomasi [5]; 5. 3-RJ Smykla [7]; 6. 30-Stevin Goldner [8]; 7. 1-Jesse Enterkin [3]; 8. 29-Billy Richardson [9]; 9. 127-Blake Matjoulis [2]; 10. 77-Blaise Baker [10]

Heat 5 (10 Laps, top-3 transfer) 1. 33-Evan Seay [1]; 2. 002-Bryce Bailey [2]; 3. 29-Richie Yost [3]; 4. 51-Clayton Tilley [4]; 5. 8-Austin Hunter [5]; 6. 290-Tyler Moffett [6]; 7. 89-Eric Tupper [7]; 8. 072-Joe Grabianowski [8]; 9. 96-Matt Hancock [9]

B-Main 1 (14 Laps, top-4 transfer) 1. 85-Tyler Schell [85]; 2. 51-Clayton Tilley [51]; 3. 029-Leo McGurrin [14]; 4. 4-Brandon Stuhler [4]; 5. 42-Parker Retzlaff [42]; 6. 1-Jesse Enterkin [1]; 7. 290-Tyler Moffett [36]; 8. 3-RJ Smykla [3]; 9. 127-Blake Matjoulis [127]; 10. 510-Bradley Steinruck [510]; 11. 04-CJ LaVair [4]; 12. 71-Claude Fournier [71]; 13. 7-James Batzer [7]; 14. 072-Joe Grabianowski [72]; 15. 46-Jonathan Nause [46]; 16. 101-Brent Evans [101]; 17. 73-Scott Reid [73]

B-Main 2 (14 Laps, top-4 transfer) 1. 09-Tanner Tomasi [2]; 2. 72-AJay Potrzebowski [3]; 3. 8-Austin Hunter [5]; 4. 331-Dustin Hall [6]; 5. 91-David Cologgi [1]; 6. 89-Eric Tupper [10]; 7. 69-Keith Hackney [14]; 8. 085-Hank Silver [9]; 9. 30-Stevin Goldner [7]; 10. 29-Billy Richardson [12]; 11. 13-Matt Remick [4]; 12. 963-David Reip [13] 13. 96-Matt Hancock [15]; 14. 20-Allen Burgan [11]; 15. 115-Boddie Parker [8]; 16. 55-Vicente Salas [16]; 17. 77-Blaise Baker [17]

HEATED WORDS, COOLER TROPHIES: Tucker Wins Second Straight Tour Championship from Pits After Bergeron, Matjoulis Collision

Evan Seay leads all but two laps en route to third Feature win, Bergeron runner-up in points

After going eight consecutive weeks of notching nothing but wins and runner-up finishes on the DIRTcar eSports Tour, Kendal Tucker is now a two-time DIRTcar eSports Tour champion.

An incredible season for the driver from Mt. Airy, NC – notching three wins, eight top-fives, eight top-tens and all but the first event started.

“It feels good to go back-to-back in this deal,” Tucker said. “It’s the first time I’ve ever done that in a series on iRacing.”

But his podium streak was abruptly ended when some contact from an incident involving Alex Bergeron and Blake Matjoulis on Lap 5 spilled over into his path. Matjoulis and Bergeron came together at the exit of Turn 4, nearly sending Bergeron completely around in front of the field.

His spinning momentum caught the nose of Richard Murtaugh Jr. and then sent him through the Turn 1 grass, back up onto the track and right into the side of Tucker, who collected several other innocent bystanders in a wild flipping sequence in Turns 1-2. Tucker nursed his heavily damaged racecar back to the pits under the yellow but was met with terminal damage upon arrival at his pit stall, forcefully ending his night.

However, coming into the event a secure 75 points ahead of Bergeron in the Tour standings, the championship gold was not lost. Neither was the love between the drivers in the DIRTVision post-race interviews regarding the incident.

Bergeron (12) gets sideways on the fronstretch (Hank Silver Photo)

“Not much of a surprise coming from the 12 car,” Tucker said. “He has no regard for people around him on the track, it seems like. Goes into the infield when he had some bad luck and comes up in front of everybody else trying to compete for position on the track.”

Bergeron repaired his car, restarted from the rear of the field and went on an incredible passing spree over the next 45 circuits, crossing the stripe third by the drop of the checkered.

“We were definitely the fastest driver out here tonight,” Bergeron said. “It’s just sad that we get wrecked intentionally every week… We did everything we could and went from nearly dead last to up to the front.”

In the end, two spots ahead of Bergeron was the one true dominant force of the race – Evan Seay. The Chesnee, SC-driver led almost all 50 laps of the Bicknell Racing Products Big Block Modified Feature at The Dirt Track at Charlotte and scored his third $250 check of Season 3.

“It’s difficult to win these races with them being fixed [setup],” Seay said. “You’ve gotta figure out what line to run and be better at that line than everybody else.”

Seay won his third Tour Feature of the season (Hank Silver Photo)

While Tucker held the virtual championship trophy high in Victory Lane at the end of the night, he was only credited with a 23rd-place finish, much to his disappointment.

“I definitely thought we could have competed for another win,” Tucker said. “It’s probably one of my favorite tracks on here, so for the night to end pretty early, it definitely stings a little bit.”

Bicknell Racing Products Feature (50 Laps) – 1. 33-Evan Seay [2]; 2. 127-Blake Matjoulis [4]; 3. 12-Alex A Bergeron [1]; 4. 48-Dylan Yeager [3]; 5. 22-Mason Hannagan [7]; 6. 331-Dustin Hall3 [10]; 7. 33-Richard Murtaugh Jr. [8]; 8. 85-Tyler Schell [6]; 9. 1-Jesse Enterkin [9]; 10. 0-Kevin Dedmon [12]; 11. 115-Boddie Parker3 [13]; 12. 717-Bobby Rafferty [14]; 13. 17-Brett Rowles [11]; 14. 13-Matt Remick [17]; 15. 2-Chance Carr [15]; 16. 2-Bradley Steinruck [19]; 17. 114-Joe Garcia [18]; 18. 72-Joseph Grabianowski [21]; 19. 78-Justin Bishop3 [20]; 20. 29-William Richardson4 [16]; 21. 91-Jeffrey Eddy [23]; 22. 46-Jonathan Nause [24]; 23. 0-Kendal Tucker [5]; 24. 58-Ryder Sroufe [22]

BERGERON’S BACK: Pro Series Sprint Car Champ Gets 358 Modified Victory at USA Int’l

Points difference now at 75, Tucker will clinch championship next week at Charlotte

He’s a multi-time World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Series Sprint Car iRacing World champion, and now the winner of the first-ever DIRTcar 358 Modified race contested on the DIRTcar eSports Tour.

Alex Bergeron showed an impressive display of resiliency Wednesday night at USA International Speedway, holding off defending Tour champion Kendal Tucker for over half the race to pick up his first Tour victory of the season with the VP Racing Fuels 358 Modifieds.

“We did what we had to do – protect the line there in [Turns] 3-4 and got the win. Pretty happy about this,” Bergeron said.

This win comes as a bit of redemption for the Team ABR leader after a costly penalty nixed his win in the 360 Sprint Car race last week, handing the victory over to Tucker. But this week was a different story – both drivers battled hard, but clean, and put on a show for the DIRTVision presented by Drydene audience.

While Richard Murtaugh Jr. led the field around the big 3/4-mile for the first 18 circuits, Bergeron was forced to wrestle the lead away from him in a big slide job-fest that lasted several laps and involved most of the top-five.

Once Bergeron grabbed the lead, his competition was in trouble. Tucker was his biggest thorn-in-the-side through the rest of the race, clinging right to his rear bumper, just waiting for a mistake to be made by the leader.

But a mistake never showed from the ABR #12. Bergeron led the final 22 laps to pick up his first $250 check of the season and first since January 6 of Season 2.

“I always had great restarts, and made the most out of it,” Bergeron said. “We just had to stay really patient and try not to make any mistakes out front – it’s always easy to make mistakes when you’re leading.”

Hank Silver Photo

Tucker crossed the stripe in second, extending his streak of top-two finishes to a whopping eight in his eight starts this season. Now sitting an even 75 points ahead of Bergeron in the standings, Tucker will hoist his second consecutive DIRTcar eSports Tour trophy next week after the Big Block Modifieds wrap up the season in the 10th and final race of Season 3 at The Dirt Track at Charlotte.

VP Racing Fuels Feature (40 Laps) – 1. 12-Alex Bergeron [1]; 2. 00-Kendal Tucker [2]; 3. 33-Evan Seay [6]; 4. 000-Kevin Dedmon [13]; 5. 85-Tyler Schell [8]; 6. 22-Mason Hannagan [9]; 7. 48-Dylan Yeager [4]; 8. 17-Brett Rowles [16]; 9. 717-Bobby Rafferty [17]; 10. 13-Matt Remick [18]; 11. 10-Ryan Gregoric [19]; 12. 033-Richard Murtaugh Jr. [3]; 13. 018-Tyler Jackson [14]; 14. 013-Shane Andrews [21]; 15. 46-Jonathan Nause [24]; 16. 115-Boddie Parker [15]; 17. 78-Justin Bishop [22]; 18. 26-Sage Luther [12]; 19. 71-Claude Jr Fournier [23]; 20. 2-Chance Carr [11]; 21. 1-Jesse Enterkin [10]; 22. 72-Joseph Grabianowski [20]; 23. 127-Blake Matjoulis [5]; 24. 44-John Ruggiero Jr. [7]

5/19/21 – 358 Modifieds at USA International Speedway

Hoosier Racing Tire Feature (40 Laps) – 1. 12-Alex Bergeron [1]; 2. 00-Kendal Tucker [2]; 3. 33-Evan Seay [6]; 4. 000-Kevin Dedmon [13]; 5. 85-Tyler Schell [8]; 6. 22-Mason Hannagan [9]; 7. 48-Dylan Yeager [4]; 8. 17-Brett Rowles [16]; 9. 717-Bobby Rafferty [17]; 10. 13-Matt Remick [18]; 11. 10-Ryan Gregoric [19]; 12. 033-Richard Murtaugh Jr. [3]; 13. 18-Tyler Jackson [14]; 14. 013-Shane Andrews [21]; 15. 46-Jonathan Nause [24]; 16. 115-Boddie Parker [15]; 17. 78-Justin Bishop [22]; 18. 26-Sage Luther [12]; 19. 71-Claude Fournier Jr. [23]; 20. 2-Chance Carr [11]; 21. 1-Jesse Enterkin [10]; 22. 72-Joseph Grabianowski [20]; 23. 127-Blake Matjoulis [5]; 24. 44-John Ruggiero Jr. [7]

Qualifying (2 laps) – 1. 12-Alex Bergeron [22.999]; 2. 127-Blake Matjoulis [23.011]; 3. 033-Richard Murtaugh Jr. [23.058]; 4. 48-Dylan Yeager [23.085]; 5. 00-Kendal Tucker [23.108]; 6. 22-Mason Hannagan [23.11]; 7. 44-John Ruggiero Jr. [23.123]; 8. 85-Tyler Schell [23.163]; 9. 33-Evan Seay [23.164]; 10. 1-Jesse Enterkin [23.174]; 11. 2-Chance Carr [23.201]; 12. 26-Sage Luther [23.214]; 13. 000-Kevin Dedmon [23.249]; 14. 17-Brett Rowles [23.279]; 15. 013-Shane Andrews [23.286]; 16. 18-Tyler Jackson [23.297]; 17. 72-Joseph Grabianowski [23.298]; 18. 13-Matt Remick [23.299]; 19. 331-Dustin Hall [23.305]; 20. 115-Boddie Parker [23.335]; 21. 91-Jeffrey Eddy [23.342]; 22. 69-Trae Blank [23.348]; 23. 78-Justin Bishop [23.357]; 24. 82-Eric Schroeter [23.396]; 25. 71-Claude Fournier Jr. [23.41]; 26. 10-Ryan Gregoric [23.439]; 27. 717-Bobby Rafferty [23.448]; 28. 58-Ryder Sroufe [23.449]; 29. 29-Billy Richardson [23.488]; 30. 79-Dean Reynolds [23.561]; 31. 38-Ryan Carlisi [23.583]; 32. 5-Jason Metoxen [23.616]; 33. 46-Jonathan Nause [23.634]

Heat Race 1 (10 laps, top-4 transfer) – 1. 12-Alex Bergeron [1]; 2. 48-Dylan Yeager [2]; 3. 44-John Ruggiero Jr. [3]; 4. 1-Jesse Enterkin [4]; 5. 000-Kevin Dedmon [5]; 6. 18-Tyler Jackson [6]; 7. 331-Dustin Hall [7]; 8. 58-Ryder Sroufe [10]; 9. 38-Ryan Carlisi [11]; 10. 69-Trae Blank [8]; 11. 71-Claude Fournier Jr. [9]

Heat Race 2 (10 laps, top-4 transfer) – 1. 00-Kendal Tucker [2]; 2. 127-Blake Matjoulis [1]; 3. 85-Tyler Schell [3]; 4. 2-Chance Carr [4]; 5. 17-Brett Rowles [5]; 6. 115-Boddie Parker [7]; 7. 72-Joseph Grabianowski [6]; 8. 10-Ryan Gregoric [9]; 9. 78-Justin Bishop [8]; 10. 29-Billy Richardson [10]; 11. 5-Jason Metoxen [11]

Heat Race 3 (10 laps, top-4 transfer) – 1. 033-Richard Murtaugh Jr. [1]; 2. 33-Evan Seay [3]; 3. 22-Mason Hannagan [2]; 4. 26-Sage Luther [4]; 5. 717-Bobby Rafferty [9]; 6. 13-Matt Remick [6]; 7. 013-Shane Andrews [5]; 8. 91-Jeffrey Eddy [7]; 9. 79-Dean Reynolds [10]; 10. 46-Jonathan Nause [11]; 11. 82-Eric Schroeter [8]

Last Chance Showdown 1 (14 laps, top-6 transfer) – 1. 000-Kevin Dedmon [1]; 2. 115-Boddie Parker [3]; 3. 717-Bobby Rafferty [2]; 4. 10-Ryan Gregoric [6]; 5. 013-Shane Andrews [5]; 6. 71-Claude Fournier Jr. [10]; 7. 29-Billy Richardson [9]; 8. 38-Ryan Carlisi [7]; 9. 79-Dean Reynolds [8]; 10. 331-Dustin Hall [4]

Last Chance Showdown 2 (14 laps, top-6 transfer) – 1. 18-Tyler Jackson [2]; 2. 17-Brett Rowles [1]; 3. 13-Matt Remick [3]; 4. 72-Joseph Grabianowski [4]; 5. 78-Justin Bishop [7]; 6. 46-Jonathan Nause [9]; 7. 69-Trae Blank [8]; 8. 91-Jeffrey Eddy [6]; 9. 58-Ryder Sroufe [5]; 10. 82-Eric Schroeter [11]; 11. 5-Jason Metoxen [10]

CONTACT AT KOKOMO: Tucker Wins Third Tour Feature of Season 3 After Bergeron Penalty

Tucker pads large points lead, looks to seal second straight title in two weeks’ time

White flag. Big slide job in Turns 1-2 by Alex Bergeron. Kendal Tucker crosses underneath him with the lead as they exit Turn 2. Then, big contact.

Both drivers dove for the inside of Turn 3 at Kokomo Speedway, neither willing to give an inch as they rounded the final corners before the finish line. Some contact was made, then some more, and even more still as they crossed underneath the checkered flag in Wednesday night’s NOS Energy Drink 360 Sprint Car Feature.

The iRacing simulation showed Bergeron as the winner, but DIRTcar eSports officials determined, in post-race review, that Bergeron was at fault in the incident for initiating the contact with Tucker. Therefore, Bergeron was handed a two-spot post-race penalty, and officially scored in third place.

This handed the $250 Feature win over to Tucker and moved original third-place Dylan Houser into second.

The last-lap fireworks succeeded a very entertaining 30 laps around the virtual quarter-mile, filled with several clean slide jobs for the lead as Houser and Bergeron tried to wrestle the lead from polesitter Tucker, who led all but the final lap.

Houser was the first to do so on Lap 25, launching a big slider in Turns 3-4 that Tucker quickly turned underneath to regain the position. Bergeron threw one the very next corner, which Tucker answered immediately, driving right back by him on the inside to take the spot back.

Tucker led the race through the white flag before Bergeron threw the slide job at him again in Turn 1 before the final-corner melee that decided the race, ultimately handing Tucker his second Tour Feature victory of Season 3.

The DIRTcar eSports Tour is back in action next Wednesday night, May 19, for Round #9, featuring the 358 Small-Block Modifieds at USA International Speedway. Catch all the action live on DIRTVision presented by Drydene.

NOS Energy Drink Feature (30 Laps) – 1. 00-Kendal Tucker [1]; 2. 2-Dylan Houser [10]; 3. 12-Alex Bergeron [2]; 4. 33-Evan Seay [3]; 5. 85-Tyler Schell [4]; 6. 115-Boddie Parker [11]; 7. 48-Dylan Yeager [20]; 8. 1-Jesse Enterkin [8]; 9. 17-Brett Rowles [13]; 10. 331-Dustin Hall [9]; 11. 461-Cole Dewease [15]; 12. 46-Jonathan Nause [18]; 13. 43-Terrell Wheeler [17]; 14. 033-Richard Murtaugh Jr. [5]; 15. 29-Billy Richardson [7]; 16. 14-Brett Wright [19]; 17. 17-Sam Reakes [6]; 18. 5-Jacob Karklin [16]; 19. 13-Matt Remick [21]; 20. 38-Ryan Carlisi [12]; 21. 82-Eric Schroeter [14]