Hoffman, Harrison, Allgaier, McKinney, Nicely, Weisser and more expected to attend
The summer’s greatest tradition in Midwest dirt track racing is back in commission this Fri-Sat, July 30-31, as the DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals race alongside the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series in the 31st running of the Prairie Dirt Classic.
Since 2015, the Summit Modifieds have joined the Outlaws at the FALS crown jewel event and raced in similar format to decide the field for Saturday night’s $5,000-to-win finale. Drivers will start with Hot Lap/Qualifying on Friday night and be divided into one of four 20-lap Showdown Features. These $500-to-win events will take the top-4 drivers into Saturday’s Feature.
Saturday will consist of Hot Laps and two Last Chance Showdown races for any driver not yet qualified, taking the top-two finishing drivers from each into the Feature. Four provisional starters will be added to fill the final four spots before the field rolls to the track for the 40-lap, $5,000-to-win Feature.
The best UMP Modified drivers in the country are expected to be in attendance for the high-profile event, which serves as races 22 and 23 on the Summit Modified schedule.
It all goes down this Friday and Saturday night, July 30-31, at Fairbury Speedway. If you can’t be at the track, catch all the action live on DIRTVision presented by Drydene with a FAST PASS subscription.
Here are the drivers to watch and the storylines to follow…
DOUBLE DUTY – Nick Hoffman, the seventeen-time Summit Modified winner this year, has recently teamed with Scott Bloomquist Racing to tackle the 31st PDC in both a Modified and Late Model.
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The three-time Summit Modified champ will get behind the wheel of Bloomquist’s famed Drydene Team Zero Race Cars #0 and attempt to put it in the big show on Saturday night for a chance at $50,000.
He’ll also be piloting his Elite Chassis #2 Modified in the event, searching for his 18th victory in 19 starts and second PDC Modified Feature win.
NASCAR STAR – NASCAR Xfinity Series star Justin Allgaier, of Riverton, IL, is scheduled to make a Modified Prairie Dirt Classic appearance this weekend behind the wheel of his own Allgaier Racing Shocks Elite Chassis #7.
Allgaier topped a very stout UMP Modified field in the 50th DIRTcar Nationals’ Gator Championship finale at Volusia Speedway Park back in February for a $5,000 prize and will be one to watch as he tries to beat the best Modified drivers in the country again this weekend.
HIGHLAND HUNTER – When it comes to Fairbury, Mike Harrison is one of the most feared competitors in the field. Six of his 54 career Summit Modified victories have come at the quarter-mile, including the first two PDC finales.
However, the six-time champion will be going up against one of the best Modified fields he’ll see all year. He met a stacked roster earlier this year in the Summit Modifieds’ first visit to FALS and walked away with a 17th-place result after hitting the wall in his pursuit of race leader Hoffman.
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With Hoffman scheduled to be in the field again this weekend, Harrison will get a chance at redemption and to retake his spot atop the all-time wins list as he shoots for the $5,000 grand prize.
FALS FAVORITES – Current FALS Cup weekly points leaders Michael Ledford and Mike McKinney are slated to be in attendance and lead the local bunch to take out the Summit Modified ringers.
16-year-old and defending Fairbury track champion Michael Ledford, of Pontiac, IL, leads McKinney in track points by just four heading into the weekend with one victory back on July 3. He’s currently sitting 11th in DIRTcar UMP Modified national points standings with six victories to his credit.
McKinney, the 2018 Summit Modified points runner-up, has won two of his six starts at FALS in 2021 and made every Feature thus far. While he hasn’t appeared in as many Summit Modified shows as he normally does every year, he does have two career Summit Modified wins at FALS.
PEORIA POWER – Few drivers have finished second more times in some of FALS’ biggest events than Allen Weisser.
The Peoria, IL-native was runner-up to Hoffman in the 2019 PDC Modified Feature, second again to McKinney in last year’s first Summit Modified visit in July, and second yet again in the $10,000-to-win FALS Super Nationals on Labor Day Weekend. This could be A-Dog’s weekend to finally cash-in big time in a FALS special.
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Weisser currently ranks third in DIRTcar UMP Modified national points standings with eleven victories to his credit – two of which came this past weekend.
POINTS PLAYERS – Another trio of dangerous Midwesterners are slated to come to FALS this weekend, combining for 22 victories across the nation so far this year.
Two-time American Modified Series champion Tyler Nicely, of Owensboro, KY, 2017 Showdown Feature winner Ray Bollinger, of Kewanee, IL, and current runner-up in Summit Modified points Tommy Sheppard Jr., of New Berlin, IL, have run several races with the Summit Modifieds this season and are all sitting within the top-six in national UMP Modified points.
