9/2/2024
Lucas Oil MLRA
Chad Simpson Captures $10,000 Pay Day With Wiener Nationals Victory
Wheatland, MO (September 1, 2024) – After a set back on the opening lap of the 4th Annual Wiener Nationals, Chad Simpson rallied and raced away from the field to score his first Lucas Oil MLRA victory of the season on Sunday at the Moberly Motorsports Park.
After scoring the nights MyRacePass “Fast Time” Award and a convincing heat race win, Simpson rolled off for the nights 30 lapper on the outside front row alongside of veteran Billy Moyer. However, it was deemed that Simpson got a jump on Moyer before the duo entered the Nutrien Ag Solutions Start Zone, which resulted in Simpson being set back one row for the ensuing start.
Moyer would take advantage of his front row starting position to take the lead on the opening circuit, despite a valiant effort by Simpson to still grab the races initial lead. Moyer controlled the race in the early going, but Simpson took advantage of lapped traffic and was able to slide by Moyer for the lead on lap number 11. That lead however only last one lap, as contact between Simpson and a lapped car allowed Moyer to overtake the MLRA’s current point leader and get back to the front just prior to the nights first caution.
Simpson would then take advantage on the restart and returned to the lead by sliding Moyer exiting turn four, a move good enough for the nights Swift Springs Move of the Race. With Simpson pacing the field and Moyer still in tow, this time it was Dillon McCowan making a charge toward the front from his 9th starting position. The nights second and final caution would slow the action with just 4 laps to go as heat race winner Aaron Marrant slowed on the track with a flat right rear tire.
Simpson jump back to the front on the restart and would cruise uncontested to score the $10,000 victory by 1.617 seconds. McCowan took advantage of the restart to race by Moyer and collected his second runner-up finish in as many nights over Moyer, who himself scored his second podium of the weekend. Saturday night winner Tony Jackson Jr. had another sold run in fourth, while Chris Simpson rebounded to finish in fifth.
“I’ve been kind of hard on myself the last couple of days after starting up front, and feeling like we had a car to win the last two nights,” explained Simpson. “We still had solid fourth place finishes the last couple nights but this is what we are out here for. We want to win these races, and you know the championship is great, but win races and that part will come.”
The penalty on the initial start served as motivation for Simpson during the 30 lapper. “I’m not going to lie, I was a little disappointed on that initial start. I jumped it a little bit but Billy jammed the brakes too and probably made it look a lot worse than it was, but it is what it is. I got a little mad at myself and it was time to go then,” he concluded.
As for McCowan it was another solid podium run to wrap up his Labor Day Swing. “We pulled this car out after the first night this weekend at Lucas and the set up we have on it just really fits my driving style, and its been a lot of fun the last two nights. We let one slip through our fingers last night and kind of buried ourselves in qualifying tonight and in the heat race as fast as the track was. I feel like we had a pretty good recovery, and my guys didn’t quit working, we just put our heads down and went to work to try and figure out what we could do to pass cars in the feature,” he concluded.
Moyer had his second podium finish in a row and noted, “We just had a third place car tonight, I’m not sure that 8 (McCowan) didn’t have the best car there at the end. We just didn’t tighten up near enough, and you live and learn. We are up on the podium here again at least, so we just have to keep getting a little better.”
Next up for the Lucas Oil MLRA will be a three-night stand on the eastern side of the Hawkeye state. Action will get underway with a make up event on Thursday night September 12th, at the Cedar County Raceway in Tipton, IA. The weekend will conclude with a two night stand on September 13th – 14th at the Davenport Speedway in Davenport, IA.
Moberly Motorsports Park Contingencies 9/1/24
Lap Leaders – Billy Moyer (1 - 10), Chad Simpson (11), Moyer (12), Simpson (13 -30)
Cautions – 2
MyRacePass “Overall Fast Time Award" – Chad Simpson (16.686 sec.)
Outerwears Crew Chief of the Race – Waylon Schultz
MD3 "Most Laps Led" – Chad Simpson (19)
Swift Springs “Move of the Race” – Chad Simpson
Sunoco Race Fuel “Rookie of the Race” – Aaron Marrant
PEM Racing "4th Place Finisher" – Tony Jackson Jr.
Fluidyne: "5th Place Finisher: – Chris Simpson
Sunoco "Engine Builders Challenge" – Pro Power
Midwest Sheet Metal "Points Leader Spoiler Challenge" – Chad Simpson
MSD Performance Holley: “1st B-Main NON-Qualifier” –N/A
MD3 Final Finisher: – Jimmy Vanzandt
4th Annual Weiner Nationals
30 Laps | 00:22:05.273
- 25-Chad Simpson[2]; 2. 8-Dillon McCowan[9]; 3. 21M-Billy Moyer Sr[1]; 4. 56JR-Tony Jackson Jr[8]; 5. 32-Chris Simpson[5]; 6. 11T-Trevor Gundaker[6]; 7. 11G-Gordy Gundaker[3]; 8. 11-Jeff Herzog[16]; 9. 93-Mason Oberkramer[13]; 10. 11JK-Jon Kirby[26]; 11. 22H-Dustin Hodges[7]; 12. 50C-Kayden Clatt[12]; 13. 78S-Steve Stultz[22]; 14. 99-Dylan Hoover[11]; 15. 23-Chad Walter[19]; 16. 00B-Matt Becker[24]; 17. (DNS) 1XM-Aaron Marrant; 18. (DNS) 14X-David Melloway; 19. (DNS) 33F-Rickey Frankel; 20. (DNS) 3W-Brennon Willard; 21. (DNS) 10-TRACY Melloway; 22. (DNS) 11P-Curt Potter; 23. (DNS) 12B-Chase Breid; 24. (DNS) 1P-Steve Potter; 25. (DNS) 7D-Dusty Leonard; 26. (DNS) 11K-Shannon Kuhn; 27. (DNS) 145-Kyle Graves; 28. (DNS) 1XK-Richard Kimberling; 29. (DNS) 16-Ashlee Lancaster; 30. (DNS) 67-Jimmy Vanzandt
H1-Flo Sports
8 Laps | 00:03:43.000
- 21M-Billy Moyer Sr[1]; 2. 32-Chris Simpson[2]; 3. 8-Dillon McCowan[3]; 4. 93-Mason Oberkramer[4]; 5. 11P-Curt Potter[8]; 6. 11K-Shannon Kuhn[5]; 7. 12B-Chase Breid[7]; 8. (DNF) 67-Jimmy Vanzandt[6]
H2-Simpson Race Products
8 Laps | 00:03:03.000
- 11G-Gordy Gundaker[2]; 2. 22H-Dustin Hodges[1]; 3. 99-Dylan Hoover[4]; 4. 14X-David Melloway; 5. 23-Chad Walter[3]; 6. 1XK-Richard Kimberling[5]; 7. (DNF) 1P-Steve Potter[7]; 8. (DNS) 16-Ashlee Lancaster
H3-Earnhardt Technologies
8 Laps | 00:03:56.000
- 25-Chad Simpson[1]; 2. 11T-Trevor Gundaker[2]; 3. 7D-Dusty Leonard[3]; 4. 33F-Rickey Frankel[5]; 5. 10-TRACY Melloway[7]; 6. 78S-Steve Stultz[6]; 7. 11JK-Jon Kirby[4]; 8. (DNS) 14X-David Melloway
H4- Lucas Oil
8 Laps | 00:03:45.000
- 1XM-Aaron Marrant[1]; 2. 56JR-Tony Jackson Jr[3]; 3. 50C-Kayden Clatt[2]; 4. 11-Jeff Herzog[4]; 5. 3W-Brennon Willard[5]; 6. 00B-Matt Becker[6]; 7. (DNS) 145-Kyle Graves
GROUP A My Race Pass
| 00:00:39.000
- 21M-Billy Moyer Sr, 00:16.971[15]; 2. 22H-Dustin Hodges, 00:16.974[6]; 3. 32-Chris Simpson, 00:17.053[12]; 4. 11G-Gordy Gundaker, 00:17.092[14]; 5. 8-Dillon McCowan, 00:17.257[3]; 6. 23-Chad Walter, 00:17.400[11]; 7. 93-Mason Oberkramer, 00:17.542[4]; 8. 99-Dylan Hoover, 00:17.685[13]; 9. 11K-Shannon Kuhn, 00:18.147[10]; 10. 1XK-Richard Kimberling, 00:18.390[9]; 11. 67-Jimmy Vanzandt, 00:18.835[8]; 12. 16-Ashlee Lancaster, 00:18.983[1]; 13. 12B-Chase Breid, 00:19.217[7]; 14. 1P-Steve Potter, 00:19.217[5]; 15. 11P-Curt Potter, 00:25.000[2]
GROUP B My Race Pass
| 00:00:37.000
- 25-Chad Simpson, 00:16.686[4]; 2. 1XM-Aaron Marrant, 00:17.157[5]; 3. 11T-Trevor Gundaker, 00:17.319[12]; 4. 50C-Kayden Clatt, 00:17.359[13]; 5. 7D-Dusty Leonard, 00:17.416[14]; 6. 56JR-Tony Jackson Jr, 00:17.544[7]; 7. 11JK-Jon Kirby, 00:17.575[8]; 8. 11-Jeff Herzog, 00:17.693[9]; 9. 33F-Rickey Frankel, 00:17.717[3]; 10. 3W-Brennon Willard, 00:18.324[10]; 11. 78S-Steve Stultz, 00:18.510[2]; 12. 00B-Matt Becker, 00:18.541[15]; 13. 10-TRACY Melloway, 00:18.948[6]; 14. (DNS) 145-Kyle Graves, 00:25.000; 15. (DNS) 14X-David Melloway, 00:25.000
Article Credit: Billy Rock
Submitted By: Billy Rock
