Peoria Speedway
April 28, 2012
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Shirley wins Bud Series slugfest at Peoria Speedway

Peoria Speedway
PEORIA, IL (April 28) - If the first race of the 10 race “Budweiser Super Late Model Series” at Peoria Speedway is any indicator of things to come, fans should be looking forward to the next event on May 13.

Fans braved frigid conditions, but were rewarded with one of the best feature races of the year so far. Chatham driver Brian Shirley prevailed in a wildly entertaining UMP Late Model feature event which featured 2 and 3 grooves of racing throughout the 30 lap feature, taking home the $2,000 top prize.

Pole sitter Wes Steidinger got the jump at the start of the race, but was pressured early and often by 2nd starting Billy Drake. As Steidinger ran the bottom ,Drake jumped to the high side of the track and nearly passed Steidinger on lap 8. 4th-starting Kevin Weaver was right behind the leaders as they encountered lapped traffic on lap 10, and passed Drake for 2nd on lap 11 in turn 1. Shirley and 5th starting Bobby Pierce drove by a fading Drake on lap 12 as Weaver was putting the pressure on Steidinger for the lead as the top 6 cars battled lapped traffic.

Weaver finally passed Steidinger coming out of turn 4 on lap 14 for the lead, with the top 4 cars running in a pack by lap 15. With Weaver and Pierce on the bottom, Steidinger in the middle, and Shirley on top, the war was raging for positions until lap 18, when the lapped car of McKay Wenger presented a problem for the group. Like a swarm of bees, the top 4 drivers scrambled to pass Wenger on the front stretch, but with all possible racing lines taken, a logjam developed and Pierce got the worst of it. Pierce moved to the very bottom of the track, but ran into Wenger on the front stretch and damaged the right front suspension as the caution flew.

Weaver was the leader on the re-start, with Steidinger, Shirley and Drake in tow. Shirley put a major-league slide job on Steidinger in turn 2 on lap 23 to take second and set sail for Weaver. Action was fast and furious, with the top 10 running side-by-side for nearly every position. Shirley pressured Weaver until finally making a pass for the lead coming out of turn 2 on the top of the track on lap 26. Positions 3 through 10 ran under a blanket and side-by-side until the end of the race.

Weaver fended off a late charge from Dennis Erb, and finished 2nd. Erb ended up 3rd, with 16th starting Mike Spatola and Steidinger completing the top 5.

“It was kinda scary there at the top at the beginning of the feature”, said Shirley in victory lane. “The track was perfect, though, and our decision to go soft on tires won us the race as we could really get going on top there. That was a heckuva race and I want to thank the fans for braving the cold tonight.”

Late Model

A-Main
1 Brian Shirley
2 Kevin Weaver
3 Dennis Erb
4 Mike Spatola
5 Wes Steidinger
6 Drake
7 Sheppard
8 Feger
9 Simpson
10 Unzicker
11 Walden
12 Schmitt
13 Jaggers
14 Larson
15 Wenger
16 Lance Jr
17 Gardner
18 Bennett
19 Bell
20 Pierce