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18 UMP Sportsman converged on the Illinois State Fairgrounds this past weekend for the 2015 edition of the Sportsman Nationals. Paying $1,500 to win, the event is one of the biggest for the competitors as they run on their largest track of the year.
Coming into the event, all eyes were on the blue and white #24 of Jeremy Nichols. The Shelbyville, IL driver had entered the event winning the last two. Nichols showed his strength on Saturday afternoon, claiming the win in the second heat, placing him on the outside pole. Timmy Dick won the first heat, therefore started on the inside lane.
When the green flag dropped, Nichols shot into the lead and quickly showed that he was again the man to beat. Dick dropped into second, while the rest of the field battled it out around the world’s fastest dirt mile.
Despite a few cautions that slowed the pace and bunched the field, Nichols was able to fend off all challengers and go on to his third straight victory in the event. Dick, Ethan Schnapp, Shane Garrison, and Dennis Vandermeersch rounded out the top five. The rest of the top ten had Jim Farley, III, Brandon Eskew, Wade Wiseman, Myles Moos, and Steve Adams.
2015 Sportsman Nationals Results
1. Jeremy Nichols (Shelbyville, IL) 2. Timmy Dick (Monticello 3. Ethan Schnapp (Springfield, IL) 4. Shane Garrison (Buffalo, IL) 5. Dennis Vandermeersch (Springfield, IL) 6. Jim Farley, III (Springfield, IL) 7. Brandon Eskew (Ashland, IL) 8. Wade Wiseman (Virden, IL) 9. Myles Moos (Lincoln, IL) 10. Steve Adams (Humboldt, IL) 11. Tim Bedinger (Taylorville, IL) 12. Danny Smith (Argenta, IL) 13. Randy Cusack (Hanna City, IL) 14. Phil Moreland (Assumption, IL) 15. Rick Weitekamp (Springfield, IL) DNS Chris Dick DNS Tim Luttrell