Unzicker Rebounds for Clarksville Summer Nationals Win
Points leader Bobby Pierce has rare bad luck
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – June 28, 2016 – Ryan Unzicker has been charging through Summer Nationals but has not had the finishes he would have hoped. That changed Tuesday night at Clarksville Speedway as he was able to claim his first DIRTcar Summer Nationals victory of the season.
Unzicker started on the front row with current points leader and reigning Summer Nationals champion Bobby Pierce to his outside. Pierce fell back to sixth early and then got tangled in a crash – he ultimately finished 18th.
Unzicker jumped to the early lead with Tanner English taking second. The two battled throughout the feature as Terry English, father of Tanner English moved into third. Unzicker nearly had his night ended as he tangled with a lapped car, but he was able to keep running.
The win is English’s first Summer Nationals victory since 2013.
“We started off slow with the Summer Nationals but we’re coming along now,” Unzicker said.
“I’m just a real good (low-groove) racer and I’ve been coming down (to Clarksville) for many years for the Toilet Bowl and the Summer Nationals, and I’ve just got my own little setup here,” said Unzicker, who won Toilet Bowl event at the track over the winter. “It played in my favor a little bit with the rain (staying) on the bottom, but our car’s been running good here for four or five nights in a row.”
The DIRTcar Summer Nationals returns to action tonight at Belle Clair Speedway in Belleville, Ill.
Follow the Summer Nationals and Summit Modified Nationals on Twitter at Twitter.com/SummerNationals or on Facebook at Facebook.com/SummerNationals. Stay up-to-date with the latest news from the series throughout the lead up and the summer on the series’ websites at TheHellTour.com and ModifiedNationals.com.
Super Late Models – A-Main
Finish Start Car Driver Hometown
1 1 24    Ryan Unzicker    El Paso, Il
2 4 96    Tanner English    Benton , Ky
3 3 33    Terry English    Benton , Ky
4 5 4G    Bob Gardner    East Peoria, Il
5 7 11    Gordy Gundaker    St Charles, Mo
6 6 61    Caleb Ashby    Cunningham , Tn
7 13 86B    Kyle Beard    Trumann , Ar
8 9 B1    Brent Larson    Lake Elmo, Mn
9 11 33M    Wendell Wallace    Batesville , Ar
10 10 15R    Richard Frost    Clarksville , Tn
11 22 18C    Ross Camponova    Clarksdale , Ms
12 12 9G    Larry Greer    Bowling Green, Ky
13 21 1X    Daniel Hopper    Peru , Il
14 16 94    Austin Rettig    Sikeston , Mo
15 14 30V    Mark Voigt    Marine , Il
16 18 1A    Levi Ashby    Cumberland Furnance, Tn
17 15 21M    Jacob Minon    Adams , Tn
18 2 32    Bobby Pierce    Oakwood , Il
19 8 25    Jason Feger    Bloomington , Il
20 20 12J    Jeffrey Bailey    Calvert City, Ky
21 19 13    Mitchell Lingauer    Clarksville , Tn
22 23 1M    Jim Moon    New Florence, Mo
23 17 C8    Timothy Culp    Sheridan , Ar
Super Late Models – Heat Race 3
Finish Start Car Driver Hometown
1 1 24    Ryan Unzicker    El Paso, Il
2 3 61    Caleb Ashby    Cunningham , Tn
3 2 B1    Brent Larson    Lake Elmo, Mn
4 4 9G    Larry Greer    Bowling Green, Ky
5 5 21M    Jacob Minon    Adams , Tn
6 7 1A    Levi Ashby    Cumberland Furnance, Tn
7 6 1X    Daniel Hopper    Peru , Il
Super Late Models – Heat Race 2
Finish Start Car Driver Hometown
1 2 33    Terry English    Benton , Ky
2 1 4G    Bob Gardner    East Peoria, Il
3 3 25    Jason Feger    Bloomington , Il
4 7 33M    Wendell Wallace    Batesville , Ar
5 6 30V    Mark Voigt    Marine , Il
6 5 C8    Timothy Culp    Sheridan , Ar
7 4 12J    Jeffrey Bailey    Calvert City, Ky
8 8 1M    Jim Moon    New Florence, Mo
Super Late Models – Heat Race 1
Finish Start Car Driver Hometown
1 2 32    Bobby Pierce    Oakwood , Il
2 1 96    Tanner English    Benton , Ky
3 4 11    Gordy Gundaker    St Charles, Mo
4 5 15R    Richard Frost    Clarksville , Tn
5 3 86B    Kyle Beard    Trumann , Ar
6 6 94    Austin Rettig    Sikeston , Mo
7 8 13    Mitchell Lingauer    Clarksville , Tn
8 7 18C    Ross Camponova    Clarksdale , Ms