8/22/2023
MARS - Midwest Auto Racing Series
Midwest Dirt Nationals Next for MARS Modified Championship Powered by Summit Racing Equipment
Midwest Dirt Nationals Next for MARS Modified Championship Powered by Summit Racing Equipment
FAIRBURY, IL (August 22, 2023) For the first time in series history, the MARS Modified Championship Powered by Summit Racing Equipment is prepared for a weekend of racing action in The Bluegrass State. Paducah International Raceway, located in Paducah, Kentucky, is the destination where drivers and fans alike will have their sights set for two big nights of action. The 3/8 mile high-banked clay oval is located conveniently only a couple of miles off Interstate 24, which makes travel to and from optimal for an event such as this. In 2022 the speedway was purchased by Adam and Brittany Elliott. Since their purchase, additional improvements have been made to the facility, the track surface has progressively gotten better, and shows have been run in a timelier fashion as the staff begins to gel and get more events under their belts. MARS Modified drivers and staff are eager to arrive for a weekend full of competition as it looks to be the largest Modified field assembled at the speedway since 2016.
After his third-place finish at Tri-City Speedway and win at Highland Speedway last weekend, Michael Long of Fowler, Illinois has catapulted himself into lead of series standings with only 7 events remaining. The victor of the season long grind will be awarded $5,000 for their efforts, with over $20,000 being paid out amongst the top 10. All drivers are allowed to drop their worst two finishes of the tour prior to championship weekend. Brownstown Bullring on October 6 and Fairbury Speedway on October 7 will be point events that cannot be dropped and will determine the first champion in series history. Josh Harris is currently second in points with 9 top 10 finishes in 12 events this season. Tyler Nicely has slid to third after missing last weekend’s events with Mike Chasteen Jr and Kyle Steffens rounding out the top 5.
The Midwest Dirt Nationals is a first-year event that track staff plans to turn into an annual event with the MARS Modified Championship Powered by Summit Racing Equipment. Running alongside the MARS Modifieds each night will be the POWRi 410 Bandit Outlaw Sprint Cars and the Factory Stock division. As an added treat for fans, a drivers autograph session will take place on Saturday afternoon at 5:30 p.m. in the midway. Full event details for each day are as follows:
Midwest Dirt Nationals – Paducah International Raceway – Paducah, KY
Friday, August 25
$2,000 to win MARS Modified Championship Powered by Summit Racing Equipment
$5,000 to win POWRi 410 Bandit Outlaw Sprint Cars
$1,000 to win Factory Stocks
Pits Open at 3:00 p.m.
Grandstands Open at 6:00 p.m.
Drivers Meeting at 6:00 p.m.
Hot Laps at 6:30 p.m.
$35 General Admission
$30 Veteran General Admission
$10 Kids Ages 6-12 Admission
Free General Admission for Kids 5 and Under
$50 Pit Pass
Saturday, August 26
$3,000 to win MARS Modified Championship Powered by Summit Racing Equipment
$7,000 to win POWRi 410 Bandit Outlaw Sprint Cars
$2,000 to win Factory Stocks
Pits Open at 3:00 p.m.
Grandstands Open at 5:00 p.m.
Drivers Meeting at 6:00 p.m.
Hot Laps at 6:30 p.m.
$40 General Admission
$35 Veteran General Admission
$10 Kids Ages 6-12 Admission
Free General Admission for Kids 5 and Under
$50 Pit Pass
2 Day Passes are available for
$70 General Admission
$60 Veterans General Admission
$15 Kids Ages 6-12 General Admission
$90 Pit Pass
MARS Modified Championship Powered by Summit Racing Equipment Friday night Feature purse: 1) $2,000 2) $1,500 3) $1,200 4) $1,000 5) $800 6) $600 7) $500 8) $400 9) $300 10) $275 11) $250 12) $250 13) $250 14) $250 15) $250 16) $250 17) $250 18) $250 19) $250 20) $250 21) $250 22) $250. Non-Transfer Tow Money – $75
MARS Modified Championship Powered by Summit Racing Equipment Saturday night Feature purse: 1) $3,000 2) $1,500 3) $1,200 4) $1,100 5) $1,000 6) $800 7) $700 8) $600 9) $500 10) $400 11) $300 12) $300 13) $300 14) $300 15) $300 16) $300 17) $300 18) $300 19) $300 20) $300 21) $300 22) $300. Non-Transfer Tow Money – $75
MARS Modified Championship Powered by Summit Racing Equipment Point Standings
- Michael Long – Fowler, IL - 684 points
- Josh Harris – Utica, KY - 680 points
- Tyler Nicely – Owensboro, KY - 625 points
- Mike Chasteen Jr – Peoria, IL - 535 points
- Kyle Steffens – St. Charles, MO - 469 points
- Zeke McKenzie – Claypool, IN - 445 points
- Charlie Mefford – Belton, KY - 441 points
- Trevor Neville – Mackinaw, IL - 399 points
- Blake Bailey – Bunker Hill, IL - 385 points
- Allen Weisser – Peoria, IL - 343 points
- Rick Frasure – Lawrenceville, IL - 337 points
- Dillon Nusbaum – Warsaw, IL - 326 points
- Mike McKinney – Plainfield, IL - 311 points
- Brian Shaw – Robinson, IL - 285 points
- Logan Veloz – Colona, IL - 254 points
Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Year Points Standings
- Charlie Mefford – 441 points
- Blake Bailey – 385 points
- Rick Frasure – 337 points
2023 MARS Modified Championship Powered by Summit Racing Equipment Statistics
Multi Fire X Fast Time Award Winners
Josh Harris – 3
Tyler Nicely – 2
John Clippinger – 1
Kyle Steffens – 1
Jared Thomas – 1
Trevor Neville – 1
Brian Shaw – 1
Kenny Wallace – 1
Zeke McKenzie – 1
Willy’s Carb & Dyno Heat Race #1 Winners
Kyle Steffens – 2
Josh Harris – 2
Zeke McKenzie – 2
Charlie Mefford – 1
John Clippinger – 1
Tyler Nicely – 1
Michael Long – 1
Austen Becerra – 1
Kenny Wallace – 1
Summit Racing Equipment 1st Place Finisher
Tyler Nicely – 3
Michael Long – 3
Kyle Steffens – 2
Mike McKinney – 1
Cole Falloway – 1
Josh Harris – 1
Treb Jacoby – 1
Fast Shafts 3rd place Finisher
Josh Harris – 2
Tyler Nicely – 2
Trevor Neville – 1
Kyle Steffens – 1
Derek Losh – 1
Dillon Nusbaum – 1
Mike McKinney – 1
Kenny Wallace – 1
Michael Long – 1
Ray Bollinger – 1
Out-Pace Racing Products 5th Place Finisher
Mike Chasteen Jr – 2
Josh Harris – 2
Zeke McKenzie – 1
Allen Weisser – 1
Dillon Nusbaum – 1
Trevor Neville – 1
Brandon Roberts – 1
Rick Conoyer – 1
Timmy Hill – 1
Dean Hoffman – 1
Keyser Manufacturing 7th Place Finisher
Zeke McKenzie – 2
Charlie Mefford – 2
John Clippinger – 1
Allen Weisser – 1
Rick Conoyer – 1
Caden McWhorter – 1
Kyle Steffens – 1
Danny Ems – 1
Mike Chasteen Jr – 1
Zeb Moake – 1
Hooker Harness 11th Place Finisher
Mike McKinney – 1
Cole Falloway – 1
Josh Lemke – 1
Justin Jones – 1
Jacob Rexing – 1
Josh Harris – 1
Steven Brooks – 1
Mike Brooks – 1
Jim Black – 1
Shawn Deering – 1
Owen Steinkoenig – 1
Willy Myers – 1
MD3 Hard Charger Award Winners
Michael Long – 1
Caden McWhorter – 1
Justin Jones – 1
Will Krup – 1
Logan Veloz – 1
Dave Baldwin – 1
Mike Chasteen Jr – 1
Danny Schwartz – 1
Danny Ems – 1
Trevor Neville – 1
Rick Salter – 1
Joe Mercurio – 1
Wilwood Brakes Hard Luck Award Winners
Blake Bailey – 2
Cole Falloway – 1
Trevor Neville – 1
Zeke McKenzie – 1
Logan Mounce – 1
Allen Weisser – 1
Josh Allen – 1
Kyle Steffens – 1
Frankie Wellman – 1
Ray Bollinger – 1
Josh Harris – 1
Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Race Winners
Charlie Mefford – 8
Blake Bailey – 2
Caden McWhorter – 1
Logan Veloz – 1
FIVE THINGS TO WATCH FOR:
o NEW POINT LEADER: One thing that everyone knew at the start of the season is that Michael Long was one of the best Modified drivers in the region. One thing that caught numerous people off-guard is that Long has chosen to follow the MARS Modified tour in its inaugural year and is now the current point leader with 7 events to go. Last weekend he rolled into Highland Speedway for the first time ever and came home victorious. Paducah International Raceway is another track Long has never raced at before. Can he come and conquer it as well?
o SUNOCO RACE FUELS ROOKIE OF THE YEAR BATTLE TAKES SHAPE: As the season has progressed, the series has weeded out the Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Year hopefuls that threw their hat in at the beginning of the season: 12 to be exact. The tour is down to the final 3 drivers to duke it out for the championship. Charlie Mefford has a comfortable lead over Blake Bailey and Ricky Frasure, but he must attend 80% of the shows to be eligible for Sunoco Race Fuels Rookie of the Year honors.
o PADUCAH’S FINEST: The Paducah regulars are set for the challenge to compete against the drivers of the MARS Modified Championship Powered by Summit Racing Equipment with Lucas Lee, Trent Young, and Peyton Walker spearheading the charge. Between the 3, they have won 5 of the tracks 8 DIRTcar UMP Modified feature events this season.
o CONTINUING TO CLIMB: Zeke McKenzie of Claypool, Indiana has spent as much time on the road this season, as any ever before, and the dividends are beginning to pay off. Last weekend McKenzie set Multi Fire X Fast Time at Highland Speedway and followed it up with a 4th place finish in the feature, which marks his best MARS finish of the season. Zeke, along with his partner Ricki Creamer, are the two that make Vanquish Race Cars go round. They will look to continue to add to their notebook this weekend as they gun for their first MARS Modified Championship victory this weekend at Paducah.
o KENTUCKIAN CONSISTENCY: This weekend will mark the first events in the state of Kentucky this season. With that being said, in 12 events ran for the series to this point, at least 1 Kentuckian has finished on the podium in 10 of those shows, with Tyler Nicely, Cole Falloway, and Josh Harris all picking up series victories.
If you are unable to make it to the track, you can catch this weekend’s events live at s2ftv.com.
For more information about the MARS Dirt Series, please contact Jonathan Clayton at 731-467- 1316, visit the tour’s webpage at marsracingseries.com, or visit @MARSDirtRacing on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
MARS Late Model Championship Powered by FK Rod Ends and MARS Modified Championship Powered by Summit Racing Equipment would like to thank the following sponsors and marketing partners for their support of the 2023 racing season: FK Rod Ends, Summit Racing Equipment, Elliott’s Custom Trailers & Carts, Flo Racing, Racing Electronics, Hoosier Racing Tire, Sunoco Race Fuels, Illinois State Rifle Association, Pontiac RV, Allstar Performance, O’Reilly Auto Parts, DIRTcar Racing, Driscoll Motors, Woods Basement Systems, MD3, Josh James Artwork, MWD Signs & Graphix, Fairbury Fastener & Supply, King’s Graphix, Dirt Draft, Digital Copy Systems, Whelen, Multi Fire X, Budda Bert Transmission, Dyer’s Top Rods, Fast Shafts, Wilwood Brakes, Wehrs Machine & Racing Products, Out-Pace Racing Products, Keyser Manufacturing, Varsitee Screenprinting, Willy’s Carb & Dyno, Mackinaw Valley Powder Coating, Trackside Racewear, and Hooker Harness.
MARS Championship Upcoming Events
o August 25, 2023 – Paducah International Raceway – Paducah, KY - Midwest Dirt Nationals - $2,000 to win MARS Modified Championship Powered by Summit Racing Equipment
o August 26, 2023 – Paducah International Raceway – Paducah, KY – Midwest Dirt Nationals - $3,000 to win MARS Modified Championship Powered by Summit Racing Equipment
o September 1, 2023 – Farmer City Raceway – Farmer City, IL - $5,000 to win MARS Late Model Championship Powered by FK Rod Ends & $2,000 to win MARS Modified Championship Powered by Summit Racing Equipment
o September 2, 2023 – Fairbury Speedway – Fairbury, IL - $5,000 to win MARS Late Model Championship Powered by FK Rod Ends & $5,000 to win MARS Modified Championship Powered by Summit Racing Equipment
o September 3, 2023 – Spoon River Speedway – Lewistown, IL - $5,000 to win MARS Modified Championship Powered by Summit Racing Equipment
Article Credit: Jonathan Clayton
Submitted By: Jonathan Clayton