‘High Side Hustler’ finds new-look Quincy track to his liking, leads 39 of 40 late model feature laps

QUINCY — For Jason Feger, his first exposure to the new-look Quincy Raceways proved to be challenging.

Highly rewarding, mind you, but challenging nonetheless.

Feger, however, was more than up to the task at hand on a breezy Friday night at 8000 Broadway.

The late model driver known as the “High Side Hustler” lived up to that moniker by leading 39 of the 40 feature laps in the MARS main event, pocketing a $5,050 first-prize check in front of a boisterous turnout of about 3,700 race fans. 

Feger admitted the revamped, rebanked and reconfigured track was much different than the one he had raced on during his preceding visits to Quincy.

“It was definitely hard to know what groove to be in,” said Feger, who first raced in Quincy back in 2006, and until this season the .297-mile dirt track had undergone no notable changes — until first-year owners Jeff and Renee DeLonjay oversaw a major facelift that included the addition of concrete walls at the east and west ends of the site, plus a completely new racing surface and a higher degree of banking.

Feger admitted he likes the “feel” of the new track, especially the presence of the walls that turns the Bullring into a concrete canyon.

“This track is a lot more challenging than the old Quincy track,” the Bloomington resident said. “I was (eventually) able to work both the high and low (grooves).”

Feger withstood several challenges from eventual runner-up Ryan Unzicker of El Paso, Ill., who finished 1.1 seconds behind. Unzicker was also second in the 2024 MARS race at Quincy to Dennis Erb Jr., who was not in the pits Friday night. Unzicker won the 2023 event at the Bullring (Feger was second) and was also runner-up (to Tommy Sheppard) in 2022.

While Feger ran both high and low lines during the main event, he was at his strongest when up high. The top shelf appeared to come more to life as the feature wore on.

Feger said the victory was just what his team needed.

“We’ve been a little off recently, so we’ll take it,” he said of what was his 28th career MARS win. 

This was Feger’s fourth straight top-three MARS finish at Quincy. Unzicker ($13,150) and Feger ($11,105) are the top two money winners since the series returned to Quincy in 2022. The MARS cars’ only other appearance was in 2013.

Justin Reed of Camp Point was the top local finisher with a strong third-place run. That’s the best showing for a local hotshoe in MARS history at the Bullring.

Rounding out the top five were Tony Jackson Jr., of Lebanon, Mo., and Austin Howes of Lewistown, Mo.

Other finishers with local ties were Matt Bailey, a former Quincy resident who now resides in Highland, Ill., in 10th, and Rickey Frankel of Quincy, who placed 20th. Frankel was involved in a nasty five-car pileup between turns three and four in the feature, but walked away from the crash that saw his No. 33 ride wind up on its lid.

Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., was the top qualifier at 14.242 seconds.

Heat-race winners were Babb, Howes and Jake Little of Springfield, Ill.

Feger unofficially climbed into second place in MARS points, trailing only Bobby Pierce of Oakwood, Ill., 370-352. Pierce did not compete Friday night. Jackson (329) is now third and Unzicker (324) fourth.

There were 24 late model drivers on hand, representing six states: Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Montana, Arizona and Oregon.

MARS director Jonathon Clayton had nothing but praise for Quincy.

“The crowd was just awesome,” Clayton said. “Quincy proved it can get both the cars and the people here.”

Other feature winners were Josh Harris of Utica, Ky., in the modifieds, Treb Jacoby of O’Fallon, Mo., in the Open “B” mods and Glen Wiley of New London, Mo., in the Crown Vics.

Harris earned $2,000 for his modified victory. He had finished second in Quincy in 2023.

Harris felt the most interesting item connected to his victory was arguably that he and runner-up Cole Falloway of Owensboro, Ky., each drove roughly six hours to finish one-two in Quincy.

“We live about 15 minutes from one another (back in Kentucky),” said Harris, who established the track record (13.587 seconds) at Quincy during a 2023 visit. “Cole made me work for the win. I knew I couldn’t make a mistake. This was also the first night for our brand new motor.”

Rounding out the top five modified finishers were third-place Trevor Neville of Mackinaw, Ill., fourth-place Kyle Hammer of Clinton, Ill., and Alan Stipp of Chatsworth, Ill.

Local modified talents in the 22-car feature field included sixth-place Austen Becerra of Carthage, ninth-place Michael Long of Fowler, 11th-place Shawn Deering of Quincy, 19th-place Mark Burgtorf of Quincy and Dave Wietholder of Liberty. Wietholder was unable to start the feature due to engine issues.

The top modified qualifier was Wietholder at 14.378.

Falloway (337) leads Long (286) in the MARS points race. Long is the two-time defending series champion who finished second in the MARS race in Quincy a year ago, fourth in 2023 and ninth in 2022.

The 26 modified drivers on hand represented six states: Illinois, Missouri, Indiana, Mississippi and Kentucky.

Jacoby led the final 14 laps of the “B” mod feature, turning back Matthew Edler of St. Louis, top local finisher Reed Wolfmeyer of Liberty and Brandon Lennox of New London, Mo. Heat winners were Tanner Klingele of Quincy and Edler.

Wiley led the closing 11 laps in the Crown Vic feature, holding off Garrett Austin of Lewistown, Mo., Brian Kaylor of Lewistown, Mo., and Alex Hatfield of Quincy. Heat wins belonged to Wiley and Dakota Damron of Palmyra.