MORRIS, Ill. — D.J. Weltmeyer was the winner of the $5,000-to-win Star Spangled Summer Bash 100 late model stock car special Thursday at the Grundy County Speedway.
The night marked event number three of the track’s Six Pack Summer Shootout Series.
Hailing from Kouts, Ind., Weltmeyer, driving his EngineMasters/DeNovi Motorsports Chevrolet No. 16, took the checkered flag with a solid 3.337-second advantage over early race leader Rich Bickle Jr. to score the victory. Track champion at the speedway in 2022, Weltmeyer, a third-generation racer, scored his first feature win of the season after starting ninth on the grid.
The run to victory was not an easy one for Weltmeyer as a broken overflow tank sent the fifth-place running driver to the pits for repairs during a caution. Lining up at the back of the field for the restart, Weltmeyer marched back to the front, passing cars, taking the lead and eventually scoring the win.
Earlier in the evening, Weltmeyer grabbed fast time honors during time trials, cutting a lap of 14.481 seconds around the third-mile paved oval to pace 16 qualifiers.
Finishing behind the leading duo of Weltmeyer and Bickle were Paul Shafer Jr., Ricky Baker, Florida’s Michael Atwell and Larry Schuler. Anthony Danta, Eddie Hoffman, Boris Jurkovic and Clay Curts rounded out the “top 10.”
In accompanying main events, first-time winner Scott Dunning of Bolingbrook, Ill., won the 20-lap feature race for Midwest Pavement Midget Series competitors. Dunning finished ahead of Michael Lewis, Chase Locke, Dezi Pedregon, Billy Hulbert and Jim Anderson.
Dominic Matts took home top honors in the 20-lap division headliner for the NASCAR Pure Stocks (four-cylinders) division. Matts bested Mason Meister, Garrett Evans, Dan Schmeissing and Matt Ciara in the 20-car feature field.
The finish:
D.J. Weltmeyer, Rich Bickle Jr., Paul Shafer Jr., Ricky Baker, Michael Atwell, Larry Schuler, Anthony Danta, Eddie Hoffman, Boris Jurkovic, Clay Curts, James Gregait, Kyle Shear, Caleb Adrian, Stan Zolodz, Scott Koerner, Andy Jones.
