by Randy Roberts
WAUSEON, OH – The stars and cars of the DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Models and Summit Racing Modified Nationals were on display Saturday night at Oakshade Raceway as a part of the 27th running of the famed Birthday Race, with Hampton, Georgia driver Ashton Winger taking home his third $10,000-winning check in four years.
Winger stayed out front for all 40 laps, holding off Tyler Erb, who entered the night with 10 wins on the Hell Tour this season. Erb, who won the previous two nights, started third and moved into the second position following a caution that came out on lap eight.
Winger kept Erb at bay until an incident between two former track champions saw tempers flare. With the lap count inside of 10 to go, Rusty Schlenk attempted to make a move off turn two. He got to the inside of Devin Shiels, who was running third at the time. Schlenk and Shiels made contact, with Schlenk taking the brunt of the damage. After cars behind Schlenk were unpiled, Schlenk raced up to Shiels and pinned his car to the outside wall on the backstretch. Schlenk jumped out of his car and stepped across the hood to confront Shiels, but by that time track officials made their way to the incident and were able to break apart any fisticuffs.
Shiels, who never stopped until he was forced to, was able to get his spot back in the running order. Once racing resumed, he was able to battle Erb for the second spot but could never get past the racer from Texas.
Winger, the 2021 and 2023 Birthday Race winner, was able to take off on the final restart and claim his 14th career Summer National victory. Erb finished second with Shiels in tow. Jake Rendel and Trey Mills rounded out the top five.
Trevor Neville could have done without the late caution, but the driver from Mackinaw, Illinois went wire-to-wire in winning his fourth Summit Racing Modified National of the year. Neville and Mike McKinney, who have dominated the tour this summer, made up the front row with Neville charging in front at the start.
A late yellow flag on a slowing Bill Griffith in turn two led to a restart with five laps to go. One more caution led to a green-white-checkered finish, but Neville had no issues with McKinney to claim the prize of $1,500. McKinney settled for second, with Kevin Reeve charging from ninth to third. Manix Furqueron and John McClure rounded out the top five.
The regulars of Oakshade Raceway would not be shut out as two Dominator Super Stock features ended the night. In the A Main, Toledo, Ohio’s Dylan Burt worked his way past Donovan Paskan inside the final five laps to claim the win. Paskan, who started on the pole and led most of the way until that point, settled for second. Scott Hammer finished third, with Jake and Jarrett Rendel finishing out the top five.
In the Dominator Super Stock B Main, multiple cautions on the track wiped out good battles for the top spot between Jeff Robertson, Dan Dippman and Zeke McNew. In the end, Robertson, the driver from Defiance, Ohio was able to prevail on a final restart with just a couple laps to go.
Dippman ended second, with John Young, McNew and Grayson Warner picking up spots in the top five.
Oakshade Raceway returns to action on Saturday, July 20 with the annual Night of Wheels. On top of the racing action, there will be bike giveaways for kids, plus makeup Dominator Super Stock features from June 8. Gates open Saturday at 4 p.m., with hot laps at 6 and racing with the DIRTcar Late Models, DCR Graphics Sportsman, Dominator Super Stocks and Compacts will start at 7:30.
