Archive for category: Late Models

Feathers didn’t waste any time showing he was ready to go after the trophy Saturday night.  He set quick time in his group with a 15.164-second trip around the 3/8-oval.  

He kept the momentum rolling in his heat race.  Starting from the pole, he took command from the drop of the green and never looked back, building a 5.5-second advantage by the end of the 10-lap qualifying event.

A “Climb to the Pole” event for the super late models pitted the top six qualifiers against each other, two at a time for two laps.  If a driver could continue to advance and win the final segment, they would earn the pole for the main event.  Feathers came away with the 3rd starting spot for the 40-lap finale.

Feathers claimed 2nd by lap two and went to work on cutting into the one-second lead Keith Jackson had quickly established.  By lap six he had reeled in the leader and was all over his rear bumper.

On lap nine the Winchester, VA native powered his way into the lead.  Feathers probably has more career laps at Winchester Speedway than anywhere, so he knew he couldn’t let up.  Things can change quickly.  When the checkered flag waived on the race, he crossed the line with a 3.425-second advantage.

“It’s good to finally get to victory lane this year, especially in a Team Zero Race Car the day after we lost Scott.”, Feathers commented, referring to the death of dirt late model hall of fame driver and legend in the sport, Scott Bloomquist, who died the day before in a plane crash on the Bloomquist family farm in Tennessee.

For those unfamiliar, Team Zero Race Cars is a Dirt Late Model chassis manufacturer owned by Bloomquist.

“Scott was a great racer but an even better person.  We were lucky enough to spend some time with him.  I wish everyone would have had the opportunity we did.  You come away with a different perspective on life.  We will miss him greatly.  The sport will miss him greatly.”

Feathers said he knew he had a really good car by lap three.  His No.27 would turn left off the cushion extremely well, giving him a good run off the corners.

“It means a lot to be the first four-time winner of this event.  I’ve known David Stultz my whole life.  My dad’s uncle raced one of his cars a while back.”

Feather’s father, Bo, has also won the event twice, which has been around since the 1980s.

“It’s been a tough year for us.  We have run well, led several races, but seem to have something happen that keeps us from finishing up front in the money.  I kept wondering what was going to happen this time.  Last week we finished second but then found oil pump issues after we got home, so it’s been an expensive year.  We’ve been running American Racer tires all year and that has helped save us enough money to be able to be here tonight.”

Feathers set the tone early by ripping off the quickest lap in Group A qualifying with an 18.511 second trip around the half-mile.  It was good enough to place him fastest overall as well.

Dylan Yoder pressured Feathers for the lead during the opening laps of the heat race.  He survived the battle and eventually pulled away by a few car lengths for the win.

From the pole position, Feathers took command of the race at the drop of the green.  On lap six Mason Zeigler wrestled the lead away on lap six but it was short lived when his No.25z suffered a flat tire on lap eight.

With the lead back in hand, Feathers made sure to distance himself enough to prevent any further challenges.  He pulled away and appeared well on his way to victory in the first of the two 20-lap features that make up the Frank Sagi Tribute race.

With just under four laps remaining that all changed quickly.  The drive shaft on Feather’s machine broke in turn three, ending his race.  The failure caused enough collateral damage the Winchester, VA resident was not able to make repairs to return for the second feature either.

“First off I’d like to say thank you to Alan Sagi for everything he does for racing in general but also for the Frank Sagi tribute race. He does so much for the event and for racing in our area. Since 2017 that event is special and will continue to be special. Very thankful for him and including me in with the Tuesday test session with Danny Dietrich.  For me it was an awesome experience to be a part of.”, Feathers said.

“We had a really good Shane McDowell Racing, Team Zero Bloomquist car and we were putting a night together that we haven’t been able to in a while. To be able to make Jeremy Miller smile with the car made the night completely worth it.  Also, thanks to every person that keeps our team going, we will keep chugging along and wait for our luck to get a little better.”

Veteran racers know what this sport is like.  There are highs and lows and Feathers knows how to navigate them.  If he keeps running like this, the wins will come again, probably in bunches.

“Too dumb to quit…that’s what it boils down to I guess.”, Feathers said with a laugh.

Rolling off 3rd in Heat 2, Trever and gang needed to maintain to make the handicap for the feature. An unfortunate first lap put the 20 car back to the 6th spot. This lit a fire under Feathers. “I put myself in a bad position twice…then I drove it as hard as I could back to 3rd” putting the TFR 20 into the 8th starting spot in the A-Main.

After showing a strong piece in the heat, the feature continued to show the progress that Trever and team were making. “I think we hit rock bottom enough with it that now I’m heading in the right direction” which showed in the 25 lap main event. The maneuverability of the No. 20 late model was evident as the feature went on. “We could move around and weren’t glued right to the bottom like we have been.” Trever was able to pilot the car past several drivers throughout the early and late stages of the race, ending a night that started out poorly, ending up in 5th.