Manhattan, Kansas (07/27/21) – Chase Junghans took the past month off to regroup and refocus his racing operation after starting the 2021 season with less-than-ideal results. The decision to regroup showed immediate results during his return to action last week at I-80 Speedway.
Junghans not only recorded three Top-10 finishes in four starts, but he also led over half of Saturday night’s Silver Dollar Nationals finale in his Shop Quik Convenience Stores No. 18 Bozard Ford Lincoln/XR1 Rocket Chassis/ Clements Racing Engine Super Late Model.
“We started the season, and it just seemed like nothing could go our way, so as a team we decided to take a step back and rebuild. Out of the box our car was good all week at I-80 (Speedway). With about 30 laps to go finale, I got too free in and I couldn’t charge the corner like I wanted to, so we slipped back a few spots, but I’m still really happy with what we were able to accomplish,” Junghans said. “Every track is different, and there’s no slouches out here, so we’ve got to keep digging hard to get back to where we want to be, but what we accomplished at I-80 is something we can definitely build upon moving forward.”
Chase Junghans traveled to I-80 Speedway (Greenwood, Neb.) on Tuesday afternoon to enter his Junghans Discount Liquor No. 18 Late Model for five consecutive nights of racing with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series (LOLMDS). With 43 cars on hand for the I-80 Nationals prelim, Junghans’ third-place finish in his heat race positioned him 15th on the starting grid for the 30-lap feature. Breaking into the Top-10, Chase passed seven cars to register an eighth-place finish.
For another $7,000-to-win preliminary feature on Wednesday, Chase followed up the sixth-fastest time in his group with a fourth-place finish in his heat. With passing points locking him into the 14th-starting position for the A-Main, Junghans marched forward seven spots to finish seventh.
With preliminary results from Tuesday and Wednesday lining Junghans up 11th on the starting grid for the $30,000-to-win I-Nationals finale, Chase faded five spots in the 53-lap affair to record a 16th-place outing.
Returning on Friday for a pair of heats to kick off the 11th annual Imperial Tire Silver Dollar Nationals, Chase recorded a pair of runner-up finishes, which positioned him second on the starting grid for the $53,000-to-win main event on Saturday evening. Stealing the lead on the drop of the green flag, Junghans set the pace for the first 47 circuits until Kyle Bronson powered ahead on the high-side. He went on to place fifth in the 80-lapper, which came behind Bronson, Tim McCreadie, Earl Pearson Jr., and Jimmy Owens.
For more results from these events, please visit www.LucasDirt.com.
This Friday and Saturday Team 18 will roll into Illinois’ Fairbury Speedway for the 31st annual Prairie Dirt Classic, which will once again be sanctioned by the World of Outlaws (WoO) Morton Buildings Late Model Series. The mega weekend includes the field being divided into four $3,000-To-Win programs on Friday night, followed by a $50,000-To-Win finale on Saturday night.
For more information on the weekend, please visit www.FairburySpeedway.com .
Chase Junghans Racing would like to thank their principal and associate sponsors including Shop Quik Convenience Stores, Bozard Ford Lincoln, Sunoco Race Fuels, Junghans Discount Liquors, Paulson Rock Products, Hoosier Tire, Rocket Chassis, Clements Racing Engines, Hooker Harness, Keyser Manufacturing, Integra Shocks, Fast Shafts Driveshafts, Speedway Motors, PRC, Sweet Manufacturing, and MSR Mafia Marketing Services.
For the latest team news and updates on Chase Junghans Racing, please visit www.ChaseJunghans.com .
Ben Shelton, Owner
MSR Mafia Marketing Services – www.MSRmafia.com
Midsouth Racing Scene – www.MidSouthRacing.com