Dirt on Dirt - Shadyhill gives Mitchell first Summer Nationals win

July 8

Shadyhill Speedway,

Medaryville, IN

Sanction: DIRTcar Summer Nationals - $5,000

Information provided by: Series and track reports (last updated July 9, 8:08 pm)

Shadyhill gives Mitchell first Summer Nationals win

Zack Mitchell
Trey Mills
Rusty Schlenk
Eli Johnson
Dillon McCowan
Mark Whitener
Rod Conley
Jason Feger
Mike Vandermark
Mike Spatola
Tyler Erb
Brenden Smith
Brody Smith
Tyler Millwood
Devin Gilpin
Carter Schlenk
Christian Hanger
Jake Rendel
Rylee Knoll
Thomas Hunziker
Colin Shipley
Frank Heckenast Jr.

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Jim DenHamer

Zack Mitchell is South Carolina's first Hell Tour winner.

What won the race: Winning his first series event, Zack Mitchell of Enoree, S.C., fired off from outside the front row and dominated 30 laps, taking the checkers 0.539 of a second ahead of Trey Mills to win Tuesday's $5,000 DIRTcar Summer Nationals feature at Shadyhill Speedway. Mitchell became the first South Carolina driver to win on the Midwestern tour and fourth Southern driver to win in 2025.

Quotable: “It feels really good (to win). I don’t think I had that on my bingo card for tonight, but man, we put together a good night. A solid night put ourselves in position to do this,” Mitchell said. “I know the racetrack kinda rubbered there, I kinda hate that, but I had a really good piece all night long. … (Team owner) Brett Coltman, he gave me this opportunity about a year ago and it’s been really well, so I gotta thank him.”

Key notes: Mitchell, third in points on the Hunt the Front Super Dirt Series, notched his third victory of the season. ... He won March 2's $15,000 March Madness at Cherokee Speedway in Gaffney, S.C., and June 20's Southern All Star event at Chatsworth's North Georgia Speedway. ... Third-starting Trey Mills inherited the runner-up spot when polesitter Colin Shipley slowed and spun with a flat right-rear tire on lap 28; Mills hung with Mitchell on the late-race restart, but never seriously challenged the leader. Shipley did not continue and was credited with 21st. ... Shipley's flat tire created the only passes within the top five on a narrow track surface that begin to take rubber early in the 30-lap feature. ... Rusty Schlenk finished third. ... Mitchell became the fourth first-time series winner this season, joining Mills, Ryan Gustin and Tyler Millwood. ... Series points leader Jason Feger finished eighth. ... Tyler Erb, Sunday's tour winner at Duck River Raceway Park in Wheel, Tenn., won Shadyhill's consolation race and settled for 11th. ... Frank Heckenast Jr., 2018's Hell Tour winner at Shadyhill, was the race's first retiree on lap 15. ... Tuesday's main event, the first series race at Shadyhill since 2022, lasted 11 minutes with 20 starters completing the distance.

On the move: Mark Whitener of Middleburg, Fla., started 10th and finished sixth.

Winner's sponsors: Mitchell's Brett Coltman-owned Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Clements Racing Engine and sponsored by Coltman Farms Racing, Autism Awareness, Special Needs Schools of Gwinnett, MPM Marketing, SoCar Chemical, DirtCarLift.com, Boswell Oil, VP Racing Fuels, SRI Performance, Bayea Headers, Swift Springs and Bilstein Shocks.

Points chase: Week 5 after Shadyhill: 1. Zack Mitchell (79); 2. Trey Mills (74); 3. Rusty Schlenk (69); 4. Eli Johnson (64); 5. Dillon McCowan (59). Overall after Shadyhill: 1. Jason Feger (1,387); 2. Tyler Erb (1,322); 3. Dillon McCowan (1,128); 4. Mark Whitener (1,096); 5. Trey Mills (1,016).

Current weather: Clear, 75°F

Car count: 29

Fast qualifier: Rusty Schlenk

Time: 15.186 seconds

Polesitter: Colin Shipley

Heat race winners: Trey Mills, Colin Shipley, Zack Mitchell

Consolation race winners: Tyler Erb

Provisional starters: Tyler Millwood, Jake Rendel, Thomas Hunziker, Christian Hanger

Next series race: July 9, Montpelier Speedway (Montpelier, IN) $5,000

Editor's note: Results and race details are unofficial.

From staff reports

MEDARYVILLE, Ind. — Updates and results from Tuesday’s 23rd round of the DIRTcar Summer Nationals at Shadyhill Speedway, an event highlighted by a 30-lap, $5,000-to-win feature for DIRTcar Super Late Models (results unofficial):

Feature

Winning his first series event, Zack Mitchell of Enoree, S.C., fired off from outside the front row and dominating 30 laps, taking the checkers 0.539 of a second ahead of Trey Mills to win Tuesday's $5,000 DIRTcar Summer Nationals feature at Shadyhill Speedway. Mitchell became the first South Carolina driver to win on the Midwestern tour and fourth Southern driver to win in 2025.

Feature lineup

(30 laps)

Row 1: Colin Shipley, Zack Mitchell
Row 2: Trey Mills, Rusty Schlenk
Row 3: Rod Conley, Eli Johnson
Row 4: Jason Feger, Dillon McCowan
Row 5: Mike Spatola, Mark Whitener
Row 6: Carter Schlenk, Mike Vandermark
Row 7: Devin Gilpin, Brody Smith
Row 8: Frank Heckenast Jr., Tyler Erb
Row 9: Rylee Knoll, Brenden Smith
Row 10: Tyler Millwood, Jake Rendel
Row 11: Thomas Hunziker, Christian Hanger

Consolation race results

(Eight laps; top three transfer)

B-main: Tyler Erb, Rylee Knoll, Brenden Smith, Thomas Hunziker, Tyler Millwood, A.J. Cooley, Jake Rendel, Jacob Kolwyck, Donita Hines, Jacob Stuhr, Mike Lofgren, Cody Overton. Scratched: Christian Hanger, Chris Joseph.

Heat race recap

Second-starting Trey Mills led all eight laps to win the first heat race handily, taking the checkers 1.175 seconds ahead of polesitter Rusty Schlenk. Jason Feger started and finished third, while Mark Whitener slipped by Devin Gilpin on lap six, relegating Gilpin to the fifth and final transfer spot into Tuesday’s 30-lap main event. … Colin Shipley overcame an early restart and held on to win the second heat by 0.118 of a second over eighth-starting Rod Conley, who found the track’s outside groove. Seventh-starting Dillon McCowan improved to finish third, with teenager Carter Schlenk starting and finishing fourth and Brody Smith hanging on for the fifth and final transfer position into the night's $5,000-to-win feature. The race’s lone caution came on the second lap after Mike Lofgren spun following contact with Jacob Kolwyck; both drivers continued, with Kolwyck finishing eighth and Lofgren in 10th. … Zack Mitchell dominated the third and final heat race from the pole, leading the entire distance and winning by 4.620 seconds over second-starting Eli Johnson. Mike Spatola and Mike Vandermark held serve in third and fourth, with eighth-starting Frank Heckenast Jr. rounding out the top five. … All three prelims combined to last less than 10 minutes.

Heat race results

(Eight laps; top five transfer)

First heat: Trey Mills, Rusty Schlenk, Jason Feger, Mark Whitener, Devin Gilpin, Tyler Erb, Brenden Smith, Christian Hanger, A.J. Cooley, Chris Joseph.

Second heat: Colin Shipley, Rod Conley, Dillon McCowan, Carter Schlenk, Brody Smith, Jacob Stuhr, Thomas Hunziker, Jacob Kolwyck, Donita Hines, Mike Lofgren.

Third heat: Zack Mitchell, Eli Johnson, Mike Spatola, Mike Vandermark, Frank Heckenast Jr., Rylee Knoll, Cody Overton, Tyler Millwood, Jake Rendel.

Time trials

Group A
Driver (car no.), hometown, time (unofficial)
1. Rusty Schlenk (91), McClure, Ohio, 15.186
2. Trey Mills (14jr), St. Augustine, Fla., 15.220
3. Jason Feger (25F), Bloomington, Ill., 15.303
4. Devin Gilpin (1G), Columbus, Ind., 15.365
5. Mark Whitener (5), Middleburg, Fla., 15.427
6. Tyler Erb (1), New Waverly, Texas, 15.467
7. Christian Hanger (29), Winchester, Tenn., 15.510
8. Brenden Smith (17ss), Dade City, Fla., 15.565
9. Chris Joseph (57J), Kewwana, Ind., 16.023
10. A.J. Cooley (14), Monticello, Ind., 16.036
Group B
1. Colin Shipley (46), Weston, Ohio, 15.284
2. Jacob Stuhr (18), Harrison, Mich., 15.547
3. Brody Smith (17sr), Dade City, Fla., 15.639
4. Carter Schlenk (lil91), McClure, Ohio, 15.649
5. Thomas Hunziker (38), Bend, Ore., 15.720
6. Mike Lofgren (55x), Lombard, Ill., 15.722
7. Dillon McCowan (75), Urbana, Mo., 15.805
8. Rod Conley (71R), Wheelersburg, Ohio, 15.842
9. Jacob Kolwyck (21k), Griffith, Ind., 16.089
10. Donita Hines (32), Wheatfield, Ind., 16.157
Group C
1. Zack Mitchell (57),Enoree, S.C., 15.282
2. Eli Johnson (55), Clewiston, Fla., 15.470
3. Mike Spatola (89), Manhattan, Ill., 15.577
4. Mike Vandermark (41), Cedar Springs, Mich., 15.667
5. Tyler Millwood (31m), Kingston, Ga., 15.684
6. Rylee Knoll (07), Lake, Mich., 15.695
7. Cody Overton (2), Evans, Ga., 15.719
8. Frank Heckenast Jr. (99jr), Frankfort, Ill., 15.720
9. Jake Rendel (06), Adrian, Mich., 16.028

Tuesday’s schedule

(All times local)
3 p.m. - Pits open
4 p.m. - Grandstands open
5:30 p.m. - Drivers’ meeting
6 p.m. - On-track activity
- Late Model hot laps
- Modified group qualifying
- Late Model time trials (2 laps)
- 4-banger hot laps
Opening ceremonies
- Late Model heats (8 laps)
- Modified heats (8 laps)
- Late Model consolation (8 laps)
- 4-banger heats (6 laps)
Intermission/track prep
- Late Model feature (30 laps)
- Modified consolation (8 laps)
- Modified feature (25 laps)
- 4-banger feature (20 laps)