What won the race: Ryan Unzicker of El Paso, Ill., rolled to a flag-to-flag victory in Saturday's 30-lap Tom Knowles Memorial at Spoon River Speedway. He beat Jason Feger to the finish line by 0.955 of a second for the $3,000 winner's check in the MARS Racing Series-sanctioned event.

Quotable: “Any time you can beat Jason here, you got a good hot rod,” Unzicker said. “We’ve been finishing here to him basically all year, and what I did is, I went back to my notebook from last year and that’s what I put on here and it seemed to help. All my crew guys were I think a little bit scared to make that big of an adjustment but it paid off to try something.”

Key notes: Unzicker recorded his first MARS triumph of 2022 and the fifth of his career. His last win on the tour came on May 7, 2021, at La Salle (Ill.) Speedway. … The victory allowed Unzicker to add to his MARS points lead over Feger, who ran in the runner-up spot for all but the 15th circuit of the feature. … Myles Moos was running third on lap seven when he retired with a blown engine. … The MARS campaign is scheduled to conclude Oct. 7-8 at Fairbury (Ill.) Speedway with a doubleheader offering $5,000- and $15,000-to-win features.

Winner's sponsors: Unzicker’s MB Customs Race Car has a Pro Power Racing Engine and carries sponsorship from RJR Transportation, Brucker Farms, Mosquito Hero, Fairbury Fastener & Supply, Varsitee Screenprinting, V1 Comfort Solutions, Larimer Cows & Calves, Mayer Automotive, Absolute Home Repair & Remodeling, Gary Miller’s Classic Auto, El Paso Outdoor Center, Unzicker Equipment, Renegade Fuels and Aftershock Decals & Design.

Points chase: After Spoon River: 1. Ryan Unzicker (849); 2. Jason Feger (816); 3. Bob Gardner (595); 4. McKay Wenger (594); 5. Mike Spatola (488).

Current weather: Clear, 79°F

Car count: 9

Fast qualifier: Tucker Finch

Time: 13.310 seconds

Heat race winners: Ryan Unzicker, Jason Feger

Next series race: October 7, Fairbury Speedway (Fairbury, IL) $5,000