What won the race: Rediscovering his form of the past two years, Jason Feger of Bloomington, Ill., led all but the opening circuit on his way to capturing Friday night’s 40-lap MARS Late Model Championship Series feature at Quincy Raceway. The tour’s two-time defending champion turned back a late challenge from Ryan Unzicker to beat his fellow Land of Lincoln driver by 1.101 seconds for a $5,000 top prize and his first MARS checkered flag of 2025.

Quotable: “It was a lot of work honestly,” Feger said. “When you’re out front you don’t really know where to be. I thought that bottom would latch up, I just didn’t know when. We’ve been a little off, so it feels good to get our first MARS win of the year.”

Key notes: Feger wasn’t headed after overtaking Justin Reed for the lead on lap two, but Unzicker ducked underneath him several times following a lap-26 restart before Feger migrated to the bottom lane to stave off the threat. … The victory snapped a 14-race MARS win drought for Feger, whose last score on the tour came on Aug. 10, 2024, at Macon (Ill.) Speedway. It was his 28th career MARS triumph, tying him for fourth on the all-time win list with Wendell Wallace. … Feger’s two previous wins this season came on May 2-3 in weekly DIRTcar action at Illinois’s Farmer City Raceway and Fairbury Speedway. … Reed settled for a third-place finish after leading the opening lap. He gained control of third for good with a lap-25 pass of Tony Jackson Jr., who placed fourth. … Shannon Babb challenged Feger repeatedly during the race’s first half before slowing with a right-rear flat tire on lap 24. He pitted and returned to finish eighth. … Babb triggered one of the feature’s four caution flags. Others were displayed for Alan Westling (lap one), Justin Duty (lap four) and Jake Little (lap 26). … The race was red-flagged following a lap-24 restart for a multi-car tangle in turn four that saw Ricky Frankel’s car roll onto its roof. He wasn’t injured in the wreck, which also damaged the cars driven by Trevor Gundaker, Steve Stultz and Daryn Klein. ... MARS regulars are slated to return on July 20 for another $5,000-to-win show.

On the move: Daryn Klein of Fairview Heights, Ill., started 23rd and finished 13th.

Winner's sponsors: Feger’s Longhorn Chassis has a Clements Racing Engine with sponsorship from Titan Industries, Digital Copy Systems, Hoker Trucking, The Big Cheese MM, Out-Pace Racing Products, CorrosionX, Remtek Enterprises, RLM Enterprises, Cheap Cars, FK Rod Ends, Keyser Manufacturing, Bilstein Shocks, Schaeffer’s Racing Oil, Wehrs Machine & Racing Products, VP Racing Fuels and Griffin Signs.

Points chase: After Quincy: 1. Bobby Pierce (370); 2. Jason Feger (352); 3. Tony Jackson Jr. (329); 4. Ryan Unzicker (321); 5. Brian Shirley (292).

Current weather: Broken Clouds, 77°F

Car count: 24

Fast qualifier: Shannon Babb

Time: 14.242 seconds

Polesitter: Jason Feger

Heat race winners: Shannon Babb, Jake Little, Austin Howes

Next series race: May 17, Highland Speedway (Highland, IL) $5,000