A dream came true for an Illinois native Tuesday night at Brownstown Bullring.

Jacob Steinkoenig became the 89th different driver to win a DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals Feature in an exciting battle to open the 2026 season.

The 25-lap Feature went green with Treb Jacoby and Brayden Doyle leading the field to green. Jacoby led the opening lap with Doyle and third place Kenny Wallace directly behind them.

The lead trio went three wide in turn two with Doyle emerging ahead. It didn’t last long, however, as Doyle hit the cushion and got a head of steam down the front stretch to clear Jacoby on Lap 5.

A caution on Lap 6 bunched the field up and allowed fifth-running Steinkoenig to enter the picture.

Steinkoenig got the best of a three-wide battle for third between he, Wallace and Ray Bollinger, and then set his sights on the lead duo of Doyle and Jacoby.

Another caution on Lap 7 again bunched up the field. The ensuing restart saw contact between Bollinger and Jacoby which sent Jacoby spinning down the front stretch, ending his hopes of a Summit Modified triumph.

Steinkoenig seized the opportunity on the restart, diving under Doyle in Turn 1 and clearing him after a slight bobble on the cushion in Turn 2. From there, the battle for the lead was on between the top three cars of Steinkoenig, Doyle and Bollinger.

Bollinger was able to get underneath Steinkoenig and cleared the Highland, IL-driver on Lap 15 before Steinkoenig battled back on the cushion to retake the lead on Lap 16.

Steinkoenig then entered lap traffic and pulled away, leading the final eight laps to win his first career DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals Feature.

“It’s been one of the most prestigious races in the area for years,” Steinkoenig said. “Everyone dreams to win a Summer Nationals Hell Tour race, and I am extremely grateful to have finally accomplished that. Just had to keep chomping at the bit, and I wasn’t getting up there and beating my car up in the cushion. I was just up there, with a lot of momentum around this place.”

Ray Bollinger finished second, Kenny Wallace fended off multiple challengers and finished third, Rick Conoyer fourth, and Zeke McKenzie advanced five positions to finish fifth.

UP NEXT

The DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals heads to Kankakee County Speedway in Kankakee, IL, on Wednesday, June 10th alongside the DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Models.

How can you watch the DIRTcar Summer Nationals? Every race is streamed live on DIRTVision. 

Feature (25 Laps): 1. 24S-Jacob Steinkoenig[5]; 2. 77-Ray Bollinger[7]; 3. 36-Kenny Wallace[3]; 4. 14C-Rick Conoyer[6]; 5. 24-Zeke McKenzie[10]; 6. 2-Brayden Doyle[2]; 7. 1H-Ben Harmon[11]; 8. 01-Jeremy Nichols[8]; 9. 74-James Hileman[14]; 10. 15H-Jeff Hamby[15]; 11. 150-Collin Alexander[17]; 12. 22W-Wade Wenthe[16]; 13. 11-Jason Brennan[18]; 14. J82-Treb Jacoby[1]; 15. 15-Chris Smith[12]; 16. 88L-Christian Lee[19]; 17. 96C-Marshall Call[21]; 18. 88-Chris Bolyard[22]; 19. 14-Dalton Lane[4]; 20. 4G-Paul Schrempf Jr[20]; 21. 99-Justin Haley[13]; 22. 29J-Jordan Wever[9]

This article was republished with permission from Summer Nationals. The original article can be found here: https://dirtcarsummernationals.com/recaps/jacob-steinkoenig-wins-1st-career-summit-modified-feature-at-brownstown/

NEXT: Battle Of Plattsburgh Welcomes DIRTcar 358 Modified Series Stars At Airborne