What won the race: Slipping by polesitter Caden McWhorter and clearing him in turn four on the opening lap, third-starting Ryan Unzicker of El Paso, Ill., led all 40 laps unchallenged to win Friday's $5,000 Sycamore Showcase at Sycamore Speedway. Unzicker, the MARS Late Model Championship Series points leader, beat Jason Feger to the line by 0.659 of a second for his third series win of the season and 19th of his career.

Quotable: "I appreciate all the fans coming out. I love coming up here, we just don’t get up here enough," Unzicker said. "The track was great, we got up there in lapped traffic and it was a little sketchy going out to the middle, but there was enough of a top there to get us settled in to pass a couple lappers."

Key notes: Unzicker added to MARS victories this season at Peoria (Ill.) Speedway (April 25) and Fairbury (Ill.) Speedway (May 23). ... It's his fourth overall feature win of the season, including July 10's DIRTcar Summer Nationals victory at Crystal (Mich.) Motor Speedway. ... Unzicker earned his second career MARS victory at Sycamore, adding to a $5,000 payday there in August 2024. ... Fifth-starting Jason Feger prevailed to finish second after a back-and-forth battle with Dennis Erb Jr. where the two traded the runner-up spot four times between laps 21-25; Feger reduced Unzicker's lead as low as 0.6 of a second on lap 27 but never seriously challenged over the final 15 circuits. Erb settled for third. ... Eleventh-starting Matthew Larson passed Mike Spatola and Dylan Thornton on the final lap, dropping Spatola to fifth and Thornton to sixth; Thornton ran as high as second and pressured Unzicker between laps 12-19 before fading in the late going. ... Jake Little overcame right-front damage on the eighth lap and rallied to finish 11th. ... Besides the lap-eight caution for Little, the race was slowed just one other time for Dale Markham's turn-one spin on the opening start; Markham continued and finished 14th. ... Polesitter Caden McWhorter quickly slipped outside the top 10 by the 10th lap and retired from 14th on lap 17; he was credited with 18th as the first starter who did not finish. ... The 40-lapper lasted just shy of 16 minutes with 12 starters completing the distance. ... Sean Mattingly and Mike Winn scratched.

On the move: Matthew Larson of Lake Elmo, Minn., started 11th and finished fourth.

Winner's sponsors: Unzicker’s Longhorn Chassis has a Pro Power Racing Engine and carries sponsorship from RJR Transportation, Brucker Farms, Low Voltage Solutions, Mosquito Hero, Fairbury Fastener & Supply, Larimer Cows & Calves, Absolute Home Repair & Remodeling, Gary Miller’s Classic Auto, El Paso Outdoor Center, Big City Automotive, Arkansas Septic Plumbing, Unzicker Equipment, Konstruction Services, Pro Tire and Automotive, Mackinaw Valley Powder Coating, Logan Smith Collectibles, Clean It Up Pressure Washing Professionals, A Solution HVAC & Construction, Bert by Budda Transmissions, DirtcarLift.com, Keyser Manufacturing, NAPA El Paso, Fuel Factory, Varsitee Screenprint, Bilstein Shocks and Fuel Factory.

Points chase: Before Sycamore: 1. Ryan Unzicker (627); 2. Jason Feger (539); 3. Dylan Thornton (521); 4. Daniel Adam (453); 5. Tanner English (437).

Current weather: Clear, 77°F

Car count: 30

Fast qualifier: Dennis Erb Jr.

Time: 14.941 seconds

Polesitter: Caden McWhorter

Heat race winners: Dennis Erb Jr., Mike Spatola, Jason Feger

Consolation race winners: Jake Little

Provisional starters: Paul Parker, Mike Winn

Next series race: August 8, Macon Speedway (Macon, IL) $10,000