Brian Harris picked up his third straight Deery Brothers Summer Series for IMCA Late Models win and Darin Duffy topped the Karl Performance Hawkeye Dirt Tour for IMCA Modifieds Tuesday night at Cedar County Raceway. An excellent field of 38 IMCA Late Models and 44 IMCA Modifieds filled the pits for a fantastic night of racing on the 1/4-mile in Tipton. (complete results below)
Local favorite and pole sitter Justin Kay led the 24-car starting field to green in the 50-lap Late Model headliner. Running the low side, Kay paced the field while Stephan Kammerer challenged on the high side in an early three-wide battle for second with Andy Eckrich and Denny Eckrich.
Kammerer worked past the Eckriches, then pulled to the outside of Kay to assume command on the fourth lap. Kay joined Kammerer on the top side while Denny Eckrich cleared his younger brother for third.
Kammerer pulled a few car-lengths ahead of Kay until lapped traffic impeded his progress 11 laps into the event. Just after crossing the line for what would have been the completion of lap 12, Kammerer drifted off the top of turns one and two and spun to a rest on the high side in the middle of the set of turns to bring out the yellow.
With the leader relegated to the back of the pack, Kay inherited the pole with Denny Eckrich to his outside for the ensuing restart. That pair rain in side-by-side formation for a number of laps before Eckrich broke free on the bottom while Harris was working through traffic from a fourth row starting spot.
Harris, who made his way into third shortly after the lap 11 caution, worked the low side into contention. He pulled ahead of Kay for second as Eckrich encountered lapped traffic on the 24th circuit. Two laps later, Harris pulled to the inside of Eckrich in turn four, then escaped with the lead at the flagstand.
While Harris pulled away to a half-straightaway lead a short time later, Kay and Andy Eckrich reeled in Denny Eckrich and engaged in a terrific three-car battle for the runner-up spot. Ray Guss Jr. also entered the mix while Denny Eckrich and Kay swapped racing grooves and position in the battle for second.
Although Harris appeared to have trouble making his way around the lapped car of Tyler Bruening, his pursuers were too busy battling each other to gain any ground on the leader. Kay was able to pull away in the fight for the runner-up spot running the high side, however Harris was a straightaway ahead of him by the time Kay sat comfortably in second with around 10 laps to go.
Harris was still enjoying a comfortable lead when he encountered heavy traffic with six laps to go, as Andy Eckrich raced the low line into a battle for second with Kay. Harris survived the backmarkers to take the comfortable win ahead of Kay, who held on by inches for second ahead of Andy Eckrich.
Mitch Morris led the HDT Modified main to green in that 30-lapper. Morris held the top spot running the low groove while Darin Duffy was charging hard on the high side from his third row starting spot.
Duffy worked the top side of Ronn Lauritzen for second on the third lap, then pulled even with Morris for the lead exiting turn two on the following circuit. Duffy took command down the back stretch while Lauritzen reeled in Morris for second.
Lauritzen made the pass to the inside of Morris on lap seven, but was a half-straightaway behind Duffy, who continued to run up top. Lapped traffic at the 13 lap mark allowed Lauritzen to stay within striking distance and then the race's only caution bunched the field three laps later.
On the restart, Duffy remained committed to the high groove with Lauritzen down low. Duffy was again able to add a little bit of distance to his advantage until lapped traffic forced him to the low side of the speedway with three laps to go. After clearing the backmarkers, Duffy resumed his run on the high side to hold for the win a few car-lengths ahead of Lauritzen.
DEERY/HDT Notes:
* Stephan Kammerer appeared to have the car to beat in the Late Model division. He was dialed in on both ends of the track before his lap 11 miscue in the feature. After restarting at the tail, Kammerer again took to the top side, getting all the way back to 10th on lap 18, only to slide off the top of the same set of turns. He had trouble navigating that corner once more later in the event before pulling off to a 22nd place finish.
* Jeff Aikey spun in his heat race, then left the event and did not return to the track for his last chance qualifier. It was reported in the pits that a broken torque arm forced his early exit from the event.
* Luke Merfeld, who won Saturday night in Independence, was behind the wheel of his brother Jon's #81 Tuesday night. Merfeld ran well in the loaner to finish eighth in the feature.
* Richie Gustin's third place finish in the Modified feature was more work than many may realize. A flat tire, plus other mechanical issues on his trailer forced him to be late enough to Tipton that he missed his heat race. He started last in his B, took the final qualifying spot from that event and started 20th in the feature on his way to the impressive finish. It was reported that Gustin's problems with his hauler weren't over when he got to the track. While signing in, he apparently noticed an entire wheel was gone from his trailer. His great run Tuesday should have provided at least a little comfort on his drive back home to Marshall county.
* Kyle Brown was also fortunate Tuesday night. Brown, who was scheduled to start in the second last chance qualifier, was late to staging. Luckily for him, that event went to caution prior to the completion of the first lap. He joined the field before the race resumed and made his way into the feature by taking the last qualifying spot of that event. Brown, who started 21st, advanced 14 spots to finish seventh.
* With draw/redraw shows, you never know who will end up in which heat. Some heats appear stacked while others may seem a little on the slim side. Although there wasn't a slouch in the Modified field Tuesday night, the only qualifiers to come out of the fourth heat were the two heat race qualifiers. It was the only heat that didn't produce any transfers from a B feature. On the flip side, all but one of the eight entries in the first heat made the Modified feature, including the aforementioned Gustin. Likewise, in the Late Models, only the three heat race qualifiers from the fourth heat made the feature, while all but one driver from the fifth heat eventually qualified. You just never know!
* Speaking of Modified heats, I think Duffy may have been the early favorite for the 30-lap feature following his heat race performance. While there were some good battles throughout that round of qualifying, Duffy was the only heat race winner to come from deeper than the front row. He won the final Modified heat after starting in row three.
* I thought it would be a test of my patience to take in another race from the grandstands. Normally fidgety and needing to be in motion while at a race track, I was able to avoid those antsy feelings once again by sitting with fellow Positively Racing bloggers Dick and Joyce Eisele. The Eiseles also kept me in check in Webster City last Thursday and I had a blast spending the evening in the stands with them again Tuesday in Tipton. We were joined by our fearless leader, Jeff Broeg, who continues to amaze when it comes to recalling driver information. While Joyce and I were busy jotting notes throughout the program, Jeff, a self-proclaimed "environmentalist," took most of his note taking in his head, without so much as putting his pen to paper. Be sure to check out their takes from Tuesday's action on the Back Stretch and the 4dfan Report. I also have to mention the rest of the fans in our area of the grandstands, those being the dedicated family and friends of Modified driver Ronn Lauritzen. Not only are they a great group of folks, but their passion for racing is second-to-none. Wherever the 10K goes, his faithful fans are sure to follow and cheer him on every step of the way. While a couple of them got pretty feisty with me (okay, maybe it was me), I hope they enjoyed the night as much as I enjoyed it! I also briefly spoke with Late Model driver Darren Ackerman's parents in the stands Tuesday night during intermission. Looking at the clock, Carolyn, it looks like you were right - it's going to be about 2:30 when I get this blog posted!
* Finally, the new management at CCR, Darkside Promotions, admittedly has a tough act to follow in Tipton. Taking over following the very popular and successful run of promoters Al and Kathy Dlouhy, I think it's safe to say Ryan Duhme and Timmy Current are up to the challenge. Their crew did a great job with Tuesday's event, with the final checkered flag waving at 10:15. I know Al and Kathy still help out when and where needed, but the Darkside crew had a heck of a show Tuesday night. CCR is in good hands and I hope to make it back down to Tipton again in the near future. If you have never been to Tipton, I promise you won't be disappointed. I've been there a dozen times over the years and it's been worth the money every time.
Unless I get the urge to head to Eldon Raceway for the IMCA Late Model special there Thursday night, my next race likely won't be until Saturday at Independence. If you're looking to take in a mid-week race during the apparent arrival of summer weather, make plans to head to Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa this Wednesday (well, tonight). Promoter Mike Van Genderen is offering up a free night of racing on the grandstands side for those who wish to take in some half-mile action.
As always, thanks for reading!
RESULTS
DEERY SERIES IMCA LATE MODELS
Feature - 1. 15R Brian Harris (Davenport); 2. 15K Justin Kay (Wheatland); 3. 56 Andy Eckrich (Oxford); 4. 50 Denny Eckrich (Tiffin); 5. 58 Ray Guss Jr. (Milan, Ill.); 6. 46 Nate Beuseling (Silvis, Ill.); 7. X Mike Zeno Jr. (Davenport); 8. 81 Luke Merfeld (Dubuque); 9. 31 Jason Utter (Columbus Junction); 10. 40 Joel Callahan (Dubuque); 11. 75M Todd Malmstrom (Silvis, Ill.); 12. 99D Darrel DeFrance (Marshalltown); 13. 2 Jeremiah Hurst (Dubuque); 14. 16S Dan Shelliam (Hazel Green, Wis.); 15. 15 Kyle Hinrichs (Swisher); 16. 29 Spencer Diercks (Davenport); 17. 47 Andy Nezworski (Buffalo); 18. 16 Tyler Bruening (Decorah); 19. 1M Rob Moss (Iowa City); 20. 12 Ron Klein (Sherrill); 21. 38 Colby Springsteen (Wapello); 22. 77S Stephan Kammerer (Blue Grass); 23. 33 Nick Marolf (Moscow); 24. 390 Rob Toland (Colona, Ill.).
First heat (3 qualify, 2 redraw) - 1. Utter; 2. Merfeld; 3. Beuseling; 4. Hinrichs; 5. Toland; 6. 24 Jason Bert (Moline, Ill.); 7. 48Z Jon Poll (Delmar); 8. 77 Jeff Aikey (Cedar Falls).
Second heat - 1. Kay; 2. Kammerer; 3. Klein; 4. Marolf; 5. DeFrance; 6. Springsteen; 7. 3 B.J. Bates (Long Grove); 8. 6 Jay Chenoweth (Wapello).
Third heat - 1. Zemo; 2. Hurst; 3. Bruening; 4. Malmstrom; 5. 4D Marty Diercks (Bettendorf); 6. 74 Ron Boyse (Kalona); 7. 85 Duane Christisen (Davenport); DNS 55 Ryan Claeys (Morrison, Ill.).
Fourth heat - 1. A. Eckrich; 2. Guss; 3. Callahan; 4. 45 Curt Martin (Independence); 5. R19 Joe Ross (Thomson, Ill.); 6. 24F Scott Fitzpatrick (Urbandale); 7. 17 Tim Simpson (Iowa City).
Fifth heat - 1. D. Eckrich; 2. Harris; 3. Shelliam; 4. Nezworski; 5. Moss; 6. S. Diercks; 7. C4 Chad Lerch (Cedar Rapids).
First B feature (3 transfer) - 1. Hinrichs; 2. Nezworski; 3. Malmstrom; 4. S. Diercks; 5. DeFrance; 6. Simpson; 7. Boyse; 8. Bates; 9. Claeys; 10. Bert; DNS Ross; DNS Aikey.
Second B feature - 1. Moss; 2. Marolf; 3. Toland; 4. Poll; 5. Springsteen; 6. Lerch; 7. Christisen; 8. Fitzpatrick; 9. Martin; 10. Chenoweth; 11. M. Diercks.
Hard Charger: S. Diercks - Points Provisionals: DeFrance, Springsteen.
HDT IMCA MODIFIEDS
Feature - 19D Darin Duffy (Urbana); 2. 10K Ronn Lauritzen (Jesup); 3. 19G Richie Gustin (Gilman); 4. 48J Jacob Murray (Hartford); 5. 11D Ryan Dolan (Lisbon); 6. 1 Dan Chapman (Clarence); 7. 21KX Kyle Brown (Kellogg); 8. 28X Kelly Meyer (Big Rock); 9. 33D Scott Hogan (Vinton); 10. 18J Jerry Luloff (Independence); 11. 10C Cayden Carter (Oskaloosa); 12. 11 Ray Cox Jr. (Maquoketa); 13. 27M Mark Schulte (Delhi); 14. 21K Dan Klatt (Wheatland); 15. 77 Joel Beal (Milan, Ill.); 16. 71W Jeff Waterman (Quincy, Ill.); 17. 3X Ryan Deshaw (Dyersville); 18. 70 Mitch Morris (Eldridge); 19. 57V Mike Van Genderen (Newton); 20. 88 Tony Vondresky (Long Grove); 21. 20L Zach Less (Hopkinton); 22. F7 Patrick Flannagan (Cedar Rapids); 23. 19 Jimmy Gustin (Marshalltown); 24. Joel Bushore (Boone).
First heat (2 qualify and redraw) - 1. Lauritzen; 2. Klatt; 3. Waterman; 4. Schulte; 5. 34T Derek Thompson (Freeport, Ill.); 6. Luloff; 7. Beal; 8. Murray; DNS. R. Gustin.
Second heat - 1. Dolan; 2. Meyer; 3. Chapman; 4. Hogan; 5. J. Gustin; 6. K. Brown; 7. 18R Terry Renfro (Bettendorf); 8. 111 Justin Rix (Olin); 9. 6 Brian Webb (Davenport).
Third heat - 1. Deshaw; 2. Vondresky; 3. Bushore; 4. Flannagan; 5. 9W Leon Wilson (Hopkinton); 6. 21X David Brown (Kellogg); 7. 21 Jesse Hoeft (Forest City); 8. 10X A.J. Fike (Galesburg, Ill.); 9. 8S Josh Starr (Tipton).
Fourth heat - 1. Cox; 2. Carter; 3. 25X Jake Bowman (Maquoketa); 4. 21M Tyler Madigan (Peosta); 5. 19R Todd Reed (Park View); 6. 89 T.J. Patz (East Moline, Ill.); 7. 17 Todd Dykema (Davenport); 8. 5D Devon Havlik (Iowa Falls).
Fifth heat - 1. Duffy; 2. Morris; 3. C4 Matt Werner (Colona, Ill.); 4. Van Genderen; 5. 15 Mark Elliott (Webster City); 6. 505 Racer Hulin (Laurel); 7. 2 Dusty Kraklio (Durant); 8. Less; DNS 16 George Spence (Orion, Ill.).
First B feature (4 transfer) - 1. Van Genderen; 2. Hogan; 3. Luloff; 4. R. Gustin; 5. Bowman; 6. Kraklio; 7. Waterman; 8. Renfro; 9. Fike; 10. Patz; 11. Wilson; DNS Spence.
Second B feature - 1. Chapman; 2. Murray; 3. Flannagan; 4. K. Brown; 5. Hulin; 6. Werner; 7. Reed; 8. Thompson; 9. Hoeft; 10. Havlik; 11. Webb.
Third B feature - 1. Schulte; 2. Bushore; 3. Beal; 4. J. Gustin; 5. Madigan; 6. Elliott; 7. Starr; 8. D. Brown; 9. Dykema; 10. Rix; 11. Less.
Points Provisionals: Less, Waterman.
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