The more things change, the more they stay the same. I think that old saying loosely applies to this week's action in the Deery Brothers Summer Series for IMCA Late Models. Justin Kay, who won the caution-free 50-lap series feature over Brian Harris Tuesday night at Independence Motor Speedway to end Harris' four-race series winning streak, repeated the same feat Friday night at Davenport Speedway. Feature win. 50-laps. Caution-free. Harris second. (complete Late Model results follow.)
While the back-to-back wins were great for Kay, his father, Ricky, also won Friday night in Davenport. Ricky earned his first career victory in the IMCA Northern SportMod division. Twice as nice... well, twice.
Pole-sitter Andy Eckrich led the IMCA Late Model headliner to green and he paced the field for two laps until Justin Kay, much like Tuesday, dialed in his #15K on the bottom groove. Kay pulled even with Eckrich heading down the back stretch on lap three, then took over the top spot in turns three and four to assume command.
Again, just like Tuesday, Kay wasted little time pulling away from the pack. He put a straightaway advantage on the field while Stephan Kammerer battled Eckrich for second. Running the top side, Kammerer made a terrific run through traffic to take over second on lap 10 after starting outside of row six.
Harris joined the battle for second after working the top side around Eckrich for third on the 12th circuit. He chased Kammerer while Kay entered lapped traffic the 16th time around the fast, smooth quarter-mile oval. By the time Harris made his way beneath Kammerer for second on lap 19, Kay held the same straightaway advantage.
Despite heavy traffic, Kay extended his lead to over a straightaway while Eckrich made his way back by Harris on the low side at the midway point. Although heavier traffic allowed his pursuers to trim a small margin off his lead, Kay took the checkers by a near-straightaway margin for his second straight win in Deery Series action, the first two series wins of his career. Kay left only nine cars on the lead lap when Deery Series flagman Grant Oskvig waved the checkers. Harris made a late surge on the top groove to nip Eckrich at the line for second.
Tom Pestka suffered a horrific rollover in the third heat. Contact forced Pestka sideways before he entered a series of violent rolls down the back stretch. Although it took a few minutes to extract the shaken Pestka from his car, he walked away from the accident.
DEERY SERIES IMCA LATE MODEL
Feature: 1. 15K Justin Kay; 2. 15R Brian Harris; 3. 56 Andy Eckrich; 4. 77S Stephan Kammerer; 5. 75M Todd Malmstrom; 6. 50 Denny Eckrich; 7. Z50 Joe Zrostlik; 8. 77 Jeff Aikey; 9. 58 Ray Guss Jr.; 10. 46 Nate Beuseling; 11. 16 Dan Shelliam; 12. 38 Colby Springsteen; 13. Z Mike Zemo; 14. 69 Tom Goble; 15. 99D Darrel DeFrance; 16. 07 Matt Ryan; 17. 40 Joel Callahan; 18. 29 Spencer Diercks; 19. 45 Tommy Elston; 20. 70 Shawn Mulvany; 21. 56D Travis Denning; 22. 11 Gary Webb; 23. 74 Ron Boyse; 24. 390 Rob Toland.
First heat (3 redraw): 1. Harris; 2. Elston; 3. Shelliam; 4. D. Eckrich; 5. DeFrance; 6. 47 Andy Nezworski; 7. Zemo; 8. 27X Dave Stichter; 9. Diercks.
Second heat: 1. Springsteen; 2. Toland; 3. Malmstrom; 4. Callahan; 5. 1M Rob Moss; 6. 6 Jay Chenoweth; 7. 3 Mike Cothron; 8. 91 Mike Guldenpfennig; DNS 93 Jay Johnson.
Third heat: 1. Kay; 2. Webb; 3. Kammerer; 4. Guss; 5. Mulvany; 6. Boyse; 7. 89 Tom Pestka; 8. 7W Matt Winslow; 9. 2 Jeremiah Hurst.
Fourth heat: 1. Aikey; 2. Zrostlik; 3. A. Eckrich; 4. Goble; 5. Beuseling; 6. Ryan; 7. R19 Joe Ross; 8. Denning.
First B feature (4 transfer): 1. D. Eckrich; 2. Zemo; 3. Callahan; 4. DeFrance; 5. Moss; 6. Diercks; 7. Chenoweth; 8. Stichter; 9. Johnson; 10. Guldenpfennig; 11. Nezworski; 12. Cothron.
Second B feature: 1. Guss; 2. Goble; 3. Beuseling; 4. Mulvany; 5. Ryan; 6. Boyse; 7. Hurst; 8. Ross; 9. Winslow; 10. Denning; 11/DNS. Pestka.
Hard Charger: Diercks. Point Provisionals: Ryan, Boyse, Denning.
Just prior to the Late Model main, Ricky Kay won an exciting 15-lap IMCA Northern SportMod feature to earn his first career win in the division. Outside front row starter Doug Burkhead paced the field while Kay worked into second from his second row start.
The race's only two stoppages came on lap five with Burkhead leading the field back to green for the final restart. On his rear bumper, Kay challenged to the low side of the leader and came away with the top spot exiting turn four on lap six.
Kay protected the bottom groove while Burkhead challenged both high and low to get a run on the leader. Burkhead briefly worked the top side on lap 12, but was unable to make the pass for the lead. His bid for the lead was also unsuccessful when the leaders encountered lapped traffic with two laps to go. Glued to the low side of the speedway, Kay motored to the milestone win ahead of Burkhead and Dustin Crear.
Points leader Craig Crawford earned his second win of the season in the IMCA Modified division and he did it from the sixth row. Crawford slowly worked his way through traffic in an event that was slowed five times for caution. Following a lap 10 restart, Crawford worked the low side past Tim Arp for second while Bob Dominacki was running the top side out front.
Crawford took over the point when Dominacki pulled off the track on the 13th of 20 laps. Crawford survived two final cautions over the last seven laps to take the win ahead of Arp and Jason Bahrs.
Gerald Ward raced the low side into the lead on the 10th of 15 laps in the Street Stock feature. Ward drove to his first win of the year ahead of Cary Brown.
Zach Dahl led the first 11 laps of the 4 Stock feature, but a hard-charging Brandon Dahl raced the high groove into contention on the final lap. Brandon Dahl worked the top side exiting the final corner on that lap to power ahead at the line to take the thrilling win, his third of the season.
It was a great night of racing on a perfectly groomed track in Davenport, my first visit to the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds since April of 2010. Thanks to promoter Bob Wagener and his crew for their hospitality.
Upon returning home late Friday night, I heard the sad news that former Independence Motor Speedway competitor Dave Swale passed away unexpectedly Friday morning. Swale, who raced in the Sportsman and Street Stock divisions back in the 1980s and 1990s in Independence and at Fayette County Raceway in his hometown of West Union, still took in the races from time-to-time in Independence. The soft-spoken Swale was as friendly a man as you'll ever meet. My thoughts are with his family, including son Ryan, whom I have gotten to know the past few years. It isn't an easy road, Ryan, but the memories of your time at the races with your dad will provide the bright spot many days down the road. My heart goes out to you.
Saturday is night number nine of the 2013 season at Independence Motor Speedway with action sponsored by Pries Enterprises. In addition to points racing in all six divisions, it will be the 300th feature in weekly racing history for the Stock Car division at the speedway. The winner is guaranteed to take home $1,000 for his efforts and can make it $1,200 if a Superior Cleaning Services decal is on the side of the winning machine. Thanks to Doug Cue for adding the extra bonus for the Stock Car milestone. While it will be a weekly points race for the Stock Cars, they will compete under the draw/redraw format and laps will be added to the feature.
Then, on Sunday, it's back to Benton County Speedway in Vinton for the 12th night of weekly points racing. It will also the be the final Sunday before the July 14 Hogan Memorial. If you haven't already, be sure to make plans to attend that event. Details are located in the flyer at the top of this page.
Have a great weekend!
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