The Yankee Dirt Track Classic kicked off in fine fashion Wednesday night at the Farley Speedway with an efficient program that was highlighted by a great battle for the lead in the night’s only feature event.
The IMCA Late Models were up for a full program with a solid field of twenty-three cars in attendance. Andy Eckrich and Dan Shelliam would start from the front row for the 35-lap main event and while Eckrich held the lead running the low line, Shelliam stayed close working the topside of the 3/8th-mile oval. When Shelliam slipped a little too high around lap ten, Ray Guss Jr. took advantage and moved up to the second spot as the leaders started to work heavy traffic.
The first caution of the event waved on lap seventeen when Todd Hormel stopped in turn two and the second running Guss chose to start on the outside of the first row of two in the Delaware-style realignment. It was definitely the right choice as Guss worked the cushion while Eckrich ran down low and on lap twenty the high groove won out as Guss moved to the lead off turn two and down the back stretch. The caution waved again on lap twenty-two when flames were coming from the rear end of Jon Passick’s car (oh, so many inappropriate jokes that could be made) and fortunately the fire snuffed itself out once he slowed under caution.
For the restart Eckrich stuck with the low line even though Guss started to open up a gap while running the top groove. Persistence would payoff though for Eckrich as that gap started to close as the laps wound down and with seven circuits remaining he was once again sticking his nose under Guss in the corners. As the battle for the lead heated up, so too did the race for third as Terry Neal and Tyler Bruening were running side-by-side about a straightaway back. With five laps remaining Eckrich nosed ahead down the back stretch only to have Guss regain the lead at the flagstand, but on the following lap “Little E” made it stick and he regained the lead officially on lap thirty-one. He started out running the low line, he stuck with the low line even when it looked like the top had come in better, and in the end that faith in his strategy paid off as Andy Eckrich picked up the victory on opening night for the Yankee. Guss who has had an incredible 2010 campaign with twenty-four feature wins would have to settle for second on this night. Neal prevailed in the battle with Bruening for third while Jeff Aikey wheeling Rick Dralle’s #4D car for the night finished fifth. Jeremiah Hurst was sixth at the line, Shelliam faded to seventh, Joel Callahan was eighth, I had Doug Nigh in ninth with Jon Merfeld completing the top ten. Chad Simpson drove a #44L car that I had not yet seen this year to a twelfth-place finish.
There were good fields on hand for the IMCA Modifieds, the B-Mods, and Limited Stocks while the Flyer count was a bit on the light side. These divisions ran their qualifying heats and B-Mains as needed on Wednesday night with Last Chance races and features on tap for tonight (Thursday). Heat race winners were Jason Seegmiller, Jason Schueller and Vern Jackson in the IMCA Modifieds. John Campbell, Zach Less, Duane Toay and Kurt Crist in the B-Mods, Quinton Miller and Troy Bauer in the Limited Stocks and Jeremy Campbell and Tyler Kelly in the Flyers.
The rain that had been predicted for late in the afternoon and all evening actually built up just to the northwest of the speedway as the Late Model feature was being called to staging. Thankfully it drifted to the northeast and the show was completed before ten o’clock. The 33rd Annual Yankee Dirt Track Classic continues through the weekend!
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