Last Wednesday I wrote that Mother Nature should not have to factor into my decision as to where I would go racing on Sunday night. Boy, was I wrong! With rain and cool temperatures washing out both Knoxville and Quincy, the Deery Brothers Summer Series in Dubuque was next on the list and the high-banked 3/8-mile that I consider to be one of my top-five favorite tracks once again delivered in spectacular fashion.
As the final event of a three-race swing, and with the division also running not too far down the road in East Moline, the IMCA Late Model count was down a bit at 28, but as announcer Eric Huenefeld noted just about every driver could be considered a contender for the win. Joe Ross and Denny Eckrich drew the front row for the 40-lap main event, but it was third-starting Mike Murphy Jr. who dove to the bottom in turn one and raced down the back stretch as the leader on the opening lap. Murphy who won on Friday at Davenport and entered this night tied with Andy Eckrich for the Deery Series points lead was lightning fast and soon put nearly a straightaway between himself and the rest of the field. That lead was wiped away though by a caution on lap seven when Nick Marolf coasted to a halt in turn four.
On the restart Murphy again pulled away, but my attention was focused on Luke Goedert. The winner of the first B-Main, the driver from Holy Cross had started thirteenth and was now on the fly using the extreme high line of the speedway and had to be holding his breath as he squeezed between the concrete retaining wall and the cars that he was blowing by at a high rate of speed on both the front stretch and the back straightaway. Goedert had moved up to fourth and was pressuring Darrel DeFrance for third when Andy Eckrich stopped on the front stretch one lap past the mid-race mark.
Both Andy and his brother Denny headed for their trailer at this point with only Andy returning for the restart. Defending series champion Ray Guss Jr. also went pitside during this caution. Guss had been locked in a tight battle with Colby Springsteen for the sixth position prior to the break and he returned to restart at the rear. The first restart was waived off when Matt Ryan spun in turn one and the second attempt to get back to racing was thwarted when Sam Halstead went for a spin in turn three.
Once back to green Jeff Aikey was able to keep Murphy in his sights, DeFrance hugged the bottom in third and Goedert faded after he slapped the turn two wall when his high line rocket ride went just a little too high. Murphy was also riding that high groove and when he caught the wall just a bit in turn four that was the break that Aikey needed as he moved to the lead on lap twenty-five. Aikey was using more of an intermediate line on this track that allowed for four-wide action throughout the night, (did I mention that it is one of my favorite tracks anywhere??) and he was now under fire from DeFrance who was hugging the rail on both ends. Darrel nosed to the lead with eight laps remaining, but when lapped traffic presented a challenge on that inside line, Aikey came right back to take the lead on lap 33.
The final seven laps were a classic battle of two skilled veteran drivers working their chosen lines to the best of their ability to see who would cash the $3,000 top prize. The chilled fans were on the edge of their seats to see who would prevail as DeFrance regained the advantage by a nose with three laps remaining. Aikey did his best to mount a comeback even moving down to that lower line on the final lap, but the “Ironman” who has been in attendance at each and every Summer Series event over twenty-six years was not to be denied as Darrel DeFrance took the win. Emotions were high in victory lane as it has been a few years since “Double D” has won of these things and the runner-up Aikey showed his approval by giving the winner a big bear hug. Murphy’s third-place run will place him atop the series standings for the next event on Tuesday May 22nd at the Marshalltown Speedway. Jay Johnson, the winner of the first-ever series event, had another solid run in fourth, Joel Callahan came from row five to finish fifth, Colby Springsteen was steady in sixth and Dan Shelliam made a nice run to seventh after starting fourteenth.
DBQ Deery Notes…..Six drivers who had perfect attendance before tonight, Mike Garland, Charlie McKenna, Dean Wagner, Tommy Elston, Doug Yates and Travis Denning were not on hand. It looks like Garland was the feature winner at East Moline….Jay Johnson, who was a state champion in high school and then wrestled for the University of Northern Iowa, spent the afternoon watching the Olympic trials in Iowa City. Jay arrived at the track just in time for hot laps ready to race the #93 car that Jeff Kunkel and crew had prepped and ready for another top-five run….Aikey started last (7th) in the first heat and raced his way up to the third and final transfer spot behind Ray Guss Jr. and Denny Eckrich. A pretty impressive top three to say the least…..The fourth heat had a great five-car battle going for the third and final transfer position, but when Ron Klein tried to split the middle of two cars entering turn three he ran out of room and contact saw Klein, Tyler Bruening and Scott Reichers spin to a halt. This allowed Darrel DeFrance to go on and take that final transfer….Jim Brokus who Huenefeld calls “High Line Jimmy” looked like he would have the final transfer out of the first B-Main, but Justin Kay went up one car-length higher and passed Brokus on the final lap. It seems like Kay does something noteworthy and spectacular every time I see him…..The Deery Series returns to Dubuque on Sunday July 15th. Mark it on your calendar.
Support class action was solid even though the counts were a bit short in the SPI Stocks, Sport Compacts and Hobby Stocks. Brannon Bechen dominated a five-car field of Hobby Stocks taking the win ahead of Kile Vohringer, Robby Clifton, Rod Chapman and Jared Miles.
The Sport Compact main event was entertaining as Jacob Ellithorpe gave up his early lead to Eric McDonough only to take it back on the third circuit. The top five cars ran in a tight formation and with two laps remaining Mitch Bielenberg squeezed past Ellithorpe for the lead and the eventual victory. Lane Vohringer had passed Ellithorpe in turn one on the final lap, but when the caution waved for a spinner on the front stretch the official finish went back to the white flag rundown. So Ellithorpe took second ahead of Vohringer with Lance Butson fourth and McDonough in fifth.
A Dubuque Fairgrounds Speedway record field of twenty IMCA Sport Mods checked in for opening night and they had some issues getting their twelve-lap main event underway. On the third try at a start, everybody kept them straight and Matt McGranahan was the leader on lap one. Sixth-starting Austin Moyer moved to the point on lap two, but on a restart after a lap five caution, Moyer somehow ended up in the backstretch wall. On the next restart fifteen-year-old Tyler Droste moved to the lead and then cruised to the victory. It was Droste’s first appearance at Dubuque and he had started this one in the eleventh position. Lee Kinsella had an eventful race as he lined up next to Droste in row six for the original start, but then went to his infield pit after the first attempt at a start. Kinsella did not make it back out in time for the second attempt, but he was back on the track in time for the third try. He then raced his way all the way up to third and when he made the pass on Hope Schmerbach for second with four laps to go he banged his right rear wheel with her left front. The contact resulted in rear suspension damage on Kinsella’s #21K and he started to slow a bit. Then a lap later the right front corner of his hood peeled up limiting his vision. Kinsella then pulled to the infield just before the white flag waved ending his evening. Schmerbach recovered from the contact to hold on to the second spot at the finish with McGranahan third followed by Jevon Robbins and Jason Robbins.
Ten SPI Stock Cars put on a good show with Jed Holland pulling the left front wheel high in the air as he led the first two laps. Wayne Hora moved quickly from a row four start to take the lead on lap three only to have Jerry Miles, who started right behind Hora, go flying past on the outside for the lead on lap four. Hora stormed right back though and reclaimed the lead a lap later and then outran Miles for the win in the 12-lap headliner for the division. Holland held on for third with Terry Rittmer and Jarrett Franzen completing the top five.
Sixteen of the seventeen IMCA Modifieds in attendance took the green for their twenty-lap main event, but that green was short-lived as Derek Thompson spun on the front stretch before he even reached the flag. As the field slowed on the back stretch perennial contender Ron Barker swerved to avoid a car in front of him and stuffed the right front of his #37B into the wall ending his night. Once underway it was pole-sitter Todd Reed who ran the point before yielding the lead to Dane Wilwert on lap three. Both J.D. Auringer and Mark Schulte, who had started in rows four and five respectively, were on the move often racing four-wide as they picked their way toward the front. Auringer swept past Wilwert for the lead on lap nine with Schulte not far behind. As the laps wound down and with the help of some lapped traffic, Schulte closed to within striking distance of Auringer. When the leaders took the white flag Schulte had a run and drove to the inside of the leader into turn one. But just ahead of him a soon-to-be-lapped car had gotten sideways and was trying to recover sliding down the track in turn two and now directly in the line of Schulte. Mark had to stand on the brakes and, even though I didn’t think that he would be able to make the pass stick, we would no longer be able to find out as Auringer picked up the victory. The two-time All Iowa Points Modified champion Schulte would settle for second-place money tonight with Matt Crist, Jed Freiburger and Rich Smith completing the top five. Freiburger had started the race in the sixth row.
The final checkered flag waved just past ten o’clock and as I made the 145-mile drive home I again wished that this place was about an hour closer to home! A big thanks to Keith Simmons and his entire crew for their hospitality and I enjoyed visiting with Kevin and Carrie Feller, Eric Huenefeld, Larry Bontz and Doug Haack. They are some of the best that you will find in the business. It was also good to see IMCA’s Kevin Yoder and Grant Ostvig who do a fantastic job presenting the Deery Brothers Summer Series events from track-to-track.
No comments:
Post a Comment