Andy and Denny Eckrich lined up first and third on the starting grid for the $5,555-to-win main event in memory of the popular driver of the "High Five" racing team late model who lost his life eight years ago here in a pit area accident and the two brothers quickly pulled away from the field at the drop of the green. Andy was setting a blistering pace and Denny was doing his best to keep up until lap sixteen when the leader got a bit too high exiting turn two. Andy's contact with the back stretch wall sent sparks flying and the minor damage incurred was enough to slow the #56 down just enough for Denny to go to work on him.
The next six laps were a classic brotherly battle as the two ran side-by-side around the fast high-banked oval with Denny nosing ahead to lead lap nineteen. The next two laps were literally too close to call and Andy had a nose out front on lap twenty-two, but the only way to know that for sure was because the caution then waved for a spinning Travis Smock in turn two and Andy was placed in front for the restart. A three-car pileup a lap later eliminated defending race champion Mike Murphy Jr. along with Ron Klein and Todd Malmstrom and following a lengthy delay to pull a couple of the cars apart the lineup featured Andy out front with Denny and Jason Utter in the first row of two and behind them were two drivers who had been coming toward the front fast. Tom Darbyshire had started in the twentieth position and Jeff Aikey had lined up twelfth on the original grid and neither was content with fourth or fifth.
Andy would hold off Denny until lap twenty-nine when the older brother would then take over and Andy was now trying to hold back the hard charging Darbyshire for second. Four laps later Darbyshire got too high coming out of turn two and his car nearly climbed over the universal barriers going down the back stretch leaving his damaged mount stopped up against the wall at the entrance of turn three. Tom was obviously frustrated as he climbed out of the car, but the crowd gave him a big round of applause for the amazing run that he had made through the pack.
A new contender emerged for the ensuing restart as Brian Harris had put the Richard Realty and Auction #15 into the top five after starting twenty-first and the field went back to green for the final seventeen laps. Denny was able to put some distance on his challengers as Aikey worked to clear Andy for second and once he did so Aikey had over a half a straightaway to try to make up on the leader. He needed some help from lap traffic, but with the back of the pack still running fast laps as well, the laps would run out before the leader reach them and Denny Eckrich pumped his fist with jubilation as he crossed the finish line in victory. Aikey's second place run is a good way to start his defense of the Deery Series crown and Harris slipped past Andy Eckrich and Jason Utter in those closing laps to take third. Colby Springsteen delighted his fans with a sixth-place finish, Jeremiah Hurst came from the eighth row to finish seventh, Justin Kay started last in the 24-car field and moved to eighth, Tom Goble was ninth and Joel Callahan moved up from the ninth row to finish tenth.
Slocum 50 Notes......Despite overcast skies and a forecast of isolated thunderstorms the event drew 46 IMCA Late Models and a solid crowd to enjoy them. The sun actually made an appearance right around race time as the skies appeared to be clearing, but not long after a couple of nearby lightning bolts were seen and rain fell for about five minutes as the first B-Main concluded. Jeff and Amy Laue's crew quickly had tires on the track to save it and it wasn't long before we were back to racing with stars in the sky overhead and a lightning show off to the east.....Jason Utter started tenth and was quickly up to third and closing on the Eckrich brothers before dropping back to fifth at the checkers.....In addition to the $5,555 winners check, Denny earned the $538 "Honus Bonus" for leading lap 38 in memory of Jeremy "Honus" Wagner, a former crewman for Colby Springsteen's #38......Brian Harris staked claim to the $555 Hard Charger award from the High Five supporters.....There are no series point provisionals awarded during the first two Deery events this year, but the traditional Hard Charger provisional given to the driver who passes the most cars in both the heat and the B-main who did not finish in a transfer position was handed out. And it went to Justin Kay who likely earned it on the final lap of the second B-Main when he passed Ray Guss Jr. for sixth......The Hall of Famer Guss along with Tyler Bruening and Jay Johnson are usually Summer Series point championship contenders, but tonight they were spectators come feature time.....Brandon Queen was a new name to the IMCA Late Model roster tonight. The son of former 34 Raceway Sportsman division competitor Alan Queen from Keokuk, Brandon drives a car purchased at the end of last year from Colby Springsteen.....The Deery Series returns to action next weekend with a Saturday night (April 13th) stop at West Liberty and then on Sunday night (April 14th) the "Boys of Summer" light up the high-banks of the Dubuque Speedway.
In support class action, the IMCA Sport Mods went for fifteen-laps of non-stop racing with Chris Larson taking the win from the pole position. Derek St. Clair chased him throughout and then held back a late challenge from Carter VanDenBerg to finish second, Bobby Anders came from eighth to fourth and Ryan Fullenkamp rounded out the top five. Twenty-six IMCA Sport Compacts checked in with twenty-four of them taking the green flag for the 12-lap main event that saw Adam Gates come from the outside of row four to hold the lead by turn two. He didn't just do it once though as the first two starts were wiped out by caution flags, Gates did it three times and then cruised to an apparent victory. However, both Gates and second finishing Michael Grossman failed the post-race tech inspection handing the win over to Nicholas Van Hemurt of Drakesville. Billy Stanford, Scott Smith, Kimberly Abbott and Cody Van Dusen would fill out the official top five.
Congratulations and thanks go to Brad Stevens and his entire group of friends and fans of Brent Slocum who pull together all of the sponsors to make this event so special. The drivers greatly appreciate the extra cash, but something tells me that most of them would be there even without it to honor their fallen friend and competitor. Jeff and Amy Laue and the entire 34 Raceway family are a huge part of this effort as well and once again they presented a spectacular race program that should have fans marking their calendar already for the sixth running of this event in 2014.
The MOWA 410 Sprints are next up on the schedule at 34 Raceway on Saturday April 13th and Late Model fans will not want to miss the MARS/ALMS/Corn Belt Clash Late Model Clash for Cash on Saturday April 20th at 34.
With my lovely bride elsewhere for the evening I am going to do something that I usually only pull off in August and that is to go to four nights of racing in a row as the IMCA Frostbuster mini series wraps up tonight (Sunday) at the Benton County Speedway in Vinton. Perhaps I'll see you there!
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