Feger Flies Davenport Checkers Friday Night

It wan an absolutely beautiful Spring evening in Davenport, Iowa, Friday and with Open Late Models attacking the big half-mile a huge crowd came out to watch as thirty-six drivers signed in. And for the second year in a row a driver who is better known for his short track skills walked away with the $3,500 top prize in the event that was co-sanctioned by MARS and the Corn Belt Clash series.

Using passing points in the heats followed up by a Dash for the top six, Jimmy Mars and Jesse Stovall would earn the front row for the forty-lap main event with local favorite Brian Birkhofer lined up third next to Jason Feger. Mars would take the lead on the opening lap as Birkhofer got by Stovall for second and the race was on between the two former business partners at MB Customs. Birkhofer was not able to mount a serious challenge though and on lap six Feger made his move. Flying past Birkhofer on the high side for second, there was no stopping this momentum as two laps later Feger made quick work of Mars to take over the lead.

The fifth running Stovall slowed with a flat tire on lap eighteen stopping Feger's runaway and he was given plenty of time to change the tire and restart at the back of the cars who remained on the lead lap. Prior to the caution Ryan Gustin had moved to fourth and was closing in on Birkhofer, but on the double file restart Birkhofer was able to get a jump off the bottom to take away second from Mars while Gustin faltered on the low side and slipped back to seventh. Even though he was ten to fifteen car lengths back, Birkhofer was able to match Feger's pace and when traffic came into play once again that lead began to shrink. The leader had just cleared the lapped cars of Justin Asplin and Denny Eckrich a lap before when they raced side-by-side for position down the back stretch and into turn three. Knowing that he was running out of laps Birkhofer split the middle clearing Asplin, but as his charge took him up the track Eckrich ran out of room and tagged the concrete wall in turn four causing the final caution of the event with eight laps remaining.

Once again Birkhofer was able to stay with Feger on the restart and the crowd buzzed when it looked like he had a run on the bottom of turns three and four with three laps to go, but Feger was solid on the cushion and did not falter over the final laps to repeat his victory from April of 2013. Birkhofer would have to settle for second, Mars would take third and Ryan Gustin would race his way back up to fourth only to come up 19 pounds light at the scales. That would put Chad Simpson in the fourth position in the official finish while Jason Utter took fifth.

Notes......The thirty-six car field was a pleasant surprise bolstered by at least three or four drivers who would have otherwise been at Farley's Deery Brothers IMCA show that was washed out by heavy rains earlier this week. It was also good to see a couple of drivers who I believe are new to traveling with the MARS series make the long trip up from Ozarkland as I am guessing that it was the first time that Jon Driskill and Jeff Roth had raced on a big fairgrounds half-mile......Two drivers had issues during hot laps as Jason Rauen had a left front wheel come off at speed and Denny Eckrich had a pretty impressive fire erupt under the hood of his car......Birkhofer started sixth in the first heat race and made a last corner charge for the lead only to be nipped at the line by Brad Looney.....Jason Utter made the crowd gasp with his first lap move in the third heat race as he got the bottom to stick and go from third to first in front of Jesse Stovall. Proof that you don't win it on the first lap though, Stovall came back to pass Utter late for the win.....In each of the first three heat races a car with the #58 (Dave Eckrich, Ray Guss Jr., A.J. Diemel) on it finished in the third spot. There were no more 58's left to run the fourth heat......Will Vaught made a final lap pass of Lance Matthees to take the final transfer out of the second B-Main and "The Thrill" made the most of it in the feature as he came from 20th to finish sixth......Stovall made a great recovery after the flat tire racing his way back up to seventh.....Tony Jackson Jr., Diemel and Asplin completed the top ten.....MARS and the CBC will join the ALMS West series tonight (Saturday) at 34 Raceway in Burlington for the $10,555-to-win Brent Slocum Memorial.

Modifieds and the local Street Stock division also raced on the half-mile in support of the Late Models with fourteen and ten cars respectively signed in. Steve Jackson would lead the opening laps of the Street Stock main before Donnie Louck slipped by, but with five laps remaining Jackson was making his move to regain the lead when sparks suddenly showered from under his car bringing his race to an abrupt end. Louck would then fight off a challenge from Cary Brown to take the victory with Brown second and Chad Coyne in third. Cord Williams was the fourth and final car on the track at the checkers while Jackson was credited with fifth.

The twenty-lap Modified feature was a good one as Brandon Durbin established a big early lead. Jason Bahrs had started eighth and on lap nine he moved to second a full straightaway behind Durbin, but that lead would evaporate quickly as Bahrs prepared his challenge. With just two laps to go Bahrs drove deep into turn three to put the slider on Durbin and as Jason drifted up the track in four, Durbin kicked it off the cushion to make the crossover move and the two leaders raced down the front stretch side-by-side. Bahrs now had the preferred higher line into turn one and he was able to take the lead and the win to the cheers of the large and enthusiastic crowd. Durbin would have to settle for the second spot, Bob Dominacki came from ninth to third, Ken Kostenbader finished fourth and Kelly Meyer was fifth.

A big thanks to promoter Bob Wagener and his talented staff including Carrie Rouse, Ken Reimers, Phil Roberts and Mike McGuire for their hospitality and, as always, a professionally presented program. The Davenport Speedway begins its very solid weekly program on the quarter-mile oval next Friday night featuring the IMCA Late Models, Modifieds and Sport Mods along with the Street Stocks and Four Cylinders and depending upon the weather I might just be back in the Quad Cities again next weekend.

Tonight it is on to 34 Raceway in Burlington for the annual Brent Slocum Memorial. The weather looks perfect, the car count will be solid and many of the region's top stars will be on hand. If you are a Late Model fan this is one show that you are not going to want to miss!