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WEST LIBERTY, Iowa (Oct. 11) – Justin Kay couldn’t have scripted a better finish to his career first Deery Brothers Summer Series championship campaign.
Kay won the final event of the 2014 IMCA Late Model tour Saturday during West Liberty Raceway’s Liberty 100 special.
He followed that victory – his sixth in 14 series events and career ninth– with another $3,000 run to the checkers in the pay/no points feature that followed. Both main events were 50 laps.
Denny Eckrich, Nate Beuseling, Colby Springsteen and rookie of the year Ryan Dolan completed the top five in the series finale.
Ray Guss Jr. and Todd Malmstrom were the early leaders before Beuseling took over for a long run at the front. Kay finally caught up on lap 43 and beat the 10th starting Eckrich to the checkers by a couple car lengths.
Nick Marolf, Jeremy Grady and Chad Holladay split time up front before Kay worked his way from 20th starting and into the lead on lap 19 in the second feature.
He won by a straightaway despite a lap 41 restart. Dolan, Denny Eckrich, Andy Eckrich and Chad Holladay completed the top five.
Kay is the fifth different driver to win the IMCA national and Deery Series titles in the same season. Jeff Aikey accomplished the feat in 1987, Curt Martin in 1990, Mark Burgtorf in 1998 and Guss in 2010 and 2011.
Andy Eckrich topped Friday’s $1,000 to win Ideal Ready Mix Ironman Challenge, open to all former series champions and drivers with perfect series attendance this season.
Matt Ryan led the first 15 of 20 laps before Eckrich drove by and won by six car lengths. Aikey was a distant third.
Andy Eckrich also won the Sunoco Race Fuels feature qualifier drawing at West Liberty.
Inclement weather had forced postponement of the Liberty 100 from Oct. 3-4. The rescheduled date matched the 1991 finale as the latest in the series’ 28-year history.
Oct. 11 Results
Deery Series feature – 1. Justin Kay, Wheatland; 2. Denny Eckrich, Tiffin; 3. Nate Beuseling, Silvis, Ill.; 4. Colby Springsteen, Wapello; 5. Ryan Dolan, Lisbon; 6. Mike Murphy Jr., Colona, Ill.; 7. Ray Guss Jr., Milan, Ill.; 8. Kyle Hinrichs, Swisher; 9. Andy Eckrich, Oxford; 10. Kevin Kile, West Liberty; 11. Tommy Elston, Keokuk; 12. Joel Callahan, Dubuque; 13. Jeff Aikey, Cedar Falls; 14. Tyler Bruening, Decorah; 15. Jonathan Brauns, Muscatine; 16. Chad Holladay, Muscatine; 17. Todd Malmstrom, Silvis, Ill.; 18. Ron Boyse, Kalona; 19. Rob Moss, Iowa City; 20. Nick Marolf, Moscow; 21. Jeremy Grady, Story City; 22. Brian Harris, Davenport; 23. Scott Fitzpatrick, Urbandale; 24. Jason Rauen, Farley.
Pay no points feature results – 1. Kay; 2. Dolan; 3. Denny Eckrich; 4. Andy Eckrich; 5. Holladay; 6. Guss; 7. Springsteen; 8. Kile; 9. Grady; 10. Beuseling; 11. Malmstrom; 12. Murphy; 13. Callahan; 14. Curran Beckler, Tiffin; 15. Brauns; 16. Darrel DeFrance, Marshalltown; 17. Gary Webb, Blue Grass; 18. Aikey; 19. Boyse; 20. Marolf; 21. Elston; 22. Bruening; 23. Hinrichs; 24. Matt Ryan, Davenport.
1st “B” feature (top six qualify) – 1. Murphy; 2. Springsteen; 3. Fitzpatrick; 4. Kile; 5. Marolf; 6. Grady; 7. Webb; 8. DeFrance; 9. Ryan; 10. Becky Roth, Kieler, Wis.; 11. Curtis Glover, Des Moines; 12. Dolan.
2nd “B” feature – 1. Denny Eckrich; 2. Aikey; 3. Hinrichs; 4. Callahan; 5. Bruening; 6. Brauns; 7. Elston; 8. Holladay; 9. Beckler; 10. Doug Yates, Monticello; 11. Jon Merfeld, Peosta; 12. Todd Cooney, Des Moines; 13. Jay Chenoweth, Wapello.
Hard charger – Holladay. Provisionals – Dolan, Elston and Moss.
Oct. 10 Results
1st heat (winner qualifies) – 1. Guss; 2. Hinrichs; 3. Ryan; 4. Beckler; 5. Springsteen; 6. Brauns; 7. Malmstrom; 8. Merfeld; 9. DeFrance; 10. Richie Gustin, Gilman.
2nd heat – 1. Kay; 2. Murphy; 3. Callahan; 4. Kile; 5. Aikey; 6. Elston; 7. Boyse; 8. Cooney; 9. Rick Dralle, Waterloo; 10. Joe Zrostlik, Long Grove.
3rd heat – 1. Andy Eckrich; 2. Fitzpatrick; 3. Bruening; 4. Beuseling; 5. Roth; 6. Glover; 7. Johnson; 8. Webb; 9. Marolf.
4th heat – 1. Harris; 2. Denny Eckrich; 3. Grady; 4. Holladay; 5. Rauen; 6. Moss; 7. Dolan; 8. Yates; 9. Chenoweth.
5th heat – 1. Malmstrom; 2. Springsteen; 3. DeFrance; 4. Brauns; 5. Merfeld; 6. Ryan; 7. Hinrichs; 8. Beckler; 9. Gustin
6th heat – 1. Boyse; 2. Murphy; 3. Cooney; 4. Aikey; 5. Hinrichs; 6. Elston; 7. Dralle; 8. Callahan; 9. Zrostlik.
7th heat – 1. Beuseling; 2. Fitzpatrick; 3. Bruening; 4. Webb; 5. Roth; 6. Johnson; 7. Glover; 8. Marolf.
8th heat – 1. Rauen; 2. Denny Eckrich; 3. Holladay; 4. Dolan; 5. Grady; 6. Yates; 7. Moss; 8. Chenoweth.
Ideal Ready Mix Ironman Challenge – 1. Andy Eckrich; 2. Ryan; 3. Aikey; 4. Harris; 5. Guss; 6. Kay; 7. Dolan; 8. Grady; 9. DeFrance; 10. Callahan; 11. Webb; 12. Fitzpatrick; 13. Rauen.