Opening night Deery honors at Farley go to Eckrich
FARLEY, Iowa (April 6) – The third time was a charm for Andy Eckrich and the Deery Brothers Summer Series.
Eckrich won the twice-rescheduled IMCA Late Model tour opener Friday night at Farley Speedway, earning $2,000 for his career fifth series win. Jeff Aikey led most of the first half of the 35-lapper and pressed Eckrich to the finish before slowing with a broken rear end coming out of the last turn.
Tyler Bruening, Mike Murphy Jr., Jay Johnson and Joel Callahan took advantage of that situation and passed Aikey, who coasted across the stripe in sixth.
Aikey drew the pole and went back and forth on the Farley half-mile oval with Bruening before the third-starting Eckrich took the lead on lap 17.
Aikey nearly returned the favor but a lap 22 yellow erased his pass for the front spot. The final caution came with four laps left but Eckrich, the 2011 series runner-up, stayed fastest to the checkers.
Johnson advanced 11 positions after qualifying from his “B” feature. Two-time defending series champion Ray Guss Jr. exited early with mechanical problems and was scored 19th.
Travis Denning won the $250 Sunoco Race Fuels feature qualifier drawing. Ron Barker topped the IMCA Modified main event.
Inclement weather and the resulting wet track conditions had forced postponement of the Deery opener at Farley from March 31 and then from April 1.
Deery Series drivers are on the track again Saturday night, April 7 for the Slocum 50 event at 34 Raceway in West Burlington.
Pit gates open at 3:30 p.m. and the grandstand opens at 5 p.m. Hot laps start at 6:15 p.m. and racing begins at 7 p.m. The main event pays $3,000 to win.
Feature Results – 1. Andy Eckrich, Oxford; 2. Tyler Bruening, Decorah; 3. Mike Murphy Jr., Colona, Ill.; 4. Jay Johnson, West Burlington; 5. Joel Callahan, Dubuque; 6. Jeff Aikey, Cedar Falls; 7. Denny Eckrich, Tiffin; 8. Dean Wagner, Evansdale; 9. Darrel DeFrance, Marshalltown; 10. Jason Hahne, Webster City; 11. Colby Springsteen, Wapello; 12. Luke Goedert, Guttenberg; 13. Justin Kay, Wheatland; 14. Charlie McKenna, Clear Lake; 15. Ron Klein, Sherrill; 16. Nick Marolf, Moscow; 17. Joe Ross, Thomson, Ill.; 18. Mike Garland, Morrison, Ill.; 19. Ray Guss Jr., Milan, Ill.; 20. Tom Darbyshire, Morning Sun; 21. Travis Denning, Sterling, Ill.; 22. Tommy Elston, Keokuk; 23. Jim Brokus, Dubuque; 24. Gary Webb, Blue Grass.
1st heat (top three) – 1. Denny Eckrich; 2. Bruening; 3. Murphy; 4. Darbyshire; 5. Webb; 6. Luke Pestka, Robins; 7. Jonathan Poll, Delmar; 8. Jeff Mitrisin, Oskaloosa; 9. Kay.
2nd heat – 1. Callahan; 2. Andy Eckrich; 3. Aikey; 4. Denning; 5. Elston; 6. Scott Riechers, Belmont, Wis.; 7. Garland; 8. Doug Yates, Monticello.
3rd heat – 1. Marolf; 2. Hahne; 3. Guss; 4. Johnson; 5. Ross; 6. Nate Beuseling, Silvis, Ill.; 7. Mike Klinkkammer, West Branch; 8. Dale Hackwell Jr., Washburn.
4th heat – 1. Klein; 2. Wagner; 3. DeFrance; 4. Brokus; 5. Goedert; 6. McKenna; 7. Dan Shelliam, Hazel Green, Wis.; 8. Springsteen.
1st “B” feature (top six) – 1. Darbyshire; 2. Denning; 3. Elston; 4. Kay; 5. Webb; 6. Garland; 7. Pestka; 8. Riechers; 9. Poll; 10. Mitrisin; 11. Yates.
2nd “B” feature – 1. Goedert; 2. Johnson; 3. McKenna; 4. Ross; 5. Brokus; 6. Springsteen; 7. Shelliam; 8. Beuseling; 9. Klinkkammer; 10. Hackwell.