Holds off Denny Eckrich in Day One of Showdown in the Heartland
By Tom Lathen
(Muskogee, OK) Terry Phillips led from flag-to-flag Friday night to win day one of the “Showdown in the Heartland,” a WORLD Dirt Racing League PolyDome Late Model Series event here at Outlaw Motor Speedway.
Phillips, of Springfield, Missouri, held off a late charge by Denny Eckrich to win the caution flag marred event.
“I always like to come down here to race,” said Phillips following the win. “I really like to race on these big race tracks.”
“It kind of rubbered down towards the end there and became a little bit of a one lane race track,” he added. “But you can sure get out and run on a place like this.”
After grabbing the win in the six-lap Iowa-Illinois Taylor Insulation pole dash, the talented southern Missouri driver came from an inside front row starting position in the 30-lap feature race and outran Sonny Findling at the drop of the green flag to grab the early advantage.
Three caution flags in the opening half dozen circuits slowed the race, before a three-car tangle involving David Barker, Justin Fulton, and Odie Green again regrouped the field on lap seven.
Phillips again raced to the advantage on the ensuing restart with Tiffin, Iowa’s Denny Eckrich running in close second just ahead of Findling and Colorado driver Kelly Boen, who were battling side-by-side for third.
Prior to a lap 12 caution flag, Boen wheeled his Roadrunner Fabrication entry into third, and a few laps later dispatched of Eckrich to move into the runner-up position, behind the front-running Phillips.
Following the final caution flag of the night on lap 18, Eckrich, who had earlier fallen to fourth, began his charge back towards the front, wheeling around Findling to recapture third, before darting underneath Boen to grab second as the pair raced out of turn two on lap 20.
The driver of the Precision Performance/Barry Wright/Grove Automotive Pontiac Grand Prix applied constant pressure to the eventual winner but fell short at the line by less than a pair of car lengths.
“I hated all of those restarts,” commented Phillips. “You never were able to get a good run and every time you kind of got comfortable, another caution came out.”
“I knew it was eventually going to rubber down and I pretty much stayed in the fastest lane most of the race,” he added. “Those last few laps I had to move down a little bit, but the car was pretty good no matter where I was on the race track.”
Following Phillips and Eckrich at the line was Boen, with Findling holding off two-time series champion Kyle Berck for fourth.
RACE REPORT:
First PolyDome Qualifier: 1. Scott Drake (Webb City, MO), 2. Sonny Findling (Kirksville, MO), 3. Russell Portwood (Coffeyville, KS), 4. Justin Fegers (Mound, MN), 5. Dewaine Hottinger (Russellville, AR).
Second PolyDome Qualifier: 1. Al Purkey (Coffeyville, KS), 2. Shane Essary (Aurora, MO), 3. Justin Fulton (Muskogee, OK), 4. Matt Furman (Iowa City, IA0, 5. Duke Whiseant (Texarkana, AR).
Third PolyDome Qualifier: 1. Bryan Allison (Marshall, MO). 2. Kyle Berck (Marquette, NE), 3. Terry Phillips (Springfield, MO), 4. David Barker (Kingville, MO), 5. Dave Eckrich (Cosgrove, IA).
Fourth PolyDome Qualifier: 1. Kelly Boen (Henderson, CO), 2. David Turner (Adrian, MO), 3. Alan Vaughn (Belton, MO), 4. Mike Brown (Fort Gibson, OK), 5. Charlie Randolph, Jr. (Muskogee, OK).
Fifth PolyDome Qualifier: 1. Denny Eckrich (Tiffin, IA), 2. Odie Green (Fouke, AR), 3. Jason Bodenhamer (Centerview, MO), 4. C.J. Lyle (Shawnee, KS), 5. Leslie Essary (Crane, MO).
First KSE Racing Products Consolation: 1. Whiseant, 2. John Anderson (Omaha, NE), 3. Randolph, Jr. 4. Barker, 5. Dave Ecirich.
Second KSE Racing Products Consolation: 1. Leslie Essary, 2. Brown, 3. Delbert Smith (Wichita, KS), 4. Hottinger, 5. Lyle.
Showdown in the Heartland 30: 1. Phillips, 2. Denny Eckrich, 3. Boen, 4. Findling, 5. Berck, 6. Purkey, 7. Turner, 8. Fegers, 9. Brown, 10. Whiseant, 11. Shane Essary, 12. Bodenhamer, 13. Vaughm, 14. Dave Eckrich, 15. Allison, 16. Lyle, 17. Barker, 18. Eric Pember (Pittsville, WI), 19. Drake, 20. Dan Leatherman (Muskogee, OK), 21. Anderson, 22. Leslie Essary, 23. Portwood, 24. Green, 25. Fulton.
Items of Interest:
Lap Leaders: Phillips 1-50
QA1 Motorsports Passing Points: Boen (69.5)
Rookie of the Race: Fegers
Chase Race Decals Hard Luck Award: Furman
Series Provisionals: Dave Eckrich, Pember
Contingency Awards:
Oval Craft Racing Aluminum Designs: Dave Eckrich, Boen, Findling
Champ Pans: Berck
Design 500 Racewear: Purkey
Performance Bodies: Fegers
Fast Shafts by Axle Design: Dave Eckrich
Hooker Harness: Pember
Weld Racing Wheel: Anderson
Sunoco Race Fuels/Diamond Oil: Furman
The Brake Man: Keith Foss
Iowa-Illinois Taylor Insulation: Findling, Denny Eckrich, Boen
KSE Racing Products: Anderson, Smith
Chase Race Decals: Furman
QA1 Motorsports: Boen
By Tom Lathen
(Muskogee, OK) Terry Phillips led from flag-to-flag Friday night to win day one of the “Showdown in the Heartland,” a WORLD Dirt Racing League PolyDome Late Model Series event here at Outlaw Motor Speedway.
Phillips, of Springfield, Missouri, held off a late charge by Denny Eckrich to win the caution flag marred event.
“I always like to come down here to race,” said Phillips following the win. “I really like to race on these big race tracks.”
“It kind of rubbered down towards the end there and became a little bit of a one lane race track,” he added. “But you can sure get out and run on a place like this.”
After grabbing the win in the six-lap Iowa-Illinois Taylor Insulation pole dash, the talented southern Missouri driver came from an inside front row starting position in the 30-lap feature race and outran Sonny Findling at the drop of the green flag to grab the early advantage.
Three caution flags in the opening half dozen circuits slowed the race, before a three-car tangle involving David Barker, Justin Fulton, and Odie Green again regrouped the field on lap seven.
Phillips again raced to the advantage on the ensuing restart with Tiffin, Iowa’s Denny Eckrich running in close second just ahead of Findling and Colorado driver Kelly Boen, who were battling side-by-side for third.
Prior to a lap 12 caution flag, Boen wheeled his Roadrunner Fabrication entry into third, and a few laps later dispatched of Eckrich to move into the runner-up position, behind the front-running Phillips.
Following the final caution flag of the night on lap 18, Eckrich, who had earlier fallen to fourth, began his charge back towards the front, wheeling around Findling to recapture third, before darting underneath Boen to grab second as the pair raced out of turn two on lap 20.
The driver of the Precision Performance/Barry Wright/Grove Automotive Pontiac Grand Prix applied constant pressure to the eventual winner but fell short at the line by less than a pair of car lengths.
“I hated all of those restarts,” commented Phillips. “You never were able to get a good run and every time you kind of got comfortable, another caution came out.”
“I knew it was eventually going to rubber down and I pretty much stayed in the fastest lane most of the race,” he added. “Those last few laps I had to move down a little bit, but the car was pretty good no matter where I was on the race track.”
Following Phillips and Eckrich at the line was Boen, with Findling holding off two-time series champion Kyle Berck for fourth.
RACE REPORT:
First PolyDome Qualifier: 1. Scott Drake (Webb City, MO), 2. Sonny Findling (Kirksville, MO), 3. Russell Portwood (Coffeyville, KS), 4. Justin Fegers (Mound, MN), 5. Dewaine Hottinger (Russellville, AR).
Second PolyDome Qualifier: 1. Al Purkey (Coffeyville, KS), 2. Shane Essary (Aurora, MO), 3. Justin Fulton (Muskogee, OK), 4. Matt Furman (Iowa City, IA0, 5. Duke Whiseant (Texarkana, AR).
Third PolyDome Qualifier: 1. Bryan Allison (Marshall, MO). 2. Kyle Berck (Marquette, NE), 3. Terry Phillips (Springfield, MO), 4. David Barker (Kingville, MO), 5. Dave Eckrich (Cosgrove, IA).
Fourth PolyDome Qualifier: 1. Kelly Boen (Henderson, CO), 2. David Turner (Adrian, MO), 3. Alan Vaughn (Belton, MO), 4. Mike Brown (Fort Gibson, OK), 5. Charlie Randolph, Jr. (Muskogee, OK).
Fifth PolyDome Qualifier: 1. Denny Eckrich (Tiffin, IA), 2. Odie Green (Fouke, AR), 3. Jason Bodenhamer (Centerview, MO), 4. C.J. Lyle (Shawnee, KS), 5. Leslie Essary (Crane, MO).
First KSE Racing Products Consolation: 1. Whiseant, 2. John Anderson (Omaha, NE), 3. Randolph, Jr. 4. Barker, 5. Dave Ecirich.
Second KSE Racing Products Consolation: 1. Leslie Essary, 2. Brown, 3. Delbert Smith (Wichita, KS), 4. Hottinger, 5. Lyle.
Showdown in the Heartland 30: 1. Phillips, 2. Denny Eckrich, 3. Boen, 4. Findling, 5. Berck, 6. Purkey, 7. Turner, 8. Fegers, 9. Brown, 10. Whiseant, 11. Shane Essary, 12. Bodenhamer, 13. Vaughm, 14. Dave Eckrich, 15. Allison, 16. Lyle, 17. Barker, 18. Eric Pember (Pittsville, WI), 19. Drake, 20. Dan Leatherman (Muskogee, OK), 21. Anderson, 22. Leslie Essary, 23. Portwood, 24. Green, 25. Fulton.
Items of Interest:
Lap Leaders: Phillips 1-50
QA1 Motorsports Passing Points: Boen (69.5)
Rookie of the Race: Fegers
Chase Race Decals Hard Luck Award: Furman
Series Provisionals: Dave Eckrich, Pember
Contingency Awards:
Oval Craft Racing Aluminum Designs: Dave Eckrich, Boen, Findling
Champ Pans: Berck
Design 500 Racewear: Purkey
Performance Bodies: Fegers
Fast Shafts by Axle Design: Dave Eckrich
Hooker Harness: Pember
Weld Racing Wheel: Anderson
Sunoco Race Fuels/Diamond Oil: Furman
The Brake Man: Keith Foss
Iowa-Illinois Taylor Insulation: Findling, Denny Eckrich, Boen
KSE Racing Products: Anderson, Smith
Chase Race Decals: Furman
QA1 Motorsports: Boen
