TIPTON, Iowa (June 11) – Brian Harris has got to be thinking about building an addition to his trophy case.
Harris won the Deery Brothers Summer Series main event Tuesday evening at Cedar County Raceway. The $3,000 IMCA Late Model tour victory was his third straight, one shy of the tour record established by Gary Webb in 1994 and equaled by Rob Toland a decade later.
The series point leader gets his opportunity to match the mark himself next Tuesday, June 18 at West Liberty Raceway.
Half a dozen lead changes, just a single caution and a virtual photo-finish for second place contributed to the story line at Tipton.
Justin Kay drew the pole for the 50-lapper and led the first three laps before outside front row starter Stephan Kammerer eked ahead on lap four.
Setting a bristling pace, Kammerer caught up with the back of the field by lap 10. Disaster struck on the next circuit, however, as he missed his mark in the first set of turns and spun, bringing out the yellow and then restarting at the rear.
That put Kay and Denny Eckrich up front for the restart. They’d trade the lead before Eckrich settled in for a 10-lap run in first.
The seventh starting Harris stayed locked in third until midway, when he found the fast line to the front. He stayed there to the checkers and his eighth career Deery victory while Kay, Eckrich and Ray Guss Jr. went three-wide for the runner-up spot.
Kay finally got the edge in that battle with 10 laps left and managed to pare some of Harris’ lead in traffic, but ran out of laps to challenge. Andy Eckrich got back in the mix late and came just inches short of besting Kay in the race for second.
Denny Eckrich was fourth and Guss took fifth. Kammerer stayed fast and worked his way back into the top 10 before spinning again. Hard charger was Darrel DeFrance, who advanced 11 spots to finish 12th.
Andy Eckrich won the $250 Sunoco Race Fuels feature qualifier drawing. Harris’ cylinder head was removed and passed post-race tech inspection,
Seven-time and defending series champion Jeff Aikey came into the night second in the standings, 14 points off the pace. He broke in his heat race and did not start his “B.”
Pit gates open at 4 p.m. and the grandstand opens at 5:30 p.m. for the West Liberty show. Hot laps are at 6:30 p.m. with racing to follow.
Darin Duffy won Tuesday’s Karl Performance Hawkeye Dirt Tour presented by XSAN feature for IMCA Xtreme Motor Sports Modifieds at Tipton.
Feature results – 1. Brian Harris, Davenport; 2. Justin Kay, Wheatland; 3. Andy Eckrich, Oxford; 4. Denny Eckrich, Tiffin; 5. Ray Guss Jr., Milan, Ill.; 6. Nate Beuseling, Silvis, Ill.; 7. Mike Zemo Jr., Davenport; 8. Luke Merfeld, Dubuque; 9. Jason Utter, Columbus Junction; 10. Joel Callahan, Dubuque; 11. Todd Malmstrom, Silvis, Ill.; 12. Darrel DeFrance, Marshalltown; 13. Jeremiah Hurst, Dubuque; 14. Dan Shelliam, Hazel Green, Wis.; 15. Kyle Hinrichs, Swisher; 16. Spencer Diercks, Davenport; 17. Andy Nezworski, Buffalo; 18. Tyler Bruening, Decorah; 19. Rob Moss, Iowa City; 20. Ron Klein, Sherrill; 21. Colby Springsteen, Wapello; 22. Stephan Kammerer, Blue Grass; 23. Nick Marolf, Moscow; 24. Rob Toland, Colona, Ill.
1st heat (top three) – 1. Utter; 2. Merfeld; 3. Beuseling; 4. Hinrichs; 5. Toland; 6. Jason Bert, Moline, Ill.; 7. Jon Poll, Delmar; 8. Jeff Aikey, Cedar Falls.
2nd heat – 1. Kay; 2. Kammerer; 3. Klein; 4. Marolf; 5. DeFrance; 6. Springsteen; 7. B.J. Bates, Long Grove; 8. Jay Chenoweth, Wapello.
3rd heat – 1. Zemo; 2. Hurst; 3. Bruening; 4. Malmstrom; 5. Marty Diercks, Bettendorf; 6. Ron Boyse, Kalona; 7. Duane Christisen, Davenport; 8. Ryan Claeys, Morrison, Ill.
4th heat – 1. Andy Eckrich; 2. Guss; 3. Callahan; 4. Curt Martin, Independence; 5. Joe Ross, Thomson, Ill.; 6. Scott Fitzpatrick, Urbandale; 7. Tim Simpson, Iowa City.
5th heat – 1. Denny Eckrich; 2. Harris; 3. Shelliam; 4. Nezworski; 5. Moss; 6. Spencer Diercks; 7. Chad Lerch, Cedar Rapids.
1st “B” feature (top three) – 1. Hinrichs; 2. Nezworski; 3. Malmstrom; 4. Spencer Diercks; 5. DeFrance; 6. Simpson; 7. Boyse; 8. Bates; 9. Claeys; 10. Bert; 11. Ross; 12. Aikey.
2nd “B” feature – 1. Moss; 2. Marolf; 3. Toland; 4. Poll; 5. Springsteen; 6. Lerch; 7. Christisen; 8. Fitzpatrick; 9. Martin; 10. Chenoweth; 11. Marty Diercks.
Hard charger – Spencer Diercks. Point provisionals – DeFrance and Springsteen.