WEST BURLINGTON, Iowa (April 7) – Once Mike Murphy Jr. got into the lead, the race was for second in Saturday’s Deery Brothers Summer Series Slocum 50 special.
Murphy took the $3,000 checkers half a lap ahead of runnerup Tyler Bruening, lapping up to the sixth place car in the IMCA Late Model tour event at 34 Raceway.
Jay Johnson led the first six times around the track from the track before giving way to the eighth starting Murphy, who set sail from that point. What proved to be the only caution of the night had come out on lap three and Murphy was lapping cars by the 17th circuit.
The victory was his Deery career second.
Bruening repeated his second-place finish from opening night on Friday. Joel Callahan was third while Ray Guss Jr., Farley winner Andy Eckrich and Jeff Aikey all raced their way from “B” features to the fourth through sixth finishing positions.
Guss passed a dozen cars, Eckrich 10 and Aikey 14.
Charlie McKenna won the $250 Sunoco Race Fuels feature qualifier drawing.
Brenton Slocum, IMCA Late Model track champion at West Burlington in 2004, was remembered with the missing man formation during parade laps. 34 Raceway also raised and contributed more than $1,000 Saturday evening for the scholarship fund in his name that benefits area high school students.
The third of 21 stops for the 26th annual Deery Series is next Saturday, April 14 at Hamilton County Speedway. Murphy and Bruening share the point lead as the tour returns to Webster City for the first time since 2006 with a $2,000 to win main event.
Also on the card are IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks, Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMods and local stock cars. Pit gates open at 4 p.m. and the grandstand opens at 5 p.m. Hot laps are at 6 p.m. and racing starts at 7 p.m.
Feature results – 1. Mike Murphy Jr., Colona, Ill.; 2. Tyler Bruening, Decorah; 3. Joel Callahan, Dubuque; 4. Ray Guss Jr., Milan, Ill.; 5. Andy Eckrich, Oxford; 6. Jeff Aikey, Cedar Falls; 7. Mark Burgtorf, Quincy, Ill.; 8. Tom Bowling Jr., Danville; 9. Tom Darbyshire, Morning Sun; 10. Matt Bailey, Quincy, Ill.; 11. Darrel DeFrance, Marshalltown; 12. Colby Springsteen, Wapello; 13. Sam Halstead, New London; 14. Jay Johnson, West Burlington; 15. Nate Beuseling, Silvis, Ill.; 16. Matt Strassheim, Morning Sun; 17. Luke Goedert, Guttenberg; 18. Joey Gower, Quincy, Ill.; 19. Justin Kay, Wheatland; 20. Charlie McKenna, Clear Lake; 21. Jason Hahne, Webster City; 22. Mike Garland, Morrison, Ill.; 23. Dean Wagner, Evansdale; 24. Gary Webb, Blue Grass.
1st heat (top three) – 1. Burgtorf; 2. Webb; 3. McKenna; 4. Darbyshire; 5. Eckrich; 6. Doug Yates, Monticello; 7. Matt Ryan, Davenport; 8. Lonnie Bailey, Quincy, Ill.; 9. Tom Goble, Burlington.
2nd heat – 1. Johnson; 2. Bailey; 3. Bruening; 4. DeFrance; 5. Halstead; 6. Gower; 7. Hahne; 8. Tommy Elston, Keokuk; 9. Jeff Mitrisin, Oskaloosa.
3rd heat – 1. Beuseling; 2. Strassheim; 3. Murphy; 4. Wagner; 5. Todd Malmstrom, Silvis, Ill.; 6. Travis Denning, Sterling, Ill.; 7. Kyle Hinrichs, Swisher; 8. Karl Krezschman, Council Bluffs; 9. Tim Simpson, Iowa City.
4th heat – 1. Bowling; 2. Kay; 3. Callahan; 4. Springsteen; 5. Guss; 6. Goedert; 7. Aikey; 8. Garland; 9. Joe Ross, Thomson, Ill.; 10. Ray Raker, Danville.
1st “B” feature (top six) – 1. Darbyshire; 2. Eckrich; 3. DeFrance; 4. Hahne; 5. Halstead; 6. Gower; 7. Yates; 8. Lonnie Bailey; 9. Ryan; 10. Mitrisin; 11. Goble; 12. Elston.
2nd “B” feature – 1. Springsteen; 2. Guss; 3. Goedert; 4. Aikey; 5. Wagner; 6. Garland; 7. Malmstrom; 8. Ross; 9. Hinrichs; 10. Simpson; 11. Krezschman; 12. Denning; 13. Raker.