Saturday night we made the trip to Davenport Speedway for the Iowa Governors Cup event. The featured class was the Hoker Trucking SLMR east series late models battling for $5,000 to win on the quarter mile oval. Modifieds were contesting a $1,000 prize, joined by sport mods, street stocks, and 4 stocks. In addition, the A.I.R.S. vintage cars filled out the card.
A whopping 153 race teams, including thirty three SLMR late models signed in for the nights' action. Unusually warm temps and a stiff breeze resulted in plenty of water being put on the track, and it took some extra time and packing to get it rolled in and ready. Once things kicked off, however, late model qualifying, the eighteen heat races and five B mains clicked off in good time, thanks in part to a " spin and your in " rule for qualifying races.
The SLMR series uses a combination of points accumulated through time trials and heat race passing points -with a six car invert- to set the first eight rows of the feature. Dave Eckrich posted the fastest lap at 14.772 seconds, which combined with a sixth place run in his heat race locked him into the main event. Many times the front runners in the heats are among those top sixteen, but on this night that was not always the case. Darrel Defrance crossed the line fourth in heat one, but wound up in B main number two, which he won to earn a ninth row spot in the feature. Dave Wada ( second ), Chuck Hanna ( third ), and Travis Denning ( third ) in their respective heats were relegated to one of the B's, all failing to transfer to the main event. Heat race wins went to Andy Eckrich, series points leader Tad Pospisil, Jeff Tharp, and Ray Guss Jr., who was wheeling the Lynn Richard #15R. Nick Marolf was victorious in the first B main. Yankee Dirt Track Classic winner Jason Rauen and Jill George were awarded provisional starting spots, with George climbing in the Ryan Claeys #35C, as her #22 had issues throughout the evening.
Feature racing began with nineteen of the twenty three street stocks struggling to complete their twelve lap feature. Five yellow flags put them at the time limit, but amazingly after that point, the final four laps went caution free. Jeff Struck Jr. started outside row one and rode the high line around the track to collect the win. He was pushed hard by ninth starting Tony Von Dresky who hugged the inside groove to finish in second. Struck would power ahead off turn two, while the #31 would pull even out of four. Struck nearly avoided trouble when he narrowly missed a spun and stalled car in turn four on lap eight.
Fifteen of the American Iron Racing Series cars signed in, with Bruce Yoerger pulling away in the second half of the ten lap feature to take the win in his 1966 Chevrolet Impala.
Forty laps was the distance for the SLMR late models. Richie Gustin and Jonathon Brauns led the field to green. Gustin paced the early laps followed closely by Brauns, Matt Ryan, Jeff Aikey, and Pospisil. By the third circuit, a three car race had developed, with Gustin riding the rim, Aikey in the middle, and Pospisil hugging the bottom of the multi groove track. Ryan closed the gap on the leaders about lap nine, and Brauns was hanging around in fifth. Aikey found the bite he needed to snag the lead on lap fourteen, and Pospisil followed him in second. Jumping to the cushion, Aikey began to stretch his margin, finally hitting slower traffic about lap seventeen. By now the track had taken lots of rubber, and Aikey was able to move around on the black slick surface to weave his way through the lapped cars. Forty laps clicked off caution free, as the veteran Aikey cruised to the win. Pospisil held off Gustin for third. Brauns was able to clear Ryan, but was DQ'd in post race tech. This moved Ryan to fourth, with Tharp scored fifth. Chad Simpson was piloting the Jay Johnson #93 for the night, and he came home sixth, chased across the line by Andy Eckrich, Justin Kay, Andrew Kosiski, and Spencer Diercks.
Kyle Olson bested thirty eight sport mods for a $500 payday, while double duty Spencer Diercks topped a stellar field of twenty eight modifieds. We were on the road before the sixteen car sport compact finale, and I regret that I have not seen a report on the outcome.
Thanks to Bob Wagener, Carrie Rouse, and the Drt Trak folks for their hospitality all throughout 2020, as we were able to attend several of their top notch events.
We next set our sites on the opening program of the three night Darkside Promotions Fall Bash at Tipton, Iowa this coming Thursday, then the Hoker Trucking SLMR east series finale next Saturday at Randolph County Raceway in Moberly, Missouri for the second annual Kenny Pratt Memorial. Again, for you RCR faithful, note that this race will be held on Saturday, a change from the regular Moberly race night.
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