Dave Eckrich Cashes in at C.J.

    Thursday night was the rescheduled Hoker Trucking SLMR east series event at the C. J. Speedway in Columbus Junction, Iowa. In addition to the super late models racing for a $3,000 top prize, three of the weekly classes were also on the card. IMCA modifieds, IMCA sport mods, and stock cars battled for extra prize money, with sponsor donations swelling the winners share to $1,000 for the sport mods and stock cars. The SLMR portion of the night would be the first of a three night tour through eastern Iowa, with a Friday night stop at the West Liberty Raceway followed by Saturday night action at the Maquoketa Speedway. 

   The legendary track on the Louisa County Fairgrounds was for many years a half mile staple of the long defunct MVSC  - the Mississippi Valley Speed Club, but has since been shortened to a very racy 4/10 mile oval complete with a unique levee on the backstretch to hold back the sometimes rising waters of the volatile Iowa River.

   Eighty six cars checked in on a sultry evening, highlighted by twenty five late models. Competition kicked off with late model time trials and Chad Holladay took top honors posting a lap of 18.950 seconds.

  Eleven heat races set the feature fields and within all cars qualified for feature racing, there were no useless position dashes disguised as "B mains."

   With no break in the action all eighteen modifieds lined up for twenty laps. Derrick Stewart and track point champion Jarrett Brown paced the field, with Brown holding the early lead. As lap two was scored, fourth starting Denny Eckrich had powered to second, and row four starter Cayden Carter joined the front duo on lap five. By the halfway mark, Eckrich was hounding the leader, and he used an inside move in turn three to grab the lead on lap eleven. With the top three separated from the pack, Carter closed on Brown for second at lap seventeen while Eckrich maintained a solid lead. Flagman Doug Haack displayed the "two to go" sign, Eckrich charged through turn one and in a totally out of character move, looped his #50 as he exited turn two. The only caution flag of the event saw Carter down low and Brown up top restart side by side for a green, white, checkers finish. Carter immediately pulled to the lead and acknowledged his good fortune in victory lane. Brown came home second in front of Stewart. Jeff Waterman and Kyle Madden battled throughout, and completed the first five in that order.

   Stock cars were next, all nineteen cars for twenty laps. With young Dallon Murty starting on the pole, the rest of the pack had a tall order to keep him from the winners' circle. Outside row one starter Johnny Spaw and third starting David Brandies are also no strangers to victory lane, and they kept Murty in their sites while father Damon Murty moved from row three to fourth. The first yellow came at lap three, and Brandies used the Delaware style restart to move to second as the elder Murty took third. A second caution came at lap five and now Damon took up the chase in second. The preferred and seemingly fastest line was low on the track, but Damon was working a high line, searching for speed. Spaw rebounded to second following a third and final caution, but Damon soon retook the spot and was again searching the high side for a line to the front. With the white flag in the air, Dallon bobbled slightly as he ran the middle through turn one, and Damon was able to execute an inside pass for the lead and the win. Dallon joined his father in victory lane, no doubt a bit disappointed in his runner up finish. Spaw ran third, followed by Brandies and row six starter Corey Strothman.

   Thirty laps would be the distance for the late models. Twenty four drivers lined up, with Nick Marolf the only one to not answer the call. The front row was all Eckrich, with Andy and heat two winner Dave setting the pace. The first attempt at a start was waved off as Jon Brauns rolled to a stop in front of the inside front stretch wall. On the next try, it Was Andy leading Dave, fourth starting Holladay, and sixth starting Chris Simpson. Dave Eckrich drove around his brother on lap two, and by the time Simpson grabbed second at lap six, Dave held a sizable lead. Holladay then made the pass for the runner up spot, and by lap twelve, slower traffic was coming into play allowing Chad to close the gap to the leader. Four more circuits, traffic was heavy, and Simpson again joined the front duo in what was now a three car scrum. Holladay powered to the front on lap twenty one, holding the spot until Dave Eckrich was nose ahead as lap twenty four was scored. Simpson had one last gasp, taking second with three laps left and making a run at the leader, but Dave was not to be denied, as he picked up his first SLMR win. Chasing Simpson and Holladay, it was Charlie McKenna topping Andy for fourth. Jason Hahne moved up six spots to sixth, and Chad Simpson piloted the Jay Johnson #93 in seventh. Heat three winner Todd Cooney came home in eighth, besting series point leader Justin Kay and row ten starter Jeff Aikey. Mark Burgtorf topped the first heat, but finished outside the top ten. 

   This blogger had an early call for Friday, so we headed to the parking lot as the sport mods came to the track for the finale. Congrats to Dylan VanWyk on his win over Shane Paris, Colton Livezey, twenty first starting Austen Becerra in the Logan Cumby #8C, and Trey Rock. 

   Thanks to Larry Richardson and staff for a quick week night show on a well prepared track that yielded exciting side by side racing throughout! We will be leaving soon for night number two of the SLMR east mini tour at the West Liberty fairgrounds half mile. If you see us there, stop and say "Hi!"