Aikey tops Yankee, Kay repeats as Deery Series champion

FARLEY, Iowa (Sept. 19) – Jeff Aikey and Justin Kay both posted second straight wins Saturday at Farley Speedway’s Yankee Dirt Track Classic.

Aikey backed up his IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals fueled by Casey’s victory with a convincing run to the $7,500 checkers ahead of Nick Marolf in the 100-lap Deery Brothers Sum­mer Series main event.

Kay finished third and cemented his second consecutive IMCA Late Model tour championship.

Scott Fitzpatrick led the first 10 times around the oval before the fourth starting Aikey took charge. Marolf was able to make up ground as Aikey worked his way patiently through lapped traffic, but was never able to catch the leader.

“I tried to keep the car as straight as I could and didn’t slide the tires. Some other guys had flats but my tires could have gone another 35 laps, easy,” Aikey said. “I’ve been to a lot of Yankees and I was impressed with the track. It didn’t rubber down and you could race all over it.”

“The car was extremely balanced. My crew set it up perfect,” Aikey added, pointing to the efforts of Dwain Homolar, Curt Wollin, Marc Homolar, Chad Kinkaid and Craig Lindsey. “”They worked their tail off so my car was tremendously good. Jiminy Christmas, we were talking about do we keep it or do we sell it. I don’t know.”

Aikey pulled away following cautions on laps 52 and 78 and raced to series career win number 66. Marolf, Kay, Richie Gustin and tour rookie of the year Tyler Droste rounded out the top five.

“I still get excited about winning,” Aikey said. “I asked Dwain if he’d be with me long enough to get to 100 and he just laughed. We’ll go as long as we can go.”

Making his 451^st consecutive start and keeping his Deery Brothers perfect attendance streak in­tact through 29 seasons, Darrel DeFrance won the last-chance qualifying feature as well as the $250 Sunoco Race Fuels feature qualifier drawing.

While the Friday program was rained out, Saturday’s Yankee show brought 59 Late Models to Farley, the top entry number for the series this season.

Troy Cordes won the Xtreme Motor Sports IMCA Modified Hawkeye Dirt Tour feature and $2,000. Kyle Brown clinched the series title with his second place finish.

Other winners were Damon Murty in the IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, Tyler Soppe in the Karl Chevro­let Northern SportMods and Justin Wacha in the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks.

Deery Series feature results – 1. Jeff Aikey, Cedar Falls; 2. Nick Marolf, Moscow; 3. Justin Kay, Wheatland; 4. Richie Gustin, Gilman; 5. Tyler Droste, Waterloo; 6. Jason Rauen, Farley; 7. Scott Fitzpatrick, Wheatland; 8. Tyler Bruening, Decorah; 9. Andy Eckrich, Oxford; 10. Ray Guss Jr., Milan, Ill.; 11. Chris Horn, Cedar Rapids; 12. Joel Callahan, Dubuque; 13. Ryan Dolan, Lisbon; 14. Andy Nezworski, Buffalo; 15. Charlie McKenna, Clear Lake; 16. Travis Denning, Sterling, Ill.; 17. Matt Ryan, Davenport; 18. Chad Holladay, Muscatine; 19. Joe Zrostlik, Long Grove; 20. Ben Seemann, Waterloo; 21. John Emerson, Waterloo; 22. Darrel DeFrance, Marshalltown; 23. Denny Eckrich, Tiffin; 24. Travis Smock, Bondurant; 25. Kyle Hinrichs, Swisher.

1^st heat (top two qualify) ­– 1. Droste; 2. Gustin; 3. Smock; 4. McKenna; 5. Callahan; 6. Dolan; 7. Hol­laday; 8. Marty Scheckel, Long Grove; 9. Ryan Hill, Dubuque; 10. Dave Stichter, Shannon, Ill.

2^nd heat ­– 1. Ryan; 2. Seemann; 3. Darin Mish, Dickeyville, Wis.; 4. Brunson Behning, Davenport; 5. DeFrance; 6. Curt Martin, Independence; 7. Rick Wendling, Hazleton; 8. Zrostlik; 9. Carey Um­barger, Garner; 10. LeRoy Brenner, Aledo, Ill.

3^rd heat ­– 1. Kay; 2. Horn; 3. Guss; 4. Jeff Tharp, Sherrill; 5. Mark Hurst, Denver; 6. Sam Halstead, New London; 7. Jon Merfeld, Dubuque; 8. Jason Hahne, Webster City; 9. Jeremiah Hurst, Dubuque; 10. Jay Johnson, West Burlington.

4^th heat – 1. Rauen; 2. Marolf; 3. Denny Eckrich; 4. Doug Yates, Monticello; 5. Bruening; 6. Luke Goedert, Holy Cross; 7. Larry Harris, Muscoda, Wis.; 8. Jay Chenoweth, Wapello; 9. Dan Shelliam, Hazel Green, Wis.; 10. Becky Roth, Kieler, Wis.

5^th heat – 1. Nezworski; 2. Fitzpatrick; 3. Emerson; 4. Denning; 5. Greg Kastli, Waterloo; 6. Todd Malmstrom, Silvis, Ill.; 7. Mel Abels, Freeport, Ill.; 8. Scotty Welsh, Cedar Rapids; 9. Jon Poll, Delmar; 10. Ross Pierce, Sherrill.

6^th heat – 1. Aikey; 2. Andy Eckrich; 3. Jerry King, Waterloo; 4. Hinrichs; 5. Lyle Klein, Sherrill; 6. Gary Webb, Blue Grass; 7. Eric Pollard, Peosta; 8. Gabe Umbarger, Garner; 9. Wayne Hora, Ana­mosa.

1^st “B” feature (top three) – 1. Smock; 2. Callahan; 3. McKenna; 4. DeFrance; 5. Holladay; 6. Dolan; 7. Zrostlik; 8. Behning; 9. Martin; 10. Scheckel; 11. Carey Umbarger; 12. Mish; 13. Wendling; 14. Hill; 15. Stichter; 16. Brenner.

2^nd “B” feature – 1. Guss; 2. Denny Eckrich; 3. Bruening; 4. Tharp; 5. Merfeld; 6. Goedert; 7. Yates; 8. Hahne; 9. Mark Hurst; 10. Shelliam; 11. Chenoweth; 12. Roth; 13. Jeremiah Hurst; 14. Halstead; 15. Harris; 16. Johnson.

3^rd “B” feature – 1. Denning; 2. Emerson; 3. Hinrichs; 4. King; 5. Kastli; 6. Malmstrom; 7. Klein; 8. Webb; 9. Pollard; 10. Gabe Umbarger; 11. Hora; 12. Welsh; 13. Abels; 14. Poll; 15. Pierce.

Last chance qualifier ­– DeFrance. Provisionals – Dolan and Zrostlik. Hard charger – Hol­laday.

Deery Series top 20 point standings ­– 1. Justin Kay, Wheatland, 811; 2. Jeff Aikey, Cedar Falls, 755; 3. Andy Nezworski, Buffalo, 743; 4. Scott Fitzpatrick, Wheatland, 707; 5. Joe Zrostlik, Long Grove, 667; 6. Tyler Droste, Waterloo, 663; 7. Ryan Dolan, Lisbon, 636; 8. Todd Malm­strom, Silvis, Ill., 578; 9. John Emerson, Waterloo, 534; 10. Darrel DeFrance, Marshalltown, 506; 11. Tyler Bruening, Decorah, 500; 12. Charlie McKenna, Clear Lake, 463; 13. Joel Callahan, Dubu­que, 445; 14. Ray Guss Jr., Milan, Ill., 438; 15. Andy Eckrich, Oxford, 428; 16. Jeremy Grady, Story City, 423; 17. Richie Gustin, Gilman, 369; 18. Jason Rauen, Farley, 357; 19. Kyle Hinrichs, Swisher, 303; 20. Brian Harris, Davenport, 286.