EAST MOLINE, Ill. (May 14) – The iron man of the Deery Brothers Summer Series came up golden Sunday night at Quad City Speedway.
Darrel DeFrance, competing in his record-extending 473rd IMCA Late Model tour event, ran the lower line and led the 40-lapper from start to finish, holding off Jesse Sobbing as the race wound down to win by half a car length.
“I could hear him out there. I knew the bottom was going away a little and figured the higher line was coming in,” DeFrance said. “The car worked right for us tonight. We made a few adjustments and it worked just right.”
Early challenger Jeremiah Hurst was third. Rob Toland and Ray Guss Jr. completed the top five.
The win, good for $2,000, was the 14th of DeFrance’s distinguished tour career and second at East Moline, where he’d taken the checkers on July 25 of 1993.
“We’ve had success at East Moline before, but it’s been a while,” DeFrance said. “Those last few laps were nerve-wracking so there was a lot of relief when it was over. All the hard work my crew puts in makes it worth it. It’s fun to be competitive again.”
Chad Holladay was the $250 Sunoco Race Fuels feature qualifier drawing winner. Malvern Bank $50 heat winners were Sobbing, DeFrance, Hurst and Toland.
DeFrance will continue his perfect Deery Series attendance streak at the Memorial Day event at Boone, Iowa, Speedway on Monday, May 29.
Feature results – 1. Darrel DeFrance, Marshalltown, Iowa; 2. Jesse Sobbing, Malvern, Iowa; 3. Jeremiah Hurst, Dubuque, Iowa; 4. Rob Toland, Colona; 5. Ray Guss Jr., Milan; 6. Luke Merfeld, Dubuque, Iowa; 7. Jake Neal, Omaha, Neb.; 8. Josh Most, Red Oak, Iowa; 9. Chad Holladay, Muscatine, Iowa; 10. Matt Ryan, Davenport, Iowa; 11. Bobby Toland, Colona; 12. Cayden Carter, Oskaloosa, Iowa; 13. Curt Martin, Independence, Iowa; 14. Shawn Mulvany, Moline; 15. Jeff Tharp, Sherrill, Iowa; 16. Chuck Hanna, Port Byron; 17. Mike Cothron, Moline; 18. Luke Goedert, Guttenberg, Iowa; 19. Joe Zrostlik, Long Grove, Iowa; 20. Paul Conrad, Colo, Iowa; 21. Gary Webb, Blue Grass, Iowa; 22. Travis Denning, Sterling; 23. Todd Malmstrom, Silvis; 24. Andy Nezworski, Buffalo, Iowa.
1st heat (top three) – 1. Sobbing; 2. Most; 3. Tharp; 4. Carter; 5. Mulvany; 6. Chad Coyne, Orion; 7. LeRoy Brenner, Aledo. 2nd heat – 1. DeFrance; 2. Goedert; 3. Martin; 4. Webb; 5. Malmstrom; 6. Conrad; 7. Joe Beal, Milan. 3rd heat – 1. Hurst; 2. Merfeld; 3. Denning; 4. Brauns; 5. Holladay; 6. Guss; 7. Hanna. 4th heat – 1. Rob Toland; 2. Neal; 3. Cothron; 4. Nezworski; 5. Ryan; 6. Bobby Toland, Colona; 7. Zrostlik.
1st “B” feature (top four) – 1. Carter; 2. Holladay; 3. Guss; 4. Mulvany; 5. Brauns; 6. Coyne; 7. Hanna; 8. Brenner. 2nd “B” feature – 1. Malmstrom; 2. Webb; 3. Zrostlik; 4. Ryan; 5. Nezworski; 6. Bobby Toland; 7. Conrad; 8. Beal.