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Bill Martin
DES MOINES, Iowa (August 11) - Making the most of a rare pole start, Boone McLaughlin led all 35 laps of Monday's Deery Brothers Summer Series feature at the Iowa State Fairgrounds Speedway.
As a result, McLaughlin is $2,000 richer and saw his lead in standings for the IMCA J & J Steel Late Model tour grow to 27 points, with 14 of 17 scheduled events in the record book.
McLaughlin leads all drivers with six heat race wins this season, but hadn't drawn the inside row one start before the State Fair show. Rookie T.J. Criss started outside McLaughlin and matched his series career best finish with a second-place showing, while Jeff Aikey took third.
Jay Johnson returned to series action and ran fourth. Ryan Griffith rounded out the top five.
Cautions slowed the 35-lapper, but McLaughlin stayed in control on each of the ensuing re-starts and pulled away to straightaway leads several times before the next yellow.
He was challenged early on by fourth starting Brian Harris, who broke, then by fifth starting Ray Guss Jr., who followed Harris into the pit area with mechanical problems of his own. Criss stayed game to the checkers but the night clearly belonged to McLaughlin, who won for the third time this year and for the seventh time in his Deery career.
2007 series runner-up Darrel DeFrance was seventh, good enough to pass Tom Darbyshire for second place in the standings.
Up next on the series schedule are dates Sunday, Aug. 31 at Quincy, Ill., Raceway and Monday, Sept. 1 on opening night of the IMCA Speedway Motors Super Nationals at Boone Speedway.
Pit gates open at 3 p.m. and the grandstand opens at 5 p.m. at Quincy, with hot laps set for 6 p.m. and racing at 6:30. At Boone, pit gates open at 1 p.m., the grandstand opens at 3 p.m., hot laps are at 4 p.m. and racing begins at 5 p.m.
The tour concludes with the $10,000 to win Pepsi USA Nationals Sept. 12-13 at 34 Raceway in West Burlington.
Feature results -
1. Boone McLaughlin, Mediapolis;
2. T.J. Criss, Oskaloosa;
3. Jeff Aikey, Waterloo;
4. Jay Johnson, West Burlington;
5. Ryan Griffith, Webster City;
6. Adam Larson, Ames;
7. Darrel DeFrance, Marshalltown;
8. Craig Roberts, Des Moines;
9. Todd Cooney, Des Moines;
10. Craig Jacobs, Des Moines;
11. Stephan Kammerer, Blue Grass;
12. Tom Darbyshire, Morning Sun;
13. Matt Strassheim, West Burlington;
14. Kelly Tapper, Boone;
15. Joe Zrostlik, Long Grove;
16. Ben Nading, Ankeny;
17. Andy Nezworski, Buffalo;
18. Ray Guss Jr., Milan, Ill.;
19. Kyle Wahlert, Des Moines;
20. Charlie McKennna, Clear Lake;
21. Bryan Klein, Cedar Rapids;
22. Jill George, Cedar Falls;
23. Brian Harris, Davenport;
24. Rob Toland, Davenport.
1st heat (top four) - 1. Guss; 2. Criss; 3. McKenna; 4. Johnson.
2nd heat - 1. Griffith; 2. Roberts; 3. Larson; 4. Jacobs.
3rd heat - 1. McLaughlin; 2. Harris; 3. Wahlert; 4. Nading.
4th heat - 1. Cooney; 2. DeFrance; 3. Aikey; 4. Zrostlik.
1st "B" feature (top three) - 1. George; 2. Nezworski; 3. Kammerer.
2nd "B" - 1. Tapper; 2. Toland; 3. Darbyshire.
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