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Bill Martin
MASON CITY, Iowa (July 28) - The celebration was bittersweet following Jeff Aikey's Deery Brothers Summer Series feature win Tuesday night at I-35 Speedway.
Aikey raced back to the front of the IMCA Late Model field after getting sideways and re-starting in the rear, earning the 50th victory of his series career and $2,000.
The win came one day after the death of Aikey's mother Anne, 68, of Waterloo.
Aikey, also the tour winner last Wednesday at Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa, brought the point lead to town in pursuit of his sixth series title. He started fourth and was challenging Todd Cooney early on for the lead when he spun and brought out the caution flag.
He put on clinic while passing 21 cars in the next 19 laps, catching Ray Guss Jr. for the front spot on the 25th of 35 circuits and then checking out.
Rob Toland made the grid for the main event on passing points earned in his heat and "B" feature, started 21st and advanced 19 positions to finish second, after Guss dropped out with mechanical problems with two laps to go.
Jason Frankel, Jay Johnson and Jeremy Grady rounded out the top five. Tyler Bruening moved up 11 places to finish sixth.
Charlie McKenna and Greg Kastli also had to re-start at the back and work their way back toward the front, to eighth and ninth place, respectively. McKenna was involved in a lap one incident and Kastli came to a stop avoiding Aikey's idle machine.
The Mason City race was the 11th of 21 events on the 2009 tour schedule. Night two of the midweek tripleheader is Wednesday at Highway 3 Raceway in Allison. The grandstand opens at 6 p.m., hot laps are at 6:30 p.m. and racing starts at 7 p.m.
Jackson County Speedway at Maquoketa hosts the Thursday, July 30 show, which headlines the evening entertainment during the county fair. The grandstand will be open all day, hot laps are at 6:30 p.m. and racing gets underway at 7 p.m.
Feature results -
1. Jeff Aikey, Waterloo;
2. Rob Toland, Davenport;
3. Jason Frankel, Quincy, Ill.;
4. Jay Johnson, West Burlington;
5. Jeremy Grady, Story City;
6. Tyler Bruening, Decorah;
7. Al Johnson, Story City;
8. Charlie McKenna, Clear Lake;
9. Greg Kastli, Waterloo;
10. T.J. Criss, Oskaloosa;
11. Jason Hahne, Webster City;
12. Lavern Carey, Ionia;
13. Justin Kay, Wheatland;
14. Scott Badker, Garner;
15. Ray Guss Jr., Milan, Ill.;
16. Todd Cooney, Des Moines;
17. Ryan Griffith, Webster City;
18. Bobby Hansen, Center Point;
19. Bryan Klein, Cedar Rapids;
20. Joe Zrostlik, Long Grove;
21. Ryan Giles, West Des Moines;
22. Terry Neal, Ely;
23. Jeff French, Mount Ayr;
24. Darrel DeFrance, Marshalltown.
1st heat (top three) - 1. Grady; 2. Frankel; 3. Aikey.
2nd heat - 1. Guss; 2. French; 3. Jay Johnson.
3rd heat - 1. Griffith; 2. Al Johnson; 3. Neal.
4th heat - 1. Kastli; 2. McKenna; 3. Cooney.
1st "B" feature (top four) - 1. DeFrance; 2. Kay; 3. Bruening; 4. Badker.
2nd "B" feature - 1. Hahne; 2. Carey; 3. Criss; 4. Klein.
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