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Bill Martin
DAVENPORT, Iowa (April 16) - Ray Guss Jr. couldn't have asked for much more from Friday's Deery Brothers Summer Series feature at Davenport Speedway.
Guss earned $2,000 for his first IMCA Late Model tour victory of the season and took over the top spot in the early series point standings. Mark Burgtorf had come to town looking for his third win in as many 2010 races but broke shortly after relinquishing the lead to Guss before midway and was relegated to 18th.
Andy Eckrich fashioned a runner-up finish in just the second feature appearance of his Deery career. Six-time champion Jeff Aikey bounced back from a tough opening weekend for third while Tom Darbyshire and Justin Reed rounded out the top five.
The 50-lapper started with Burgtorf taking the green from the outside of row one. He ran at the front with pressure eventually coming from the sixth starting Guss and the eighth starting Jason Rauen.
Frequent yellows slowed the contest, two casualties being Rauen and Burgtorf. Guss had finally caught up and was first across the line on lap 22, then Burgtorf broke half a lap later and coasted to a stop on the backstretch.
The race ran without caution from that point and Guss checked out on everybody, winning his 17th Deery feature and his first at Davenport since 1999. The real fight was for second and Eckrich eventually prevailed in a tussle that frequently saw four or five cars challenging for the spot.
Eckrich, Darbyshire and Reed all drove their way into the main event through "B" features. Eckrich advanced 11 positions from his original start while Reed scored hard charger honors, moving up 15 spots.
Consistent Darrel DeFrance ran sixth in his 355th career Deery outing. He's now third in the standings, seven points behind Guss and one back of Burgtorf.
Brett Diercks was the $250 Sunoco drawing winner. Fifty-seven cars were entered at Davenport, right at the series average through the first three of 16 events.
Night two of the weekend tripleheader takes the series to Jackson County Speedway at Maquoketa on Saturday. Pit gates open at 4 p.m. and the grandstand opens at 4:30 p.m., hot laps are at 5:30 p.m. and racing starts at 6 p.m.
Dubuque Fairgrounds Speedway hosts its first ever Deery Series show on Sunday, April 18.
Feature Results -
1. Ray Guss Jr., Milan, Ill.;
2. Andy Eckrich, Iowa City;
3. Jeff Aikey, Waterloo;
4. Tom Darbyshire, Morning Sun;
5. Justin Reed, Quincy, Ill.;
6. Darrel DeFrance, Marshalltown;
7. Mike Murphy Jr., Colona, Ill.;
8. Matt Strassheim, West Burlington;
9. Gary Russell, Biggsville, Ill.;
10. Tom Goble, Burlington;
11. Brett Diercks, Bettendorf;
12. Boone McLaughlin, Mediapolis;
13. Jeremiah Hurst, Dubuque;
14. Nate Beuseling, Silvis, Ill.;
15. Todd Malmstrom, Silvis, Ill.;
16. Kevin Blum, Colona, Ill.;
17. Josh Most, Red Oak;
18. Mark Burgtorf, Quincy, Ill.;
19. Jason Rauen, Farley;
20. Rob Toland, Davenport;
21. Jason Frankel, Quincy, Ill.;
22. Mike Garland, Morrison, Ill.;
23. Terry Neal, Ely;
24. Jon Merfeld, Peosta.
1st heat (top two) - 1. Merfeld. 2. Beuseling.
2nd heat - 1. Murphy; 2. Strassheim.
3rd heat - 1. Neal; 2. Burgtorf.
4th heat - 1. Blum; 2. Aikey.
5th heat - 1. Guss; 2. Diercks.
6th heat - 1. DeFrance; 2. Rauen.
1st "B" feature (top three) - 1. Eckrich; 2. Frankel; 3. Russell.
2nd "B" feature - 1. Darbyshire; 2. Hurst; 3. Reed.
3rd "B" feature - 1. Goble; 2. Garland; 3. McLaughlin.
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