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Bill Martin
INDEPENDENCE, Iowa (June 30) - What happened at the back of the pack went a long way in determining who finished at the front of the field in Wednesday's Deery Brothers Summer Series feature at Independence Motor Speedway.
Rob Toland got the better of a back-and-forth battle with Kevin Blum, then outran Terry Neal in the race to the $2,000 checkers. The IMCA Late Model tour victory was Toland's career 19th and his first on the circuit since June of 2007.
Mark Burgtorf, a three-time winner this season and second in the point standings coming into the night, started on the pole and led the first 12 laps. Burgtorf was about to get into lapped traffic when two of the back runners checked up and he was unable to avoid a collision with Joel Callahan, joining defending champion Jeff Aikey as an early casualty.
Toland and Blum started on the front row in the ensuing re-start and traded the front spot four times, Toland on the bottom of the 3/8-mile oval while Blum ran the next line up. After running virtually side by side for a dozen laps, Toland finally settled into first for good just after midway.
Neal caught Blum for second with eight laps left but couldn't make up enough distance to challenge Toland before the end of the 50-lapper.
Dan Shelliam and point leader Ray Guss Jr. rounded out the top five.
Winner of the $250 Sunoco drawing was Travis Smock.
With eight races in and eight to go, the next Deery date is Wednesday, July 7, when the series is joined by Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMods on night two of the Harris Clash at Knoxville Raceway. The grandstand opens at 6 p.m., hot laps are at 6:30 p.m. and racing starts at 7:15 p.m.
Feature results - 1. Rob Toland, Davenport; 2. Terry Neal, Ely; 3. Kevin Blum, Colona, Ill.; 4. Dan Shelliam, Hazel Green, Wis.; 5. Ray Guss Jr., Milan, Ill.; 6. Tyler Bruening, Decorah; 7. Jeremiah Hurst, Dubuque; 8. Tom Goble, Burlington; 9. Mark Preston, Port Byron, Ill.; 10. Andy Eckrich, Iowa City; 11. Jay Johnson, West Burlington; 12. Darrel DeFrance, Marshalltown; 13. Greg Kastli, Waterloo; 14. Charlie McKenna, Clear Lake; 15. Bryan Klein, Cedar Rapids; 16. Rick Wendling, Hazleton; 17. Luke Goedert, Guttenburg; 18. Cory Goldbeck, Camanch; 19. Darin Burco, Independence; 20. Travis Smock, Independence; 21. Josh Most, Red Oak; 22. Mark Burgtorf, Quincy, Ill.; 23. Jeff Aikey, Waterloo; 24. Joel Callahan, Dubuque.
1st heat (top three) - 1. Preston; 2. Toland; 3. Shelliam.
2nd heat - 1. Kastli; 2. Goble; 3. Bruening.
3rd heat - 1. Hurst; 2, Goldbeck; 3. Guss.
4th heat - 1. Burgtorf; 2. Neal; 3. Klein.
5th heat - 1. Blum; 2. Smock; 3. Wendling.
1st B feature (top three) - 1. Johnson; 2. Eckrich; 3. Callahan.
2nd B feature - 1. Most; 2. McKenna; 3. Goedert.
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