Aikey dominates Jackson County Deery for 53rd career win

[rebelracewriter]

Aikey dominates Jackson County Deery

IMCA Late Model tour win

 

MAQUOKETA, Iowa (April 17) – It took seven laps for Jeff Aikey to get to the front of the Deery Brothers Summer Series feature field at Jackson County Speedway.

 

Once he got there, the rest of the IMCA Late Model tour race was for second.

 

Aikey caught Jay Johnson and led the last 43 times around the track Saturday night, passing half the pack before his big lead was erased by a caution with 13 laps to go. He checked out again following the re-start, taking the checkers comfortably ahead of hard charger Terry Neal.

 

The win paid $2,000 and was Aikey’s Deery career 53rd. The six time and defending tour champion had also won at Maquoketa in 1998 and 2002.

 

Neal qualified from his “B” race and passed 16 cars in collecting runner-up honors. Mark Burgtorf, series point leader Ray Guss Jr. and Josh Most completed the top five. Johnson was sixth.

 

Guss won the second “B” and advanced 13 positions. Tyler Bruening pocketed the $250 Sunoco bonus.

 

The 49 Late Model entries made for a Deery track record at Jackson County, topping 42 car counts for events in 2004 and again in 2006.

 

Forty-nine entries on Saturday also pushed the total to 12,816 for the 356 series events held since 1987. That pencils out to a precise average of 36 cars a night.

 

Wrapping up the weekend tripleheader is the first-ever visit by the series to Dubuque Fairgrounds Speedway on Sunday. Pit gates open at 4 p.m. and the grandstand opens at 5 p.m. Hot laps are at 6 p.m. with racing to follow.

 

Feature Results –

1. Jeff Aikey, Waterloo;

2. Terry Neal, Ely;

3. Mark Burgtorf, Quincy, Ill.;

4. Ray Guss Jr., Milan, Ill.;

5. Josh Most, Red Oak;

6. Jay Johnson, West Burlington;

7. Justin Reed, Quincy, Ill.;

8. Tom Darbyshire, Morning Sun;

9. Andy Eckrich, Iowa City;

10. Jason Frankel, Quincy, Ill.;

11. Jeremiah Hurst, Dubuque;

12. Rick Wendling, Hazleton;

13. Mike Zemo Jr., Davenport;

14. Todd Malmstrom, Silvis, Ill.;

15. Tyler Bruening, Decorah;

16. Tom Goble, Burlington;

17. Darrel DeFrance, Marshalltown;

18. Jason Perry, Payson, Ill.;

19. Charlie McKenna, Clear Lake;

20. Jason Rauen, Farley;

21. Kevin Blum, Colona, Ill.;

22. Joel Callahan, Dubuque;

23. Stephan Kammerer, Blue Grass;

24. Rob Toland, Davenport.

1st heat (top three) – 1. Reed; 2. Goble; 3. Zemo. 2nd heat – 1. Johnson; 2. Wendling; 3. Rauen. 3rd heat – 1. Bruening; 2. Burgtorf; 3. Perry. 4th heat – 1. Aikey; 2. Most; 3. Callahan. 5th heat – 1. Blum; 2. Eckrich; 3. Frankel.

1st “B” feature (top three) – 1. Darbyshire; 2. Neal; 3. Malmstrom. 2nd “B” feature – 1. Guss; 2. Kam­merer; 3. Hurst