DAVE ECKRICH STREAKS TO WDRL WIN AT ADAMS COUNTY SPEEDWAY
Cosgrove, Iowa driver ends flawless night with win in Dodge Dealers 50
By Tom Lathen

CORNING, IA (July 20, 2006) - Dave Eckrich jumped to the advantage at the drop of the green flag Thursday night and roared to an impressive win in the Dodge Dealers 50, a WORLD Dirt Racing League PolyDome Late Model Series event here at Adams County Speedway.

The win capped off a nearly perfect evening for the 37-year old eastern Iowa race car builder after wins in the second qualifying race and the Iowa-Illinois Taylor Insulation Pole Dash.

“This Barry Wright Race Car was just awesome tonight,” commented Eckrich in AMSOIL Victory Lane. “We worked our tail off on it this week. The last race, we bent it up, and we had it on the frame jig straightening it out, but I guess all of the hard work paid off.”

“You could just launch this thing coming out of the corners,” he added. “Sometimes it was a little loose in the middle, but I just can’t get enough of this race car. It just goes!”

At the drop of the green flag, Eckrich powered to the bottom of the half-mile fairgrounds speed plant and placed his Precision Performance/Barry Wright/Grove Automotive Pontiac Grand Prix into the lead, with outside front row starter Chris Simpson running a close second, just ahead of Justin Fegers and Brian Birkhofer.

A caution flag, for debris on the race track, slowed the field on lap four, but when racing resumed, Eckrich again streaked to the advantage, with Fegers surprising Simpson on the restart to grab second.

On lap seven, the talented Birkhofer moved past Simspon to grab third, with Eckrich now holding a six car length advantage over the second-place running Fegers. A dozen laps in, the top three drivers, Eckrich, Fegers and Birkhofer, began to separate themselves from the remainder of the field, with the trio now running nose-to-tail in front of the grandstands.

With Eckrich’s car number-58 working its way flawlessly, through lapped traffic, the second caution flag of the night came out on lap 27, when local driver Jeremy Houck found himself off the race track between turns three and four.

The caution flag reappeared 12 laps later when Chad Simpson, who had run near the front of the field early in the event, lost a drive shaft down the back straightaway and again on the restart, when John Hampel spun while trying to avoid traffic in turn four.

Over the final dozen laps, Birkhofer made numerous attempts to derail Eckrich’s charge to the checkered flag, but the Cosgrove, Iowa chauffeur was able to fend off the challenge to grab the win.

“We definitely had our work cut out for us,” commented the winner. “Birky (Birkhofer) is one of the best in the country, but you can trust that he’s going to race you clean.”

Added Eckrich, “As long as I ran my own race and didn’t mess up, I was going to make him earn it.”

Fegers, who finished a close second in last year’s series event at Adams County Speedway, held off Chris Simpson and defending WDRL champion Denny Eckrich for third, with current PolyDome Late Model Series points leader Brian Harris racing from a number-14 starting position to grab sixth.


Race Report:

Hot-Lap Qualifying: Bryant Goldsmith; Corning, IA (21.501), John Hampel; Union, NE (21.627), Mark Wyman; Papillion, NE (21.863), Gary Webb; Blue Grass, IA (22.017), John Anderson; Omaha, NE (22.024), Brian Birkhofer; Muscatine, IA (22.029), Brian Harris; Davenport, IA (22.032), Rob Moss; Iowa City, IA (22.102), Alan Vaughn; Belton, MO (22.142), Justin Fegers; Mound, MN (22.303), Steve Kosiski; Papillion, NE (22.325), Jeremy Houck; Corning, IA (22.387), Eric Pember; Pittsville, WI (22.415), Denny Eckrich; Tiffin, IA (22.443), Craig Preble; Yutan, NE (22.469), Matt Furman; Iowa City, IA (22.471), Chris Simpson; Marion, IA (22.944), Jason Utter; Columbus Junction, IA (22.652), Dave Eckrich; Cosgrove, IA (22.683), Chris Spieker; Massena, IA (22.743), Chad Simpson; Mount Vernon, IA (22.944), Mel Zeitner; Bellevue, NE (22.983), Al Zeitner; Bellevue, NE (22.993), Paul Glendenning; Mount Ayr, IA (23.040), Trent Follmer; Elk River, MN (23.124), Jerry Warner; LaVista, NE (23.260), Sonny Findling; Kirksville, MO (23.302), Ryan Vicker; Creston, IA (23.361), Kyle Berck; Marquette, NE (23.373), Bill Koons; Omaha, NE (23.375), Steve Boley; West Liberty, IA (23.381), Johnny Bone, Jr.; Pea Ridge, AR (23.409), Todd McKee; Massena, IA (23.470), Brett LaFollette; Kansas City, KS (23.473), Alonzo Grosse; Council Bluffs, IA (23.512), Al Humphrey; Giltner, NE (23.573), Jason O’Brien; Atlantic, IA (23.603), Josh Most; Red Oak, IA (23.627), Corey Zeitner; Bellevue, NE (23.634), Trent Jackson; Corning, IA (23.698), Garry Billings, Jr.; Prairie Village, KS (23.763), Jeff French; Waukee, IA (23.817), Jimmy Judd; Omaha, NE (23.872), Scott Daly; Elkhorn, NE (23.927), Fred Miller; Avoca, IA (23.959), Greg Larsen; Plattsmouth, NE (24.338).

First PolyDome Qualifier: 1. Spieker (61.25), 2. Fegers (60.0), 3. Follmer (52.0), 4. Humphrey (57.5), 5. Preble (45.0), 6. Anderson (41.5), 7. Boley (38.0), 8. Warner (34.5), 9. Larsen (33.25), 10. Billings, Jr. (27.5).

Second PolyDome Qualifier: 1. Dave Eckrich (61.25), 2. Denny Eckrich (57.75), 3. Vaughn (54.25), 4. Bone, Jr. (55.25), 5. Findling (47.25), 6. Glendenning (41.5), 7. O’Brien (40.25), 8. Webb (34.5), 9. French (31.0).

Third PolyDome Qualifier: 1. Al Zeitner (59.0), 2. Utter (55.5), 3. Pember (52.0), 4. Wyman (50.75), 5. Moss (45.0), 6. McKee (43.75), 7. Vicker (38.0), 8. Judd (36.75), 9. Most (31.0).

Fourth PolyDome Qualifier: 1. Chris Simpson (61.25), 2. Hampel (62.25), 3. Harris (54.25), 4. Houck (48.5), 5. LaFollette (49.5), 6. Corey Zeitner (46.0), 7. Berck (38.0), 8. Mel Zeitner (34.5), 9. Daly (31.0).

Fifth PolyDome Qualifier: 1. Chad Simpson (59.0), 2. Birkhofer (60.0), 3. Kosiski (52.0), 4. Goldsmith (50.75), 5. Furman (45.0), 6. Jackson (46.0), 7. Miller (42.5), 8. Koons (34.5), 9. Grosse (31.0).

Iowa-Illinois Taylor Insulation Pole Dash: 1. Dave Eckrich, 2. Chris Simpson, 3. Fegers, 4. Birkhofer, 5. Spieker, 6. Hampel, 7. Chad Simpson, 8. Al Zeitner.

First KSE Racing Products Consolation: 1. Goldsmith, 2. Houck, 3. Preble, 4. Corey Zeitner, 5. Glendenning, 6. Boley, 7. Furman, 8. Berck, 9. Most, 10. Miller, 11. Warner, 12. Grosse, 13. Larsen, 14. Mel Zeitner.

Second KSE Racing Products Consolation: 1. Findling, 2. Anderson, 3. Moss, 4. McKee, 5. Jackson, 6. O’Brien, 7. LaFollette, 8. Webb, 9. Judd, 10. Vicker, 11. Koons, 12. French, 13. Daly, 14. Billings, Jr.

Dodge Dealers 50: 1. Dave Eckrich, 2. Birkhofer, 3. Fegers, 4. Chris Simpson, 5. Denny Eckrich, 6. Harris, 7. Anderson, 8. Humphrey, 9. Follmer, 10. Spieker, 11. Bone, Jr., 12. Utter, 13. Kosiski, 14. Findling, 15. Pember, 16. Goldsmith, 17. Furman, 18. Wyman, 19. McKee, 20. Moss, 21. Houck, 22. Hampel, 23. Chad Simpson, 24. Vaughn, 25. Preble, 26. Jackson, 27. Berck, 28. Al Zeitner.

Additional Information of Interest:

Number of Entrants: 46
Lap Leaders: Dave eckrich (1-50)
Time of Race: 37:50.720
Margin of Victory: 1.346
Caution Flags: 4 (Laps 4, 26, 39, 39)
Red Flags: None
Fastest Lap: Dave Eckrich (20.928)
Series Provisionals: Berck, Furman
Rookie-of-the-Race: Follmer
Hard Luck Driver: Chad Simpson

Contingency Award Winners:

Iowa-Illinois Taylor Insulation: Dave Eckrich, Chris Simpson, Fegers
QA1 Motorsports: Hampel
The Brake Manave Eckrich
Champ Pans: Birkhofer
Joie of Seating: Fegers
Performance Bodies: Chris Simpson
Design 500 Racewear: Denny Eckrich
V-Performance Batteries: Harris
Fast Shafts: Anderson
Hooker Harness: Humphrey
Weld Wheels: Follmer
Scott Performance Wire: Spieker
Design 500 Racewear (non-qualifier): Boley
KSE Racing Products: Glendenning, Findling
Chase Race Decals: Chad Simpson

2006 WORLD Dirt Racing League sponsors include PolyDome Products, AMSOIL, Hoosier Racing Tires, Iowa-Illinois Taylor Insulation, Lincoln Electric Company, Chase Race Decals, Wyman’s Ford, Gatorade, QA1 Motorsports, The Brake Man, Champ Pans, The Joie of Seating, Performance Bodies, Design 500 Racewear, V-Performance Batteries, Fast Shafts, Hooker Harness, Weld Wheels, Scott Performance Wire, KSE Racing Products, MasterSbilt Race Cars, Rocket Chassis, GRT Race Cars, and Swartz Xtreme Race Cars.