Spaw leads start to finish at Hawkeye Downs Deery

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (Aug. 8) – Johnny Spaw stayed right where he started in winning Wednesday night’s Deery Brothers Summer Series
feature at Hawkeye Downs Speedway.

Spaw drew the pole after topping his heat race and remained in front all 35 laps around the half-mile asphalt in collect ing his first
career IMCA Sunoco Late Model tour victory and $2,000. Greg Kastli
and Terry Neal took turns pres suring the leader but neither could catch up and finished in that order behind him. Darrel DeFrance was
fourth in the annual ‘Dirt At The Downs’ program.

Quick to pull ahead from the field, Spaw caught up to the back of the pack nine laps in. Neal caught Kastli for second and followed Spaw
into lapped traffic, heading the pursuit before Kastli gained the spot back with five circuits left.

The only caution of the contest set up a green, white, checkered finish and took back markers out of the equation. Spaw was not
challenged at the finish, winning by six car lengths.

Series points leader Jeremy Grady rounded out the top five. Denied the win in his heat race by an ill-opportune flat tire, Boone
McLaughlin started the feature 20th and moved up 13 spots to seventh;
Jill George advanced nine positions to end in 12th.

The win by Spaw came in his sixth Deery appearance, all at Hawkeye Downs. He’d run fourth three times, in 1995, 1996 and again in 2003.

The series returns to dirt for the 11th of 15 events on the 2007
schedule, for the traditional state fair event at Des Moines next Monday, Aug. 13.

Pit gates at the Iowa State Fairgrounds Speedway open at 3 p.m. Hot laps are at 5:30 p.m., with racing to follow.

Feature Results –
1. Johnny Spaw, Cedar Rapids;
2. Greg Kastli, Waterloo;
3. Terry Neal, Ely;
4. Darrel DeFrance, Marshalltown;
5. Jeremy Grady, Story City;
6. Jon Merfeld, Peosta;
7. Boone McLaughlin, Mediapolis;
8. Charlie McKenna, Clear Lake;
9. Andy Nezworski, Buffalo;
10. Ben Nading, Des Moines;
11. Cory Goldbeck, Camanche;
12. Jill George, Cedar Falls;
13. Marty Scheckel, Bellevue;
14. Bobby Hansen, Center Point;
15. Kelly Tapper, Boone;
16. Luke Goedert, Holy Cross;
17. Tom Struve, Palo;
18. Rob Petsche, Peosta;
19. Jason Hahne, Webster City;
20. Leon Thomsen, Waverly;
21. Jerry Dedrick, Vinton;
22. Joe Zrostlik, Long Grove.
1st heat (top four ) – 1. Merfeld; 2. McKenna; 3. Neal; 4. DeFrance.
2nd heat – 1. Nading; 2. Hahne; 3. Zrostlik; 4. Tapper.
3rd heat – 1. Spaw; 2. Kastli; 3. Grady; 4. Goedert.