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Nine
years later, Miller returns to Deery victory lane DES MOINES, Iowa (August
16) – Nine years to the day he last won a Deery Brothers Summer Series
feature, Darren Miller raced his way back to victory lane in the tour for
IMCA Late Models. Miller topped the Monday
night main event at the Iowa State Fairgrounds Speedway in Des Moines,
taking the lead away from Ray Guss Jr. following an early restart and
running in front to the end of the 35-lapper. Guss pulled to within
three car lengths chasing Miller in lapped traffic, but once clear of the
back runners Miller pulled away again and took the $2,000 checkers
comfortably ahead of Guss. “B” winner Todd Cooney, Tom Darbyshire and
Jeremiah Hurst rounded out the top five. Series point leader Guss
drew the pole for the state fair feature and led the first circuit. Miller
used a lap two restart to his advantage to pass Guss for the point, setting
sail after the second and final caution of the contest came out when Kevin
Blum got into the wall on lap seven. Cooney had advanced nine
spots and into the top four by midway. Four laps later, Miller was
negotiating lapped traffic. Guss made up ground before
Miller got through the pack with five laps to go and edged ahead again. The victory was Miller’s
Deery career third and first since Aug. 16 of 2001, when he won the Pepsi
USA Nationals at 34 Raceway in West Burlington. He’d run second in his one
previous series start this season, on July 28 at Knoxville. T.J. Criss won the drawing
for the $250 bonus from Sunoco. Next up on the Deery
schedule is the rescheduled Friday, Sept. 3 Titan Tire and Wheel Shootout at
Quincy, Ill., Raceway, which pays $3,000 to win and a minimum of $300 to
start. Night two of the weekend doubleheader is Saturday, Sept. 4 at Lee
County Speedway in Donnellson. The Late Model tour takes
top billing on the Monday, Sept. 6 opening night program at the IMCA
Speedway Motors Super Nationals at Boone Speedway and concludes Friday and
Saturday, Sept. 17-18, when 34 Raceway hosts the $10,000 to win Pepsi USA
Nationals. Feature
results –
1. Darren Miller,
Chadwick, Ill.;
2. Ray Guss Jr., Milan,
Ill.;
3. Todd Cooney, Bondurant;
4. Tom Darbyshire, Morning
Sun;
5. Jeremiah Hurst,
Dubuque;
6. Josh Most, Red Oak;
7. Jay Johnson, West
Burlington;
8. Jeff Aikey, Waterloo;
9. Terry Neal, Ely;
10. T.J. Criss, Oskaloosa;
11. Darrel DeFrance,
Marshalltown;
12. Colby Springsteen,
Morning Sun;
13. Andy Eckrich, Iowa
City;
14. Kevin Sather, Ankeny;
15. Craig Jacobs,
Urbandale;
16. Tyler Bruening,
Decorah;
17. Boone McLaughlin,
Mediapolis;
18. Ben Nading, Ankeny;
19. Charlie McKenna, Clear
Lake;
20. Mark Preston, Port
Byron, Ill.;
21. Sam Halstead, New
London;
22. Todd Johnson,
Mitchellville;
23. Kevin Blum, Colona,
Ill.;
24. Jeff Guengerich,
Washington. 1st
heat (top three) – 1. Springsteen;
2. Guss; 3. Hurst. 1st
“B” feature (top four) – 1. Cooney;
2. Aikey; 3. Neal; 4. Jacobs.
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