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Eckrich is Race of Champions winner at Quad City Deery
EAST MOLINE, Ill. (Sept. 24) – Opening night honors went to Andy Eckrich in
Saturday’s Deery Brothers Summer Series Race of Champions at Quad City
Speedway.
Eckrich started on the pole and led all 20 laps for the $800 IMCA Late Model
victory, while Terry Neal held off Justin Reed for second.
Reed had started ninth. Ray Guss Jr. passed eight cars to end in fourth and
Tyler Bruening rounded out the top five.
The Race of Champions field was comprised of 11 drivers who won Deery
features or IMCA track titles this season, plus top rookies and a pair of
promoter’s provisional starters.
Top three finishers from each of four heats qualified for Sunday’s $5,000 to
win feature, the 18th and final event of the silver anniversary series. Four
drivers from each of two “B” races, the hard charger and three series
provisional will complete tomorrow’s starting grid.
Pit gates at East Moline open at 2 p.m. and the grandstand opens at 3:30
p.m., with hot laps at 5 p.m. and racing at 5:30 p.m.
Guss, the defending series champion, leads Eckrich by six points heading
into the Sunday show and is already qualified. One of the two will earn the
2011 tour title and the $5,000 prize that accompanies the crown.
Sept. 24 Results
Race of Champions – 1. Andy Eckrich, Iowa City, Iowa; 2. Terry Neal, Ely,
Iowa; 3. Justin Reed, Quincy, Ill.; 4. Ray Guss Jr., Milan, Ill.; 5. Tyler
Bruening, Decorah, Iowa; 6. Gary Webb, Blue Grass, Iowa; 7. Colby
Springsteen, Morning Sun, Iowa; 8. Darrel DeFrance, Marshalltown, Iowa; 9.
Nate Beuseling, Silvis, Ill.; 10. Travis Denning, Sterling, Ill.; 11. Matt
Ryan, Davenport, Iowa; 12. Jeff Aikey, Cedar Falls, Iowa; 13. Eric Sanders,
Moline, Ill.
1st heat (top three qualify) – 1. Webb; 2. Bobby Toland, Coal Valley, Ill.;
3. Bruening; 4. Denning; 5. Beuseling; 6. Doug Nigh, Maquoketa, Iowa; 7. Rob
Toland, Davenport, Iowa; 8. Luke Pestka, Robins, Iowa.
2nd heat – 1. Neal; 2. Guss; 3. Mike Cothron, Moline, Ill.; 4. Aikey; 5.
LeRoy Brenner, Aledo, Ill.; 6. Joe Ross, Thomson, Ill.; 7. Mike Garland,
Morrison, Ill.
3rd heat – 1. Reed; 2. Bill Tuckwell, Spring Bay, Ill.; 3. Sam Halstead, New
London, Iowa; 4. Eckrich; 5. Bryan Klein, Cedar Rapids, Iowa; 6. Shawn
Mulvany, Moline, Ill.; 7. Todd Malmstrom, Silvis, Ill.; 8. Ryan.
4th heat – 1. Jay Johnson, West Burlington, Iowa; 2. Springsteen; 3. Joe
Zrostlik, Long Grove, Iowa; 4. DeFrance; 5. Dain Sires, Cedar Falls, Iowa;
6. Sanders; 7. Eric Gustaf, Moline, Ill.
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