Neal celebrates the Fourth early with third Deery Series win of season

INDEPENDENCE, Iowa (July 3) ­ After putting on an impressive driving display on the track, Terry Neal got to sit back, relax and enjoy the fireworks decorating the sky above Independence Motor Speedway.

Neal passed Rob Toland on the 26th circuit and led to the finish in winning Monday night¹s Deery Brothers Summer Series feature at Independence. The victory, Neal¹s third in nine IMCA Sunoco Late Model tour events this season, paid $2,000 and came in a 40 lap contest that ran green to checkered.

Toland took home runner-up honors, edging ahead of third place finisher Jeff Aikey in the series point standings. Curt Martin was fourth and early leader Jon Passick rounded out the top five. Forty nine cars were on hand for the early holiday special, the most for a Deery race this year as well as for any of the 19 series events held at Indee dating back to 1987.

Passick drew the pole and led the first 11 laps before the sixth starting Toland squeezed by on the inside groove. The front-runners were quickly into heavy lapped traffic and Neal, who had started outside row two, was able to dice his way through and pass Toland with an inside move of his own while Aikey and Martin contested side by side for the third spot.

Aikey finally got the advantage in that duel. Passick held off Boone McLaughlin for fifth.

The defending series champion, Neal now owns 10 tour wins and is the ninth driver to reach double digits in career victories.

With eight races left on the schedule, doubleheader action is next for the Deery Series as the tour returns after a six year absence to Marshalltown Speedway for a Tuesday, July 11 show, then makes its first ever visit to Shelby County Speedway at Harlan on Wednesday, July 12.

Pit gates at Marshalltown open at 4 p.m., with hot laps at 6:45 p.m. and racing at 7:30 p.m. Gates at Harlan open at 3 p.m., with hot laps at 6:30 p.m. and racing to follow.

Feature Results ­
1. Terry Neal, Ely;
2. Rob Toland, Bettendorf;
3. Jeff Aikey, Waterloo;
4. Curt Martin, Independence;
5. Jon Passick, Waterloo;
6. Boone McLaughlin, Mediapolis;
7. Eric Gustaf, Moline, Ill.;
8. Greg Kastli, Waterloo;
9. Kelly Tapper, Boone;
10. Jim Sandusky, Coal Valley, Ill.;
11. Luke Goedert, Holy Cross;
12. Mike Smith, Jewell;
13. Darrel DeFrance, Marshalltown;
14. Ron Gustaf, Moline, Ill.;
15. Dale Hackwell Jr., Washburn;
16. Tom Darbyshire, Morning Sun;
17. Tyler Bruening, Decorah;
18. Sam Halstead, New London;
19. Justin Reed, Quincy, Ill.;
20. Jeremiah Hurst, Dubuque;
21. Mike Murphy Jr., Colona, Ill.;
22. Bobby Hansen, Center Point;
23. Darin Duffy, Hazleton;
24. Matt Ryan, Davenport.
1st heat (top three) ­ 1. Ron Gustaf; 2. Eric Gustaf; 3. Hurst. 2nd heat ­ 1. Passick; 2. Toland; 3. Aikey. 3rd heat ­ 1. Neal; 2. Ryan; 3. Kastli. 4th heat ­ 1. Tapper; 2. Martin; 3. Sandusky. 5th heat ­ 1. Halstead; 2. McLaughlin; 3. Smith. 1st ³B² feature (top three) ­ 1. Hansen; 2. Goedert; 3. Hackwell. 2nd ³B² feature ­ 1. DeFrance; 2. Bruening; 3. Murphy.

Deery Brothers Summer Series Top 20 Point Standings
1. Rob Toland, Bettendorf, Iowa 436
2. Jeff Aikey, Waterloo, Iowa 435
3. Terry Neal, Ely, Iowa 395
4. Tom Darbyshire, Morning Sun, Iowa 369
Greg Kastli, Waterloo, Iowa 369
6. Boone McLaughlin, Mediapolis, Iowa 368
7. Darrel DeFrance, Marshalltown, Iowa 367
8. Eric Gustaf, Moline, Ill. 339
9. Mike Smith, Jewell, Iowa 326
10. Justin Reed, Quincy, Ill. 319
11. Sam Halstead, New London, Iowa 318
12. Darin Duffy, Hazleton, Iowa 311
13. Matt Ryan, Davenport, Iowa 306
14. Ron Gustaf, Moline, Ill. 286
15. Mark Preston, Port Byron, Ill. 261
16. Andy Nezworski, Buffalo, Iowa 251
17. Kevin Tomlinson, New London, Mo. 236
18. Mike Murphy Jr., Colona, Ill. 232
19. Jay Johnson, West Burlington, Iowa 215
20. Robby Warner, Quincy, Ill. 213