Grady grabs third Deery Series win of the season at Independence Motor Speedway
by Ryan Clark

INDEPENDENCE, Iowa (July 3) - Jeremy Grady spent the Independence Day holiday adding to his points lead with a victory in the Deery Brothers Summer Series for I.M.C.A. Late Models at Independence Motor Speedway.

The Story City driver dominated the 40-lap event that was slowed only one time for caution after the first lap. Grady beat Ray Guss Jr. to the checkers by half of a lap to earn his third series win this season in the 40-car field at Independence.

At the start, outside front row starter Greg Kastli took the lead. He paced the field for the first circuit until the yellow flag waved for a trio of cars stopped in turn four. When racing resumed, the race went non-stop for the final 39 laps.

Grady, who started behind Kastli, settled into second right away and chased the leader for three laps before moving around him on the high side on lap four.

After Grady assumed command, it was only a matter of navigating through lapped traffic for the remainder of the event. The leader entered backmarkers the 14th time around the fast 3/8-mile oval, but was not fazed as he worked his way through traffic.

Grady was too fast to catch as he scored the victory by half of a lap ahead of his nearest competitor, leaving only the top 10 cars on the lead lap when the checkers waved. Guss made his way through traffic from the sixth row to finish second ahead of Kastli. Jeff Bair, who started 22nd, completed the top four.

Along with his win in Independence, Grady won earlier this season in series events at Quad City Raceway in Moline, Ill., and Boone Speedway.

Heat winners included Andy Nezworski, Guss, Matt Strassheim and Hershel Roberts. Jeff Aikey and Terry Neal earned victories in the "B" features.

In other action, I.M.C.A. modified driver Vern Jackson wasted little time making his way to the front of the 20-lap feature. From a second row start, Jackson worked his way past front row starters Johnathan Thimmesch and Shawn Lee on the first lap.

After taking control, Jackson drove away from the field to the impressive win ahead of J.D. Auringer and Jason Snyder.

Brad Forbes took advantage of a pole position start to drive to the win in the 15-lap hobby stock feature. Forbes held off the late challenges of Wes Stanek Jr. and Justin Lichty to take the victory.

The next event on the Deery Series schedule is Tuesday, July 17, at 34 Raceway in West Burlington. Pit gates open at 4 p.m., hot laps are at 6 p.m. and racing starts at 7 p.m.

RESULTS
DEERY SERIES LATE MODEL
Feature
1. 43 Jeremy Grady, Story City;
2. 12 Ray Guss Jr., Bettendorf;
3. 73 Greg Kastli, Waterloo;
4. 0 Jeff Bair, Solon;
5. 76 Jason Hahne, Webster City;
6. 45 Curt Martin, Independence;
7. 15 Matt Strassheim, Burlington;
8. 99D Darrel DeFrance, Marshalltown;
9. 77 Jeff Aikey, Cedar Falls;
10. 14M Mike Murphy Jr., Colona, Ill.;
11. 28C Terry Neal, Ely;
12. 16 Tyler Bruening, Decorah;
13. 99L Luke Pestka, Robins;
14. 42 Tom Darbyshire, Morning Sun;
15. 44 Luke Goedert, Holy Cross;
16. 87 Jon Merfeld, Peosta;
17. 2P Jon Passick, Waterloo;
18. 7 Andy Nezworski, Buffalo;
19. 4D Rick Dralle, Waterloo;
20. 53 Darren Ackerman, Waterloo;
21. 58 Hershel Roberts, East Moline, Ill.;
22. 42R Fred Remley, Blue Grass;
23. 85 Kelly Tapper, Boone;
24. 14 Boone McLaughlin, Mediapolis.

First heat - 1. Nezworski; 2. Martin; 3. DeFrance; 4. Hahne; 5. Ackerman; 6. Darbyshire; 7. 145 Dale Hackwell Jr., Washburn; 8. Merfeld; 9. 80 Jerry Dedrick, Vinton; 10. Z50 Joe Zrostlik, Long Grove.

Second heat - 1. Guss; 2. McLaughlin; 3. Kastli; 4. Pestka; 5. Goedert; 6. Neal; 7. 9 Bobby Hansen, Center Point; 8. 21G Cory Goldbeck, Camanche; 9. 21 Ben Nading, Ankeny; 10. 44S Tom Struve, Palo.

Third heat - 1. Strassheim; 2. Tapper; 3. Remley; 4. Bruening; 5. Murphy; 6. 22 Charlie McKenna, Clear Lake; 7. 8 Randy Wheeler, Cedar Falls; 8. 38 Colby Springsteen, Morning Sun; 9. 4 Leon Thomsen, Waverly; 10. 27B Travis Smock, Independence.

Fourth heat - 1. Roberts; 2. Grady; 3. Dralle; 4. Passick; 5. Aikey; 6. Bair; 7. 21B Joel Brasch, Dunkerton; 8. 83 Rob Petsche, Peosta; 9. C10 Darin Burco, Independence; 10. 68 Tysus Pattee, Vinton.

First B feature - 1. Neal; 2. Ackerman; 3. Darbyshire; 4. Goedert; 5. Dedrick; 6. Zrostlik; 7. Nading; 8. Struve; 9. Hansen; 10. Hackwell; 11. Merfeld; 12. Goldbeck.

Second B feature - 1. Aikey; 2. Murphy; 3. Bair; 4. McKenna; 5. Burco; 6. Wheeler; 7. Petsche; 8. Thomsen; 9. Springsteen; 10. Smock; 11. Brasch; 12. Pattee (DNS)

I.M.C.A. MODIFIED
First heat - 1. 64 Vern Jackson, Waterloo; 2. 93K Jeff Kriz, Waterloo; 3. 6E Don Erger, Brandon; 4. 98 Jason Snyder, Dunkerton; 5. 57B Dennis Betzer, Central City; 6. 96 Troy Cordes, Raymond; 7. 24R Adam Johnson, Independence.

Second heat - 1. 3 Max Corporon, Marion; 2. 00 J.D. Auringer, Waterloo; 3. 35 Rob Olson, Cedar Rapids; 4. 85 Johnathan Thimmesch, Aurora; 5. 40 Shawn Lee, Spickard, Mo.; 6. 78 Adam Bolin, Waterloo; DNS 12X Brett Ladehoff, Marshalltown.

Feature - 1. Jackson; 2. Auringer; 3. Snyder; 4. Betzer; 5. Cordes; 6. Johnson; 7. Erger; 8. Kriz; 9. Olson; 10. Lee; 11. Corporon; 12. Thimmesch; 13. Bolin; DNS Ladehoff.

HOBBY STOCK
First heat - 1. 09 Brad Forbes, Waterloo; 2. 7B Jim Ball, Independence; 3. 25 Jamie Whitaker, Nevada; 4. 88S Joe Sprague, Independence; 5. 8 Bill Meyer, Sumner; 6. 67 Justin Stander, Vinton.

Second heat - 1. 62G Adam Gebel, Dysart; 2. 22H Curt Hilmer, Dysart; 3. 78 Matt Brown, Dysart; 4. 1S Dave Sweerin, Reinbeck; 5. 11 Al Sweerin, Waterloo; 6. 20B Matt Burmeister, Waterloo.

Third heat - 1. 20 Wes Stanek, Buckingham; 2. B62 Brandon Davis, Cedar Rapids; 3. 166 Justin Lichty, Waterloo; 4. 8W Dave Wheeler, Fairbank; 5. 115 Nathan Sweerin, Waterloo; 6. 6 Keven Gonzales, Fairbank.

Feature - 1. Forbes; 2. Stanek; 3. Lichty; 4. Gebel; 5. Hilmer; 6. D. Sweerin; 7. A. Sweerin; 8. Burmeister; 9. N. Sweerin; 10. Wheeler; 11. Davis; 12. Sprague; 13. Whitaker; 14. Stander; 15. Meyer; 16. Ball; 17. Brown (DNS); 18. Gonzales (DNS)