HARRIS OUTRUNS FEGERS TO PICK UP WDRL WIN AT ECHO VALLEY
Davenport, Iowa driver impressive in first series victory of season
By Tom Lathen
WORLD Dirt Racing League

WEST UNION, IA (July 21) - Brian Harris outran race leader Justin Fegers 19 laps from the finish Saturday night and went on to win the Quillin’s Food Ranch/KVIK/KNEI 50, a WORLD Dirt Racing League PolyDome Late Model Series sanctioned event here at Echo Valley Speedway.

After taking advantage of a pair of mid-race caution flags, Harris stormed off the banking out of turn two on lap-31 and powered underneath Fegers as the two leaders darted down the back straightaway to grab his first series win of the season, after several heart-wrenching runner-up finishes.

“We’ve finished second three times this year, so it’s great to get our first WDRL win of the season,” commented the winner in AMSOIL Victory Lane.
“This is one of my favorite tracks,” he added. “We’ve come here three times in the last three years and we’ve never finished out of the top five. You can really get up along that wall through (turns) one and two and let her eat.”

Harris started seventh in a 25-car field and wasn’t a factor during the early-going, as Fegers came from his outside front row starting position to grab the opening-lap advantage over pole-sitter Denny Eckrich, inside second-row starter Chad Simpson, Tim Isenberg, and Eric Pember.

With Harris running eighth, Fegers raced to a nearly full straightaway advantage by lap five, before encountering slower traffic a handful of laps later.
The first of four caution flags appeared on lap 12 when Tyler Bruening slowed to a stop midway down the back straightaway, but when racing resumed, Fegers again roared away from the field, with Denny Eckrich, Chad Simpson, and Dave Eckrich locked in a furious battle for the number-two position.

On lap 15, Dave Eckrich moved past Simpson to grab third, and a lap later wheeled around his brother, two-time defending series champion Denny Eckrich, to snare second.

A half dozen circuits later, the elder Eckrich pulled alongside the front-running Fegers as the two leaders stormed into turn three, but when the duo raced out of turn four and in front of the grandstands, Fegers again held the advantage by a matter of a few car lengths.

Disaster struck Eckrich on lap 27 however, when the Cosgrove, Iowa hot-shoe was unable to avoid a tangle involving Brent Laursen and Rick Hanestad as the leaders made their way through slower traffic out of turn two and down the back straightaway. Fegers was able to avoid the melee, but as Eckrich tried to make it by on the outside, his Precision Performance/Barry Wright/Grove Automotive Chevrolet clipped the disabled car of Hanestad and careened sideways before coming to a halt at the entrance to turn three.

Harris, who had been running sixth, took advantage of the ensuing restart and quickly advanced four positions to second, before the caution flag again waved on lap 28 when four cars tangled in turn two.

“I was spinning the tires back there on the backstretch and I could feel a good grip so I thought I could get a pretty good run on the outside,” noted Harris of the restart. “We got a good run there and were able to pick off a few cars and that really helped."

After running wheel-to-wheel with the front-running Fegers on laps 29 and 30, the 28-year old Davenport, Iowa driver came off the cushion out of turn two on lap 31 and roared to the inside down the back straightaway to grab the advantage as the two race leaders sprinted into turn three.

The race was slowed by a final caution flag on lap 32, when Elk Mound, Wisconsin driver John Kaanta lost a drive shaft in turn three, but Harris’ Iowa-Illinois Taylor Insulation/MasterSbilt/Gaerte Engines Pontiac Grand Prix proved to be the class of the field over the final 18 circuits and won the race to the checkered flag comfortably over Fegers, who settled for second.

“The car wasn’t really all that good at the beginning of the race,” said Harris, the current WDRL points leader. “I just had to be patient, and work the lapped cars, and finally it did come together."

"After those three second-place finishes, we’re glad to pick this one up tonight.”

Denny Eckrich wheeled his “Flyin’ 50” to a third place finish, followed by Jeff Aikey, and Dave Eckrich, who rebounded from his lap 27 accident to finish fifth. Brothers Chad and Chris Simpson finished sixth and seventh, respectively, followed by Tim Isenberg, Kerry Hansen, and Ace Ihm.

Race Report:

BSB Manufacturing Group Qualifying: 1. Brian Harris; Davenport, IA (18.480), 2. Darin Duffy; Hazelton, IA (18.549), 3. Rick Hanestad; Boyceville, WI (18.606), 4. Skip Frey; Ely, IA (18.771), 5. Andrew McKay; Edina, MN (18.944), 6. John Kaanta; Elk Mound, WI (19.035), 7. Justin Fegers; Mound, MN (19.039), 8. Dave Eckrich; Cosgrove, IA (19.095), 9. Kerry Hansen; Spencer, WI (19.013), 10. Eric Pember; Pittsville, WI (19.148), 11. Chad Simpson; Mount Vernon, IA (19.185), 12. Tim Isenberg; Marshfield, WI (19.266), 13. Rob Moss; Iowa City, IA (19.355), 14. Ace Ihm; Hazel Green, WI (19.451), 15. Denny Eckrich; Tiffin, IA (19.480), 16. Brent Laursen; Osceola, WI (19.556), 17. Jeff Aikey; Cedar Falls, IA (19.654), 18. Chris Simpson; Oxford, IA (19.789), 19. Ray Guss, Jr.; Milan, IL (19.839), 20. Tyler Bruening; Decorah, IA (19.866), 21. Tommy Elston; Keokuk, IA (19.900), 22. Jill George; Cedar Falls, IA (20.070), 23. Jason Utter; Columbus Junction, IA (20.189), 24. Jason Mitchell; Cedar Rapids, IA (20.198), 25. Ed Sanger; Postville, IA (20.786).

First PolyDome Qualifier: 1. Denny Eckrich, 2. Isenberg, 3. Hansen, 4. Kaanta, 5. Guss, Jr., 6. Laursen, 7. Hanestad, 8. Sanger, 9. George.

Second PolyDome Qualifier: 1. Chad Simpson, 2. Ihm, 3. Dave Eckrich, 4. McKay, 5. Aikey, 6. Duffy, 7. Bruening, 8. Utter.

Third PolyDome Qualifier: 1. Pember, 2. Fegers, 3. Harris, 4. Moss, 5. Chris Simpson, 6. Elston, 7. Frey, 8. Mitchell.

KSE Racing Products Consolation: 1. Laursen, 2. Frey, 3. Bruening, 4. Utter, 5. Sanger, 6. George, 7. Mitchell.

Iowa-Illinois Taylor Insulation Pole Dash: 1. Denny Eckrich, 2. Fegers, 3. Chad Simpson, 4. Isenberg, 5. Dave Eckrich, 6. Pember, 7. Harris, 8. Ihm.

Quillin’s Food Ranch/KVIK/KNEI 50: 1. Harris, 2. Fegers, 3. Denny Eckrich, 4. Aikey, 5. Dave Eckrich, 6. Chad Simpson, 7. Chris Simpson, 8. Isenberg, 9. Hansen, 10. Ihm, 11. Duffy, 12. Pember, 13. Moss, 14. McKay, 15. Sanager, 16. Mitchell, 17. Kaanta, 18. Elston, 19. Hanestad, 20. Laursen, 21. George, 22. Utter, 23. Guss, Jr., 24. Bruening, 25. Frey.

INFORMATION OF INTEREST:

Entrants: 25
Lap Leaders: Fegers (1-30), Harris (31-50)
Time of Race: 38:47.703
Margin of Victory: 3.903
Fastest Lap: Fegers (19.037)
Caution Flags: 4 (laps 12, 27, 28, 32)
Red Flags: none
Rookie-of-the-Race: Isenberg
Hard Luck Driver: Kanta
Series Provisionals: none

CONTINGENCY AWARD WINNERS:
Iowa-Illinois Taylor Insulation: Denny Eckrich, Fegers, Chad Simpson
QA1 Motorsports: Pember
BSB Manufacturing: Harris
AMSOIL: Harris
The Brake Man: Fegers
Champ Pans: Denny Eckrich
Performance Bodies: Dave Eckrich
V-Performance Batteries: Chad Simpson
Fast Shafts: Chris Simpson
Hooker Harness: Isenberg
Weld Wheels: Hansen
Chase Race Decals: Kaanta