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EAST MOLINE, Ill. (May 11) - The WORLD Dirt Racing League was up for round 2 of its 2009 season here Sunday at Quad City Raceway, and racing fans who made the journey to the tight, high banks of QCR were treated to some of the best door-to-door action seen so far this season. Thirty-one WDRL cars and drivers were on hand to take their shot at the $5,000 top prize as Chad Simpson in his no. 25 car sought to extend his early season point lead. Four ultra-competitive heat races started the evening with the top finishers coming from the rear of the field in each event. The eight-car pole dash was Quad City Raceway's version of Talladega with the top positions two by two from start to finish. The 40-lap main event went flag to flag with intense racing throughout the entire field. Al Purkey of Coffeyville, Kan., darted into the early lead with WDRL Rookie of the Year contender Chad Mahder in tow. Simpson raced hard with Mahder, eventually getting by him. But then came the thriller of the night in the form of the "Highside Hustler," Jason Feger of Bloomington, Ill. Overtaking both Mahder and Simpson, Feger rode the rail on the top side of the speedway with his site set on the front-running Purkey. Feger had Purkey passed on three different occasions but Purkey was able to battle back into the lead each time. Intense lapping traffic, three wide most of the time, played a huge roll in the outcome of the race as each driver darted high and low to pass lapped cars everywhere on the race track. Just before the halfway point, Feger showed his nose to Purkey down the back straightaway, with Simpson running a strong third at the time. All three drivers were on the same straightaway for almost the entire second half of the race. But each time Feger would complete a pass, Purkey was right there to take it back. Feger took one last look to the inside of Purkey on the last lap, made a move to the bottom that did not work and had to settle for second place as Purkey took the checkered flag. It was the first WORLD Dirt Racing League win for Purkey, who has committed to running the entire WDRL schedule "I was racing (Feger) hard, I knew he was there and we got together there on the frontstretch, but that's quarter-mile racing," Purkey said in a post-race interview referring to some contact on the tight race track. "I think he would have done the same thing. It's just good hard racing. I'm sure there's no hard feelings." Simpson turned in another strong performance, finishing third in the final rundown and still on the same straightaway as the leaders. Dennis Erb was able to negotiate lapped traffic to post a strong fourth-place finish while rookie Chad Mahder was able to hold on to fifth.
RACE REPORT
First Qualifying Heat Race: 1. Dave Eckrich, 2. Andrew McKay, 3. Al Purkey. Second Qualifying Heat Race: 1. Chris Simpson, 2. Gordie Seegert, 3. Mike Murphy. Third Qualifying Heat Race: 1. Chad Mahder, 2. Chad Simpson, 3. Dennis Erb. Fourth Qualifying Heat Race: 1. Jason Feger, 2. Denny Eckrich, 3. Curt Martin. Consolation Race : 1. Frank Heckenast Jr., 2. Rich Bell, 3. Tim Isenberg, 4. Eric Pember, 5. Jeremy Grady, 6. Jason Utter, 7. Richie Hedrix, 8. Bill Koons, 9. Mike Cothron, 10. Matt Furman, 11. Robb Moss, 12. Steve Lance. Iowa-Illinois Taylor Insulation Pole Dash: 1. Al Purkey, 2. Chad Mahder, 3. Chad Simpson, 4. Jason Feger, 5. Chris Simpson, 6. Dave Eckrich, 7. Dennis Erb, 8. Gordie Seegert. 40 Lap Feature: 1, Al Purkey 2. Jason Feger, 3. Chad Simpson, 4. Dennis Erb, 5. Chad Mahder, 6. Denny Eckrich, 7. Dave Eckrich, 8. Gordie Seegert, 9. John Kaanta, 10. Chris Simpson, 11. Ted Looms, 12. Curt Martin, 13. Andrew McKay, 14. Tim Lance, 15. Frank Heckenast Jr., 16. Tim Isenberg, 17. Rob Tonal, 18. Mike Murphy, 19. Eric Pember, 20. Jeremey Grady, 21. Brian Harris, 22. Rich Bell, 23. Jamie Zodiac, 24. Rob Moss.
INFORMATION OF INTEREST: Entrants: 31 Lap Leaders: Al Purkey (1-20), (22-32), (34-40); Jason Feger (21, 33) Time of Race: Flag to flag Margin of Victory: Less than .5 second Caution Flags: None Red Flags: None Chase Decals Rookie-of-the-Race: Chad Mahder Hard Luck Driver: Matt Furman Series Provisionals: Rob Moss and Jeremy Grady
CONTINGENCY AWARD WINNERS: Iowa-Illinois Taylor Insulation Pole Dash winner: Al Purkey QA 1 Passing Points winner: Dave Eckrich The Brake Man: Chad Simpson Champ Pans: Chad Mahder Performance Bodies: Denny Eckrich Fast Shafts: Gordie Seegert Hooker Harness: John Kaanta BSB Manufacturing: Dave Eckrich Randy’s Racing Filters ninth-place finish: Curt Martin; 10th-place finish: Andrew McKay
For more information on the WORLD Dirt Racing League or the latest WDRL Late Model Series schedule, check out the WORLD Dirt Racing League's Web site, www.worldraceleague.com.
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