Travis Dickes Captures First-Ever MLRA Main Event
Davenport, Iowa (May 10, 2014) – Night two of the Lucas Oil MLRA/Corn Belt Clash double-hitter weekend wrapped up Saturday night with a first-time winner in RACEceiver Victory Lane. Madison, Nebraska’s Travis Dickes dominated the race by leading all but the opening lap at Jackson County Speedway.
Dickes and fellow Nebraska driver John Anderson started on row one for the 40-lap Lucas Cattle Company a-main event. Anderson looked strong early leading lap one ahead of Dickes and New Berlin, Illinois racer Brandon Sheppard.
Anderson’s time at the front didn’t last long as he slipped back to third behind Brian Birkhofer and ultimately outside of the top five. The first of three caution flags waved over the field by lap five with Dickes showing the way over Sheppard, Birkhofer, Brad Looney and Chad Simpson.
On lap eight, Birkhofer pressured Dickes for the lead but once again Dickes fought off all challengers to maintain his position out front. By lap 12, Chad Simpson charged into fourth while Sheppard took over second from Birkhofer, who slipped to third.
Sheppard thought about stepping out of line by lap 15 looking for a way to the front but thought better of it and moved right back down to the low side holding onto second position. The second caution flag fell over the field for the stalled car of Bill Koons.
For the restart, Dickes hammered the throttle while Sheppard went back to work trying searching for a way to pass for the lead. Chad Simpson, Brian Birkhofer, and tenth-starting Brad Looney battled close with Birkhofer ultimately fading to fourth on the restart.
Chris SimpsonA lap 22 three-car incident brought out the third and final caution as Chad Simpson moved to second with his Brother Chris moving to fourth one spot behind Sheppard. Brady Smith and Ryan Gustin ran in the sixth and seventh positions respectively just outside of the top five.
At the front, Chad Simpson tried extremely hard to find a way around Dickes, but just as he had the entire race distance, Dickes turned back all pursuers. Just shy of lap 30, Dickes left the door a little open coming off turn four but yet again Chad Simpson was unable to gain ground.
With eight laps remaining, Dickes encountered lapped traffic for the first time during the race but again he mastered his line and cleanly made his way through lapped cars, keeping Chad Simpson and Sheppard at bay. Dickes lightly clipped the infield tire in turn one running the low line but it didn’t slow him down any as he increased his lead in the closing laps.
At race end, Dickes found himself in RACEceiver Victory Lane for the first time on the MLRA circuit. After his win, Dickes stated, “Starting up front was huge, luckily I was able to stay there the whole time. When you can run with them guys [Sheppard, Birkhofer, and the Simpson Brothers] and stay in front, you’ve got to take your hat off to the Victory Circle guys and Jim Kuntz. I just knew if I stayed committed to my line, we’d be fine; I tried to stay smooth and patient as long as I could.”
Chad Simpson came away with the runner-up finish just in front of Brandon Sheppard, Chris Simpson, and Brady Smith inside the top five. Rounding out the top ten were Ryan Gustin, Brian Birkhofer, Jeremy Payne, Brad Looney, and John Anderson.
Chris Simpson
Heat race winners were John Anderson, Chad Simpson, Travis Dickes, and Jake Meier. Spencer Diercks claimed the lone b-main event. The Jackson County Speedway event marked the tenth time MLRA held a race in the state of Iowa.
Up next for the MLRA contingent are back-to-back nights at Outlaw Motorsports Park in Muskogee, Oklahoma, on May 16 and 17. The event marks the first time MLRA drivers have visited the track since July 2006, when Terry Phillips drove to victory. For additional information visit the track’s website at www.outlawmotorsports.com.
Davenport Speedway Contingency Awards 5/10/14
AR Bodies $50 Certificate for non-qualifier – Brad Stewart
Casey’s General Stores Hard Charger – Rich Bell
Chix Gear $25 Certificate for 7th Place Finisher – Brian Birkhofer
DirtOnDirt.com Pole Award – Travis Dickes
GRT Heat Race Winners – John Anderson, Chad Simpson, Travis Dickes, and Jake Meier
Hooker Harness Gift Certificate for 11th Place Finish – Spencer Diercks
Landrum Springs Product Certificate – Travis Dickes
Out Pace Certificate – Justin Kay
Peformance Bodies Certificate – Travis Dickes
RacingJunk.com Hard Luck Award – Bill Koons
Lucas Cattle Company A Feature (40 Laps):1. Travis Dickes (Madison, NE), 2. Chad Simpson (Mt Vernon, IA), 3. Brandon Sheppard (New Berlin, IL), 4. Chris Simpson (Oxford, IA), 5. Brady Smith (, WI), 6. Ryan Gustin (Marshalltown, IA), 7. Brian Birkhofer (Muscatine, IA), 8. Jeremy Payne (Springfield, MO), 9. Brad Looney (Republic, MO), 10. John Anderson (Omaha, NE), 11. Spencer Diercks (Davenport, IA), 12. J.C. Wyman (Griswold, IA), 13. Rich Bell (Sheffield, IL), 14. Dave Eckrich (Oxford, IA), 15. Jake Meier (Tipton, IA), 16. Jordan Yaggy (Rochester, MN), 17. Robert Cullen (Chilton, WI), 18. Mike Collins (Council Bluffs, IA), 19. Matt Furman (Columbus, OH), 20. Bill Koons (Omaha, NE), 21. Scott Lewis (Henderson, Co), 22. Jason Bodenhamer (Centerview, MO), 23. Justin Kay (Wheatland, IA), 24. Mike Fryer (Freeport, IL), 25. Justin Reed (Camp Point, IL)
AR Bodies B Feature (15 Laps): 1. Spencer Diercks (Davenport, IA), 2. Justin Reed (Camp Point, IL), 3. J.C. Wyman (Griswold, IA), 4. Scott Lewis (Henderson, Co), 5. Rich Bell (Sheffield, IL), 6. Mike Collins (Council Bluffs, IA), 7. Brad Stuart (Milledgeville, IL), 8. Steve Lach (Brownstown, IL), 9. Jay Johnson (Burlington, IA), 10. Mike Fryer (Freeport, IL), 11. Greg Wagner (Polo, IL), 12. Matt Furman (Columbus, OH), 13. Bill Koons (Omaha, NE), 14. Mark Voigt (Marine, IL)
GRT Race Cars Heat 1(10 Laps): 1. John Anderson (Omaha, NE), 2. Brandon Sheppard (New Berlin, IL), 3. Dave Eckrich (Oxford, IA), 4. Jordan Yaggy (Rochester, MN), 5. Bill Koons (Omaha, NE), 6. Greg Wagner (Polo, IL), 7. Rich Bell (Sheffield, IL), 8. Mark Voigt (Marine, IL)
Performance Bodies Heat 2 (10 Laps): 1. Chad Simpson (Mt Vernon, IA), 2. Brian Birkhofer (Muscatine, IA), 3. Jason Bodenhamer (Centerview, MO), 4. Jeremy Payne (Springfield, MO), 5. Justin Reed (Camp Point, IL), 6. Mike Fryer (Freeport, IL), 7. Jay Johnson (Burlington, IA), 8. J.C. Wyman (Griswold, IA)
Out Pace Heat 3 (10 Laps): 1. Travis Dickes (Madison, NE), 2. Justin Kay (Wheatland, IA), 3. Chris Simpson (Oxford, IA), 4. Ryan Gustin (Marshalltown, IA), 5. Matt Furman (Columbus, OH), 6. Mike Collins (Council Bluffs, IA), 7. Brad Stuart (Milledgeville, IL)
Hooker Harness Heat 4 (10 Laps): 1. Jake Meier (Tipton, IA), 2. Brady Smith (Solon Springs, WI), 3. Brad Looney (Republic, MO), 4. Robert Cullen (Chilton, WI), 5. Scott Lewis (Henderson, Co), 6. Spencer Diercks (Davenport, IA), 7. Steve Lach (Brownstown, IL)
Category: Davenport Speedway, Iowa, MLRA, Series
