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AIKEY SCORES ANOTHER FARLEY WINNASCAR WEEKLY RACING SERIES Jeff Aikey solidified his standing on top of the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series standings by scoring his fifth win in seven starts this season during Mid-Season Championships held at the Farley Speedway on Friday June 22nd. Also crowned Mid-Season Champions were Russ Olson in the Modifieds, John Maher in Pro Stocks, Dan Albright in Hobby Stocks and Brian Strang in the Fun Cars. Jeremiah Hurst took control when the green flag dropped on the 35-lap Late Model feature event, using his pole position to lead the first four laps. Dave Eckrich rod the cushion around the high-banked half-mile to advance from sixth into the lead by lap four, opening up a 25 car length advantage when the event’s first caution came out on lap eight. Aikey was third at the caution, advancing from twelfth on the start by utilizing the inside groove to navigate a shorter way around the racetrack. Taking advantage of the restart, Aikey banked off the cushion briefly to dispose of Hurst in the second position and set his sights on the leader. Inching closer for several laps while experimenting with different lines, Aikey finally settled back on the bottom of the track, getting underneath Eckrich for the first time on lap twelve, but not completing the pass until two laps later after running side-by-side for the lead all the way around the track. Luke Merfeld moved up to challenge Eckrich for the second spot, allowing Aikey to pull out to a 10 ca length lead, which he held until a lap 25 caution flag bunched the field back up. Second place in points Rick Wendling benefited most from the caution, pulling underneath Eckrich for second on the restart. Wendling was able to stay on Aikey’s rear bumper for the final ten laps but failed to mount a challenge, finishing second ahead of Eckrich, Duane Coulson and Hurst. Olson captured his second Modified feature win of the season after chasing down early leader Jed Hurst. Hurst took command of the race on the first lap after starting fifth, running the middle of the racetrack to try and stay ahead of Rich Smith. Smith caught Hurst on the tenth lap and was executing a pass underneath when then first caution of the race flew, negating his efforts. Olson was running a distant third at the time, taking advantage of the double-file restarts to dispatch with Smith when racing resumed and setting his sights on Hurst. A strong run off of the second corner on the twelfth lap allowed Olson to race alongside the leader down the backstretch and into the lead as the pair exited the fourth turn. Staying on the cushion in the fourth corner, Hurst used his momentum to attempt a similar pass underneath as the cars raced into the first turn, but brought out the yellow flag instead after carrying to much speed into the corner and spinning out. Ryan Dolan lined up behind the leader Olson for the restart, hounding him for the remainder of the race but unable to attempt a pass as Smith stayed glued to his rear bumper, looking for any opportunity to pass. John Maher scored his first Pro Stock feature win by taking advantage of a first lap caution to take the lead away from Dana Servoy. Maher went unchallenged for the remainder of the race as Jeff Tharp and Dan Shelliam staged a duel for the second position. Constantly changing lines around the racetrack, the two ran side-by-side on several occasions before Shelliam prevailed. Tharp held on to third ahead of Matt Gilchrist and Jeff Kennedy. Rookie Dan Albright scored his first Hobby Stock feature win of his career by holding off a race-long attack by Duane Ahmann. Albright took the lead on the first lap and survived heavy pressure and two caution flags to post the victory. Jerry Merkes finished a distant third ahead of TJ Leslein and Jeff Reinert. Brain Strang was awarded the Fun Car feature win after apparent victor Russ Yonkovic was disqualified in post race inspection. Next on tap at the “Palace of Speed” will be Legends Night, Friday June 29th. Activities scheduled for that evening include a reception prior to the races for retired drivers, trackside introduction and presentation of the Legends on hand and the dedication of special sections grandstands honoring Eastern Iowa Legends. In addition, old time vintage coupes will put on an exhibition race and memorabilia will be in display. The Old Timer’s reception is scheduled for 5 pm with hot laps at 7 pm and racing to follow. For more information, please contact Simmons Promotions at 563-744-3620 or on the internet at www.SimmonsPromotionsInc.com. For raceday updates and instant results upon completion please call your local McLeod USA InTouch directory category #3740 or #3741. Late Models MODIFIEDS PRO STOCK BOMBER FUN CARS |
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