Season Championship Wins To Furman,
Walker, Gingerich & Hansen; Track Titles To Denny Eckrich, Darrall Brick, Andy
Eckrich & Todd Hansen At West Liberty Raceway
The NASCAR Weekly Racing Series
presented by Dodge season at the West Liberty Raceway came to a close on
Saturday night on KWCC Radio season championship night. It was a beautiful night
for racing a large crowd turned out to take in the action packed night of
racing.
The Iowa Illinois Taylor Insulation
NASCAR Late Model feature saw 27 drivers take the green flag in the 35 lap
season championship race. Tom Cannon led the first 15 laps from his pole
position start before Matt Furman took over the top spot. Furman advanced from
the fourth row and took the lead and went on to score an impressive feature win.
Furman had the field bunched on his rear bumper following a couple of late race
cautions but Furman was up to the challenge in taking the win ahead of Denny
Eckrich and a strong finishing Fred Remley. Denny Eckrich completed an
outstanding season by winning the track points title in the NASCAR Midwest
Region strongest weekly Late Model Track. The West Liberty Raceway consistently
has the largest car count of all NASCAR Late Model tracks in the region and the
track has produced a large number of winners in 2002.
The Miller Time Modified feature
produced two outstanding races in one on Saturday night. The season championship
feature win went to Terry Walker. The #12 of Walker led the entire 20 laps,
Walker debuted his new car a few weeks back and has finished the season very
strong with two feature wins in the late going of the season. Walker took the
checkers ahead of Todd Stoolman and Ryan Dolan. Going into Saturday nights
season championship races Darrall Brick had slim 4 point lead over Larry
Herring. This meant that Brick could not finish less than two positions behind
Herring, that is exactly what happened with Herring taking fourth and Brick
taking sixth. This left the point race tied with Brick being awarded the title
with the tie breaker being instituted. Brick wins the title by virtue of 4 wins
in the season compared to 2 by Herring.
The DADCO Corp./Parker Stores Pro
Stock feature saw Matt Gilchrist advance all the way from his 19th
position start to take the apparent win in the 15 lap feature. Gilchrist refused
to allow officials post race inspect the engine forcing a DQ. This awarded the
season championship win to Jason Gilchrist. Gilchrist has finished the season
very strong and the championship win was hard earned by the popular West Liberty
driver. Andy Eckrich took second and earned his second consecutive track point
title in the Pro Stock division. Eckrich will be joining his two older brothers
in the NASCAR Late Model division in 2003.
The consistency of Todd Hansen’s
efforts throughout the 2002 season earned him the tracks Hobby Stock division
point title and Saturday night Hansen put an exclamation point on the season by
winning the season championship feature.
Jason Lange ran second ahead of
Jeremie Thompson.
A special match race was held between
KWCC Radio personalities Hoppi Hopkins and Katie Kile. Both were driving Farley
Flyer cars provided by R.J. Simon of Farley, Iowa. Hoppi took a two car length
win over Katie earning bragging rights.
The West Liberty Raceway will now lay
idle until the running of the sixth annual “Liberty 100” Friday & Saturday,
September 20th and 21st. The Liberty 100 will include
qualifying heats in all four divisions and the Race of Champions on Friday
night. All features being headlined by the 100 lap Bud Shootout Late Model
“Liberty” will be held on Saturday, September 21st. The 100 lapper
will award the winner $7,000.
Race Results 8/31/02
Iowa Illinois Taylor Insulation
Late Models
Heat 1
1.
51 Matt Furman-Iowa City
2.
4 Bobby Sexton-West Branch
3.
50 Denny Eckrich-Tiffin
Heat 2
1.
26 Steve Boley-West Liberty
2.
18Z Rusty Zook-Riverside
3.
3t Todd Davis-Iowa City
Heat 3
1.
45 Michael Klinkkammer-West Branch
2.
43 Kurt Stewart-Ainsworth
3.
66 Fred Remley-Blue Grass, IA
Feature
1.
51 Furman
2.
50 Eckrich
3.
66 Remley
4.
45 Klinkkammer
5.
12 Ray Guss Jr.-Milan, IL
6.
3T Davis
7.
57 Tom Christensen-West Liberty
8.
4 Sexton
9.
18Z Zook
10.
32 Tom Cannon-Iowa City
11.
28 Jeff Bair-Solon
12.
33 Nick Marolf-Moscow
13.
8M Mark Ward-Muscatine
14.
43 Stewart
15.
21h Brian Harris-Davenport
16.
M32 Marty Beckler-Tiffin
17.
31b Jason Utter-Columbus Junction
18.
77J Steve Johnson-Camanche
19.
13K Denny Petersen-Tipton
20.
2 Monte Ohrt-West Branch
21.
77 Kurt Kile-West Liberty
22.
31 Brian Morgan-Muscatine
23.
88 Kevin Kile-West Liberty
24.
26 Boley
25.
69 Todd Hormel-West Liberty
26.
23D Dana Wells-Moscow
27.
74 Ron Boyse-Kalona
Miller Time Modifieds
Heat 1
1.
19Terry Lawson-New Liberty
2.
12 Terry Walker-Riverside
3.
37 Todd Stoolman-West Branch
Heat 2
1.
2h Rick Hixson-Orion, IL
2.
34 Dave Hemsted-Lone Tree
3.
2 Jim Vest-Wellman
Heat 3
1.
22 Darrall Brick-West Branch
2.
9 Dick Steadman-Hiawatha
3.
16 Ryan Dolan-Lisbon
Feature
1.
12 Walker
2.
37 Stoolman
3.
16 Dolan
4.
96 Larry Herring-Lone Tree
5.
2 Vest
6.
22 Brick
7.
60 Robbie Verbeck-Annawan, IL
8.
2h Hixson
9.
20 John Fellman-Blue Grass
10.
71Z Ray Partida-West Liberty
11.
45 Steve Kohli-Iowa City
12.
44 Wade Lee-Muscatine
13.
25 Dustin Lovell-Rochester
14.
D56 Mike Dains-Mechanicsville
15.
42 John Brumley-Riverside
16.
38 Rob Hilyer-Nichols
17.
18 Matt Ruess-West Liberty
18.
5 Denny Poulsen-West Liberty
19.
17 Steve Stewart-Washington
20.
19 Lawson
21.
9 Steadman
22.
34 Hemsted
23.
9Z Mike Zogg-New Liberty
DADCO Corp./Parker Stores Pro
Stocks
Heat 1
1.
29 Jason Gingerich-West Liberty
2.
56 Andy Eckrich-Cosgrove
3.
38 Skeet Smith-Wilton
Heat 2
1.
7 Dale Franklin-Marion
2.
32 Chris Simpson-Marion
3.
69 John Maher-West Branch
Heat 3
1.
21 Brian VanDusen-Atalissa
2.
36 Justin Gingerich-West Liberty
3.
2R Rusty Daufeldt-Blue Grass
Feature
1.
29 Gingerich
2.
56 Eckrich
3.
32 Simpson
4.
21 VanDusen
5.
69 Maher
6.
3D Dan Lange-Rochester
7.
9Z Dan Werner-Muscatine
8.
0 Matt Bodman-Muscatine
9.
S1 Steve Hunter-Hopkinton
10.
60 Matt Brockert-Muscatine
11.
5m Larry McCall-Mechanicsville
12.
31 Jeremy Honts-Muscatine
13.
36 Gingerich
14.
2R Daufeldt
15.
75 Mike Welsh-Davenport
16.
25 Chad Simpson-Marion
17.
33 Randy Franzen-Maquoketa
18.
26 PaulHallett-Muscatine
19.
7 Franklin
20.
77 Darren Plett-Donahue
21.
24 Monte Hayden-Wilton
22.
38 Smith
NASCAR Hobby Stocks
Heat 1
1.
0 Stan O’Brien-Muscatine
2.
S9 Ron Schreurs-Fruitland
3.
57J JeremieThompson-Ainsworth
Heat 2
1.
21 Todd Hansen-Muscatine
2.
94 Jason Lange-Lisbon
3.
D1 Matt Fulton-Muscatine
Feature
1.
21 Hansen
2.
94 Lange
3.
57j Thompson
4.
0 O’Brien
5.
15 Jared Collins-West Liberty
6.
D1 Fulton
7.
25 Jim Schrier-Washington
8.
9 Davey Elliott-Moscow
9.
81 K.C. Ansel-Dubuque
10.
89 Kelly Welter-St. Donatus
11.
42V Darrin Voss-Wilton
12.
2W Roger Whitcomb-Letts
13.
20 Dan Albright-Hiawatha
14.
100 Dave Schrier-Washington
15.
S9 Schruers
16.
72 Doug Yates-Monticello
17.
40 Jake Purdy-West Liberty
18.
66 Jason Erwin-Muscatine
West Liberty Raceway
8-31-02
By: Jerry Mackey
