Davenport And Eagle Up Next For World Dirt Racing League

Contrasting race tracks challenge series drivers June 6 and June 8

By Tom Lathen
WORLD Dirt Racing League

(Gilman City, MO) Series events at Davenport Speedway in Davenport, Iowa and Eagle Raceway near Eagle, Nebraska are next on the schedule for the cars and stars of the WORLD Dirt Racing League PolyDome Late Model Series.

The two events, scheduled for Wednesday and Friday, June 6 and June 8, respectively, will provide a contrast for WDRL competitors, with Davenport Speedway’s slightly-banked half-mile being known as a motor race track, while Eagle’s high-banked third-mile bull ring is described as more of a driver’s race track. The event at Eagle, will be the first-ever appearance at the popular Cornhusker state bull ring, by the WORLD Dirt Racing League.

“These two events should provide race fans with plenty of action,” noted Jim Wilson, series director of the WDRL. “Over the years, our races at Davenport Speedway have attracted large fields of cars and very competitive racing, and it goes without saying that the third-mile at Eagle will definitely be exciting.”

“Drivers will definitely be put to the test,” added Wilson. “These two race tracks couldn’t be any more different, with Davenport’s long straightaways and slightly-banked corners, compared to the short straightaways and very high-banked corners at Eagle. It will be interesting to see how the drivers adapt to the two different styles of race tracks.”

With five of 27 series events in the books, Mound, Minnesota’s Justin Fegers continues to sit atop the PolyDome Late Model Series point standings. Fegers, the 2005 series Rookie-of-the-Year, has a series win earlier this season at Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa, and has yet to finish outside the top-ten in a series event. Last weekend at northeast Iowa’s Dubuque Speedway, the 27-year old driver survived a near catastrophic qualifying race accident and accepted a series provisional before racing to a satisfying tenth-place finish in the annual “Rumble By The River 100.”

Buoyed by an impressive fifth-place finish last weekend at Dubuque, Brian Harris of Davenport, Iowa has moved into second-place in the series standings, only nine markers behind the front-running Fegers. Harris, who came from the back of the field at Dubuque following a lap-seven tangle, also has yet to finish out of the top-ten this season, with his best effort being a second-place finish at West Liberty Raceway in West Liberty, Iowa in late April.

A mere eight points separate Cosgrove, Iowa’s Dave Eckrich, Chris Simpson of Oxford, Iowa, and Elk Mound, Wisconsin driver John Kaanta in the battle for third, fourth, and fifth in the current WDRL driver’s standings. Eckrich, who won the series event earlier this year at West Liberty Raceway, is currently third in the points chase, 36 points behind the pace-setting Fegers. Simpson, who led for 29-laps at Dubuque before finishing fourth, is 31 behind the leader, with Kaanta, a winner earlier this year at Freeport Raceway Park in Illinois, just 34 points behind the front-runner.

Other series combatants expected to be in the field at both Davenport and Eagle include Pittsville, Wisconsin’s Eric Pember, two-time defending series champion Denny Eckrich of Tiffin, Iowa, “The River City Hustler,” Ray Guss, Jr. of Milan, Illinois, last year’s series Rookie-of-the-Year Jason Utter of Columbus Junction, Iowa and Matt Furman and Rob Moss, both of Iowa City, Iowa. Marion, Iowa’s Chad Simpson, an early leader at Dubuque Speedway, is also expected to represent the WDRL at both events, along with Marshfield, Wisconsin’s Tim Isenberg, Curt Martin of Independence, Iowa, Edina, Minnesota’s Andrew McKay, and Billy Koons of Omaha, Nebraska.

As is normally the case, the field at Davenport will be dotted with a number of regional Late Model hot-shoes including Cedar Falls, Iowa’s Jeff Aikey, a five-time IMCA (International Motor Contest Association) Deery Series champion, last year’s Farley Speedway track champion Andy Eckrich of Iowa City, Iowa, Dan Shelliam of Hazel Green, Wisconsin, last year’s weekly track champion at both Dubuque Speedway and Freeport Raceway Park, exciting Badger state driver Ace Ihm, also of Hazel Green, five-time Freeport Raceway Park track titlist Craig Jacobs of Freeport, Illinois, second-generation Lancaster, Missouri driver Chris Smyser, four-time Lee County Speedway (Donnellson, Iowa) Late Model champion Tommy Elston of Keokuk, Iowa, 38-year Kirksville, Missouri veteran Sonny Findling, two-time Freeport Raceway Park weekly champion Jeff “Bone” Larson of Freeport, Illinois, and the father-and-son tandem of Johnny and Jay Johnson, both of West Burlington, Iowa.

At Eagle Raceway on Friday, former two-time WDRL champion Kyle Berck of Marquette, Nebraska is expected to be in the field, along with former NASCAR Weekly Racing Series national champions Joe and Ed Kosiski of Omaha and Ralston, Nebraska, respectively. Other area drivers expected to compete at the exciting eastern Nebraska speed plant include Omaha, Nebraska’s John Anderson, who already has scored four regional touring wins this season, 35-year Late Model veteran Al Humphrey of Giltner, Nebraska, Council Bluffs, Iowa hot-shoe Mike Collins, a former NASCAR Weekly Racing Series regional top-five finisher, Yutan, Nebraska’s Craig Preble, Brian Kenkel and Scott Daly, both of Elkhorn, Nebraska, and up-and-coming young Bellevue, Nebraska driver Corey Zeitner.

As no group qualifying will be held at Davenport Speedway on Wednesday, action will get underway with hot-laps at 6:00, following by heat race action at 6:30. On Friday at Eagle, hot laps are set to start at 6:30, with group qualifying scheduled for a 7:00 start.