Davenport Speedway
Burgtorf's streak ends as Guss takes Davenport
Ray Guss Jr. and car owner Hershel Roberts (picturethisphotos.net)
DAVENPORT, Iowa (April 16) – Ray Guss Jr. of Milan, Ill. couldn’t have asked for much more from Friday’s Deery Brothers Summer Series feature at Davenport Speedway.
Guss earned $2,000 for his first victory of the season on the IMCA Late Model tour and took over the top spot in the early series point standings. Mark Burgtorf of Quincy, Ill., had come to town looking for his third win in as many 2010 events, but broke shortly after relinquishing the lead to Guss before midway and was relegated to 18th. | Slideshow
Consolation race winner Andy Eckrich of Iowa City, Iowa, fashioned a runner-up finish in just the second feature appearance of his Deery career, advancing 11 positions. Six-times and reigning series champion Jeff Aikey of Waterloo, Iowa, bounced back from a tough opening weekend for third while Tom Darbyshire of Morning Sun, Iowa, and 20th-starting Justin Reed of Quincy rounded out the top five.
The 50-lapper started with Burgtorf taking the green from the outside of row one. He ran at the front with pressure eventually coming from the sixth starting Guss and the eighth-starting Jason Rauen.
Frequent yellows slowed the contest, two casualties being Rauen and Burgtorf. Guss had finally caught up and was first across the line on lap 22, then Burgtorf broke half a lap later and coasted to a stop on the backstretch.
The race ran without caution from that point and Guss checked out on everybody, winning his 17th Deery feature and his first at Davenport since 1999. The real fight was for second and Eckrich eventually prevailed in a tussle that frequently saw four or five cars challenging for the spot.
Notes: Guss drove a Hershel Roberts-owned MasterSbilt Race Car is powered by a Mullins Engine and sponsored by Sears Seating, Roberts Custom Software and Roemer Machine & Welding. ... Mark Burgtorf was trying to become the first series driver since 2004 to win three straight events. ... Darrel DeFrance of Marshalltown, Iowa, ran sixth in his 355th consecutive career series outing; he's third in the standings, seven points behind Guss and one back of Burgtorf. ... Brett Diercks was the $250 Sunoco drawing winner. ... The series tripleheader weekend continues in Iowa with a Saturday event at Jackson County Speedway in Maquoketa and a Sunday race at Dubuque Fairgrounds Speedway, the first-ever Deery Brothers race at that track.
Deery Brothers @ Davenport: (1) Ray Guss Jr., (2) Andy Eckrich, (3) Jeff Aikey, (4) Tom Darbyshire, (5) Justin Reed, (6) Darrel DeFrance, (7) Mike Murphy Jr., (8) Matt Strassheim, (9) Gary Russell, (10) Tom Goble, (11) Brett Diercks, (12) Boone McLaughlin, (13) Jeremiah Hurst, (14) Nate Beuseling, (15) Todd Malmstrom, (16) Kevin Blum, (17) Josh Most, (18) Mark Burgtorf, (19) Jason Rauen, (20) Rob Toland, (21) Jason Frankel, (22) Mike Garland, (23) Terry Neal, (24) Jon Merfeld. Heat race winners (among 57 cars): Merfeld, Murphy, Neal, Blum, Guss, DeFrance. Consolation winners: Eckrich, Darbyshire, Goble.
