What won the race: Taking advantage when race leaders Jeremiah Hurst and Jesse Sobbing got together on a late restart, third-running Denny Eckrich of Tiffin, Iowa, shot into the lead on the high side and went on to lead the final seven laps in winning the $2,000 IMCA Deery Brothers Summer Series race at West Liberty Raceway.

Quotable: “(Mike) helped me get into a Black Diamond (Chassis). He helped a lot of racers,” said Eckrich in victory lane, paying tribute to friend Mike Humphrey, the Black Diamond Chassis fabricator who was killed in a car accident earlier in the week in Louisiana. “Mike was a good guy and he died too soon. There are a lot of heavy hearts tonight.”

Key notes: Eckrich won West Liberty's Deery opener last season. ... Fourteen of the 24 starters finished the race. ... Eckrich was involved in a mid-race scrape with Jake Neal that left the driver's side door on the race winner's car hanging on precariously. ... Spencer Diercks of Davenport, Iowa, broke while leading on lap 15. ... West Liberty also hosts June 13 and Sept. 22-23 events during the 31st annual Deery campaign.

On the move: Joel Callahan of Dubuque, Iowa started 20th and improved 17 positions for a podium finish.

Winner's sponsors: Denny Eckrich's Black Diamond Chassis is sponsored by Precision Performance, Mac Tools and Fast City Arctic Cat.

Points chase: Entering the event, Nick Marolf (43 points) of Moscow, Iowa, leads Darrel DeFrance (41) of Marshalltown, Iowa, and Tyler Bruening (39) of Decorah, Iowa.

Car count: 30

Polesitter: Kyle Hinrichs

Heat race winners: Jeremiah Hurst, Scott Fitzpatrick, Kevin Kile, Jeff Aikey

Consolation race winners: Andy Eckrich, Chad Holladay

Next series race: April 14, Farley Speedway (Farley, IA) $2,000