What won the race: Utilizing the high line Friday at Marshalltown Speedway, Jake Neal of Omaha, Neb., took the lead for good on lap 41 and paced the final four circuits, topping the Hoker Trucking Series field and winning the fifth annual Dale DeFrance Memorial. The $4,400 victory marked the third of Neal's career on the series.

Quotable: "I could see that he was closing in on me, but all of the lapped cars were down there and the top was so treacherous," Neal said. "If I could get a good run on it, it was good, but the chances of me getting a good run was difficult. I about exited the park down here and I was on two wheels, one wheel and I was just glad to see the checkered flag when it came out."

Key notes: Neal led a total of two times for 30 laps (laps 13 through 39 and laps 41 through 44). ... Running primarily on the low-line, Luke Goedert of Guttenburg, Iowa, took the lead briefly and led laps 39 and 40, before Neal moved back around Goedert and beat him to the line by 2.153 seconds. ... Andy Eckrich of Iowa City, Iowa, moved into third place on lap 30 and finished there. ... Eleventh-starting Joel Callahan of Dubuque, Iowa, advanced seven positions and finished fourth. ... Bill Leighton Jr. of LaVista, Neb., started 12th and advanced five positions, finishing seventh. ... Tad Pospisil of Norfolk, Neb., led the first 12 laps before fading to finish eighth. ... After winning the DeFrance Memorial in 2020, Jeff Aikey of Cedar Falls, Iowa, completed only 10 laps and finished 25th. ... Friday's feature, twice-postponed due to inclement weather, was slowed by two cautions and lasted 19 minutes, with 14 competitors completing 44 laps.

On the move: Last year's Dale DeFrance Memorial winner Justin Kay of Wheatland, Iowa, started 18th and finished ninth.

Winner's sponsors: Neal’s Swartz Race Car has a KS Engineering engine and sponsorship from All Makes Collision, H&H Racing, Beard Vet Coffee, I-80 Farms, Precision Performance, Diamond J Custom Services, Lajoie Seats, Hooker Harnesses, Hess Technology Designs, Prevost Racing, Downtown Recycling, Channel Seed, Midwest Outlaw Garage, Schoenfeld Headers, Wehr’s Machine and SSS Motorsports.

Points chase: After Marshalltown: 1. Justin Kay (1,904); 2. Luke Goedert (1,880); 3. Jason Hahne (1,818); 4. Andy Eckrich (1,812); 5. Charlie McKenna (1,802).

Current weather: Clear, 75°F

Car count: 39

Fast qualifier: Andy Eckrich

Time: 14.561 seconds

Polesitter: Tad Pospisil

Heat race winners: Joel Callahan, Ben Schaller, Bill Leighton Jr., Corey Zeitner

Consolation race winners: Matt Ryan, Justin Kay

Provisional starters: Logan Duffy, Curt Schroeder, Darrel DeFrance, Chris Spieker, Curtis Glover, Ron Boyse

Next series race: August 6, Independence Motor Speedway (Independence, IA) $7,200