![Sponsor 743](https://www.dirtondirt.com/banners/banner_1724773060.gif)
July 13
Shelby County Speedway,
Harlan, IA
Sanction: Malvern Bank West Series (Rallen Zeitner Memorial) - $7,600
Information provided by: Mike Ruefer, series and track reports (last updated July 14, 6:19 am)
High-flying Zeitner honors Grandpa, earns $7,600
Rallen Zeitner Memorial
- Justin Zeitner
- Andy Eckrich
- Blair Nothdurft
- Drake Troutman
- Chad Holladay
- Derrick Stewart
- Dylan Thornton
- J.C. Wyman
- Jason Hahne
- Bill Leighton Jr.
- Corey Zeitner
- Matt Ryan
- Tom Berry Jr.
- Jeff Tharp
- Luke Goedert
- Zach Zeitner
- Darrel DeFrance
- Jake Bridge
- Dave Eckrich
- Curt Schroeder
- Jason O'Brien
- Brian Kosiski
- Chris Spieker
- Jesse Sobbing
- Charlie McKenna
- Andrew Kosiski
- Tad Pospisil
- Kyle Berck
Justin Zeitner celebrates in a race honoring his grandfather.
What won the race: In a wild three-car battle in the waning laps, high-flying Justin Zeitner of Malvern, Iowa, outdueled Andy Eckrich and Dylan Thornton for a season-high $7,600 victory on the Malvern Bank-sponsored East and West tours to repeat a race honoring his late grandfather. The eighth-starting Zeitner led the final five laps to edge Eckrich, who slipped ahead to lead laps 34-35 when Zeitner got pinched exiting turn two by Thornton, the California transplant who led laps 3-33 but settled for sixth at the finish.
Quotable: "I'd rather crash up there than go to the bottom," Zeitner said of his high-side charge, punctuating his comment with an expletive. "If you're gonna go to the bottom, you might as well get a day job. ... I like running up there. It's fun. When they water (the track) there was a lot of mad people ... but I was just smiling."
Key notes: Polesitter Jesse Sobbing, last year's race winner, stopped on the sixth lap to draw the first caution; he'd led the first two laps. ... A second caution appeared on the 28th lap for eighth-running Tad Pospisil. ... The third caution appeared for Chris Spieker's spin on the lap-28 restart and the fourth yellow came for debris from Charlie McKenna's car on lap 31. ... The second-to-last slowdown came on the lap-31 restart for a pileup that included Sobbing and others. ... Another Spieker spin caused the final caution on lap 38 (Brian Kosiski also had a flat tire). ... J.C. Wyman had to start on the tail because he pitted during parade laps; he rallied to finish eighth. ... The race is the richest on the Malvern Bank-sponsored tours. ... The Rallen Zeitner Memorial, run in conjunction with the Shelby County Fair, honors the founder of Zeitner & Sons Trucking. He died Aug. 24, 2022, at the age of 86. ... Sobbing isn't expected to compete in tour events the rest of the season with back surgery coming up soon. ... Shelby County has an even bigger event coming up Tuesday when the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series invades for the first time.
On the move: Drake Troutman of Hyndman, Pa., started 19th and finished fourth. He headed to Iowa to make his Shelby County debut after Saturday's Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series event in Wheatland, Mo., rained out and missed time trials (fellow Lucas Oil rookie Clay Harris also competed but didn't make the feature).
Winner's sponsors: Zeitner’s Longhorn Chassis has Shepherd Engine Development powerplant and sponsorship from Zeitner & Sons Refrigerated Transport, ZSI Logistics, Liek’hus Lawn, D.J.’s Dugout, Big Ty’s Smoked Meats, Tree Services of Omaha, JP Nelson Painting, LLC, Hi-Temp Products Company, Midwest Carrier Transportation Companies and Malvern Bank.
Points chase: West Series after Shelby County: 1. Chad Holladay (776); 2. J.C. Wyman (746); 3. Bill Leighton Jr. (734); 4. Tad Pospisil (732); 5. Jesse Sobbing (704); 6. Chris Spieker (700).
East Series after Shelby County: 1. Andy Eckrich (1,722); 2. Dylan Thornton (1,696); 3. Jason Hahne (1,668); 4. Chad Holladay (1,666); 5. Derrick Stewart (1,654).
Current weather: Clear, 79°F
Car count: 43
Fast qualifier: Jesse Sobbing
Time: 13.844 seconds
Polesitter: Jesse Sobbing
Heat race winners: Chad Holladay, Bill Leighton Jr., Corey Zeitner, Tom Berry Jr., Chris Spieker, Jason O'Brien
Consolation race winners: Tad Pospisil, Jake Bridge, Drake Troutman
Provisional starters: Charlie McKenna, Jeff Tharp, Brian Kosiski, Darrel DeFrance, Kyle Berck, Curt Schroeder
Next series race: July 19, Huset’s Speedway (Brandon, SD) $5,053
Editor's note: Corrects 6th- to 20th-place finishers