Maquoketa Speedway
Aikey captures 53rd career Deery Brothers victory
Jeff Aikey gets rolling at Jackson County. (picturethisphotos.net)
MAQUOKETA, Iowa (April 17) — It took seven laps for Jeff Aikey to get to the front of the Deery Brothers Summer Series feature field at Jackson County Speedway. Once he got there, the rest of the IMCA Late Model touring event was for second.
Aikey, of Waterloo, Iowa, caught Jay Johnson of West Burlington, Iowa, and led the last 43 times around the track Saturday night, passing half the pack before his big lead was erased by a caution with 13 laps to go. He checked out again following the restart, taking the checkers comfortably ahead of 18th-starting Terry Neal of Ely, Iowa.
The victory paid $2,000 and was Aikey’s Deery career 53rd. The six-time and defending tour champion had also won at Maquoketa in 1998 and 2002.
Mark Burgtorf of Quincy, Ill., finished third followed by series points leader Ray Guss Jr. of Milan, Ill., Friday's series winner in Davenport, Iowa. Josh Most of Red Oak, Iowa, rounded out the top five. Johnson ended up sixth.
Notes: Aikey's No. 77 is sponsored by Callie's and Outlaw Brakes. ... Tyler Bruening pocketed the $250 Sunoco bonus. ... Ray Guss Jr. rallied from 16th to finish third. ... The 49 Late Model entries made for a Deery track record at Jackson County, topping 42-car counts for events in 2004 and again in 2006. ... Forty-nine entries on Saturday also pushed the total to 12,816 for the 356 series events held since 1987. That pencils out to an average of 36 cars a night. ... The series wraps up an Iowa tripleheader Sunday with its first-ever visit to Dubuque Fairgrounds Speedway.
Deery Brothers @ Jackson County: (1) Jeff Aikey, (2) Terry Neal, (3) Mark Burgtorf, (4) Ray Guss Jr., (5) Josh Most, (6) Jay Johnson, (7) Justin Reed, (8) Tom Darbyshire, (9) Andy Eckrich, (10) Jason Frankel, (11) Jeremiah Hurst, (12) Rick Wendling, (13) Mike Zemo Jr., (14) Todd Malmstrom, (15) Tyler Bruening, (16) Tom Goble, (17) Darrel DeFrance, (18) Jason Perry, (19) Charlie McKenna, (20) Jason Rauen, (21) Kevin Blum, (22) Joel Callahan, (23) Stephan Kammerer, (24) Rob Toland. Heat race winners (among 49 cars): Reed, Johnson, Bruening, Aikey, Blum. Consolation winners: Darbyshire, Guss.
