After winning Saturday’s IMCA Deery Brothers Summer Series feature at West Liberty Raceway, Denny Eckrich took time to remember friend Mike Humphrey who was killed in a car accident earlier this week in Louisiana.

“He helped me get into a Black Diamond (Chassis),” Eckrich said. “He helped a lot of racers. Mike was a good guy, and he died too soon. There are a lot of heavy hearts tonight.”

Eckrich used the outside line to pass Jeremiah Hurst and Jesse Sobbing to led the last seven laps of the forty-lap feature. The $2,000 checkers was his sixth career IMCA Late Model tour win. Eckrich also won the April West Liberty Deery Series race last year.

Outside front row starter Spencer Diercks led the first 15 laps before slowing and watching Hurst motor past.

Several positions throughout the top 10 changed as the race wound down. Hurst settled for second, and hard charger Joel Callahan raced his way from 20th to finish third.

Defending series champion Tyler Bruening and Sobbing completed the top five. Bruening was also the $250 Sunoco Race Fuels feature qualifier drawing winner.

Next up for the 31st annual Deery Series are two $2,000 to win events on Friday, April 14 and Saturday, April 15. Friday the tour visits Farley Speedway, and on Saturday, they travel to Independence Motor Speedway.

Thanks to Bill Martin (IMCA Media Relations) for helping with the race recap.

IMCA DEERY BROTHERS SUMMER SERIES
WEST LIBERTY RACEWAY
WEST LIBERTY, IA
APRIL 8, 2017

Feature Results:
1. Denny Eckrich, Tiffin; 2. Jeremiah Hurst, Dubuque; 3. Joel Callahan, Dubuque; 4. Tyler Bruening, Decorah; 5. Jesse Sobbing, Malvern; 6. Jeff Tharp, Sherrill; 7. Cayden Carter, Oskaloosa; 8. Justin Kay, Wheatland; 9. Jake Neal, Omaha, Neb.; 10. Scott Fitzpatrick, Wheatland; 11. Luke Goedert, Guttenberg; 12. Curt Martin, Independence; 13. Jeff Aikey, Cedar Falls; 14. Chad Holladay, Muscatine; 15. John Emerson, Waterloo; 16. Matt Ryan, Davenport; 17. Darrel DeFrance, Marshalltown; 18. Andy Eckrich, Oxford; 19. Lyle Klein, Sherrill; 20. Kyle Hinrichs, Swisher; 21. Spencer Dierks, Davenport; 22. Jay Johnson, West Burlington; 23. Kevin Kile, West Liberty; 24. Nick Marolf, Wilton.

1st Heat (top three): 1. Hurst; 2. Carter; 3. Sobbing; 4. Martin; 5. Ryan Dolan, Lisbon; 6. Marolf; 7. Goedert; 8. Kyle Krampe, Baxter.

2nd Heat: 1. Fitzpatrick; 2. Ryan; 3. Neal; 4. Johnson; 5. Holladay; 6. Kay; 7. Callahan; 8. Emerson.

3rd Heat: 1. Kile; 2. DeFrance; 3. Hinrichs; 4. Andy Eckrich; 5. Jonathan Brauns, Muscatine; 6. Klein; 7. Tharp.

4th Heat: 1. Aikey; 2. Denny Eckrich; 3. Diercks; 4. Bruening; 5. Curt Schroeder, Newton; 6. Paul Conrad, Colo; 7. Justin Mitchell, Cedar Rapids.

1st “B” Feature (top six): 1. Andy Eckrich; 2. Martin; 3. Marolf; 4. Goedert; 5. Tharp; 6. Klein; 7. Krampe; 8. Brauns; 9. Dolan.

2nd “B” Feature: 1. Holladay; 2. Bruening; 3. Kay; 4. Callahan; 5. Emerson; 6. Johnson; 7. Conrad; 8. Schroeder; 9. Mitchell.

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