Toland scores Deery Series win at Webster City to draw even with Aikey in IMCA Late Model tour point standings

WEBSTER CITY, Iowa (June 21) ­ After chasing down Darrel DeFrance, Rob Toland caught up with Jeff Aikey.

Toland won Wednesday night¹s Deery Brothers Summer Series feature at Hamilton County Speedway after making up ground on DeFrance with help from lapped traffic. Toland¹s victory, coupled with Aikey¹s third place finish, ties the pair atop the IMCA Sunoco Late Model tour point standings with eight races in and nine to go.

Mike Smith ran fourth and Tom Darbyshire moved up 10 spots for fifth.

Looking for back to back checkers following his June 14 win at Buena Vista Raceway, DeFrance started on the pole for the 40 lap contest and steadily stretched his advantage over the third starting Toland to nearly half a straightaway.

Both Toland and Terry Neal, however, made up ground when DeFrance got into the back of the pack. Toland and Neal took the top line to shuffle DeFrance back to third on lap 26 before the caution flag came out with 12 circuits to go.

Neal¹s engine expired with a handful of laps left, sending the defending series champion to the pits and giving second back to DeFrance.

Toland stayed in control the rest of the way, beating DeFrance to the finish line by a couple car lengths. The $2,000 win was his second of the season and career 16th. Toland is now fourth on the all-time series wins list, trailing Aikey with 46, Curt Martin with 25 and Gary Webb with 22.

Barring the remote chance that both Toland and Aikey fail to qualify for the next feature, one will edge back ahead in the points battle when the Deery Series travels to Independence Motor Speedway on Monday, July 3.

Pit gates for the early holiday show open at 4 p.m., with hot laps set for 6 p.m. and racing at 6:30 p.m.

Feature Results ­
1. Rob Toland, Bettendorf;
2. Darrel DeFrance, Marshalltown;
3. Jeff Aikey, Waterloo;
4. Mike Smith, Jewell;
5. Tom Darbyshire, Morning Sun;
6. Boone McLaughlin, Mediapolis;
7. Eric Gustaf, Moline, Ill.;
8. Darin Duffy, Hazleton;
9. Mike Murphy Jr., Colona, Ill.;
10. Ron Gustaf, Moline, Ill.;
11. Craig Jacobs, Des Moines;
12. Jeremy Grady, Story City;
13. Greg Kastli, Waterloo;
14. Andy Nezworski, Buffalo;
15. Matt Ryan, Davenport;
16. Jerry Dedrick, Vinton;
17. Robby Warner, Quincy, Ill.;
18. Tyler Bruening, Decorah;
19. Sam Halstead, New London;
20. Terry Neal, Ely;
21. Justin Reed, Quincy, Ill.;
22. Dean Wagner II, Waterloo;
23. Barry Sorensen, Avoca;
24. Ryan Griffith, Webster City.
1st heat (top four) ­ 1. Grady; 2. Toland; 3. Smith; 4. Reed. 2nd heat ­ 1. Kastli; 2. Murphy; 3. DeFrance; 4. Bruen-ing. 3rd heat ­ 1. Duffy; 2. McLaughlin; 3. Aikey; 4. Darbyshire. 4th heat ­ 1. Griffith; 2. Neal; 3. Eric Gustaf; 4. Wag-ner. 1st ³B² feature (top three) ­ 1. Ryan; 2. Sorensen; 3. Dedrick. 2nd ³B² feature ­ 1. Ron Gustaf; 2. Jacobs; 3. Nezworski.

Deery Brothers Summer Series Top 20 Point Standings
1. Jeff Aikey, Waterloo, Iowa 387
Rob Toland, Bettendorf, Iowa 387
3. Terry Neal, Ely, Iowa 345
4. Tom Darbyshire, Morning Sun, Iowa 334
5. Darrel DeFrance, Marshalltown, Iowa 329
6. Greg Kastli, Waterloo, Iowa 326
7. Boone McLaughlin, Mediapolis, Iowa 323
8. Eric Gustaf, Moline, Ill. 295
9. Justin Reed, Quincy, Ill. 287
Mike Smith, Jewell, Iowa 287
11. Sam Halstead, New London, Iowa 285
12. Darin Duffy, Hazleton, Iowa 283
13. Matt Ryan, Davenport, Iowa 279
14. Mark Preston, Port Byron, Ill. 261
15. Ron Gustaf, Moline, Ill. 249
16. Andy Nezworski, Buffalo, Iowa 231
17. Kevin Tomlinson, New London, Mo. 216
18. Jay Johnson, West Burlington, Iowa 215
19. Mike Murphy Jr., Colona, Ill. 202
20. Robby Warner, Quincy, Ill. 193