Neal in right place at right time to top Hawkeye Downs Deery

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (Aug. 9, 2006) – Being in the right place at the right time paid off to the tune of $2,000 Wednesday night for Terry Neal.


Inheriting the lead after frontrunners Rob Toland and Johnny Spaw got together with just four laps to go, Neal held off Lonnie Bailey in the dash to the finish line to win the Deery Brothers Summer Series main event at Hawkeye Downs Speedway.


The victory was Neal’s first on the half mile paved oval at Cedar Rapids, his fourth on the current IMCA Sunoco Late Model tour and circuit career 11th. Bailey posted his best feature finish of the season in taking runner-up honors ahead of Boone McLaughlin, Ray Guss Jr. and Greg Kastli.


Jeff Aikey had gone into the night tied with Toland for the series points lead and took sole possession of the top spot with a ninth place run. Spaw and Toland both were sent to the back of the field following the lap 32 caution, with Spaw winding up 20th and Toland 24th after exiting to the pits.


Toland had started outside Kelly Tapper on the front row and held off Bailey through the first half of the contest. Neal advanced steadily from his 16th starting spot to take advantage of the late race contact between the leaders. McLaughlin was also a man on the move, improving nine positions from his spot on the starting grid.
The Deery Series returns to dirt for an Aug. 14-15 doubleheader, starting at the Iowa State Fairgrounds Speedway in Des Moines, where pit gates open at 3 p.m. and hot laps are at 5:30 p.m. with racing to follow.

Night two of the twinbill is at Marshalltown Speedway, making up the event lost to rain in July. Gates open at 4 p.m., hot laps are at 6:45 p.m. and racing gets underway at 7:30 p.m.

Feature Results –
1. Terry Neal, Ely;
2. Lonnie Bailey, Quincy, Ill.;
3. Boone McLaughlin, Mediapolis;
4. Ray Guss Jr., Milan, Ill.;
5. Greg Kastli, Waterloo;
6. Kelly Tapper, Boone;
7. Dean Wagner II, Waterloo;
8. Matt Ryan, Davenport;
9. Jeff Aikey, Waterloo;
10. Mike Smith, Jewell;
11. Mike Murphy Jr., Colona, Ill.;
12. Darrel DeFrance, Marshalltown;
13. Bobby Hansen, Center Point;
14. Sam Halstead, New London;
15. Jerry Dedrick, Vinton;
16. Robby Warner, Quincy, Ill.;
17. Craig Roberts, Des Moines;
18. Andy Nezworski, Buffalo;
19. Ron Gustaf, Moline, Ill.;
20. Johnny Spaw, Cedar Rapids;
21. Eric Gustaf, Moline, Ill.;
22. Joe Zrostlik, Eldridge;
23. Ben Nading, Ankeny;
24. Rob Toland, Bettendorf.
1st heat (top four) – 1. Toland; 2. Dedrick; 3. Halstead; 4. Kastli. 2nd heat – 1. McLaughlin; 2. Tapper; 3. Wagner; 4. Neal. 3rd heat – 1. Ryan; 2. Spaw; 3. Guss; 4. Ron Gustaf. 4th heat – 1. DeFrance; 2. Bailey; 3. Roberts; 4. Murphy. “B” feature (top six) – 1. Smith; 2. Aikey; 3. Warner; 4. Hansen; 5. Zrostlik; 6. Eric Gustaf.