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JIMMY MARS WINS WDRL IOWA GOVERNOR'S CUP; CHAD SIMPSON WINS SERIES
CHAMPIONSHIP
Points crown not decided until the final lap of the thrilling series finale
at Davenport (Iowa) Speedway
By Bucky Doren
WORLD Dirt Racing League
DAVENPORT, IA (Oct. 4) - Jimmy Mars drove to the win in the 60-lap WORLD
Dirt Racing League-sanctioned Iowa Governor's Cup here Saturday at Davenport
Speedway. But Chad Simpson was celebrating, too, having won the 2008 WDRL
points crown.
Mars, of Menomonie, Wis., pocketed the $10,000 top prize, and Simpson edged
John Kaanta in a thrilling battle for the championship that wasn't settled
until the last lap of the race on the historic Davenport half-mile.
Darren Miller of Chadwick, Ill., led the 24-car field to the green flag,
starting on the pole. Jimmy Mars stayed close through the early stages of
the race and on lap 23 began looking to the inside of Miller's car for a way
to get around. The duo battled door to door for the next few laps.
Mars took the lead as the field completed lap 27. Despite a few caution
flags and some lapped traffic, Mars was able to hold on for the win in the
23rd running of the prestigious Iowa Governor's Cup.
"I can't thank my brother Chris enough," Mars said in Victory Lane. "He has
built one awesome car. I showed my nose a few times to Darren (Miller), and
we always try to race each other clean, so I wasn't worried. He moved to the
low side in turns one and two. I was able to work around him on the high
side. That was a great car tonight."
Miller finished second. Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis., ran third the
entire 60 laps. Jeff AIkey of Cedar Falls, Iowa; Jason Utter of Columbus
Junction, Iowa; and Simpson, of Mount Vernon, Iowa, fought for the fourth
spot as the race was coming to a close. Aikey pulled away with 12 laps
remaining, and Utter rounded out the top five.
John Kaanta, of Elk Mound, Wis., had worked his way forward from an
11th-place starting spot to battle Simpson for sixth place and the WDRL
championship. Kaanta had held the series point lead over Simpson by a single
point going into Saturday's race. That meant whoever beat the other driver
on the track would win the 2008 title.
Like in a script from Hollywood, the two ended up battling side by side for
the last 12 laps. The pair swapped grooves a few times, but there was still
no clear leader. As the duo rocketed off of turn four while the checkered
flag was flying, Simpson was able to get a good enough run to take sixth
place and the championship.
"I saw John (Kaanta) had worked under me," Simpson recalled moments later
from Victory Lane. "I thought I better get moving. That was exciting.
Nerve-racking, but exciting," he said of the race to the checkers. "I had
trouble in turns three and four, and I knew that he was faster there. I knew
if he was going to try something, it would probably be there. We got a good
run off of four when it counted, and I couldn't be happier."
Simpson ended up beating Kaanta by two points in the final WDRL Late Model
Series points championship. Eric Pember of Pittsville, Wis., was third
followed by Frank Heckenast Jr. of Orland Park, Ill., and Chris Simpson of
Oxford, Iowa.
Heckenast was also crowned the the 2008 Chase Signs WDRL Rookie of the Year,
edging Jeremy Grady of Story City, Iowa, for the honors.
The WDRL champions and the top 10 in points will be honored during the 2008
WDRL Champions Banquet on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2008. The celebration will take
place in Tama, Iowa, at Meskwaki Bingo Casino Hotel (www.meskwaki.com.)
Details will be posted soon on the WDRL Web site (www.worldraceleague.com).
The WORLD Dirt Racing League wishes to thank these series sponsors: Hoosier
Racing Tires, Iowa-Illinois Taylor Insulation, CrashedToys.com, Chase Signs
and Graphics, BSB Manufacturing, Champ Pans, Hooker Harness, Fast Shafts,
Lincoln Electric, Performance Bodies, QA1 Motorsports, The Brake Man and
Wyman Ford. For more information on the WORLD Dirt Racing League or the
latest WDRL Late Model Series schedule, check out the WORLD Dirt Racing
League's Web site, www.worldraceleague.com.
RACE REPORT
IOWA GOVERNOR'S CUP NIGHT TWO
DAVENPORT SPEEDWAY
DAVENPORT, IOWA
SATURDAY, OCT. 4, 2008
WDRL IOWA GOVERNOR'S CUP FEATURE: 60 Laps
1. Jimmy Mars, 2. Darren Miller, 3. Brady Smith, 4. Jeff Aikey, 5. Jason
Utter, 6. Chad Simpson, 7. John Kaanta, 8. Jeremy Grady, 9. Chris Simpson,
10. Jeff Larson, 11. Frank Heckenast Jr., 12. Eric Pember, 13. Dan Shelliam,
14. Gary Webb, 15. Skip Frey, 16. Andrew McKay, 17. Darrell DeFrance, 18.
Terry Neal, 19. Matt Furman, 20. Rich Bell, 21. Denny Woodworth, 22. Justin
Kay, 23. Jeremy Gustaf, 24. Cam Granger. (Did not start: Denny Eckrich,
motor).
WDRL CONTINGENCY AWARDS:
IOWA-ILLINOIS TAYLOR INSULATION POLE DASH: Darren Miller, Brady Smith, Jimmy
Mars
QA1: Darren Miller
CHASE SIGNS HARD LUCK: Denny Eckrich
THE BRAKE MAN: Darren Miller
CHAMP PANS: Chad Simpson
DESIGN 500 RACEWEAR: John Kaanta
BSB MANUFACTURING: Jeremy Grady
FAST SHAFTS: Chris Simpson
HOOKER HARNESS: Frank Heckenast Jr.
CHASE SIGNS ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Jeremy Grady
CHASSIS: MasterSbilt
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