DARREN MILLER WINS NIGHT ONE OF THE WDRL SEASON FINALE AT DAVENPORT (IOWA) SPEEDWAY
Dave Eckrich escapes injury in wild turn two ride
By Bucky Doren
WORLD Dirt Racing League

DAVENPORT, Ia (Oct. 6, 2007) - Darren Miller lived up to his nickname 'The Thriller' Friday night as he grabbed the WORLD Dirt Racing League PolyDome Late Model Series victory here at Davenport Speedway. It was the first of two nights of racing in the series' season finale at the half-mile speed plant.

Miller had to fend off heavy pressure from Chris Simpson for the win, which was marred by a spectacular crash.

As the green flag came out to start the 25-lap main event, Dave Eckrich would take a wild ride in turn two. Eckrich's car ended up cart-wheeling, and it came to rest on top of the turn two wall. Eckrich was able to walk away, but he was taken to a Davenport hospital for an examination. But Eckrich returned to the speedway by the end of the night after getting the thumbs-up from doctors.

When racing resumed, Eric Pember hustled his car to the point with Chris Simpson in tow. Pember was on a mission to grab some much-needed WDRL points and close in on series point leader Justin Fegers, who started 18th.

As the lead duo battled in to turn three, Miller moved to the high side and passed both of them to assume the lead. That left Pember and Simpson to fight it out for second.

Simpson would eventually clear Pember, then he began to chip away at the lead that Miller had opened up. Simpson narrowed the gap in the closing stages of the race and was making a move on the final lap when his car lost power and came to a stop in turn four as the checkered flag came out.

"If we win this thing tonight, we'll be lucky," Miller had told fans when he was interviewed during a break in the action to clean up after Dave Eckrich's crash.

"I guess we were lucky tonight," Miller later said with a smile from AMSOIL Victory Lane. "We were able to pull away as Pember and Simpson battled for second. I didn't hear Simpson closing in on me. I had my hands full because I lost my power steering at the beginning of the race. If this had been any longer than 25 laps, I don't think we would have won tonight."

Brian Birkhofer was in the top five all night, and he was able to work around Pember in the closing laps to finish second. Pember was third.

Ray Guss Jr. drove Brian Harris' car to a fourth-place finish. Denny Eckrich rounded out the top five. WDRL points leader Justin Fegers finished 10th.

Harris, who was recently released from the hospital, attended the races and he was greeted by a lot of well-wishers who were glad to see him up and around after his horrific crash a few weeks ago at West Liberty (Iowa) Raceway.

The season finale night for the 2007 WORLD Dirt Racing League PolyDome Late Model Series is tonight, Saturday, at Davenport Speedway. Hot laps are set for 5:30.

For more information on WDRL or the latest PolyDome Late Model Series schedule, check out the WORLD Dirt Racing League's Web site, www.worldraceleague.com.

RACE REPORT
DAVENPORT SPEEDWAY
DAVENPORT, IOWA
FRIDAY, OCT. 5, 2007

BSB GROUP QUALIFYING:
Not run due to time constraints.

POLYDOME QUALIFIER 1:
1. Darren Miller, 2. Denny Eckrich, 3. Darin Duffy, 4. John Kaanta, 5. Matt Furman, 6. Justin Fegers, 7. Rob Moss, 8. Rob Toland, 9. Jeremiah Hurst, 10. Ace Ihm, 11. Jason Rauen, 12. Hal Russel.

POLYDOME QUALIFIER 2:
1. Ray Guss, 2. Brian Birkhofer, 3. Jason Utter, 4. Chad Simpson, 5. Andy Eckrich, 6. Dave Eckrich, 7. Cam Grainger, 8. Tim Lance, 9. Gary Webb, 10. Fred Remley, 11. Mike Fryer, 12. Bryan Kammer.

POLYDOME QUALIFIER 3:
1. Eric Pember, 2. Chris Simpson, 3. Tim Isneberg, 4. Jeremy Grady, 5. Andrew McKay, 6. Kurt Kile, 7. Mike Klinkammer, 8. Jill George, 9. Eric Gustaf, 10. Russ Adams, 11. Jimmy Mars.

IOWA-ILLINOIS TAYLOR INSULATION POLE DASH:
1. Eric Pember, 2. Chris Simpson, 3. Darren Miller, 4. Ray Guss, 5. Brian Birkhofer, 6. Denny Eckrich, 7. Andy Eckrich, 8. Tim Isenberg.

KSE SEMI-FEATURE: (Top 4 Advance)
1. Kurt Kile, 2. Rob Toland, 3. Jimmy Mars, 4. Jeremiah Hurst.

WDRL DAVENPORT 25-LAP FEATURE EVENT:
1. Darren Miller, 2. Brian Birkhofer, 3. Eric Pember, 4. Ray Guss, 5. Denny Eckrich, 6. Jimmy Mars, 7. Jason Utter, 8. Matt Furman, 9. John Kaanta, 10. Justin Fegers, 11. Andy Eckrich, 12. Tim Insenberg, 13. Kurt Kile, 14. Andrew McKay, 15. Ace Ihm, 16. Mike Klinkammer, 17. Chris Simpson, 18. Jeremy Grady. 19. Mike Fryer, 20. Darin Duffy, 21. Jeremiah Hurst, 22. Chad Simpson, 23. Rob Toland, 24. Dave Eckrich.

HIGHEST FINISHING ROOKIE: John Kaanta

CONTINGENCY AWARD WINNERS:
Iowa Illinois Taylor Insulation: Eric Pember, Chris Simpson, Darren Miller KSE Consi Winner: Kurt Kile QA1 Motorsports: Darren Miller BSB Manufacturing: N/A
AMSOIL: Darren Miller
The Brake Man: Brian Birkhofer
Champ Pans: Eric Pember
Performance Bodies: Ray Guss
V-Performance Batteries: Denny Eckrich
Fast Shafts: Jimmy Mars
Hooker Harness: Jason Utter
Weld Wheels: Matt Furman
Chassis Builder: Rocket (Darren Miller)