Eastern Iowa Driver Rankings: May 14

Welcome to the Inside Track's Eastern Iowa Driver Rankings. Each week of the racing season, the Gazette's Jeremiah Davis will rank the area's top 10 drivers across all divisions.

Think the list should be different? Tweet him at @jeremiahdavis10, or comment in the comments section.

New this week: Chris Simpson, Tim Plummer

Dropped out: Tyler Bruening, Joel Callahan

RANK

+/-

NAME

CLASS

THOUGHTS

1

--

Justin Kay

Late Model

Had a frustrating weekend in both MLRA starts at Davenport Speedway and Jackson County Speedway in Maquoketa, but ran strong in Maquoketa, starting ninth before problems in the main. Still, he kept it rolling in his IMCA late model, getting another win at Jackson Co. Speedway, where he did double duty.

2

--

Andy Eckrich

Late Model

Through three weekly races at West Liberty Raceway, the Oxford native has finished either first or second in each race. He's been on point with his IMCA late model stuff from the start this season, also able to avoid any on-track or mechanical trouble. It's going to be fun to watch Kay and him battle for the Deery Brothers title.

3

+1

Benji Irvine

Hobby Stock

Call him Ricky Bobby. Well, at Independence Motor Speedway, that is. He won the season opener, then finished 19th of 19 cars on May 4. So what'd he do on Saturday night? He got his second win in three races at Independence. He's piling up the wins early in the season, because if you're not first, you're last. 

4

-1

Jeff Aikey

Late Model

A quiet week for the veteran and champion, finishing ninth at West Liberty Raceway on Saturday night. That's OK, though. Quiet weeks are typically followed by loud ones - and I don't mean his jovial demeanor on race day. Expect him to be running for wins all season, and I wouldn't count on it taking long for him to be in Victory Lane.

5

+1

Ronn Lauritzen

Modified

He may not have gotten in the winner's circle this weekend, but he had strong runs everywhere he went. The Jesup native finished third at Marshalltown Speedway on Friday night, then ran second to Cedar Falls' Josh Sherbon at Independence Motor Speedway on Saturday night. More wins will come for the Indee Modified points leader.

6

-1

Tony Olson

Sport Mod

Put this guy in the "solid weekend but no wins" category, too. The Cedar Rapids driver finished second at Cedar County Raceway in Tipton on Friday night, then finished fourth at West Liberty on Saturday night. Strong, consistent runs are the mark of a good driver and team, and that's what Olson and Co. have brought so far this season.

7

--

Bill Whalen

Sport Compact

Speaking of strong and consistent. Whalen hasn't finished outside the top two in weeks, with another second-place run at West Liberty Raceway on Saturday. The strong start to this season has the Riverside driver up to second in national IMCA points, just 49 points behind Ramsey Meyer of Pierce, Neb. 

8

N/R

Chris Simpson

Late Model

Could've made this a combo spot with him and his brother, Chad, here, but a Lucas Oil MLRA win at Davenport Speedway more than merits a spot of his own. The Oxford driver backed up the win with a fourth-place finish the next night in Maquoketa. He and Chad have been two of the best open late model drivers this year.

9

-1

Jenae Gustin

Sport Mod

The Marshalltown driver continued her strong runs at her hometown track, finishing second at Marshalltown Speedway on Friday night. She then made the trip to Jackson County Speedway in Maquoketa, and finished a solid fifth. She's putting herself in position to win races everywhere she goes, every weekend.

10

N/R

Tim Plummer

Late Model (A)

The switch from Super Late Model rules to Big 8 Series rules at Hawkeye Downs haven't deterred the Norway driver one bit. He's 2 for 2 at Hawkeye Downs Speedway this season, and has done so convincingly. As numbers grow with the rule change there, he should see more stout competition, but it's unlikely to matter a whole lot. 

l Comments: (319) 368-8884; jeremiah.davis@sourcemedia.net