Chris Simpson leads wire-to-wire in MLRA win at Davenport Speedway

DAVENPORT — On Thursday night at Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, Oxford driver Chris Simpson finished third in the Lucas Oil MLRA Late Model main event — in what he felt was the fastest car on the track. He had to settle for just being the top Iowan in the race.

On Friday at Davenport Speedway, he left no doubt who had the best car.

Simpson used a last-to-first run in his heat race to earn the pole for the main event — of which he led all 40 laps en route to his first MLRA win of the season.

'To get a win here in our home state is pretty neat. We've had two great runs these last two nights,' Simpson said. 'We ran up through there in our heat race, and started up there and got the win. It's cool to be able to get yourself on the front row, and on a track like this, you had to be there.'

Oftentimes racers who start on the front row and jump out to an early lead will comment after the race that it's a tough position to be in. Simpson handled it well, riding the bottom lane on a very-slick Davenport Speedway racing surface, but said he had an inner debate nearly the entire race.

He stuck with the bottom as eventual second place finisher Ryan Gustin and third place Terry Phillips tested the middle and eventually high lanes in the second half of the caution-free race.

It wasn't until the last five laps that things got really nerve-wracking. With Simpson held up in lapped traffic, Gustin made a last-ditch effort at the win, but came up short. Simpson knew he was close, and slid out of us usual line coming to the checkers to ensure himself the win.

'I kept looking at the board, and when I saw it was (lap) 37, I said, 'Well, we're going to have to go.' I didn't feel comfortable moving up because of how crumby it was when I did try it. I didn't want to lose it on the last lap on the bottom,' Simpson said. 'Then going into (Turn) 3 (on the final lap), I looked over and saw Ryan there. I let it float up to the fence. I figured he was either going to brake or run into the back of me, and I was still going to win.

'I wasn't getting passed, but I didn't know how much better that top was. I didn't know how good it was until I saw Ryan there. I'm glad this thing was 40 laps and not 50.'

Gustin, a Marshalltown native, made it a pair of Iowans in the top two spots. He laughed after the race, saying he didn't even see the checkers because he was still racing Simpson.

The pair had a laugh over the final lap, too, and Gustin told Simpson through a smile, 'You did what you had to do.'

'That's part of Late Model racing,' Gustin said through a laugh. 'I didn't even know it was done; I was still racing there at the end. This place was awesome. I was really shocked how good it was. I was worried it would rubber up and be one lane on the bottom, but it stayed great.'

Simpson and Gustin were joined by Chris' brother Chad Simpson (Mount Vernon) in fifth, Dave Eckrich in sixth (Cosgrove) and Chris Spieker (Massena) in 10th as Iowans finishing in the top 10.

Chris Simpson said Thursday night it was a point of pride to be the best finisher among his fellow Iowans, but getting a win in his home state is obviously the sweetest part of the weekend. Any win is enjoyable, but to get to do so this close to home adds a layer of satisfaction racers who travel don't often get.

Combine that with a pair of runs giving him a tremendous confidence boost, and the driver of the No. 32s has plenty to draw from the last two races.

'It's big, you know. We're an hour and a half from home. It's a quick drive home, so we can have a few beers and celebrate then be able to sleep in your own bed,' Chris Simpson said. 'A lot of these fans, 90 percent of them are from Iowa, so it's cool to have them see a home state boy win the race.

'It's a huge confidence booster going into these next couple weeks. We've got Dubuque (Speedway) next (Friday) and then up at Deer Creek (Speedway). It's a big boost knowing you can come with a setup that can win.'

LUCAS OIL MLRA LATE MODELS

DAVENPORT SPEEDWAY RESULTS

1) #32S CHIRS SIMPSON, Oxford; 2) #19R RYAN GUSTIN, Marshalltown; 3) #75P TERRY PHILLIPS, Springfield, Mo.; 4) #00 JESSE STOVALL; Billings, Mo.; 5) #25S CHAD SIMPSON, Mt Vernon; 6) #58E DAVE ECKRICH, Cosgrove; 7) #10M JACOB MAGEE, Caney, Kan.; 8) #91P JASON PAPICH, Nipomo, Calif.; 9) #1ST JUSTIN REED, Camp Point, Ill.; 10) #56S CHRIS SPIEKER, Massena; 11) #15B BRIAN BIRKHOFER, Muscatine; 12) #4W JC WYMAN, Griswold; 13) #B1 BRENT LARSON, Freeport, Ill.; 14) #15K JUSTIN KAY, Wheatland; 15) #50E DENNY ECKRICH, Tiffin; 16) #58X RAY GUSS, Silvis, Ill. 17) #04 TAD POSPISIL, Norfolk, Neb.; 18) #16A AUSTIN SIEBERT, Grandview, Mo.; 19) #93 JAY JOHNSON, Burlington; 20) #98 JASON RAUEN, Farley; 21) #77 STEPHEN KAMMERER, Blue Grass; 22) #77Y JORDAN YAGGY, Rochester, Minn.; 23) #1A BRYON ALLISON; Marshall, Mo.; 24) #4G BRANTLEE GOTSCHALL, Nevada, Mo.

l Comments: (319) 368-8884; jeremiah.davis@thegazette.com