Eastern Iowa Driver Rankings: June 25

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: Jeff Aikey, Nathan Ballard

Dropped out: Tim Goettsch, Justin Temeyer

RANK

+/-

NAME

CLASS

THOUGHTS

1

--

Justin Kay

Late Model

The Eastern Iowa Driver Rankings return after a week off, and guess what? Justin Kay didn't stop winning. In the last 14 days, his only result that wasn't a win was fourth Tuesday night at Marshalltown Speedway in a Deery Brothers event in which he was 10th with five laps to go. Otherwise? Five IMCA wins at four tracks in that span. Dominant.

2

+1

Benji Irvine

Hobby Stock

The Stanley native had some awful luck for a couple weeks in late May and early June, but has returned to his consistent ways at his usual haunts of Independence Motor Speedway and Benton County Speedway. Irvine won at Independence on June 14, then finished second in Vinton the next day. Ran second at Indee on Saturday.

3

-1

Andy Eckrich

Late Model

His IMCA late model program lately? Solid as ever. Just hasn't been able to duplicate that in his open late model exploits. He bounced back from 21st at the MLRA show at Southern Iowa Speedway on June 12 to collect two fourth place finishes at West Liberty on June 14th and 21st. Also ran second in the Deery show at Marshalltown.

4

+5

Austin Moyer

Sport Mod

I wrote two weeks ago consistency would be key for him going forward. Well, I'd say he's been just that since then. The Dubuque driver went 3 for 3 from June 13-15, with wins at Davenport (in the 50-lap Sport Mod Challenge), Jackson County Speedway and Dubuque. He then got career win No. 50 at Davenport on Friday.

5

-1

Ronn Lauritzen

Modified

The Jesup driver does have a win - at Independence on June 14 - but hasn't been his usual front-running self otherwise. Don't get me wrong, he's been solid, just not the same as early in the year. He was eighth at Marshalltown June 13th, then third a week later. He ran fifth at Vinton June 15 and eighth at Independence on Saturday.

6

--

Jenae Gustin

Sport Mod

She's been busy since the last rankings, with results all over the board. She was pulling away in her heat Tuesday at Marshalltown before a blown engine ended her night. Got back to back wins at Independence June 14 and 21, a fifth at the Davenport Sport Mod Challenge, fourth at Marshalltown last Friday, and 21st in Vinton on June 15.

7

--

Troy Cordes

Modified

Cordes continued his recent solid performance with a win at Independence on Saturday night - his first there this year - and ran third there the week before. He had a third at Farley on June 13, and eighth at Benton County Speedway on June 15. You know it's a solid year when eighth is your worst finish of a two-week stretch.

8

-3

Bill Whalen

Sport Compact

Whalen had his Benton County Speedway win streak snapped on June 15, but still ran second at the track he's basically owned all season. He did get a win last time Southern Iowa Speedway ran on June 12, which is also the consistent result there. Collected back to back top fives with a third and fourth the last two at West Liberty.

9

N/R

Jeff Aikey

Late Model

The Cedar Falls veteran doesn't run weekly, and said Tuesday in Marshalltown he'd raced once in the last month because of the poorly timed rain showers canceling Deery Brothers shows. He finished third at the UMP show in Farley on June 17, then led every lap of the 50-lap Deery Brothers main event Tuesday night.

10

N/R

Nathan Ballard

Hobby Stock

The Marengo driver makes his first appearance in the Eastern Iowa Driver Rankings thanks to breaking the Matt Petrzelka stranglehold on the Hobby Stock class at Hawkeye Downs. Ballard has back to back wins on the paved 1/4-mile. He also showed his versatility, winning at Benton County Speedway June 15.

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