Kay nearly completes IMCA Late Model, Modified double

TIPTON - All he does is win. Well, in an IMCA Late Model, that is.

From the beginning of 2013 through Tuesday night's IMCA Deery Brothers Summer Series for Late Models and Hawkeye Dirt Tour Modified doubleheader at Cedar County Raceway in Tipton, Justin Kay has amassed 75 wins.

After starting third, he drove his way to his sixth Summer Series win this season - he's the only driver with more than one win on tour this season, by the way - and 15 all-time. And believe it or not, Kay was almost disappointed with how the night ended up.

He was one spot away from making history and winning both the Modified and Late Model features, finishing second in Modified.

'Damn I wanted that Modified race. One spot away,” Kay said. 'This is awesome (though). This is the place where we have the most fans from home. To be able to perform in front of them is awesome.”

Kay took home $3,000 for his efforts in the Late Model win, and came in just behind Modified winner Colt Mather for the $1,000 check there.

The two races had a similar arc, in which the leaders were able to separate from the pack quickly on a slicked off but fast racetrack. They reached lapped traffic in around 10 laps in both races, and Kay said it helped him both times.

In Modified, it shrunk the straightaway lead Mather had, and gave Kay a shot - though he could only ultimately get within a car length or so. In Late Model, it allowed him to sneak past eventual second-place finisher Dan Shelliam to take the lead.

He weathered two restarts from the lead and pulled away to leave no doubt in Late Model.

'I just didn't have the timing down in the Modified,” Kay said. 'I haven't raced that enough to know what to do. I think if I could adjust on the car better, it would help me on that.

'In Late Model, the cautions helped me get the clean air again and the tires cooled down again. I could run seven, eight good, clean laps and then it would get loose.”

The track conditions made passing hard all the way around the track, as the grip level was not high.

Even as they caught lapped traffic, it would take Kay, Shelliam and third-place finisher Ray Guss Jr. several laps to work their way past. Whether it was working his way forward from the fourth starting spot in Modified or third in Late Model, Kay said it took fighting the natural instinct to hammer down and go as hard as you could to go to the front.

'Just had to go slow, get to the lapped cars and use them as a pick,” Kay said. 'Then just take your time and don't kill the tires. We had the car getting better as the race went on. And it does help when you get up front, slow everything down and run smooth laps and not abuse the car. That's big.”

Kay is no stranger to running two races in one event - he did so in back-to-back days last Monday and Tuesday at Farley Speedway and West Liberty Raceway for MLRA/IMCA doubleheaders - but nights like Tuesday night in Tipton are always a little extra difficult. That's especially true for his crew, too, who has to pit two cars.

Apart from the physical toll of hitting the track six times in two cars and running 80 laps in the two feature events alone, the mental aspect of switching from a Modified to a Late Model can get the best of many drivers.

'The biggest thing by far is getting the help to get the car ready in between races,” Kay said. 'It does take me a few laps to readjust to the different cars. The steering is so different and the brakes are so different. Power-wise, they're not that much different.

'But how you steer and how much you can charge the corner with the Late Model - and it still turns. In the Modified if you do that you just skate along for the ride and hope you don't hit anybody. It takes some adjustment.”

IMCA DEERY BROTHERS SUMMER SERIES FOR LATE MODELS

CEDAR COUNTY RACEWAY RESULTS

1. 15k Justin Kay, Wheatland; 2. 16s Dan Shelliam, Hazel Green, Wis.; 3. 58 Ray Guss Jr., Milan, Ill.; 4. 88 Kevin Kile, West Liberty; 5. 19g Richie Gustin, Gilman; 6. 24 Scott Fitzpatrick, Wheatland; 7. Z50 Joe Zrostlik, Long Grove; 8. 40 Joel Callahan, Dubuque; 9. 7 Andy Nezworski, Buffalo; 10. 31 Tyler Droste, Waterloo; 11. 07 Matt Ryan, Davenport; 12. 77 Jeff Aikey, Cedar Falls; 13. 75m Todd Malmstrom, Silvis, Ill.; 14. 48z Jon Poll, Delmar; 15. 1D Ryan Dolan, Lisbon; 16. 22b Jonathan Brauns, Muscatine; 17. 84 Sam Halstead, New London; 18. 53 Darren Ackerman, Readlyn; 19. 37b Brunson Behning; Davenport; 20. 56 Andy Eckrich, Oxford; 21. 77s Stephan Kammerer, Blue Grass; 22. 10 Ross Pierce, Sherrill; 23. 15 Kyle Hinrichs, Swisher; 24. 10t Jeff Tharp, Sherrill.

IMCA HAWKEYE DIRT TOUR MODIFIEDS

CEDAR COUNTY RACEWAY RESULTS

1. 8m Colt Mather, Webster; 2. 15k Justin Kay, Wheatland; 3. 70 Mitchell Morris, Long Grove; 4. 29d Brad Dierks, Clarence; 5. 11b Mike Burbridge, Delhi; 6. 27m Mark Schulte, Delhi; 7. 21k Kyle Brown, State Center; 8. 26 Brian Irvine, Oelwein; 9. 77 Kurt Kile, West Liberty; 10. 93 Matt Werner, Colona, Ill.; 11. 48j Jake Murray, Hartford; 12. 57v Mike Van Genderen, Newton; 13. 62 Hunter Marriott, Brookfield, Mo.; 14. F7 Patrick Flannagan, Cedar Rapids; 15. 9z Chris Zogg, New Liberty; 16. 11 Ray Cox Jr., Maquoketa; 17. 42 Scott Powell, Polo, Ill.; 18. 1jr Ben Chapman, Clarence; 19. 3b Brad Tyler, Wilton; 20. 20l Zach Less, Hopkinton; 21. 61 Bruce Hanford, Davenport; 22. 10k Ronn Lauritzen, Jesup; 23. 21d David Brown, Kellogg; 24. 51jr Johnny Walker, Stanwood.

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