Callahan collects big time with career first Deery win

FARLEY, Iowa (Sept. 14) – The presents just kept coming Saturday for Joel Callahan.

Callahan celebrated his 49th birthday with his career first Deery Brothers Summer Series feature win. The biggest payday on the 2013 IMCA Late Model tour was good for $7,500 and came during the Yankee Dirt Track Classic at Farley Speedway.

“There are so many good drivers in this series I’m just happy to be able to compete with them,” said Callahan, who got under Chris Simpson on the 33rd of 75 laps and then led to the finish. “We’ve been pretty good this year. We try to set our sights in Deery races to make the top 10, for the competition that’s out there.”

Simpson ran in front the first 32 times around the half-mile oval and ended in second. Simpson and Callahan were rarely separated by more than a couple car lengths; the only caution of the contest came on lap 52.

Ryan Dolan, Denny Eckrich and Jeff Aikey completed the top five.

Callahan started racing at the age of 40 – hence his car number – and won regular season track titles this season at both Farley and Dubuque Speedway, sharing the credit for those and his Deery accomplishments with crew chief Stan Thomas and family.
He made his first Deery Series appearance in 2010 and had owned a trio of career-best third-place finishes, the most recent of them last month in Des Moines.

Callahan’s first Deery win came in his 50th main event start.

Fifty-three Late Models were entered Saturday at Farley. The 15th of 17 events on the 2013 series schedule paid a minimum of $500 to start.

Wrapping up the tour are $3,000 to win events on Friday, Sept. 20 at Independence Motor Speedway and Saturday, Sept. 21 at Davenport Speedway.

Friday’s program at Indee includes a $500 to win non-qualifiers feature.

Feature results – 1. Joel Callahan, Dubuque; 2. Chris Simpson, Oxford; 3. Ryan Dolan, Lisbon; 4. Denny Eckrich, Tiffin; 5. Jeff Aikey, Cedar Falls; 6. Andy Eckrich, Oxford; 7. Rob Toland, Colona, Ill.; 8. Justin Kay, Wheatland; 9. Brian Harris, Davenport; 10. Jay Johnson, West Burlington; 11. Jon Merfeld, Peosta;12. Tom Goble, Burlington; 13. Ron Klein, Sherrill; 14. Ray Guss Jr., Milan, Ill.; 15. Cory Goldbeck, Camanche; 16. Spencer Diercks, Bettendorf; 17. Dan Shelliam, Hazel Green, Wis.; 18. Rob Moss, Iowa City; 19. Mike Murphy Jr., Colona, Ill.; 20. Jason Rauen, Farley; 21. Nick Marolf, Moscow; 22. Matt Ryan, Davenport; 23. Nate Beuseling, Silvis, Ill.; 24. Kyle Hinrichs, Swisher; 25. Tommy Elston, Keokuk.

1st heat (top two) – 1. Kay; 2. Merfeld; 3. Shelliam; 4. Todd Malmstrom, Silvis, Ill.; 5. Kevin Kile, West Liberty; 6. Greg Kastli, Waterloo; 7. Rick Dralle, Waterloo; 8. Guss; 9. Marty Scheckel, Long Grove.

2nd heat – 1. Callahan; 2. Aikey; 3. Marolf; 4. Tyler Bruening, Decorah; 5. Johnson; 6. Goble; 7. Terry Neal, Ely; 8. Beuseling; 9. Joe Dirks, Anamosa.

3rd heat – 1. Denny Eckrich; 2. Simpson; 3. Hinrichs; 4. Ryan; 5. Brunson Behning, Calamus; 6. Larry Harris, Muscoda, Wis.; 7. Joe Ross, Thomsen, Ill.; 8. Steve Hunter, Hopkinton; 9. Ryan Claeys, Morrison, Ill.

4th heat – 1. Brian Harris; 2. Goldbeck; 3. Diercks; 4. Jon Poll, Delmar; 5. Elston; 6. Darrel DeFrance, Marshalltown; 7. Todd Hansen, Muscatine; 8. Todd Hormel, West Liberty; 9. Kyle Neels, Freeport, Ill.

5th heat – 1. Rauen; 2. Klein; 3. Andy Eckrich; 4. Curt Martin, Independence; 5. Moss; 6. Mike Zemo Jr., Davenport; 7. Ed Clancy, Dubuque; 8. Ross Pierce, Dubuque; 9. Mel Abels, Freeport, Ill.

6th heat – 1. Toland; 2. Dolan; 3. Murphy; 4. Travis Denning, Sterling, Ill.; 5. Jeremy Grady, Story City; 6. Chad Holladay, Muscatine; 7. Doug Yates, Monticello; 8. Dean Wagner, Evansdale.

1st “B” feature (top three) – 1. Shelliam; 2. Marolf; 3. Johnson; 4. Goble; 5. Malmstrom; 6. Kile; 7. Neal; 8. Guss; 9. Bruening; 10. Beuseling; 11. Dralle; 12. Dirks; 13. Kastli; 14. Scheckel.

2nd “B” feature – 1. Hinrichs; 2. Diercks; 3. Ryan; 4. Elston; 5. Behning; 6. DeFrance; 7. Ross; 8. Hormel; 9. Larry Harris; 10. Hansen; 11. Neels; 12. Claeys; 13. Poll; 14. Hunter.

3rd “B” feature – 1. Andy Eckrich; 2. Murphy; 3. Moss; 4. Martin; 5. Holladay; 6. Denning; 7. Yates; 8. Grady; 9. Pierce; 10. Abels; 11. Zemo; 12. Clancy; 13. Wagner.

Last chance winner – Elston. Hard charger – Goble. Provisionals – Guss and Beuseling.