EAST MOLINE, Ill. — If anyone knows how the East Moline track surface will react, it is Matt Ryan.
The dirt and clay of the high-banked, quarter-mile East Moline Speedway oval fit to his liking as the 2018 track champion took the 30-lap Super Late Model Racing Hoker Trucking East Series thriller Sunday.
“This is my other home track so I know my way around,” Ryan said. “To win one of these is big.”
The Davenport, Iowa ace wheeled his Sampson Fence/American Family Insurance/The Outhouse Longhorn past Jeff Tharp on lap seven, utilized all grooves of the race track and held off series point leader Justin Kay for his first ever series win. He pocketed $3,000.
“Any time you can beat Justin Kay it’s a good night,” Ryan added. “That probably makes this my biggest win of the year.”
Ryan becomes the 42nd different series winner. The event was slowed six times by cautions, four in the last five circuits.
Travis Denning sped to the J&J Camper Sales IMCA Modified 20-lap checkers, beating Brandon Durbin, B.J. Jackson, Anthony Guss and Jim Sandusky.
The Legacy Corporation IMCA SportMods have become the class with excitement and diversity over the last few weeks. Even after two weeks off due to weather, Logan Veloz continued that trend with the 15-lap win. He passed Quincy visitor Logan Cumby on a green-white-checkered finish for the victory. David Engelkens, Keith Wiersema and Ryan Reed followed.
Rob Henry took the Dynamic Power Street Stock 15-lap finale over Indiana’s Ryan Arnett, Jesse Owen, Shane Richardson and Alex Pappas.
Daniel Wauters returned, passed Track champ Randy Lamar and cruise to the Rudy’s Tacos IMCA Hobby Stock 12-lap win. Lamar, Tucker Richardson, Billy Stanford and Keith Lilly followed.
The 12-lap Riverbend Pizza Place Sport Compact ender was two and three wide most of the way for fourth place on back. Cyle Hawkins got to the point on lap seven, passing his brother Travis and was first to Joe Carleton’s checkers.
The finish:
Feature (30 laps) – 1. 07-Matt Ryan[2]; 2. 15K-Justin Kay[5]; 3. 10T-Jeff Tharp[1]; 4. 99L-Jeff Larson[6]; 5. 56-Andy Eckrich[4]; 6. 22B-Jonathan Brauns[14]; 7. 7-Andy Nezworski[18]; 8. 14-Logan Duffy[10]; 9. 22C-Charlie McKenna[3]; 10. 44-Luke Goedert[8]; 11. 15C-Curt Schroeder[17]; 12. 91-Gabe Umbarger[13]; 13. 58-Dave Eckrich[11]; 14. 111-Anthony Guss[21]; 15. 32-Curtis Glover[20]; 16. 43-Derrick Stewart[12]; 17. 32C-Chad Holladay[7]; 18. 1H-Mike Haines[19]; 19. 1-Jake Neal[9]; 20. 17-Kirby Schultz[15]; 21. 34-Scott Strauss[22]; 22. 99D-Darrel DeFrance[23]; 23. 70-Shawn Mulvany[16]