EAST MOLINE, Ill. — As usual, the rumble of the high-powered Dynamic Power Street Stocks did not disappoint speeding around the high-banked quarter-mile East Moline Speedway oval during the 10th Fallen Heroes Memorial Sunday evening.
Rob Henry maneuvered the low groove of the track enroute to the $1,001.01 top prize.
“Wow, this is great,” Henry said in victory lane. “We knew the bottom was the place to be and those other cars would be coming. I almost slipped up and I saw (Robert Cottom) there.”
Henry became the first three-time winner of the event, also taking the 2015 and 2017 events. He waited out eight cautions before the last four laps under green.
“Yeah, it’s a wait and see. It’s nice because there’s no traffic to deal with and I can just run my race,” Henry said. “But it takes longer with the cautions.”
The Port Byron, Ill. hotshoe started on the pole and led all 32 laps in the 21-car field. Four different drivers held the runner up spot at some point with Cottom taking it the final 10 laps.
Former event winners Joe Bonney (2016), Jeff Struck, Jr. (2018) and Zach Zuberbier (2019, 2020) rounded out the top five. Three-time track champion and 2021 victor Jesse Owen was sixth.
The 32 Street Stock laps were raced in memory of Rick Rogers, a long-time competitor and friend at East Moline Speedway, who passed away recently.
California teen Troy Morris III sped to the point from the start and won the 19-lap J&J Camper Sales IMCA Modified portion of the Fallen Heroes Memorial. He also paced every circuit with challenges behind him the entire race.
Dubuque, Iowa hotshoes Jason Schueller and Jed Freiburger came next followed by Brandon Durbin and track champ Travis Denning.
It was Morris’ first win outside the west coast.
The Modified 19 laps were in memory of Mark VerVynck and winner Morris qualified for the 19th IMCA Super Nationals Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational voting.
Wisconsin ace Jason Roth drove from his seventh starting position and outran Trey Grimm to the 15-lap Legacy Corporation IMCA SportMod checkers. David Engelkens, Erick Turner and Dakota Cole followed. Grimm took his spot on the last lap.
Brandon Dahl debuted his new car, took the lead on lap eight and held off Jason Rhoads for the 12-lap Riverbend Pizza Place Sport Compact win with Tommy Staggs, Spencer Roggentien and Drew Wise next.